Oliferov's Raid on the Territory of Kuzbass in the Winter of 1920–1921: Why the Red Failed
https://doi.org/10.21603/2078-8975-2020-22-1-13-19
Abstract
The present article features the raid of the White Guard rebels attempted by Lieutenant-Colonel Oliferov on the territory of Kuzbass (Mariinsky and Shcheglovsky districts) in the winter of 1920–1921. The research objective was to identify the reasons why the Red Army forces failed to promptly crush the rebellion. The methodology was based on the classical principles of historicism and objectivity represented by the typological, comparative-historical, and chronological methods. The authors managed to restore the course of events related to the raid and its progress. The article focuses on the measures taken by the Soviet government to eliminate the White rebels. The analysis of rare archival materials proved that the Soviet military units, represented by special forces, internal service units, and regular military units, failed to coordinate their actions. The irregular Soviet military units were known for their weak discipline, poor training, and frequent cases of desertion. Each of the Red commanders tried to lead the entire operation, thus letting the well-organized and disciplined White detachment to repeatedly avoid the chase and win the battles.
Keywords
Civil war,
Siberia,
Lieutenant-Сolonel Oliferov,
Shcheglovsky district,
Mariinsky district,
special purpose units
Supporting agencies: The article was part of the SB RAS program XII.190.2 "Historical development of Siberia as part of the Russian state: the role of traditions and innovations". Project No. 0352-2019-0016) "Creation of an industrial base in Kuzbass at the end of the XIX – the first half of the XX centuries". The research was supported by the Russian Foundation for Basic Research, Project No. 20-49-420006 "Civil War in Kuzbass (1917–1922). Background, development, consequences: conceptual understanding and reconstruction of the turning point in the history of the region".
About the Authors
A. N. Ermolaev
The Federal Research Center of Coal and Coal Chemistry of Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences
Russian Federation
Kemerovo
Russian Federation
Kemerovo
E. D. Dubrovskaya
Kemerovo State University
Russian Federation
Kemerovo
Russian Federation
Kemerovo
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Review
For citations:
Ermolaev A.N., Dubrovskaya E.D. Oliferov's Raid on the Territory of Kuzbass in the Winter of 1920–1921: Why the Red Failed. The Bulletin of Kemerovo State University. 2020;22(1):13-19. (In Russ.) https://doi.org/10.21603/2078-8975-2020-22-1-13-19
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