Soviet Invasion of Transcaucasia (Democritus only)

[Nowa Polonie]

The Battle of Poti - the Evacuation Continues

''Throw your soldiers into position from whence there is no escape - and they will prefer death to flight.''



The din of shelling is nothing new to Poti - for weeks, the Polish volunteers have exchanged fire with the Red Army, suppressing their artillery. As the Red Army has built up its strength around the city, the sound has grown, and recently it has finally been joined by the rattle of machineguns, the exchange of rifle fire, and the quiet sound of men dying. Poti had been the principle port by which the Polish volunteers - and their supplies - had arrived. Faced with the chaos of the situation they had arrived to, they had remained in the city throughout the conflict, ostensibly to free elements of the Caucasian Army to fight elsewhere. Deeply entrenched, and now thoroughly familiar with the city and its surrounding country, the officers of the St. George's Legion from their HQ pour over artillery maps made up for the area around the city, dispatching orders, reinforcements, and ammunition runners. For every one man of the Legion, they will demand ten Bolshevik lives. For every metre of ground taken, ten gallons of blood.

At the sound of the Soviet heavy guns beginning to fire, there was no hesitation - every officer had faced war before, and knew that the thunder of guns was followed by a rain of bullets as the Bolsheviks would press to take the city. Even the highest ranking officers of the Legion, delegating the task of maintaining the evacuation, would go to join their men in the trenches. Joined by elements of the Transcaucasian Army who have trickled in, civilians who have volunteered to take up arms, and local residents who have chosen to serve as auxiliaries, the Legionnaries have resolved to fight till the finish - men leave the field to join the evacuation if wounded, or to go to God in Heaven if dead. If they abandon their positions to flee to the ships, they know that the city would long be overwhelmed, and themselves massacred, long before they reached the security of the few ships that continue to brave the port of Poti to retrieve evacuees. The only choice left is to fight.



As shells churn the mud, the Legionnaires of St. George wear grim faces and prepare to face another wave of Reds. As each man faces the next day of fighting, he has to himself perhaps half of the ammunition he was given yesterday, the Legion has begun exchanging ground for time - withdrawing each night under the cover of darkness to pre-prepared fallback positions, spiking guns, destroying what supplies remain that cannot be taken. These men know war, and they know what they came to Transcaucasia to do - and with the wailing of refugees at their backs, and the battle cries of the Bolsheviks ahead, they dare not turn back now.

[Georgian Kingdom]

Battle of Tiflis

At Tiflis, the Georgian-controlled area was continually shrinking. The defenders recognized that it was time for desperate measures. The Tiflis Garrison consisted of Great War veterans who had fought in the Russian Army. They knew a thing or two about how the Soviets operated. Some special attack units would be created, which would have captured Red Army uniforms. They would pretend to be Red Army formations, aided by the fog of war and Georgian reconnaissance and intelligence efforts. When they got the opportunity, these special attack units would stab their Soviet "comrades" in the back, firing at their columns with semi-automatic weaponry. If possible, they would attempt to escape to fight another day. However, if escape was impossible, they were advised to commit suicide. While this alone wouldn't change the tide of the battle, it was hoped that it would spread paranoia and distrust amongst the Soviet ranks. Georgian propaganda would also attempt to incite ethnic strife within the Red Army's ranks.

The Georgians realized that the Soviets responded to heavily defended buildings by attacking them with overwhelming numbers. Thus, the Georgians would start purposely setting up their strongholds in buildings with working gas. When it was clear the Soviet offensive began, the Georgians would purposely overflow the pipes. When it was clear that the building was no longer defensible, the overconcentrated gas would be purposely ignited and then have its lid covered up. The pressure would quickly build up and cause a violent explosion. As natural gas has no smell, and any noise would be covered up by combat, it would be hard for the Soviets to tell that they were in a kill zone. Other stuff, such as water heaters and furnace boilers could be used to a similar effect. The fallen Georgians would be honored for their brave sacrifices.

Even in the houses that did not have working gas, the Soviets would still run into issues. Previously, the Georgians had boarded up many doors and ground floor windows, and as the Soviets tried to enter them they would be vulnerable to getting struck by Georgian fire on the other side of the street. Other times, the doors would be rigged with explosives, and sometimes both measures would be used. The Soviets attempted to compensate by utilizing tanks and artillery to blow apart sections of buildings. However, due to the very limited number of Soviet tanks, these measures would not be able to be implemented in most places.

Southern Front

Around the Yerevan pocket, the remaining 12,000 Transcausian forces, including 7,000 of dashnak-tsyutun would set up their defenses at the city. Supplies would come in from surrounding areas, as they prepared to make their final stand. Meanwhile, in the west, the Third Caucasus Infantry would convert itself into a partisan force. Meanwhile, the Northern Command would march towards Zestafoni. Surely, the Imereti region would have some food that could be pillaged, or rather, "received from understanding people."

Even despite the disorganization among the Transcaucasian units, the central recognized government of what is remaining of the United Transcaucasus State remains in Karabakh, the city of Steponakert.

Baku Front

In Baku, the city had been preparing for over two weeks for the Bolshevik attack. As usual, Soviet planes would be fired upon. However, Baku's anti-aircraft fire would be far less than Tiflis's. As the Soviets launched their offensive, they would find that trenches, barricades, concealed machine-gun nests, and roads littered with spiked frames. The city had also constructed some wooden catapults, which would be positioned in Sumqayit for now. However, the main goal was to destroy the Baku oil fields. The Soviets were in desperate need of oil, facing a shortage back home. Thus, the oil must be set into flames and made unusable.

In Azerbaijan, the fledging partisan army was relieved that the Soviets had sent all their armies elsewhere. Facing overstretched rear troops and Soviet officers, the partisan forces wouldn't find it that hard to avoid detection. Bases would be quickly established across Azerbaijan. However, the partisan armies would still be focused on gathering intelligence on their surroundings, establishing ties with the locals, and preparing their base areas for guerilla operations.

[Orostan]

[quote="Orostan";p="38109194"]

Tiflis Captured, Anti-Partisan Activities Begin - 2/5/1920

In Tiflis the fighting had reached its peak, the last of the Georgian defenders giving their hardest fight in the center of the city. Gas explosions caused by the Georgians were not effective, as more often than not a bullet firing or striking something metal, anything to cause a spark, would set off the traps before they could be triggered by the defenders at the time they wanted. They were however very disruptive, and the gas pipes exploding frequently sent flaming debris flying around to start uncontrollable fires that were difficult to extinguish. The more conventional defense would work better as in the narrow city streets the Soviets could only use their mountain guns effectively to destroy the enemy's cover. The avenues and larger streets however would be a better place for the Soviets to leverage their numbers, and the Georgians would be divided into different hold outs along those streets. Supply movement between them would become very difficult and the defenders would find themselves cut off from their supply stores and quickly running out of whatever they had on hand. Their attempts to disguise themselves as Soviet soldiers would be effective the first few times it was tried, but eventually Red Army troops would start demanding suspicious men identify their unit and their commanding officer. The GPU that was normally enforcing discipline and preventing war crimes would also take to rooting out enemy infiltrators. Squads of GPU men would frequently exchange fire with Georgians in stolen and tattered Red Army uniforms in the last days of the fighting and the enemy's disguised attacks would only slow the fighting down or affect morale slightly. By the fifth of February the sound of gunfire would begin to die down and a red flag would be raised over the center of the city. The celebration the Red Army had was brief though, as there was work to be done. The next days would be focused on repairing infrastructure in and around the city as well as cleaning up the bodies.

The Reds rushing into Baku had concentrated much of their forces on capturing Sumqayit and Quaradagh. The hope was to either force the enemy to retreat off of their prepared defenses in the mountains or to surrender before the fighting reached its peak. Artillery and the heavy guns of the armored trains helped ensure a good artillery advantage and the ability to destroy the enemy's catapults before they could be effectively used, though they did get a few large rocks thrown in the direction of the advancing Reds before shells landed on them. One of those rocks even struck a tank directly, producing a large dent in its roof before bouncing off but otherwise leaving the crew uninjured. But once black columns of smoke began to come from the oil fields the Soviets would have to accelerate their plans. A few days into the offensive, the forces meant to be keeping the enemy on the hills in place would instead attack the enemy positions in greater numbers and with the goal of destroying them. The Soviet ships in the Caspian would provide important support to the advancing troops as well. It was expected that with aircraft dropping leaflets and Soviet demands for surrender as well as promises that the Transcaucasians could surrender to the GPU and not the Red Army that after the oil fields were set alight that the end of organized resistance in Baku would come soon.

At Poti the attack on the Polish and Transcaucasians put up a harder fight than expected. Every inch took men and supplies to secure, and no matter how many shells sent down on the defenders they would always pop out of their holes right as the Soviets approached their defenses. As the enemy hold out got smaller and smaller the Red tanks broke through Polish defenders in the north of the town, and the gap in the Polish line this generated allowed Soviet commanders to pour men in and finally break the defensive ring that had cost them so many men and artillery shells. The last evacuation ship was leaving port just as the Soviets arrived, and soldiers exchanged fire with the Poles on the deck of that boat as it pulled out of the dock. The last Polish defenders were cut off and surrounded in their trenches north of the city and attacked from both sides in a fight that left no prisoners for the Reds to take. Few prisoners were taken during the brutal days long fighting but Poti was secure. Behind them the Transcaucasians were either breaking up into partisan groups they were about to be sent to deal with or were trying to run north to look for supplies. The sixteen thousand strong demoralized Transcaucasian force moving towards Zestafoni would be attacked by eleven thousand better supplied Reds, and forced to break up into partisan groups that fled for the hills if they weren't killed or taken prisoner. After the relatively brief battle the Reds would make their own partisan hunting groups and begin a clean up operation in the area that would be copied in the south and in other areas where the presence of partisans was well known. At Yerevan where the last Transcaucasians held out (apart from Baku), the city would be surrounded and a surrender demanded. Amnesty and processing by the GPU instead of the Red army was offered.

[Nowa Polonie]

The Adventure Ends...?

''It is given out.. that the following officers and other ranks of the St. George's Legion - killed; Major Janusz D. Zdanov, Captain Ivan Golikov... Other Ranks, Privates Borek, Yefimy, Karamazov..''



2,800 men arrived in Poti to fight in Transcaucasia - just over 1,600 have managed to escape.

The Legion was under no illusions that it would hold Poti - but they were prepared, until the end, to fight. They performed this role admirably, until the very last of the merchant vessels and red cross ships would dare to come near the port to evacuate the city. As wounded soldiers and refugees poured out of the city, and began to leave over the sea, the officers of the Legion began to make preparations. They could not exchange ground forever - they did not have enough ground, and they could never buy enough time. As the Reds committed their tanks to the offensive, it was apparent that they intended to carry through the assault until the end - and the Legion had neither the men, nor the ammunition, to be the ones standing at that end. As the assault began, and the breakthroughs occurred, the Legion gathered volunteers - four hundred men, most of them 'standing wounded', who would remain behind, to cover the evacuation of what was left of the Legion in the city. This they did, and did well enough to allow the Legion's escape.

Sailing from Poti, the war in Transcaucasia for them is all but over - but their next point of arrival, Constantinople, gives the promise of refitting by the British, and the potential to reinforce the Legion with volunteers from the Transcaucasian refugees accompanied by the Legion, and volunteers from across the Balkans. There are some who say a valiant defeat is as great as any victory - if this is so, then the Legion has made its reputation with its stand at Poti, and the Polish media has treated them like darlings for their defense of Poti. It is hoped that despite this first defeat, this may prove itself a mere hiccup in the history of the regiment.



Purchased by the Legion during its time in Poti, 'Béla'', a Syrian Brown Bear, accompanied the Legion of St. George on its trip to Constantinople, being widely photographed among the troops and refugees, becoming something of a mascot for the young volunteer brigade.

[Georgian Kingdom]

Caucasus government collapses

Under the immense pressure from the Red Army having lost many of its territories and after withstanding countless attacks by the Soviets while having its main government in exile in Poland, the interim government of the United Caucasus State stationed in Steponakert, Karabakh, has ceased to exist. The communication between various Caucasus military units is lost while the government no longer has control over the Army. Having lost the communication with the interim government, some Caucasus army units left their positions and escaped into the woods while others continued as partisans. Marshal Shota Grigadze who was appointed as an acting General Secretary of the State, has mysteriously disappeared and no one has eevr heard from again.