Second Winter Campaign
Encyclopedia
The Second Winter Campaign was a failed military campaign by the Ukrainian
National Army in October and November 1921 against Bolshevik
s. It was the last campaign of the Ukrainian armed forces in post-World War I attempt to achieve independence of Ukraine
.
in the central steppes. Together, the Army of the Ukrainian National Republic would then drive Bolshevik forces from Ukraine.
The main group was known as the Volynhian group, and consisted of 800 men. It was under the command of general Yurii Tiutiunnyk
, and the chief of staff was colonel Yurii Otmarshtain. The second group, known as the Podollian group, consisted of 400 men. It was commanded by Lt Col M. Palii and, later, Col S. Chorny. The third group, the Bessarabian group, under the command of general Andrii Huly-Hulenko, was based in Romania.
The Bessarabia group was active in Ukraine for only a few days, and then returned to Romania
.
The Podillia group began the campaign on October 25, 1921, and met with early success. It first engaged and destroyed a soviet cavalry regiment, and used the captured equipment to transform itself into a cavalry unit. It continued on to the village of Vakhnivka, 60 km north of Kiev, before being forced back by soviet forces. It was forced to retreat west, and crossed the Polish border on November 29.
The Volynhia group began operations on November 4, 1921, and it also met with early successes. It won the city of Korosten
, but was unable to defend it. When news of the retreat of the Podillia group became known, the Volynhia group was also forced to retreat west. However, it was encircled by Hryhorii Kotovsky's cavalry regiment near the village of Bazar
. After a brief battle, most of the regiment was captured.
On November 22, 1921, 359 members of the regiment were executed by firing squad. The remaining prisoners were handed over to soviet authorities. Only 120 soldiers and officers escaped.
Ukrainian People's Republic
The Ukrainian People's Republic or Ukrainian National Republic was a republic that was declared in part of the territory of modern Ukraine after the Russian Revolution, eventually headed by Symon Petliura.-Revolutionary Wave:...
National Army in October and November 1921 against 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. It was the last campaign of the Ukrainian armed forces in post-World War I attempt to achieve independence of 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 plan
The plan of the Second Winter Campaign was bold and simple: to move into central Ukraine and unify the various partisan units therein. In late 1917, there were many independent units working in central Ukraine, including the anarchist Nestor MakhnoNestor Makhno
Nestor Ivanovych Makhno or simply Daddy Makhno was a Ukrainian anarcho-communist guerrilla leader turned army commander who led an independent anarchist army in Ukraine during the Russian Civil War....
in the central steppes. Together, the Army of the Ukrainian National Republic would then drive Bolshevik forces from Ukraine.
Participating units
There were three main army groups which took part in the campaign.The main group was known as the Volynhian group, and consisted of 800 men. It was under the command of general Yurii Tiutiunnyk
Yurii Tiutiunnyk
Yuri Yosypovych Tiutiunnyk was a Ukrainian military commander of the Ukrainian People's Army of the Ukrainian People's Republic during the Ukrainian-Soviet War.-Early...
, and the chief of staff was colonel Yurii Otmarshtain. The second group, known as the Podollian group, consisted of 400 men. It was commanded by Lt Col M. Palii and, later, Col S. Chorny. The third group, the Bessarabian group, under the command of general Andrii Huly-Hulenko, was based in Romania.
The campaign
The biggest challenge that the campaign faced was lack of coordination of participating units. The plan itself was very bold: to move from bases in Western Ukraine into bolshevik-held central Ukraine and unify many of the partisan units. At the time, Bolshevik units were themselves poorly coordinated. Also, many partisan bands were working throughout Ukraine independently against Bolsheviks. This was especially common in the Zaporozhia region.The Bessarabia group was active in Ukraine for only a few days, and then returned to Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
.
The Podillia group began the campaign on October 25, 1921, and met with early success. It first engaged and destroyed a soviet cavalry regiment, and used the captured equipment to transform itself into a cavalry unit. It continued on to the village of Vakhnivka, 60 km north of Kiev, before being forced back by soviet forces. It was forced to retreat west, and crossed the Polish border on November 29.
The Volynhia group began operations on November 4, 1921, and it also met with early successes. It won the city of Korosten
Korosten
Korosten is a historic city and a large railway node in the Zhytomyr Oblast of northern Ukraine. Serving as the administrative center of the Korosten Raion , the city itself is also designated as a separate raion within the oblast, and is located on the Uzh River.The city was founded over a...
, but was unable to defend it. When news of the retreat of the Podillia group became known, the Volynhia group was also forced to retreat west. However, it was encircled by Hryhorii Kotovsky's cavalry regiment near the village of Bazar
Bazar
Bazar may refer to:* Bazar, Afghanistan* Bazar, Azerbaijan* Bazar, Łódź Voivodeship * Bazar, Lublin Voivodeship * Bazar, Masovian Voivodeship * Bazar, Ukraine...
. After a brief battle, most of the regiment was captured.
On November 22, 1921, 359 members of the regiment were executed by firing squad. The remaining prisoners were handed over to soviet authorities. Only 120 soldiers and officers escaped.