the first machine gun regiment took the lead in efforts to topple the provisional government the bolsheviks decided to take part many were killed in clashes with troops loyal to the government. the dreadful images of the madness that sees st petersburg on the fourth of july will stay with me all my life. a truck came by at high speed loaded with shotguns and machine guns stuffed full of representatives of the revolutionary army. suddenly a shot rang out somewhere and hundreds of people scattered in panic like swirling leaves falling down pushing one another over screaming shouting the borzois are shooting. to suppress the uprising the artillery was employed and troops were called in from the front i know a lot of details from private letters but i don t want to quote them here so i