100 years ago, in February 1920, Miller's White Northern Army collapsed and ceased to exist. On February 21, the Red Army entered Arkhangelsk. The remnants of the White Guards fled by sea to Norway.
General situation
In August 1919, the Entente forces (mostly British) were evacuated from Arkhangelsk. Considering that staying in the Arkhangelsk region was suicide for the 20,000-strong Northern Army, the British command proposed to evacuate it to another front - to Yudenich or Denikin. The option of relocating to Murmansk was also considered. There were large reserves, it was possible to advance in the Petrozavodsk direction, providing assistance to the White Finns and Yudenich. In the rear there was an ice-free sea, so in case of failure it was relatively easy to retreat to Finland and Norway.
It was not advisable to stay in Arkhangelsk. The northern front was supported by the allies. They also supplied the white Northern army. The Arkhangelsk province could not feed the white army for a long time, supply it with everything necessary, there was no developed industry here. In case of military failure, the army was doomed to disaster. There was nowhere to retreat. After the end of navigation, the sea froze over. The white fleet lacked ships and coal. Due to the transportation of food in Arkhangelsk, there were no more than 1-2 icebreakers, and even coal would not always be on them. The ship crews supported the Bolsheviks and were unreliable. And the retreat to Murmansk by land in the local harsh conditions and off-road conditions is almost impossible, especially for units that were far away, on Pechora or Pinega. And Murmansk itself was not a fortress; timely measures were not taken to strengthen the Murmansk sector. Moreover, the most unreliable parts were sent there. The rear was unreliable, the socialists, including the Bolsheviks, had a strong position among the people. Pro-Soviet uprisings often took place among the troops.
The command of the White Army held a military meeting. Almost all regimental commanders were in favor of evacuating with the British to another front, or at least to Murmansk. It was proposed to withdraw the most reliable and combat-ready units there. However, the headquarters of the commander of the troops of the Northern Region, General Miller, decided to stay in Arkhangelsk. The point was that this was the time of the maximum successes of the White Army in Russia. Kolchak also fought, Denikin broke through to Moscow, and Yudenich was preparing for the offensive. In the North, the White Guards also attacked successfully. It seemed a little bit more, and the White Army would take up. In such a situation, abandoning the North seemed like a big military-political mistake.
As a result, it was decided to stay and fight alone. At the front, the situation was initially stable. In September 1919, the Northern Army went on the offensive and won a number of victories and occupied new territories. The Red Army in the Arkhangelsk direction, which was secondary, did not expect an offensive by the White Guards after the departure of the British and consisted of weak units. The soldiers often deserted, surrendered, and went over to the side of the whites. True, having become whites, they were still an unstable element, they easily succumbed to socialist propaganda, rebelled, and went over to the side of the Reds. In October 1919, Kolchak abolished the provisional government of the Northern Region and appointed General Miller as the head of the region with dictatorial powers. "Democracy" is done away with.
On the road to disaster
While the armies of Kolchak, Yudenich, Tolstov, Dutov and Denikin were dying, it was calm on the Northern Front. General Evgeny Miller showed himself to be a good staff officer and manager. Miller was from a noble family, he graduated from the Nikolaev Cadet Corps and the Nikolaev Cavalry School. He served in the guard, then graduated from the Nikolaev Academy of the General Staff and became a staff officer. During the First World War, he was chief of staff of the 5th and 12th armies, corps commander.
Miller enjoyed great popularity and authority among the population of the Northern Region and among the troops. He was able to create a supply system for the troops, established a search and storage of supplies that were abandoned by the British. Reorganized the headquarters. As a result, almost until the very fall of the Northern Front, the whites did not experience any special supply problems. Local resources were also used. There was little bread, and its delivery was rationed. But fish, venison, and game were abundant, so there was no hunger. The northern region had its own stable currency, rubles were issued and provided by the British Bank. The population, in comparison with other regions of Russia, where the war was going on and the front could go back and forth several times, lived relatively well. The salaries of soldiers and officers were high, their families were provided for.
At the front, the situation was initially also favorable. The Northern Army was significantly increased: by the beginning of 1920, it had over 54 thousand people with 161 guns and 1.6 thousand machine guns, plus about 10 thousand militia. There was also a fleet of the Arctic Ocean: the battleship Chesma (formerly Poltava), several destroyers, minesweepers, hydrographic vessels, icebreakers and a number of other auxiliary vessels. The White Guards were still advancing by inertia. The winter, which chained the swamps, gave freedom of maneuver for the white detachments. The White Guards occupied vast areas in Pinega, Mezen, Pechora, entered the territory of the Yarensky and Ust-Sysolsky districts of the Vologda province. It is clear that these successes were largely due to the fact that the Northern Front was secondary for Moscow. The successes of Miller's army did not threaten the vital centers of Soviet Russia and were temporary. Therefore, while the Red Army was waging a decisive battle with Denikin's forces, almost no attention was paid to the Northern Army. Some units were removed from the North on more important fronts, and the rest were of low combat quality. And practically no replenishment was sent here. In some areas, like in Pinega, the Soviet command left its positions on its own.
However, this imaginary prosperity soon ended. The population of a large part of the Arkhangelsk province could not support a large army for a long time, the number of which was constantly growing. In proportion to the "successes" at the front, the front line was stretched, and the combat stability of the units was still low. Quality was traded for quantity, with extensive mobilizations to maintain a quantitative advantage over the Reds along the entire front. The economically weak Northern Region, deprived of food and military aid from the Entente, was doomed to collapse.
With the collapse of other white fronts, the reliability of the troops (a significant part of the soldiers were former Red Army soldiers) dropped significantly. The number of deserters grew. Many went into reconnaissance and did not return, abandoning forward posts and guards. Red propaganda has intensified. The soldiers were told that they could redeem their guilt by handing over the officers, opening the front and going over to the side of the people. The soldiers were called upon to end the senseless slaughter, to throw off the power of the counter-revolutionaries. The officers were offered to stop being hired by their own and foreign capital, to go to serve in the Red Army.
White partisans have shown themselves poorly. They fought well on the front lines, near their villages. But when transferred to other sectors, in defense, their fighting qualities fell sharply. The partisans did not recognize discipline, drank, fought with local residents, easily succumbed to the Socialist-Revolutionary propaganda. A difficult situation was in the White Navy. All the crews of the ships were on the side of the Bolsheviks. The battleship Chesma, fearing a mutiny, had to unload ammunition. Of the 400 crew members, half were transferred to the shore, sent to the security service with unusable rifles. But soon the crew grew to their previous size and retained their Bolshevik attitude. The sailors did not hide their moods and waited for the arrival of the Red Army. It was a real "red citadel" in the camp of the enemy. The officers in every way tried to escape from the ship, until they were interrupted.
In river and lake flotillas, formed from armed steamers and barges, under the command of Captain 1st Rank Georgy Chaplin, the situation was not much better. Chaplin surrounded himself with young naval officers and at first successfully operated on the Dvina. The flotilla actively supported the offensive of the ground forces in the fall of 1919, did not allow the Reds to seize Dvina after the British left. But with the onset of winter, the flotilla stood up, and naval rifle companies were formed from the crews. However, they quickly disintegrated and became hotbeds of red propaganda among the ground forces.
Socialist-revolutionaries also became more active. They were in quite legal positions in the Northern Region. The Socialist-Revolutionaries were headed by the chairman of the provincial zemstvo council P. P. Skomorokhov. Even until September 1919, he was part of the third composition of the provisional government of the Northern Region. An energetic and strong-willed man, Skomorokhov stood on the left and inclined towards defeatism. He took over the Zemstvo and a significant part of the Socialist-Revolutionary Party. Skomorokhov actively criticized the government, its economic and military policies. Promoted the idea of "reconciliation" with the Bolsheviks. Among the soldiers were the Socialist-Revolutionaries, and the defeatist positions found many supporters among the troops.
The White Guards received an informational blow from the West. There were reports in the press about the lifting of the economic blockade and trade with Soviet Russia. It was concluded that since the Western countries are lifting the blockade, it means that further war is meaningless. Local trade cooperatives, hoping for future profits, began to actively support the left Skomorokhov in order to quickly make peace with the Bolsheviks. Thus, the morale of the Northern Army was undermined from all sides.
The collapse of the Northern army
In early 1920, when troops from other fronts were freed, the Soviet command decided that it was time to put an end to Miller's Northern Army. The main striking force of the Red Northern Front in the Arkhangelsk direction was the 6th Soviet Army under the command of Alexander Samoilo. The Red Army commander was a former tsarist general, graduated from the Nikolaev Academy of the General Staff, served in staff positions. After October, he went over to the side of the Bolsheviks, participated in negotiations with the Germans in Brest-Litovsk, fought on the Western and Northern fronts.
The attack on the White Army was delivered not only from the front, but also from the rear. On February 3, 1920, the opening of the provincial Zemsky Assembly was scheduled. Before that, the government was subjected to crushing criticism. The government has temporarily resigned. Miller begged the ministers to stay temporarily in the field until a new government was formed. At this time, the Zemsky Assembly was opened. Skomorokhov was its leader. Economic issues were immediately forgotten, the meeting turned into a stormy political rally against the government. The question was raised about the advisability of further struggle. The defeatists on the left insisted on immediate peace with the Bolsheviks, calling for the arrest of counter-revolutionary officers. Through newspapers and rumors, this wave immediately covered the entire society and the army. Miller summoned the leaders of the Zemsky Assembly to him. Skomorokhov said that the commander-in-chief must submit to the will of the people if the people speak out for peace. The assembly became more and more inflamed and adopted a declaration in which the government was declared counter-revolutionary and deposed, and all power passed to the Zemsky Assembly, which was to form a new government. The situation in Arkhangelsk was tense.
At the same time, when Arkhangelsk was engulfed in political turmoil, the Red Army attacked in the Dvinsky sector. The positions of the White Guards were plowed up by artillery, the 4th Northern Regiment and the Shenkur battalion could not withstand the blow of the superior forces of the Reds and began to retreat. The Reds threw fresh forces into the breakthrough. On February 4, Miller spoke at the Assembly and, with the support of the City Duma and the Zemstvo members, acting from defensive positions, was able to calm the situation in Arkhangelsk. The declaration of the overthrow of the government was canceled and the troops were called upon to continue the struggle. The formation of a new government began.
Meanwhile, the situation at the front continued to deteriorate. The battle that began on the Dvina became common. The battle was especially stubborn in the Seletsky fortified area, where the 7th Northern Regiment, made up of Tarasov partisans, who defended their villages, was stationed. They fought to the death and with their perseverance helped the troops of the Dvinsky region, which were retreating under the blows of the Reds, to stop at new positions. However, on the night of February 8 in the Zheleznodorozhny District, a part of the 3rd Northern Regiment raised an uprising. At the same time, the Reds attacked in this area. The rebels and the Reds crushed the remnants of the regiment. As a result, the front was broken through in one of the most important sectors. This was the beginning of a general disaster.
General disaster and evacuation
The threat at the front made the political community of Arkhangelsk forget about grievances and ambitions; on February 14, 1920, a new government was formed (the fifth composition). It didn't matter anymore. The government only managed to issue a defense appeal and hold several meetings. The Soviet command offered peace, promised the inviolability of officers.
At the front, the catastrophe developed. White tried to close the gap, but the units thrown into battle were unreliable and scattered. The retreat continued. The Reds took the Plesetskaya station and created a threat to encircle the Seletsky fortified area. The 7th Northern Regiment, which stubbornly defended this fortified area, was ordered to withdraw. But the soldiers of this regiment, made up of local partisans, refused to leave their homes and simply fled to their homes. From the best regiment of the army, a company remained. At this time, the rest of the units against the background of defeat at the front were rapidly falling apart. In Arkhangelsk itself, the sailors openly carried on propaganda among the soldiers of the spare parts.
However, the command believed that although the fall of Arkhangelsk was inevitable, there was still time. The front will hold out for some time. Therefore, the city lived an ordinary life, the evacuation was not announced. Only counterintelligence and the operational department of the headquarters on foot began to move to Murmansk, but because of the deep snow they moved extremely slowly. And then on February 18, the catastrophe became complete. The front collapsed. Units in the main directions abandoned their positions, surrendered, the local residents went home. There were only groups of "irreconcilable" who began to leave on their own in the direction of Murmansk. At the same time, the Reds could not immediately enter Arkhangelsk. Due to the lack of roads and low organization, the Soviet troops were delayed. Between Arkhangelsk and the front line, an area of 200-300 km was formed, where the disarmament of white units, fraternization, rallies took place, and the fled soldiers of the Northern Army were caught.
At that moment, there were three icebreakers in Arkhangelsk. "Canada" and "Ivan Susanin" were 60 km from the city at the "Economy" pier, where they were loaded with coal. Some of the refugees were sent there. The icebreaker "Kozma Minin", recalled by a radiogram halfway to Murmansk, came directly to Arkhangelsk. The crew was unreliable, so a group of naval officers immediately took control of the ship. Commander Miller himself, his headquarters, members of the northern government of different compositions, various famous people, sick and wounded, Danish volunteers, members of the White Guard families plunged into the Minin and the military yacht Yaroslavna, which the icebreaker took in tow. Miller handed over power in Arkhangelsk to the workers' executive committee; crowds of workers and sailors with red flags roamed the city. The battleship Chesma also raised the red flag. On February 19 "Minin" began its campaign. When they reached the Economy, they planned to load coal and attach two more icebreakers. But red flags were already flying there. The dock and icebreakers were captured by the rebels. The officers ran across the ice to the Minin.
Out into the White Sea, the ships reached the ice. The ice fields were so powerful that Yaroslavna had to be abandoned. The icebreaker took on board people from the yacht (in total there were 1100 people on the ship), coal, food and one 102-mm gun, and the empty Yaroslavna was left in the ice. She was rescued, she became part of the Soviet flotilla as a patrol boat (since 1924 - "Vorovsky"). On February 20, icebreakers Sibiryakov, Rusanov and Taimyr were noticed in the ice, they left Arkhangelsk for Murmansk on February 15, but got stuck, unable to break through. There was no confidence in the reliability of their crews, so the officers and officials were transferred to the Minin, and they took part of the coal.
On February 21, the pursuit was revealed. Red troops occupied Arkhangelsk, the icebreaker "Canada" was sent in pursuit. The red icebreaker opened fire. "Minin" answered. The White Guards were lucky, they were the first to achieve a successful shot. Canada got hit, turned around and walked away. The ice began to move. All four icebreakers resumed their voyage. But soon three icebreakers, deliberately or accidentally, lagged behind the "Minin". Then "Minin" was again squeezed by ice. In the meantime, the purpose of the path has changed. On February 21, an uprising began in Murmansk under the influence of news of the fall of the death of the Northern Army and the fall of Arkhangelsk. White units fled and opened a front in the Murmansk sector. Therefore, "Minin", when the ice parted, moved to Norway. Already in Norwegian waters we met the steamer Lomonosov, on which some officers, a detachment of Belgian volunteers and two British pilots fled from Murmansk. A group of Arkhangelsk refugees was transferred to the Lomonosov.
On February 26, 1920, Minin and Lomonosov arrived at the Norwegian port of Tromsø. On March 3, "Minin" and "Lomonosov" left Tromsø, and on March 6 they arrived in Hommelvik. On March 20, the Russians were interned in a camp near Trondheim. In total, over 600 people were interned, some of the sick and wounded remained in Tromsø, some returned to Russia, some of the refugees who had money and connections in other countries left for Finland, France and England. It is worth noting that the Norwegians greeted the Russian refugees very friendly, treated and fed them free of charge, showered them with gifts, and gave out benefits for the time they were looking for a new place in life. Miller soon left for France, where he became General Wrangel's chief commissioner for military and naval affairs in Paris.
The rest of Miller's army ceased to exist. The Reds occupied Onega on February 26, Pinega on February 29, Murmansk on March 13. In the Murmansk sector, after the collapse of the army, part of the officers and soldiers (about 1.5 thousand people), not wanting to surrender, moved to Finland. After two weeks of a hard hike without roads, through taiga and swamps, they nevertheless reached Finnish territory. In the Arkhangelsk direction, the remote eastern sectors (Pechora, Mezensky, Pinezhsky) after the breakthrough of the front by the Reds in the central direction found themselves in the deep rear of the enemy and were doomed to be captured. The troops of the Dvinsky region, which, according to the headquarters plans, were supposed to connect with Zheleznodorozhny to move to Murmansk, could not do this. The remnants of the units began to retreat to Arkhangelsk, but that was already occupied by Soviet troops and the Whites surrendered. Troops of the Zheleznodorozhny region and shawls that left Arkhangelsk for Murmansk (about 1, 5 thousand people). But there was an uprising in Onega, the whites had to fight their way. On February 27, they reached the Soroki station on the Murmansk railway, and then they learned that the Murmansk sector of the front had also collapsed. Red armored trains and infantry were waiting for them. The extremely difficult 400-kilometer campaign was in vain, the White Guards entered into negotiations and surrendered.
Thus, Miller's White Northern Army ceased to exist. The northern region existed only with the support of Britain and because of the secondary importance of this direction. Miller's army did not threaten the vital centers of Soviet Russia, therefore, while the Red Army crushed the enemy on other fronts, the white North existed. As soon as the threat in the northwest and south disappeared, the Reds launched a decisive offensive, and the Northern army collapsed.
