Jewish regiment (Russian Civil War)

The Jewish regiment was an infantry regiment formed in February 1919 during the time of the White movement in Transbaikal as a part of Grigory Semyonov's Special Manchurian Detachment.

Background

In the early 20th century, Russian Jews were active in a variety of political movements. Many joined revolutionary movements such as Esers, Mensheviks and Bolsheviks. Many Jews served in Makhnov's "Black" Army. Others turned to counter-revolution.

Formation

Semyonov, the ataman of the Transbaikal Cossack Host, was not a supporter of Jewish national movements; only after Kolchak's defeat and seeking financial support in Chita he changed his mind and allowed Jews to participate in his anti-Soviet activities.

The regiment was formed by the Chita Jewish community. The staffers and soldiers of the regiment were Jews from various social classes, from craftsmen to traders' sons. Some Jews were reluctant to accept the Soviet regime after being eyewitnesses to the Red Terror, instability, and upsurge of crime of 1918. Jewish refugees of European Russia also joined the regiment since they were fleeing from the Soviet regime. Soldiers and staffers celebrated all Jewish holidays and didn't fight on Shabbats. There were about 170 soldiers, 7 sergeants, 4 low rank officers, and 2 captains. Most of the soldiers were from Chita and Nerchinsk.

Actions

The Jewish regiment took part in many actions against local partisans. The most significant achievement of the regiment was participation in the defeat of the internationalist partisan battalion (150 strong) camped on the northeastern village of Tupik where the partisans, mostly Hungarians, were captured and executed. Another notable operation was the Battle of Bogdat in which one third of the partisans were destroyed in September-October 1919.

Disbandment

The regiment was one of the last military units to self-disband in October 1920 after ataman Semyonov lost the Chita region and fled to China. Part of the Jewish regiment joined him and afterwards Jewish soldiers settled in Manchuria and Harbin. The rest of the regiment emigrated between 1921-1924 to China. Afterwards the borders were locked by the Soviet authorities and about 20 former soldiers in the late 1930s were purged by the NKVD.

References

: "This article includes materials from the Chita Oblast Archives and local newspapers."