Curtain forces

Curtain forces (Russian: Отряды завесы, войска завесы, завеса) were military forces used by Soviet Russia in 1918 in the Western and Northern directions (Western Curtain and Northern Curtain respectively).^[1] Additionally there were the Southern Curtain and Northeastern Curtain.

History

The Curtain was a defense system created according to the March 5, 1918 directive of the Revolutionary Military Council with the purpose of "guarding of the interior regions of the state against possible invasion of Germans" and for guarding the demarcation line established by the Brest Peace Treaty. The idea of the Curtain was developed during the efforts to defend Petrograd against the February 1918 German offensive initiated by Erich Ludendorff, under conditions when the former Imperial Russian Army was disorganized, but the Red Army was not formed yet. After initial German successes, in early March a mixture of Red Guards, Red Army, volunteer and partisan forces stabilized along Narva and Dnieper rivers, which was the beginning of the Curtain. The Western Curtain and Northern Curtain were established in places of the former Western and Northern Fronts respectively.^[1]

Western Curtain

The Western Curtain (official name: Western Region of Curtain Forces, Russian: Западный участок отрядов завесы (ЗУОЗ)) was established on March 29, 1918, according to the March 5 directive of the Supreme Military Council. It stretched from Nevel to Novy Oskol, to protect the Moscow direction, under the command of V.N. Yegoryev.^[2]

Northern Curtain

Northeastern Curtain

The Northeastern Region of Curtain Forces (Сев.-Вост. участок отрядов завесы) was created by the August 6, 1918 directive of the Supreme Military Council, to protect against allied intervention and White forces from the White Sea and Ural directions.^[3]

Southern Curtain

The Southern Region of Curtain Forces was created by the August 11, 1918 directive of the Supreme Military Council.^[4]

Disbanding

The Curtain was disbanded by a September 11, 1918 Decree of the Revolutionary Military Council and Fronts, as well as the Western Defense Region, were established in place if it.

References

1. ^ ^{a b} Стрекалов И.И. "Создание войск завесы (февраль-май 1918 года): Исторический очерк." -М.: МГУЛ, 2001. - 28p (Russian)
2. ^ "The Birth of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Belarus" (Russian)
3. ^ "Zavesa" (Russian)
4. ^ Гражданская война и военная интервенция в СССР: энциклопедия, 1983, Moscow, "Soviet Encyclopedia Publishers", p. 211 (Russian)