In spring of 1919 armies of the Western front combated against the Finnish, German, Polish, Estonian, Lithuanian, Latvian and White Guard armies in Karelia, Baltic and Byelorussia. At the end of April the Finnish Olonetsk voluntary army assumed the offensive, defeated forces of the 7-th army of the Western front, seized the Vidlitsa and Olonets, endangering Petrograd from the north. In the middle of May the Northern corps (since June 19 the Northwest army) under command of general K.K.Dzerzhinsky (since June, 1 under command of A.P.Rodzyanko) started approach in the Petrograd direction. Under attacks of the Estonian, Latvian and Lithuanian units supported by the Northern corps the troops of the 15-th army left the territory of Baltic.
On the night of June, 13 under the direction of members of " the National center " garrisons of forts of the Red Hill, the Grey Horse and Obruchev rose the rebellion in rear of the 7-th army. However, with the help of the ships of the Baltic fleet the units of the army suppressed the revolt within three days and on June, 21 passed into counterattack on interfluvial isthmus and the zone between the Koporsky gulf and Pskov.
At the end of June - the beginning of July 1919 the Onega military flotilla landed troops in the area of the mouth of the Vidlits river, which defeated the units of the Finnish Olonetsk voluntary army and threw them back to the border. At the end of July - the beginning of August the armies of the Western front repelled counterstrokes of the Polish, Estonian and White Guard armies. August 5 the formations of the 7-th army occupied Yamburg, and then rendered assistance to the 15th army, which defeated the Northwest army and on August 26 seized Pskov. By the end of the month the 16th army managed to stop the advance of the Polish armies in Byelorussia.
The governments of the Baltic countries in reply to the offer of the government of RSFSR from August 31 and September 11 to start peace talks on the basis of recognition of their independence, refused conducting offensive actions against Soviet Russia. As well as Poland, they did not want to help the armies of generals Denikin and Yudenich, who refused to recognize their sovereign rights. The temporary lull on the Western front, allowed to transfer part of its forces to the south. Simultaneously its 7th army under command of former general D.N.Nadezhny during persistent defensive fights stopped the advance of the Northwest army of general N.N.Yudenich and on October 21 passed to counterattack.
Together with the 15th army the 7th army forced the army of general Yudenich back to the Estonian border. Its rests went to the territory of Estonia where were disarmed and interned. February 2, 1920 signing of the peace treaty between the delegations of RSFSR and Estonia took place in Yurievo. The contract proclaimed the cessation of the state of war between both countries, RSFSR recognized independence of Estonia and transferred the appropriate part (15 million roubles gold) of gold reserves of Russia to it. |
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