Page:Albert Beaumont - Heroic Story of the Czecho-Slovak Legions - 1919.djvu/63

 Red Guards, or anyone who had sufficient force or audacity to command them. Our privates had learned it themselves, and having seen Russian soldiers command enginedrivers at will, they also resorted to the same means, and brought together numerous trains even without the assistance of our officers.

Our forces took two directions, following two railway lines, one over Poltava to Kharkov and Kursk, the other from the junction north of Kieff, vià Bakmatch, Bjelopol, and Loom to Kursk. The larger part of the Second Division moved over Poltava. The First Division started north, via Bakmatch. A parth of the forces had already passed through safely when, on March 7, it was learned that the Germans had succeeded in throwing several columns against Bakmatch, and that more regular German troops were coming to cut of the rest of our echelons. A curtain, therefore, had to be thrown out between Nieshin and Bakmatch to protect the line for a distance of about forty kilometres. Two battalions were detailed from Bakmatch to move in the direction of the oncoming Germans and to test their strength. They had several skirmishes with outposts, and after getting in touch with the main force of the enemy they fell back.

They reported the strength of the enemy to be about one division. All the railway material was immediately requisitioned. Three extra trains were thus quickly formed and conveyed troops beyond Bakmatch. The Ukrainian stationmasters were kindly disposed to our troops. The Ukrainian local authorities and soldiers themselves became very nervous and excited at the approach of such a large German force. Vaguely they looked to us for protection, not being quite certain yet as to what would happen. A Ukrainian colonel came with assurances from the general staff that they had negotiated with the Germans, and it was agreed that the station of Bakmatch would be neutral and free for our troops to pass. We little trusted this assurance, and deemed it best to take its protection into our own hands. In fact, later on it was learned that general Linsingen declared that his subordinate had given his consent without authorisation. He ignored the promised neutrality, and gave orders that we were to be attacked at once.

Three of our battalions, however, had been sent forward to protect Bakmatch and its approaches. One battalion took entire charge of the railway station, the telephone and telegraph wires and all the public offices. In the midst of the excitement a small detachment of Bolshevik soldiers joined us, and were going to help us to defend the line. The Germans continued to concentrate around us from March 7 to March 10, and our preparations were pushed with equal energy. Captain Čeček