Battle of Ploso

The Battle of Ploso was a battle of the Northern Divina Front of the British Intervention in Northern Russia. It was fought by the 10th (Cyclist) Battalion, Royal Scots and ended in their victory.

Context
Ploso was well protected by the reds. It was defended by red artillery and gunboats. The British ships couldn't assist since the reds had mined the river. This combined with the flat forested land made a frontal assault a fool's errand. So they decided to flank the fortified position.

Day 1
On September 15th at 8:30 the flanking force moved through the forests while the main force advanced toward Ploso. The forest march was a feat of shocking endurance and would have surely decimated the army. However they and their commanders skill and determination would lead them to success.The troops walked single file through the forested quagmire. By noon it had began raining and the conditions were appalling. They began their advance fairly fast, but soon it slowed to a snails speed. Water was knee deep and any ditches or ponds had to be crossed by felling trees. The troops waded along until 14:00 when they resolved that they were far behind the enemy postions. The troops then moved toward the river only to find a impassable marsh. A few brave soles tried to find a way through, but they always failed. Their guide said it could only be crossed in winter and morale plummeted. The night was bitterly cold despite this men would occasionally be heard slipping from tree they had been leaning on in the knee deep water. They had pasted some hills and they received the orders to somehow light fires and rest around them.

Day 2
The rest and some tea revitalized the troops who set off at 7:00 the next day. They set off for a mill to gather essential food stuffs. The berries they picked and the food they found was little help and many collapsed to due exhaustion and lack of food. Due to this desperation he ordered that any who fell were to be left behind. By 15:00 they had reached the mill but the bread wasn't enough. The owner said there was a village father south. The Scots went and brought back a Russian sheep and some more bread. At 20:00 the soldiers had their first meal that day. They stayed in a camp exposed to the elements that night. The man at the mill said that the reds thought that a large flanking force of 8,000 was at their backside so they had retreated that day. Little did they know the reds had retreated that day and Ploso was occupied by the main force.

Day 3
The man at the mill said that the reds thought that a large flanking force of 8,000 was at their backside so they had retreated in a rush. Early in the morning hours the Scots continued their march to Kurgomen. They arrived on the afternoon of September 17th and thus concluded the campaign against Ploso, a remarkable victory against the reds and a high point of the North Russia Intervention.