Troubles. 1919 year. The offensive of Yudenich's North-Western Army was choked up a few steps from the old capital of Russia. The White Guards were very close to the outskirts of Petrograd, but never made it to them. The fierce battle lasted 3 weeks and ended in the defeat of the whites. Troops of the North-Western Army on November 4, 1919 began their retreat to the west. In the course of fierce fighting by the end of November, the remnants of the White troops were pushed to the Estonian border.
Defense of Petrograd
The main forces of Yudenich's army, which went on the offensive in the Petrograd direction on October 10, 1919 (a total of about 19 thousand bayonets and sabers, 57 guns and about 500 machine guns, 4 armored trains and 6 tanks), with the support of Estonian troops and a British squadron, quickly broke into the defense of 7- 1st Red Army, not expecting an enemy attack, and in mid-October reached the distant approaches to Petrograd. On October 16, the White Guards captured Krasnoe Selo, on the 17th - Gatchina, on the 20th - Pavlovsk and Detskoe Selo (now the town of Pushkin), reached Strelna, Ligovo and Pulkovo Heights - the last defensive line of the Reds 12-15 km from the city. The offensive of the 2nd Corps of the North-Western Army (NWA), which launched an offensive in the Luga direction on September 28 and launched an attack on Pskov on October 10, was stopped by the 20th at a line 30-40 km north of Pskov.
The situation in the Petrograd area was critical. The 7th Army was defeated and demoralized. Its units, having lost contact with the command, isolated from each other, retreated, in fact fled, without offering resistance. The attempts of the Soviet command to stabilize the situation by introducing reserves into battle were unsuccessful. The rear units had very low combat effectiveness, fell apart at the first contact with the enemy, or did not reach the front line at all.
On October 15, 1919, the Politburo of the Central Committee of the RCP (b) decided to keep Petrograd. The head of the Soviet government, Lenin, called for the mobilization of all forces and means for the defense of the city. Trotsky headed the immediate leadership of the defense of Petrograd. The mobilization of workers between the ages of 18 and 40 was declared, and at the same time detachments of communists, workers, and Baltic sailors were formed and sent to the front line. Troops and reserves were transferred to Petrograd from the center of the country and other fronts. In total, from October 15 to November 4, 1919, 45 regiments, 9 battalions, 17 separate detachments, 13 artillery and 5 cavalry divisions, 7 armored trains, etc. were sent to the defense of Petrograd. The Petrograd defense headquarters launched active construction of defensive structures in the city itself and on the approaches to it. In a short time, 3 defensive lines were erected. They were reinforced with naval artillery - ships of the Baltic Fleet were brought into the Neva. The 7th Soviet Army, which was led by Nadezhny on October 17, was put in order by the most severe methods, it was regrouped and replenished.
In the meantime, the NWA's situation deteriorated. White's right flank failed to intercept the Nikolaev railway in time. This allowed the red command to continuously transfer reinforcements to Petrograd. In the Tosno area, the Reds began to form Kharlamov's strike group. On the left flank, the Estonians failed the operation to capture the Krasnaya Gorka fort and other fortifications on the coast of the Gulf of Finland. Estonian forces and the British fleet were diverted to the attack of Bermondt-Avalov's Western Volunteer Army on Riga. It is possible that this was only an excuse not to risk expensive ships in possible clashes with the forces of the red Baltic Fleet and skirmishes with powerful coastal batteries. The British preferred to wage war with someone else's "cannon fodder".
In addition, London, pushing the SZA to Petrograd and not providing it with effective military and material support, at the same time subjugated the Baltic new formations. Estonia benefited from cooperation with England, political and military patronage, economic assistance. Therefore, for its part, the Estonian government tried in every possible way to consolidate ties with England. Britain, having established a de facto protectorate over Estonia, did not stop there and, in the person of Loyd George, conducted persistent negotiations with Estonia on a long-term lease of the Ezel and Dago islands. The negotiations were successful and only the intervention of France, jealous of the British successes, prevented England from creating a new base in the Baltic.
Estonians also negotiated with the Soviet government on the basis of recognizing the independence of Estonia and the refusal of the Bolsheviks from all hostile actions against it. The NWA offensive on Petrograd strengthened Estonia's bargaining power. In the beginning, the Estonians supported the White Guards, and then left them to fend for themselves. Yudenich's army was simply sold profitably.
Be that as it may, this led to the fact that the entire coast remained in the hands of the Reds, the left wing of the SZA turned out to be open for flank attacks from the enemy units and the Red Baltic Fleet remaining in the coastal strongholds. From the areas of Peterhof, Oranienbaum and Strelna, the Reds began to threaten the left flank of Yudenich's army, and attacks on Ropsha began on October 19. Without any opposition, the red fleet began to land troops.
A fierce battle raged on at the Pulkovo Heights. The Reds began to offer desperate resistance, they fought regardless of losses. The Bashkir group of troops and workers' detachments were thrown into battle. They suffered huge losses. White could not withstand such a battle of attrition. They suffered smaller losses, but could not make up for them. The pace of the offensive of the army of Yudenich slowed down from October 18 and by the end of the 20th the White offensive was stopped. In addition, supply problems began for the White Guards. Ammunition in the immediate rear was used, but the supply could not be established - the bridge over the river. The meadow near Yamburg, blown up in the summer, could not be restored.
Thus, the SZA was doomed to defeat due to the numerical superiority of the enemy, relying on populous, industrially developed and well-connected areas. Yudenich's army did not have its own military-economic base, internal resources and was critically dependent on foreign military assistance. Its resources were quickly depleted, they were only enough for a short spurt to Petrograd. And in order to mobilize people in the occupied territory, it took time that the whites did not have. The White Guards did not wait for real help from England and France. In particular, the British limited themselves to naval raids and air strikes on the coast, which had little military significance. The French promised help (weapons, ammunition), but they were playing for time and the SZA never received it.
Red Army counteroffensive
Simultaneously with the defense of the city, the Soviet command was preparing a counteroffensive. There was enough strength for this. In the Tosno - Kolpino area, the Kharlamov Strike Group was assembled (7, 5 thousand bayonets and sabers, 12 guns). It consisted of troops that arrived from Moscow, Tula, Tver, Novgorod and other cities: a brigade of cadets, a brigade of the 21st rifle division, the Latvian rifle regiment (it was removed from the Kremlin's protection), 2 battalions of the Cheka, about 3 regiments of railway security … It was also reinforced with one brigade of the 2nd Infantry Division, transferred from the Pulkovo Heights.
According to the plan of the red command, the main attack on the right flank of the NWA from the Kolpino area in the general direction to Gatchina was delivered by the Kharlamov Strike Group. After the defeat of the enemy in the Gatchina region, Soviet troops were to develop an offensive along the Volosovo-Yamburg railway. An auxiliary strike on the enemy's left flank from the Gulf of Finland to Krasnoe Selo was delivered by Shakhov's 6th Infantry Division, reinforced by a detachment of cadets. In the center of the 7th Army's front, the main forces of the 2nd Rifle Division, reinforced by detachments of Petrograd workers, fought. The 15th Army was to launch an offensive in the Luzhkoy direction.
After a 3-minute artillery preparation, which was supported by the ships of the Baltic Fleet, on October 21, 1919, the troops of the 7th Army (about 26 thousand bayonets and sabers, over 450 guns and over 700 machine guns, 4 armored trains, 11 armored vehicles) launched a counteroffensive. The battles were stubborn, at first the whites tried to continue the offensive. On October 23, the troops of the Strike Group captured Pavlovsk and Detskoye Selo. On October 24, the White Guards attacked Strelna on their left flank, but were defeated. The 5th Livenskaya division suffered heavy losses.
The White Command tried to hold its positions at Petrograd. Having discovered a deep bypass of the Reds in the area of Krasnoe Selo, the Whites transferred the 1st Division of the 2nd Corps to Petrograd, thereby exposing the Luga direction. On October 25, Yudenich brought into battle the last reserves, reinforced by a tank detachment. Both sides attacked, a counter battle unfolded. During October 26, some points changed hands several times. But by the end of the day, all the attacks of the White Guards were repulsed, the Reds continued their offensive. Soviet troops took Krasnoe Selo and Plyussa station on the Pskov-Luga railway. Stubborn fighting in the Gatchina region continued for another week. Despite the transition to the offensive of the 15th Soviet Army in the Luga direction on October 26, which threatened the communications and rear of the NWA, the whites tried to hold out at the old capital. Taking advantage of the weakness of some red units, the White Guards counterattacked and achieved success. So the Talabar regiment of the 2nd division on the night of October 28 with an unexpected blow broke through the front and on October 30 captured Ropsha. On October 31, the White Guards attacked the positions of the 6th Infantry Division.
But on the whole, these were already the last bursts of activity in Yudenich's army. The offensive of the 15th Soviet army led to the collapse of the defense of the NZA. The whites simply did not have the strength to simultaneously attack Petrograd and hold positions on other sectors of the front. The 10th and 19th Infantry Divisions, advancing on the flanks of the 15th Army, met serious resistance from the whites and advanced slowly. Located in the center, the 11th division, located between the stations of Struga Belye and Plyussa, advanced without meeting any resistance due to the absence of the enemy. The Reds intercepted the Luga-Gdov railway and on October 31 they occupied Luga, posing a threat to the rear of the NWA. Two regiments of the North-West Army, Narva and Gdovsky, retreating from the Batetskaya station, were surrounded. They were forced to break through with a battle, suffered heavy losses. The Whites began to retreat towards Gatchina and Gdov.
In the sector of the 7th Soviet Army, the Whites, not receiving in time a message about the fall of Luga and the movement of the Reds along the Plyussa River to the rear of the NWA, or ignoring the threat, continued attacks on November 1 - 2 in the Krasnoye Selo area. Only on the night of November 3 did the whites leave Gatchina without a fight. The refusal to fight for Gatchina, in the conditions of the withdrawal of units of the 15th Army to the rear of the NWA, saved Yudenich's army from complete defeat in early November 1919. However, strategically, the White army was already doomed. Without armed and material assistance from outside, Yudenich's army could not exist.
The fall of Gdov and Yamburg
On November 4, 1919, Yudenich's army began a general retreat to the west. The White Guards retreated to the Yamburg and Gdov positions. The troops of the 7th and 15th red armies proceeded to pursue the enemy. However, the movement was not rapid. The troops were tired of fighting, the organization was weak, the rear could not cope with the supply of units, there was not enough transport, etc. Severe frosts set in, and the soldiers did not have good uniforms. The troops of the 15th Army were advancing in the area of the station. Volosovo and Gdov. For action behind enemy lines in the Gdov direction, a cavalry group was created as part of the cavalry regiment of the 11th rifle division and the Estonian cavalry regiment. On November 3 - 6, a red cavalry group raided the enemy rear. The red cavalry captured many prisoners, some of the soldiers were simply disarmed and dispersed to their homes, trophies (some they took with them, others were destroyed), destroyed telephone and telegraph communications, defeated and scattered several enemy units.
Meanwhile, units of the 15th Army took the Mshinskaya station, and units of the 7th Army approached the Volosovo station. Here the White Guards put up strong resistance. On the part of the Reds along the line of this railway, the armored train "Chernomorets" rendered active assistance to the infantry. On the night of November 7, Art. Volosovo was taken by the troops of the 7th Army. On the same day, units of the 15th Army entered the Volosovo area. The 10th division of the 15th army, overcoming enemy resistance in the Gdov direction, occupied Gdov on the 7th.
By November 11 and 12, Soviet troops of both armies reached the lower reaches of the river. Meadows. The SZA struggled to hold onto Yamburg, its last line of defense, and retain even a small portion of Russian territory. The British military mission hastily convened a military conference in Narva, with representatives from England, Estonia and the NWA. But no real assistance was provided to SZA. With the support of the Chernomorets armored train, the Reds broke into the enemy's defenses and broke into Yamburg on November 14, capturing about 600 people and freeing 500 Red Army prisoners. The front had stabilized by 23 November. The Estonians reinforced the Whites, the Estonian 1st and 3rd divisions defended the Narva area and the line north of the Narva-Yamburg railway.
Aware of the disastrous situation of the army, on November 14, Yudenich from Narva sent an urgent telegram to the Estonian commander-in-chief, General Laidoner, and asked to transfer all rear services to the left bank of the Narova, to take the NWA under the auspices of Estonia. Only on the 16th did the Estonians allow the rear, refugees and spare parts to be transferred to the other side of the Narova. The White Guards who crossed into Estonian territory were disarmed. Moreover, the Estonian troops made a uniform robbery of what they found from the whites and refugees. The journalist Grossen described this event as follows: “The unfortunate Russians, despite the winter cold, literally undressed, and everything was mercilessly taken away. Gold crosses were torn off from the chest, wallets were taken away, rings were removed from the fingers. Before the eyes of the Russian detachments, the Estonians removed from the soldiers, shivering from the frost, new British uniforms, in exchange for which they were given rags, but even then not always. Warm American underwear was not spared either, and torn overcoats were thrown over the naked bodies of the unfortunate defeated. Many people froze to death, many died of starvation, and a typhus epidemic began.
Most of the NWA troops remained on the right bank of the river. Narov and together with the Estonians fought against the Red Army and defended the Narva region. Divisions and regiments were melting before our eyes. Hundreds of soldiers deserted, went over to the side of the Reds. On November 22, the Estonian general, the commander of the 1st Estonian division stationed in Narva, Tenijsson said: "The Northwest Army is gone, there is human dust." Yudenich, under pressure from dissatisfied generals, handed over the command of the army to General Glazenap.
Thus, with desperate efforts, the Whites managed to pull out of the intended "cauldron", but the SZA lost its Russian territory, where it was planned to create a bridgehead for further operations. As a result, in the course of a fierce battle by the end of November, the remnants of Yudenich's army were pushed to the Estonian border. The White Guards retained only a small bridgehead (up to 25 km wide, about 15 km deep). The Soviet troops failed to liquidate the enemy bridgehead on the move.
The death of the army
The new commander, Glazenap, ordered to remain on Russian territory at all costs. However, the fate of the Northwest Army was sealed. The army was drained of blood, demoralized. In December 1919, the Allies stopped helping the NWA. Hunger began. The troops, which did not have winter uniforms, froze to death and died of hunger. Typhus began. On December 31, 1919, Soviet Russia concluded an armistice with Estonia. Estonia pledged not to contain white troops on its territory. Moscow recognized the independence of Estonia and pledged not to fight against it.
In late December 1919 - early January 1920, the troops of the North-Western Army left the bridgehead, crossed over to Estonia, where they were interned. 15 thousand soldiers and officers of the SZA were first disarmed, and then 5 thousand of them were captured and sent to concentration camps. Thousands of refugees were also accommodated here. People were kept in the open air in winter or in unheated barracks - "coffins". No normal clothes, old rags, no medical supplies when typhus raged. They refused to feed the internees in Estonia, due to the lack of their own food supplies. The prisoners were fed only at the expense of the American food mission. Also, the prisoners were driven to hard work - road repair, felling. Thousands died of hunger, cold and typhus. Others in the thousands fled to Soviet Russia, where they saw the only salvation.
This is how the Estonian government "paid off" the White Guards for their help in creating their own state. Also, the Estonian nationalist authorities carried out a "cleanup" of the young state from the Russian presence (including refugees from the Petrograd province) - mass evictions of Russians, deprivation of their civil rights, murders, imprisonment and camps.
Secret report of the North-Western Front on the situation of Russians in Estonia (Archive of the Russian Revolution, ed. By Gessen. 1921.): “Russians began to be killed right on the street, locked up in prisons and concentration camps, and generally oppressed in every possible way. Refugees from the Petrograd province, of whom there were more than 10,000, were treated worse than livestock. They were forced to lie for days in the bitter frost on the railway sleepers. A lot of children and women died. All have had typhus. There were no disinfectants. The sister's doctors also became infected and died under such conditions. … The American and Danish Red Crosses did what they could, but no one could help on a large scale. Those who were strong endured, the rest died."
On January 22, 1920, by order of Yudenich's army, the North-Western Army was liquidated. With the consent of the Estonian authorities, Yudenich himself was arrested by supporters of the "field commander" Bulak-Balakhovich, who was in conflict with the command of the NWA. Under pressure from the command of the Entente, he was released, but they were not allowed to the troops. Through Scandinavia, Yudenich went to England, then to France.
