History 02/02/20 “Suchanska massacre”: how partisans Sergey Lazo attacked Americans

On the territory of Russia are not many places where the Russians won the military victory over the Americans. One of them is the far Eastern Partizansk (former Suchan). In its vicinity in the summer of 1919 the forest fighters under the command of Bolshevik Sergey Lazo has caused great damage to the American invaders.

the Guerrillas against the Americans

the American expeditionary force in the far East, commanded by General William graves, tried not to interfere in the Russian Civil war, focusing on the protection of the interests of the Entente. One of the important objects, guarded by the Americans, was Suchanska railway line. It to Vladivostok, carrying coal from the Suchan mines. It was used as fuel to allied ships.

in the spring of 1919, the American command tried to interfere with the unfolding in these areas the movement of red partisans. However, neutrality was soon broken. In the summer of 1919 the chief commander of the guerrilla groups became a member of the Vladivostok underground cells of the RCP (b) Sergey Lazo. The new commander changed tactics, deciding to move to full-scale guerrilla war against all the whites, and the invaders. Came under attack as Americans, standing camps in Suchanski valley.

“We must take the railway, blow up the lifts, bridges, derail trains, to paralyze the road to the white guards and interventionists have not received any of the car luchanskogo coal”, – this task was set by Lazo in front of their subordinates (cited in the book his biographer Moses Gubelman “Lazo”).

Soldiers of the U.S. army were not prepared for the rapid advance of the partisans in June and July, 1919 and suffered heavy losses.

the Battle in Romanivka

the most known of the circumstances of the night of the assault of Romanovka June 25, (in American historiography this event is called “the Romanov massacre”). Nemuhinsky squad under the leadership of the army attacked the camp of the 3rd platoon, standing in a clearing a mile from the village. There were a total of 72 under the command of lieutenants Harry Kreiger and Lawrence Butler. Under cover of night 300 Russian partisans occupied the commanding heights and 4 o’clock in the morning opened fire on sleeping in tents for the Americans. The invaders were caught by surprise. Butler, who himself received a severe wound in the jaw, had to withdraw his men from the open space on the outskirts of the village. The retreat was covered arrows Roy Jones, George Starkey and Emmett Lunsford.

But trouble was waiting for the Americans and in the village. At least 10 people were shot in the comfort from your yard, the farmer Mina Shepherds, armed with a hunting rifle Berdan. Occupying some houses in Romanovka and placing the wounded, Butler sent volunteers to the neighboring village of Novo-Nezhino for additional forces. Meanwhile, preserve the fighting capacity of the soldiers tried not to let the upcoming chains of partisans in the village. Train with us reinforcements (58 soldiers and gunners) arrived in Vladivostok about 8 o’clock in the morning, and then a guerrilla attack stopped. Were killed at least 19 Americans, injured many others.

“the Ground was strewn with the bleeding bodies of the American soldiers,” remembered with horror the Lieutenant Kendall. According to him, the attackers used bullets dum-dum.

the Results of the offensive

the Squad VladivostokAvia reported 80 Americans killed in the village of Kazanka. Semukhina and mikenzy, which was directly in command of Sergey Lazo, according to eyewitnesses, a total of put a hundred invaders. However, historians consider these numbers too high, given that the Americans were armed with machine guns, and guerrillas powerful weapons was not.

Despite a bold RAID, Lazo has not achieved any results. The actions of the Reds only provoke retaliation interventionists and white guards. The guerrillas were forced to go far into the forest, where almost bezvylazno sat until December 1919. With the Americans, they never fought: those evacuated from Vladivostok in early 1920.

Timur Sagdiyev

Source:
© Russian Seven

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