Initial Stages
The first regular military formation of the Whites was the Special Manchurian Detachment (SMD) made up of 9 officers, 35 Cossacks and 40 Buryats on December 12, 1917 by Grigory Semyonov. By August, 1918 the SMD had a considerable force and its strength grew because of the Japanese military assistance. The Japanese were interested in gaining Transbaikal and its resources and especially they supported Grigory Semyonov as a result of confrontation with British-supported Admiral Kolchak.
The Special Manchurian Detachment and the Japanese Expeditionary Corps launched the first massive offensive in order to conquer Chita in the spring of 1918 but were repelled. Finally, Chita was taken on 25 August, 1918. It was the beginning of the Siberian Intervention of the Japanese and Chita became the headquarters of the Japanese 5th Division for more than two years.
Read more about this topic: White Movement In Transbaikal
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