The Simbirsk Operation was the

Bolshevik The Bolsheviks (russian: Большевики́, from большинство́ ''bol'shinstvó'', 'majority'),; derived from ''bol'shinstvó'' (большинство́), "majority", literally meaning "one of the majority". also known in English ...

Red Army The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army (Russian: Рабо́че-крестья́нская Кра́сная армия),) often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic and, after ...

's offensive against

Vladimir Kappel Vladimir Oskarovich Kappel (russian: Влади́мир О́скарович Ка́ппель, – January 26, 1920) was a White Russian military leader. Early life Kappel was born into a Swedish-Russian family. He graduated from the Saint ...

's anti-Bolshevik

People's Army of Komuch The People's Army of Komuch (russian: Народная армия КОМУЧа) was an anti-Bolshevik army during the Russian Civil War that fought in the Volga Region from June to September in 1918. Organization In May 1918 the Czechoslova ...

and Czechoslovak Legion. The attack came at

Simbirsk Ulyanovsk, known until 1924 as Simbirsk, is a types of inhabited localities in Russia, city and the administrative center of Ulyanovsk Oblast, Russia, located on the Volga River east of Moscow. Population: The city, founded as Simbirsk (), w ...

, on the

Eastern Front of the Russian Civil War The Russian Civil War spread to the east in May 1918, with a series of revolts along the route of the Trans-Siberian Railway, on the part of the Czechoslovak Legion and officers of the Russian Army. Provisional anti-Bolshevik local governmen ...

, in September 1918. The Bolsheviks re-took the city, forcing Kappel's retreat to Ufa, where his force was absorbed by the

Siberian Army The Siberian Army (russian: Сибирская армия, Sibirskaya Armiya) was an anti-Bolshevik army during the Russian Civil War, which fought from June 1918 – July 1919 in Siberia – Ural Region. Background After the Bolsheviks' sei ...

Background

After the White Army captured Kazan the frontline was not good for the

Whites White is a racialized classification of people and a skin color specifier, generally used for people of European origin, although the definition can vary depending on context, nationality, and point of view. Description of populations as " ...

. Near the

Kazan Kazan ( ; rus, Казань, p=kɐˈzanʲ; tt-Cyrl, Казан, ''Qazan'', IPA: ɑzan is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Tatarstan in Russia. The city lies at the confluence of the Volga and the Kazanka rivers, covering a ...

2 - 2.5 thousand men had to hold the 100–120 km of front against about 10 thousand men in two armies (2nd and 5th) of Reds. Whites tried to attack the railway bridge across the

Volga River The Volga (; russian: Во́лга, a=Ru-Волга.ogg, p=ˈvoɫɡə) is the List of rivers of Europe#Rivers of Europe by length, longest river in Europe. Situated in Russia, it flows through Central Russia to Southern Russia and into the Cas ...

near Sviyazhsk. To support this advance Stanislav Čeček sent

's detachment from the

to Kazan. On 27 August, Kappel landed on the right bank of Volga near Sviyazhsk and tried to attack the Reds, but was crushed by the counterattack of Latvian Riflemen.

Battle

Exploiting the temporal weakness of White's Simbirsk Group, 1st Army of Reds led by

Mikhail Tukhachevsky Mikhail Nikolayevich Tukhachevsky ( rus, Михаил Николаевич Тухачевский, Mikhail Nikolayevich Tukhachevskiy, p=tʊxɐˈtɕefskʲɪj; – 12 June 1937) nicknamed the Red Napoleon by foreign newspapers, was a Sovie ...

on 9 September attack towards Simbirsk. On 11 September White's forces were pushed to the bank of Volga, and on 12 September, Simbirsk was captured by the attack from three sides. During the night of 14 September, Simbirsk Division of 1st Army crossed the Volga River and began to advance on the east. On 18 September, Kappel's Detachment returned from Kazan ( captured by Reds on 9 September) and counterattacked. Reds had to return on the right bank. During 18–24 September, Kappel tried to recapture Simbirsk, but his attacks were repulsed by Reds. After coming the 5th Army and Volga Fleet Red Forces crossed the Volga again, and crushed Kappel's Detachment on 28 September.

Aftermath

After losing Kazan and Simbirsk the White Forces were demoralized. On 13 September, they left

Volsk Volsk (russian: Вольск) is a town in Saratov Oblast, Russia, located on the right bank of the Volga River, opposite the mouth of the Bolshoy Irgiz (a tributary of the Volga), northeast from Saratov, the administrative center of the oblast. ...

and began to quickly retreat from the advancing 1st and 5th Armies of Reds. Simbirsk Group of Whites began its retreat on 29 September. The capture of Kazan and Simbirsk were converted by Red's command into the strategic breakthrough across the whole front. For the capture of Simbirsk the Simbirsk Division of Reds received the honour title "Iron".

References

Sources

* Н.Е.Какурин, И.И.Вацетис "Гражданская война. 1918-1921" (N.E.Kakurin, I.I.Vacietis "Civil War. 1918-1921") - Sankt-Peterburg, "Polygon" Publishing House, 2002. {{coord missing, Russia Battles of the Russian Civil War Czechoslovak Legion Battles involving Bohemia September 1918 events