Grasping For The Wind WW1 (id:#63365)

(ANZACon 2005 ID: Round 4)   [next]   [previous]

Kazanka, Maritime Province, Siberia, Russia 1919-07-03 (1 other)

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Overview:

In the early morning hours of July 3, Major Joiner, the 1st Battalion’s Executive Officer, led C and D Companies, accompanied by two machineguns and a 37mm assault gun, out of the encampment at Suchan to attack a group of Red partisans at Kazanka. A larger column, led by Colonel Williams, left Suchan after Joiner’s departure, intending to converge on Kazanka from the southeast. The plan was for Williams’ group to initiate the attack from a woodline fairly close to the town. Joiner’s group would key on the sound of Williams’ guns, attacking near-simultaneously from a slightly greater distance. After traveling just over half the distance to their objective, Williams’ group became bogged down in a thick, waist-deep swamp north of Novitskaya. Getting through the swampy tangle with cumbersome 37mm guns and machineguns proved more difficult and time-consuming than anyone had expected. With no communications between the two columns (field radios did not yet exist), Williams had no way of telling Joiner what had happened. As the locals awoke and began doing their daily business around the town, Joiner feared someone would encounter his men and sound the alarm. He waited nervously, unsure of what to do. At around 8:30 AM, he decided he could wait no longer and initiated the attack. He began by shelling key buildings with his lone 37mm gun and exploited the resulting confusion with a brisk infantry assault supported by the machineguns. Although the partisans were unprepared, they put up a stiff fight; clinging desperately to hasty positions they took up around the town’s edge.

Defender: American (Company C, 31st Infantry Regiment)  

Errata (source)