White Army and the Red Army of the Communists

The white army grew from rebels who defected from fighting Russian enemies, and attracted anti-Bolsheviks to its ranks. The white army takes Kazan and the Bolshevik Red Army claims its first victory, but not without a hard-fought battle.

Rebel Army


The Czechs and growing rebel army continued their advance into the Russian heartland.


River Volga


Standing in their way is the River Volga, the key crossing point is the city of Kazan.

Kazan


Kazan


The city falls to the rebels, and the Bolsheviks realize the size and danger of this new threat.


Kazan


Kazan


Kazan


Almost by accident, an army had been created around the Czech legion, determined to remove the Bolsheviks from power.


Rebel Army


The Counter-Revolution they had feared was underway. Elsewhere, others start to rebel. To distinguish them from the Red Revolutionaries they were later called Whites.


Rebel Army


Rebel Army


Rebel Army


The fighting starts in the center of Russia. With the Red Army occupied with the war with Germany, the government called on their most loyal troops to save the emerging crisis, the sailors of Kronstadt.


Red Army


Red Army


The sailors had been at the forefront of Lenin's October Revolution and had a reputation as his most feared shock troops.


Kronstadt Sailors


The sailors travelled by train from Kronstadt and sailed the last 200 miles down the River Volga.

Kronstadt Sailors


Kronstadt Sailors


Leading the fleet was the Bolshevik Fedor Raskolnikov. As they approached the city of Kazan, they planned their attack.


Kronstadt Sailors


Kronstadt Sailors


Kronstadt Sailors


Kronstadt Sailors


Bolshevik forces attacked from the hills above the town while soldiers and sailors launched their assault from ships on the River. The battle was fierce and after several days, progress is still slow. Trotsky and Bolshevik agitators helped turn things back in the favor of Bolshevik, and Kazan was reclaimed. It was the first successful counter-attack for the Reds on the Eastern front.

Trotsky and Bolshevik Agitators


Victims of the War


When the Bolsheviks arrived they realized how brutal the fight with the Whites was going to be.


Victims of the War


Mutilated bodies of Bolsheviks supporters were found in shallow graves, others found laying in the streets with their eyes gouged out and their party cards pinned to their chests.

Victims of the War


Victims of the War


The battle for Kazan had been hard-fought, but the Bolsheviks turned the tide at the Volga and the sailors of Kronstadt had again been at the Vanguard.


Kronstadt Sailors


References


Russian Revolution
Russian Revolution
in Color (DVD)
The Russian Revolution and Civil War, this bloodsoaked time from the battlefields, testimonies, and colorized archives help unfold the dramatic story of the Communist rise and seizure of power in 1917.

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