In October 1919, the
Red Army launched a counter-offensive against the
Armed Forces of South Russia, in order to stop their
advance on Moscow and to regain the territories lost in the previous two months. On 13–20 October, the Reds forced
Vladimir May-Mayevsky's
Volunteer Army to withdraw from the Russian capital to
Kursk. On 24 October,
Semyon Budyonny's cavalry corps (later transformed into the 1st Cavalry Army) defeated the White cavalry of
Andrei Shkuro and
Konstantin Mamontov near
Voronezh. A
fierce battle for the
Kastornoye railway junction lasted for almost a month, finally ending with the victory of the Reds. On 15 November, the Red Army
recaptured Kursk from the Whites. These successes opened the way for the Reds to continue their march south towards Kharkiv, which had been
captured by the Whites in June 1919. The command of the Red Army set the
Southern Front with the task of finally liquidating the Volunteer Army. ==Battle==