All the old ethnic hatreds, distrust, and reprisal upon reprisal would be on full display.
It was a time for killing.
The military situation was, by any standard, extremely confusing.
Equipped with swords, rifles and bayonets, this is what the Bolshevik Red Army looked like in late 1917. Image: Library of Congress
Kiev changed hands nearly a dozen times until the Bolsheviks took control on December 16, 1919.
So too were many weapons, but they were often a jumbled mass of manufacturers and calibers.
When the Austrians left western Ukraine, they left behind large stocks of weapons.
German troops advance to the east during the winter of 1918. Bundled against the cold, the man in the foreground carries the Mauser Gewehr 98. Image: NARA
Consequently, the UHA initially relied on Austrian small arms.
The primary machine gun inherited from the Austrians was the water-cooledSchwarzlose M.7.
For most Ukrainian units, the basic rifle became the Mosin-Nagant M1891 (7.62x54mmR).
The Don and Kuban Cossacks provided experienced cavalry soldiers for the White (anti-Bolshevik) forces fighting in Ukraine. Image: Library of Congress
The number of available rifles, rather than the number of men, determined the size of their army.
The Maxim was steady and reliable with a cyclic rate of 600 rpm.
Training and coordination were still scant though, particularly for engineers, communications troops, and mechanics.
The M1891 Mosin Nagant rifle (7.62x54mmR) was the primary weapon of both sides. Image: NARA
While I am a good shot, I am a horrible gunsmith.
Morale was a major factor for most of the combatant forces.
For the UHA, when it was advancing, their ranks remained full.
Red Army troops with the Russian PM M1910 Maxim machine gun. The light armored shield added weight, but also provided protection for the gunner. Image: Library of Congress
Across the lines, the Bolshevik commissars were harsh, often cruel, in their discipline.
These carriages could still be found in Soviet service during World War II.
Joseph Stalin was one of the senior communist officers.
TheColt-Browning M1895 machine gunwas an important part of the Russian arsenal. Chambered in 7.62x54mmR, it was used by both sides. Image: Library of Congress
The Soviets rolled on and most of the Crimea was in communist hands when Sevastopol fell on April 29th.
By mid-June, the Reds were pushed out of the Crimea.
In July, the Ukrainians made peace with Poland in the west.
The Maxim machine gun was given a measure of mobility when mounted on a cart called “Tachanka”, an adaptation of the Ukrainian term “little wheelbarrow”. Image: NARA
By August, Kiev had been recaptured and most of Ukraine had been liberated.
It was almost a happy ending, until it wasnt.
In December 1919, the Bolsheviks were back in control in Kiev.
The original German caption describes these troops as “in pursuit of a Bolshevik robber band”. The officer in the foreground carries a Mauser C96 “broomhandle” pistol. Image: NARA
Bolshevik reprisals and murders by the Cheka continued for several years.
The communist nightmare engulfed Ukraine and lasted until August 1991.
On February 24, 2022, Russia invaded Ukraine once again.
German troops review captured Russian PM M1910 Maxim machine guns (7.62x54mmR). The gun in the foreground is seen on the wheeled Sokolov mount. Image: NARA
This time the entire world is watching and learning what Ukrainians have known for more than a century.
Lets hope history is more kind to the Ukrainian people this time around.
The peace treaty in Ukraine is signed, giving Germany control of the country. February 8, 1918. Image: NARA
Human resources: Both sides had plenty of infantrymen, but in many cases, the poorly trained men were little more than cannon fodder. Image: NARA
Casualties were high as the battles raged back and forth across Ukraine, but no official records of the military and civilian deaths were kept. Image: Author’s collection
The Trotsky Delegation arrives for the signing of the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk, January 1918. Image: NARA
