Independent Western Army

in April and May 1919

This orbat is from Volkov's Encyclopedia and Klaving.

This combines with the Southern Group, to form Kolchak's forces facing the Red Army to the West – West from the perspective of the Whites in Siberia. There was also the Independent Siberian Army.

The list is likely incomplete.

Independent Western Army

Commander – Lt-Gen Khanzin
Chief of Staff – Maj-Gen Shchepikhin then Maj-Gen Sakharov in mid-May

2nd Ufa Corps

Corps Commander – Maj-Gen Wojciechowski
Chief of Staff – Lt-Col Finitskiy

Formed on the basis of the Kama Group. It was briefly numbered the 8th Corps.

4th Ufa Rifle Division of General Kornilov

Division Commander – Maj-Gen Sakharov
Chief of Staff – Col Ivanovo

One of the best units in the Siberian Army. It formed in mid-1918 from partisan and volunteer units in the Ufa area, including many Tatars (all the 16th Regt, half the 15th) and Bashkirs (half the 13th). In May it was allowed to add "of General Kornikov" to its name.

At the end of April 1919 the division had 439 officers, 5,235 bayonets and sabres, 119 MGs and 17 guns.

13th Ufa Rifle Regiment – Capt Karpov
14th Ufa Rifle Regiment – Lt-Col Slotov
15th Mikhailovsk Rifle Regiment – Capt Egorov
16th Tatar Rifle Regiment – Colonel Pavlovich

4th Ufa Artillery Divizion – ? Col Romanovskiy – 3 light and 1 howitzer batteries

8th Kama Rifle Division

Commander – Maj-Gen Puchkov
Chief of Staff – Maj Sobolev

One of the better units in the Siberian Army. It formed in mid-1918 mostly from partisan units around the lower Kama. Its officers were largely well trained and the ranks included many Tatars and Bashkirs. Later it was allowed to add "of Admiral Kolchak" to its name.

At the end of April 1919 the division had 461 officers, 7,391 bayonets and sabres, 114 MGs and 18 guns.

29th Birsk Rifle Regiment – Staff Capt Rozhdestvenskiy
30th Askino Rifle Regiment – Col Starov
31st Sterlitamak Rifle Regiment – Col Vorob'ev
32nd Kama Rifle Regiment – Lt Poroshnik

Shchegolikin Horse Divizion –

8th Kama Artillery Divizion – Col Berens

Separate Izhevsk Brigade

Brigade Commander – Col Fedichkin
Chief of Staff – Col Efimov

Formed as a brigade in January 1919 from the existing units of workers from the Izhevsk factories. They were very relaxed militarily, and may not have formed official "regiments" etc.

At the end of April it had 178 officers, 4,122 bayonets and sabres, 44 MGs and 10 guns

(1st Izhevsk Regiment – )
(2nd Izhevsk Regiment – )

(Izhevsk Cavalry Divizion – )

(Izhevsk Artillery Divizion – )

3rd Ural Mountain Rifle Corps

Corps Commander – Maj-Gen Prince Golitsyn
Chief of Staff – Col Ryutel

Formed in July 1918 in the Cheliabinsk and Miass areas. Originally the Separate Urals Corps, then Separate 3rd Urals.

6th Urals Mountain Rifle Division

Division Commander – Col Neiland
Chief of Staff – Col Sabelnikov

Formed July 1918 as the Separate Cheliabinsk Division. Up to February 1919 it had included the 23rd Miass and 24th Satka Regiments (then sent to form the 10th Verkhneuralsk Rifle Division).

At the end of April it had 162 officers, 2,104 bayonets and sabres, 22 MGs and 4 guns.

This division struggled badly with desertion in 1919, with entire battalions even going over.

21st Chelyabinsk Mountain Rifle Regiment –
22nd Zlatoust Mountain Rifle Regiment –

6th Ural Mountains Rifle Artillery Divizion –

7th Urals Mountain Rifle Division

Division Commander – Maj-Gen Toreykin
Chief of Staff – Lt-Col Sokolov (Capt. Andreev acting from May)

Formed July 1918 as the 2nd Urals Division, numbered 5th to 8th. The bracketed names indicate they carried banners of those Imperial regiments. The 25th was later named for Admiral Kolchak, who went to school in Ekaterinburg. One of the better Siberian divisions.

At the end of April it had 229 officers, 3,242 bayonets and sabres, 56 MGs and 8 guns, although it was soon to lose about 75% of its strength.

25th Ekaterinburg Mountain Rifle Regiment – Col Gerasimov
26th Shadrinsk or Lufia (? Verkhneisetsk) Mountain Rifle Regiment – Col Adamovich
27th Kamyshlov (195th Orovaysk) Mountain Rifle Regiment – Col Rozhko
28th Irbit or Krasnoufimsk (Pernovo Grenadiers) Mountain Rifle Regiment – Lt-Col Trukhin

7th Ural Mountains Rifle Artillery Divizion –

3rd Urals Cadre Mountain Rifle Brigade

Brigade Commander –
Chief of Staff –

Also known as Reserve Regiments. One for each of the Divisions above, they were presumably in the rear training recruits.

6th Cadre Regiment
7th Cadre Regiment

3rd Corps Assets

Ekaterinburg Lancer Regiment – Capt Molostvov (attached from 1st Cavalry Division)
4 other cavalry or Cossack regiments

Volkov gives five attached cavalry regiments as at March. Options include the Composite Irkutsk Division Cavalry Regiment, the Achinsk Horse Partisan Detachment under Major Popandopulo, and the 12th and 18th Orenburg Cossack Regiments.

6th Siberian Separate Cable Detachment
Independent Engineer Company
1st and 2nd Armoured Trains
Railway Security Detachment

The non-cavalry units listed are speculative, based on earlier assets.

6th Urals Rifle Corps

Corps Commander – Maj-Gen Sukin
Chief of Staff – Col Petrov

Formed January 1919 from parts of the 3rd Urals Corps. Disbanded and split up in late May 1919.

11th Urals Rifle Division

Division Commander – Col Vanyukov
Chief of Staff – Staff Capt Kugushev

Formed in October 1918 largely from men mobilised in the Cheliabinsk area as the 1st Cadre Rifle Division. It was renamed the 11th in December, along with the regiments, and sent to the front. It was badly battered and the reinforcements sent tended to desert to the enemy.

The 42nd Troitsk Regiment was formally part of the division but always operated separately in the Orenburg and Southern Armies. The 43rd Regiment carried the banner of the Imperial 196th Insar Infantry Regiment.

Strength at the end of April was 253 officers, 2,393 bayonets and sabres, 51 MGs and 6 guns.

41st Urals Rifle Regiment – Col Kruglevsky
43rd Verkneuralsk Rifle Regiment – ? Col Azarov
44th Kustanai Rifle Regiment –

11th Rifle Artillery Divizion – Col Beck-Mamedov

12th Urals Rifle Division

Division Commander – Maj-Gen Bangerskiy
Chief of Staff – Capt Gerasimovich, then from May Capt Golyshev

Formed in October 1918 largely from men mobilised in the Ekaterinburg area as the 2nd Cadre Rifle Division. It was renamed the 12th in December, as were the regiments, and sent to the front. Much of the 45th Regiment was Ukrainians of the former "Kurin Taras Shevchenko" and they were later to defect in large numbers. The 47th Regiment carried the banner of the Imperial 19th East Siberian Rifle Regiment.

Strength at the end of April was 230 officers, 4,896 bayonets and sabres, 57 MGs and 10 guns, although it suffered huge losses soon afterwards. The regiments started as 3 battalions strong.

45th Siberian Rifle Regiment – Capt Obukhov
46th Isetsk Rifle Regiment – Col Ivanov
47th Tagil Rifle Regiment – Col Bondyrev
48th Turin Rifle Regiment – Col Ukraintsev

12th Rifle Artillery Divizion – Capt Ivanov

3rd Orenburg Cossack Brigade

Brigade Commander –
Chief of Staff –

The regiment numbers are based on the Orenburg Cossack units left over after all the others are attributed.

In late April the Brigade had 50 officers, 1,556 sabres, 22 MGs and 4 guns.

[2nd] Orenburg Cossack Regiment –
[5th] Orenburg Cossack Regiment –

Orenburg Horse Artillery Battery – (or Divizion)

6th Corps Assets

Cadre Brigade

This should be the 11th and 12th Cadre Regiments, recruiting for the divisions above.

2nd Orenburg Cossack Brigade

Volkov indicates that this was attached at one point, but it is unclear how long for.

1st Volga Corps

Corps Commander – Maj-Gen Kappel'
Chief of Staff – Capt Lovtsevich

Formed initially as the Sibirsk Group, then the Composite Corps of the Samara Group, but as often known by their commander, General Kappel'. The original formations were from the KOMUCH People's Army.

Renamed the 1st Volga in January 1919, but then in February moved to the rear and reformed with the previous brigades now as divisions. Returned to the front in early May.

1st Samara Rifle Division

Division Commander – Maj-Gen Imshenetskiy
Chief of Staff – Col Smirnov

This appears to have been formed from Kappel's original Samara Brigade. There seems to have never been a fourth rifle regiment.

1st Volga Rifle Regiment – Col Mironov
2nd Samara Rifle Regiment – Lt-Col Kalatts
3rd Stavropol' Regiment – Col Romerov
Jäger Battalion – Staff Capt Maksimov

4th Orenburg Cossack Regiment –

1st Samara Rifle Artillery Divizion –

3rd Simbirsk Rifle Division

Division Commander – Lt-Gen Podryadchik
Chief of Staff – Lt-Col Grengagen

Formed in November 1918 from the Simbirsk Brigade of the People's Army. Reorganised in February 1919.

9th Simbirsk Rifle Regiment –
10th Bugulminsk Rifle Regiment –
11th Sengiley Rifle Regiment –
12th Buzuluk Rifle Regiment –
3rd Jäger Battalion –

3rd Simbirsk Horse Divizion –

3rd Simbirsk Rifle Artillery Divizion –
Howitzer Battery –

13th Kazan' Rifle Division

Division Commander – ? Maj-Gen Perkhurov
Chief of Staff –

Formed in November 1918 from the Kazan' Brigade of the People's Army. There seems to only have been three regiments.

49th Kazan' Rifle Regiment –
50th Arsk Rifle Regiment –
51st Urzhum Rifle Regiment –

(13rd Kazan Rifle Artillery Divizion – )

Volga Cavalry Brigade

Brigade Commander –
Chief of Staff –

Formed in early 1919 from the two separate regiments.

Samara Hussar Regiment –
Volga Dragoon Regiment –

2nd Orenburg Cossack Brigade

Brigade Commander –
Chief of Staff –

The location of this unit is not certain. It definitely served most of its time with this army, but is rarely in any lists. The numbers of the units are speculative, based on available units.

[3rd] Orenburg Cossack Regiment –
[6th] Orenburg Cossack Regiment –

(Orenburg Horse Artillery Battery – )

1st Corps Assets

3rd Ukrainian Hetman Sahaydachny Regiment (possibly with Southern Group instead)
Ufa Hussars (possibly attached from 2nd Cavalry Division)
Serbian Detachment – Governor Kiselev
Armored Divizion
3rd Aviation Divizion

Not in Corps

2nd Ufa Cavalry Division

Division Commander – Maj-Gen Dzhunkovskiy
Chief of Staff –

It is possible that the regiments were dispersed, partially or wholly, with the Hussars with the 1st Volga Corps and the Cossacks possibly the regiment attached to the 1st Samara Division.

Ufa Dragoon Regiment –
Ufa Hussar Regiment –
Ufa Lancer Regiment –
(Ufa Cossack Regiment – )

(Horse Artillery Battery or Divizion) –

Separate Orenburg Cossack Brigade

Brigade Commander – ? Maj-Gen Pechenkin
Chief of Staff –

This unit had started as half of the 3rd Orenburg Cossack Division, but the other two regiments (the 11th and 17th) were in the Independent Siberian Army throughout, so this unit effectively operated independently. It is possible it was attached to the 3rd Ural Mountain Rifle Corps.

12th Orenburg Cossack Regiment –
18th Orenburg Cossack Regiment

(Horse Artillery Divizion – )

Individual Units attached to the Army

Serbian Volunteer Regiment – Major Blagotich

Separate Sotnia
Horse Partisan Detachment
Kostanay Kirghiz Regiment

The cavalry units are speculative as they come from earlier in the year.

Heavy Artillery Divizion – Lt-Col Mel'nitskiy
Urals Artillery Cadre Divizion

Volga Flotilla – 2 divizions – each 6-8 ships

Numbers

At the end of April this Army had 2,064 officers, 32,158 bayonets and sabres, 522 MGs and 87 guns.

In June this Army was counted as having 32,400 bayonets, 6,300 sabres, 570 MGs and 98 guns, but this excludes the Southern Group and includes the newly added 1st Volga Corps.