The offensive of Aleksander Kolchak’s Russian Army against the Eastern Front of the Red Army.

 

The Whites planned an offensive in two main directions: Perm-Vyatka and Samara-Saratov. Subsequently, in case of success, there would have emerged an opportunity of movement to Moscow. The main blow was delivered by the Western Army (commander Mikhail Khanzhin) in the direction of Kazan and Simbirsk, its final aim was the Volga. An auxiliary blow was delivered by the Siberian Army (commander Radola Gajda) on Vyatka and Vologda.

 

On March 10, the Western Army managed to break through the Red Army’s Eastern Front (commanded by Sergey Kamenev) and capture Birsk. Other towns were captured as well: Ufa (March 13), Sterlitamak (April 5), Belebey (April 7), Buguruslan (April 15). At the same time, Ataman Aleksander Dutov’s Separate Orenburg Army went on an offensive on Orenburg, and the Separate Ural Army launched an offensive on Uralsk. The Siberian Army managed to capture Okhansk and Osa in March, Votkinsk and Izhevsk plants, Sarapul in April.

 

At the end of April, Aleksander Kolchak’s armies reached the approaches to Kazan, Samara, Simbirsk, and occupied vast areas with industrial and agricultural resources. Red Army’s 2nd (commander Vasily Shorin) and 5th Armies (commander Zhan Blumberg, later Mikhail Tukhachevsky) suffered heavy defeats. The situation on the Eastern Front became threatening for the Reds. In mid-April, due to the beginning of the river flooding, the Russian army’s offensive slowed down. At the end of April 1919, the Eastern Front of the Red Army launched a counter-offensive.