#russian civil war
Soviet forces on parade in Tblisi on February 25.
February 25 1921, Tblisi–With both AzerbaijanandArmenia now under Soviet control, the the Soviets quickly turned their attention to Georgia, which was still under control of a Menshevik-dominated government. On February 12, local Bolsheviks began attacking the Georgian military. Two days later, Lenin agreed that the Red Army should intervene, after repeated urging from Stalin, himself a Georgian. On February 16, the Red Army crossed into Georgia, and after an intense nine days of fighting, Soviet tanks (captured from the Whites and their British allies earlier in the Civil War) and armored trains broke through the defenses in the heights above Tblisi.
On February 25, the Soviets entered the city and the local Bolsheviks declared the establishment of the Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic. The fall of Tblisi did not mark a complete Soviet victory in the Caucasus, however. Georgian forces, although quickly losing cohesion, were falling back towards the coast and Batum [Batumi]. Simultaneously, the Turks had taken advantage of the situation by seizing some disputed border areas, and they had their eyes on Batum as well. Meanwhile, in Armenia, nationalists had revolted against the Soviets and seized control of Yerevan.
Soviet troops entering Yerevan on December 4.
December 2 1920, Yerevan–Since the Turkish invasion in September, the Armenians had repeatedly suffered defeats. By the time a ceasefire was concluded in mid-November, they had lost most of their territory and faced a choice between a humiliating peace reducing them to a rump state around Yerevan, or complete annihilation. A few days later, the Soviets decided to take advantage of the situation and invaded the country. Ultimately hoping that Soviet backing might improve their position against the Turks, the Armenian government resigned in favor of local Bolsheviks on December 2; Soviet troops entered the city two days later; they would not leave until 1991.
White soldiers on board one of the ships leaving the Crimea.
November 14 1920, Sevastopol–The Soviets had launched what they hoped to be their final offensive against Wrangel in late October. Although they destroyed much of his army, enough of it was able to fall back to the narrow isthmus connecting Crimea to the mainland to mount a concerted defense. This, however, was overcome by direct and amphibious attacks between November 7 and 11, and it became quickly apparent that Crimea would soon be lost.
Wrangel had been preparing for such a possibility since his arrival in the spring, however, and he was much better equipped than Denikin had been when evacuating the Kuban in March. Wrangel left Sevastopol on the 14th, and simultaneous evacuations took place at at least four other Crimean ports. 146,000 White soldiers and refugees were taken across the Black Sea to Constantinople by the end of the evacuation efforts on the 16th, aided by a one-day pause by regrouping Soviets.
Those who did not or could not evacuate, however, met a grimmer end. Béla Kun was put in charge of Soviet administration in the area. The Cheka killed tens of thousands in the coming weeks. In Kerch, “trips to the Kuban” were organized: prisoners were taken out into the Sea of Azov and pushed overboard to drown.
Those who evacuated were interned and then lived in exile. Wrangel took with him the last of the Blask Sea Fleet, including the dreadnought General Alexeyev, were interned in French Tunisia until the French recognized the Soviet Union in 1924.
Sources include: Evan Mawdsley, The Russian Civil War; W. Bruce Lincoln, Red Victory.
October 28 1920, Kakhovka–As the war against Poland wound down (ending in an armistice in mid-October), the Soviets had been moving forces south to deal with the last major White force opposing them, Wrangel’s troops in North Taurida and Crimea. On October 28, Budyonny’sKonarmia broke out from the Kakhovka bridgehead, hoping to cut off the rail lines between Wrangel’s forces and their refuge in Crimea. Wrangel had known he was in danger of being cut off, but had kept his forces in North Taurida to secure food from the harvest in that area. Soviet infantry also advanced across the Dnepr and pushed south at a slower pace.
The offensive did force the surrender of well over half of Wrangel’s forces, but within five days, the remaining portion (including his most experienced troops) had managed to escape into Crimea, exactly what Frunze had feared. Wrangel was still in firm control of Crimea, and the situation was much the same as it had been in the spring–just without the looming threat of a war with Poland.
Sources include: Evan Mawdsley, The Russian Civil War.
October 16 1920, Riga–After defeats on the Vistula and the Niemen, the Soviets were ready to sue for peace with Poland before losing any more territory. Likewise, Poland had learned their lesson from their misadventures in Ukraine earlier in the year, and wanted peace from a position of strength, without overextending themselves too far once again. On October 12, the Poles and Soviets agreed to an armistice. However, it would not go into effect for several days, and both sides spent the last few days of fighting securing as much territory as they could, as the armistice line could very well determine the ultimate negotiated frontier. The Poles still had the upper hand here, and on October 15 they captured Minsk from the Soviets. The ceasefire entered into general effect on the 16th, though limited fighting continued until the 18th in some areas.
The ceasefire, however, did not apply to Poland’s allies–Petliura’s Ukrainians and smaller forces of Belarusians and Whites. However, these forces found themselves highly outnumbered without explicit Polish support, and these groups were largely defeated and forced into exile by the end of November.
October 6 1920, Kakhovka–Sincebreaking out of Crimea in early June, Wrangel’s front had largely stabilized, covered by the Dnepr in the north (excepting a Soviet bridgehead established around Kakhovka in August). Attempts to land in the Kuban and reconnect with Denikin’s old power base among the Cossacks there had failed. On October 6, Wrangel tried one final offensive, pushing north across the Dnepr. There was, at least initially, some hope that the offensive would encourage the Poles to move into Ukraine as they had earlier in the year. However, the Poles had learned their lesson in the spring and were already negotiating an armistice with the Soviets.
The Soviets, although they were desperately trying to prevent the Poles from taking territory before a possible armistice, had already begun moving troops south to face Wrangel. However, they were slow in coming–Budyonny’s Konarmiahad been wrecked by months of fighting, culminating in their near-destruction at Komarów, and it would take them nearly a month to move south. They still managed to find time to conduct pogroms on the way, however.
As a result, Wrangel’s forces were able to cross the Dnepr and make limited progress. However, even without the incoming reinforcements, the Soviets still outnumbered the Whites, and Wrangel’s troops had to withdraw back across the river within a week. It would be the last major White offensive in the civil war.
Sources include: Evan Mawdsley, The Russian Civil War
