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Military Life
during the Russian Civil War (1917-1921) |
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This section will feature pictures, history, stories, and other facets of Red and White army life during the period between 1917 and 1924. |
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The needs of the civil war saw a rapid rise in the numbers of the Red Army. It began as a small organized group of men centered in Petrograd, but then spread throughout the country. These numbers are misleading however. They were poorly organized and spread across vast distances. They could not be brought into action in large numbers like a massive sledgehammer. They lacked the logistics and supplies to do so. The numbers were constantly changing. Desertion, disease, and battle all took their toll. Many of these soldiers were also non-combatants. They were employed in the rebuilding of windmills, farms, roads, and even used to catch fish. |
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March 1918 |
100,800 | |
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May 1918 |
306,000 | |
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February 1919 |
1,000,000 | |
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January 1920 | 3,000,000 | |
| October 1920 | 5,498,000 |
