Siberian Army
Encyclopedia
Siberian Army - an anti-Bolshevik army during the Russian Civil War
, which fought at June, 1918 - July, 1919 in Siberia
- Ural
Region.
on December 7, 1917. The SR
-dominated assembly refused to recognize Soviet authority or its decrees, and during its last session on December 15 called for the convocation of an “all-socialist” Siberian Regional Duma and appointed a Provisional Siberian Council, answerable to the Duma, that would “act as a government.” The opening of the Duma was set for January 8, 1918.
As it happened, the Duma could not open on the date the congress had set for it for lack of a quorum requiring that a minimum of one-third of the delegates, or ninety-three, be present. Many of the delegates had already been arrested by local Bolshevik authorities; others had not been able to reach Tomsk.
When three weeks later, on the night of January 28–29, some forty delegates finally succeeded in meeting, they expeditiously elected a government known as the Provisional Government of Autonomous Siberia
(PGAS), under the chairmanship of a young Socialist-Revolutionary Pyotr Derber. Another member of SR Party - colonel Arkady Krakovetsky - became a Minister of War, his task was to organize an anti-Bolshevik rebellion in Siberia. Krakovetsky appointed two representatives: stabskapitän
Frizel in West-Siberian Military District, and praporshchik
Kalashnikov (both - members of SR Party). But there also were many independent underground military organisation with experienced officers as members. Hence SR-members quickly became driven away in underground organizations. In Western Siberia the main person became colonel Aleksey Grishin-Almazov, in Eastern Siberia - colonel A.Ellerts-Usov. To coordinate the efforts they created the Central Staff in Novonikolaevsk, Grishin-Almazov became the chief of this Staff.
at May, 1918, radically changed the situation in Siberia. At May, 25, Czechoslovaks captured Mariinsk
, the next day - Chelyabinsk
and Novonikolaevsk. On May, 28, A.Grishin-Almazov came to Novonikolaevsk and proclaimed himself as the commander of all troops in the Western Siberian Military District.
At that time most members of PGAS (including Derber and Krakovetsky) were in Vladivostok
, hence it was necessary to create a structure of government without them. On May 30, a meeting took place in Novonikolaevsk, the so-called "Council of representatives of PGAS", which organized the provisional Western Siberian Commissariat.
On June 12, 1918, Grishin-Almazov ordered the renaming of the Staff of the Western Siberian Military District (located in Omsk
) into the Staff of the Western Siberian Independent Army. Members of Staff were the officers of old Russian Imperial Army, hence there was no longer any influence of the deposed Socialist-Revolutionary Party.
On June 30, 1918, the Western Siberian Commissariat transferred its power to the Provisional Siberian Government (PSG), headed by Petr Vologodskii. Grishin-Almazov was appointed as Minister of War, but he decided not to create a Ministry of War, he preferred to use the structure of the Staff of the Western Siberian Independent Army as a Ministry of War.
, commander - colonel Pavel Ivanov-Rinov) and the Middle Siberian Corps (with its headquarter in Novonikolaevsk, commander - subcolonel Anatoly Pepelyayev
). On July, 11, the Ural Corps (with its headquarter in Chelyabinsk
, commander - Mikhail Khanzhin) was formed and organized. On August, 1918, Siberian Army had three corps of twenty-three 4-regimental divisions each (23,147 infantrymen, 14,888 cavalrymen and 22,224 unarmed volunteers).
At first, the Siberian Army was a volunteer army, but there became obvious that for the creation of a real army it was necessary to organize a program of conscription
. The conscription began on August 25, 1918, and by October 1918, the Siberian Army had 10,754 officers and 173,843 soldiers.
It was obvious that by the summer of 1918 the main military force in the eastern part of Russia was the Czechoslovak Legion. During the meeting in Chelyabinsk, which took place on July 13, 1918, it was decided that before the appointment of the Chief of all allied forced in Russia the Siberian troops on the front line would be placed under the command of the head of Czechoslovak Legion, general-major Vladimir Shokorov (he was an officer in Russian Army during the First World War). At the end of summer, when the Siberian Army became more powerful, and Shokorov was replaced by Jan Syrový
as a head of Czechoslovak Legion, tensions began to develop between the Russians and Czechoslovaks.
it was decided that the Provisional Government of Autonomous Siberia
and the Committee of Members of the Constituent Assembly should form a united Provisional All-Russian Government
with Nikolai Avksentiev
as its head. General-lieutenant Vasiliy Boldyrev replaced Jan Syrový as a head of all allied forces in Russia. Ivanov-Rinov from the Siberian Army became a new Minister of War and a new head of Siberian Army. Boldyrev reorganized all anti-Bolshevik forces in Eastern Russia into three Fronts: Western, South-Western and Siberian. Ivanov-Rinov became commander-in-chief of the entire Siberian Front.
After a military coup d'etat in November 1918, when Aleksandr Kolchak
became the Supreme Ruler of Russia, Boldyrev was forced to emigrate. In December 1918, Kolchak dissolved the old Siberian Army, and created a new one on the base of the Ekaterinburg Group (included the 1st and 3d Corps of the Siberian Army and some other troops) with Radola Gajda
as its commander. The Siberian Front was reorganised into the 2nd Steppe Siberian Corps with general Brzhezovsky as its commander.
In July 1919, the Siberian Army was divided into the 1st and 2nd Armies. Together with the 3d Army they formed an Eastern Front of the White Movement
. After several crushing defeats at the hands of the resurgent Red Army, the Eastern front largely collapsed and dissolved by November 1919. The last troops of the Siberian Army retreated to the Transbaikal
Region and were incorporated into the Far East Army.
Russian Civil War
The Russian Civil War was a multi-party war that occurred within the former Russian Empire after the Russian provisional government collapsed to the Soviets, under the domination of the Bolshevik party. Soviet forces first assumed power in Petrograd The Russian Civil War (1917–1923) was a...
, which fought at June, 1918 - July, 1919 in Siberia
Siberia
Siberia is an extensive region constituting almost all of Northern Asia. Comprising the central and eastern portion of the Russian Federation, it was part of the Soviet Union from its beginning, as its predecessor states, the Tsardom of Russia and the Russian Empire, conquered it during the 16th...
- Ural
Ural (region)
Ural is a geographical region located around the Ural Mountains, between the East European and West Siberian plains. It extends approximately from north to south, from the Arctic Ocean to the bend of Ural River near Orsk city. The boundary between Europe and Asia runs along the eastern side of...
Region.
Background
After the Bolsheviks' seizure of power in Petrograd, the All-Siberian Extraordinary Congress of Delegates from Public Organizations, was convened in TomskTomsk
Tomsk is a city and the administrative center of Tomsk Oblast, Russia, located on the Tom River. One of the oldest towns in Siberia, Tomsk celebrated its 400th anniversary in 2004...
on December 7, 1917. The SR
Socialist-Revolutionary Party
thumb|right|200px|Socialist-Revolutionary election poster, 1917. The caption in red reads "партия соц-рев" , short for Party of the Socialist Revolutionaries...
-dominated assembly refused to recognize Soviet authority or its decrees, and during its last session on December 15 called for the convocation of an “all-socialist” Siberian Regional Duma and appointed a Provisional Siberian Council, answerable to the Duma, that would “act as a government.” The opening of the Duma was set for January 8, 1918.
As it happened, the Duma could not open on the date the congress had set for it for lack of a quorum requiring that a minimum of one-third of the delegates, or ninety-three, be present. Many of the delegates had already been arrested by local Bolshevik authorities; others had not been able to reach Tomsk.
When three weeks later, on the night of January 28–29, some forty delegates finally succeeded in meeting, they expeditiously elected a government known as the Provisional Government of Autonomous Siberia
Provisional Government of Autonomous Siberia
The Provisional Government of Autonomous Siberia , was an ephemeral government for Siberia created by the White movement.After the Bolsheviks' seizure of power in Petrograd, All-Siberian Extraordinary Congress of Delegates from Public Organizations, was convened in Tomsk on December 7, 1917...
(PGAS), under the chairmanship of a young Socialist-Revolutionary Pyotr Derber. Another member of SR Party - colonel Arkady Krakovetsky - became a Minister of War, his task was to organize an anti-Bolshevik rebellion in Siberia. Krakovetsky appointed two representatives: stabskapitän
Stabskapitän
Stabskapitän is a historic military rank, used in the Prussian and Russian armies. It ranked between the Premierleutnant and Hauptmann/Rittmeister in the Prussian army, and between lieutenant and captain in the Russian army...
Frizel in West-Siberian Military District, and praporshchik
Praporshchik
Praporshchik is a rank in the Russian military.-Imperial Russia:Praporshchik was originally a name of a junior commissioned officer rank in the military of the Russian Empire equivalent to ensign...
Kalashnikov (both - members of SR Party). But there also were many independent underground military organisation with experienced officers as members. Hence SR-members quickly became driven away in underground organizations. In Western Siberia the main person became colonel Aleksey Grishin-Almazov, in Eastern Siberia - colonel A.Ellerts-Usov. To coordinate the efforts they created the Central Staff in Novonikolaevsk, Grishin-Almazov became the chief of this Staff.
Creation of the Army
The Revolt of Czechoslovak LegionRevolt of Czechoslovak Legion
Revolt of Czechoslovak Legion - armed actions of Czechoslovak Legions in Russian Civil War against Bolshevik authorities during May - August, 1918 in Volga, Siberia and Ural regions...
at May, 1918, radically changed the situation in Siberia. At May, 25, Czechoslovaks captured Mariinsk
Mariinsk
Mariinsk is a town in Kemerovo Oblast, Russia, located on the Kiya River northeast of Kemerovo. Population: 39,700 .It was founded in the 18th century as the village of Kiyskoye . In 1856, it was granted town status and renamed Mariinsk after Empress Maria, consort of Alexander II, one...
, the next day - Chelyabinsk
Chelyabinsk
Chelyabinsk is a city and the administrative center of Chelyabinsk Oblast, Russia, located in the northwestern side of the oblast, south of Yekaterinburg, just to the east of the Ural Mountains, on the Miass River. Population: -History:...
and Novonikolaevsk. On May, 28, A.Grishin-Almazov came to Novonikolaevsk and proclaimed himself as the commander of all troops in the Western Siberian Military District.
At that time most members of PGAS (including Derber and Krakovetsky) were in Vladivostok
Vladivostok
The city is located in the southern extremity of Muravyov-Amursky Peninsula, which is about 30 km long and approximately 12 km wide.The highest point is Mount Kholodilnik, the height of which is 257 m...
, hence it was necessary to create a structure of government without them. On May 30, a meeting took place in Novonikolaevsk, the so-called "Council of representatives of PGAS", which organized the provisional Western Siberian Commissariat.
On June 12, 1918, Grishin-Almazov ordered the renaming of the Staff of the Western Siberian Military District (located in Omsk
Omsk
-History:The wooden fort of Omsk was erected in 1716 to protect the expanding Russian frontier along the Ishim and the Irtysh rivers against the Kyrgyz nomads of the Steppes...
) into the Staff of the Western Siberian Independent Army. Members of Staff were the officers of old Russian Imperial Army, hence there was no longer any influence of the deposed Socialist-Revolutionary Party.
On June 30, 1918, the Western Siberian Commissariat transferred its power to the Provisional Siberian Government (PSG), headed by Petr Vologodskii. Grishin-Almazov was appointed as Minister of War, but he decided not to create a Ministry of War, he preferred to use the structure of the Staff of the Western Siberian Independent Army as a Ministry of War.
Structure of the Army
On June, 13, 1918 all troops under the command of Grichin-ALmazov were concentrated into two corps: the Steppe Siberian Corps (with its headquarter in OmskOmsk
-History:The wooden fort of Omsk was erected in 1716 to protect the expanding Russian frontier along the Ishim and the Irtysh rivers against the Kyrgyz nomads of the Steppes...
, commander - colonel Pavel Ivanov-Rinov) and the Middle Siberian Corps (with its headquarter in Novonikolaevsk, commander - subcolonel Anatoly Pepelyayev
Anatoly Pepelyayev
Anatoly Nikolayevich Pepelyayev was a White Russian general who led the Siberian armies of Admiral Kolchak during the Russian Civil War. His elder brother Viktor Pepelyayev served as Prime Minister in Kolchak's government.-Trans-Siberian march:...
). On July, 11, the Ural Corps (with its headquarter in Chelyabinsk
Chelyabinsk
Chelyabinsk is a city and the administrative center of Chelyabinsk Oblast, Russia, located in the northwestern side of the oblast, south of Yekaterinburg, just to the east of the Ural Mountains, on the Miass River. Population: -History:...
, commander - Mikhail Khanzhin) was formed and organized. On August, 1918, Siberian Army had three corps of twenty-three 4-regimental divisions each (23,147 infantrymen, 14,888 cavalrymen and 22,224 unarmed volunteers).
At first, the Siberian Army was a volunteer army, but there became obvious that for the creation of a real army it was necessary to organize a program of conscription
Conscription
Conscription is the compulsory enlistment of people in some sort of national service, most often military service. Conscription dates back to antiquity and continues in some countries to the present day under various names...
. The conscription began on August 25, 1918, and by October 1918, the Siberian Army had 10,754 officers and 173,843 soldiers.
It was obvious that by the summer of 1918 the main military force in the eastern part of Russia was the Czechoslovak Legion. During the meeting in Chelyabinsk, which took place on July 13, 1918, it was decided that before the appointment of the Chief of all allied forced in Russia the Siberian troops on the front line would be placed under the command of the head of Czechoslovak Legion, general-major Vladimir Shokorov (he was an officer in Russian Army during the First World War). At the end of summer, when the Siberian Army became more powerful, and Shokorov was replaced by Jan Syrový
Jan Syrový
Jan Syrový was a Czechoslovak Army four star general and the prime minister during the Munich Crisis.-Early life and military career:...
as a head of Czechoslovak Legion, tensions began to develop between the Russians and Czechoslovaks.
Reorganization
On September 1918, during the State Conference in UfaUfa
-Demographics:Nationally, dominated by Russian , Bashkirs and Tatars . In addition, numerous are Ukrainians , Chuvash , Mari , Belarusians , Mordovians , Armenian , Germans , Jews , Azeris .-Government and administration:Local...
it was decided that the Provisional Government of Autonomous Siberia
Provisional Government of Autonomous Siberia
The Provisional Government of Autonomous Siberia , was an ephemeral government for Siberia created by the White movement.After the Bolsheviks' seizure of power in Petrograd, All-Siberian Extraordinary Congress of Delegates from Public Organizations, was convened in Tomsk on December 7, 1917...
and the Committee of Members of the Constituent Assembly should form a united Provisional All-Russian Government
Provisional All-Russian Government
The Provisional All-Russian Government or PA-RG was a short-lived government centred in Omsk during the Russian Civil War.It was principally formed from the Komuch, mainly Socialist-Revolutionary Party and Constitutional Democratic Party members based in Samara, and the Provisional Siberian...
with Nikolai Avksentiev
Nikolai Avksentiev
Nikolai Dimitrovich Avksentiev was a leading member of the Russian Socialist-Revolutionary Party . He was one of the 'Heidelberg SRs' , like V.M. Zenzinov...
as its head. General-lieutenant Vasiliy Boldyrev replaced Jan Syrový as a head of all allied forces in Russia. Ivanov-Rinov from the Siberian Army became a new Minister of War and a new head of Siberian Army. Boldyrev reorganized all anti-Bolshevik forces in Eastern Russia into three Fronts: Western, South-Western and Siberian. Ivanov-Rinov became commander-in-chief of the entire Siberian Front.
After a military coup d'etat in November 1918, when Aleksandr Kolchak
Aleksandr Kolchak
Aleksandr Vasiliyevich Kolchak was a Russian naval commander, polar explorer and later - Supreme ruler . Supreme ruler of Russia , was recognized in this position by all the heads of the White movement, "De jure" - Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes, "De facto" - Entente States...
became the Supreme Ruler of Russia, Boldyrev was forced to emigrate. In December 1918, Kolchak dissolved the old Siberian Army, and created a new one on the base of the Ekaterinburg Group (included the 1st and 3d Corps of the Siberian Army and some other troops) with Radola Gajda
Radola Gajda
Radola Gajda, born as Rudolf Geidl, was a Czech/Montenegrin military commander and politician.- Early years :...
as its commander. The Siberian Front was reorganised into the 2nd Steppe Siberian Corps with general Brzhezovsky as its commander.
In July 1919, the Siberian Army was divided into the 1st and 2nd Armies. Together with the 3d Army they formed an Eastern Front of the White Movement
White movement
The White movement and its military arm the White Army - known as the White Guard or the Whites - was a loose confederation of Anti-Communist forces.The movement comprised one of the politico-military Russian forces who fought...
. After several crushing defeats at the hands of the resurgent Red Army, the Eastern front largely collapsed and dissolved by November 1919. The last troops of the Siberian Army retreated to the Transbaikal
Transbaikal
Transbaikal, Trans-Baikal, Transbaikalia , or Dauria is a mountainous region to the east of or "beyond" Lake Baikal in Russia. The alternative name, Dauria, is derived from the ethnonym of the Daur people. It stretches for almost 1000 km from north to south from the Patomskoye Plateau and North...
Region and were incorporated into the Far East Army.
Sources
- Н.Е.Какурин, И.И.Вацетис "Гражданская война. 1918-1921" (N.E.Kakurin, I.I.VacietisJukums VacietisJukums Vācietis was a Latvian Soviet military commander. He was a rare example of notable Soviet leaders who were not members of the Communist Party ....
"Civil War. 1918-1921") - Sankt-Peterburg, "Polygon" Publishing House, 2002. ISBN 5-89173-150-9