“In the midst of the Civil War”: Experience of reorganization of troops in the East of Russia from the autumn of 1919 to the end of 1920

A deeper scientific understanding of the history of the Civil War is possible through the consideration of individual aspects as well as through the separation of information from interpretations. This article is intended to compare the activities of the opposing sides of the Civil War on the reorganization of troops from the autumn of 1919 to the end of 1920 in the East of Russia. First, a brief overview of the events of 1917-1918 is given, when the battles were either chronologically short or geographically limited. The anti-Bolshevik forces of the East of Russia were the first to call on the entire population of a certain age in August - September 1918. Previously, on May 29, 1918, the Bolsheviks legislatively provided for general mobilization, but the anti-Bolshevik forces of Siberia carried it out in practice before them. The final triumph of the Bolsheviks was ensured by such principles as consistency, scale and strict centralization. It is noted that in almost all operations on the Eastern Front, starting in the autumn of 1918, the Red troops invariably had twice as many machine guns and often one and a half times as much artillery. In detail, down to the divisions, the organizational structure of the warring parties as of the summer of 1919 is considered, indicating the reorganizations of that time. Up to 18 rifle divisions of one through numbering belonged to the Siberian ones and by formation, while 14 more rifle divisions with Volga and Ural names with another (non-Siberian) through numbering were derived from the People's Army of the Samara Komuch. The key organizational measures against the background of the fighting in Central Siberia in general and Eastern Transbaikalia in particular are considered. Previously unused historical sources about the plans for the reorganization of the White troops have been introduced into scientific circulation. Finally, conclusions about the importance of military organizational experience are drawn.

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