Friday 7 March 2014

Odessa in the Ukraine 7th February 1921

Today, in 2014, there is a crises in the Ukraine as there was 93 years ago:

Fred wrote:
"Unfortunately, the bombardment did not stop the Red Army which was now advancing into Odessa in force.  News of this now started off a real panic on shore, where mass hysteria was only too evident as the poor devils hoped against hope for rescue.
Our captain (H.M.S. Ceres) was in a real dilemma - knowing full well we could not take any more.  Fighting took place on the jetty. We had to pull up the gangways and threaten to fire.  Some women got on the ice pleading for help – oh - it’s awful to feel so powerless and I know our captain was overcome with emotion."



Captain V H Haggard of H.M.S. Ajax wrote that, “On the 7th Feb, things began to look so bad that I ordered the transports to leave at once and requested Colonel Walshe to come aboard the Ceres with the Mission. They eventually arrived in good order with no casualties except for Captain Macpherson, who was dangerously wounded. Ajax fired high shrapnel over the suburbs, which contained the more Bolshevik element of the city... The Mission and cadet forces, which had held the approaches to the city, were embarked aboard the Ceres which I then ordered to leave the city". : ADM 137/1756

No comments:

Post a Comment