The two generals recruited about 50,000 men: mostly Freikorps, Baltic Germans, as well as some Russian POWs captured by Germany in World War I and then released on the promise that they would help fight against the Bolsheviks in the Russian Civil War.
De to generaler rekrutterede omkring 50.000 mand: for det meste frikorps, tyskbaltere samt nogle russiske krigsfanger taget til fange af tyskerne under 1. verdenskrig og derefter løsladt på løfter om, at de ville hjælpe i kampen mod bolsjevikkerne i den russiske borgerkrig.