The Russian Revolution: The Railway War and the Battle for the Trans-Siberian

When the Russian Revolution broke out, control of the Trans-Siberian Railway became a life-or-death struggle for both Reds and Whites. This episode follows the epic 'Railway War' of 1918-1920, where armored trains became mobile fortresses and station towns turned into battlefields. We look at the key commanders like the Czech legionnaire Radola Gajda and the Bolshevik commissar on rails, Vladimir Antonov-Ovseenko. From the fight for Chelyabinsk to the siege of Chita, the railway was the spine of the Civil War. We discuss how Ataman Grigory Semenov held up trains on the Chinese Eastern Railway, and how the famous 'Orlik' armored train became a legend. The episode also explores the role of American and Japanese intervention forces along the line, and how the railway's fate decided the outcome of Kolchak's government. A forgotten but crucial chapter of the Russian Civil War.

#RussianRevolution #TransSiberianRailway #RailwayWar #RussianCivilWar #ArmoredTrains #Chelyabinsk #Chita #RadolaGajda #VladimirAntonovOvseenko #GrigorySemenov #Orlik #CzechLegions #Kolchak #Intervention #Siberia #History #FexingoHistory #EasternEurope

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