The 2nd Army was a field army of the

Red Army The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army, often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Republic and, from 1922, the Soviet Union. The army was established in January 1918 by a decree of the Council of People ...

during the

Russian Civil War The Russian Civil War () was a multi-party civil war in the former Russian Empire sparked by the 1917 overthrowing of the Russian Provisional Government in the October Revolution, as many factions vied to determine Russia's political future. I ...

. The 2nd Army was formed twice. The first formation was between the beginning of March 1918 and April as a reaction to the Austro-German occupation of Ukraine. The second formation was created on June 18, 1918, as a part of the Eastern Front. The Army was disbanded on July 16, 1919.

History

On March 17, 1918, the Second All-Ukrainian Congress of Soviets decided to create armed forces to counter foreign and contra-revolutionary forces. Five armies of some 3.000 -3.500 men were created. In fact, these armies were only brigades with limited combat capabilities. Evgenii Venediktov became the commander of the 2nd Army. In March 1918, it defended

Yekaterinoslav Dnipro is Ukraine's fourth-largest city, with about one million inhabitants. It is located in the eastern part of Ukraine, southeast of the Ukrainian capital Kyiv on the Dnieper River, Dnipro River, from which it takes its name. Dnipro is t ...

and then retreated to the Donbass. By the beginning of April, there were 1,000 bayonets in the army and a small number of cavalry. Together with parts of the 1st Army, she took part in skirmishes in Ukraine in the Chaplino area near Millerovo, after which one part of the army withdrew to

Tsaritsyn Volgograd,. formerly Tsaritsyn. (1589–1925) and Stalingrad. (1925–1961), is the largest city and the administrative centre of Volgograd Oblast, Russia. The city lies on the western bank of the Volga, covering an area of , with a population ...

, and the other to Kalach and

Voronezh Voronezh ( ; , ) is a city and the administrative centre of Voronezh Oblast in southwestern Russia straddling the Voronezh River, located from where it flows into the Don River. The city sits on the Southeastern Railway, which connects wes ...

where it was disbanded. On June 18, 1918 the 2nd Army was created a second time from the detachments of the Orenburg and Ufa groups. It was part of the Eastern Front.
In June - July 1918 it fought in the basin of the

Kama ''Kama'' (Sanskrit: काम, ) is the concept of pleasure, enjoyment and desire in Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, and Sikhism. It can also refer to "desire, wish, longing" in Hindu, Buddhist, Jain, and Sikh literature.Monier Williamsका� ...

and Belaya rivers against White Guards troops. On August 5, 1918, units of the 2nd Army launched an offensive and cut off the Nurlat -

Bugulma Bugulma (; ) is a town in the Republic of Tatarstan, Russia. Population: Administrative and municipal status Within the framework of administrative divisions, Bugulma serves as the administrative center of Bugulminsky District, even though i ...

railway, but then came under a White counterattack and retreated to

Menzelinsk Menzelinsk (; ) is a town and the administrative center of Menzelinsky District in the Republic of Tatarstan, Russia, located on the Menzelya River near its confluence with the Kama, from the republic's capital of Kazan. Population: 15,800 ...

and

Sarapul Sarapul ( Udmurt and ) is a city and a river port in the Udmurt Republic, Russia, located on the right bank of the Kama River, southeast of Izhevsk, the capital of the republic. Population: History Sarapul is one of the oldest cities of the Ka ...

. In August 1918, because of the Izhevsk–Votkinsk Uprising, it retreated to the area around Arsk, Vyatskiye Polyany and

, north of Votkinsk. It participated in the offensive of the Eastern Front 1918-1919 and led the attack in the

Kazan Kazan; , IPA: Help:IPA/Tatar, ɑzanis the largest city and capital city, capital of Tatarstan, Russia. The city lies at the confluence of the Volga and the Kazanka (river), Kazanka Rivers, covering an area of , with a population of over 1. ...

and Izhevsk-Votkinsk operations (September-November 1918). The 2nd Army launched an attack on the

- Krasnoufimsk sector (November 1918), acted against the Perm Group of

Alexander Kolchak Admiral Alexander Vasilyevich Kolchak (; – 7 February 1920) was a Russian navy officer and polar explorer who led the White movement in the Russian Civil War. As he assumed the title of Supreme Ruler of Russia in 1918, Kolchak headed a mili ...

's Army (December 1918) and fought near Kungur and Osa between December 1918 and February 1919. In March-May 1919, during the Spring Offensive of the White Russian Army it retreated to the area of the

Vyatka River The Vyatka is a river in Kirov Oblast and Tatarstan in Russia. It is a right tributary of the Kama.Counteroffensive of the Eastern front and during the Sarapul–Votkinsk Operation, the 2nd Army occupied

Izhevsk Izhevsk or Ijevsk (, ; , or ) is the capital city of Udmurtia, Russia. It is situated along the Izh River, west of the Ural Mountains in Eastern Europe. It is the 21st-largest city in Russia, and the most populous in Udmurtia, with over 600,000 ...

(June 7) and the Votkinsky Plant (June 11). In the course of the further offensive, it conducted the Perm and Yekaterinburg operations, taking Kungur (July 1) and

Yekaterinburg Yekaterinburg (, ; ), alternatively Romanization of Russian, romanized as Ekaterinburg and formerly known as Sverdlovsk ( ; 1924–1991), is a city and the administrative centre of Sverdlovsk Oblast and the Ural Federal District, Russia. The ci ...

(July 14). The 2nd Army was disbanded on July 16, 1919, and the army administration was transferred to the Southern Front and became the administration of Special Group Shorin.

Leadership

Commanders

* Vasily Yakovlev (until June 26, 1918, defected to the White Army) * Fedor Makhin (June 26 - July 3, 1918, defected to the White Army) * A. I. Kharchenko (July 3 - 4, 1918, defected to the White Army) * V.N. Blokhin (July 14 - September 3, 1918) * Ivan Maksimov (Acting. September 3-27, 1918) * Vasily Shorin (September 28, 1918 - July 16, 1919)

Members of the Revolutionary Military Council include

* Sergey Ivanovich Gusev * Pavel Shternberg *

Grigori Sokolnikov Grigori Yakovlevich Sokolnikov (born Hirsch Yankelevich Brilliant; 15 August 1888 – 21 May 1939) was a Russian revolutionary, economist, and Soviet politician. Born to a Jewish family in Romny (now in Ukraine), Sokolnikov joined the Russian S ...

Mirsaid Sultan-Galiev Mirsaid Khaydargalievich Sultan-Galiev (, ; ; 13 July 1892 – 28 January 1940), also known as Mirza Sultan-Galiev, was a Tatar Bolshevik revolutionary who rose to prominence in the Russian Communist Party in the early 1920s. He was the architec ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:2nd Army (RSFSR) Soviet field armies in the Russian Civil War Military units and formations established in 1918 Military units and formations disestablished in 1919