Volunteer Army

The Volunteer Army (russian: Добровольческая армия, translit=Dobrovolcheskaya armiya, abbreviated to russian: Добрармия, translit=Dobrarmiya) was a White Army active in South Russia during the Russian Civil War from 1917 to 1920. The Volunteer Army fought against Bolsheviks on the Southern Front and the Ukrainian War of Independence. In 1919 it was made part of the Armed Forces of South Russia, becoming the largest force of the White movement until it was merged with the Army of Wrangel in March 1920.

History

Formation

The Volunteer Army began forming in November/December 1917 under the leadership of General Mikhail Alekseyev and General Lavr Kornilov in Novocherkassk, shortly after the Russian Civil War began following the October Revolution. It organized to fight against the Bolsheviks in South Russia. Alekseyev and Kornilov enlisted supporters, which initially included volunteering officers, cadets, students, and Cossacks. Of the first 3,000 recruits, only twelve were ordinary soldiers; the rest were officers, some of whom resented having to serve as privates.

On 31 December 1917, the an agreement was reached in Novocherkassk concerning the organization of the Volunteer Army. Alekseyev assumed responsibility for civil authority, foreign affairs and finances. Kornilov took command of the military, with Alexander Lukomsky as his Chief of Staff. Kaledin maintained responsibility of the Don district government as their Ataman. Anton Denikin drafted their "constitution", while Kornilov formed three regiments under Sergey Markov, Nezhintsev, and Afrikan P. Bogaewsky, with a battalion under Borovskii. A council of political figures was formed to help raise money, communicate with foreign governments and other Russian anti-Bolshevik organizations. This council included M. M. Fedorov, Peter Struve, Pavel Milyukov, Mikhail Rodzianko, A. S. Beletskii, G. N. Trubetskoi, and Boris Savinkov.

On 4 October 1918, Denikin accepted the Constitution of the Volunteer Army. It included the formation of a Special Council that included Abram Dragomirov, Lukomsky, V. A. Lebedev, E. P. Shuberskii, I A. Geiman, A. A. Makarenko, Anatoly Neratov, Sergey Sazonov, V. A. Stepanov, and A. S. Sannikov.

1918

In early February 1918, the Volunteer Army numbered more than 3,600 men. It fought against the Red Army together with units of General Alexey Kaledin's forces.

First Kuban Campaign

On 23 February, the Red Army's advance forced the Volunteer Army to retreat from Rostov-on-Don to Kuban in order to unite with the Kuban Cossack formations, a retreat known as the Ice March. On 30 March Viktor Pokrovsky's Kuban army joined the Volunteer Army, doubling its size. The Volunteer Army's attempt to capture Yekaterinodar on 10 April ended with disaster, when Kornilov was killed by chance artillery shell on 13 April. Denikin took over command and led the Volunteer Army north to safety along the border of Stavropol, the Don, and the Kuban. The army established headquarters at the ''stanitsy'' Mechetinskaia and Egorlykskaia, and established contact with the Ataman Pyotr Krasnov. Many of the Don Cossacks left to join Krasnov, including A. P. Bogaevskii. However, on 8 June, Mikhail Drozdovsky's 2500 men united with the Volunteer Army. Denikin then organized three infantry divisions under Markov, Borovskii and Drozdovsky, with a cavalry division under Erdeli. The army now amounted to almost 10,000 soldiers.

Second Kuban Campaign

On June 23, the Volunteer Army began the Kuban Offensive, successfully capturing Yekaterinodar on 16 August. Denikin then initated a draft amongst both the ''inorgorodnye'' and the Cossacks, which included all officers under the age of 40. Hence the Volunteer Army was a volunteer organization in name only. Yet, by the middle of September, it had grown to almost 40,000 soldiers, which included Andrei Shkuro's men.

From 29 October until 20 November, Denikin and Drozdovsky fought off an attempt by the Taman Army to take Stavropol, during "Sorokin's adventure." The 11th Army never recovered. In early January, Denikin was able to eliminate the remaining Red Army remnants of the Soviet Republic of the Northern Caucasus.

1919

In January, the Armed Forces of South Russia was formed with Denikin in command, after the Volunteer Army united with the Don Army. According to Peter Kenez, "The bulk of the Volunteer Army, which was fighting in the Northern Caucasus, became the Caucasuan Volunteer Army under the command of General Wrangel. Aside from the Caucasian Volunteer Army and the Don Army, Denikin's command also included the Crimean army and a volunteer unit in Odessa.

Following the defeat of the Bolsheviks in the Northern Caucasus, Denikin needed to strengthen the Don Basin by sending Andrei Shkuro and Viktor Pokrovsky in support of Vladimir May-Mayevsky during the Battle for the Donbas.

In May 1919, Denikin reorganized the Armed Forces of South Russia. Vladimir May-Mayevsky took command of the Volunteer Army, known formerly as the Caucasian Volunteer Army. Vladimir Sidorin took command of the Don army, while Wrangel took command of the Caucasian Army, consisting mainly of the Kuban Cossacks. After capturing the Donbas, Tsaritsyn, and Kharkov, Denikin issued his Moscow directive.

In October, the Bolsheviks started their counteroffensive. According to Kenez, "After the defeats at Orel and Voronezh, the Whites ceased to be a direct threat to Moscow and to the survival of the Soviet regime." On 6 December, Denikin gave command of the Volunteer Army to Wrangel. Yet, "Wrangel was more interested in saving his reputation than in helping the cause he served." On 24 December, Denikin removed Wrangel from command of the Volunteer Army, and attached it to the Don Army. The Volunteer Army was now the Volunteer Corps.

1920

In March 1920, the Volunteer Corps evacuated from Novorossiysk to the Crimea. The remnants of the Volunteer Army were reorganized under Wrangel into the First army corps, yet by November, Wrangel's forces were forced to evacuate the Crimea.

Nomenclature timeline

The term "Volunteer Army" is often used as a shorthand description for all the White Russian forces in the South Russia area, the actual names of the formation are:
*From its inception until January 23, 1919, this formation was named the ''Volunteer Army''.
*From January 23, 1919, until May 22, 1919, this formation was named the ''Caucasus Volunteer Army''.
*On May 22, 1919, this formation was split into two formations:
**''Caucasus Army'', disbanded on January 29, 1920 and replaced by the ''Kuban Army'', the remnants of which surrendered on April 18–20, 1920.
**''Volunteer Army'', the remnants of which were evacuated March 26/27, 1920.

See also

* White movement
* West Russian Volunteer Army
* Russian Civil War
* Russian Liberation Movement
* Russian Liberation Army
* Russian Corps
* Allied Intervention in the Russian Civil War

References

External links

Anti-Bolshevik Russia in picturesVolunteer Corpus

{{Authority control

Military units and formations of White Russia (Russian Civil War)