Battle of Tuapse (1918)

Battle of Tuapse (1918)
Part of Sochi conflict
Map of Tuapsinsky okrug
Date 15–26 July, 1918 Location Tuapsinsky okrug Result Georgian victory
Belligerents
Democratic Republic of Georgia Cossack units	Russian Soviet Republic North Caucasian Soviet Republic
Commanders and leaders
Giorgi Mazniashvili	Unknown
Units involved
Regular Army People's Guard	Red Army

The Battle of Tuapse was fought between the Democratic Republic of Georgia and the Russian Soviet Republic over Tuapsinsky okrug. It ended with a Georgian victory.

Battle

After Georgia captured Sochi, Bolsheviks retreated to Tuapse and prepared to counter-attack. To neutralize their threat, Georgian army was preparing to move into Tuapse. On 9–10 July, the local Okrug and executive committees of Russian Social Democratic Labour Party convened a meeting in Tuapse, during which they decided to plant a diversionary group in the back of the Georgian units. Meanwhile, North Caucasian Bolsheviks decided to consolidate their forces in the fight against the Georgian Democratic Republic, thus, they unified the soviet republiccs of Northern Caucasus into a single entity: Kuban-Black Sea Soviet Republic, Stavropol Soviet Republic and Terek Soviet Republic were unified into the Northern Caucasian Soviet Socialist Republic, with a capital in Ekaterinodar (Krasnodar). Georgians, on the other hand, were joined by the Cossack units, which escaped the Bolsheviks from Northern Caucasus, where the Red Terror was conducted by the former chairman of Abkhazian Revolutionary Committee and now chairman of Northern Caucasian Special Commission for Fighting Counter-Revolution (regional sub-unit of Cheka), Georgi Atarbekov.

The Bolsheviks counter-attacked Georgians and opened heavy artillery fire, although in no avail. On 15 July 1918, Georgians launched an offensive in Tuapsinsky okrug. From 15 to 26 July, Georgians forced the Bolsheviks to retreat to the city of Tuapse. One of the heaviest battles took place on 23 July, 9 a.m., when Georgian units were advancing from the village of Loo to the village of Golovinka. Georgians clashed with the Bolshevik forces and forced them to withdraw to Tuapse, disorganized. Georgians captured one cannon, two machine guns, one car and ammunitions. The Bolshevik forces were made up from 800 troops, aided by armored cars and trains. Their artillery was firing bombs with smoking gas. Most likely this was liquid chlorine, phosgene or chloropicrin.

The offensive in Tuapse reached its culmination. The Cossack unit landed in the city and blockaded its communications. Meanwhile, the Georgian force imitated the landing in Arkhipo-Osipovka to distract the Reds, which were fortified in Tuapse. During the night, Georgian cutter "Saint Mikheil" reached Tuapse without complications and started bombing the cannons of Bolsheviks. It then bombed their artillery battery near Novorossiysk lighthouse, thus paving the path for Georgian units to move forward. The Georgian units and the Bolsheviks clashed near Tuapse. The battle lasted for 12 hours. After the fierce battle, Georgian units entered the city of Tuapse at 8 o'clock. Bolsheviks retreated to the North and North-Eastern direction.

Taras Vashakidze was appointed as the governor of Tuapse. Georgian army took control of Tuapse port, where 28 ships were stationed. They were transferred to the Poti trade port and military navy. On 27 July, Georgian General Giorgi Mazniashvili notified Georgian Minister of Military Grigol Giorgadze about capturing Tuapse. Large number of ammunitions, hostages, cannons, trains were seized by Georgians. After capturing Tuapse, Georgians under the direction of Giorgi Mazniashvili moved further, reaching Gelendzhik.

Despite this Georgian success, the Bolsheviks soon assembled a large force of 25,000 men into Taman Army and launched counter-offensive in late August. First they retook the Novorossiysk, which was abandoned by a German-Turkish landing force upon their approach. After this, starting from 27 August, Taman Army recaptured from much smaller Georgian forces Gelendzhik, Arkhipo-Osipovka, Novomikhaylovsky and on 1 September, Tuapse. Georgians retreated to Sochi. This is known as the March of Taman Army.

References

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