Quartermaster support and supply of Polish troops in Siberia (1918–1920)

Abstract

In summer 1918, when the Czechoslovak Legion and White Russians were fighting the Bolsheviks in the Volga Region and Siberia, Polish military forces were established in the area. Since October, they had been permanently stationed in Novonikolayevsk on the Ob River. At the turn of 1918 and 1919, the Poles managed to form a division.

In June 1919, Polish troops fought in defence of the Trans-Siberian Railway. As the situation of allied forces continued to deteriorate, the Polish 5th Siberian Rifle Division became their rearguard. Its largest battle against regular Bolshevik troops took place on 23 December 1919 at the junction station of Taiga. On 10 January 1920, against the protests of some officers, the Polish Command announced the surrender of Polish troops.

Some officers and soldiers did not accept surrender and forced their way through to Harbin, where the surviving men formed a battalion. Thanks to the effort of the Polish Military Mission under the command of General Antoni Baranowski, which departed from Poland and reached Far East in February 1920, the battalion would return home on board the “Yaroslavl” steamer.

The command of Polish forces in eastern Russia and Siberia faced the huge challenge of providing troops with quartermaster support and supply. Long distances, communication problems and the dispersal of Polish troops complicated the logistics. Despite their hardships, the Poles had the assistance of France and a branch of the Czechoslovak National Council. With their support, Polish forces – particularly those sent to fight against the Red Army – were far better equipped than the White forces commanded by Admiral Alexander Kolchak.

The uniforms and arms of the Siberian Division left a lot to be desired. The situation deteriorated significantly after France took over the task of supplying and sustaining the Polish division from the Czechoslovaks. The French failed to provide equipment for the 20,000 soldiers until the spring of 1919. In late 1918, when the Polish troops were still forming, food, fodder and uniforms were provided through a supply unit of the Czechoslovak Legion under an agreement with the branch of the Czechoslovak National Council. To facilitate distribution of supplies transported to the Polish troops, a quartermaster service was established at the Command of the Polish Armed Forces in eastern Russia. The new facilities included warehouses for food and other supplies, tailoring and shoemaking workshops and a leased steam bakery. Healthcare was another problem, since the provision of all medical services had to be organised from scratch.