LJ Idol, "Exhibit B," Topic 1

[aggienaut]

Eastern Siberia, 1919 -- Lieutenant Radola Viest rubbed his hands together, the cold piercing even his thick gloves. His breath formed clouds of steam in the chilly air as he tried unsuccessfully to breath warmth into his hands.

   He looked down the length of the armored train at the many other soldiers in their dark green greatcoats, rifles slung over their shoulders. The train had been stopped here for weeks now, and well-worn trails led through the snow into the surrounding Siberian forests.

   It had been years now since any of them had seen their native Czechoslavakia. What a strange and bizarre journey, fighting their way across the entirety of Russia, just to try to get home.

   Lt Viest had last seen his wife Ana in 1916. Drafted into the Austro-Hungarian army, he was captured by the Russians. With the promise Russia would liberate Czechoslovakia from Austro-Hungary and allow a free Czechoslovak Republic, Viest and 60,000 other Czechs and Slovaks had joined the "Czechoslovak Legion" of the Russian Army.

   Back then he had been filled with dreams of soon returning home a hero, with a triumphant liberating army of native Czechoslovaks.

   But then the Russian Revolution happened. And the communist Bolshevik government negotiated a peace treaty with Germany and Austro-Hungary, which forbade the repatriation of the Czechoslovak Legion.
   They couldn't cross the front lines to the West, so instead they'd fought their way East along the trans-Siberian railroad. East across the nearly 6,000 miles of Siberia.

   The Czechoslovak Legion found itself the most powerful force in Siberia in the Russian Civil War, controlling vast swathes of territory and important cities, when all they ever wanted was to return home.

   But now here they were, within days of the port of Vladivostok, from where they could evacuate and continue East without having to fight for every foot, but now the anti-communist forces considered them too indispensible to allow them to leave.
   Admiral Kolchak, the "last hope of a free Russia," who promised to resign as "Supreme Leader" and have national elections as soon as he defeated the communists was relying on them.

   A light snow began to fall. Viest eyed the frozen landscape sourly.


   Another bundled-up lieutenant appeared out of the swirling white mists and approached Viest. The end of a cigarette in his mouth glowed red in the otherwise colourless air. "Radjko, I think we have a solution"
   "What's that?" asked Viest, skeptically.
   "Well, there's talk of handing over Kolchak to the Bolsheviks in exchange for being allowed to leave"
   Viest nodded without saying anything, and removed a flask of vodka from his coat.

---

67,739 members of the Czechoslovak legion were eventually able to leave Vladivostok by sea, cross two oceans and two continents, and return toa free Czechoslovakia.

Admiral Kolchak was shot by the Bolsheviks and the White Russian army quickly collapsed.



The picture at the top of this entry isn't a Czechoslovak Legion armoured train (though it's from the same era), but the second picture just above is.

See also, the "intersection" with this by the illustrious alexpgp!

Comments

[alexpgp.livejournal.com]

This goes well with my piece!

Cheers...

P.S. And, perhaps, a small slice of salt herring!

[emo-snal.livejournal.com]

Thanks. (:

I can't believe you're the only comment I've gotten so far. It ain't like the good ole days around here..

[mezzogiorno.livejournal.com]

This was great, and I am glad I had read alexpgp's entry first. Definitely one of my favourite intersections so far, but perhaps I'm just a sucker for history.

[emo-snal.livejournal.com]

Yeah in this case his intersection definitely should be read first I think. And thanks! (:

[jennickels.livejournal.com]

Very interesting. I liked the history in it. I'm not all that up on Russian history (can barely keep track of my own country's history). I did so want to learn more about Lt. Viest's life trying to get back to Ana.

[emo-snal.livejournal.com]

Yeah the Russian Civil War is a very interesting time one doesn't hear much about. One just gets vague impressions of lots of snow and armored trains (which I tihnk are kind of awesome). I've always been particularly fascinated by the true fact that 60,000 Czechoslovaks controlled a large part of Siberia and were a huge player in a war they didn't want to have anything to do with.

[halfshellvenus.livejournal.com]

What a terrible and unfair turn of events for those in the Lieutenant's position. Drafted to fight for an empire from which you long to be freed, only to become a political pawn in yet another war that has nothing to do with you or what matters to you.

Worse, really, when you realize that Czechoslovakia was already a forced-together country. Its peoples had two cultures, two languages, and not a lot of liking for one another, and only recently have they separated once more.

[emo-snal.livejournal.com]

Indeed, I don't know why they were treated as the same for so long, there's not even a single word that encompasses both cultures, other than mashing the names of both of them together.

But they seemed to get along alright at least, and separated in what was called "the Velvet Revolution" in the 90s.

But yeah, the story of the Czechoslovak Legion has always fascinated me as just, crazy, bizarre, and definitely unfair for the poor legionnaires. I've been meaning to see if there's a good book that really goes into detail about it, if there isn't one, there ought to be!

[dreamsreflected.livejournal.com]

I really liked the way these two pieces wove together, very creative.

[emo-snal.livejournal.com]

Thanks! (:

[roina-arwen.livejournal.com]

My maternal grandparents (whom I never knew, btw) are from Czechoslovakia, so I find this rather fascinating. Thanks!

[emo-snal.livejournal.com]

Thanks! Do you have any relatives over there still? I visited Slovakia once, it's a lovely place.

[roina-arwen.livejournal.com]

I'm honestly not sure. They fled the area just after WWII after surviving one of the concentration camps (Therengesteit, or something like that). They are both deceased now, and I don't have a relationship with my birth-mom, so I really can't ask anyone.

[emo-snal.livejournal.com]

Ah. Well if you're ever in the area, it's a lovely place. Majestic mountains. Quaint Eastern European towns with cobble stone streets and lots of church steeples. (:

[roina-arwen.livejournal.com]

I definitely plan on visiting the area at some point in time - thanks!

[emo-snal.livejournal.com]

No problem! (:

[majesticarky.livejournal.com]

Neat! I love learning about history.

[emo-snal.livejournal.com]

That's good because I love writing about history! ;D

[barrelofrain.livejournal.com]

Tried to comment a few minutes ago, but LJ ate it, sorry if there's a duplicate!

Loved the details in this, and you and your partner's pieces worked really well together!

[emo-snal.livejournal.com]

Thanks! (:

[whipchick.livejournal.com]

So interesting to find out more about the history from you both!

[emo-snal.livejournal.com]

No problem, thanks for reading! (:

[mummimamma.livejournal.com]

Thank you for writing this, and teaching me something new!
Also I feel a bit cold now...

[emo-snal.livejournal.com]

I went for a literal "chillin" ;D

[cheshire23.livejournal.com]

Very nice intersection! It's good to learn more of the history of the situation described in alexpgp's entry.

[emo-snal.livejournal.com]

Thanks (:

[http://users.livejournal.com/_rabidwombat_/]

GREAT intersection! Kudos to you both!

[emo-snal.livejournal.com]

Thanks! (: