The Kuban Offensive, also called the Second Kuban Campaign, was fought between the

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

and

Red Red is the color at the long wavelength end of the visible spectrum of light, next to orange and opposite violet. It has a dominant wavelength of approximately 625–750 nanometres. It is a primary color in the RGB color model and a seconda ...

Armies 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 White Army achieved an important victory despite being numerically inferior in manpower and artillery. It resulted in the capture of Ekaterinodar and

Novorossiysk Novorossiysk (, ; ) is a city in Krasnodar Krai, Russia. It is one of the largest ports on the Black Sea. It is one of the few cities designated by the Soviet Union as a Hero City. The population was History In antiquity, the shores of the ...

in August 1918 and the conquest of the Western part of Kuban by the White armies. Later in 1918 they took

Maykop Maykop is the capital city of Adygea, Russia, located on the right bank of the Belaya River. It borders Maykopsky District, from which it is administratively and municipally independent, to the east and south; Giaginsky District to the north, ...

, Armavir and

Stavropol Stavropol (, ), known as Voroshilovsk from 1935 until 1943, is a city and the administrative centre of Stavropol Krai, in southern Russia. As of the 2021 Census, its population was 547,820, making it one of Russia's fastest growing cities. E ...

, and extended their authority over the entire Kuban Region.

The campaign

On 28 May, Krasnov and Denikin met at Manychskaia to decide between attacking Tsaritsyn, favored by Krasnov, or Ekaterinodar, favored by Denikin. Krasnov favored Tsaritsyn for is munition factories and railway junction. Denikin favored Ekaterinodar, according to Peter Kenez, because "He had promised the Kuban Cossacks that he would liberate their native district. Denikin made the correct decision because he understood that in May 1918 there was no effective anti-Bolshevik force in Russia aside from the Cossacks." Yet the

Volunteer Army The Volunteer Army (; ), abbreviated to (), also known as the Southern White Army was a White Army active in South Russia during the Russian Civil War from 1917 to 1920. The Volunteer Army fought against Bolsheviks and the Makhnovists on the ...

consisted of about 9,000 soldiers, and would face more than 75,000 Bolsheviks in the

Northern Caucasus The North Caucasus, or Ciscaucasia, is a subregion in Eastern Europe governed by Russia. It constitutes the northern part of the wider Caucasus region, which separates Europe and Asia. The North Caucasus is bordered by the Sea of Azov and the B ...

, commanded by Alexei Ivanovich Avtonomov. However, at the end of May, Avtonomov was replaced by K. I. Kalnin. Most of the Bolshevik forces were concentrated in the Eisk district, after the Germans occupied Ukraine,

Taganrog Taganrog (, ) is a port city in Rostov Oblast, Russia, on the north shore of Taganrog Bay in the Sea of Azov, several kilometers west of the mouth of the Don (river), Don River. It is in the Black Sea region. Population: Located at the site of a ...

Rostov-on-Don Rostov-on-Don is a port city and the administrative centre of Rostov Oblast and the Southern Federal District of Russia. It lies in the southeastern part of the East European Plain on the Don River, from the Sea of Azov, directly north of t ...

, and

Bataisk Bataysk () is a types of inhabited localities in Russia, city in Rostov Oblast, Russia, located southwest of Rostov-on-Don. Population: History It was founded in 1769, and was granted town status in 1938. The reconstructed Church of the Ascens ...

. Kalnin had 10,000 men stationed around Torgovaia and Tikhoretskaia, while his subordinate Ivan Sorokin faced the Germans near Rostov. On 22 June 1918, the Volunteer Army launched the second Kuban campaign. Denikin left Viktor Pokrovsky's regiment behind to protect his flank against Sorokin, while Denikin made a surprise attack on Trogovaia, on the Tsaritsyn-Ekaterinodar railway. On 25 June, Torgovaia was captured, but with the loss of Denikin's general Sergey Markov. Denikin then constructed armored cars from the trolley cars to protect the railway line. On 6 July, Denikin captured Belaia Glina while Kalnin's Bolsheviks retreated to Tikhoretskaia. Pokrovsky then successfully resisted an attack by Sorokin. On 14 July, Denikin captured

Tikhoretsk Tikhoretsk () is a town in Krasnodar Krai, Russia. It is the administrative center of the Tikhoretsky urban settlement and the Tikhoretsky District of the Krasnodar Territory. Population: Administrative and municipal status Within the framew ...

, with Borovskii's division attacked from the South and Erdeli's division attacked from the North. Communications between Kalnin and Sorokin were severed, and the Volunteer Army acquired weapons, munitions,

rolling stock The term rolling stock in the rail transport industry refers to railway vehicles, including both powered and unpowered vehicles: for example, locomotives, Railroad car#Freight cars, freight and Passenger railroad car, passenger cars (or coaches) ...

, and control of a major railway center. On 15 July, Kalnin gave up his command to Sorokin. Denikin attacked Sorokin with 10,00 men under Erdeli, Pokrovsky, and Alexander Kutepov, while Denikin sent Borovskii to attack Kavkazkaia. On 27 July, Denikin sent Mikhail Drozdovsky towards Ekaterinodar, but at the same time Sorokin occupied Korenovsk, separating Drozdovsky from Denikin. On 7 August, after 11 days, Sorokin surrendered Korenovsk and retreated towards Ekaterinodar. On 16 August, Ekaterinodar was captured, with the entry of the

Kuban Rada The Kuban Rada (; ) was the supreme organisation of the Kuban Cossacks, which represented all the heads of the districts. However, its head, Nakazny Ataman, was appointed by the Tsar directly. In April 1917, after the February Revolution, the Rada ...

and Denikin's Volunteer Army. The Republic of the Northern Caucasus Executive Committee, founded on 5 July by the Congress of Soviets in Ekaterinodar, fled to Armavir, then to

Pyatigorsk Pyatigorsk (; Circassian languages, Circassian: Псыхуабэ, ''Psıxwabæ'') is a types of inhabited localities in Russia, city in Stavropol Krai, Russia, located on the Podkumok River, about from the town of Mineralnye Vody, which has an i ...

, and finally to Nevinnomyssk.

Kuban uprising

After the victory of the Volunteers, all the Kuban rose up against the Bolsheviks. The stanitsa took up arms one after the other and a wave of alternately Red and White terror swept over the Kuban. General Viktor Pokrovsky, dispatched three months earlier by Denikin to organize the insurgents of the Laba region, captured Maykop and Armavir. The

Terek Cossacks The Terek Cossack Host was a Cossack host created in 1577 from free Cossacks who resettled from the Volga to the Terek River. The local aboriginal Terek Cossacks joined this Cossack host later. In 1792 it was included in the Caucasus Line Co ...

also revolted and took Mozdok, cutting Red communications between Stavropol and Vladikavkaz, and besieging Grozny. The Reds did not manage anymore to organize the defense of Ekaterinodar, their troops fleeing before the advance of the Whites. On August 15, the Whites took Ekaterinodar without a fight, followed on August 26 by

. The campaign then continued along the coast of the Black Sea towards Stavropol, which was taken on November 15, 1918. Mikhail Drozdovsky was wounded in October 1918 near Stavropol. He never recovered and died on January 1, 1919, in the vicinity of Rostov-on-Don.

References

{{Reflist Campaigns of the Russian Civil War Military operations of the Russian Civil War in 1918 History of Kuban Battles involving the Volunteer Army Battles involving Soviet Russia (1917–1922)