Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1920-11-25
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DEFEATED WRANCEL
Failed to Appreciate Strength Of
Reds Who Started Drive Two
Days Earlier Than Wrangel
Planned to Retreat

Constantinopic. Nov. 90. (By the AS
ISOLATED Press) 1.-The first story OF
tho downfall of General Baron Wran-
eers white" army was given the COR
respondent to-day by one OF Baron
Wrangels owe officers who has just
arrived here. General Wraugel's defeat
%,,s ascribcd by the officer to the
ovsrconfidence of General Wrangel
and lack of appreciation of the
strength OF the enemy forces.
The operations across the Dnieper
IL October Tho officer said had shown
the Bolshevik concentration to I've more
Considerable than had been anticipated
and this induced General Wrongcl 20
give M HE positions in Taurlda and
withdraw within the Crimean fortified
positions, where he awaited the Boil
shevik offensive cor;olacently. Tho
principal reason given h. tho officer
for the success of the Rplshcviki was
Improvement il the railway system
and the disnosition of considerable
Bolshevik reserves. These included the
Budanny cavalry, which was reform Ell
after the Polish victor and Increased
with fresh units after the failure of
the attempt to uutflank the Kmkhovka
br!dgehead following which General
,Vrnngcl resolved 10 oyacuate Taur,da.
drive two days earlier than Genera!
Wrangel planned to retreat, his retire
ment of the second and third corps to
!9eretoD leaving the remainder CT his
army. except the Don Cossack cavalry
corps on the Tschongar Isthmus. While
this retreat was going on the Don corps
counter attacked in northeasterly d.
recton and successfully reached tho
Dniedoer where the panic stricken Boil
shevki destroyed the pontoon bridges.
General Wrangel then hastily reformed
three corps under General Kutiepoff.
which, after a brief resistance against
The Bosheviki moved southwark to cut
off Budennys cavalry. which was adj
vancing with extreme rapidity toward
the southwest from point north of Kak
hovla.
The Bos hevili, taking advantage OF the
freezing of the Putrid Sea, crossed and
Outflanked General Wrangel's advanced
positions across the isthmus. appearing in
considerable strength at Armianski-Ba-
Ear. They thus were enabled to advance
tho main body of their artillery without
difficulty to Perekop, where their SAL
perority in guns gave them the advan-
tage in frontal attack on General
Wrangers principal lines.
In the meantime the Bolsheviki We're
flank The herolsm of the defenders
during these operations against over
whelmingly superior forces was magnih-
cent. Wrangel's forces did not have time
TO cook or sleep, the Bolsheviki con-
stantly were throwing in reserves. Wran-
gel, without achievements. was at u
great disadvantage.
The struggle around Perekop lasted
long enough to enable the evacuation of
its defenders. The evacuation of Sebas-
topol began November II and ended on
the 14th.
General Wrangei was the last to leave.
When standing on the deck of the Rug
sian steamer korniloff, he could see
small bands of enemy horsemen slowly
crossing the summit of the long ridge
north of the city. Wrangers evacuation
of the Crimea was in marked contrast to
that OF Odessa. 1t was executed accord
ing to plan with a minimum of loss after
such severe defeat