PURPLE PAGE FROM THE GREAT WAR

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 42, 14 November 1918, Page 8

PURPLE PAGE FROM THE GREAT WAR

WONDERFUL MARCH OF THE CZECHOSLOVAKS FROM THE CARPATHIANS TO THE PACIFIC In a recent issue of the New York "Herald," there app'wwl, from the pen of Dr. J. F. Snielanta. Washington Director of the Cssecho-Slovafc National Council, an official account'ol the marvellous achievement of the Czecho-Slovak forces in Siberia. A few days after the promising Kerenskr oft'ensive in (he early days of July, 1917, made a splendid start the Russian Carpathian army was in full retreat. Even while the newspapers in America were df.yMifsing how soon Russians would bs in , once m;,re the seed sown by. the Bolshevik i in the ranks of (he ignorant Russian soldiers brought forth its fruit. For no apparent reason at nil the soldiers on Ilia Galician front left their treuchw, rhrew their rifles away into the fields of rye; plundered the depots back of the front of all clothing, sugar and chocolate, and emptied munition trucks so as- to pile ilism with tinned ioor to br; taken home ivitli them. ■ .

In a few liours the. regiments of the first Czecho-Slovak brigade were but a little isinnd of hopelessly uulnuniberod fighters, where the'day before I here had been the slroiig Russian front. For ten days one weak brigade defended the retreat of an entire armv: for ten day:i and nights the Czecho-Slovaks were on giiHi-ci witfcuui a rest. After i-v*ry Uwinan attack they counter-iiUackeJ, but vhen the Germane leli back tho tired fighters had to' retreat, becuiSAc on both sides the Russian guard, regiments continued to march backv.-aiii. K wm during this fight that groups uf Ozech"FiJovaks ivlio became surroiiicded bv the enemy, fought their last unci tiioi; View themselves up with their • o\v. boinlM rather than fall a'livo iut.o the hands of the German?.

Process of Disintegration, There ensued a period of rjuiot on the Russian front. The did not. earn to press their advantage, i>u«. preferred to ft'aferiiise with their •.••jpsinonts, knowing that r>ll this time tist process of disintegration was going on in flic Russian Army. .Strange things were j;o----ing on wiili' in the interior of Russia and on the front. The Bolsheviki were iiiujeriuiii'i'.ig i'no- authority of the Provisional GovVrnnisnt in Petrograd ar.d other Russian cities, while at the front oScvrs were shot down and hacked to pieces like (trench rals by their own men. Of course, the Czecho-Slovak regiments were exposed lo the> Bolslievi); propaganda, and to some extent they had to coafor:n to the new revolutionary fashion. So in the', Czecho-Slovuk army regimental arid company committees were formed, but instead of interfering with th? proper authority of the om'eyr-r these committees merely took charge of. provisioning, canteens, lectures and entertainments. In fact, very soon the Czechoslovak regiments were the. only body of soldiers in all: Russia with thorough"disexcellent morale and full equipment. And thciv were growing very rapidly. The work of tho three' hundred emissaries Iwgan to bear fruit and thoij:>i;\ls n?w recruits were arriving constauliy 'by regular trains am! on top of lxix cars ;:i: the niiiiu depot of Sorisp<il, near Kie!'. The very strength of the Czechoslovaks created new'dangers for thorn. All the quarrelling factions of Russia wanted to enlist, them on their,side. The Bolsheviki carried on'a tremendous propaganda, in their ranks, but very few men of the revolutionary 'army abandoned their fight for national independ-. ence.in order to help in the construction of a Socialist Utopia, and most of them very soon came back repentant. After a while every .oue of the Czecho-Slovak privates could'hold .his own argument with the Ho'slicvtk agitators.

More seiiictive were the approaches made by the factions that were opposed to the inefficient Socialist regime. While the Korniloff plot was brewing the Cxecbn-Slovaks were invited to throw in their lot with this general and help him cupture.Petrotfrad. Later Kaledincs, the Cossack hetma'n, tried to enlist the. welldiecipli.id Czeeho-Slovak division'on l'js side. - There was much sympathy iu Ibis small -arniy for the men whose purpose was to re-establish order in Russia and employ the Russian armies puce, more against the Germans. Tt may be that Czecho-Slovak help might have cUangeil tie current of events in Russia in tho fall of 1917, but it is more likely that these various Russian insurrections were doomed n: any event. What governed the conduct of the Czecho-Slovak, however, wis not so much close calculation as- to the chances' of success' but adherence to the principle that they were guests in Russia ami had no business to take part in internal Russian quarrels. This wa.s the ' firm stand takeu by MasaryK, and under his wise and stafesmaiiliks guidance the Czechoslovaks manage 1 to pass through unharmed the fall and winter of 1917-18.

The ■ restitution of the Czecho-Slovak's for discipline and good behaviour was really enviable. The extremists were afraid o! , them, while every-city wanted a Czechc-Sloyak garrison to keen order. Here is an incident (hat illustrates the wholesome respect in- which the lioishevik elements of the army held the Czech revolutionary forces:—At the end of the .summer of" 1917 at Zhitomir the local extremists put up one day a number of machine-guns on the viaduct spanning the railroads. The order of a Cossack officer to take the, machine-guns away wiiii laughed 'at until he instructed his orderly, in an intentionally loud voice: "Run to the Bohemian barracks and ask the Czecho-Sbvak commander for assistance." The guns disappeared with a speed almost comical. Even before the lall ol the Provisional Government Masaryk realised that the Eastern front wouiii disappear and thai his boys woiil.l have ji;> chance in Russia to fight their hereditary enemies. At the same' tin.e ihe .French Government authorised the creatian' of a separate Czecho-Slovak national army on tlii , French front., and Masiryk planned to bring tho. two divisions from Russia ic. France, as well as ktep up recruiting in thj prison camps and thus have in Russia ii reservoir of fighting forces, since the men in Bohemia were prevented from joining in the %ht. At first the few remaining thousands of tha O.echo-Slo-vnks who had <■ been fighting with the Iluga-Slav .liviiion on the Rumanian front were sent to France by way of the northern ports. Soon, however, it became manifest that this route was impracticable. Th'i second expedition sent north from tho Ukraine ir. the fall oi' 1H1" did not t'«l to France until the following March, having Imo:i detained for months and almost stiryjd on the Murman coast railroad. Necessity for Haste. So I'rofessor Masaryk negutiiiled with the French and British military repre-■sontativ'-s in Russia, for mean* to take the Czecho-Slovak troops out through S'.beria and across Amcrha to France. The pence oi' Biest-Lilovsk made haste necess.iry. The Germans were pushing into the Ukraine, where tlie Czeclio-Slo-vnks were wintering, ( a'irJ the Bolshevikrulers of Russia fell more «ud more under Gerninn influent*;. The people's commissioners did nut like the CzechoSlovnks. They had tried hard to bring them into their service as'they hud done nidi tho Lev;.?; they would have liked io have mndo a bodyguard out p , -' these resolute (ifhtere, a sort: of p'rctoriaii guard to carry out their orders both in Moscow and in all the cities of great Russia. And since they could not convert the Czechoslovaks.to tlie.liolshnvik programme Iliey were only too glad to gut. rid of them.

In I'Viriiai-r. 1918, .is the IM=hoviki wore' marching on Kief to expel the Ukrainian ("HourgMw") Knda, I hoy Imd to puss through the terrilnry occupied by the Czoclin-Sloraks, and on that occasion a convention was cnnuluded between Hit! Bolfiisvik fomniandcr, .Muravicifj and .Professor Mo«ir.vk, as head of tho ("Ijiechn-Slnvaks. 'l'h.i convention provi.led Hut the Czechd-Slovaks wouW take -no part in the interim! troubles of Russia, and Hint the Russian G'ovornmoiit in return would facilitate in eve-ry ivny the turoTu into gaol. From Washington

Professor il.u.ir.yk cal>lc<l la CiiicJici-iu. iiiu ij^.oiiij.i*. J .ui-tf. l iii io relulnu mill oi ino c».ini;ii(iui. hi vdicn lue ........oiiv ui i.,..,, i'U«« "J way or tlie J.'acitic. Jii.s lunvi'iitiou wna toiiiiaily liiihit.l ijj" iiitf. j-o;dnuv ( ii uuvcriitiieiK ui .uuscir.i. Siiuniy inic. , iKiAix liie iiiovtiucnt oi' the L'Jieciiu-biuViiiia .u.u uiu uKraiiiu w lite biui'iiaii miiio.ui. As il Vuit, u pni't in this lurcc vai e.inyjit uy Hie uili .uiciii tr (.icnniins iu Uaciunacii, about u-J mi.fs nunn-cait. oi iviw. -\ fcscllu wn.s loujjlit on ALurcn & aim a, in wmeii lue Uti'iiiuns were uuowii buck wila j;reac luss. and beiuiv fill'}- could iju reinJoi'cwl Viie rwiiaiiiuci , oi \-.\e L'secnuSiuViiK iurctn un toward i:k,.i.a. Atiiaaryli, in ihe meaiit'Mtie, undsr tJte hellci Yiuii lu» wori; ni iiussia was auisiiMl, went on to Anioricii tu liiisisn the eendlng oi eiiiiis io \ iiitiivosvoK. . The Siiueriftii ruau, or iinner the- Moscow liiuiicuiol 11, \>as ii-Hdied at I'enaa. W lien tnu first czeciiu-blovaK trains got tlmre uu Jiitrch i\l—an<l « Kood jmny column.* had to march on fool—an uayieasiint surprise was.in slort tor them. L]> to now tne Czebo-ISlovuk tuops were excellently armed anil tquippeil. 'I ney were the last -to leave tlu- old iiussiau tront, and tney had «itli them cimnon, Mr au<l email; maclinit-ffuns uud military uquipment nl' :ii! surts that would otheiwi.se 'nave lulltn into Hie lunula 01 the Uermans. At Penzn the coninn»siuner of the- local iioviel siopfeu the firsi train, mid said thai they hnu orders lroiii .'lioscow iu liulrl up Die movement of the tiuino east, 'liu: regimental adjutaiit aidi'ttU tu aijjue witii him, but i;ha UuisU'-.-jk lOtrtri.-ulatiie would not talk to an Diaci'i , ; lie aiiid. he would deal only with tlio -tiiaii-uiitii oi this Keginie.nfo'l Cijmiiiiitee. i'ortumitely, the Czc-chc-Sluyuka knew tne ways of the Bolshev'lis'i. and the committee chairman, who had to ue u private or lion-cHimiiiisioii-ed alficer, always accompanied the adjutant, lu this case the sergesml-ehair-u.,ui iicuouipaiiied the Bolshevik cromniissioiitr to thu Penza headquarters, mid there ensued an exchange of telegrams wixli Moscow, winch, lasted for three days and mided in an agreement to let the Czcc)io-Slo\aks proceed on conditioa that they surrender their arras.

Mr, Lluyd George stated recently that when the -demand was made on the Czecho-SiovalM to surrender their weapons they refused, and that it would have been insane to do othenyise. Well, the Czecho-Slovnks iverc crnzy enough to give up their firms', so unsioiis were they to get out of Russia without starting a fight. Perhaps they were confident, too, that they could defend themselves even without weapons. They v.-pre allowed to keep a few rifles and a few hand grenadw to each train, but they gave up military" equipment worth liundjeds of millions oi' dollars.

Then they moved "n. and the fastest of their trains-..uu-ide'tiie trip from. Pe;izr>. to Vladivostok in fifty-two days. The first train reached lhe'Pac;/ic on May 20 without an armed conflict.; but, even" so, the trip was far from pleasant. • They were jammed into box cnrs.« They froze in the corners of the car and had their faces singed if thr.; sat too- close to (lie stove in the centre. Often they were held up because there were no locomotives or because thn fuel gave out; sometimes the. -engineer ran away and one of them had to t«ke his place. Thcv had t.) k' cm their guard as they passed through places where then , ware German and Magyar prisoners. They had great difficulties in buying supplies and they had to give up more of their few rifles iu Ore.iii.mrg. and Ufa, where tho, Bolsheviki c'nimC'd that they needed the arms iuaim/c the Cossacks. But, after nil, 15,000 of.them'got safely to the shoves of tiia Pac-ifiV, and upon reaching Vladivostok secured from the local .Soviet barrack'room and settled down to wait for their comrades.

All would have, been well nnd the Czecho-S'ovaks might now I)?, crossing the United States on then , way to Frimcc if the Germans had not-inieriprod. Y\'hen the KaisPi , sent, his armlet against Belgium he brought England. into the war; when he broke his pledge (o the United States anil ordered his submarine:; to eink at sight every ship,'Mr l arrayed against himself the great American Republic. And when ho decided to capture the Czechoslovaks he set forces at work which will cost him all his contiuesls in Iho East. The First Fighting, Even tafore the Cz?eho-Slovaks left their quarters in (he Ukraine an emisEnry from the Austrian Emperor appeared in their camp authorised to offer them free pardon,' nnd even to promise autonomy for Bohemia. "Como back and all will be forgiven," was his messnyel OJ' coin's?, it was spurned by tho Bohemian rebels. Austro-Uornian representatives in Russia did not at first bslievp that the Czecho-Slovnks could possibly cross all Hussia and Siberia and augment in the end tlic number uf the Gentian enemies on Ibe "Western, front. Bill when the trains were arriving in Vladivostok Count Jiirbaeh decided that it was (ime- (o take more decided steps. So he told his good frie.nds Lenin and Trotsky that it whs against Russia's neutrality to permit soldiers to traverse Russia.on their way In fight the Germans, and .that, anyway, the Austrian Government demanded from the Bolsheyiki that they tnrif over to Austria the Czecho-Slovaks as prisoners of war..' Thereupon 11. Trotsky, as Minister of War, issued orders that the Ozccho-Slovaks he taken into custody.

The first conflict arose in Irkutsk, the capital ■ of Wcslern at the end of Alay. lVhen a troop train arrived at the Irkutsk station it was surrounded by 2000 Med Guards, (lie mnjority of whom' were. German and Magyar prisoners of win , . All were German officers. The Czeeho-Slovaks had only a few KUiis, -one to each ten men, while all' around their trains were 'machine-guns and field guns. When the officer gave the command' in German to -shoot, the. Czechs with bare hands turned on , I heir enemies, captured their weapons from them, and in hah" an hour had the station in their po«or. Almost simultaneously, on May 2, an attempt aw made «t I'enza. to arrest the Czecho-Slovaks ivlio were then passing through. The Bolshevik) were prepared fur resistance, mi J the • Czechoslovaks at the depot had to defend, theratielves' until help ca;ns from troop trains that bad patted earlier, and in a battle lastin" tl'irt.v-'ix houw they captured the Bolshevik lUhlmn and almost all the munitions that for the last two months liu'l iirrn surrendered )>y them in I hat very city, All Ksissinns among the Red Guards 'wor« released &{'.vv being <!iinrmedi the Bolshevik leiukrs were taken alow as hostages. G:-rinans and Magyars captured with arms in their hands 'were sentenced to be shut, but' at the request of IVhsm city Duma, r/hich hud oi-'Kiiised it'-elf iimnedimely after the ovEi'throw of the Hofi.-lievik-i,.lhe CzahoSlovrtks pi")iu\sed not to execute these moil while they Avure-in tha province of T'enza. The Military Zone. ■Thi< irns the iieg.'nniiif,' of the armed conflict between the Bolshmki and the Czeeho-Slovaks. The step t-.il;en by Uμ- Russian'branch of the Czccho-Slov-n\<' National Council was tu declare the entire Siberian railroad a military zone and to take it over I'rom the Russians. From tlint time un we hear of tiio oucupalJon o!' one toivn after another, so tint (he course of two weeks 3000 mile's of railroad track bttueen Penza and ].!>l;n Baikal, intlmling I'k , fertile pnrtrfflf Siberia and Eastern fluspia, Avere in the .hands of the Jiohciniaiw. Even then attempts Avere made to composp. the (iiiaviel. and a delegation of tlire.f liiPaibcrs, un belnilf «t the Czpchiiyiovkk National Council, went to Moscow lo convince the Holshevjki that they had better let the Czecho-Slovaks k«- But Hie delegation wns itt ones iirrestud and Bolshcviki promised free pasfape fo" the f.zcclui-Sloviiks out of Ku&sia. I lie V'reni'li. British, anil American Consuls in Moscow also intervened with the idea I of ■ nersuiiilini' IhV Mnwnw authorities lo leh the Czeeho-Slovaks ro lo the Pacific. Riil- 'be influence nf Count Mirbach, who a few day.s later was a»-f'li-sinaled. hroke any scruples of the communist Ministers. Trotsky isMied a new order , I hat. every. (,'zcclio-Slovak ciiiiifht with arms should lip shot on Ibe spnl- , Snon than! was open war, and (he rzwho-Slnvnks in Vl'.idivnstok. who for two months in spite of many insults and pmviicatifins from their pigmies in the Bolshevik 'Rptl-Ctuard, kept the peace in Hip ereaf K ,,s, ' n " T' l " , ''" l W-rt, now ni>Mipio'l Vladivostok. The Bolsheviki fled up the Amur railroad and niAnnwd to hold tht- rVjifik between ChiOi. Hip junction twist, of Irkutsk, and Niknlsfc. flip junctimi north of Vlndivnslok. In European Kus'ia th« Ozocho-Rlov.-iVs oiiod Ihi'ir imW on cities of t , "- low"r \ T nkn, and began tf> extend Iheir Acr*ohincnt.? in Hie I'olrograd •hranoh of

the .Siberian romf ia tlic stcneral dtfoo- i tiou uf Archangel. Thousands of Recruits. Meantime . Iliou.-anris of new recruits wert coming in iioi.i prison camps, so Hint (lip original i'.rniy.of 55,020. jtvkw !o fully KItMOO. The troops from Turkestan'ntul the Caucasus occupied ;ho norlhpvn Ciiucib.ii)!! provinces, and inculeiitnlly cantured two Russian-cruiser-; in-a lilack Sea r»ri. while in Hi; , northern end of 'Riusiii a small' C'wcho-Slovak detcchnicnl rtofaiM n • iiincli larger boiiy of T'inns mid Germans. ■ ■ A 'ie' v ch""! , : 1- in Ibfi I'i.stc-r o( ihe Cz?oho-SlovA- camnniijn in. Tius-ut hepin* w'th Ihe ri"ci-iop rf the O'sfiioSlovik Killers to Veen their won-in Russia for the pi'rp ~c' P <" f hrin<rin<; t' ,; « t0 ,, .!: "liion "ii l <-f H'" pilars in'o 'whMi i l fell , nr'l 'hi-- rW-isio" r - as !■>•■ *b.p irriTt^aitl , ro'nlutio" \v t\° Alline tn I-?- 1 - the bray ("Mcho'-Slovaks in their TJiifsian operations. .