Battle of Bakhmach
Encyclopedia
Battle of Bakhmach was a battle between the Czechoslovak Legion
in Russia
and German
forces occupying Ukraine
. The battle lasted from March 8 to March 13, 1918 over the city of Bakhmach
(Бахмач), today in Ukraine
. The Legion managed to escape the encirclement.
On March 3, 1918 Russia, controlled by the Bolshevik
s, signed the Brest-Litovsk peace treaty
with Germany in which it gave up, among others, control over Ukraine. Armies of Germany and Austria-Hungary started to occupy the land without much resistance. The Czechoslovak Legion (about 42,000 soldiers), until then engaged in retreat battles with these armies, was set up for escape from Russia via the Trans-Siberian railroad.
On March 8 Germans reached Bakhmach, an important railroad hub and Legion was in danger of being encircled. The threat was grave because captured legionnaires were summarily executed as traitors of Austria-Hungary
. 6th "Hanácký" and 7th "Tatranský" Rifle Regiments, together with The Assault battalion of Czechoslovak Army Corps of the Legion set up defense at the town against incoming German 91st and 224th Infantry divisions. The fights peaked on March 10 and lasted until the last train with legionnaires left the town, continuing toward Vladivostok
.
Losses of the Legion were: 145 killed, 210 wounded, 41 missing. Estimate of German losses is around 300 dead and hundreds wounded.
Similarly to Battle of Zborov
or the "Siberian anabasis", the battle of Bakhmach became one of the symbols of the Czechoslovakian Legions and their fight for independence.
Czechoslovak Legions
The Czechoslovak Legions were volunteer armed forces composed predominantly of Czechs and Slovaks fighting together with the Entente powers during World War I...
in Russia
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia and the predecessor of the Soviet Union...
and German
German Empire
The German Empire refers to Germany during the "Second Reich" period from the unification of Germany and proclamation of Wilhelm I as German Emperor on 18 January 1871, to 1918, when it became a federal republic after defeat in World War I and the abdication of the Emperor, Wilhelm II.The German...
forces occupying Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
. The battle lasted from March 8 to March 13, 1918 over the city of Bakhmach
Bakhmach
Bakhmach is a city located in the Chernihiv Oblast , in northern Ukraine. It is the administrative center of the Bakhmatsky Raion , and is located at around . As of January 1, 2005, the city's population is 20,300.-History:...
(Бахмач), today in Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
. The Legion managed to escape the encirclement.
On March 3, 1918 Russia, controlled by the Bolshevik
Bolshevik
The Bolsheviks, originally also Bolshevists , derived from bol'shinstvo, "majority") were a faction of the Marxist Russian Social Democratic Labour Party which split apart from the Menshevik faction at the Second Party Congress in 1903....
s, signed the Brest-Litovsk peace treaty
Treaty of Brest-Litovsk
The Treaty of Brest-Litovsk was a peace treaty signed on March 3, 1918, mediated by South African Andrik Fuller, at Brest-Litovsk between Russia and the Central Powers, headed by Germany, marking Russia's exit from World War I.While the treaty was practically obsolete before the end of the year,...
with Germany in which it gave up, among others, control over Ukraine. Armies of Germany and Austria-Hungary started to occupy the land without much resistance. The Czechoslovak Legion (about 42,000 soldiers), until then engaged in retreat battles with these armies, was set up for escape from Russia via the Trans-Siberian railroad.
On March 8 Germans reached Bakhmach, an important railroad hub and Legion was in danger of being encircled. The threat was grave because captured legionnaires were summarily executed as traitors of Austria-Hungary
Austria-Hungary
Austria-Hungary , more formally known as the Kingdoms and Lands Represented in the Imperial Council and the Lands of the Holy Hungarian Crown of Saint Stephen, was a constitutional monarchic union between the crowns of the Austrian Empire and the Kingdom of Hungary in...
. 6th "Hanácký" and 7th "Tatranský" Rifle Regiments, together with The Assault battalion of Czechoslovak Army Corps of the Legion set up defense at the town against incoming German 91st and 224th Infantry divisions. The fights peaked on March 10 and lasted until the last train with legionnaires left the town, continuing toward Vladivostok
Vladivostok
The city is located in the southern extremity of Muravyov-Amursky Peninsula, which is about 30 km long and approximately 12 km wide.The highest point is Mount Kholodilnik, the height of which is 257 m...
.
Losses of the Legion were: 145 killed, 210 wounded, 41 missing. Estimate of German losses is around 300 dead and hundreds wounded.
Similarly to Battle of Zborov
Battle of Zborov (1917)
Battle of Zborov was a small part of the Kerensky Offensive...
or the "Siberian anabasis", the battle of Bakhmach became one of the symbols of the Czechoslovakian Legions and their fight for independence.
Sources
- Václav Cháb: "Německý vpád na slovanský východ : kus dějin - kus boje o budoucnost", Prague, 1938
- Václav Cháb: "Bachmač : březen 1918", Prague, 1948
- Karel Goš: "Bitva u Bachmače byla slavnou epizodou Hanáckého pluku : největší oslavy proběhly v roce 1938", article in newspaper Olomoucký den, March 20, 1999, page 10
- M. Vlachynský: "V březnu 1918 bojovali legionáři u Bachmače", article in newspaper Českobudějovické listy, March 14, 1998, page 12
- Adolf Kubíček: Hanáci v revoluci (Hanakians in revolution: The Chronicle of 6th Czechoslovak Rifle Regiment), Olomouc, 1928