Commander of the Volunteer Army. Volunteer army during the civil war. Defeat of the Southern troops

home » Middle Ages Commander of the Volunteer Army. Volunteer army during the civil war. Defeat of the Southern troops

Volunteer army of the Odessa region. Formed in Odessa. On the steamer of the Volunteer Fleet "Saratov" under the leadership of Major General and A.N. Grishin-Almazov, volunteer units were formed from officers, cadets and student youth, who on December 8, 1918 cleared the city of Petliurists, after which the formation of army units began. In reality, the Rifle Brigade was created (see. Odessa Rifle Brigade).

Volunteer army. Created in Novocherkassk from Alekseevskaya organization. The first volunteers who arrived with Gen. Alekseev on November 2, 1917, were settled in infirmary No. 2 in house No. 39 on Barochnaya Street, which was a disguised hostel, which became the cradle of the Volunteer Army. November 4 was formed Consolidated officer company. In mid-November (at that time there were 180 volunteers) an official entry into the Alekseevsky organization was introduced. All arrivals were registered at the Bureau of Records, signing special notes indicating their voluntary desire to serve and obliging them for a period of 4 months. At first, there was no salary. At first, all maintenance was limited only to rations, then they began to pay small sums of money (in December, officers were paid 100 rubles a month, in January 1918-150, February 270 rubles). On average, 75-80 volunteers came and enlisted in the army per day. At first, colonels played a prominent role in the reception of volunteers: the brothers of Prince. Khovansky, who fled from Moscow K.K. Dorofeev and Matveev, St. George Regiment I.K. Kirienko and Prince. L.S. Svyatopolk-Mirsky. Volunteers were first sent to the headquarters (Barochnaya, 56), where they were distributed in parts (this was first led by Colonel Schmidt, and then Colonel Prince Khovansky; the appointment of generals and staff officers remained in the hands of the head of the Novocherkassk garrison, Colonel E. Bulyubash ).

In the second half of November, the Alekseevskaya organization consisted of three formations: Consolidated officer company, Junker battalion and Consolidated Mikhailovsko-Konstantinovskaya Battery, in addition, formed Georgievskaya company and was enrolled in the student brigade. At that time, officers made up a third of the organization and up to 50% - junkers, cadets and young students - 10%. The first battle took place on November 26 at Balabanova Grove, the 27th-29th combined detachment of the regiment. book. Khovansky (actually the entire army) stormed Rostov and on December 2 the city was cleared of the Bolsheviks. Upon returning to Novocherkassk, a reorganization was carried out. By this time, the size of the organization had increased greatly (a volunteer who arrived on December 5 testifies that his security number was 1801). With the arrival on December 6 in Novocherkassk L.G. Kornilov and other “Bykhovites”, the Alekseevskaya organization finally turned into an army. On December 24, a secret order was announced on the entry into command of its forces, Gen. Kornilov, and on December 27, its armed forces were officially renamed the Volunteer Army. In the appeal (published in the newspaper on December 27), her political program was made public for the first time. In the hands of Gen. Alekseev, the political and financial part remained, the gene became chief of staff. Lukomsky, Gen. Denikin (under the chief of staff, General Markov) led all parts of the army in Novocherkassk; all other generals were listed at the army headquarters. On December 27, the army moved to Rostov.

Before performing in 1st Kuban campaign the army consisted of a number of formations, which were almost all predominantly officers. These were: 1st, 2nd and 3rd Officers, Junkers and Student battalions, 3rd and 4th Officers, Rostov and Taganrog officer, Marine, Georgievskaya and Technical company, Detachment of General Cherepov, Officer Detachment of Colonel Simanovsky, Shock Division of the Caucasian Cavalry Division, 3rd Kyiv School of Ensigns, 1st Cavalry Division, 1st Separate Light Artillery Division and Kornilov shock regiment. A detachment from the consolidated companies of these units was commanded from December 30, 1917 in the Taganrog direction by the regiment. Kutepov (see Detachment of Colonel Kutepov). On February 9, 1918, the Volunteer Army set out from Rostov on its legendary 1st Kuban ("Ice") campaign against Yekaterinodar. Its number was 3683 fighters and 8 guns, and with the convoy and civilians over 4 thousand.

At the very beginning trip to st. The Olginskaya army, which had previously consisted of 25 separate units, was reorganized (the battalions turned into companies, the companies into platoons) and began to include: Consolidated officer, Kornilov shock and Partisan Regiment, Special Junker Battalion, 1st Light Artillery Battalion, Czechoslovak Engineering Battalion, Technical Company, 1st Cavalry Division, Colonel Glazenap's Cavalry Detachment, Lieutenant Colonel Kornilov's Cavalry Detachment, Security Company of the Army Headquarters, the convoy of the army commander and the field hospital (Dr. Treiman). Shortly after joining March 14, 1918 with Kuban detachment the army was reorganized. The 1st Infantry Brigade (gen. Markov) included Consolidated Officer and Kuban Rifle Regiment, 1st Engineering Company, 1st and 4th separate batteries, in the 2nd (gen. Bogaevsky) - Kornilovsky and Guerrilla regiments, the Plastunsky battalion (Kuban), the 2nd engineering company (Kuban) and the 2nd, 3rd and 5th separate batteries, into the equestrian brigade - Horse (see. 1st Cavalry General Alekseev) and Circassian shelves, Kuban equestrian division(regiment) and horse battery (Kuban).

In the beginning. June 1918, after joining the army (May 27) , before the performance 2nd Kuban campaign, it included 1st 2nd and 3rd Infantry and 1st horse divisions, the 1st Kuban Cossack brigade and the Plastunsky battalion that were not part of the divisions (see. Plastun detachment of Colonel Ulagay), a 6-inch howitzer, a radio station and 3 armored cars (" Loyal», « Volunteer" and " Kornilovets"). During the 2nd Kuban campaign were formed 1st and 2nd Kuban Cossack divisions and the Plastunskaya brigade (gen. Geiman). The army also had Separate Kuban Cossack brigade, 1st Stavropol officer regiment, Soldier regiment, 1st Astrakhan Volunteer Regiment, 1st Ukrainian Volunteer Regiment and other units. In November 1918 the 1st and 2nd Infantry Divisions were deployed to 1st and 2nd Army Corps, formed 3rd army and 1st cavalry corps. In December, the Caucasian group, Donetsk, Crimean and Tuapse detachments were created as part of the army. In the Crimea, from the end of 1918, a 4th Infantry Division. By the beginning of 1919, the Volunteer Army consisted of five corps (1-3 army, Crimean-Azov and 1st cavalry), which included 5 infantry and 6 cavalry divisions, 2 separate cavalry and 4 plastun brigades. Created in February 1919 2nd Kuban Corps, and the 1st and 2nd corps included units of the former Astrakhan and Southern armies. January 10, 1919, with the formation on the basis of the Crimean-Azov Corps , was named Caucasian Volunteer Army, and on May 2, 1919 it was divided into Volunteer (as part of the VSYUR) and Caucasian army.

The army (having lost several thousand people during the period from November 1917 to February 1918) entered the 1st Kuban campaign in the number (according to various sources) of 2.5-4 thousand, the Kuban units that joined it numbered 2-3 thousand ., about 5 thousand returned from the campaign, the Drozdovsky detachment at the time of connection with the army numbered up to 3 thousand. As a result, in the spring of 1918 the army numbered about 8 thousand people. In early June, it grew by another thousand people. By September 1918, there were 35-40 thousand units in the army. and sab., in December there were 32-34 thousand in the active troops and 13-14 thousand in reserve, emerging units and garrisons of cities, i.e. only about 48 thousand people. By the beginning of 1919, it numbered up to 40 thousand units. and sab., 60% of whom were Kuban. With regard to volunteers, the army was bound by contract (the first period of the contract for the old volunteers ended in May, the second in September, the third in December). However, on October 25, 1918, Order No. 64 was issued on the drafting of all officers under 40 into the army. At the same time, volunteers released from the army were asked to either be drafted or leave the territory of the army within seven days. On December 7, by order No. 246, four-month contracts were finally abolished.

The army suffered the heaviest (relative to its strength) losses during 1918, i.e. precisely when the officers made up a particularly significant part of it. Considering that over 6,000 people entered the army from the beginning of its formation, and when leaving Rostov the number of fighters did not exceed 2,500, we can assume that it lost at least 3,500 people. AT 1st Kuban The campaign killed about 400 people. and taken out about 1500 wounded. After leaving Yekaterinodar to the north, about 300 people. was left in Art. Elizavetinskaya (all finished off by the pursuers) and 200 more - in Dyadkovskaya. No less heavy losses were suffered by the army and during 2nd Kuban campaign(in some battles, for example, during the capture of Tikhoretskaya, losses reached 25% of the composition), and in battles near Stavropol. In individual battles, losses amounted to hundreds and sometimes even thousands of dead. December 26, 1918 the army became part of Armed Forces of the South of Russia (VSYUR). Since January 10, 1919 (with a separation from it Crimean-Azov Volunteer Army) was called Caucasian Volunteer Army. May 8, 1919 was divided into Caucasian army and the Volunteer Army - see ).

The supreme leader is Gen.-Inf. M.V. Alekseev. Commanders: gen.-inf. L.G. Kornilov, general-leutnant. A.I. Denikin (March 31 - December 27, 1818), lieutenant general. bar. P.N. Wrangel (December 27, 1918 - May 8, 1919). Beginning headquarters - gen.-lieutenant. I.P. Romanovsky, general lieutenant. I. Yuzefovich (Vrid; from January 1, 1919), Major General P.N. Shatilov (until May 1919).

Volunteer brigade. Cm. Volunteer division.

Volunteer division. It began to form in the summer of 1919 in Omsk as a Special Detachment, created with the aim of establishing communication between the left-flank units in the future. Eastern Front and right flank units VSYUR. The leading role in the units being created should have been played and played by the so-called "southerners", that is, ranks Volunteer army who made their way to Siberia from the south of Russia through the southern Russian and Central Asian steppes. By the time the formation of the units of the Special Detachment was completed, the situation at the front no longer allowed the plan to be implemented. In the late autumn of 1919, the Special Detachment, renamed the Volunteer Division, took part in the battles east of the Ural Mountains, in Western Siberia. The division consisted of four (actually three) rifle volunteer regiments and an artillery battalion. Approximately at the same time, a separate detachment of Bakhterev was attached to it, consisting of two squadrons and two companies, formed in August 1919 from the ranks of various units. During the Siberian Ice Campaign, groups of ranks of various units, as well as small units, joined the remnants of the division: the 4th Battalion of Naval Riflemen, a detachment of Gen. Makri and others. Upon arrival in Transbaikalia in February 1920, the division was reduced to a brigade consisting of 1st Volunteer Regiment, 3rd Consolidated Volunteer Regiment and the Volunteer Artillery Battalion (two batteries) Regiment Regiment. Bakhterev, reduced to a separate equestrian division, remained with the brigade. The brigade joined 2nd Rifle Corps. In Primorye in March 1921 the brigade split. At a general meeting of officials of the brigade, Gen. Osipov (brigade commander), Col. Circassian (to-r 1st regiment), regiment. Khromov (Kr. Krasnoufimsk division) and lieutenant colonel. Gaikovich (batteries) announced their transfer to Grodekovskaya group of troops, and the regiment Urnyazh (room of the 3rd regiment) and regiment. Bakhterev (commander of the cavalry division) remained in the corps. Volunteers wore black shoulder straps with red edging, officers - the same shoulder straps with red gaps. On shoulder straps - a large capital letter "D". Volunteer officers did not wear golden shoulder straps. Heads of the division and brigade: Major General Kramarenko (until March 1920), Major General Osipov.

Volunteer Corps of St. book. Lieven. Cm. Livensky detachment.

Volunteer Corps. Cm. Volunteer Army (as part of the VSYUR) and Russian Army.

Volunteer Partisan Detachment of Lieutenant Colonel Kappel. Cm. Separate Rifle Brigade of the People's Army.

Don army. Created in the spring of 1918 during the uprising of the Don Cossacks against the Bolsheviks on the basis of the rebel units and the detachment of Gen. P.H. Popov, who returned from steppe campaign. Throughout 1918 it acted separately from Volunteer. In April, it consisted of 6 foot and 2 cavalry regiments of the Northern Detachment Regiment. Fitskhelaurov, one cavalry regiment in Rostov and several small detachments scattered throughout the region. The regiments had a stanitsa organization with a strength of 2-3 thousand to 300-500 people. - depending on the political mood in the village. They were on foot, with an equestrian unit from 30 to 200-300 checkers. By the end of April, the army had up to 6 thousand people, 30 machine guns, 6 guns (7 foot and 2 horse regiments). It (since April 11) consisted of three groups: Southern (colonel S.V. Denisov), Northern (senior troops E.F. Semiletov; former Steppe detachment) and Zadonsk (Major General P.T. Semenov , Colonel I.F. Bykadorov).

On May 12, 1918, 14 detachments were subordinated to the military headquarters: major generals Fitskhelaurov, Mamontov, Bykadorov (formerly Semenov), colonels Turoverov, Alferov, Abramenkov, Tapilin, Epikhov, Kireev, Tolokonnikov, Zubov, military foremen Starikov and Martynov, EU. Vedeneeva. By June 1, the detachments were consolidated into 6 larger groups: Alferov in the North, Mamontov near Tsaritsyn, Bykadorov near Bataysk, Kireev near Velikoknyazheskaya, Fitskhelaurov in the Donetsk region and Semenov in Rostov. In the middle of summer, the army increased to 46-50 thousand people, according to other sources, by the end of July - 45 thousand people, 610 machine guns and 150 guns. By the beginning of August, the troops were distributed over 5 military districts: Rostov (Major General Grekov), Zadonsky (Major General I.F. Bykadorov), Tsimlyansky (Major General K.K. Mamontov), Severo-Zapadny (regiment Z.A. Alferov), Ust-Medveditsky (Major General A.P. Fitskhelaurov). From August 1918, the stanitsa regiments were brought together, forming numbered regiments (2-3 battalions on foot, 6 hundred mounted battalions), distributed among brigades, divisions and corps. In the autumn of 1918 - at the beginning of 1919, the military districts were renamed into fronts: Northeastern, Eastern, Northern and West. At the same time, the formation Young army. The officers in the regiments were natives of the same villages. If there were not enough of them, they were taken from other villages, and in case of emergency - non-Cossack officers, who at first were not trusted.

In the summer of 1918, not counting the permanent Young army, there were 57 thousand Cossacks under arms. By December, there were 31.3 thousand fighters at the front with 1282 officers; The young army numbered 20 thousand people. The army included Don Cadet Corps, Novocherkasskoye (see Ataman) school, Don officer school and military paramedic courses. By the end of January 1919, the Don Army had 76.5 thousand people under arms. The Don regiments in 1919 had 1,000 sabers in service, but after three months of fighting, their strength was reduced to 150-200. Marine Directorate of the VVD (Rear Admiral I.A. Kononov), was formed Don flotilla.

After unification with the SUR on February 23, 1919, the army was reorganized. The fronts were transformed into 1st, 2nd and 3rd Army, and groups, regions and detachments - into corps (non-separate) and divisions of 3-4 regiments. Then (May 12, 1919) the armies were transformed into separate corps, the corps were consolidated into divisions, and the divisions into brigades of 3 regiments. After the reorganization, the army consisted of 1st, 2nd and 3rd Don separate buildings, to which on June 28 was added 4th. In August 1919, a new reorganization followed: four-regiment divisions turned into three-regiment brigades, which were reduced to nine-regiment divisions (3 brigades each). In the autumn of 1919, the army was also temporarily attached 3rd Kuban Corps. In total, by July 5, 1919, there were 52,315 people. (including 2106 officers, 40927 combatants, 3339 auxiliary and 5943 non-combatant lower ranks). On October 5, 1919, she had 25834 pieces, 24689 sabers, 1343 sappers, 1077 pools, 212 op. (183 light, 8 heavy, 7 trench and 14 howitzers), 6 aircraft, 7 armored trains. 4 tanks and 4 armored vehicles. In the army, unlike other components VSYUR, the former award system of the Russian army operated. On March 24, 1920, a Separate Don Corps was formed from the units of the army taken to the Crimea, and on May 1, all Don units were consolidated into Don Corps.

Commanders: Major General K.S. Polyakov (April 3-12, 1918), Major General P.Kh. Popov (April 12 - May 5, 1918), Major General S.V. Denisov (May 5 - February 2, 1919), Gen.-Inf. IN AND. Sidorin (February 2, 1919 - March 14, 1920). Beginning headquarters: Major General S.V. Denisov (April 3-12, 1918), Col. (Major General) V.I. Sidorin (April 12 - May 5, 1918), Col. (Major General) I.A. Polyakov (May 5 - February 2, 1919), Lieutenant General. A.K. Kelchevsky (February 2, 1919 - March 14, 1920).

Table
The combat composition of the Don army

the date	Fighters (thousand)	guns	machine guns
May 1, 1918	17	21	58
June 1, 1918	40	56	179
July 1, 1918	49	92	272
middle (end) July 1918	39	93	270
August 1, 1918	31	79	267
November 20, 1918	49,5	153	581
February 1, 1919	38	168	491
February 15, 1919	15	—	—
April 21, 1919	15	108	441
May 10, 1919	15	131	531
June 16, 1919	40	—	—
July 15, 1919	43	177	793
August 1, 1919	30	161	655
September 1, 1919	39,5	175	724
October 1, 1919	46,5	192	939
October 15, 1919	52,5	196	765
November 1, 1919	37	207	798
December 1, 1919	22	143	535
January 1, 1920	39	200	860
January 22, 1920	39	243	856
February 1, 1920	38	158	687

Don artillery. Consisted of cavalry artillery batteries, combined into divisions (2 batteries each) and attached to brigades and divisions Don army. On January 1, 1918, there were 213 officers, on January 1, 1919 - 296 of their own (10 generals, 34 colonels, 38 military foremen, 65 yesauls, 29 sub-death officers, 38 centurions and 82 cornets) and 214 seconded (3 generals, 11 colonels, 11 lieutenant colonels , 13 captains, 25 captains, 43 lieutenants, 53 second lieutenants and 55 ensigns) officers. Lost 52 officers in the civil war (6 in the world war). Commanders of the Don Artillery: Major General I.P. Astakhov, Col. B.A. Leonov, general-lieutenant. F.I. Gorelov, Major General L.M. Kryukov, Major General A.I. Polyakov. Artillery inspectors of fronts and groups, division commanders: Major General P.A. Markov, I.I. Zolotarev, A.N. Ilyin, colonels N.N. Upornikov, F.F. Yuganov, D.G. Baranov, A.A. Kiryanov, V.M. Markov, O.P. Potsepukhov, A.A. Dubovskoy, V.M. Fedotov, F.I. Babkin, Stepanov, Mikheev, A.S. Foraponov, A.F. Gruzinov, A.A. Leonov. Battery Commanders: Colonels L.A. Danilov, V.A. Kovalev, A.V. Bochevsky, N.P. Shkuratov, P.I. Kostryukov, A.I. Lobachev, B.I. Turoverov, S.M. Tarasov, V.S. Tararin, A.V. Pervenko, Ya.I. Golubintsev, A.A. Bryzgalin, I.F. Filippov, I.I. Govorukhin, military foremen Svekolkin, V.V. Klimov, A.I. Nedodaev, A.N. Pustynnikov, A.I. Afanasiev, G.G. Chekin, N.A. Gorsky, A.A. Upornikov, G.V. Sergeev, P.D. Belyaev, P.A. Golitsyn, K.L. Medvedev, G.I. Retivov, M.S. Zhitenev, A.I. Kargin, A.P. Kharchenkov, A.P. Pivovarov, P.P. Kharchenkov, V.A. Kuznetsov, S.G. Nagornov, Shumilin, M.S. Zhitenev, V.S. Golitsyn, V.M. Nefedov, lieutenant colonel. Rudnitsky, Yesauly G.S. Zubov, P.A. Zelik, V.I. Tolokonnikov, B.E. Turkin, A.P. Sergeev, B.P. Troyanovsky, S.V. Belinin, F.D. Kondrashev, S.G. Nagornov, K.D. Sklyarov, B.A. Rodionov, I.A. Motasov, V.N. Samsonov, E.E. Kovalev, M.I. Eronin, Ya.I. Afanasiev, S.M. Pletnyakov, V.S. Mylnikov, Kozlov, I.G. Konkov, captains V.D. Maikovskiy, R.I. Serebryakov, escorts D.K. Polukhin, Z.I. Spiridonov, N. Dondukov, T.T. Nezhivov, A.M. Dobrynin, captains Yu.V. Trzhesyak, A.F. Bochevsky, I.Z. Popovkin, A.I. Nedodaev, centurions Proshkin, F.N. Popov, I.M. Grekov, since. A.A. Melnikov, choir. K.D. Taranovsky. From the Don artillery, 26 generals and St. 200 officers, of whom only one returned, by March 20, 1921, 151 were in the ranks. By January 1, 1936, 20 had died in emigration. R OBC, prev. - Major General A.V. Cheryachukin).

Don Ataman Brigade. Formed in Don army. In 1919, after the reorganization of the corps, it was part of Consolidated Corps of the Caucasian Army. Colonel commander. Egorov (August 1919).

Don armored railway brigade. Formed within Don army in 1918 out of 4 divisions, 3 armored trains and 2 separate armored trains. Their crews consisted of 9 officers and 100 soldiers. By the summer of 1919, the brigade was divided into two armored railway regiments (colonels Rubanov and Lyashenko) each with 8 armored trains, a repair train, and a naval heavy artillery battery division. The 1st regiment included: " Ivan Koltso”, “Ataman Orlov”, “Razdorets”, “Azovets”, Gundorovets”, “Mityakinets”, “Ataman Platov”, “Ermak", in the 2nd -" General Baklanov, Ilya Muromets, Cossack Zemlyanukhin, Atamanets, Ataman Kaledin, Ataman Samsonov, General Mamontov, Partisan Colonel Chernetsov". Commander - Major General N.I. Kondyrin.

Don Guards Brigade. Cm. 1st Don Cavalry Division.

Don Reserve Brigade. Formed in Don army. Commander - Major General I.T. Zhitkov (until March 1920; killed).

Don Engineering Hundred. Formed on about. Lemnos in the composition Don Corps from created after the evacuation Russian Army from Crimea to Chataldzha of the Don Technical Regiment R OBC until the 1930s, despite the dispersion of its ranks in different countries, it was a cropped part. She left Lemnos in the number of 86 people, in the autumn of 1925 she numbered 68 people, incl. 43 officers. Commander - es. A.M. Tkachenkov.

Don officer battery. Formed after evacuation Russian Army from Crimea to Chatalje as part of Don Corps. After the transformation of the army into R OBC until the 1930s, despite the dispersion of its ranks in different countries, it was a cropped part. In the autumn of 1925, there were 85 people, incl. 78 officers. Commander - Major General A.I. Polyakov.

Don officer school. Created in Don army in 1918 to train company commanders and hundreds of wartime officers. Persons who did not complete the course of the school were not appointed to these positions.

Don Consolidated Partisan Division. Formed in Don army as the Don Partisan Brigade Consolidated Corps of the 2nd Don Army. On May 12, 1919, it was reorganized into a division and became part of 2nd Donskoy separate building. included 1st Don Partisan, 2nd Don Volunteer, 3rd Don Separate Volunteer and 4th Don Cavalry Brigade. On October 5, 1919, there were 3363 pieces, 3351 sab., 59 sappers, 146 pools, 27 op. Commander - Col. N.Z. Namerrock. Beginning headquarters - cap. PC. Yasevich (since November 28, 1919).

Don Flotilla. Formed on May 11, 1918 by the Naval Directorate of the VVD (Rear-Adm. I.A. Kononov) on the initiative of Art. late. Gerasimov. Initially, it included 2 sea and 4 river steamers, 3 boats and a yacht. Steamboats were armed with three-inch guns and machine guns, barges with Canet's six-inch guns. During 1918-1919 assisted Don army. Included in its composition, in addition to the river detachment, Azov Marine Detachment and marine railway batteries. In May 1919 she joined Black Sea Fleet. In the fall of 1919, the river flotilla of the same name included the 4th division of the River Forces of the South of Russia. Commander - Rear Adm. S.S. Fabritsky.

Don partisan detachments. Upon arrival at the Don at the end of 1917, the front-line Cossack units dispersed to the villages and actually disintegrated. Therefore, the only force that the Don government had at its disposal were volunteer detachments, led by the most determined officers and, to a large extent, consisting of officers (not only Cossacks). Particularly famous: Detachment of the centurion Grekov, units EU. R. Lazarev, military foreman E.F. Semiletov (2 hundreds), EU. F.D. Nazarov, lieutenant V. Kurochkin, centurion Popov (who died at the end of January at the Chekalov farm) and the largest - EU. V.M. Chernetsov (see. Detachment of Yesaul Chernetsov). There was also a Don officer squad (200 people, including 20 officers) and partisan artillery from volunteers: A separate platoon of the EU. Konkov and three more - the 1st partisan artillery platoon of the centurion E. Kovalev (2 op., 2 pool.), 2nd es. Abramov and 3rd subway. T.T. Nezhivov, as well as the Semiletov Battery (2 op.; piece-cap. Bukin) and individual guns (Es. A.A. Upornikov and centurion Lukyanov). With the abandonment of Rostov and Novocherkassk, part of the Don partisans joined Volunteer army and participated in 1st Kuban campaign as part of partisan regiment, and part went to steppe hike.

Don Cossack Host(Great Don Army). It occupied the territory of the Don Army Region. Counted St. 1.5 million people, incl. 30.5 thousand Kalmyks. It was divided into 10 districts (134 villages, 1728 farms): Cherkasy, Rostov, Taganrog, Salsky, 1st Donskoy, 2nd Donskoy, Donetsk, Khopersky, Ust-Medveditsky, Verkhne-Donskoy. Center - Novocherkassk. In the world war exposed St. 100 thousand people: 60 cavalry regiments (including the Life Guards Cossack and Atamansky), 23 separate and 55 special cavalry hundreds, 58 escort half-hundreds, a plastun brigade (6 battalions), 43 cavalry artillery batteries (incl. .h 2 separate), 6 spare cavalry regiments and a spare cavalry artillery battalion. By the beginning of 1918, there were about 6,000 officers in the army. The army did not recognize the power of the Bolsheviks. At the beginning of 1918, its territory was occupied, and several thousand of the most active opponents of the owls. power is scattered. After the uprising of the Cossacks in April 1918, a military circle was convened, which on May 3 elected a military government and an ataman. In the future, he fought against the Bolsheviks as part of Don Army, VSYUR and Russian Army(the headquarters of the troops from May 15, 1918 to July 17, 1919 was merged with the headquarters of the Don Army). Official press organs in exile - " Ataman Herald, Donskoy Ataman Herald" and " Cossack". The Cossack Word was also published (organ of the military government, Sofia, January - February 1922, 8 issues), Cossack Flash, (organ of the student village in Prague, 12 issues were published by 1928; in 1923 1 issue of its predecessor was published - the magazine "Cossack in a foreign land"), "Don calendar for 1928 (Prague, ed. - Colonel Dobrynin) and" Stanichnik "(organ of the village in Melbourne, Australia, since 1966, 8 issues). Military atamans: Gen.-Kav. A.M. Kaledin (until January 29, 1918), Major General A.M. Nazarov (January 30 - February 18, 1918), general-kav. P.N. Krasnov (May 3, 1918 - February 6, 1919), general-kav. A.P. Bogaevsky (February 6, 1919 - October 21, 1934), lieutenant general. gr. M.N. Grabbe (since 19 35), general lieutenant. V.G. Tatarkin (until October 14, 1947). Beginning headquarters: Major General I.A. Polyakov (May 15, 1918 - February 15, 1919), lieutenant general. A.K. Kelchevsky (February 15, 1919 - April 12, 1920), lieutenant general. N.N. Alekseev (since April 23, 1920).

"Donskoy Ataman Bulletin". Foreign Don Cossack magazine. The official organ of the Don Ataman gr. Grabbe. It was published under the name "Atamansky Bulletin" in 1935-1939. in Paris twice a year. Editor - B.F. Krishtofovich. 12 issues have been released. The publication was resumed under the present title (also as the organ of the Don Ataman) in 1952 in Howell, then in Sumter (USA) several times a year (20 pp. with appendix, rotator). Up to April 1989, 133 issues were published. Since 1994, the Russian version of the magazine has been published - under the same cover as the magazine " Kuban"(from No. 5).

"Don Bayan". light armored train Don army. He was part of the 4th armored train division.

Don Emperor Alexander III Cadet Corps. Several dozen cadets of the corps participated in the battles near Rostov in November 1917, 1st Kuban and steppe campaigns. He resumed his activities after the cleansing of the Don from the Bolsheviks. By December 1918 there were 622 cadets. Issues 30 (1918) and 31 (1919; about 70 people) were translated into Ataman military school. At the beginning of 1920, he retreated in marching order to Novorossiysk, from where he was evacuated to Egypt (Ismailia), (Leutnant General P.G. Chebotarev) Disbanded in Ismailia in the autumn of 1922, was recreated at the base 2nd Don Cadet Corps and existed until 1933 in Gorazde (Yugoslavia). Upon disbandment, the cadets and part of the teaching staff were transferred to 1st Russian Cadet Corps. Among his cadets there were also many participants in the war (for example, out of 36 cadets of the graduation of 1924 - 28, including 9 Knights of St. George), many entered universities (from the same graduation - 23 out of 36). Its staff consisted of more than 35 people. in Egypt and over 70 in Yugoslavia. Directors: general-lieutenant. A.A. Cheryachukin (in Egypt), Major General I.I. Rykovsky, Major General Babkin, Major General E.V. Perret, class inspectors - Col. N.V. Surovetsky (Egypt), Major General Erofeev and Col. A.E. Warlocks. The cadets of the corps published handwritten magazines "Donets in a foreign land" (Egypt, 1920-1921, 19 issues), and "Donets" (Yugoslavia, 1922-1928, 21 issues).

Don Corps. Formed in Russian Army May 1, 1920 Includes the 2nd and 3rd Don Divisions and the Guards Brigade. Since September 4, 1920 included in 1st army. Compound: 1st and 2nd Don Horse and 3rd Don Division. Evacuated from the Crimea as part of 22 thousand people. He was located in camps in the Chataldzhi region, and by the spring of 1921 he was relocated to about. Lemnos. It contains all the Don parts. Numbered 14630 people. It was reorganized by December 15, 1920 into two Don Cossack divisions of 3 brigades of two regiments each. 1st (head - Lieutenant General N.P. Kalinin, by April 20, 1921 - Lieutenant General G.V. Tatarkin; Chief of Staff Major General P.A. Kusonsky, by April 20, 1921 - Colonel V. A. Zimin, brigade commanders: 1st - Major General V. A. Dyakov, 2nd - Major General V. I. Morozov, 3rd - Major General A. P. Popov) included the 1st sheet. -Guards. Consolidated Cossack Regiment (Major General M.G. Khripunov), 2nd (Regiment Dronov), 3rd Ataman Kaledin (Colonel G.I. Chapchikov, by April 20, 1921 - Colonel A.N. Laschenov, vrid.), 4th ataman Nazarov (major general A.G. Rubashkin, by April 20, 1921 - colonel Leonov, vrid.), 5th ataman Platov (colonel A.I. Shmelev), 6th ataman Yermak (colonel F.N. Martynov, vrid.) Don Cossack and Terek-Astrakhan Cossack (Major General K.K. Agoev; was part of the 3rd brigade) regiments and the 1st Don Cossack cavalry -artillery division (Major General N.N. Upornikov). 2nd (head of lieutenant general A.K. Guselshchikov; chief of staff, major general G.S. Rytikov, by April 20, 1921 - major general S.K. Borodin; brigade commanders: 1st - Major General A.A. Kurbatov, 2nd - Major General I.N. Konovodov, 3rd - Lieutenant General A.P. Fitskhelaurov) included the 7th (regiment D.I. Igumnov), 8th (col. Dukhopelnikov), 9th Gundorovsky Georgievsky (colonel A.N. Usachev), 10th (colonel F.S. Avramov), 18th Georgievsky (major general G.I. Dolgopyatov) Don Cossack and Zyungar Kalmyk (colonel S.V. Zakharevsky) regiments and the 2nd Don Cossack Cavalry Artillery Battalion (Major General D.G. Baranov). The corps also included the Don Technical Regiment (colonel L.M. Mikheev) and Ataman military school. By April 20, 1921, the 3rd brigade of the 2nd division was disbanded (the 18th regiment left almost entirely for Czechoslovakia).

After the transformation of the army into R OBC preserved as one of 4 of his cropped connections. All parts of it since 1922 were in Bulgaria. By 1925 consisted of 3rd and 5th Don Cossacks, Gundorovsky Georgievsky and Terek-Astrakhan regiments, Don officer battery, Don engineering hundred, Don officer reserve and the Donskoy hospital (headed by supervising Soviet G. Yakovlev), as well as Ataman military school. By 1931, it also included the Don Separate Combined Cossack Hundred in Budapest (Es. Zryanin). In Lemnos, the following were published: “Information Leaflet of the Don Camp on the Island of Lemnos” (December 1920 - February 1922, 56 issues in total, ed. - Kunitsyn), “Bulletin of the Don Camp on the Island of Lemnos” (March - December 1921, 52 issues in total) and “ Don ”(handwritten, brigades of Colonel Arakantsev, 9 numbers in total), in the Kabadzha camp -“ Donskoy Mayak ”(December 1920 - January 1922, 14 numbers, ed. - Ryazan). Commander - General Lieutenant. F.F. Abramov. Beginning headquarters - gen.-lieutenant. A.V. Govorov (1920), Col. PC. Yasevich (1921-1925).

Table
The combat composition of the corps for September 1925

Parts	Total	officers	% officers
Office of the Lemnos Group	25	—	—
Donskoy officer reserve	332	237	71,4
Don Officer Battery	85	78	91,8
Don Engineering Hundred	68	43	63,2
Gundorovsky regiment	854	318	37,2
3rd Don Cossack Regiment	377	81	21,5
5th Don Cossack Regiment	310	61	19,7
Terek-Astrakhan Regiment	427	211	49,4
Ataman military school	282	219	77,7
Don hospital	37	19	51,4
Total	2797	1267	45,3

Donskoy officer reserve. Upon arrival in the Crimea, most of the Don officers (500-600 people) were enrolled in the reserve, since their number far exceeded the staff of the newly formed Don units. He was stationed in Feodosia, where his ranks were in an extremely difficult financial situation. Then, from a part of the reserve, the Don officer detachment of 6 hundred was formed, which served in the Sivash. More than half of the reserve officers died: one hundred at Perekop, and another three hundred (about 250 people) on the destroyer Zhivoi that sank during the evacuation. Replenished after evacuation Russian Army from Crimea to Chatalje, where he was in the composition Don Corps. After the transformation of the army into R OBC until the 1930s, despite the dispersion of its ranks in different countries, it was a cropped part. In the autumn of 1925, there were 332 people, incl. 237 officers. By 1931, transformed into a battalion. Head - Major General V.I. Morozov.

Don Foot Battalion. Formed in Volunteer army at partisan regiment. November 24, 1918 separated from the latter and included in the 2nd division. A cavalry hundred was formed under the battalion. Commander - Major General E.F. Semiletov (since December 6, 1918).

Don Plastun Junker Regiment. Formed during VSYUR in the spring of 1920 from the Junkers Ataman military school and the Donskoy Military School established in Evpatoria. Participated in the battles at the Kakhovka bridgehead. Commander - Major General Maksimov.

"Drozdovets". light armored train VSYUR and Russian Army. In July 1919, in the battles near st. Gotnya near Kharkov. He was part of the 9th armored train division. In the Crimea, from April 16, 1920, he was part of the 4th armored train division. He died on October 19, 1920 at the station. Sokogornoye during the departure from Northern Tavria. Commander - Capt. V.V. Ripke.

Drozdovskaya Artillery Brigade. Formed in VSYUR April 4, 1919 as the 3rd artillery brigade based on batteries ( 3rd separate light and Howitzer) Detachment of Colonel Drozdovsky(3rd separate light artillery battalion). Initially included divisions: 1st - 1st (formerly. 3rd separate light) and 2nd light batteries, 2nd - 3rd and 4th (from the artillery of the former. Voronezh Corps) lungs, 4th - 7th (formerly. Howitzer, then the 3rd light howitzer) and the 8th (from the artillery of the former. Voronezh Corps) light howitzer batteries, from July 1 - and the 3rd division: 5th (from May 27) and 6th (from July 21) batteries. Later included 4 divisions (8 batteries). On October 5, 1919, it had 20 light guns and 6 howitzers. Belonged to 3rd Infantry Division. With the transformation of this division on October 14, 1919 into Drozdovskaya, it received the name on October 22 and was part of Drozdov division. On April 16, 1920, it included only the 1st, 2nd and 4th divisions. From May to August 1920 lost 473 people. In Gallipoli rolled into Drozdovsky Artillery Battalion. The 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 7th batteries were awarded silver trumpets with ribbons of the Order of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker. The ranks of the brigade wore crimson caps with a black band and red shoulder straps with black edging, gold guns and the letter "D".

Commanders: Major General V.A. Maltsev (until August 4, 1919), Col. (major general) M.N. Polzikov. Brigadier Adjutant - Lieutenant Colonel. Pinchuk. Division commanders: 1st - Regiment. V.A. Protasovich, 2nd - regiment. A.A. Shein, Col. V.A. Protasovich (since April 13, 1919), regiment V.V. Gorkunov (since November 28, 1919), 3rd - regiment. P.A. Sokolov, 4th - regiment. A.K. Medvedev (since April 13, 1919). Battery commanders: 1st - Regiment. V.P. Tutsevich (until June 2, 1919; killed), regiment. N.V. Chesnakov (from August 24, 1919), Col. ON THE. Kositsky (since September 23, 1920), 2nd - cap. Lazarev, lieutenant colonel. V.A. Protasovich (until April 13, 1919), cap. (colonel) P.V. Nikolaev (since April 24, 1919), 3rd - cap. N.F. Solovyov (since April 24, 1919), lieutenant colonel. P.A. Sokolov, Col. A.G. Yakubov (from August 24, 1919), 4th - regiment. A.A. Samuelov, 5th - regiment. Stankevich (since July 22, 1919), lieutenant colonel. A.V. Musin-Pushkin (until August 10, 1920; killed), lieutenant colonel. Gamel, 6th - Regiment. Belsky (July 22, 1919 - May 17, 1920), lieutenant colonel. L.L. Maslov, 7th - lieutenant colonel. Chizhevich, lieutenant colonel. (colonel) N.F. Solovyov, Col. S.R. Nilov, Col. A.K. Medvedev (until April 13, 1919), 8th - regiment. B.B. de Pollini (April 24 - October 23, 1919), Lieutenant Colonel. Abamelikov (May 1920), lieutenant colonel. D.M. Prokopenko.

Drozdov division(Officer Rifle Division of General Drozdovsky, from April 1920 Rifle Division of General Drozdovsky). Formed in VSYUR October 14, 1919 on the basis of the Officer Rifle General Drozdovsky Brigade created on July 30 3rd Infantry Division as part of 1st, 2nd and 3rd Drozdovsky regiments, reserve battalion, Drozdov engineering company and Drozdovskaya Artillery Brigade. Belonged to 1st Army Corps (I). In mid-October 1919, St. 3000 pcs. and 500 sub. in the cavalry. Since September 4, 1920, it included the 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th rifle generals of the Drozdovsky regiment, Drozdov artillery brigade, Drozdov engineering company and Separate Cavalry General Drozdovsky Division. The Drozdovsky units that retreated to the Crimea at the end of October 1920 numbered 3260 units. and sub. It was one of the most reliable formations and suffered especially heavy losses (for example, in the landing on Khorly, the division lost 575 people, on August 14, 1920 near Andreburg - 100 people). The total losses of the Drozdovites are estimated at 15 thousand killed and 35 thousand wounded. Among the dead, St. 4.5 thousand officers. In Gallipoli rolled into Drozdovsky Rifle Regiment. The Drozdov units wore crimson caps with a white band and crimson shoulder straps with a white edging with a yellow letter "D". Heads: Major General V.K. Vitkovsky, K.A. Kelner (July - August 1920), A.V. Turkul (August - October 28, 1920), V.G. Kharzhevsky (since October 28, 1920). Beginning headquarters - regiment. F.E. Bredov.

Volunteer army



Formed:
Disbanded:	March 1920 (renamed the Separate Volunteer Corps)
Type of army:	Ground troops
Composed of:
Average population:	3348 people (February 1918) ≈8500-9000 people (June 1918)
Location:	South of Russia
Participated in:	Russian Civil War

Volunteer army- operational-strategic association of the White Guard troops in the South of Russia in 1917-1920. during the Civil War.

Story

It began to form on November 2 (15), 1917 in Novocherkassk of the General Staff by Infantry General M. V. Alekseev under the name "Alekseevskaya Organization". From the beginning of December, Infantry General L. G. Kornilov, who arrived at the Don of the General Staff, joined in the creation of the army. At first, the Volunteer Army was staffed exclusively by volunteers. Up to 50% of those who signed up for the army were chief officers and up to 15% were staff officers, there were also cadets, cadets, students, high school students (more than 10%). Cossacks were about 4%, soldiers - 1%. From the end of 1918 and in 1919 - through the mobilization of peasants, the officer cadre loses its numerical predominance, in 1920 recruitment was carried out at the expense of mobilized, as well as captured Red Army soldiers, who together make up the bulk of the military units of the army.

By the end of December 1917, 3 thousand people signed up for the army as volunteers. By mid-January 1918, there were already 5 thousand of them, by the beginning of February - about 6 thousand. At the same time, the combat element of the Dobroarmiya did not exceed 4½ thousand people.

December 25, 1917 (January 7, 1918) received the official name "Volunteer Army". The army received this name at the insistence of Kornilov, who was in a state of conflict with Alekseev and dissatisfied with the forced compromise with the head of the former "Alekseevskaya organization": the division of spheres of influence, as a result of which, when Kornilov assumed full military power, Alekseev still remained political leadership and finances .

General of Infantry Alekseev became the supreme leader of the army, General of Infantry Kornilov became commander-in-chief of the General Staff, Lieutenant General A. S. Lukomsky became chief of staff of the General Staff, Lieutenant General A. I. Denikin became chief of the 1st division of the General Staff . If Generals Alekseev, Kornilov and Denikin were the organizers and ideological inspirers of the young army, then the person remembered by the pioneers as a commander capable of leading the first volunteers directly on the battlefield was the “sword of General Kornilov” of the General Staff, Lieutenant General S. L Markov, who first served as chief of staff of the Commander-in-Chief, then chief of staff of the 1st division and commander of the 1st Officer Regiment, formed by him and received his personal patronage after Markov's death.

The leadership of the army initially focused on Russia's allies in the Entente.

Before the start of the Kuban campaign, the losses of the Dobroarmiya amounted to 1½ thousand people, including at least a third of those killed.

On February 22, 1918, under the onslaught of the Red troops, the Dobrarmia units left Rostov and moved to the Kuban. The famous "Ice March" (1st Kuban) of the Volunteer Army (3200 bayonets and sabers) began from Rostov-on-Don to Yekaterinodar with heavy fighting, surrounded by a 20,000-strong group of red troops under whom. Sorokin.

General M. Alekseev said before the campaign:

On March 27-31 (April 9-13), the Volunteer Army made an unsuccessful attempt to take the capital of the Kuban - Yekaterinodar, during which the Commander-in-Chief General Kornilov was killed by a random grenade on March 31 (April 13), and the command of the army units in the most difficult conditions of complete encirclement by many times superior forces the enemy was received by General Denikin, who, in the conditions of incessant fighting on all sides, was able to withdraw the army from flank attacks and safely exit the encirclement on the Don. This was largely due to the energetic actions of Lieutenant General S. L. Markov, commander of the Officer Regiment of the General Staff, who distinguished himself in battle on the night of April 2 (15) to April 3 (16), 1918 when crossing the Tsaritsyn-Tikhoretskaya railway.

According to the memoirs of contemporaries, events developed as follows:

At about 4 o'clock in the morning parts of Markov began to cross the railroad tracks. Markov, having captured the railway gatehouse at the crossing, deployed infantry units, sent scouts to the village to attack the enemy, hastily began crossing the wounded, the convoy and artillery. Suddenly, the armored train of the Reds separated from the station and went to the crossing, where the headquarters was already located along with Generals Alekseev and Denikin. There were a few meters left before the crossing - and then Markov, showering the armored train with merciless words, remaining true to himself: “Stop! Such-rasta! Bastard! You will suppress your own!”, rushed on the way. When he really stopped, Markov jumped back (according to other sources, he immediately threw a grenade), and immediately two three-inch guns fired grenades point-blank at the cylinders and wheels of the locomotive. A heated battle ensued with the crew of the armored train, which was killed as a result, and the armored train itself was burned.

On the night of June 22-23, 1918, the Volunteer Army (numbering 8-9 thousand), with the assistance of the Don Army under the command of Ataman P.N. Ekaterinodar. The basis of the Volunteer Army was made up of "colored" units - the Kornilov, Markovsky, Drozdovsky and Alekseevsky regiments, subsequently deployed during the attack on Moscow in the summer and autumn of 1919 in the division.

On August 15, 1918, the first mobilization was announced in the Volunteer Army, which was the first step towards turning it into a regular army. According to the Kornilov officer Alexander Trushnovich, the first mobilized - the Stavropol peasants were poured into the Kornilov shock regiment in June 1918 during the fighting near the village of Medvezhye.

Markov artillery officer E.N. Giatsintov testified to the state of the material part of the Army during this period:

It's funny for me to watch films in which the White Army is depicted - having fun, ladies in ball gowns, officers in uniforms with epaulettes, with aiguillettes, brilliant! In fact, the Volunteer Army at that time was a rather sad, but heroic phenomenon. We were dressed in any way. For example, I was in harem pants, in boots, instead of an overcoat I was wearing a jacket of a railway engineer, which the owner of the house where my mother lived, Mr. Lanko, gave me in view of the late autumn. In the past, he was the head of the section between Ekaterinodar and some other station.

This is how we flaunted. Soon the sole of the boot on my right foot fell off, and I had to tie it with a rope. These are the "balls" and what "epaulettes" we had at that time! Instead of balls, there were constant battles. All the time we were pressed by the Red Army, very numerous. I think we were one against a hundred! And we somehow fired back, fought back, and even at times went over to the offensive and pushed the enemy back.

By September 1918, the strength of the Volunteer Army had increased to 30-35 thousand, mainly due to the influx of Kuban Cossacks and opponents of Bolshevism who had fled to the North Caucasus.

After the end of the First World War in November 1918, the governments of Great Britain and France increased the material and technical assistance to the Volunteer Army. Believing that this is in the interests of Russia, on June 12, 1919, the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces in the South of Russia, General A.I. Denikin, announced his submission to Admiral A.V. Kolchak, as the Supreme Ruler of the Russian State and the Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Armies.

On January 8, 1919, the Volunteer Army became part of the Armed Forces of the South of Russia (VSYUR), becoming their main striking force, and its commander, General Denikin, headed the VSYUR.

In the summer - autumn of 1919, the Volunteer Army (40 thousand people) under the command of General V.Z. Mai-Maevsky became the main force in Denikin's campaign against Moscow (for more details, see Denikin's campaign against Moscow).

In combat terms, some units and formations of the Volunteer Army had high fighting qualities, since it included a large number of officers who had significant combat experience and were sincerely devoted to the idea of the White movement, but since the summer of 1919 its combat effectiveness has decreased due to heavy losses and inclusion in its composition of mobilized peasants and captured Red Army soldiers.

After an unsuccessful attack on Moscow in the summer and autumn of 1919, the Volunteer Army, under pressure from the Red Army, retreated to the Kuban, where in early 1920 it was reduced to a Separate Volunteer Corps under the command of General A.P. Kutepov.

On March 26-27, 1920, the remnants of the Volunteer Army were evacuated from Novorossiysk to the Crimea, where they became part of the Russian Army, General Baron P. N. Wrangel.

Commanders of the Volunteer Army

General Staff General of Infantry L. G. Kornilov (December 1917 - March 31 (April 13), 1918)
General Staff Lieutenant General A. I. Denikin (April 1918 - January 1919)
Lieutenant General Baron P. N. Wrangel (January - May 1919, December 1919 - January 1920)
Lieutenant General V.Z. Mai-Maevsky (May - November 1919).

Composition of the Volunteer Army

I AM A VOLUNTEER

1) I AM A VOLUNTEER, because I gave my youth and shed my blood for the power of the United Indivisible Russia.

2) I AM A VOLUNTEER I stand for the convocation of the National Assembly, elected by the whole people, because I believe that it will give happiness, peace and freedom to everyone: both left and right, and the Cossack, and the peasant, and the worker.

3) I AM A VOLUNTEER I give land to all peasants - real workers, and in such a way that each peasant will be the complete and eternal owner of his piece and therefore will work it with great love.

4) I AM A VOLUNTEER I stand for the restoration of factories and factories, for the workers to come to an agreement with their masters and organize labor, so that no master can offend the worker, so that the worker can have his own unions to protect his interests. And whoever is an enemy to the worker and will do him harm, than will interfere with the restoration of industry, that enemy is also me, a volunteer. Where I am, there is fresh meat, and bread costs 1-2 rubles. lb.

5) I AM A VOLUNTEER, I leave it to everyone to believe in their God and pray as they wish, and most of all, as a Russian, I love my Orthodox faith.

6) I AM A VOLUNTEER, I love even those with whom I am now at war - on the orders of my leader, General Denikin, I do not shoot, but take prisoner and bring justice, which is terrible only for enemies of the people - commissars, communists.

7) I AM A VOLUNTEER and so I say:

May peace be restored in desecrated and tormented Russia!

No domination of one class over another!

Free and quiet work for everyone!

No violence against civilians, no murders, no extrajudicial executions!

Down with the predators who oppress Russia! Down with the commune!

Long live the United Great Indivisible Russia!

Leaflet

By the beginning of the 1st Kuban campaign

1st Officer Regiment (Gen. Markov) - from 3 officer battalions, the Caucasian division and the naval company.
Junker battalion (Gen. Borovsky) - from the former Junker battalion and the Rostov regiment.
Kornilov shock regiment (Regiment. Nezhentsev) - parts of b. Georgievsky regiment and partisan detachment regiment. Simanovsky
Artillery battalion (Regiment Ikishev) - from four batteries, two guns each. Commanders Mionchinsky, Schmidt, Erogin, Tretyakov
Czecho-Slovak engineering battalion - under the "management" of a civilian engineer Kral and under the command of Captain Nemetchik.
Mounted units

Regiment. Glazenapa - from the Don partisan detachments
Regiment. Gerschelman - regular
Lieutenant colonel Kornilov - from b. parts of Chernetsov.

Total: 3200 fighters and 148 medical staff, 8 guns, 600 shells, 200 rounds of ammunition per person.

By the beginning of the 2nd Kuban campaign

1st Division (General Markov)

1st Officer Infantry Regiment
1st Kuban Rifle Regiment
1st Cavalry Regiment
1st independent light battery (3 guns)
1st Engineering Company

2nd Division (General Borovsky)

Kornilov shock regiment
Partisan Infantry Regiment
Ulagaevsky plastunsky battalion
4th Consolidated Kuban Regiment
2nd independent light battery (3 guns)
2nd Engineering Company

3rd Division (Colonel Drozdovsky)

2nd Officer Rifle Regiment
2nd Cavalry Regiment
2nd independent light battery (6 guns)
Horse-mountain battery (4 guns)
Mortar battery (2 mortars)
3rd Engineering Company

1st Cavalry Division (General Erdeli)

1st Kuban Cossack Regiment
1st Circassian Cavalry Regiment
1st Caucasian Cossack Regiment
1st Black Sea Cossack Regiment

1st Kuban Cossack Brigade (General Pokrovsky)

2nd Kuban Cossack Regiment
3rd Kuban Cossack Regiment
Artillery platoon (2 guns)

In addition: the Plastunsky battalion, one howitzer and armored vehicles "Verny", "Kornilovets" and "Volunteer".

In total, the army consisted of 5 infantry regiments, 8 cavalry regiments, 5 and a half batteries, with a total number of 8500 - 9000 bayonets and sabers and 21 guns.

Volunteer Army at the end of 1918

In November 1918, the tactical and strategic deployment of the army began - the 1st, 2nd and 3rd army corps and the 1st cavalry corps were formed. In December, the Caucasian group, Donetsk, Crimean and Tuapse detachments were created as part of the army. In the Crimea, from the end of 1918, the 4th Infantry Division was also formed. In December 1918, the army consisted of three army corps (1-3), the Crimean-Azov and the 1st cavalry corps. In February 1919, the 2nd Kuban corps was created. and the 1st and 2nd army corps included units of the former Astrakhan and Southern armies transferred by the Don ataman. On January 10, 1919, with the formation of the Crimean-Azov Volunteer Army on the basis of the Crimean-Azov Corps, it received the name of the Caucasian Volunteer Army, and on May 2, 1919 it was divided into the Volunteer (as part of the All-Russian Union of Youth Union) and the Caucasian Army.

Army strength

Losses in personnel

The army suffered the heaviest (relative to its strength) losses during 1918, i.e. it was precisely when the officers made up a particularly significant part of it. Since the beginning of formation, more than 6000 people entered the army, and when leaving Rostov the number of fighters did not exceed 2500, we can assume that it lost at least 3500 people. About 400 people died in the 1st Kuban campaign. and taken out about 1500 wounded. After leaving Yekaterinodar to the north, about 300 people. was left in Art. Elizavetinskaya (all finished off by the pursuers) and 200 more - in Dyadkovskaya. The army suffered no less heavy losses in the 2nd Kuban campaign (in some battles, for example, during the capture of Tikhoretskaya, losses reached 25% of the composition), and in the battles near Stavropol. In individual battles, losses amounted to hundreds and sometimes even thousands of dead.

Volunteer Army as a part of V.S.Yu.R. "Trip to Moscow"

It was formed on May 8, 1919 as a result of the division of the Caucasian Volunteer Army. At the end of July, the Group of Gen. Promtov and the newly formed 5th Cavalry Corps. By September 15, 1919, the 2nd Army Corps was formed from the 5th and 7th Infantry Divisions. On October 14, 1919, another 1st separate infantry brigade was formed.

However, during the "camp on Moscow" the army included only two corps - the 1st army from the "colored units": the 1st and 3rd infantry divisions deployed in mid-October into four divisions - Kornilov, Markov, Drozdov and Alekseevskaya, also in the army was the 5th cavalry corps of two non-Cossack, but regular cavalry divisions: the 1st and 2nd cavalry. In addition, the army included: Consolidated regiment of the 1st separate cavalry brigade, 2nd and 3rd separate heavy howitzer divisions, Separate heavy cannon tractor division, 2nd radio-telegraph division, 2nd, 5th , the 6th separate telegraph company, the 1st and 2nd tank divisions and the 5th automobile battalion. The army was also attached to the 1st aviation division (2nd and 6th air detachments and the 1st air base), armored vehicles: the 1st division, 1st, 3rd and 4th detachments. The 2nd Army Corps (commander Ya. A. Slashchev) was thrown against Makhno, who broke through the White front in September.

Having reached the maximum number due to mobilizations in the occupied provinces of the modern. Ukraine and the south of Russia and the enrollment of surrendered Red Army soldiers D.A. by mid-October 1919, it occupied a vast area along the line of Chernigov-Khutor Mikhailovsky-Sevsk-Dmitrovsk-Kromy-Naryshkino-Orel-Novosil-Borki-Kostornoye. leave all previously occupied areas, retreating to the Don by December 1919. On January 6, 1920, it was reduced to the Volunteer Corps (due to huge losses and a catastrophic decrease in the number of personnel - 5000 people at the time of the Novorossiysk evacuation). However, the Volunteer Corps survived as a combat unit and was not destroyed. With continuous fighting, the corps retreated in March 1920 to the port of Novorossiysk. There, the Volunteer Corps is a priority, thanks to the order of the Commander-in-Chief of the All-Union Socialist League, General Lieutenant. A.I. Denikin and the iron restraint of his commander, Lieutenant General A.P. Kutepov, boarded the ships and arrived in the Crimea, which remained white thanks to the successfully organized defense of its isthmuses by the troops of Major General Ya. A. Slashchev. The volunteer corps in the Crimea formed the powerful backbone of the Russian Army, the successor of General Denikin as white commander-in-chief, Baron Wrangel.

Army strength

By mid-June 1919, the army numbered 20 thousand units. and 5.5 thousand sab., at the end of July - 33 thousand pieces. and 6.5 thousand sab., as of October 5 - 17791 pcs. and 2664 sub. at 451 pools. and 65 op. At the beginning of December 1919, there were 3,600 units in the Volunteer Army. and 4700 sub. In total, the army, including rear and emerging units, by July 5, 1919, there were 57,725 people. (including 3884 officers, 40963 combatants, 6270 auxiliary and 6608 non-combatant lower ranks).

(White Guard) - the main striking force of the counter-revolution in the South of Russia in 1918 - early. 1920.

Formed from 2(15) Nov. 1917 in Novocherkassk M. V. Alekseev under the name. "Alekseevskaya organization" on the principle of volunteerism from counter-revolutionary officers, cadets, senior cadets, students, high school students, who fled to the Don, etc.

Dec 25 1917 (January 7, 1918) L. G. Kornilov took command of the formation, which became officially known as D. A. [in the press, this was announced on December 27. (Jan 9)]; top. leader - Alekseev. To solve the financial-economic. questions at D. and. was created. "Economic meeting."

D.'s guide and. focused on the powers of the Entente. In con. Jan. 1918 Kornilov, not agreeing with the Don ataman Kaledin on the general plans to fight the Sov. power, translated by D. a. (up to 2 thousand people) from Novocherkassk to Rostov n / a, where she became Ch. counter-revolutionary force in the district of Rostov n / a - Taganrog.

The collapse of Kaliningrad and the onset of the Russian Revolution. troops forced the leadership of D. a. Feb 22 leave Rostov n / a and retreat beyond the Don.

In the village of Olginskaya D. a. was reorganized into 3 infantry. regiment (Consolidated officer, commander S. L. Markov, Kornilovsky shock, commander - colonel M. O. Nezhentsov and Partizansky, commander - general A. P. Bogaevsky), cadet battalion, 2 cav. division and art. division (total 3000 bayonets, 400 sabers, 8 guns).

March 27 D. a. approached the district of Yekaterinodar and connected with the detachment of V. L. Pokrovsky; under an agreement with the top Kuban. Cossacks of their "governments. detachments "completely obeyed the top. the power of Kornilov.

3 brigades are formed:

1st (Officer and Kuban joint venture, 1st battery) gene. Markov,

2nd (Kornilov shock and Partisan regiments, plastun battalion, 2nd battery) gene. Bogaevsky

Cavalry (Horse regiment, Circassian command post, Kuban cavalry division, artillery battery) gene. Erdeli

(total about 6 thousand bayonets and sabers, 16 guns).

D.'s attempts and. 10 - 13 Apr. they were not successful in capturing Yekaterinodar. Having suffered heavy losses (up to 400 killed, including Kornilov, and 1,500 wounded), D. a. (Denikin took command) retreated by May 13 to the district of the villages of Mechetinskaya, Yegorlykskaya, Gulyai-Borisovka (southern part of the Donskoy Host Region).

In connection with the capture of the German troops of Ukraine, the overthrow of the Soviet. authorities on the Don, where the German Military Prospect was formed. protege of Ataman Krasnov, and the growth of counter-revolutionaries. mood among the Cubans. Cossacks Denikin managed to replenish D. a. and receive weapons and ammunition from Krasnov. June 8 in Novocherkassk to D. a. the detachment of M. G. Drozdovsky joined.

In June, D. a. included:

1st Infantry Division Markov (since June 25, General B. I. Kazanovich),

2nd pd gene. A. A. Borovsky,

3rd Infantry Regiment Drozdovsky,

1st con. div. gene. Erdeli (then Wrangel),

1st Kuban. con. brigade, later div. gene. Pokrovsky,

two scout battalions;

in July, the 2nd Kuban was formed. Cossack div. gene. S. G. Ulagaya and Kuban. Cossack brigade Shkuro.

June 23 D. a. (10 - 12 thousand bayonets and sabers) of the beginning of the so-called. 2nd Kuban. hike attack on the village of Torgovaya, then on the village of Tikhoretskaya and Yekaterinodar. She succeeded in July - Sept. to defeat the troops of the North Caucasus. owls. rep. and capture the part of Sev. Caucasus. By the Cubans. Cossacks and force. mobilized number of D. and. increased to 30-35 thousand bayonets and sabers.

From Nov. 1918 The Entente established the technical materials. D.'s supply and. through Novorossiysk, which allowed Denikin to deploy large forces (up to 100 thousand people, including 40 thousand bayonets and sabers).

In con. Nov. were formed:

1st (Kazanovich, from January - Gen. A.P. Kutepov),

2nd (Borovsky),

3rd (gen. V. N. Lyakhova, from March - general. N. N. Schilling)

army corps,

1st Con. Wrangel Corps,

as well as dep. divisions and brigades.

Jan 8 1919 established "Armed Forces of the South of Russia", one of the components of which was D. a., reim. Jan 23 in Caucasian D. a.(as opposed to the emerging Crimean-Azov D. a.).

Dec. 1918 - Feb. 1919 ch. D.'s forces and. (1st and 3rd army corps, cavalry corps, Circassian cd, etc.) inflicted a heavy defeat on the owls of the 11th A and captured the entire North Caucasus.

Group of troops Gen. V. 3 May-Maevsky, consisting of the best regiments (Kornilovsky, Markovsky, etc.), in January. was transferred to the Donbass to help the Don White Cossacks.

The 2nd Army Corps operated in the Crimea. March - Apr. D. a., which included the formed 1st and 2nd Kuban. con. corps, deployed in two cores. groups - in the Donbass and Manych, and in May went on the offensive against the owls. troops of the South. fr.

Its composition has changed, but mainly it included:

1st Army Corps Kutepov,

2nd Army Corps Gen. M. N. Promtova (then General Ya. A. Slashchev),

5th con. Corps of Gen. Ya. D. Yuzefovich,

3rd Kuban. con. Corps Shkuro,

from sept. Kyiv group of gene. N. E. Bredova.

D. a., which included many officers, had a high combat capability and acted in the direction of Ch. hit. Its troops, in which notorious counter-revolutionaries prevailed, were distinguished by cruelty, robbed the population (therefore, the Dobrarmia was called the “robber army”). D.'s core and. was the 1st Army Corps, which included the so-called. registered regiments * Kornilov shock, Markovsky (former 1st Officer), Drozdovsky (former 2nd Officer), Alekseevsky (former Partisan).

In July 1919, the formation of the second and third "nominal" regiments began, and in August. - Oct. they were deployed in divisions of 3-4 regiments. Besides, in D. and. included divisions and regiments formed on the basis of the cadre of regiments of the old army (13th, 15th, 34th infantry regiments, 80th Kabardian, 83rd Samursky, 13th Belozersky points, etc.).

The combat composition of D. a. in sept. 1919 included St. 50 thousand bayonets and sabers. Large losses and the need to deploy D. a. forced to replenish it with mobilized and even prisoners, as a result of which its combat effectiveness began to decline from the autumn of 1919.

Oct. - Dec. 1919 ch. forces of D. a. advancing on Moscow. direction, were defeated by Kr. Army in a number of battles. Remains of D. a. Jan 3 1920 were brought together in the district of Rostov n / a in otd. Volunteer frame gene. Kutepov (about 10 thousand bayonets and sabers). After the defeat of Denikin's troops in the North. Caucasus in con. March 1920, the remnants of the corps were evacuated to the Crimea, where they became part of the Wrangel "Russian Army".

Commanders: gene. from infantry L. G. Kornilov, general lieutenant. A. I. Denikin (April 13, 1918 - January 8, 1919), lieutenant general. P. N. Wrangel (January 8 - May 22, 1919, December 5, 1919 - January 3, 1920), lieutenant general. V. 3. May-Maevsky (May 22 - November 27, 1919).

Chief of Staff: gen.-leit. A. S. Lukomsky, Major General I. P. Romanovsky (February 1918 - January 8, 1919), Major General P. N. Shatilov (January 8 - May 22, 1919, December 13, 1919 - 3 Jan. 1920), gene. Efimov (May 22 - December 13, 1920).

Source - "Civil War and Military Intervention in the USSR", M., "Soviet Encyclopedia", 1983.

In the mass consciousness, despite the many films and books about 1917 and the Civil War, and perhaps thanks to them, there is still no single picture of the unfolding confrontation. Or vice versa, it boils down to "a revolution happened, and then the Reds propagandized everyone and kicked the whites in a mob." And you can’t argue - everything was about the same. However, anyone who tries to delve a little deeper into the situation will have a number of fair questions.

Why, in a matter of years, or rather even months, did a single country turn into a battlefield and civil unrest? Why do some people win and others lose? And finally, where did it all begin?

The first alarm bell rang in 1904–1905, with the start of the Russo-Japanese War. A huge, strong world-class empire actually lost its fleet in one day and, with great difficulty, was able not to lose, to smithereens, on land. And to whom? Tiny Japan, despised by all Asians, who from the point of view of "cultural Europeans" were not considered people at all, and half a century before these events, lived under natural feudalism, with swords and bows. This was the first wake-up call, which (as viewed from the future) actually painted the contours of future military operations. But then no one began to heed the formidable warning. The first Russian revolution clearly showed to everyone the vulnerability of the political system of the empire. And the "wishers" drew conclusions.

In fact, fate gave Russia almost a whole decade to prepare for future trials, relying on the Japanese "test of the pen." And it cannot be said that absolutely nothing has been done. It was done, but ... too slowly and fragmentarily, too inconsistently. Too slow.

The shock of the First World War hit everyone, but Russia was especially hard. It turned out that behind the façade of the world empire lies a not so attractive underside - an industry that cannot master the mass production of engines, cars and tanks. Everything was not as bad as categorical opponents of "rotten tsarism" often draw (for example, the needs for three-inch rifles and rifles were more or less met), but in general, the imperial industry was not able to satisfy the needs of the army in most vital positions - light machine guns , heavy artillery, modern aviation, vehicles and so on.

British tanks from World War IMark IVat the Oldbury Carriage Works photosofwar.net

More or less adequate aviation production, on its own industrial base, the Russian Empire could deploy at best by the end of 1917, with the commissioning of new defense plants. The same goes for light machine guns. Copies of French tanks were expected at best in 1918. In France alone, already in December 1914, hundreds of aircraft engines were produced, in January 1916 the monthly output exceeded a thousand - and in Russia in the same year it reached 50 pieces.

A separate problem was the transport collapse. The road network, covering a huge country, was forced to be poor. It turned out to be only half of the task to produce or receive strategic cargo from the allies: then it was still necessary to distribute them with epic labors and deliver them to the addressees. The transport system did not cope with this.

Lines for bread - Petrograd, January 1917 http://photochronograph.ru

Thus, Russia turned out to be the weak link of the Entente and the great powers of the world as a whole. She could not rely on a brilliant industry and skilled workers, like Germany, on the resources of the colonies, like Britain, on a powerful industry untouched by war and capable of gigantic growth, like the States.

As a result of all the aforementioned ugliness, and many other reasons that were forced to remain outside the scope of the narrative, Russia suffered disproportionate losses in people. The soldiers simply did not understand what they were fighting and dying for, the government was losing prestige (and then just elementary trust) within the country. The death of most of the trained personnel - and, according to the grenadier captain Popov, by 1917 we had "armed people" instead of the army. Almost all contemporaries, regardless of beliefs, shared this point of view.

And the political "climate" was a real disaster movie. The murder of Rasputin (more precisely, his impunity), for all the odiousness of the character, clearly shows the paralysis that has overtaken the entire state system of Russia. And in few places the authorities were so openly, seriously and, most importantly, accused with impunity of treason and helping the enemy.

It cannot be said that these were specifically Russian problems - the same processes were going on in all the warring countries. Britain received the Easter Rising of 1916 in Dublin and another aggravation of the "Irish question", France - mass riots in parts after the failure of the Nivelle offensive in 1917. The Italian front, in the same year, was generally on the verge of a total collapse, and only emergency "infusions" of British and French units saved it. Nevertheless, these states had a margin of safety of the public administration system and some kind of "credibility" among their population. They were able to hold on - or rather hold out - long enough to make it to the end of the war - and win.

A Dublin street after the 1916 uprising.The People's War Book and Pictorial Atlas of the World. USA & Canada, 1920

And in Russia, the year 1917 came, in which two revolutions fell at once.

Chaos and anarchy

“Everything turned right upside down. The formidable authorities turned into timid - confused, yesterday's monarchists - into orthodox socialists, people who were afraid to say an extra word for fear of badly connecting it with the previous ones, felt the gift of eloquence in themselves, and the deepening and expansion of the revolution in all directions began ... The confusion was complete. The overwhelming majority reacted to the revolution with confidence and joy; for some reason, everyone believed that she would bring with her, along with other benefits, an early end to the war, since the “old regime system” played into the hands of the Germans. And now everyone will decide the public and talents ... and everyone began to feel hidden talents in himself and try them in relation to the orders of the new system. How heavy these first months of our revolution are remembered. Every day, somewhere deep in the heart, something came off with pain, what seemed unshakable collapsed, what was considered sacred was desecrated.

Konstantin Sergeevich Popov "Memoirs of a Caucasian grenadier, 1914-1920".

The civil war in Russia began far from immediately and grew out of the flames of general anarchy and chaos. Weak industrialization has already brought a lot of troubles to the country, and continued to bring further. This time - in the form of a predominantly agrarian population, peasants, with their specific view of the world. From the collapsing, ever-memorable Order No. 1 from the Petrograd Soviet, the army arbitrarily, not obeying anyone, deserted hundreds of thousands of peasant soldiers. Thanks to the "black redistribution" and the multiplication by zero of landowners with fists, the Russian peasant finally, literally, ate, and also managed to satisfy the age-old craving for the "land". And thanks to some military experience, and the weapons brought from the front, he could now defend himself.

Against the background of this boundless sea of peasant life, extremely apolitical and alien to the color of power, political opponents, trying to turn the country in their own direction, were at first lost like pitfalls. They simply had nothing to offer the people.

Demonstration in Petrograd sovetclub.ru

The peasant was indifferent to any power, and only one thing was required of her - just to "do not touch the peasant." They bring kerosene from the city - good. But they don’t bring it - and we’ll live like that, all the same, city people, as soon as they start to starve, they themselves will crawl. The village knew too well what hunger was. And she knew that only she had the main value - bread.

And in the cities a real hell was really going on - only in Petrograd the mortality rate increased more than four times. With the paralysis of the transport system, the task of "simply" bringing already collected bread from the Volga region or Siberia to Moscow and Petrograd was an act worthy of the "feats of Hercules."

In the absence of any single authoritative and strong center capable of bringing everyone to a common denominator, the country was rapidly sliding into a terrible and all-encompassing anarchy. In fact, in the first quarter of the new, industrial XX century, the times of the European Thirty Years' War were revived, when gangs of looters raged amid chaos and general misfortune, changing the faith and color of the banners with the ease of changing socks - if not more.

Two enemies

However, as is known, two main opponents crystallized out of the variety of motley participants in the great turmoil. The two camps that united most of the extremely heterogeneous currents are White and Red.

Psychic attack - frame from the film "Chapaev"

Usually they are presented in the form of a scene from the movie "Chapaev": well-trained monarchist officers dressed to the nines against workers and peasants in tatters. However, one must understand that initially both the "whites" and the "reds" were, in fact, just declarations. Both of them were very amorphous formations, tiny groups that seemed big only against the background of absolutely wild gangs. At first, a couple of hundred people under a red, white or any other banner already represented a significant force capable of capturing a large city or changing the situation on a regional scale. Moreover, all participants actively changed sides. And yet, there was already some kind of organization behind them.

Red Army in 1917 - drawing by Boris Efimov http://www.ageod-forum.com/

Volunteer army

The Volunteer Army is an operational-strategic association of the White Guard troops in the South of Russia in 1917-1920. during the Civil War. It began to form on November 2 (15), 1917 in Novocherkassk of the General Staff by Infantry General M. V. Alekseev under the name "Alekseevskaya Organization". From the beginning of December, Infantry General L. G. Kornilov, who arrived at the Don of the General Staff, joined in the creation of the army. At first, the Volunteer Army was staffed exclusively by volunteers. Up to 50% of those who signed up for the army were chief officers and up to 15% were staff officers, there were also cadets, cadets, students, high school students (more than 10%). Cossacks were about 4%, soldiers - 1%. From the end of 1918 and in 1919 - through the mobilization of peasants, the officer cadre loses its numerical predominance, in 1920 recruitment was carried out at the expense of mobilized, as well as captured Red Army soldiers, who together make up the bulk of the military units of the army.

By the end of December 1917, 3 thousand people signed up for the army as volunteers. December 25, 1917 (January 7, 1918) received the official name "Volunteer Army". The army received this name at the insistence of General L. Kornilov, who was in a state of conflict with Alekseev and dissatisfied with the forced compromise with the head of the former "Alekseevskaya organization": the division of spheres of influence, as a result of which, with Kornilov taking full military power, Alekseev still remained political leadership and finance.

The echelon of the Kornilov regiment arrived in Novocherkassk on December 19, and by January 1, 1918, 50 officers and up to 500 soldiers had gathered. "Officers came to their regiment, and almost everyone took the position of privates in an officer company," when on January 30, 1918, in the Taganrog direction, the officer company of the Kornilovites replaced the combined company of their regiment, there were 120 people in it. As one of them recalled, “there is silence around, only songs about Russia are heard from neighboring cars ... They didn’t go to bed for a long time ... All the officers of the company became close, family in one day. Everyone has one thought, one goal - Russia .. . " Officers of the shock battalions also arrived (who left Headquarters on the eve of its occupation by the Bolsheviks, they fought stubborn battles with the Bolshevik units surrounding them for a week and, having scattered, were able to reach Novocherkassk in groups) and the Tekinsky regiment, which left Bykhov with L. Kornilov. By the end of December, the 1st and 2nd Officer, Junker, Student, St. George battalions, the Kornilov regiment, the cavalry division of Colonel Gershelman and the Engineering Company were formed. A detachment from the consolidated companies of these units was commanded from December 30 in the Taganrog direction by Colonel Kutepov.

The leadership of the army initially focused on Russia's allies in the Entente.

The size of the army, however, remained relatively small, which was due to a number of reasons. First of all, not all officers who lived directly in the area where the Volunteer Army was formed joined it. And this circumstance was the most tragic. In Stavropol, Pyatigorsk and other cities of the North Caucasus and the Don region, not to mention Rostov and Novocherkassk, at the end of 1917, many officers accumulated who were out of work after the collapse of the army, but for various reasons did not join the volunteers. The main reason was the ongoing deep depression that developed after everything suffered at the front and led to the passive behavior of the officers during the October events, disbelief in the possibility of correcting anything, a feeling of despair and hopelessness, and finally, simply cowardice. Others were held back by the uncertainty of the position of the Volunteer Army, and others were simply not sufficiently informed about its goals and objectives. Whatever it was, but they had to become a victim of their own indecision and short-sightedness. At the request of the famous Don Colonel Chernetsov, an order was given to the Novocherkassk garrison to register officers. Before registration, a meeting was held to highlight the situation in the region, where Kaledin, Bogaevsky and Chernetsov spoke:

“Gentlemen officers, if it happens that the Bolsheviks hang me, then I will know what I am dying for. But if it happens that the Bolsheviks hang and kill you, thanks to your inertia, then you will not know what you are dying for ". Of the 800 people present, only 27 signed up, then 115, but the next day 30 arrived for dispatch. And so it happened. Chernetsov valiantly laid down his head, and the officers who remained in Rostov, hiding, caught and shot, did not know why they died. At the beginning of February, the last attempt was made to attract the Rostov officers, but only about 200 people came to the meeting, and most of them did not enter the army ("The visitors looked strange: a few appeared in military uniform, most in civilian clothes, and then obviously dressed" under the proletarians". This was not a meeting of officers, but the worst kind of meeting, which brought together scum, hooligans ... A shameful meeting!"). “The next day, an announcement was placed in the newspapers suggesting that those who did not join the army leave Rostov within three days. Several dozen entered the army. without epaulettes and cockades, with gold buttons torn from their overcoats, in a hurry to leave the danger zone. The picture was disgusting.

Immediately after the creation of the Volunteer Army, numbering about 4 thousand people, entered into hostilities against the Red Army. In early January 1918, she acted on the Don together with units under the command of General A. M. Kaledin. Before the start of the Kuban campaign, the losses of the Dobrarmia amounted to one and a half thousand people, including at least a third of those killed.

The influx of volunteers from Russia was extremely difficult. In the areas occupied by the Bolsheviks, and even in Ukraine, it was impossible to even get any information about the Volunteer Army, and the vast majority of officers simply did not know anything about it. According to the reports that sometimes appeared in the newspapers about the "Kornilov gangs" that were about to be finished off, it was not possible to draw conclusions about the actual state of the White movement in the South. In Kyiv, even in the spring of 1918, almost nothing was known about the Volunteer Army: "information coming from different directions presented the volunteer movement as hopeless attempts, doomed in advance to failure due to lack of funds." “In Moscow, by the end of December, it was reported that General Alekseev had already gathered a large army on the Don. They believed this and were happy about it, but ... they waited ... they began to talk about the ambiguity of the situation on the Don, including even doubts about gathering an army there ". A very important role was played by the attachment of officers to their families, the existence of which had to be somehow ensured, in the conditions of the then anarchy and terror. Very few could ignore these considerations. In the second half of November, the situation on the roads to the Don deteriorated sharply, in January 1918 there were no longer outposts of the Reds, but a solid front of their troops. The only possibility was to go only along the deaf, insignificant country roads, bypassing the settlements. "The few who dared to the end are leaking out. Their number increased again when the demobilization of the armies on the fronts began at the end of January." All this led to the fact that “hundreds, and tens of thousands, made their way through due to various circumstances, including mainly marital status and weakness of character, waited, switched to peaceful pursuits, or went dutifully to the census to the Bolshevik commissars, to torture in Cheka, later - to serve in the Red Army".

On February 22, 1918, under the onslaught of the Red troops, the Dobrarmia units left Rostov and moved to the Kuban. The famous "Ice March" (1st Kuban) of the Volunteer Army (3200 bayonets and sabers) began from Rostov-on-Don to Yekaterinodar, with heavy fighting surrounded by a 20,000-strong group of red troops under the command of Sorokin.

In the village of Shenzhiy, on March 26, 1918, a 3,000-strong detachment of the Kuban Rada under the command of General V. L. Pokrovsky joined the Volunteer Army. The total strength of the Volunteer Army increased to 6,000 soldiers. On March 27-31 (April 9-13), the Volunteer Army made an unsuccessful attempt to take the capital of the Kuban - Yekaterinodar, during which the Commander-in-Chief General L. Kornilov was killed by a random grenade on March 31 (April 13), and the command of the army units in the most difficult conditions of complete encirclement, many times superior enemy forces, was received by General Denikin, who was able, in the conditions of incessant fighting on all sides, to withdraw the army from flank attacks and safely exit the encirclement on the Don. This was possible, largely due to energetic actions, who distinguished himself in battle on the night of 2 (15) to 3 (16) April 1918 when crossing the Tsaritsyn-Tikhoretskaya railway, the commander of the Officer Regiment of the General Staff, Lieutenant General S. L. Markov.

According to the memoirs of contemporaries, events developed as follows:

"... At about 4 o'clock in the morning, Markov's units began to cross the railway. Markov, having captured the railway gatehouse at the crossing, deployed infantry units, sent scouts to the village to attack the enemy, hastily began crossing the wounded, convoy and artillery. Suddenly, an armored train separated from the station Reds and went to the crossing, where the headquarters was already located, together with Generals Alekseev and Denikin.A few meters remained before the crossing - and then Markov, showering the armored train with merciless words, remaining true to himself: "Stop! Such-rasta! Bastard! You will crush your own!", rushed on the way. When he really stopped, Markov jumped back (according to other sources, he immediately threw a grenade), and immediately two three-inch guns fired grenades at point blank range into the cylinders and wheels of the locomotive. A heated battle ensued with the crew of the armored train, which in as a result, it was killed, and the armored train itself was burned."

One of the future volunteers, who was in Kyiv, recalled: "I went to the Aero-photo-grammometric courses, where, I knew, there were about 80 aviation officers. They were sitting, smoking and discussing the latest political events. I told them about the information received from the Don, and began to persuade him to go there with us. Alas! My many hours of eloquence was in vain ... none of the gentlemen of the officers wanted to move to join the emerging anti-Bolshevik army. " "First of all, many did not know about the existence of the White Struggle cell on the Don. Many could not. Many did not want to. Everyone was surrounded by the influence of enemy forces, often feared for his life or was under the influence of his relatives, who thought only about the safety of their loved one." There were, of course, other examples as well. One of the eyewitnesses of the Kuban campaign, telling about the death of one of its participants, remarks: “When we returned to the Don, his elder brother, the last of the three brothers who survived, came to us in the Olginskaya village. He left his young wife and little daughter and came to replace his brother. His mother told him: “It is easier for me to see you killed in the ranks of the Volunteer Army than alive under the rule of the Bolsheviks.” But such self-denial could not be massive.

In May 1918, after completing his campaign from the Romanian front to the Don, a 3,000-strong detachment of the General Staff of Colonel M. G. Drozdovsky joined the Volunteer Army. About 3000 volunteer fighters came with Drozdovsky, perfectly armed, equipped and uniformed, with significant artillery (six light guns, four mountain guns, two 48-line guns, one 6-inch and 14 charging boxes), machine guns (about 70 pieces of various systems) , two armored cars ("Verny" and "Volunteer"), airplanes, cars, with a telegraph, an orchestra, significant stocks of artillery shells (about 800), rifle and machine-gun cartridges (200 thousand), spare rifles (more than a thousand). The detachment had an equipped sanitary unit and a convoy in excellent condition. The detachment consisted of 70% front-line officers. On the night of June 22-23, 1918, the Volunteer Army (numbering 8-9 thousand), with the assistance of the Don Army under the command of Ataman P.N. Ekaterinodar. The basis of the Volunteer Army was made up of "colored" units - the Kornilov, Markovsky, Drozdovsky and Alekseevsky regiments, subsequently deployed during the attack on Moscow in the summer and autumn of 1919 in the division.

On August 15, 1918, the first mobilization was announced in the Volunteer Army, which was the first step towards turning it into a regular army. According to the Kornilov officer Alexander Trushnovich, the first mobilized - the Stavropol peasants, were poured into the Kornilov shock regiment in June 1918 during the fighting near the village of Medvezhye.

Markov artillery officer E.N. Giatsintov testified to the state of the material part of the Army during this period:

"... It's funny for me to watch films that depict the White Army - having fun, ladies in ball gowns, officers in uniforms with epaulettes, with aiguillettes, brilliant! In fact, the Volunteer Army at that time was a rather sad, but heroic phenomenon. We were dressed in any way. For example, I was in trousers, in boots, instead of an overcoat I was wearing a jacket of a railway engineer, which the owner of the house where my mother lived, Mr. Lanko, gave me in view of the late autumn. He was in the past head of the section between Ekaterinodar and some other station. This is how we flaunted. Soon the sole of my boot on my right foot fell off, and I had to tie it with a rope. These are the "balls" and what "epaulettes" we were at that time We had time! Instead of balls, there were constant battles. The Red Army, very numerous, was pressing on us all the time. I think that we were one against a hundred! And we somehow shot back, fought back, and even at times went on the offensive and pushed back took the enemy."

By September 1918, the number of the Volunteer Army had increased to 30-35 thousand, mainly due to the influx of the Kuban Cossacks into the army, and opponents of Bolshevism who fled to the North Caucasus.

A very significant factor that had an extremely negative impact on the strength of the Volunteer Army was its virtually illegal existence. Ataman Kaledin had to reckon with the selfish position of a part of the Don circles, who hoped to "pay off" the Bolsheviks by expelling volunteers from the region, and the little help that was provided to them was provided on his personal initiative. “Don policy deprived the nascent army of another very significant organizational factor. “Whoever knows officer psychology understands the meaning of the order. Generals Alekseev and Kornilov, under other conditions, could have given the order to gather all the officers of the Russian army on the Don. Such an order would be legally contestable, but morally obligatory for the vast majority of the officers, serving as an incentive for many weak in spirit. Instead, anonymous appeals and "prospects" of the Volunteer Army were circulated. True, in the second half of December, in the press published on the territory of Soviet Russia, fairly accurate information about the army and its leaders appeared. But there was no authoritative order, and the morally weakened officers were already making deals with their own consciences... and cafes in Rostov and Novocherkassk were full of young, healthy officers who had not entered the army. After the capture of Rostov by the Bolsheviks, the Soviet commandant Kalyuzhny complained about the terrible burden of work: thousands of officers came to his office with statements "that they were not in the Volunteer Army" ... It was the same in Novocherkassk.

After the end of the First World War, in November 1918, the governments of Great Britain and France increased the material and technical assistance to the Volunteer Army. Believing that this is in the interests of Russia, on June 12, 1919, the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces in the South of Russia, General A.I. Denikin, announced his submission to Admiral A.V. Kolchak, as the Supreme Ruler of the Russian State and the Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Armies. On January 8, 1919, the Volunteer Army became part of the Armed Forces of the South of Russia (VSYUR), becoming their main striking force, and its commander, General A. Denikin, headed the VSYUR.

There was another reason, about which one of the volunteers said this: "An ancient Greek proverb says:" Whom the gods want to destroy, they deprive of reason "... Yes, since March 1917, a significant part of the Russian people and officers have lost their mind. We heard : “There is no Emperor - there is no point in serving.” At the request of our division chief, General B. Kazanovich, to Count Keller, not to dissuade officers from entering the Volunteer Army, the answer was: “No, I will dissuade! Let them wait until the time comes to proclaim the Tsar, then we will all enter. "Forgotten was everything that was so clearly explained to us and clearly perceived in excellent military schools: the command at the abdication of the Emperor, the oath taken, the German and international boots trampling on their native land ... ".
Finally, those who nevertheless decided to make their way to the Don faced many dangers. It was extremely difficult for an officer to get to Rostov and Novocherkassk from central Russia. The probability of being suspected by neighbors in the car and becoming a victim of reprisal was very high. At the stations bordering the Don region, since December, the Bolsheviks have established careful control in order to detain volunteers traveling to the Don. Forged documents did not always save the officers. "They were often betrayed by their silent concentration and appearance. If there were sailors or Red Guards in the car, then the identified officers were often thrown out of the car at full speed of the train." Hundreds and thousands of officers died in this way before they could join the army. Truly, "how much courage, patience and faith in their cause those" madmen "who went to the army, despite all the difficult conditions of its origin and existence, must have had!" Here is one of the episodes. At the end of December, a detachment led by Colonel Tolstov left Kyiv with a Cossack echelon. At st. The Volnovakha train was surrounded by a crowd, and the Cossacks decided to hand over the "foreign" officers. Two officers shot themselves. The voice of Colonel Tolstov was heard: "What these young people have done is a crime. They are not worthy of the title of Russian officer. An officer must fight to the end." Our first officers jump out with bayonets at the ready. We lined up in front of the carriage and quite calmly passed through the crowd of many thousands parting before us. "On January 1, 1918, these 154 officers met with volunteers.

Although the Don was a "small, unflooded island, among the raging elements" - only here the officers continued to wear golden shoulder straps, only here military honor was given and the rank of officer was respected, but even here the atmosphere was extremely unfavorable for "volunteers". Even in Novocherkassk, in November, several officers were killed in the back of the head, from around the corner. The Cossacks, who did not know the power of the Bolsheviks, remained indifferent then, and "the workers and every street rabble looked with hatred at the volunteers, and only waited for the arrival of the Bolsheviks in order to deal with the hated" Cadets ". Little understandable anger against them ... was so great that sometimes It poured out in terrible, brutal forms. It was far from safe to walk the streets of the city in the dark, and especially in Temernik. There were cases of attacks and murders. Once in Bataysk, the workers themselves called the officers of one of the volunteer units standing here to a political interview, and they guaranteed their full safety with their word of honor.Several officers trusted the promise and even went to this meeting without weapons.At the gate of the shed where it was supposed to take place, the crowd surrounded the unfortunate officers, started an argument with them, at first in a rather calm tone , and then, at someone's signal, the workers rushed at them and literally tore four officers to pieces ... On the other day I was at the funeral of two of them in one of the Rostov churches. Despite clean clothes, flowers and fleur - their appearance was terrible. They were quite young men, children of local Rostov residents. Over one of them, in inconsolable despair, the mother was crying, judging by the clothes, a very simple woman. "Only 5 people together and well armed had to be released into the city.

In combat terms, some units and formations of the Volunteer Army had high fighting qualities, since it included a large number of officers who had considerable combat experience and were sincerely devoted to the idea of the White movement, but since the summer of 1919 its combat effectiveness has decreased due to heavy losses, and the inclusion of mobilized peasants and captured Red Army soldiers in its composition.

The small number of volunteers was compensated by the fact that they were people who were selflessly devoted to their idea, who had military training and combat experience, who had nothing to lose, except for a life deliberately put at stake in saving the motherland. General Lukomsky, characterizing the moral qualities of the first volunteers, recalled how the officer he had chosen for the post of adjutant refused to take this position: “According to him, he would not want to take the safe place of an adjutant at a time when his comrades are exposed to the hardships and dangers of military life "Shortly after that, he was killed, saving a wounded officer in battle. Upon learning of his death, his brother went into the ranks of the Volunteer Army, seriously shell-shocked during the European War and unconditionally subject to release from service. He was also killed. Their third brother was killed during the European War. Of such honest and valiant fighters, a small army of General Kornilov was formed. " The leaders of the army - Generals L.G. Kornilov, M.V. Alekseev, A.I. Denikin, S.L. Markov, I.G. Erdeli and others, were the color of the Russian generals. Many of the volunteers have already lost loved ones, some took part in the battles in Petrograd and Moscow. Here is one of the typical fates: "Then I was told his story. The Bolsheviks killed his father, a decrepit retired general, mother, sister and sister's husband - a complete invalid of the last war. The lieutenant himself, being a cadet, took part in the October days in the battles on the streets of Petrograd , was captured, severely beaten, received severe injuries to the skull and barely escaped... And there were many such people, mangled, broken by life, who lost loved ones or left their family without a piece of bread there, somewhere far away, to the mercy of the raging red madness. and the ranks were a variety of people: "In the ranks were gray-haired military colonels next to the cadets of the 5th class."

On June 23, 1918, the Volunteer Army began the Second Kuban Campaign (June-September), during which it defeated the troops of the Kuban-Black Sea Soviet Republic and took Ekaterinodar (August 15-16), Novorossiysk (August 26) and Maykop (September 20), established control over the main part of the Kuban and the north of the Black Sea province. By the end of September, it already numbered 35-40 thousand bayonets and sabers. On October 28, the volunteers took control of Armavir and ousted the Bolsheviks from the left bank of the Kuban; in mid-November, they took Stavropol and inflicted a heavy defeat on the 11th Red Army, led by I.F. Fedko. Since the end of November, they began to receive large deliveries of weapons from the Entente through Novorossiysk. Due to the growth in numbers, the Volunteer Army was reorganized into three army corps (1st General A. Kutepov, 2nd Borovsky, 3rd General V. Lyakhov) and one cavalry corps (General P. Wrangel). At the end of December, she repelled the offensive of the 11th Red Army in the Yekaterinodar-Novorossiysk and Rostov-Tikhoretsk directions, and in early January 1919, inflicting a strong counterattack on it, cut it into two parts and threw it back to Astrakhan and beyond Manych. By February, the entire North Caucasus was occupied by volunteers. This made it possible to transfer the grouping of General V. Mai-Maevsky, formed from selected regiments, to the Donbass to help the Don Army retreating under the onslaught of the Bolsheviks, and the 2nd Army Corps to the Crimea to support the Crimean regional government.

On January 8, 1919, the Volunteer Army became part of the Armed Forces of the South of Russia; General P. Wrangel was appointed its commander. On January 23, it was renamed the Caucasian Volunteer Army. In March, it included the 1st and 2nd Kuban cavalry corps. Deployed in April in the Donbass and Manych, the army went on the offensive in the Voronezh and Tsaritsyno directions and forced the Reds to leave the Don region, Donbass, Kharkov and Belgorod. On May 21, the units operating in the Tsaritsyno direction were separated into a separate Caucasian army, and the name Volunteer Army was returned to the left-flank (Voronezh) group; May-Maevsky became its commander. It included the 1st (Kutepov) and 2nd (General M. Promtov) army, 5th cavalry (General Ya. Yuzefovich), 3rd Kuban cavalry (Shkuro) corps.

In late 1918 - early 1919, Denikin's units defeated the 11th Soviet Army and occupied the North Caucasus. On January 23, 1919, the army was renamed the Caucasian Volunteer Army. On May 22, 1919, the Caucasian Volunteer Army was divided into 2 armies: the Caucasian, advancing on Tsaritsyn-Saratov, and the Volunteer Army itself, advancing on Kursk-Orel. In the summer - autumn of 1919, the Volunteer Army (40 thousand people) under the command of General V. Mai-Maevsky became the main force in Denikin's campaign against Moscow.

In the offensive of the Armed Forces of the South of Russia against Moscow, which began on July 3, 1919, the Volunteer Army was assigned the role of the main striking force - it was supposed to capture Kursk, Orel and Tula and capture the Soviet capital; by this time, more than 50 thousand bayonets and sabers were in its ranks. In July-October 1919, volunteers occupied Central Ukraine (Kyiv fell on August 31), Kursk and Voronezh provinces and repelled the August counteroffensive of the Bolsheviks. The peak of their success was the capture of Orel on October 13. However, due to heavy losses and forced mobilization, the combat effectiveness of the army in the fall of 1919 decreased significantly.

After an unsuccessful attack on Moscow, in the summer and autumn of 1919, the main forces of the volunteers were defeated. On November 27, Denikin deposed Mai-Maevsky; On December 5, P. Wrangel again headed the Volunteer Army. At the end of December, the troops of the Soviet Southern Front cut it into two parts; the first had to retreat beyond the Don, the second - to Northern Tavria. On January 3, 1920, it actually ceased to exist. However, the Volunteer Corps, as a combat unit, was preserved and was not destroyed. With continuous fighting, the corps retreated in March 1920, to the port of Novorossiysk. There, the Volunteer Corps, as a priority, thanks to the order of the Commander-in-Chief of the All-Union Socialist Republic, Lieutenant General A. Denikin, and the iron restraint of his commander, Lieutenant General A. Kutepov, embarked on ships, and arrived in the Crimea, which remained white, thanks to the successfully organized defense of its isthmuses, by the troops of General -Major Ya. Slashchev. The volunteer corps in the Crimea formed the powerful backbone of the Russian Army, for General Denikin's successor as white commander-in-chief, General P. Wrangel ...

Rutych N.N. Biographical directory of the highest ranks of the Volunteer Army. M., 1997
Butakov Ya.A. Volunteer army and armed forces of the South of Russia: concepts and practice of state building. Abstract M., 1998
Tsvetkov V.Zh. White armies of the South of Russia. M., 2000, v. 1
Karpenko S.V. homeless army(December 1917 - April 1918) - New Historical Bulletin, 2000, No. 1
Fedyuk V.P. Kuban and the Volunteer Army: the origins and essence of the conflict. - In book. Civil War in Russia: Events, opinions, assessments. M., 2002

The respected kamradessa posted for review a link to one of the chapters of A. Bushkov's book "The Red Monarch", dedicated to the turmoil that was in Russia in 1918.

The material is very interesting and informative. I leave it in my bookmarks and recommend reading it to everyone who is trying to understand that difficult and confusing period of our history...

VOLUNTEER ARMY, the main military force of the White movement in southern Russia in 1918–1920.

It arose on December 27, 1917 (January 9, 1918) from the Alekseevskaya organization - a military detachment formed on November 2 (15), 1917 on the Don by General M.V. Alekseev to fight the Bolsheviks. Its creation pursued both a military-strategic and political goal: on the one hand, the Volunteer Army, in alliance with the Cossacks, was supposed to prevent the establishment of Soviet power in southern Russia, on the other hand, to ensure free elections to the Constituent Assembly, which was to determine the future state structure of the country . It was recruited on a voluntary basis from officers, cadets, students, high school students who fled to the Don. The supreme leader is Alekseev, the commander is General L.G. Kornilov. Center of deployment - Novocherkassk. Initially, there were about two thousand people, by the end of January 1918 it had grown to three and a half thousand. It consisted of the Kornilov shock regiment (commanded by lieutenant colonel M.O. Nezhentsev), officer, cadet and St. George battalions, four artillery batteries, an officer squadron, an engineering company and a company of guards officers. Later, the Rostov Volunteer Regiment (Major General A.A. Borovsky), a naval company, a Czechoslovak battalion and a death division of the Caucasian division were formed. It was planned to increase the size of the army to ten thousand bayonets and sabers, and only then begin major military operations. But the successful offensive of the Red troops in January-February 1918 forced the command to suspend the formation of the army and send several units to defend Taganrog, Bataysk and Novocherkassk. However, a few detachments of volunteers, not having received serious support from the local Cossacks, could not stop the onslaught of the enemy and were forced to leave the Don region. At the end of February 1918, the Volunteer Army moved to Yekaterinodar to make the Kuban its main base (the First Kuban Campaign). On February 25, it was reorganized into three infantry regiments - Consolidated Officer (General S.L. Markov), Kornilov shock (M.O. Nezhentsev) and Partizansky (General A.P. Bogaevsky), on March 17, after connecting with units of the Kuban the regional government - into three brigades: 1st (Markov), 2nd (Bogaevsky) and Horse (General I.G. Erdeli). On April 10–13, the Volunteer Army, which had increased to six thousand people, made several unsuccessful attempts to take Ekaterinodar. After the death of Kornilov on April 13, General A.I. Denikin, who replaced him as commander, led the thinned detachments to the south of the Don region in the area of \u200b\u200bthe villages of Mechetinskaya and Egorlykskaya.

In May-June 1918, the position of the Volunteer Army was strengthened due to the liquidation of Soviet power on the Don and the emergence of a new ally - the Don Army, Ataman P.N. Krasnov, who transferred to it a significant part of the weapons and ammunition he received from the Germans. The number of the Volunteer Army increased to eleven thousand people due to the influx of Kuban Cossacks and the addition of a three thousandth detachment of Colonel M.G. Drozdovsky to it. In June, it was reorganized into five infantry and eight cavalry regiments, which made up the 1st (Markov), 2nd (Borovsky), 3rd (M.G. Drozdovsky) infantry divisions, 1st cavalry division (Erdeli) and the 1st Kuban Cossack Division (General V.L. Pokrovsky); in July, the 2nd Kuban Cossack Division (General S.G. Ulagai) and the Kuban Cossack Brigade (General A.G. Shkuro) were also formed.

On June 23, 1918, the Volunteer Army began the Second Kuban Campaign (June-September), during which it defeated the troops of the Kuban-Black Sea Soviet Republic and took Ekaterinodar (August 15-16), Novorossiysk (August 26) and Maykop (September 20), established control over the main part of the Kuban and the north of the Black Sea province. By the end of September, it already numbered 35-40 thousand bayonets and sabers. After the death of Alekseev on October 8, 1918, the post of commander-in-chief passed to A.I. Denikin. On October 28, the volunteers took control of Armavir and ousted the Bolsheviks from the left bank of the Kuban; in mid-November, they took Stavropol and inflicted a heavy defeat on the 11th Red Army, led by I.F. Fedko. Since the end of November, they began to receive large deliveries of weapons from the Entente through Novorossiysk. Due to the increase in the number of Volunteer Army was reorganized into three army corps (1st General A.P. Kutepov, 2nd Borovsky, 3rd General V.N. Lyakhov) and one cavalry corps (General P.N. Wrangel ). At the end of December, she repelled the offensive of the 11th Red Army in the Yekaterinodar-Novorossiysk and Rostov-Tikhoretsk directions, and in early January 1919, inflicting a strong counterattack on it, cut it into two parts and threw it back to Astrakhan and beyond Manych. By February, the entire North Caucasus was occupied by volunteers. This made it possible to transfer the grouping of General V.Z. Mai-Maevsky, formed from selected regiments, to the Donbass to help the Don Army retreating under the onslaught of the Bolsheviks, and the 2nd Army Corps to the Crimea to support the Crimean regional government.

On January 8, 1919, the Volunteer Army became part of the Armed Forces of the South of Russia; Wrangel was appointed its commander. On January 23, it was renamed the Caucasian Volunteer Army. In March, it included the 1st and 2nd Kuban cavalry corps. Deployed in April in the Donbass and Manych, the army went on the offensive in the Voronezh and Tsaritsyno directions and forced the Reds to leave the Don region, Donbass, Kharkov and Belgorod. On May 21, the units operating in the Tsaritsyno direction were separated into a separate Caucasian army, and the name Volunteer Army was returned to the left-flank (Voronezh) group; May-Maevsky became its commander. It included the 1st (Kutepov) and 2nd (General M.N. Promtov) army, 5th cavalry (General Ya.D. Yuzefovich), 3rd Kuban cavalry (Shkuro) corps.

During the offensive of the red units in October-December 1919, the main forces of the volunteers were defeated. On November 27, Denikin deposed Mai-Maevsky; On December 5, Wrangel again led the Volunteer Army. At the end of December, the troops of the Soviet Southern Front cut it into two parts; the first had to retreat beyond the Don, the second - to Northern Tavria. On January 3, 1920, it actually ceased to exist: the southeastern grouping (10 thousand) was reduced to a separate Volunteer Corps under the command of Kutepov, and from the southwestern (32 thousand) the army of General N.N. Schilling was formed. In February-March 1920, after the crushing defeat of the Whites in the Odessa region and in the North Caucasus, the remnants of volunteer formations were evacuated to the Crimea, where they became part of the Russian Army, organized by Wrangel in May 1920 from the surviving units of the Armed Forces of southern Russia.

Ivan Krivushin

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