Battle of Tsaritsyn

Battle of Tsaritsyn
Part of the Southern Front of the Russian Civil War
A 1913 map of Tsaritsyn
Date July 1918 – January 1920 (1 year and 6 months) Location Tsaritsyn, Volga Region 48°42′N 44°31′E / 48.700°N 44.517°E / 48.700; 44.517 Result White victory in 1919; Bolshevik victory in 1920 White Army captures city in June 1919 Red Army recaptures city in January 1920
Belligerents
White movement Don Republic Kuban Republic South Russia Supported by: United Kingdom	Bolsheviks Russian SFSR Ukrainian SSR
Commanders and leaders
Pyotr Krasnov Anton Denikin Pyotr Wrangel	Joseph Stalin Kliment Voroshilov Andrei Snesarev Dmitry Zhloba Pavel Sytin Grigory Kulik
Units involved
Armed Forces of South Russia Don Army Caucasus Army Volunteer Army	Southern Front 10th Army
Strength
c. 50,000	c. 117,000

The Battle of Tsaritsyn was a military confrontation between the Red Army and the White Army during the Russian Civil War for control of Tsaritsyn (now Volgograd), a significant city and port on the Volga River in southwestern Russia.

The city, which had been an important center of support for the October Revolution and remained in the hands of the Reds, was besieged three times by anti-Bolshevik Don Cossacks under the command of Pyotr Krasnov: July–September 1918, September–October 1918, and January–February 1919. Another attempt to conquer Tsaritsyn was made in May–June 1919 by the Volunteer Army, which successfully captured the city. In turn, between August 1919 and January 1920, the Whites defended the city against the Bolsheviks. Tsaritsyn was finally conquered by the Reds in early 1920.

The defense of Tsaritsyn, nicknamed the "Red Verdun",^[1] was one of the most widely described and commemorated events of the Civil War in Soviet historiography, art and propaganda. This was due to the fact that Joseph Stalin took part in the defense of the city between July and November 1918.