New-York tribune., 1921-03-18
Trotzky Takes
CrOnstadt in
Furious Battle
Assaulting Troops Enter the
Town, Fight Two Hours; {;
Nearly All Are Killed or
Wounded, Rest Elected
Another Drive Succeeds
60, 900 Massed for Attack: {:
Two Warships Blown Up;
Shelling Damages Town

HELSINGFORS, March II (By The
Associated Press).--Cronstadt has sur
rendered to the Soviet forces. This
announcement is made by the revolr-
tionary committee of Cronstadt, which
has arrived in Finland accompanied
by 500 soldiers.
Before retreating from Cronstadt
the Revolutionists blew up the war.
ships Petropavlovsk and Sebastopol.
General Koslovski, leader of the
Revolutionists, also has arrived in
Finland.
RIGA, March II (By The Associated
Press).-The Russian mission here as
serted to-day that the Bolsheviki capt
ured Cronstadt from the revolutionists
| Wednesday night.
STOCKHOLM, March 17.--Cronstadt
was taken by the Soviet forces at 3
o'clock in the afternoon. according to
a Bolshevik news agency. m
The arrival of the Cronstadt revolu.
tionary committee and 300 soldiers at
Terioki, on the Finnish frontier, is
confirmed.
The fighting for possession Of the
! armed fortress was Of furious char
acter and the attacking forces were
elected from the town at least once,
according to reports received here.
The engagement began Wednesday
evening with artillery preparation, in
which all the shore batteries joined
! Great damage was done, and many per-
sons were injured by the falling build
ings. The bombardment eliminated in
ar intense drurlfire, and at 5 O'Clock
Thursday morning the Russian Soviet
War Minister, Trotzky, in command OF
the Bolsheviki, launched his main at
tack from Oranienbaum.
For the assault here Trotzky had con-
centrated the whole of the new Seventh
Army, consisting of Red cadets from
all the Russian cities and other troops
totaling 10000.
Guns Rake Attacking Forces
Cronstadt fired it's 1O-inch guns, and
when the attacking forces were neal
| enough opened with a machine gun fire
| causing severe losses.
! aged to force an entrance through the
Petersburgski gate into the town
where the local Communists joined
them. After two hours of fighting they
i were elected, and at z o'clock nearly all
| the attacking forces had been killed OIL
wounded.
/ Meanwhile Cronstadt's obsolete bat
teries a, and 6 ON the small islands
near the Karelian coast were blown
up and the defenders obliged to re.
/ treat. The obsolete forts of Totleben
al. &E oh IN, Ho1J r.,,x
! longer.
/ The Cronstadt garrison consisted OF
/ between $4,000 and 10000 men, Of
whom 10000 were sailors. They were
exhausted through lack of sleep fol
/ several days.
! Soon after the fall Of the fortress
groups of fugitives from the aban,
/ doned forts were seeking safety across
| the ice toward Finland.
LONDON, March 17.--A dispatch te
the Exchange Telegraph from Helsing-
fors says that only 100 men of the
| crews of batteries a, s and escaped
The remainder Of them surrendered.
Railway Towns Captured
/ PEKING, March 17-(By The Asso.
ciated Press Occupation Of the two
towns of Kiakhta and Troitskosavsk, 10.
/ Gated on the frontier between Mongolia
and Siberia, about ITO miles southeast
of Irkutsk, by General Baron Niche
Ungern -Sternberg. chief lieutenant Of
General Semenoff, is reported here
These towns are about 125 miles south
Of Verkhnie Udinsk, through which
runs the Trans Siberian Railway. They
were formerly of great commercial i'm
portance, being trading stations a
which Chinese and Russian merchants