Battle for Tsaritsyn

The Battle for Tsaritsyn was a military confrontation between Bolshevik forces and the so-called White armies during the Russian Civil War. It resulted in a Bolshevik victory.

The Battle

The battle started when White forces under General Denikin laid siege to Tsaritsyn in the autumn of 1918, pushing back the Red Army defenders into areas surrounding the town on the west bank. The local Bolshevik leaders desperately called Moscow for reinforcements and arms, but received nothing other than orders to stand firm. According to Soviet legend, the town was saved by the actions of the local chairman of the military committee, Iosef Dzhugashvili, nicknamed 'Stalin'. Stalin urged his comrades to continue fighting and disobeyed direct orders from Moscow by recalling forces from the Caucasus, nicknamed Zhloba's 'Steel Division'. These forces were able to attack the White forces in the rear and defeat them, saving Tsaritsyn for the Bolsheviks. For these and later actions in the Tsaritsyn region, the city was renamed Stalingrad in 1925 to honor Stalin and his actions.

References

• R. Overy, Why the Allies Won, London 1996