The Year 1917

At Pskov, Northern Front Commander General Cheremisov frustrated efforts to use his troops against the Bolsheviks in Petrograd. General Baluev, in Minsk, was forced from command of the Special Army, and placed under arrest on the 23rd. Bitterly hostile anti-Bolshevik senior officers traveled to the south to prepare the formation of the Volunteer Army. The Reds set up MRC's in Voronezh and Samara. The Allied Military Mission left General Staff Headquarters at Mogilev.

In the Don, at Novocherkassk, General Kaledin declared martial law throughout the Don Region. A very small detachment of the Volunteer Army began attacks on Red Guards at Rostov. The Red armored train Imeni Raskolnikov reached Rostov and began operations against Kaledin.

At Stavka, the Ukrainians concluded a convention with General Dukhonin. But Stavka did not obligate itself to assist them to Ukrainize their army, only recognizing the desirability of having them organize their forces on a territorial basis. Existing Ukrainian units remained loyal to General Anatoliy Kelchevskiy.

In London, British Foreign Minister Lord Arthur Balfour suggested that the Cabinet should make contact with General Kaledin in South Russia.

On 22 November, at Petrograd, Lenin telephoned General Dukhonin at Stavka to pressure him to carry out his orders. On his refusal, Lenin published an order dismissing him as the Supreme Commander in Chief, and replaced him with Praporshchik N.V. Krylenko.

Krylenko left Petrograd for Northern Front HQ at Pskov, where he issued Order No.1 that called on all troops to fight for peace.

At Petrograd, Bolshevik ground personnel of aviation units in the district took part in some brief fighting with officer pilots. Aircraft of the 12th FAO were prevented from flying any missions against the Reds. Its commander Polkovnik K.K. Vakulovskiy, a famous pilot, was arrested by his men.

On 23 November, at Petrograd, a meeting of the Extraordinary Congress of Peasant Soviets was held, during which the Left SR's won a majority. There was a growing struggle for power between the Bolsheviks and other socialist elements.

At Petrograd, the Bolsheviks published a decree for gradual demobilization. It was the first step in the organization of the new Red Army. The Germans threatened Lenin and the Central Committee of the Communist Party should no peace be concluded. The Bolsheviks abolished castes and the civil hierarchy.