Bermontians
| West Russian Volunteer Army | |
|---|---|
Only surviving flag of the West Russian Volunteer Army.
|
|
| Active | 1918-1920 |
| Allegiance |
 PA-RG (Officially) German Empire (Unofficially) |
| Size | 50,000 |
| Engagements | |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders |
Gen. Pavel Bermondt-Avalov Gen. Rüdiger von der Goltz |
| Insignia | |
| Army Flag |  |
The West Russian Volunteer Army or Bermontians was an army in the Baltic provinces of the former Russian Empire during the Russian Civil War of 1918–1920.
The Western Russian Volunteer Army, unlike the pro-Entente Volunteer Army, was supported and in fact created by Germany. The Compiègne Armistice, article 12, stipulated that German troops were to remain in the Baltic provinces to help fight Bolshevik advances and were to withdraw once the Allies determined the situation was under control. The order to withdraw was given after the Treaty of Versailles was signed in June 1919.
However, only a small portion of the Freikorps in the Baltic retired; the rest stayed under the leadership of General Rüdiger von der Goltz. To avoid casting blame on Germany and infuriating the Allies, he withdrew into the background and merged his troops with the "Special Russian Corps", led by Cossack General Pavel Bermont-Avalov. The two generals recruited about 50,000 men: mostly Freikorps, Baltic Germans, as well as some Russian POWs captured by Germany in World War I and then released on the promise that they would help fight against the Bolsheviks in the Russian Civil War. The Army declared that it joined the forces of Aleksandr Kolchak and marched to attack Bolsheviks, but their real goal was to sustain German power in the Baltic region.
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Wikipedia