Suchan Valley Campaign
The Suchan Valley Campaign was the clearing and occupation of the mining region around the Russian town of Suchan (currently Partizansk, Russia) in a climatically-unforgiving region of Russia's Siberia during the Russian Civil War. A relatively clean sweep, the operation inflicted heavy casualties on the Bolsheviks.
Suchan Valley Campaign | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Part of the Allied intervention in the Russian Civil War | |||||||
Sergey Lazo, commander of the Red Partisan squads defending the region during the American offensive. | |||||||
| |||||||
Belligerents | |||||||
United States | Russia (Bolshevik) | ||||||
Commanders and leaders | |||||||
Robert L. Eichelberger William S. Graves | Sergey Lazo[1] | ||||||
Strength | |||||||
3,520 USS Albany USS New Orleans | 4,000-6,000 | ||||||
Casualties and losses | |||||||
22 killed 33 wounded | 500 killed[2] |
Battle
With the failed Russian surprise assault against a numerically-inferior American force during the Battle of Romanovka in June, the Suchan Mines were entirely cut off from Vladivostok. Soviet control of these mines prevented the Americans from fulfilling specified duties in the region, so a three-pronged offensive was launched to clear the Valley of armed opposition.
Five companies of the 31st Infantry took on the responsibility of clearing the Suchan, while every stretch of captured territory within the Valley was handed over to garrison guard forces manned by the U.S. Marine Corps and U.S. Navy.[3][4]
References
- История гражданской войны в СССР. Рипол Классик. 2013. p. 147. ISBN 9785458399241.
- Birtle, Andrew. "U.S. Army Counterinsurgency and Contingency Operations Doctrine, 1860-1941." Center of Military History of the United States Army. Washington D.C., 1998.
- http://philippine-defenders.lib.wv.us/pdf/war_on_land/31st_infantry_73rd_yearbook.pdf
- http://www.umich.edu/~bhlumrec/polarbear/lauer/highresjpeg/2008154-0002/2008154-0002-002.pdf