aug 20, 1919 - Denikins cavalry and Cossacks begin to exert enormous pressure on makhnovist troops, seeking to encircle them on all sides. NM sees that smallest error on his part could end his entire army, carefully deciding moment for decisive blow. Denikins troops neared Kursk, and NM thought the further north, the easier to attack their rear. also was retreating westward away from their superior forces. (Timeline)