The place of the First Cavalry Army in the history of the Red Army is special. This formation, which existed in 1919-1921, managed to fight on several fronts of the Civil War. Budenny cavalry fought in the Donbass, Ukraine, Don, Kuban, the Caucasus, in Poland and the Crimea. In the Soviet Union, the First Cavalry acquired a legendary status, which was not in any other part of the Red Army.
Creature
The famous First Cavalry Army was created in November 1919. The decision to form it was made by the Revolutionary Military Council. The corresponding proposal was made by Joseph Stalin. The army included three divisions and the 1st cavalry corps. Semen Budyonny commanded them. It was he who led the new formation.
On the eve of this event, Budyonny’s forces occupied the Kastornaya station in the modern Kursk region. They pursued the retreating parts of the Mamontov and Shkuro corps. During the fighting, telephone and telegraph lines were damaged, due to which Budyonny did not immediately find out that he was the commander of the First Horse Army. He was informed of the official decision in Stary Oskol. Voroshilov and Schadenko were also appointed members of the Revolutionary Military Council of the new formation. The first already participated in the organization of the 10th Red Army, the second had experience in the formation of smaller units.
Device
In early December 1919, the future Marshal Egorov, Stalin, Voroshilov and Schadenko arrived at Budyonny. Together they signed order No. 1. So the First Horse Army was created. The order was drawn up in Velikomikhaylovka. Today there is a memorial museum of the First Cavalry Army.
The newly created army achieved its first successes in the first days of its existence. On December 7, the white case of Konstantin Mamontov was defeated. Valuyki were taken. Here was an important railway junction and there were trains with ammunition and food. Many horses and a train were also captured.
In the battles for Valuyki, the 4th Division was waiting for particularly difficult trials. A powerful fire from armored trains was concentrated against her. Despite this, the divisions acted in concert and swept Valuyki from the flanks.
It was originally planned that there would be five cavalry divisions in Conarmia. However, due to the lack of people at first, only three entered it. Also, two rifle divisions and a Sverdlov auto detachment were added as reinforcements. It included 15 cars with machine guns mounted on them. There was also a Stroyev squadron (12 aircraft). It was intended for reconnaissance and communication between army units. Four armored trains were assigned to the Konarmia: Kommunar, Rabochiy, Death of the Directory, and the Red Cavalryman.
Donbass
When the Valuyki were taken, the Budyonnovtsy received a new order: to enter the Kupyansk-Timinovo line. The Revolutionary Military Council decided to deliver the main blow along the railway, and the auxiliary blow in the direction of Pokrovskoye. The offensive was carried out swiftly, as the Soviet leadership was afraid that the retreating whites would begin to destroy the mines important to the economy. Carts, medical posts, and supply bases were being pulled up. December 16, the Red Army entered Kupyansk.
The first cavalry army was created to fight against the forces of the Dobarmia, which made an unsuccessful attempt to march to Moscow. Now the whites retreated, and the red, advancing south and southwest, pursued opponents of the Soviet regime.
In December, the equestrian army faced the task of crossing the Seversky Donets River on the Loskutovka-Nesvetevich section. Despite the winter, the ice on it was not strong enough to withstand the severity of cavalry and artillery. Therefore, there were 2 ways to overcome this natural barrier: to capture an already finished bridge or build your own crossing. The White Guard Command sent fresh forces to the north bank of the river. Despite this, in the morning of December 17, the Revolutionary Military Council ordered to force Donets.
The first cavalry army was to concentrate its own armored forces, tighten the rear, fix the railway tracks, replenish military supplies. The operation was designed for rapid progress. Because of this, the First Cavalry Army of Budyonny was very distant from neighboring friendly regiments. Nevertheless, Seversky Donets was still forced. It happened on December 23, 1919. At the same time, Lysychansk was taken.
The end of 1919
On December 25-26, stubborn battles continued in the direction of Popasna. They were led by the 12th Infantry Division, moving forward with the help of armored trains. On her way she overturned the forces of the 2nd Kuban Corps. On December 26, the division reached the Popasnaya – Dmitriyevka line. On the same day, the 4th Don Cavalry Corps was driven back Krinichnaya - Good. By December 27, Conarmia had completely taken control of the Bakhmut-Popasnaya line. White, meanwhile, was preparing for a counterattack on the left flank.
Leaving Seversky Donets behind, the First Horse continued to pursue the units under the command of Generals Shkuro and Ulagai. On December 29, White left Debaltseve, and the next day - Gorlovka and Nikitovka. In a major battle near the village of Alekseevo-Leonovo, the regiments that were part of the Markov division were defeated.
The 9th Rifle and 11th Cavalry Divisions continued the offensive from Horlivka. January 1, 1920 they occupied the Ilovaiskaya and Amvrosievka stations. The Circassian White Division located here suffered a crushing defeat. Its remnants fled in the southeast and southwest directions. In the last week of 1919, whites lost 5 thousand people captured and 3 thousand people killed. The Konarmia seized 170 machine guns, 24 guns, 10 thousand shells, 1.5 thousand horses and other military equipment.
By January, Donbass was completely under the control of the Bolsheviks. This victory was of great operational strategic, economic and political importance. The Soviet Republic gained access to the densely populated proletarian region, where there were inexhaustible sources of fuel. For Konarmia, the shortest path was opened for an attack on Rostov and Taganrog.
Rostov
In the new 1920, the First Cavalry Army took part in the large general Rostov-Novocherkassk operation and slightly changed the direction of its movement. January 6, her forces occupied Taganrog. There was an extensive Bolshevik underground.
On the first day of the new year, Budyonny and Schadenko went to the front lines of the divisions to clarify the situation. Voroshilov was considered a connoisseur of Donbass and remained at the army headquarters in Chistyakovo (he wrote an appeal to the workers of the Donetsk basin). In Kolpakovka Budyonny met with Semyon Tymoshenko. Soon, his units advanced into Matveyev Kurgan. Fighting broke out near the General's Bridge. On the evening of January 7, White made an unsuccessful attempt at a counteroffensive.
On January 8, Tymoshenko’s division first entered Rostov-on-Don. Street battles for the city lasted three days. The big mistake of the White Guard command was the decision to strengthen the defensive lines on the approaches to Rostov, but not pay attention to protecting the outskirts and the city center. The appearance of the red cavalry on the streets was all the more unexpected because the opponents of the Bolsheviks massively celebrated Christmas.
On January 10, the 33rd division of Lewandowski came to the rescue of Tymoshenko, and Rostov finally passed into the hands of the Bolsheviks. During the fighting, about 10 thousand White Guards were captured. In the hands of the Red Army were dozens of guns, two hundred machine guns and other property.
The local Revolutionary Military Council sent a victorious report to Lenin and the Revolutionary Military Council of the Southern Front. It was reported that Rostov and Nakhichevan were taken, and whites were thrown back for Gniloaksayskaya and Bataysk. Heavy rains prevented further pursuit of the enemy. At Aksayskaya, whites destroyed the crossing across the Don, and at Bataysk - over Koysug. However, the Reds managed to save the bridge and the railway across the river in Rostov itself. In the city, a commandant was appointed, the head of the garrison, and also formed by the Revolutionary Committee.
Caucasus
After White left the banks of the Don and the Donets Basin, the main fights moved closer to the Caucasus, where the First Horse Army went. During the Civil War, there were a great many such episodes of relocation and reassignment to other fronts. Together with the First Horse in the North Caucasus, the 8th, 9th, 10th and 11th armies fought. The White and Reds had equal strengths in comparison, however, representatives of the White movement had more cavalry, which gave them good opportunities for maneuver.
Budyonnovtsy began their first march (on Platovskaya) on February 11. The path was difficult, since on the left bank of Sala there was complete impassability. Machine gun carts were fixed on a sleigh. Carts and artillery drowned in a meter-long layer of loose snow. It was hard for horses. Over time, the Budennovites acquired their own breed, which was distinguished by its special endurance and prepared for the difficult conditions of the war. The stud farm of the First Cavalry Army, which was already opened in the Soviet era, was then engaged in their breeding.
On February 15, the red cavalry in the area of the Kazhenny bridge crossed over Manych and launched an attack on Shablievka. The Red Army took advantage of the darkness and surpassed the position of the White Guards, inflicting an unexpected blow on them. Shablievka was taken, the plastun battalion of the 1st Kuban corps of Vladimir Kryzhanovsky was captured.
Egorlyk
From February 25 to March 2, the Yegorlyk battle took place - the largest cavalry battle in the entire Civil War. The first cavalry army took an active part in it. Budenny managed to defeat the forces of General Kryzhanovsky and Alexander Pavlov. The total number of cavalry that took part in the clash was 25 thousand people.
Tymoshenko’s 6th Division, hiding in a hollow, deliberately let enemy columns in, and then the White Guards were covered with heavy artillery fire. A decisive attack followed. White was at a loss and began to retreat. It was the 4th Don Corps.
In the group of General Pavlov there were other parts. The general himself commanded the 2nd Don Corps. This detachment met with the vanguard of the 20th Infantry Division (it moved to Middle Yegorlyk). Suddenly, the 4th Cavalry Division of the Conarmia wedged into the ranks of the Pavlovtsy. Artillery and machine guns were actively used, there was a cruel cabin. Budyonny and Voroshilov led the 1st brigade and cut off the enemy’s retreat to Middle Ergolyk.
In the battle, the key strength of the whites, the Cossack cavalry, was defeated. Because of this, a widespread retreat of opponents of the Soviet regime began. The commander of the First Cavalry Army did not fail to take advantage of the success: the divisions subordinate to him occupied Stavropol and Khomutovskaya. Further pursuit of the enemy, however, slowed down. The terrible spring thaw affected.
Kuban
On March 13, 1920, Budyonny, who was in Yegorlykskaya, received a new directive from the Revolutionary Military Council of the Caucasus Front. The paper contained an order to force the Kuban River. On March 14, Ordzhonikidze (a member of the Revolutionary Military Council of the front) and Tukhachevsky (commander of the front) arrived at the First Horse.
Soon the troops set off on a new campaign. On the banks of the Kuban, the Sultan-Girey corps was defeated. Retreating, whites destroyed most of the crossings. Instead, new pontoons were built, and the damaged bridges were repaired. By March 19, the First Horse crossed the Kuban.
Three days later, the Budennovites entered Maykop. Here they were expected by the five thousandth army of Shevtsov. These were pro-Bolshevik partisans, consisting of Black Sea and Caucasian detachments. Shevtsov’s detachment also helped establish Soviet power in Tuapse and Sochi.
Maykop was an important, from a strategic point of view, city, since there were valuable oil fields. Their protection was directly taken up by the First Cavalry Army. In the Civil War, a turning point had already come. White retreated on all fronts. The Maikop operation was the last for Budenny in the Caucasus.
Poland
In the spring of 1920, the First Mounted Army of Budyonny was at war with Poland (sources of that time used the term "Polish Front"). In essence, it was part of one general conflict on the territory of the disintegrated Russian Empire.
52 days Budyonny’s forces moved from Maykop to the Ukrainian city of Uman. Clashes with the UPR army continued all this time. In May-June, the first horse participated in the Kiev operation of the Red Army. In the first two days of the offensive, she was able to defeat parts of the chieftain Kurovsky.
The Polish front was broken through on June 5. Soldiers and trumpeters of the First Cavalry Army entered Zhitomir. The 4th division, commanded by Dmitry Korotchaev, played a key role in this success. A small Polish garrison was defeated. Numerous Red Army soldiers were released from captivity. On the same day, the Poles left Berdichev.
In those June days of 1920, the commander of the First Cavalry Army of the Red Army was primarily engaged in establishing control over the most important roads and highways. It was the Budennovites who broke the connection between various Polish troops, which helped other Soviet forces occupy Kiev. At the end of June, the cavalry entered Novograd-Volynsky, and on July 10 - in Rivne.
At the end of July 1920, the Budennovites were transferred to Lviv. Here they were subordinated to the Western Front (previously they were part of the South-Western Front). On August 16, the Western Bug was forced . The days of bloody battles for Lviv have come. Against the Red Army aircraft and armored trains acted. Events in the vicinity of Lviv fell into the plot of the novel How Steel Was Tempered, written by Nikolai Ostrovsky.
Conarmia never occupied the city. Having received the order of Tukhachevsky to advance in the direction of Lublin, she left the Lviv neighborhood. In the last days of August, battles for Zamosc took place. Here, the commander of the First Cavalry Army in the Civil War, Budyonny was never able to break the resistance of the Poles and the Ukrainians from the UPR army who stood on their side.
Crimea
In September 1920, the Conarmia turned out to be on the Southern Front, where battles continued against the Wrangel White Guards who controlled the Crimea. The Perekop-Chongar operation that followed in November under the general command of Mikhail Frunze ended in the occupation of the red peninsula.
The cavalry made a great contribution to the victory of the Red Army in the battles near the Kakhovsky bridgehead. The Budennovites acted together with the Second Cavalry Army, commanded by Philip Mironov.
The last battles of the famous formation date back to the winter of 1920-1921. The commander of the First Cavalry Army again led his troops to Ukraine, where Soviet power continued to fight the Makhnovists. This was followed by a transfer to the North Caucasus, where the army of the rebels Mikhail Przhevalsky was defeated. The disbandment of the First Cavalry Army took place in May 1921. Its headquarters continued to work until the fall of 1923.
The successes of the Conarmia in Russia were caused by the speed of regrouping, the flexibility of maneuver, and the concentration of superior means and forces in the direction of the main attack. The Red Cavalry loved surprise attacks and was distinguished by a clear interaction of their own formations and units.
Joseph Stalin, the future head of the Soviet state, was an honorary Red Army in the First Horse (the same title was received by Marshal Egorov). After the Civil War, it acquired the status of an important symbol of the successful struggle against the opponents of the Bolsheviks. Budyonny became one of the first five Soviet marshals. Also, he was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union three times.
Today in the Zernograd district of the Rostov region there is a stud farm of the First Horse Army. In Lviv there is a monument to the Budyonnovtsi. The streets of Konarmia are in Stary Oskol, Simferopol and Rostov-on-Don. Her artistic image is known for the collection of stories by Isaac Babel, films of Yefim Dzigan, George Berezko and Vladimir Lyubomudrov.