Oliferov's Raid on the Territory of Kuzbass in the Winter of 1920–1921: Why the Red Failed

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