The sun., 1918-09-17
SIBERIANS OF 0NLSK
WAR UPON GERMANY
Continued from First Page.

food and supplies in Siberia for the
maintenance of a large army. The win
ter period Is quite suitable for military
operations in South Russia from the
Volga to the Ukraine.
I'VE are all impatiently awaiting the
arrival Of allied troops" added Gen.
Gaida, land the moment when we shall
fight side by side on far larger scale
than previously on a new Russo German
front"
Gen. Gaida emphasized the admirable
conduct of the Russian soldiers now
fighting heroically beside the Czecho-
Slovak forces. He said no friction ex-
listed. The Russian troops at first con-
sisted Of former officers. but as the
attachments progressed to tho eastward
they were augmented by the enrolment
Of Russian soldiers until the present
nucleus was formed. which the Russian
commander Is confident can be built
up to substantial fghtng force.
Polish Legion Is Forming.
In addition to these troops n Polish
legion II being formed and some Polish
detachments already are on the fighting
line.
Gen. Gaida placed all the towns occu-
pied by his troops under martial law
and reestablished the original military
departments, where the Russian COM
mandant supervises recruiting and the
formation of units.
Gen. Horvath. who recently formed a
provisional cabinet of Siberia. has ar
rived here from Vladivostok to attend
conference OF the Entente allied lead
ers. Gen. Gaida said that Gen. Hor-
vath was summoned for the special pur-
pose OF explaining conditions in the Chi
nese Eastern Railway area.
Other leaders who came to attend the
! conference are Gen. Semcnofr. command
ing the Cossacks Gen. Dieterichs, Gen.
Fulfil. commander of the japanese forces
In Manchuria. and the British, French
and japanese attaches. Gen. Gaida gave
banquet in honor of the Entente COM
manders. and made a speech OF well
come to them.
Details OF the manner in which the
Czecho-Slovak forces fought their way
through Siberia were obtained to-day at
the field headquarters The CZecho-
Slovaks seized Novo Nikoltievsk on May
26, but II was only on June IL that
Irkutsk was reached.
There wac severe fighting all the way
and the Czecho- Slovaks were forced TO
| leave the railway continually in order
to strike at the enemy from the rear.
| stance and caused the enemy heavy
losses
Thirty-nne tunnels on the Trans
| siberian railroad had been mined. but
the Bolshevik forces were taken by sur
prise and only one tunnel was blown up.
While clearing away the debris the
| Czecho -Sloyak artillery had to be hauled
| by man power over steep ridges. The
troops likewise went over these precl-
pieces under the greatest hardships be-
| cause of the lack of provisions
In the ueantime Czecho- Slovaks had
seized Listinichskaya. near Irkutsk. on
the west bank OF. the Lake Baikal. where
they found two small damaged steam
boats These vessels were hastily re-
paired and after two guns were mounted
and several machine guns set up the
ships were steamed to the eastward
towing barges filled with soldiers
! Gunbonts Give Battle.
| BY n ruse the Czecho- Slovaka man.
aged TO land near Misovoya, though
larger vessels including the Yermaw
and the BaikaL came out to give Battle
! Shots from the Czecho-Slovak guns
| shattered the gasolene tanks and Sc.
f1re 10 the enemy steamboats,. The Boil
shevik sailors became panicstr!cken and
permitted the Czecho-Slays to land and
| attack them from the rear.
Col. Cushakoft. chief of Gen. Gaida's
stan, was killed and his body later was
found horribly mutilated.
| In the battle OF Misovoya the Rol.
shevk forces lost forty complete trains
out OF sixty, of their forces estimated
to number 10000 some 5000 were killed
and 1000 taken prisoner. The Others
fed into the woods and their defeat
demoralized the troops further 10 the
east
| Thanks to the skill OF the CZecho.
Slovak engineers the bridges on the
Trans-Siberian Railway were repaired
before the retiring enemy had time tC
rally. Consequently. Verkneudinsk anC
Karimskaya were occupied virtually
without lighting. This accounted for the
Unexpectedly rapid advance OF tn,
Czecho-Slovaks to Tchita and Other