Currently, I'm reading a book on russian civil war: Histoire de la guerre civile russe, 1917-1922 by jean-Jacques Marie.
That book doesn't look like an academical study but more like a story of the civil war with various anecdots and testimony from various characters, such as Wrangel, Denikine, Trotsky, Iakovlev, ... As far as I've read it, 150 pages over 400 and I'm only at late 1918, it seems rather complete, telling as much the race to Baku between English and German forces, the brutality of German occupation of Ukraine, the beginning of Makhno, events in Finland, Murmansk, Arkhangelsk... and moreover, it's not boring at all and the picture of the civil war is a clear one.
I made that presentation on the book to introduce you on a chapter that brought my attention, my mind being always looking for PODs. In a chapter over what the author refers to as the Russian Valmy, he tells how Trotsky in August 1918 was almost captured, an event that could have been fatal to the Bolsheviks.
Although the author doesn't say the exact day, it seems to take place in late august 1918, some time after the uprisings of Izhevsk and the events at Votkinsk, but before the reconquest of Kazan. The events are told by Arkady Rosengolts, at least for the second raid.
Trotsky arrives with his personal train at the headquarters of the 5th army to prepare for the reconquest of Kazan, and his locomotive goes away due to apparent technical problems, never to be seen again.
But the Whites launch a surprise great flanking attack, taking the railway station of Chikrana, close to Sviyazhsk, in order to take a bridge over the Volga. Trotsky and the 5th army headquarters are lightly defended and at the mercy of these attackers. While soldiers begin to flee, Trotsky goes up to arm servants and cooks (Rosengolts may be dramatizing a bit) and finally repulse the attack.
Two days later, a commando led by Kappel and equipped with important artillery comes close to Trotsky headquarters by 10 km, but seemingly unsure about Red forces, holds back his forces. Kappel routs a hastily led counterattack by Red troops but doesn't pursue. Rosengolts said that had Kappel pushed the attack, defenders which numbered only a few dozens, would have been overrun.
The author follows this anecdot by another on the near capture of Wrangel by Red Cosacks one or two months later in Caucasus, but I think he may be right in assuming that Trotsky capture by Kappel would have been a fatal blow for Bolsheviks. 5th army would have likely collapsed and dispersed, then Czechoslovak and Komuch's army would have followed up to Nizhny Novgorod and then on to Moscow.
I don't think civil war would be over, but the Communists would.
We are months before Kolchak coup, the Volunteer army is still fighting in Kuban and north Caucasus, and Germans still occupy Ukraine and baltic countries. Allies breakout on the Salonika is a few weeks ahead, but has not yet happened.
SRs have already denounced the peace with Germany and were somewhat supported by the Entente forces, but were not much friends with Denikine Volunteers Army, Denikine who was opposed to Germans (but doesn't say no to the part of German weapons and munitions Krasnov sell him).
Also, Yudenich and Count Keller were seemingly in negociations with Germans to raise an army to take Petrograd.
EDIT: I found this link to a excerpt from what seems to be Trotsky autobiography, one about Sviyazhsk.
That book doesn't look like an academical study but more like a story of the civil war with various anecdots and testimony from various characters, such as Wrangel, Denikine, Trotsky, Iakovlev, ... As far as I've read it, 150 pages over 400 and I'm only at late 1918, it seems rather complete, telling as much the race to Baku between English and German forces, the brutality of German occupation of Ukraine, the beginning of Makhno, events in Finland, Murmansk, Arkhangelsk... and moreover, it's not boring at all and the picture of the civil war is a clear one.
I made that presentation on the book to introduce you on a chapter that brought my attention, my mind being always looking for PODs. In a chapter over what the author refers to as the Russian Valmy, he tells how Trotsky in August 1918 was almost captured, an event that could have been fatal to the Bolsheviks.
Although the author doesn't say the exact day, it seems to take place in late august 1918, some time after the uprisings of Izhevsk and the events at Votkinsk, but before the reconquest of Kazan. The events are told by Arkady Rosengolts, at least for the second raid.
Trotsky arrives with his personal train at the headquarters of the 5th army to prepare for the reconquest of Kazan, and his locomotive goes away due to apparent technical problems, never to be seen again.
But the Whites launch a surprise great flanking attack, taking the railway station of Chikrana, close to Sviyazhsk, in order to take a bridge over the Volga. Trotsky and the 5th army headquarters are lightly defended and at the mercy of these attackers. While soldiers begin to flee, Trotsky goes up to arm servants and cooks (Rosengolts may be dramatizing a bit) and finally repulse the attack.
Two days later, a commando led by Kappel and equipped with important artillery comes close to Trotsky headquarters by 10 km, but seemingly unsure about Red forces, holds back his forces. Kappel routs a hastily led counterattack by Red troops but doesn't pursue. Rosengolts said that had Kappel pushed the attack, defenders which numbered only a few dozens, would have been overrun.
The author follows this anecdot by another on the near capture of Wrangel by Red Cosacks one or two months later in Caucasus, but I think he may be right in assuming that Trotsky capture by Kappel would have been a fatal blow for Bolsheviks. 5th army would have likely collapsed and dispersed, then Czechoslovak and Komuch's army would have followed up to Nizhny Novgorod and then on to Moscow.
I don't think civil war would be over, but the Communists would.
We are months before Kolchak coup, the Volunteer army is still fighting in Kuban and north Caucasus, and Germans still occupy Ukraine and baltic countries. Allies breakout on the Salonika is a few weeks ahead, but has not yet happened.
SRs have already denounced the peace with Germany and were somewhat supported by the Entente forces, but were not much friends with Denikine Volunteers Army, Denikine who was opposed to Germans (but doesn't say no to the part of German weapons and munitions Krasnov sell him).
Also, Yudenich and Count Keller were seemingly in negociations with Germans to raise an army to take Petrograd.
EDIT: I found this link to a excerpt from what seems to be Trotsky autobiography, one about Sviyazhsk.
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