Battle of Barnaul ( 1918 ) Battle for Barnaul , a series of fights during Russian Civil War during June 13 – 15 , 1918 . Background . Soon after the October Revolution of 1917 there began a Revolt of Czechoslovak Legion . Czechoslovaks wanted to capture the Trans - Siberian railway for providing the safe passage for themselves . At the same time as the Czechs moved in , Russian officers ' organizations overthrew the Bolsheviks in Petropavl ovsk and Omsk . Novonikolaevsk was an important city : it was a node , where Altai Railway ( part of future Turkestan – Siberia Railway ) came from the South and connected to Trans - Siberian Railway . Whites revolted in Novonikolaevsk during the night of May , 25 – 26 , and captured the city . At the next day civilians , former soldiers and officers began to organize anti - Bolsheviks detachments . For the cover from the south , Czechoslovak ' s leader Radola Gajda sent a train on the Altai Railway . Czechoslovaks began slowly move south , repairing the railway , but later returned to the Novonikolaevsk . Red Guards of Barnaul , hearing about the rebellion in Novonikolaevsk , went to the north . They claimed martial law on the whole line of Altai Railway , made Altayskaya station its capital , and decided to meet attackers near the Cherepanovo . At June , 1 , Provisional Government of Autonomous Siberia created a Siberian Army from volonteurs and former officers . One of the first tasks of new - born Army was capturing the Altai Railway . At June , 4 , White ' s forces left Novonikolaevsk and began to move south ; there were two Czechoslovak companies ( commander - podporuchik Czesnovsky ) , Novonikolaevsk Regiment ( commander - poruchik V . S . Sergeev ) and Tomsk Officer Detachment ( commander - captain N . D . Travin ) , commander - in - chief - Czech poruchik K . Gusarek . At June , 5 , Red ' s train left Cherepanovo and began to move north . Two trains ( White ' s and Red ' s ) met near the Evsino station . After some shots reds began to retreat , destroying the way and bridges . At June , 8 , Whites tried to cross the Chumysh River , but had to retreat under the fire of Reds . Then Whites went down near the river , and crossed it during the night near the Kashkaragaihi village . Whites planned to destroy the way behind the Reds , and later to strike from the front and the rear . At June , 9 , Reds received an information about Whites in the rear area . In the evening part of Reds without a noise left the position and attacked White column , which tried to encircle the Red ' s position . At first Reds was lucky , but later Whites counterattacked , and Reds had to retreat to the Altayskaya station . At June , 10 , members of Barnaul Revolution Committee came to the Altayskaya . They organized a meeting with local population , explained the necessity of keeping such an important railway station , and then Red Guards and local population began to dig tranches near the bridge over the Chesnokovka river . But in the evening Whites , using the opportunity , began a revolt in Barnaul . At June , 11 , Red Guards had to left the tranches and return to the city for suppressing the rebellion . Whites from the Novonikolaevsk captured Altayskaya without a fight at June , 12 . There they found a map of Barnaul and its surroundings and received an information about reinforcements – 200 men on the ship from Novonikolaevsk under the command of colonel A . A . Budkevich . The Battle . Reds fortified the bridge over the Ob River , which connected Barnaul and railway station : they destroyed a part of the bridge near the station , and placed a barricade with machinegun on the other end . The right bank of the Ob river ( where Barnaul is located ) was high , and Reds fortified it . Whites decided not to storm the bridge , and began to use cannons . Gusarek decided to cross a river in another place . During the night of June , 13 – 14 , a company of soldiers crossed the Ob river at 20 km north - west of Barnaul , near the Gonba village , and joint with the detachment of Budkevich and the Barnaul rebellers , which retreated from the city to the Vlasikha village . At the evening of June , 14 , Barnaul was attacked from the all directions . Reds hadn ' t enough shells , hence they decided to leave the city and went to the Aleysk . Aftermath . Whites captured about 200 Red Guardsmen in Barnaul , and on the next day killed all Reds of Hungarian nationality . Those Reds , who retreated from Barnaul to Aleysk , united into one partisan detachment under the command of P . F . Sukhov . This detachment fought in White ' s rear area during two months before crushing .