The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1919-08-15
BRIEF HISTORY OF CZECHO.
SLOVAK ARMY

ItS Heroic AchleFepentS i'm Russia
Treacherous Bolsheviks Shot Down
CzechOs.
For 400 years the Czecho-Slavs
have, both directly and indirectly,
fought for their independence from
Austrian control. At the beginning
OF the German war, Bohemia vas
called upon to furnish her comple
ment Of soldiers for the Austrian
Army and under forced draft thou
sands of CZechs were enlisted in the
N armies of the Central Powers fight
ing against Russia. AS soon a. III
portunity offered, large numbers of
the Czechs refused to fight longer
with Austria and whole comnanies
and even regiments went over TO the
Russian side. During 1915-l6 the q
Czechs helped the Russians in their
struggle against Germany and Ans
itria
Following the collapse Of the Rms
sian Army under Kerenskv the
Czechs offered their services to the
French government for service on
the western front The BolshevilTi
leaders, Lenin and Trotsky, promis-
ed the Czechs safe conduct out Of
Russia by way of ArchangeI and
across the TransSiberian railway.
In the early part of 1917, at Kiev.
the Czech leaders gathered and pro-
claiming their national independence.
organized an army and declared
iCZecnO-SlOVaKla an ineDendent
state. Arrangements were begun for
this army of about 10000 men to be
transported from Kiev to ArchanpaI
and Vladivostok for trans-shiLmsnt
10 France. The group assigned TO
''oe sent by way Of ArchangeI was
promptly blocked by the BoIsheviks
at MOSCOW. This necessitated the
whole 10000 men leaving Russia via
the Trans-Siberian railway and
/ Vlad1vostok. Not baffied by this evil
dence OF bad faith on the part of the
Bolsheviki, the Czechs proceeded to
secure trains for trans shipment of
their troops to- Vladivostok. The
hrst contingents secured trains with
out serious difficulty, but it became
increasingly difficult to get trans
portation and the result was that the
/ 10000 Czechs were strung alon.r he
Trans-Siberian railway from Ktev to
Irkutsk.
This was the situation when in
April, 1918, several thousand eacbs
near Irkutsk were required bv the
! Bolsheviki to ~disarm before iuev
were allowed to proceed further
Under protest but with definite
promises from the BoIsheviki that
they would not be interferred with
they agreed to partial disarmament
ana few thousand Czechs were al
lowed to pass Irkutsk enroute to
Vladivostok. Almost immediately
however, the Bolsheviki showed their
treachery by firing on a small con-
IlhgenC OF Czechs who were practical
~ unarmed. These Czechs, with a
few hand grendaes and their bare
hands, attacked several times their
number of armed Bolshevikis and
wrestling their guns away from
them, captured a small station west
OF lrkutsk and took command of the
situation. kilograms were sent to
their Czech echelons spread out
along the line, giving warning. and
sklrmlshes took place at many points
between Irkutsk and Samara. The
CzechS were SO far outnumbered by
the Bolshevikis that all along. the
railroad the troops were isolated. and
for several months communication
was impossible between eastern and
western Siberia
Far Outnumbered and isolated as
they were, the CZecho-Slovak troons
were IN very precarious position,
ana In response to an appeal Of the
Czech leaders in Vladivostok. the
United States Government agreed to
send armed assistance in cooperation
with Japan, and the Allies, to ST.
per1a to assist in extricating the
CZechS from their desperate situa-
ton between the $4,000 Czech troops
in their trasnfer to France for SER
vice on the western front as original
ly planned. 1t was for this purpose
that American soldiers were sent to
VladivOstOk in August.
Early in September, General Gaida
with less than 1000 Czechs succeed
Gu IN MS brilliant campaign from
Irkutsk to Chita, in penetrating the
BolsheVlk lines in the Trans-Bai-
kailia and established commnnica-
ton between the $4,000 Czech troops
west of Irkutsk and the $4,000 troops
IN Vladivostok and vicinity. The
story of this campaign is one of the
LHOoI DTllllaHC eplSOQeS OF the war
and won for those who participated
in it the unstinted admiration and
approval of all who were familiar
with its details. Many of the Czech
soldiers now passing through the
United States took part in this
offensive.
Following the collapse of the Boil
sheviki offensive in the Trans
Baikaili region the Czechs assumed
military control of the entire Trans
Siberian railway to make sure it
would not again fall into the hands
! of the Bolshevikis. They established
an active eastern front against the
! Bolsheviki operating in European
Russia. The front the Czechs main
tanned almost unsupported until the
latter part of November when Ad-