Kolchak's Siberian Army

in April and May 1919

This orbat is from Volkov's Encyclopedia, Klaving and some officer names from Craig Martelle.

This combines with the Southern Group and Western Army, to form Kolchak's forces facing the Red Army.

The list is likely incomplete.

Independent Siberian Army

Army Commander   –   Lt-Gen Gajda
Chief of Staff   –   Maj-Gen Surnin

Pepelyaev Group

Group Commander   –   Lt-Gen Pepelyaev
Chief of Staff   –   Maj-Gen Surnin

8th Kama Army Corps

Corps Commander   –   Lt-Gen Panov
Chief of the Corps Staff   –   Lt-Col Kononov

Formed March 1919 as 2nd Combined Corps, then in April briefly renamed 5th Corps, then 8th Corps.

15th Votkinsk Rifle Division

Division Commander   –   Col Mikhaylov   (Martelle says Al'bokrinov)
Chief of Staff   –   Rotmistr (Captain) von Bakh

One of the most famous units in the Siberian Army. It started as the Votinsk Peoples' Revolutionary Army, and became a division in January 1919 when absorbed into Kolchak's forces. It was disbanded on retaking Votinsk, but soon reformed.

57th Votkinsk Factory Rifle Regiment "17 August"   –   Col Vol'skiy
58th Saigatskiy Rifle Regiment "Czechoslovakia"   –   Col Crier
59th Osinskiy Rifle Regiment "Minin and Pozhar"   –   Lieutenant Zhulanov
60th Votkinsk Rifle Regiment "Allied Powers"   –   Col Otmar-Shtein

15th Reserve Regiment

Votkinsk Horse Divizion

15th Light Artillery Divizion   –   Lieutenant Kurbalovskiy

15th Sapper Battalion

16th Sarapul' Rifle Division

Division Commander   –   Col Golovin
Chief of Staff   –  

Started as the 1st Kazan Division, but needed total reforming after the retreat over the Urals. In April 1919 became the 16th Sarapul' Division, with the 1st Sarapul', 2nd Kazan, 3rd Laishevo and 4th Chistopol' Rifle Regiments. Absorbed the Tyumen Training Schools. Arrived at the front in late May.

1st Sarapul' Rifle Regiment   –   (Martelle says forming)
2nd Kazan Rifle Regiment   –   Lt-Col Ivanov
3rd Laishevo Rifle Regiment   –   Lt-Col Zaalov
4th Chistopol' Rifle Regiment   –   Lt-Col Rodzevich

16th Reserve Regiment   –  

16th Light Artillery Divizion   –   Col Berens

16th Engineering Divizion

Combined Shock Corps

Corps Commander   –   Col Stepanov
Chief of Staff   –   Col Rybaltovskiy

Formed April 1919 from the newly raised 1st and 2nd Siberian Shock Brigades. Sent to the front in May. Probably always grossly understrength, and quite poor.

1st Shock Division

Division Commander   –   Col Labuntsev
Chief of Staff   –  

Formed February 1919 as a brigade, from independent battalions. Became a division in April.

1st Siberian Shock Regiment
2nd Siberian Shock Regiment
3rd Siberian Shock Regiment

1st Light Artillery Shock Divizion

1st Engineering Shock Divizion

2nd Shock Division

Division Commander   –   Col Boronov
Chief of Staff   –   Lt-Col Sluchevski

Formed March 1919 as a brigade, from independent battalions. Became a division in April. Lost the "Shock" in June as it did not perform very well.

5th Siberian Shock Regiment   –  
6th Siberian Shock Regiment   –  
7th Siberian Shock Regiment   –  

2nd Light Artillery Shock Battery

2nd Engineering Shock Divizion

Shock Corps Assets

Independent Shock Hussar Divizion   –   Lt-Col Matveev

Formed from one squadron attached to the original Shock Brigades. May have been split across the two Shock Divisions in the field.

1st Central Siberian Army Corps

Corps Commander   –   Maj-Gen Zenevich
Chief of Staff   –   Col Turbin

Reformed September-October 1918 from the original 1st Siberian Corps. Sent to the front near Perm and Ekaterinburg.

1st Siberian Rifle Division

Division Commander   –   Maj-Gen Molchevskiy
Chief of Staff   –   Lt-Col Shtal'berg

With the Corps from October 1918. The rifle regiments were based on "officer" units recruited largely from Barnaul and Novonikolaevsk in mid-1918. The numbers are from at June 1919.

1st Novonikolaevsk Siberian Rifle Regiment  –   Col Lastovskiy
2nd Barabinsk Siberian Rifle Regiment   –   Col Ivakin
3rd Barnaul Siberian Rifle Regiment   –   Col Yurmanov
4th Yenisei Siberian Rifle Regiment   –   Lt-Col Zhuravlev
1st Siberian Jaeger Regiment   –   Staff Captain Borzetsov

1st Siberian Reserve Regiment   –   Lt-Col Ignatyuk

1st Composite Siberian Artillery Divizion   –   Lt-Col Rekhov

1st Siberian Engineer Divizion   –   Staff Captain Kirenskiy

2nd Siberian Rifle Division

Division Commander   –   Maj-Gen Ukke-Ugovets
Chief of Staff   –   Col Ostroumov

With Corps from October 1918. The rifle regiments were based on "officer" units recruited largely from the Tomsk area in mid-1918. The numbers are from at June 1919.

5th Tomsk Siberian Rifle Regiment  –   Maj-Gen Kuz'menskoy
6th Marinskiy Siberian Rifle Regiment   –   Capt Olifer
7th Kuznets Siberian Rifle Regiment   –   Col Shchetkin
8th Biysk Siberian Rifle Regiment   –   Capt Johanovich
2nd Siberian Jaeger Regiment   –   Col Nikolaev

2nd Siberian Reserve Regiment   –   Cap Erokhin

2nd Composite Artillery Divizion   –   Lt-Col Popov   –   14 guns

2nd Siberian Engineer Divizion

16th Perm Siberian Rifle Division

Division Commander   –   Maj-Gen Sharov
Chief of Staff   –   Col Sukharskiy

Formed on January 1919 after the liberation of Perm, and sent to the front the next month.

61st Perm (Siberian) Rifle Regiment   –   Lt-Col Barmin
62nd Cherdyn' (Siberian) Rifle Regiment   –   Capt Reinhart
63rd Dobryanka (Siberian) Rifle Regiment   –   Col Polyakov   (Surrendered to Reds June 1919)
64th Solikamsk (Siberian) Rifle Regiment   –   Lt-Col Pravokhenskiy

16th Siberian Reserve Regiment   –   Capt Pokrovskiy

16th Siberian Artillery Divizion   –   Lt-Col Strizhev

16th Siberian Engineer Divizion   –   Capt Razumov

17th Independent Siberian Rifle Brigade

Brigade Commander   –   Col Perchuk
Chief of Staff   –  

Formed Spring 1919

65th Ob Siberian Rifle Regiment   –   Lt-Col Serebryannikov
66th Altai Siberian Rifle Regiment   –   Lt-Col Verstak
17th Siberian Jaeger Divizion

17th Siberian Rifle Artillery Divizion

17th Siberian Engineer Divizion

1st Independent Siberian Shock Brigade

Brigade Commander   –   Col Urbankovskiy
Chief of Staff   –  

Formed March 1919 from separate battalions. Seems to have been renamed a Jäger Brigade in the summer of 1919 and fought alongside the Grenadier Regiment (the so-called "Green Grenadiers") associated with General Pepelyaev.

1st Siberian Shock Regiment
2nd Siberian Shock Regiment

1st Siberian Shock Cavalry Divizion

1st Siberian Shock Artillery Divizion   –   Lt-Col Strakhov

1st Siberian Shock Engineer Divizion

1st Corps Assets

Escort Half-sotnia

Independent Heavy Battery   –   Lieutenant Bushuev   –   4 guns
Independent Long-Range Battery

Telegraph Company

Pepelayev Group Assets

1st Cavalry Division

Division Commander   –   Lt-Gen Milovich
Chief of Staff   –   Col Semenov

Formed February-April 1919 from the various separate regiments. Fought in Ekaterinburg and Krasnoufimsk area. The division may have fought largely as separate units. The Ekaterinburg Lancers were certainly detached during this period.

Kazan' Dragoon Regiment   –   Master Sergeant Vasil'ev
Tomsk Hussar Regiment   –   Col Klein
Ekaterinburg Lancer Regiment   –   Rotmistr (Captain) Molostvov
Simbirsk Lancer Regiment   –   Col Oshanin

1st Light Horse Artillery Divizion   –   Lt-Col Khaliletskiy

Other assets

Non-Commissioned Officer Battalion

1st Siberian Dragoon Divizion   –   Rotmistr (Captain) Yanert
11st Orenburg Cossack Regiment   –   Col Sukin
Escort Sotnia

Sapper Battalion   –   Lt-Col Zverev

2nd Siberian Aviation Detachment   –   Staff Captain Il'in
Air-Balloon Detachment

Independent Automobile Company   –   Lieutenant Migai

Siberian Divizion of Armored Trains

Railroad Security Battalion

1st Siberian Spotlight Company   –   Jr Lieutenant Novozhilov
Independent Telegraph Company   –   Staff Captain Aleksandrov

Verzhbitskiy Group

Group Commander   –   Lt-Gen Verzhbitskiy
Chief of Staff   –   Col Kruze

3rd Steppe Army Corps

Corps Commander   –   Maj-Gen Smolin
Chief of Staff   –   Col Turbin

Formed January 1919 from the West Siberian Detachment. Initially contained the 7th Ural, 3rd Irkutsk, 4th Steppe and 7th Steppe Siberian Rifle Division. In February and March it had only 4th Steppe and 7th Steppe plus an Shock Brigade (which soon became the 18th Steppe Siberian Rifle Division).

4th Steppe Rifle Division

Division Commander
Chief of Staff

Originally the 1st Siberian Steppe Division, formed around officers of the Imperial 11th Siberian Rifle Division. Became the 4th Siberian Division in August 1918. To 3rd Steppe Siberian Corps in January 1919.

13th Omsk Siberian Rifle Regiment   –   Staff Captain Budilkin
14th Irtysh Siberian Rifle Regiment   –   Lt-Col Dombrovskiy
15th Kurgan Siberian Rifle Regiment   –   Lt-Col Verzhbolovich
16th Ishim Siberian Rifle Regiment   –   Lt-Col Kazagrandi

Separate Horse-Jäger Divizion   –   Col Manzhetnyy

4th Siberian Rifle Artillery Divizion   –   Lt-Col Plotnikov
4th Howitzer Artillery Divizion   –   Col Cherepanov

4th Rear Cadre Regiment   –   Col Gede

7th Steppe Rifle Division

Division Commander   –   Col Cherkasov, then Lt-Col Bulatov in May
Chief of Staff   –   Capt Zuev

Formed January and February 1919 with regiments from multiple sources, reorgnised and given new names.

25th Tobol Siberian Rifle Regiment   –   Col Bordzilovskiy
26th Tyumen' Siberian Rifle Regiment
27th Verkhnotursk Siberian Rifle Regiment   –   Capt Kurenskov
28th Yalutorovsk Siberian Rifle Regiment   –   Capt Onushkevich

7th Rifle Artillery Divizion   –  

7th Engineer Divizion   –  

7th (50) Rear Cadre Regiment   –   Col Osipov

18th Siberian Rifle Division

Division Commander   –   Col Kazagrandi
Chief of Staff   –   Lt-Col Orlov

Formed April 1919 from the 2nd Siberian Shock Brigade's two regiments and jäger battalions plus the jäger battalion of the 16th Ishim Regiment. It was very much Colonel Kazagrandi's creation.

69th Siberian Rifle Regiment   –  
70th Siberian Rifle Regiment   –  
71st Siberian Rifle Regiment   –  
72nd Siberian Rifle Regiment   –  

(Horse-Jäger Divizion   –   ? Eremeev)

3rd Siberian Shock Brigade

Brigade Commander   –   Lt-Col Troitskiy
Chief of Staff   –  

Formed May 1919.

5th Shock Regiment
6th Shock Regiment

Krasnoufimsk Reserve Brigade

Brigade Commander   –   Col Pankov
Chief of Staff   –  

Formed May 1919.

1st Kungur Reserve Regiment   –   Col Galileev
2nd Kungur Reserve Regiment   –   Lt-Col Parfenov

3rd Steppe Corps Assets

17th Orenburg Cossack Regiment   –   Col Kruchinin
Horse Half-Squadron   –   Lieutenant Neiman
Shtakor's Flying Detachment   –   Junior Lieutenant Bandzyak
Perm Cavalry Regiment

1st Siberian Independent Heavy Divizion   –   Col Rozov

3rd Sapper Battalion   –   Lt-Col Popov
3rd Siberian Aviation Detachment   –   Staff Captain Faddeev

4th Siberian Corps

Corps Commander   –   Maj-Gen Grivin
Chief of Staff   –   Col Shelavin

Formed March 1919 as 1st Siberian Corps. Became the 4th Corps in April. It kept a largely consistent structure, although the Votinsk Division was briefly included.

3rd Siberian Rifle Division

Division Commander   –   Maj-Gen Grivin
Chief of Staff   –   Lt-Col Semenov

Formed summer 1918 in Irkutsk area as the Irkutsk Division from volunteer units. In August became the 3rd Siberian Division. Suffered heavy casualties in late 1918 in Ekaterinburg and Krasnoufimsk areas. Placed in the 4th Corps in March 1919.

9th Irkutsk (Siberian) Rifle Regiment   –   Lt-Col Kaupin
10th Baikal (Siberian) Rifle Regiment   –   Col Kukharev
11th Nizheudinsk (Siberian) Rifle Regiment   –   Capt Boyarskov
12th Verkhneudinsk (Siberian) Rifle Regiment   –   Capt Popov

3rd Reserve Cadre Regiment   –  

Krasnoufimsk Cavalry Squadron   –  
Tatar Sotnia   –   Staff Captain Kurov

3rd Light Artillery Divizion   –   Staff Captain Smolyaninov

3rd Siberian Engineer Divizion   –   Staff Captain Bulygin

15th Siberian Rifle Division

Division Commander   –   Col Shul'kevich
Chief of Staff   –   Capt Burov

Formed March 1919 from the 1st Siberian Separate Infantry Brigade and 10th Buguruslan Infantry Regiment.

57th Pavlodar (Siberian) Rifle Regiment
58th Akmolinsk (Celinograd) (Siberian) Rifle Regiment   –   Col Solov'ev
59th Sayan (Siberian) Rifle Regiment   –   Col Tonkoshkur
60th Siberia (Siberian) Rifle Regiment   –   Lt-Col   –   Golovanenko

15th Reserve Cadre Regiment

15th Siberian Light Artillery Divizion

Zlatoust'-Krasnoufimsk Brigade

Brigade Commander   –   Col Rychagov
Chief of Staff

Formed in 1919 around the partisan unit of Lieutenant Rychagov and rebels in the Krasnoufimsk area.

1st Krasnoufimsk Partisan Rifle Regiment   –   Jr-Lt Borshchaninov
2nd Kyshtim Partisan Rifle Regiment   –   Staff Capt Zhuk

Achinsk Cavalry Divizion

Krasnoufimsk Partisan Rifle Artillery Divizion

Siberian Army Assets

Staff of the Siberian Army   –   Maj-Gen Bogoslavskiy

1st Immortal Shock Regiment   –   Col Vlasov
General Brigade of the Siberian Army   –   Forming
King of the Serbs Partisan Detachment   –   Voevoda (Governor) Voskar
Jaeger Company   –   Ensign Latynin

Perm School for preparing Siberian Army Ensigns   –   Col Dybov   (perhaps with 1st Cav Div)
Personal Escort of the Army Commander   –   Rotmistr (Captain) Time
Independent Security Company of the Army Staff   –   Staff-Captain Zakharov

River Combat Flotilla   –   Counter-Admiral Smirnov

Independent Sapper Company   –   Lieutenant Urusov

3rd Battalion of Railroad Security   –   Lt-Col Paritskiy
4th Battalion of Railroad Security
7th Battalion of Railroad Security   –   Lt-Col Papin
8th Battalion of Railroad Security   –   Lt-Col Nenashev
10th Battalion of Railroad Security

1st Independent Armored Trains Divizion   –   Junior Lieutenant Shcherbakov

3rd Transportation Battalion   –   Col Lebedev

Units Missing from the Order of Battle

The 5th Army Corps is absent from above. It was formed in Spring 1919 and disbanded in Summer 1919, so it may never have been sufficiently formed to enter the order of battle. It was officially in the Northern Army Group.

There are no Siberian Host Cossacks in this Order of Battle. They were detached to fight partisans in their host area, so might count as a detached unit.

Also missing is:

12th Siberian Rifle Division

Division Commander   –   Maj-Gen Sergeev
Chief of Staff   –   Capt Sumarokov

Formed in March from the 2nd Cadre of the Omsk Military District. The 46th was left for security duty in Tomsk, but the rest were sent to the front in June as part of the 3rd Urals Corps. It had MGs from the half-destroyed 7th Urals Mountain Rifle Division but no artillery. The 47th Regiment (53 officers and 1010 men) surrendered to the Reds almost immediately.

45th Siberian Rifle Regiment   –  
46th Siberian Rifle Regiment   –   Lt-Col Slotov
47th Siberian Rifle Regiment   –   Capt Egorov
48th Siberian Rifle Regiment   –   Colonel Pavlovich

4th Ufa Artillery Divizion

Numbers

The Siberian Army was renamed to the Siberian Independent Army by 24 December 1918, as a result of Kolchak's takeover.

By the end of April, 1919, the Siberian Independent Army had approximately 40,000 soldiers as its combat component.

By June, the Army had split into Northern (1st and 5th Corps) and Southern Groups (3rd and 4th Siberian Corps), Combined Shock Corps and 8th Corps, and the 1st Cavalry Division. The 5th Corps was soon disbanded.

In July 1919, the Army totaled 350,000 men (56,600 rifles, 3,900 sabres, 600 machineguns, 164 cannons, 4 armored trains, and 9 airplanes).

For that time we have individual sizes for a few units:

1st Siberian Rifle Division

1st Novonikolaevsk Siberian Rifle Regt   –   Col Lastovskiy   –   12 companies, 1,984 bayonets, 22 MGs
2nd Barabinsk Siberian Rifle Regiment   –   Col Ivakin   –   12 companies, 1,215 bayonets, 20 MGs
3rd Barnaul Siberian Rifle Regiment   –   Col Yurmanov   –   12 companies, 1,191 bayonets, 14 MGs
4th Yenisei Siberian Rifle Regiment   –   Lt-Col Zhuravlev   –   12 companies, 1,912 bayonets, 26 MGs
1st Siberian Jaeger Regiment   –   Staff Captain Borzetsov   –   8 companies, 925 bayonets, 13 MGs

1st Composite Siberian Artillery Divizion   –   Lt-Col Rekhov   –   15 guns

2nd Siberian Rifle Division

5th Tomsk Siberian Rifle Regt   –   Maj-Gen Kuz'menskoy   –   12 companies, 1,702 bayonets, 20 MGs
6th Marinskiy Siberian Rifle Regiment   –   Capt Olifer   –   12 companies, 2,006 bayonets, 10 MGs
7th Kuznets Siberian Rifle Regiment   –   Col Shchetkin   –   16 companies, 1,698 bayonets, 9 MGs
8th Biysk Siberian Rifle Regiment   –   Capt Johanovich   –   2 companies, 1,870 bayonets, 14 MGs
2nd Siberian Jaeger Regiment   –   Col Nikolaev   –   8 companies, 1,052 bayonets, 12 MGs

2nd Composite Artillery Divizion   –   Lt-Col Popov   –   14 guns