The Russian Army () was the
armed forces
A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. Militaries are typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with their members identifiable by a ...
of the
White movement
The White movement,. The old spelling was retained by the Whites to differentiate from the Reds. also known as the Whites, was one of the main factions of the Russian Civil War of 1917–1922. It was led mainly by the Right-wing politics, right- ...
, united on an all-Russian scale in 1919 under the sole formal command 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 ...
, the Supreme Commander-in-Chief of all the armed forces of the
Russian State
Russian(s) may refer to:
*Russians (), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries
*A citizen of Russia
*Russian language, the most widely spoken of the Slavic languages
*''The Russians'', a b ...
.
History of creation
On November 18, 1918, with the proclamation of the Minister of War,
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 ...
, the Supreme leader of
Russia
Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...
, who assumed the supreme command of all the land and naval forces of Russia, the
White army
The White Army, also known as the White Guard, the White Guardsmen, or simply the Whites, was a common collective name for the armed formations of the White movement and Anti-Sovietism, anti-Bolshevik governments during the Russian Civil War. T ...
was substantially reorganized.
Admiral Kolchak was recognized as the supreme leader of Russia by all the commanders-in-chief of the white armies both in the south and west of Russia and in Siberia and the Far East; at the turn of May – June 1919, generals Anton Denikin, Evgeny Miller, Nikolay Yudenich voluntarily submitted to Kolchak and officially recognized his Supreme High Command over all armies in Russia. The Supreme Commander at the same time confirmed the powers of commanders. By order of the Supreme Governor, Miller and Yudenich received the status of
Governor-general
Governor-general (plural governors-general), or governor general (plural governors general), is the title of an official, most prominently associated with the British Empire. In the context of the governors-general and former British colonies, ...
.
''В.Г. Хандорин'' Адмирал Колчак: правда и мифы. Глава «Союзники и борьба за признание»
/ref> In his subordination were the Armed Forces of South Russia
The Armed Forces of South Russia (AFSR or SRAF) () were the unified military forces of the White movement in southern Russia between 1919 and 1920.
On 8 January 1919, the Armed Forces of South Russia were formed, incorporating the Volunteer Ar ...
, led by the Deputy Supreme Commander General Anton Denikin, the Eastern
Eastern or Easterns may refer to:
Transportation
Airlines
*China Eastern Airlines, a current Chinese airline based in Shanghai
* Eastern Air, former name of Zambia Skyways
*Eastern Air Lines, a defunct American airline that operated from 192 ...
, Northern
Northern may refer to the following:
Geography
* North
North is one of the four compass points or cardinal directions. It is the opposite of south and is perpendicular to east and west. ''North'' is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating ...
and Northwestern Fronts, as well as the naval forces and the military representation of Russia abroad.
The name "Russian Army" was affirmed as the unification of all the white fronts, and the status of the front commanders formally from the commander-in-chief was given to the commanders of the Northern and North-Western armies, Generals Nikolai Yudenich
Nikolai Nikolayevich Yudenich ( Russian: Николай Николаевич Юденич; – 5 October 1933) was a commander of the Russian Imperial Army during World War I. He was a leader of the anti-communist White movement in northweste ...
and Anatoly Miller.
Armed Forces
At various times, the Russian army was represented by the following armed formations:
In the north
In North-west
In the South
In the East
In Central Asia
Organizational structure and composition
By his order of January 3, 1919, Supreme Commander Alexander Kolchak decided that the new Russian army should have a structure and composition similar to the Russian Imperial Army
The Imperial Russian Army () was the army of the Russian Empire, active from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was organized into a standing army and a state militia. The standing army consisted of Regular army, regular troops and ...
of Nicholas II
Nicholas II (Nikolai Alexandrovich Romanov; 186817 July 1918) or Nikolai II was the last reigning Emperor of Russia, King of Congress Poland, and Grand Duke of Finland from 1 November 1894 until his abdication on 15 March 1917. He married ...
.
The structure of the created united army assumed the creation of:
* companies of 150 bayonets;
* battalions of 4 companies each;
* regiments of 4,100 bayonets in 4 battalions or 16 companies;
* divisions with 16,500 bayonets in 4 regiments;
* corps of 37,000 bayonets in 2 divisions.
The management data of the Red Army about the size of the Russian army (1919), referring to the period of the most powerful bloom of the white movement, by May–June 1919, show that during this period the number of combat units of regular white armies did not exceed 682.0 thousand people. With the service personnel of the rear administrations, garrisons, headquarters, sanitary-medical military organizations, and other militarized structures, this number of paramilitary population for whites should be raised by approximately 50% and thus brought up to 1,023.0 thousand people.
Notes
References
Literature
''С. В. Волков'' Белое движение в России: организационная структура
*Клавинг В. В. Гражданская война в России: белые армии. — М., СПб.: АСТ, Terra Fantastica, 2003. — 637 с. — 5000 экз. — .
*Путеводитель по фондам белой армии / Рос. гос. воен. архив / Сост. Н. Д. Егоров, Н. В. Пульченко, Л. М. Чижова. — М.: «Русское библиографическое общество», издательская фирма «Восточная литература» РАН, 1998. — 526 с. — 1500 экз. — . Архивная копия от 7 марта 2012 на Wayback Machine
*''Плотников И. Ф.'' Челябинск: разработка стратегического плана наступления русской армии A. В. Колчака, успехи в его осуществлении и последующий провал (февраль-май 1919 г.)//Урал в событиях 1917—1921 гг.: актуальные проблемы изучения. Челябинск. 1999.
''В.Г. Хандорин'' Адмирал Колчак: правда и мифы. Глава «Союзники и борьба за признание»
{{Armies of Russia
1919 establishments in Russia
Military units and formations of White Russia (Russian Civil War)
Russian State (1918–1920)