Battle of Vapniarka

Ukrainian army

Units of the Ukrainian People's Army participating in the battle were subordinated to the 3rd Rifle Division headed by former tsarist army colonel Oleksandr Udovychenko. Udovychenko's force was an amalgam of various preceding formations, including World War I veterans from the Bluecoat Division. The division consisted of a little more than 3,000 soldiers, and suffered from a lack of cavalry forces and artillery, as well as general scarcity of weapons. The problem with munition supplies was solved with the help of equipment captured from the enemy; trophies taken from the Red Army included armoured cars and even several armoured trains.^[1]

Simultaneously with Udovychenko's offensive actions, a group of Ukrainian forces led by Tiutiunnyk and Bozhko attempted to dislodge Bolshevik troops from Zhmerynka.^[1]

Red Army

The area of Vapniarka was defended by the 45th Division under command of Iona Yakir, as well as several other units, including the 54th Regiment named after Vladimir Lenin led by notable Odesa gangster Mishka Yaponchik. The Red Army forces were well-supplied and had support of several armoured trains. Their total strength was over 10,000 soldiers.^[1]

Prelude

In order to approach Vapniarka, on 16-17 July elements of the Ukrainian 8th Black Sea Regiment under command of colonel Tsarenko advanced on Red Army positions near Komarhorod. After establishing control over the village, Ukrainian troops started advancing towards Vapniarka, aiming to surround the numerically superior enemy force from three sides. On 17 July the 7th Bluecoat Regiment captured the village of Vapniarka, and on the next day established control over Kyslytske. However, the Reds eventually reestablished control over the latter settlement, attacking its civilians for alleged support of the Ukrainian side. The 8th Black Sea Regiment, meanwhile, advanced towards Antopil, and was able to capture the village after receiving support of the Bluecoats several days later.^[1]

On 22 of July, Ukrainian forces began a new offensive, as a result of which, Vapniarka and the neighbouring settlements of Tomashpil and Komarhorod were captured. However, the Bolsheviks counterattacked and recaptured the station.^[7]

Fighting for Vapniarka station

On 26 of July, Ukrainians captured the villages of Tsapivka and Kolodianka, while continuing their advance towards Vapniarka. Despite the fact that Bolshevik forces managed to temporarily halt the Ukrainian offensive,^[7] on the same day Ukrainian 7th Blue regiment captured Vapniarka station with a bold attack.^[7] During the next days, the station changed hands several times.

A key event in the battle was the Ukrainian capture of Verbova on 26 July. Left unguarded by the Bolsheviks, the village lay on a railway line to Kryzhopil, which was used to transfer Red Army units to Vapniarka. At 17:00 on the same day, Ukrainian command ordered to destroy the railway. Simultaneously, the Bluecoats started an attack on Vapniarka from the southwest, supported by an improvised armoured train created by putting a simple cannon on a railway platform. This action resulted in panic among the Bolsheviks, leading to their retreat from the station.^[1]

On the night of 27-28 of July, the Reds began a counterattack, which forced the UPA to retreat. However, on the morning of the same day the station was again recaptured by the Ukrainians.^[6] Further Bolshevik attacks on the station continued until July 31 and were unsuccessful.^{[citation needed]}