The uprising of the Czechoslovak Corps is the first organized resistance to Bolshevism

The Civil War was one of the greatest tragedies of Russian history. This fratricidal massacre lasted almost six years and resulted in casualties that far outweighed the number of military casualties in battles with Austria-Hungary and Germany. One of the little-known pages of this terrible epic was the uprising of the Czechoslovak Corps.

The First World War pushed many peoples into a mortal battle. From the novels of Remarque and other writers, her veterans, one can draw information about position battles on the Western Front. Today the Russians learn a lot about the prowess of their ancestors, who defended their native land on the long line of defense from the Baltic to the Black Sea, and about the breakthrough of fortifications in the Carpathians by the army of General Brusilov.

Yaroslav Hasek's popular book on the brave soldier Švejk vividly illustrates the mood in the Austro-Hungarian army, part of which was manned by Czechs and Slovaks. Soldiers of these nationalities had to defend the interests of a monarchy, completely alien to them. Historically experiencing sympathy for Russia (even the national flags of the Czechs and Slovaks with their colors repeat our tricolor), they massively deserted or went over to its side. The knowledge of the Austrian army "from within" allowed them to render invaluable help.

After the October coup, these units found themselves in a difficult situation. The Bolsheviks, trying to slow down their movement to the front, where they sought to help the allied armies complete the rout of Germany and Austria-Hungary (and, therefore, achieve sovereignty), made decisions to disarm them, then drive them to concentration camps (they just then Appeared), and even lured to the Red Army.

There was a situation in which only a bold offensive operation or the seizure of weapons depots could save the situation.

Then the insurrection of the Czechoslovak Corps began. The date of this event is spring of 1918. More precisely, it can not be indicated, the military command did not have a single command. The beginning of the uprising of the Czechoslovak Corps was spontaneous and unprepared. The Reds fired on cars with soldiers from machine guns, and so they had to counterattack them with their bare hands. Nevertheless, poorly armed and unknowing terrain, but well-trained military men could adequately withstand the Bolsheviks, and the sympathies of the population allowed them to retain significant territories in the Volga region and in Siberia.

In conditions when the Volunteer Army was not yet formed, it was the uprising of the Czechoslovak Corps that was the first organized attempt to resist the Red Terror.

The Entente countries, who promised help, did not hurry with her. First, England and France had their own worries, and secondly, the delivery itself was problematic and connected with risks. On the expanses of the Volga to Vladivostok itself, the uprising of the Czechoslovak Corps became a real threat to the Bolshevik regime.

The liberation of Kazan and the holding of the city for a month demonstrated the ability of the "belochek" to take decisive action. However, losses, lack of supply and centralized control could not but affect the military success. In the autumn of 1918, in October, two regiments, 1st and 4th, refused to continue fighting. The Commander Josef Jiří Shvets shot himself without experiencing disgrace, for the soldiers, with whom he fought for four years, did not obey him.

Finally, the uprising of the Czechoslovak Corps was suppressed only in the autumn of 1919. From Vladivostok, his remains were evacuated to his homeland, which, after the defeat of Austria-Hungary, gained independence.