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| Armed Forces of South Russia | |
|---|---|
| Вооружённые силы Юга России | |
 Most territory controlled by South Russian forces as of October 1919 | |
| Active | 8 January 1919 – April 1920 |
| Disbanded | April 1920 |
| Country | South Russia |
| Allegiance |  General Command of the Armed Forces(1918–19)South Russia(1919–20) |
| Size | 85,000 (January 1919) 160,000 (July 1919) 270,000 (October 1919) |
| Engagements |
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| Commanders | |
| Commander-in-Chief | Anton Denikin (until 4 April 1920) Pyotr Wrangel (from 4 April 1920) |
| Insignia | |
| Identification symbol |  |
TheArmed Forces of South Russia (AFSR or SRAF) (Russian:Вооружённые силы Юга России,romanized: Vooruzhyonniye sily Yuga Rossii, VSYuR) were the unified military forces of theWhite movement insouthern Russia between 1919 and 1920.
On 8 January 1919, the Armed Forces of South Russia were formed, incorporating theVolunteer Army and theDon Army.[1] Subsequently, it included theCrimean-Azov Army, the Forces of Northern Caucasus and theTurkestan Army.
By October 1919, the army had 150,000 soldiers, which included 48,000 horsemen. The British had supplied 280,000 rifles, 4,898 machine guns, 917 cannons, 102 tanks, 194 airplanes 1,335 automobiles, 112 tractors, and what became known asWrangel's fleet.[2]
In May 1919, Denikin reorganized the Armed Forces of South Russia.Vladimir May-Mayevsky took command of the Volunteer Army, known formerly as the Caucasian Volunteer Army. Sidorin took command of the Don army, while Wrangel took command of the Caucasian Army, consisting mainly of the Kuban Cossacks.[2]: 37–38
The Caucasus Army disbanded on 29 January 1920 and was replaced by the short-lived Kuban Army. Troops of the Kuban Army ended up surrendering by 18–20 April 1920 to theRed Army. The Volunteer Army continued to exist from 22 May 1919 until 26/27 March 1920, when the remaining troops wereevacuated from Novorossiysk toCrimea. Most then merged there with Wrangel's forces.
In early April 1920,Anton Denikin, commander-in-chief of the AFSR, delegated all authority toPyotr Wrangel, who took command of the so-calledRussian Army, which included all remaining units of the AFSR after its defeat in Northern Caucasus.
General Command of the Armed Forces of South Russia Главное Командование Вооружёнными Силами на Юге России Glavnoye Komandovaniye Vooruzhyonnymi Silami na Yuge Rossii | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1919–1920 | |||||||||||
 Flag  Coat of arms | |||||||||||
 Territories governed by the General Command, in October 1918, and its surroundings. | |||||||||||
| Common languages | Russian | ||||||||||
| Government | Military dictatorship | ||||||||||
| Supreme Leader | |||||||||||
• 1918 | Mikhail Alekseyev | ||||||||||
• 1918–1920 | Anton Denikin | ||||||||||
| Historical era | Russian Civil War | ||||||||||
| November 1917 | |||||||||||
• Established | 31 August 1918 1919 | ||||||||||
• Disestablished | 30 December 1920 | ||||||||||
• South Russian Government established | March | ||||||||||
| |||||||||||
| Today part of | Russia | ||||||||||
TheGeneral Command of the Armed Forces of South Russia (Russian:Особое совещание при Главкоме ВСЮРOsoboye soveschaniye pri Glavkome VSYuR) was an administrative body in southernRussia in 1919 and 1920 performing government functions in the territory controlled by the troops of theRussian White movement'sVolunteer Army and the Armed Forces of South Russia.
The predecessor to the General Command was the Political Council (Политический совет;Političeskij sovet) established in December 1917. In 1918, due to an increasing amount of territory falling under control of the Volunteer Army, the issue of civilian administration became more consequential. On 31 August 1918, the General Command was established under GeneralMikhail Vasilyevich Alekseyev. The functions of the General Command were clarified on 3 October 1918. The head of the Volunteer Army would be chairman of the General Command which would serve as an advisory body to the head. On 8 October 1918, following the death of General Alekseyev, the role of Supreme Leader was given to GeneralAnton Denikin. Chairmen of the command wereAbram Dragomirov (October 1918–September 1919) andAlexander Lukomsky (September–December 1919). The General Command was abolished on 30 December 1919 by Denikin and replaced with aGovernment of the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of South Russia (Правительством при Главнокомандующем ВСЮР;Pravitel'stvom pri Glavnokomanduyushchem VSYuR) and, in March 1920, theSouth Russian Government.
Volunteer Army (known asCaucasian Volunteer Army from 23 January – 22 May 1919), commanded by Gen. Anton Denikin (April 1918 – April 1920)
Caucasus Army (split fromCaucasian Volunteer Army on 22 May 1919), commanded by Lt. Gen.Pyotr Wrangel (21 May – 8 December 1919) and Lt. Gen.Viktor Pokrovsky (9 December 1919 – 8 February 1920)
Don Army (joined AFSR on 23 February 1919), commanded by Gen.Vladimir Sidorin (February 1919 and April 1920)
Turkestan Army (formed on 22 January 1919), commanded by Ippolit Savitsky (April – July 1919), Aleksander Borovsky (July – October 1919) and Boris Kazanovich (October 1919 – February 1920).
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