Officers from Central Russia — Participants in the Civil War on the Eastern Front: Combat Path from West to East

Abstract

The paper considers the problem of relocation of the Russian Imperial Army officers from the western military actions theater of World War I to the eastern front of the Civil War. The work is based on the fates of officers from the central provinces of the Russian Empire (Voronezh, Kursk and Tambov), who were moved to the East by the maelstrom of "Great Troubles" events, having scattered them on different sides of the barricades. The author concludes that the channels of entry into the White Armies in the East were different. Some officers ended up behind the Urals during the so-called Great War, having been transferred there on duty. During the great changes that were brewing during the revolutionary period of February-October 1917 and the beginning of the Civil War, some officers reached out to their families in the east, wanting to ensure the safety of their kin. Others, having no direct ties to eastern Russia, rushed there with fellow officers from Siberia and the Far East, drawn by the principles of military brotherhood. For officers who sided with the revolution, the path was determined by a direct order, to which some were faithful to the end, and some were ready for treason. On the basis of the studied materials the author draws conclusions about the typical character of the time, reflected in the variety of fates of former officers of the imperial army, who fought in the East of the country during the era of great upheaval.