The Orel Military District was first formed along with other rear area military districts during the Russian Civil War on 31 March 1918, with headquarters at Orel. The district included Voronezh Governorate, Kursk Governorate, Orel Governorate, and Chernigov Governorate. On 8 June 1919, it was subordinated to the Southern Front. On 29 June, Tambov Governorate was added to the district. It was tasked with forming new units and formations for the Red Army and organizing the vsevobuch, a system of universal military training. In the summer and fall of 1919, the district's troops were involved in battles against White commander Konstantin Mamontov's raid into the Soviet rear. The district was transferred to the control of the Southwestern Front on 10 January 1920, and returned to the Southern Front a month later. Between January and July 1921, troops of the district participated in the suppression of the Tambov Rebellion, an anti-Soviet peasant revolt. During the war, the district called up 300,000 men and formed four rifle divisions, a cavalry division, and other smaller units, while training 67,000 men under vsevobuch. After the end of the war, the district was disbanded on 9 March 1922, and its territory was ceded to the Moscow Military District and the Western Military District.