Suchan Valley Campaign

The Suchan Valley Campaign was the clearing and occupation of the mining region around the Russian town of Suchan (currently Partizansk, Russia) in a climatically-unforgiving region of Russia's Siberia during the Russian Civil War. A relatively clean sweep, the operation inflicted heavy casualties on the Bolsheviks.

Suchan Valley Campaign
Part of the Allied intervention in the Russian Civil War

Sergey Lazo, commander of the Red Partisan squads defending the region during the American offensive.
DateJuly–August 1919
Location
Result American victory
Belligerents
 United States Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic Russia (Bolshevik)
Commanders and leaders
United States Robert L. Eichelberger
United States William S. Graves
Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic Sergey Lazo[1]
Strength
3,520
USS Albany
USS New Orleans
4,000-6,000
Casualties and losses
22 killed
33 wounded
500 killed[2]

Battle

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With the failed Russian surprise assault against a numerically-inferior American force during the Battle of Romanovka in June, the Suchan Mines were entirely cut off from Vladivostok. Soviet control of these mines prevented the Americans from fulfilling specified duties in the region, so a three-pronged offensive was launched to clear the valley of armed opposition.

Five companies of the 31st Infantry, U.S. Army, took on the responsibility of clearing the Suchan, while every stretch of captured territory within the valley was handed over to garrison guard forces manned by the U.S. Marines and Navy.[3][4]

References

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  1. ^ История гражданской войны в СССР. Рипол Классик. 2013. p. 147. ISBN 9785458399241.
  2. ^ Birtle, Andrew. "U.S. Army Counterinsurgency and Contingency Operations Doctrine, 1860-1941." Center of Military History of the United States Army. Washington D.C., 1998.
  3. ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2018-09-30. Retrieved 2015-09-21.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  4. ^ http://www.umich.edu/~bhlumrec/polarbear/lauer/highresjpeg/2008154-0002/2008154-0002-002.pdf [bare URL PDF]