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Allied intervention in the Russian Revolution and Civil War is also summarised 1918 FEBRUARY 1918 As the Russian Civil War continues to rage, Moscow is threatened by the Whites, and the rest of Russia is in chaos. Far to the east in Siberia, the Japanese plan a landing to protect huge quantities of stock-piled military supplies. MARCH 1918 Russian Civil War and Allied Intervention - The Russian Civil War continues. The Allies for various reasons, including keeping Russia in the war and the fear of world communism, intervene in the struggle. Troops and supplies are later sent to support the White Armies (commanded by Czarist officers) fighting the Reds in the Arctic, the Ukraine, Caucasus and Siberia. The anti-Bolshevist forces include the 'Czechoslovak Legion', made up of deserters and ex-prisoners of war from the Austro-Hungarian army which fights its way across Siberia and later joins the Allies in the west. The war ends in 1920 in the Bolsheviks favour, and by then a number of major warships on both sides have been lost.
Arctic Waters - With the signing of the Russian-German Treaty of Brest-Litovsk, British warships including pre-dreadnought 'Glory' and armoured cruiser 'Cochrane' start operations against Murmansk and Archangel to prevent vast quantities of Allied supplies falling into Bolshevik or German hands. APRIL 1918 Russia - Russia continues in a state of chaos. In the north, German troops land near Helsinki to help Gen Mannerheim fight for Finnish independence against Bolshevik forces. In the south, the Germans push further into the Ukraine and the Crimea. Baltic - 4th-8th April - British submarines 'E-1', 'E-8', 'E-9', 'E-19' (all 1913/15, 655t, 4tt and 1-12pdr), and 'C-26', 'C-27', 'C-35' (1909/10, 290t, 2tt). With the Germans ashore at Hango in Finland and moving on Helsingfors, the surviving submarines of the British Baltic Flotilla are taken to sea one at a time, blown up and scuttled off the port. Between the 4th and the 8th, 'E-1', 'E-8', 'E-9', 'E-19' and 'C-26', 'C-27', 'C-35' are denied to the Germans in this way. The senior officer, Cdr Cromie became de facto British ambassador at Petrograd, but is killed in an incident involving the Bolsheviks at the embassy. Far Eastern Waters - Japanese and British Royal Marines land at Vladivostok in the Far East. MAY 1918 Arctic Waters - British forces including a Royal Marine detachment, all under the command of Gen Poole land at Murmansk. A Royal Navy base is established as HMS 'Glory III'. AUGUST 1918 Russia - Allied forces continue to enter Russia to support the Whites and protect ammunition and supplies. In the north, an Allied Expeditionary Force captures Archangel supported by Royal Navy warships. To the south, a British naval unit arrives at Baku on the Caspian Sea after travelling overland from Baghdad. And in the Far East, British, Japanese and U.S. troops land at Vladivostok for operations in Siberia. Arctic Waters - Seized at Murmansk in July by the British Navy, the old Russian five-funnelled light cruiser 'Askold' is commissioned as HMS Glory IV and continues to serve in the Arctic. SEPTEMBER 1918 Russia - American troops land at Archangel in the Arctic. OCTOBER 1918 Russia - In the north, Allied forces battle with the Bolsheviks around Murmansk and Archangel. In the Far East, American, British and Japanese troops enter Siberia and push as far west as Lake Baikal. More fighting takes place around the Caucasus in the south. Arctic Waters - Fighting takes place along the Dvina River, south of Archangel with the involvement of light naval forces. NOVEMBER 1918 DECEMBER 1918 Baltic Sea - 5th December - British light cruiser 'CASSANDRA' (1917, 4,100t, 5-6in). British naval forces in the Baltic under the command of Rear Adm Sir Walter Cowan are given the difficult task of protecting the Baltic States, evacuating German forces, and operating against the Bolsheviks. Warships on both sides are lost, some to the many Russian and German minefields. On the 5th the recently arrived 'Cassandra' is mined off the Gulf of Finland and sinks with 11 dead. (My grandfather Yeoman of Signals George Smith DSM, was one of those rescued) Baltic Sea - 26th December - Bolshevik destroyers 'SPARTAK' (ex-'Kapitan I Ranga Miklucha-Maklai') and 'AVTROIL' (1916, 1,350t, 5-10.2cm, 9-45.7cm tt). On the 26th/27th, these two modern destroyers bombard the Estonian port of Reval in the Gulf of Finland. Captured by a British squadron of light cruisers 'Calypso' and 'Caradoc' and four destroyers, they are later handed over to the Estonian Navy. Caspian Sea - On the 8th, Bolshevik light naval forces are in action with the British units that reached Baku in August 1919 JANUARY 1919 Far Eastern Waters - British armoured cruiser 'Kent' arrives at Vladivostok in Siberia to support Allied forces APRIL 1919 Russia - Guns and guns’ crews landed from the 'Kent' at Vladivostok are by now in action far to the west in the Urals in support of the White Russians. MAY 1919 Caspian Sea - 21st May - Bolshevik destroyer 'MOSKVITYANIN' (1906, 570t, 2-11pdr, 3tt). The Bolsheviks organise a naval force including old destroyers transferred from the Baltic for operations on the inland Caspian Sea. In action against an improvised British Caspian Flotilla armed with 4in and 6in guns to the northeast off Alexandrovsk, several Russian ships are sunk including the 'Moskvityanin'. JUNE 1919 Arctic Waters - 24th June - British minesweeper 'SWORD DANCE' (1918, 290t, 1-6pdr). As Allied operations continue against the Bolsheviks on the Dvina River, south of Archangel, the shallow-draught 'Sword Dance' is sunk by Russian mines. Baltic Sea - 4th June - British submarine 'L.55' (1918, 960t, 6-21in tt, 2-4in). With the British Baltic Squadron blockading the Bolshevik naval base of Kronstadt on Kotlin Island laying off Petrograd, warships on both sides are lost. On the 4th (some accounts say the 9th) 'L-55' is in action with Russian patrols and sunk by the gunfire of destroyers 'Azard' and 'Gavriil'. She is later raised and commissioned into the Soviet Navy as 'L-55'. Baltic Sea - 16th/17th June - Bolshevik light cruiser 'OLEG' (1904, 6,600t, 16-5.1in). British light forces based on the north side of the Gulf of Finland in Finnish waters sail to attack Kronstadt. Evading the protecting destroyer screen, coastal motor boat 'CMB-4' (Lt Agar) armed with a single 14in torpedo, sinks the anchored 'Oleg' during the night of the 16th/17th, but most of her crew are saved. 'CMB-4' escapes safely under heavy fire. + Lt Augustine Agar RN is awarded the Victoria Cross. JULY 1919 Arctic Waters - 3rd July - British minesweeper 'FANDANGO' (1918, 290t, 1-6pdr). In operations on the Dvina River, 'Fandango', sister ship of 'Sword Dance' lost a few days before, is also mined and sunk. Baltic Sea - 16th July - British fleet sweeping sloops 'GENTIAN' and 'MYRTLE' (both 1916, 1,250t, 2-4.7in). With the Bolshevik bases defended by dense minefields, two more British ships are lost on mines in the Gulf of Finland. AUGUST 1919 Baltic Sea - 17th/18th August - Attack on Kronstadt Naval Base - Late on the 17th, eight British 55ft type Coastal Motor Boats led by Cdr Claude Dobson in 'CMB-31' head out of the Finnish base of Bjorko Sound only 30 miles from Russia's main naval port. Supported by RAF bombing raids, they break into the inner harbour in the early morning. Cdr Dobson directs the boats headed by CMB's '31', '79' and '88'. Lt Agar VC in 'CMB-4' remains outside on guard. As the attacks develop, old armoured cruiser 'PAMIAT AZOVA' (1890, 6,000t) serving as submarine depot ship 'Dvina' is hit by 'CMB-79' and sunk. In the rapidly moving action, 'CMB-79' (1917, 11t, 1 or 2-18in torpedoes) is then lost. The commanding officer of 'CMB-88' is killed and Lt Steele, second-in-command takes over and presses on. Accounts vary, but both Dobson's 'CMB-31' and Steele's 'CMB-88' appear to have made one hit each on the two biggest ships. Dreadnought 'PETROPAVLOSK' (1914, 24,000t, 12-12in) sinks in shallow water and is salvaged later, and pre-dreadnought 'Andrei Pervozvanny' (1908, 17,400t, 4-12in) seriously damaged. The British boats fail to hit the Russian guardship, destroyer 'Gavriil' which sinks two more of the attackers ('CMB-24' and 'CMB-62' or 'CMB-67' - accounts vary). The surviving five boats escape. Cdr Claude Dobson DSO, RN and Lt Gordon Steele RN are awarded the Victoria Cross. SEPTEMBER 1919 Arctic Waters - 16th September - British monitors 'M-25' and 'M-27' (both 1915, 540t, 1-9.2in). By now the Allies have decided to withdraw from northern Russia. As the evacuation gets underway, 'M-25' and 'M-27' of the White Sea Squadron have to be abandoned when the Dvina River water level falls. They are blown up to prevent capture by the Bolsheviks. Baltic Sea - 1st September - British destroyer 'VITTORIA' (1,100t, 4-4in, 4-21in tt). Two recently completed 'V' class destroyers of the Royal Navy are sunk within a few days of each other in the Gulf of Finland. On the night of the 1st, 'Vittoria' is torpedoed by Bolshevik submarine 'Pantera' off Seiskari Island some miles to the west of Kronstadt. Baltic Sea - 4th September - British destroyer 'VERULAM' (1,100t, 4-4in, 4-21in tt). Three days later "Verulam" is mined in the Gulf of Finland. OCTOBER 1919 Baltic Sea - 21st October - Russian destroyers 'GAVRIIL', 'KONSTANTIN' and 'VLADIMIR' (1916/17, 1,260t, 4-4in, 9-18in tt). As four Russian destroyers of the same class escape from the Bolsheviks, three are lost in a British minefield off Kronstadt in the Gulf of Finland with heavy casualties. Only 'Azard' escapes. The ships were to be handed over to the Royal Navy. SUMMARY OF BRITISH LOSSES In April 1918, seven submarines had to be scuttled. Between December 1918 and September 1919 - just nine months - British losses amounted to:
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