Troubles. 1919 year. 100 years ago, in June-August 1919, the Eastern Front of the Red Army defeated Kolchak's army in the Urals. Soviet troops carried out a number of simultaneous successive operations to restore Soviet power in the Urals. It was a complete defeat of the Kolchakites. Having finally lost the initiative, drained of blood and demoralized, the white armies left the Urals and retreated to Siberia. From that time on, Kolchakism was doomed.
During the Perm and Yekaterinburg operations, the Siberian army was defeated and the Middle Urals were liberated. During the Zlatoust, Yekaterinburg and Ural operations, the Southern Urals were liberated, the Kolchak front was divided into two groups: one (1st, 2nd and 3rd armies) - Siberia retreated, the second (Ural and Southern armies) - to Turkestan.
General situation on the Eastern Front
The successful offensive of the Red Eastern Front in April-June 1919 created the conditions for the complete defeat of the enemy and the liberation of the Urals. The main shock groupings of Kolchak's army suffered a heavy defeat in the Ufa direction (the Ufa operation. How the best parts of Kolchak's army were defeated), Kolchak's units were drained of blood, suffered heavy losses that could not be replenished. Kolchak's army lost its strategic initiative. There were no reserves to continue the struggle. The rear was falling apart. The large-scale red partisan movement in the rear of Kolchak became one of the main factors in the rapid defeat of the whites.
The remnants of Kolchak's army retreated eastward to the Ural Mountains. After the defeat between the Volga and the Urals, the White Army in the east of Russia steadily rolled to its death. In June 1919, the Kolchakites still escaped complete destruction, but they were saved not by their own forces, but thanks to the offensive of Yudenich's army on Petrograd and Denikin's AFSR in southern Russia. The southern front of the Reds collapsed, the Whites took the Crimea, Donbass, Kharkov and Tsaritsyn. As a result, Frunze could not finish off Kolchak's army, he had nothing to pursue the defeated enemy. The 2nd division was transferred partly to Petrograd, partly to Tsaritsyn, the 31st division to the Voronezh sector, the 25th division to Uralsk, and the 3rd cavalry division (without one brigade) to the Orenburg area.
The troops of the Eastern Front of the Red Army stopped at the line Orenburg - east of Sterlitamak - east of Ufa - Osa - Okhansk. The Red troops read about 130 thousand soldiers (there were over 81 thousand people directly on the front line), 500 guns, over 2, 4 thousand machine guns, 7 armored trains, 28 armored cars and 52 aircraft. They were supported by the Volga military flotilla - 27 combat and 10 auxiliary vessels. The Eastern Front in July 1919 was headed by M. Frunze.
They were opposed by the troops of the Western Army under the command of General Sakharov, the Siberian Army under the command of Gaida, the Ural Army of Tolstov, and the Southern Army of Belov (the Orenburg Army and the Southern Group of Belov were combined into one army). They numbered 129 thousand bayonets and sabers (there were about 70 thousand fighters on the front line), 320 guns, more than 1, 2 thousand machine guns, 7 armored trains, 12 armored cars and 15 aircraft. Kolchak's army was supported by the Kama military flotilla - 34 armed ships.
The Red Command planned to smash the Western White Army with a blow from the 5th and part of the forces of the 2nd Army on Zlatoust and Chelyabinsk, and strike the 2nd and 3rd armies on Perm and Yekaterinburg - the Siberian Army. In the regions of Orenburg and Uralsk, it was planned with active actions of the Southern Group of Forces (1st and 4th red armies) to pin down the enemy's actions. Frunze decided to deliver the main blow in the Ufa-Zlatoust direction, using the fact that the White troops suffered the greatest losses here in the May-June battles. The White command planned to stop the Red Army by active defense of its troops on the borders of the Ufa and Kama rivers and subsequently, with the help of a blow from the South and Ural armies, establish contact with Denikin's army.
Attempts by the West to strengthen Kolchak's army
The successes of the Red Army on the Eastern Front ruined the plans of the Entente powers to occupy and dismember Russia (the so-called "reconstruction of Russia"). Therefore, in the summer of 1919, the United States, Britain, France and Japan tried to increase aid to the Kolchak regime. As early as May 26, 1919, the Supreme Council of the Allies, while discussing the "Russian question" in Paris, sent a note to Kolchak on the conditions for his recognition. Kolchak was promised material military assistance on the terms of the convocation of the Constituent Assembly after the capture of Moscow; recognition of the independence of Poland and Finland; regulate relations with the Baltic Transcaucasian republics, or transfer this issue to the League of Nations; recognize the Entente's right to determine the fate of Bessarabia and recognize the tsar's debts to foreign states.
On June 4, the Kolchak government gave an answer. It recognized the debts of tsarist Russia, gave vague promises about Poland and Finland, autonomies of some regions, etc. This suited the masters of the West. On June 12, the Westerners promised to increase aid to Kolchak. In fact, the Kolchak government was recognized as an all-Russian one. The Americans promised to draw up a plan to provide assistance to Kolchak's Russian army. For this purpose, Morris, the American ambassador to Tokyo, was sent to Omsk. In mid-August 1919, Morris informed the United States that the Kolchak government would not survive without external support. In August, the United States decided to supply Kolchak's army with a large amount of weapons and ammunition (it was paid for with Russian gold). Tens of thousands of rifles, hundreds of machine guns, thousands of revolvers, various military equipment and a large amount of ammunition were sent to Vladivostok. At the same time, the British and French used the Northern Sea Route to accelerate the supply of weapons. Also, the British separately supplied guns, rifles, ammunition and ammunition to the Ural White Cossacks. In addition, Japan supplied weapons to the Whites.
The Entente again tried to use the Czechoslovak corps to contain the Reds, which stretched out in echelons across Siberia and up to Vladivostok. However, the Czechoslovak legionaries had already completely decomposed, they were cold to the Kolchak government (they were more to the liking of the democrats), and were only busy protecting their property and treasures plundered across Russia. To train and strengthen Kolchak's army, new groups of adviser officers were sent to Siberia. In mid-June, British General Blair arrived in Omsk with a group of officers to form an Anglo-Russian brigade. In it, Russian officers were trained by foreign officers.
True, all these measures were belated. The Czechoslovak Corps refused to fight. Most of the weapons, ammunition and ammunition, sufficient to arm the new large army, sent to Siberia in the summer of 1919, were still on the road. To use this help, the Kolchakites had to hold out for about 2 more months. At the same time, the troops needed a break in order to recover, put the units in order, restore and replenish their ranks. After that, Kolchak's army could get stronger and again become a serious threat to the Soviet Republic. However, the Red Army did not give the enemy such a respite, did not allow the Kolchak people to hold out on the Ural frontier.
The decision to start an operation in the Urals
It was obvious that it was necessary to defeat the enemy, prevent him from gaining a foothold in the Urals, regroup and rebuild his forces, get help from foreign powers and again go on the offensive. On May 29, 1919, Lenin noted in a telegram to the Revolutionary Military Council of the Eastern Front that if the Urals were not taken before the winter, then this would threaten the existence of the republic. In June, Lenin repeatedly pointed out to the Soviet command the need to increase the pace of the offensive in the Urals. On June 28, he told the 5th Army: "The Urals must be ours."
Even during the Ufa operation, the command of the Eastern Front proposed a plan for an offensive in the Urals. The main blow was planned to be delivered in the Kama region, against the Siberian army. The commander-in-chief of the Red Army, Vatsetis, supported by Trotsky, did not agree with this plan. He believed that in the face of a threat on the Southern Front, it was necessary to stop the offensive in the east, go over there to the defensive on the river. Kama and Belaya. To transfer the main forces from the Eastern Front to the Southern, to fight Denikin. The command of the Eastern Front opposed the idea of Vatsetis. The RVS of the Eastern Front noted that the front had enough forces to liberate the Urals, even in the conditions of the transfer of part of its troops to Petrograd and to the Southern Front. The commander of the Eastern Front, Kamenev, correctly noted that stopping the offensive of the Red Army would allow the enemy to recover, receive help, seize the initiative, and after a while a serious threat would again arise in the east.
On June 12, Commander-in-Chief Vatsetis again confirmed the order to suspend the offensive against the Urals. However, on June 15, the Central Committee of the Communist Party supported the idea of the Revolutionary Military Council of the Eastern Front and issued a directive to continue the offensive in the east. The Eastern Front began preparations for the offensive. True, Trotsky and Vatsetis continued to insist on their plan. Commander-in-Chief Vatsetis, in directives at the end of June and early July, when Soviet troops were already fighting successful battles for crossing the Ural ridge, directed the command of the Eastern Front to conduct protracted battles with Kolchak's army, exaggerating the difficulties of the battle for the Urals. Trotsky and Vatsetis explained their actions by the dangerous situation on the Southern Front and the need to transfer as many divisions as possible from the Eastern Front.
Obviously, this was another betrayal of Trotsky, who was a henchman of the masters of the West in the revolutionary camp and was supposed to replace Lenin after his removal. Trotsky has already committed a number of large-scale provocations, such as the position of "no peace, no war" in negotiations with Germany, or a provocation that led to the revolt of the Czechoslovak corps. Trotsky's actions complicated the position of Soviet Russia, and at the same time strengthened his political and military positions in the camp of the Bolsheviks.
The plenum of the Central Committee of the party, held on July 3-4, 1919, discussed the martial law of the republic and again rejected the plan of Trotsky and Vatsetis. After that, Trotsky stopped interfering in the affairs of the Eastern Front, and Kamenev replaced Vatsetis as commander-in-chief. The Eastern Front was tasked with crushing the Kolchakites as soon as possible. The southern flank (4th and 1st armies) under the command of Frunze was supposed to defeat the southern group of Kolchak's army, the Ural White Cossacks, and occupy the Ural and Orenburg regions. The 5th Army struck in the direction of Zlatoust - Chelyabinsk, the 2nd Army - at Kungur and Krasnoufimsk, the 3rd Army - at Perm. The ultimate goal was the liberation of the Chelyabinsk and Yekaterinburg regions, the Urals. Thus, the 5th, 2nd and 3rd armies were to play the leading role in the offensive in the Urals.
Large forces were drawn to the Southern Front, including at the expense of the Eastern Front. However, the Eastern Front retained its combat capability. In the front line, a general mobilization was carried out, 75% of the members of the party and trade unions were mobilized. The units transferred from the Eastern Front were covered with large reinforcements, which were carried out at the expense of large-scale mobilizations that were carried out in the territories liberated from the white. So, only in five districts of the Ufa province from July 9 to August 9, 1919, more than 59 thousand people entered the Red Army voluntarily or were drafted. Weapons were also sent to the Eastern Front.
Preparing an offensive
As a result, the command of the Eastern Front set the task of capturing the most accessible for the troops section of the Ural ridge with the city of Zlatoust, which was a kind of key to the plains of Siberia. In addition, owning Zlatoust, the Kolchakites had a relatively dense network of railways here, which gave them the opportunity to maneuver. Two highways passed here: Omsk - Kurgan - Zlatoust and Omsk - Tyumen - Yekaterinburg. Also, there were two rockade iron lines (they ran parallel to the front line): Berdyaush - Utkinsky plant - Chusovaya and Troitsk - Chelyabinsk - Yekaterinburg - Kushva.
The red command correctly chose the direction of the main attack. The 5th Red Army under the command of Tukhachevsky (the Turkestan Army was added to it), consisting of 29 thousand bayonets and sabers, was to strike at the Krasnoufimsk-Zlatoust front. In front of the Reds was Sakharov's Western army, which was repeatedly defeated and drained of blood - about 18 thousand active bayonets and sabers. Shorin's 2nd Red Army - 21 - 22 thousand bayonets and sabers, pressed against 14 thousand. grouping of whites. In the Permian direction, the 3rd army of Mezheninov was advancing - about 30 thousand people, here the whites had 23-24 thousand bayonets and sabers. At the same time, the Red troops had a great advantage in artillery and machine guns.
The White command understood the strategic and economic significance of Zlatoust and prepared for its defense. The Zlatoust plateau was covered from the west by the inaccessible wooded ridge Kara-Tau, cut through by narrow gorges, along which the Ufa-Zlatoust railway passed, the Birsk-Zlatoust tract. Also, for the movement of the troops, albeit with difficulty, it was possible to use the valleys of the Yuryuzan and Ai rivers, which went out at an angle to the railway line. White covered the railway and the track. On the Birsk tract, the forces of a fully combat-ready Ural corps (1, 5 infantry and 3 cavalry divisions) were located, on the railway - the Kappel corps (2 infantry divisions and a cavalry brigade). Also, in several passages behind them, in the area west of Zlatoust, there were 2, 5 more infantry divisions (Voitsekhovsky's corps) on vacation.
The main blow was delivered by the troops of Tukhachevsky's army. The 24th Infantry Division (6 regiments) was located south of the Zlatoust railway. Along the railway, the Southern Shock Group under the command of Gavrilov - the 3rd brigade of the 26th division and the cavalry division - was preparing for the offensive. The section of the front, which was located opposite the Kara-Tau ridge, was opened. However, on the left flank of the 5th Army, in a sector of 30 km, a strong Northern Assault Group with numerous artillery was deployed - the 27th Infantry Division and two brigades of the 26th Infantry Division (15 rifle regiments in total). The northern shock group was supposed to conduct an offensive in two columns: the 26th rifle division was heading along the valley of the river. Yuryuzan, and the 27th Rifle Division - along the Birsk tract. To the north, on a ledge behind the left flank, were located two brigades of the 35th Infantry Division, which was supposed to keep in touch with the troops of the 2nd Army. Parts of the 2nd Army attacked Yekaterinburg, then had to turn part of the forces south, towards Chelyabinsk, which contributed to the defeat of Sakharov's Western army.
Defeat of whites at Zlatoust
It so happened that the Whites themselves facilitated the offensive of the Red Army. The commander of the Western Army, General Sakharov, decided to use the pause in the enemy offensive (the Reds were regrouping their forces and transferring units to the Southern Front) in order to attack in the direction of Ufa. Although the heavily battered white troops were not up to the offensive and priority should have been given to strengthening on the Ural passes. After all, Frunze also used the respite to strengthen the troops that remained with him. Kappel's corps tried to launch an offensive in the Ufa direction, engaging in battle with the 5th Army's right flank.
Frunze immediately used this, used the fact that the main part of Sakharov's army was collected by Zlatoust - Ufa. The northern strike group began an offensive bypassing the enemy grouping located on the main railway. On the night of June 23-24, 1919, the regiments of the 26th Infantry Division under the command of Eikhe successfully crossed the river. Ufa, near the village of Aidos. On the night of June 24-25, Pavlov's 27th division also successfully crossed the water barrier near the village of Uraz-Bakhty. The 26th Division was one transition ahead of the common front of the 5th Army and the neighboring 27th Division. In the future, this lag further increased, since the 27th Infantry Division met strong resistance from the Kolchakites on the Birsk tract and lost another day. The 26th Division had to overcome extremely difficult terrain conditions. The troops had to march in one column along the narrow gorge of the Yuryuzan River, often they had to move along the riverbed. The march took place in extremely difficult conditions: passes, gorges, river bed. The tools had to be pulled or even carried by hand. On July 1, the regiments of the 26th division reached the Zlatoust plateau, while the 27th rifle division was two more passages behind it.
The 26th division went into the enemy's rear in a weakened form: two regiments were moved to the railway, with the aim of encircling the Kappel grouping, which began to quickly retreat to Zlatoust. Four regiments of the 26th division launched a surprise attack on the 12th infantry division of the white, located at rest. However, the White Guards were able to quickly come to their senses, pulled units to the village of Nisibash and on July 3 they themselves almost surrounded the red division. A stubborn battle ensued. The white command was going to destroy the 26th division before the arrival of the regiments of the 27th division, and then with all their might to attack the troops marching along the Birsk tract. On July 5, regiments of the 27th division entered the Zlatoust plateau, which, in oncoming battles near the village of Verkhniye Kigi, defeated the enemy's 4th infantry division. At this time, the 26th division was able to get out of the difficult situation in the area with. Nisibash herself defeated the 12th division of the whites. As a result, the white troops were driven back to the closest approaches to Zlatoust. After a series of battles, both sides on July 7, the front was established along the river. Arsha - b. Ay - Art. Mursalimkino, after which a lull was established for a short time.
Thus, Frunze's troops were unable to encircle and destroy the advanced strike forces of Sakharov's army. The small garrisons and barriers of the Whites in the mountains, the valleys of the Yuryuzan and Ai rivers, near the villages of Kigi, Nisibash and Duvan were able to hold back the Reds, and gained time. The difficult terrain conditions also played a role. Kappel's body was able to leave the upcoming "boiler". The 2nd Red Army did not have time either, getting bogged down in the battle for Yekaterinburg.
Nevertheless, Kolchak's army suffered another defeat. The command of the 5th Army pulled up units of the 35th Infantry Division from the northern flank. Now there was no need to provide the left flank, since the troops of the 2nd Army (5th Division) took Krasnoufimsk on 4 July. A part of the 24th division approached from the south, which on July 4 - 5 took Katav-Ivanovsk, Beloretsk and Tirlyanskiy plant. Joint strikes on July 10-13, divisions of the 5th Army defeated the Kolchakites at Zlatoust. The Kolchakites fought especially stubbornly for the rockade railway Berdyaush - Utkinsky. At the Kusa station and the Kusinsky plant (north-west of Zlatoust), the Whites concentrated significant forces, including the most powerful Izhevsk brigade, which more than once went over to bayonet counterattacks. However, the Red Army broke the strong resistance of the enemy, on July 11 they took Kusa, on the night of July 11-12 - the Kusinsky plant. On July 13, units of the 26th and 27th divisions broke into Zlatoust from the north and south, took this important strategic point and a large industrial center (in particular, cold weapons were produced at the Zlatoust factories).
The defeated Western army of Sakharov rolled back to Chelyabinsk. The Whites were thrown from the Urals, the Reds opened their way to the plains of Western Siberia. As a result, the flank of the White Orenburg army was opened. Almost simultaneously, on July 14, the troops of the 2nd Army took Yekaterinburg, another strategic point in the Urals. The Kolchak front in the Urals was falling apart.
The decisive success of the Red Army on the Eastern Front was very important, because at the same time the Southern Front of the Reds suffered a heavy defeat. There was a threat to the junction of the Southern and Eastern fronts in the Volga direction, and from the Ural region. Therefore, the high red command already on July 4 gave instructions to the command of the Eastern Front to ensure their rear on the right bank of the Volga and the Saratov direction. To solve this problem, the command of the Eastern Front decided to concentrate 2 rifle divisions and 2 brigades in the Saratov direction by mid-August. The collapse of the Eastern Front of the Whites had already acquired such proportions that Kolchak's army could not create a serious threat to Frunze's troops, so the command of the Eastern Front of the Red Army could afford such a regrouping of forces and the transfer of individual units to other fronts.
