Defense of Astrakhan

Astrakhan was an important strategic point in the defense of the Soviet Republic: the city covered the mouth of the Volga, which supplied the central regions with bread and raw materials. In the spring and summer of 1919, Soviet troops in the South under the blows of Denikin's troops were forced to retreat into the interior of the country. In May 1919, the Caucasian Army of General Wrangel, advancing on the right wing of the Denikin front, reached Tsaritsyn (Volgograd) and the distant approaches to Astrakhan. Astrakhan was under threat from different directions: from the region of the North Caucasus - the detachment of General Dratsenko (3 thousand people); from the side of Guriev - Astrakhan group of Colonel Seryozhnikov (3 thousand people) from the Ural Army, General Tolstov; The main forces of the Caucasian Army attacked Tsaritsyn from the west.

Grouping of Soviet troops: the Kizlyar group (reinforced rifle regiment) acted against General Dratsenko's detachment 70-100 km south-west of Astrakhan; The Krasnoyarsk group (reinforced rifle regiment) covered the mouth of the Volga from the east, 60-80 km from Astrakhan; the main forces of the Astrakhan group (Right-Bank and Left-Bank groups) acted on the Tsaritsyn direction in the Black Yar region on both banks of the Volga; the railway group (reinforced rifle regiment) covered the Astrakhan-Saratov railway; one rifle regiment was in reserve in Astrakhan. From the sea, Astrakhan defended the Astrakhan-Caspian military flotilla.

The attempts of the enemy to capture the city in June-July 1919 were successfully repulsed by Soviet troops, but the threat of a breakthrough of the Ural army group from the east and General Dratsenko's detachment from the south to the near approaches to Astrakhan and the capture of the Volga mouth was not withdrawn.

June 30, 1919 the enemy captured Tsaritsyn . Soviet troops operating in the Astrakhan region and on the lower Volga, were partially surrounded. With the fall of Tsaritsyn - Astrakhan became the main obstacle to the unification of the forces of the southern and eastern counterrevolution. The defense of Astrakhan and the Lower Volga acquired strategic importance. June 30, 1919 Astrakhan was declared on the status of a serf district. The enemy, relying on Tsaritsyn, led parts of the 2nd Kuban Corps offensive on the left bank of the Volga on Vladimirovka , on the right bank on the Black Yar , threatening to close the encirclement ring, pin down Soviet troops here and thereby promote the offensive of General Dratsenko from the south and the group Colonel Seryozhnikov from the east. Particular danger arose on the left bank front. In the area of ​​the Baskunchak station and the village of Vladimirovka (occupied by the enemy on July 26, 1919), fierce battles took place. On July 29, 1919, the decisive blow of the Soviet troops Vladimirovka was liberated. On the right bank of the Volga in the Black Yar region, Soviet troops with great effort repulsed the attacks of the enemy. In the Krasnoyarsk direction, with the support of ship artillery, Soviet troops stopped the attack of the Astrakhan and Ural Cossacks at the turn of the r. Akhtuba .

To consolidate the defense of Astrakhan and the offensive from the south to Tsaritsyn, on August 14, 1919, the 11th Army was restored on the basis of the Astrakhan group of forces (commander V.P. Raspopov, from September 26, Yu.P. Butyagin). In mid-August 1919, the army consisted of 14.2 thousand bayonets, 3.2 thousand sabers, up to 40 guns, 2 armored trains, 7 aircraft. In its operational subordination was the Volga-Caspian military flotilla.

The enemy Chalk 13.6 thousand bayonets, 5.8 thousand sabers, 32 guns, 1 armored train, 5 airplanes and a military fleet in the Caspian Sea.

In mid-August 1919, the detachment of General Dratsenko, despite the stubborn resistance of the Soviet troops, moved along the western shore of the Caspian Sea. On August 20, 1919, Soviet troops left the village of Mikhailovskoye and retreated to the village of Basinskoe. Convoy of the enemy approached Astrakhan for 10-15 km. Having detached parts and reserves from unattached sections of the front, the Soviet command managed to stop the enemy with a counter strike and then knock him out of Mikhailovsky.

At the end of August - beginning of September 1919 - the troops of the 11th Army on both banks of the Volga struck at Tsaritsin direction, which was supported by the ships of the Volga-Caspian military flotilla. Left-bank group on September 2, 1919 liberated the city of Tsaryov, Right Bank group on September 11, 1919 liberated the city of Raygorod . The enemy, fearing that the Soviet troops would reach the railway station of Sarepta, by a blow of the 3rd Kuban division along the right bank of the Volga by mid-September 1919 pushed the Soviet troops back to Cherny Yar.

Having sustained a 45-day siege, the garrison of Black Yar, together with the reinforcements coming to reinforcements, began an offensive in early November 1919 and drove the enemy 20 kilometers to the north. With the transition to the offensive in November 1919, the troops of the Southern and South-Eastern fronts of the 11th Army launched an offensive in all directions. November 16, 1919, Soviet troops defeated the detachment of General Dratsenko in the area of Olenichevo settlement. On November 29, 1919, in the Bolshoe Ganyushkino area, a group of Colonel Seryozhnikov was defeated. Thus, the entire left bank of the Volga was in the hands of the Soviet troops. Continuing the offensive, the Soviet troops threw the enemy into the Don and Kalmyk steppes. By this time, units of the 4th Army of the Turkestan Front defeated the Urals Army of General Tolstov.

January 3, 1920 Tsaritsyn was liberated. The threat of Astrakhan has been eliminated.

The defense of Astrakhan played an important role in the defense of the Soviet Republic. It did not allow the troops of Denikin and Tolstov to unite, prevented the invasion of the enemy’s naval forces on the Volga, and contributed to the development of the partisan movement in the North Caucasus. The defense of Astrakhan was carried out mainly on the coast of the sea and the banks of rivers. The fighting was tied to railway and settlements, demanded a clear tactical interaction of infantry and cavalry units with armored trains, flotilla ships and were highly maneuverable, active in nature. The Soviet command was able to create superiority over the enemy in the directions of the main attacks due to the bold maneuver of units and formations taken from other sectors of the front, as well as the use of mobile groups of cavalry and infantry on vehicles.

Soviet military encyclopedia (in eight volumes), 1st volume, 1990, Moscow, Military publishing house