Siberia, the birthplace of the White Movement against the Bolsheviks during the Weltkrieg, is now the final battleground between the Whites and a new rebel movement. With the DARR’s westerrn forces either dead or captured, any chance for a democratic Russia rests in the DARR’s ability to provide a knockout blow to the intruding Russian forces and then quickly marching West to seize vital grain reserves and military depots along the Trans-Siberian Railroad. With the rebel’s inability to secure food imports, this swift movement across Russia seems like an impossible pipe dream, even more so when the Russian Grand Army arrived in Omsk, ready to pounce East.

And so the Russians did, quickly sending engineers and guards to the extreme ends of Russian control, doing their best to repair the TSR in order to prevent some renegade governments in the East from seizing further Russian land to provide ‘stability’. Reconstruction of the TSR however, would be constantly delayed as partisan attacks from the DARR and a mischievous Mother Nature would cause massive logistical headaches, preventing a timely repair. Despite this, Russian troops led by General Markov and Denikin would begin to flood into Siberia proper, eager to crush this rebellion once and for all.

Krasnoyarsk

General Markov, a veteran of Siberian fighting from his numerous battles against the DARR would quickly surge south along the alternate route of the TSR, repairing what he can of the railroad before quickly marching to the city of Krasnoyarsk to outflank the forces stationed in Novosibirsk. A bit unprepared at the swiftness of Markov’s advance, the few rebel forces in the town would have failed to make any sort of defensive preparations as lead elements of Markov’s forces reach the outskirts of the city by August 25th. Using local guides still friendly to the Russian government, Markov would use the terrain to his advantage, discreetly setting up artillery dugouts on the southern and western approaches to the town, while a few cavalry brigades would severing the link between Krasnoyarsk and Novosibirsk and helping to further isolate any breakout movements aimed at preventing the Grand Army’s seizure of Novosibirsk.

Using the set up artillery dugouts overlooking the city in addition to bomber raids from friendly airbases, Markov would start off the battle on August 27th with a figurative bang, alerting the DARR to their presence but failing to do substantial damage, causing more collateral damage to the town itself instead of actually hitting the DARR’s forces stationed there. The DARR, feeling a little confident would do counter-battery action, failing to estimate the proper ranges and as such would have their shells land short. The military leader in Krasnoyarsk would request aid from the remaining DARR’s forces in the east, buying time through fake negotiations with the Russian forces.

General Markov would gain a little bit of luck, his scouting patrols intercepting the envoys that were travelling west towards Nikolayevsk and Blagoveshchensk provinces, and learning of the garrison’s deception would send an ultimatum to the DARR’s commander stationed in the city. As news that the Russians would pardon most of the DARR’s rank and file would reach the men tasked with defending the city, a plot would be hatched by a few regimental officers demoralized by Western failures in addition to the food crisis affecting Siberia to defect to the Russian forces once they stood a good chance at taking the city. On September 2nd, Markov would do just that, quickly ordering his forces down the slopes of Chornaya Sopka and clashing with DARR forces in the suburbs of Krasnoyarsk in a fury of blood and metal.

A few days during which heavy close-quarter combat would take place, the streets of Krasnoyarsk heavily damaged by artillery fire allowing for ambushes to take place in one minute with the next, into the fighting and the crackle of rifle shots would cry out in the rear of the DARR’s lines as defectors to the Russian cause would take the opportunity caused by Markov’s offensive to seize several bridges across the Yenisei in addition to Tatyshev and Otdyha island. While they would only be able to secure minor footholds on the north bank of the Yenisei River near the Kommunal'nyy and Obtyabr’skiy bridges, this defection by rear elements would force the DARR to abandon the favorable positions in the southern suburbs and retreat across the river lest they get pinned between a rock and a hard place.

In the hasty retreat across the Yenisei, multiple elements of the DARR would disperse, fleeing the city entirely as the Russians increased their footholds near the town square, sensing that death was fast approaching. After a few more days of fighting where the DARR would slowly get pushed further and further into Krasnoyarsk’s northeastern suburbs, the DARR garrison commander would finally surrender on the 9th of September, even more detachments and men fleeing to avoid potential Russian reprisals.

Russian Army Casualties: 1,958 dead; 3,624 wounded Defense Army of the Russian Republic Casualties: 2,212 dead; 3,921 wounded

Novosibirsk

General Denikin, despite having the railroad trashed mostly in his sector, would use a massive makeshift truck and horse-drawn carriage system spanning mostly from Omsk to Novosibirsk, a testament to Russian innovation. Despite this feat of engineering on such a short notice, the establishment of Russian logistics would not mean an easy victory of the government forces over the rebels. A few detachments aimed at skirmishing and doing general reconnaissance in the area failed to report back in, completely wiped out by rebel forces before they could get back to their own lines. Recognizing that they are going in blind, Denikin would use the Ob River as a way to protect his flank against a flank from the DARR.

As the Russians approach the DARR positions around Svetlyy on the 6th of September, the DARR would begin to open fire on the Russian forces, artillery battering the first few waves of Russian conscripts and battle-hardened troops as they throw themselves against the rebel’s positions, eager to make and exploit a breakthrough. However, despite repeated attacks on the 6th, 7th and 8th of September, the DARR would hold strong, repelling the Russian Army and almost causing a rout of the Saratov Division before an intervention from General Denikin himself would hold the line steady. The Russian forces would dig in for the next few days, using artillery and the demoralizing news of the Fall of Krasnoyarsk to slowly envelop the city, taking Svetlyy with the assistance of an armored train on the 11th and reaching the outskirts of Novosibirsk on the morning of the 12th. A concentrated artillery barrage on the DARR’s positions around 10am on the 12th would be followed up by a general thrust of the Grand Army into Novosibirsk proper, succeeding as they take half of Bugrinsky Bridge and reaching the vicinity of Oktyabr’skiy Bridge by the 14th of September after crushing a few of the DARR’s fallback lines.

The DARR, fearing a separation of the city East-West would launch a counterattack on the 15th, breaking through the 2nd Regiment of the Smolensk Division, and would threaten to encircle the rest of the Smolensk Division as well as the Vitebsk Division. Fearing similar casualties to Nizhny Novgorod, Denikin would order the Grand Army to withdraw back into the suburbs… for now as the DARR reoccupied the positions that they had just lost days before. Reorganizing his forces, Denikin would launch a few more attacks aimed at dislodging the DARR on the 16th and 18th, both assaults failing to push the DARR from their positions but taking minor casualties during both attempts. The Russian Army would be the target of a DARR counterattack on the 19th which would fall to break the Russian positions by Sveltyy, only further highlighting the food shortages that are currently plaguing the town. Following this, Denikin orders two more assaults on the 20th and 23rd, failing to break the line as men begin to litter the streets of Novosibirsk, neither side able to collect their dead in the middle of the night, less they want to suffer a sniper’s bullet in the darkness. However, the 23rds attack would prove fatal to the DARR’s cohesion, with units starting to defect and surrender around midnight on the 24th, willing to trade personal ideology for a bit of warm food to fill their empty stomachs. This situation would go on until the 26th, when Denikin would order a final assault that would see the city of Novosibirsk fall into Russian hands decisively. General Chernyavsky’s whereabouts are unknown, but the most likely outcome is that he snuck through Russian lines and is currently residing in either Harbin or Vladivostok, rallying Russian men in the Japanese sphere of influence to form a volunteer to liberate Russia from autocratic rule when the opportunity arises.

Russian Army Casualties: 3,812 dead; 4,921 wounded Defense Army of the Russian Republic Casualties: 7,821 dead; 1,231 wounded

• Krasnoyarsk and Novosibirsk is retaken by the Russian Grand Army
• DARR presence in Siberia is all but eliminated, only minor partisan movements being conducted
• The Trans-Siberian Railway between Novosibirsk and Omsk is still in need of repairs
• Southern variant of the Trans-Siberian Railroad has reopened to rail traffic
• 215,000 men and women make the journey across the border from Siberia as political refugees in Transamur and Harbin
• General Chernyavsky is still at large