White Army facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

Quick facts for kids White Army
Бѣлая армія Белая армия
Coat of arms of the Russian State
Active	1917–1922
Country	Russian State, South Russia
Size	Overall: ~1,023,000 (May 1919) In combat units: ~4,000 (December 1917) ~683,000 (June 1919) ~300,000 (December 1919) ~100,000 (Summer 1920) ~8,000 (September 1922) ~1,000 (1923)
Garrison/HQ	Former Russian Empire Outer Mongolia (1920–21) China Persia
Commanders
Notable commanders	Lavr Kornilov, Alexander Kolchak, Anton Denikin, Pyotr Wrangel, Nikolai Yudenich, Mikhail Drozdovsky, Mikhail Diterikhs, Anatoly Pepelyayev, Vladimir Kantakuzen
Insignia
Identification symbol

The White Army (Russian: Бѣлая армія/Белая армия, romanized: Belaya armiya) was a common name for the armed groups that fought against the Red Army during the Russian Civil War. These groups were part of the White movement and opposed the Bolsheviks who had taken power in Soviet Russia.

When the White Army was formed, it used the structure of the Russian Army from before the revolution. Each group had its own unique features. The White Army's fighting methods were based on what they learned in the First World War. However, the Russian Civil War had its own special challenges.

History of the White Army
How the White Army Was Made Up
Images for kids
See also

History of the White Army

The name "White" came from the white symbols used by supporters of the old government, similar to those in the French Revolution. This was different from the "Red Guard" and later the Red Army. The term "White Guard" was first used in Russia in 1906 for Finnish police who fought against a revolutionary movement. They wore white armbands, but this was not directly connected to the White Army of the Civil War.

Who Were the White Armies?

The White Armies were made up of many different groups. These groups often acted on their own and did not share the same ideas or political goals. Their leaders were usually conservative or moderate generals and politicians. Each leader had different plans and goals. Most of these armies did not work together very well. The soldiers in these armies also varied greatly. Some were experienced veterans from World War I, while others were new volunteers.

What Was the White Terror?

Besides fighting the Red Army, the White Guards also carried out what was called the White Terror. This involved mass killings. For example, in 1919, 257 civilians were killed in a village during a fight between the Japanese Army and White Guards against pro-Bolshevik groups.

The number of people killed in the White Terror was much less than in the Bolshevik Red Terror. The Red Terror was planned and run by the Bolshevik leaders. The White Terror was often carried out by groups that were not fully controlled by their commanders. It was more like revenge actions by police or military counter-spies.

Historian Ronald Suny noted that White military groups were responsible for many attacks against Jewish people. These attacks were called pogroms. He suggested that if anti-Soviet violence and pogroms were included, the White Terror's death toll could be higher.

Early White Armies

Volunteer and Don Army

After the October Revolution, several arrested generals like Lavr Kornilov and Anton Denikin were set free. They went to the Don region to join Ataman Alexey Kaledin. The Don region did not accept Soviet rule and declared itself independent.

The first White Army was started by Mikhail Alekseyev. He called it the "Alekseyev Organization." Officers joined this group as volunteers. From this, the Volunteer Army was formed. Generals Alexey Kaledin and Lavr Kornilov joined it. In April 1918, the Don Army was created. In May 1918, the Drozdov brigade joined the Volunteer Army.

People's Army

On June 8, 1918, the White Czechs took control of Samara. On the same day, the People's Army was formed. Colonel Nikolai Galkin commanded it. This army was created by the Committee of Members of the Constituent Assembly. This assembly had been shut down by the Bolsheviks in 1918.

On June 9, Lieutenant Colonel Vladimir Kappel joined the army. His troops quickly took Syzran and Stavropol. On July 10, the People's Army took Syzran again and pushed the Bolsheviks back to Simbirsk. A few days later, Kappel's troops took Simbirsk. From there, they moved in several directions.

After capturing Kazan, the People's Army was reorganized. The Volga Front was created under Stanislav Chechek. It was divided into several groups. Kappel wanted to take Nizhny Novgorod. He believed this would stop the Bolsheviks from getting money from Germany. However, his commanders and the Czechs did not agree, saying they lacked enough soldiers.

Siberian Army

At the same time, in June 1918, the Provisional Siberian Government in Novo-Nikolaevsk created the Siberian Army. It was first called the West Siberian Volunteer Army. From June to December 1918, its headquarters was the main headquarters for all White Movement forces in Siberia.

In August 1918, the Supreme Administration of the Northern Region in Arkhangelsk formed the troops of the Northern Region. These were sometimes called the Northern Army.

Uniting the White Armies

On October 14, 1918, Minister of War Alexander Kolchak arrived in Omsk. On November 18, 1918, he was declared the Supreme Ruler of Russia. He also took command of all Russian land and naval forces. Kolchak reorganized the White movement forces. He united them into a single Russian Army on September 23, 1918.

All White Army commanders recognized Admiral Kolchak as the Supreme Ruler. Generals Anton Denikin, Yevgeny Miller, and Nikolai Yudenich willingly followed his command. From this point, the Armed Forces of the South of Russia, the Northwestern Army, the Northern Army, and the Eastern Front became parts of this single army.

The name "Russian Army" was approved for this union of all White fronts. In April 1920, the Far Eastern Army was created in Transbaikalia. It was formed from the remaining troops of the Eastern Front under General Grigory Semenov.

In May 1920, General Pyotr Wrangel formed new armed forces in Crimea. These were from the remaining Armed Forces of the South of Russia. They inherited the name "Russian Army" as the last part of Kolchak's single Russian army.

In 1921, the White Rebel Army was formed in Primorye. It was made from the remains of General Semyonov's Far Eastern Army. Later, it was renamed the Zemsky Army. This happened because the Amur Zemsky Government was created in Vladivostok in 1922.

How the White Army Was Made Up

The White Armies got their soldiers in two ways: through volunteers and through forced recruitment (mobilization). They recruited people from the areas they controlled. They also took captured Red Army soldiers.

Volunteers included officers from the old Imperial Russian Army and Navy. But anyone who wanted to join could. This happened in the South with the Volunteer Army and in Siberia.

By June 1919, the White Armies fighting the Red Army had about 683,000 soldiers. If you include support and staff units, the total could be over 1,023,000 people. However, only about half of these were actual combat soldiers. After this time, the number of White Army soldiers began to decrease steadily.

The White Army had all types of military units common at that time:

Air Units (planes)
Cavalry (soldiers on horseback)
Infantry (foot soldiers)
Railway connections (for transport and fighting)
Tank Units (early tanks)

All these units had their own uniforms and formation patch. These were often copied from the uniforms of the guard units of the Imperial Russian Army. Supporters of the White movement believed that a "White Guard" was a soldier, whether an officer or an ordinary soldier, who was dedicated to their ideals. They were ready to defend their Motherland and their ideas about duty, honour, and justice.

Images for kids

Appeal to volunteers, circa 1918–19
Anti–Bolshevik White Army poster encouraging people to enlist as volunteers