July 3, 1919 · South Russia — Ukraine and the Don Theater
July 3, 1919
General Denikin issued his 'Moscow Directive' on July 3, 1919, ordering his 150,000-strong Armed Forces of South Russia northward toward Moscow. Through summer and autumn the Whites swept through Ukraine and south Russia, capturing Kursk, Voronezh, and Orel — coming within 250 miles of Moscow by October. It was the closest any White army came to capturing the capital. But Semyon Budyonny's Red Cavalry smashed Denikin's flank, the supply lines collapsed, peasant uprisings in the rear (Makhno's forces cut his supply lines) and Bolshevik mobilization turned the tide. By December Denikin was in full retreat.
Commanders