Page:Albert Beaumont - Heroic Story of the Czecho-Slovak Legions - 1919.djvu/82

 surrounded the seat of the Soviet and delivered an ultimatum for the surrender of all the depôts within half an hour and the disarming of all the Red Guards. The members of the Soviet present wished to temporise, saying they could give no immediate answer, as their President, M. Suchanov, was absent. They were thereupon arrested, and their guards were disarmed.

Meanwhile our troops proceeded to the barracks. The 8th Regiment disarmed almost without resistance the marines who were in the naval barracks. The militia and the Red Guards of the Soviet and the men at the Naval Club likewise surrendered without a fight. The 7th Regiment disarmed the artillery of the Soviet, taking their guns, which were mostly of an antiquated model. The 2nd Regiment surrounded the barracks and disarmed the Red Guards in the Druga Rijecka buildings, and a search was carried out in many places where many hidden arms were found. The only resistance came from the Red Guards in the fort, who were mostly composed of ex-war prisoners-Magyars, Germans, and Austrians. The start of the Bolshevik army had also taken refuge there. British and Japanese troops helped in this operation. A machine-gun was placed in position by the former at the British Consulate.

The attack began shortly before four o’clock in the afternoon, and the troops in the fort replied with a brisk fire. Some Red Guards who attempted to escape were captured. At six o’clock it was decided to storm the fort. Our men approached and flung grenades into the basement, where there was a pointing press and a lot of paper which took fire. The flames rapidly spread, and the besieged hoisted a white flag, but when our soldiers approached a bomb was flung at them from the windows of the staff command. Our men resumed firing, and after a while the besieged ceased to reply. The fort was entered, the Guards were taken prisoners, and the firemen came to extinguish the fire which was raging.

The inhabitants had not been warned, of course, and as soon as they heard the shooting they closed all their shops. But when it was all over they came out into the streets en masse and indulged in wild jubilation. Even whilst the operations were in progress they encouraged our men and cheered them. As the members of the Soviet who were arrested were led out the crowd hooted them and spit at them. They shouted they were glad to get rid of the tyrants. Some small detachments of Japanese also co-operated at various points and even preceded our troops. Early in the affair four Russian torpedo boats steamed out and prepared to fire on our troops, but they vere instantly warned by the Japanese cruiser Asachi not to fire a shot or they would be sunk.