The “Black Baron” of the white movement belonged to a noble and ancient noble family of the Baltic Germans, which was very famous in Russia. Unlike other representatives of the Wrangel family, his father was not a military man, but an industrialist and financier. Pyotr Nikolaevich was born near present-day Kaunas in Lithuania on August 15, 1878, but he spent his childhood in Rostov-on-Don. There he graduated from the Rostov Real School, after which he entered the Mining Institute in St. Petersburg. Having received the specialty of a mining engineer (with a gold medal), Wrangel in 1902 passed the exams at the Nikolaev Cavalry School and was promoted to cornet. After which, after leaving the army, he left for Irkutsk, where he worked as an official under the governor. When the war with Japan began, Wrangel volunteered for the 2nd Verkhneudinsk Regiment of the Transbaikal Cossack Army. In December 1904, Cornet Wrangel received the rank of centurion “for distinction in affairs against the Japanese” and was awarded the Order of St. Anne, 4th class, and St. Stanislav, 3rd class, with swords and bow. After the war, with the rank of staff captain, he was transferred to the 55th Finnish Dragoon Regiment. From there he was immediately seconded to the Northern Detachment of Major General Orlov's Retinue, in which he took part in the suppression of revolutionary uprisings in the Baltic states. For this, in 1906, Nicholas II personally awarded Wrangel the Order of St. Anne, 3rd class. In 1907, under the patronage of the Emperor, he entered service with the rank of lieutenant in the Life Guards Cavalry Regiment, and in 1910 he graduated from the Nikolaev General Staff Academy. After this she studied at the Officer Cavalry School, and in 1912 Wrangel became commander of His Majesty's squadron.
With the outbreak of the First World War, he was with his regiment from the first day at the front. On August 6, 1914, commanding his squadron, Wrangel quickly captured artillery positions near Kaushenami in East Prussia. For this feat he was awarded the Order of St. George, 4th degree, and became one of the first of its holders to be awarded in this campaign. In September 1914, Captain Wrangel became chief of staff of the Combined Cavalry Division, commanded by General Pavel Skoropadsky. And two months later he received the rank of colonel and became an aide-de-camp of His Majesty’s retinue, which testified to his special closeness to the Emperor. In June 1915 he was awarded the St. George's Arms for bravery. In October 1915, Wrangel became commander of the 1st Nerchinsky Regiment of the Ussuri Division of the Transbaikal Cossack Army. The future leaders of the White movement in the east, Baron von Ungern and Ataman Semenov, fought under his command. In 1916, the Ussuri division was transferred to the Southwestern Front, where it took part in the Brusilov breakthrough. Being faithful to the idea of the monarchy, Wrangel met the February Revolution sharply negatively, so the Provisional Government had no authority in his eyes. In the summer of 1917, already a major general, he was awarded the Soldier's Cross of St. George, 4th degree with a laurel branch, for his military merits. During the August speech of General Kornilov, Wrangel, being his supporter, was unable to send his cavalry corps to support him, after which he resigned.
Baron Wrangel during the Civil War
After the Bolsheviks came to power, Wrangel left with his family for Yalta, where he lived as a private citizen until the spring of 1918. He was arrested by the Sevastopol Cheka, but was soon released and hid in Tatar villages until the Germans arrived. After the expulsion of the Bolsheviks, he decides to re-enter military service and goes to Kyiv, where his former boss Pavel Skoropadsky was proclaimed Hetman of Ukraine. But Wrangel did not stay long in Kyiv. Convinced of the weakness of the Hetman's political position, in August 1918 he left for Yekaterinodar, where he joined the Volunteer Army. Since Wrangel had an excellent reputation in military circles, Denikin gave the 1st Cavalry Division under his command. As one of the volunteers later recalled, “The services that Wrangel provided to the army lived up to expectations. From the very beginning he showed himself to be an outstanding cavalry commander." In October, battles began for Armavir and Stavropol, and by the end of 1918, the entire North Caucasus was controlled by the Volunteer Army. The 11th Soviet Army was defeated, and its remnants retreated to Astrakhan. For his skillful command, Wrangel received the rank of lieutenant general and was given command of the 1st Cavalry Corps.
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In January 1919, after the reorganization of the Volunteer Army, Wrangel became commander of the Caucasian Volunteer Army, and in February the Kuban Rada awarded him the Order of the Salvation of the Kuban, 1st degree. At the same time, Wrangel almost died of typhus, but soon recovered and in May took command of the Kuban Army. Thanks to his skillful leadership, the heavily fortified Tsaritsyn was taken by storm in June. Denikin, who arrived there, in a state of euphoria, issued the “Moscow Directive”, in which he designated Moscow as the main direction of attack. According to Wrangel, this order “was a death sentence for the troops of the South of Russia,” since before the march on Moscow it was necessary to first strengthen the Yekaterinoslav-Tsaritsyn line and create a large cavalry group in the Kharkov region as a reserve for the offensive. And most importantly, to direct the main blow in the Volga region, to connect with Kolchak, after which the united white armies could hit the Reds with redoubled force. Denikin did not heed Wrangel’s arguments, which caused open confrontation between them, which was aggravated by the fact that each of them belonged to different social groups. The son of a serf peasant and a representative of a baronial family harbored hostility towards each other at a deep level. After the defeat of the Dobrarmiya, Wrangel resigned in February 1920 and left for Istanbul, but in April, after Denikin’s resignation, he returned to Crimea and assumed the post of Commander-in-Chief of the AFSR. Over the next six months he struggled to find allies for the White cause. An agreement was signed on the autonomy of the Don, Kuban, Terek and Astrakhan and the independence of the mountain federation of the North Caucasus was recognized. A military alliance was concluded with the army of the UPR Directory and unsuccessful attempts were made to win over the Makhnovists. To create a new social base, land reform was carried out in the interests of the wealthy and middle peasants. But all these measures were taken too late, and Wrangel’s forces in the fight against Bolshevism were unequal.
After the Red Army broke through the Perekop line, an evacuation order was issued on October 29, 1920. On November 3, a squadron of 126 ships entered the open sea and headed for the Turkish shores, and in total about 145 thousand people left Crimea. For more than two years, the remnants of the White Army were in a military camp in Galipolli, after which they settled in Bulgaria and Serbia, which agreed to accept them. Wrangel himself, with his family and headquarters, moved to Belgrade, where he created the Russian All-Military Union, which united participants in the White movement in exile. In 1927, he moved to Brussels, where he got a job as an engineer in one of the companies, but on April 25, 1928, he suddenly died of tuberculosis. There is an assumption that he was poisoned by an NKVD agent. On October 6, 1929, Wrangel's ashes were reburied in the Russian Church of the Holy Trinity in Belgrade. On September 14, 2007, in the Serbian city of Sremski Karlovci, where Wrangel lived, a monument in the form of a bronze bust on a granite pedestal was inaugurated. Also in 2012, a memorial plaque was installed on the wall of the house where he was born in the Zarasai region of Lithuania in memory of him.
St. George's Knights of World War 1:
Pyotr Nikolaevich Wrangel was born in 1878 in the Kovno province into a noble family. His ancestors were engaged in military service, but his father was not a military man, but owned an insurance company in Rostov-on-Don. Peter spent all his childhood and youth in this glorious city.
In 1900 he graduated from the Mining Institute in St. Petersburg and, at first, did not even think about a military career. After college, he completed military service. During this time, he received an officer's rank and decided that he would serve in the army.
He volunteered for the war with Japan, and for his bravery and courage he earned the Order of St. Anne and. Having fought, Pyotr Nikolaevich realized where his life’s purpose was. In 1909 he graduated from the Nikolaev General Staff Academy, and a year later from officer school.
Soon he got married, and from his marriage with Olga Mikhailovna Ivanenko, he had two daughters. Later, in emigration, he had a son.
In the First World War, Wrangel fought in East Prussia, and so successfully that, showing considerable courage, he captured German guns and was awarded. At the end of 1914 he became a colonel. Pyotr Nikolaevich endured the February revolution very hard. He was true, and the Provisional Government had no authority for him, but the war still had to be ended.
When the formation of the Volunteer Army began, Wrangel lived with his family in Yalta. Soon after learning about the state of affairs in Kuban, he rushed to fight Bolshevism. He was appointed commander of the cavalry division. For a long time he was not considered one of them, but thanks to his personal qualities, he quickly gained authority among soldiers and officers. In the battles for Stavropol, Wrangel received the rank of lieutenant general and began to command the Caucasian Volunteer Army.
In the spring of 1919, the first conflict began between Pyotr Nikolaevich and Denikin. Wrangel speaks of the need to lead troops to Tsaritsyn, which should be taken, and then unite with the troops and, having created a united front, go to Moscow. Denikin disliked Wrangel and rejected his plan. And he still carried out the Tsaritsyn operation, but the Kolchakites rolled back, and it was not possible to create a united front.
In October 1919, the retreat of the Armed Forces of Southern Russia began. At the moment of retreat, Denikin appoints Wrangel as commander of the troops. Soon, unrest begins in the army and the affairs of Wrangel and Denikin develop into open conflict. Denikin dismisses Wrangel. However, Anton Ivanovich soon leaves Russia, and Wrangel again becomes the commander of the troops of the South of Russia. The army found itself locked in Crimea. Wrangel did not dream of Moscow; he strove to create order at least on a piece of Russian land.
The Reds throw all their forces against him, they greatly outnumber Pyotr Nikolaevich's army, and he begins to evacuate the army from Crimea. On pre-prepared ships, 150 thousand people, sword in hand, fighting for the Russian idea, leave Russia forever.
Wrangel experienced an Allied attempt on his life. The Entente demanded the disarmament of refugees and their return to Russia, where the Bolsheviks allegedly promised amnesty. Pyotr Nikolaevich could not, of course, fulfill their demands. In 1921, most of Wrangel's army was taken to Bulgaria and Serbia. In 1924 he created the Russian General Military Union. The goal of the union is to preserve the morale of the remnants of the Russian army, and to create the ground for a new anti-Bolshevik campaign in Russia.
He was killed (04/25/1928) by a Bolshevik agent at the age of 50.Wrangel is the personification of the irreconcilable struggle against Bolshevism. Pyotr Nikolaevich strongly distinguished himself both as a military man and as a social and statesman. He was a convinced monarchist, and as befits such people, he laid down his head: “For the Faith, for the Tsar, the Fatherland!
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PETER NIKOLAEVICH WRANGEL
"PETER NIKOLAEVICH WRANGEL"
Baron, Lieutenant General.
The Wrangel family, dating back to the 13th century, was of Danish origin. Many of its representatives served under the banners of Denmark, Sweden, Germany, Austria, Holland and Spain, and when Livonia and Estland finally gained a foothold in Russia, the Wrangels began to faithfully serve the Russian crown. There were 7 field marshals, 18 generals and 2 admirals in the Wrangel family (the islands in the Arctic and Pacific oceans are named after one of them, F. Wrangel).
Many representatives of the Wrangel family in Russia devoted their lives to military careers. But there were also those who refused it. One of them was Nikolai Georgievich Wrangel. Having abandoned his military career, he became director of the Equitable insurance company, located in Rostov-on-Don. Nikolai Georgievich had the title of baron, but had neither estates nor fortune. He inherited the title to his son, Pyotr Nikolaevich Wrangel, who became one of the most famous military figures of the early 20th century.
Pyotr Nikolaevich Wrangel was born in Novoaleksandrovsk on August 27, 1878. He received his primary education at home, and then entered the Rostov Real School. After graduating from college, Pyotr Wrangel left for St. Petersburg, where in 1896 he successfully passed the exams at the Mining Institute.
The title of baron and family ties allowed the young Peter Wrangel to be accepted in high society, and a higher education allowed him to serve military service, mandatory for Russian citizens, for only one year and choose his own place of service.
Pyotr Nikolaevich graduated from the institute in 1901 and in the same year he volunteered in the Life Guards Horse Regiment. The next year he was promoted to cornet, having passed the exam for the officer rank at the Nicholas Cavalry School. Then, having retired to the reserve, he goes to Irkutsk to serve as an official for special assignments under the Governor-General. The outbreak of the Russian-Japanese War of 1904-1905 finds him in Siberia, and Pyotr Nikolaevich, having again entered active military service, goes to the Far East.
"PETER NIKOLAEVICH WRANGEL"
There Wrangel was enlisted in the 2nd Argun Regiment of the Transbaikal Cossack Army.
In December 1904, he was promoted to centurion - “for distinction in cases against the Japanese.” During the war, for courage and bravery, he received his first military orders - St. Anne, 4th degree and St. Stanislav. In 1905, he served in a separate reconnaissance division of the 1st Manchurian Army and by the end of the war he received the rank of captain ahead of schedule. During the war, Pyotr Nikolaevich strengthened his desire to become a career military man.
The first Russian revolution of 1905-1907 took place in Siberia, and Wrangel, as part of the detachment of General A. Orlov, took part in pacifying the riots and eliminating the pogroms that accompanied the revolution.
In 1906, with the rank of headquarters captain, he was transferred to the 55th Finnish Dragoon Regiment, and the next year he became a lieutenant of the Life Guards Horse Regiment.
In the same 1907, Pyotr Nikolaevich entered the Nikolaev Military Academy of the General Staff, from which he graduated in 1910 among the best - seventh on the list. By the way, the future Marshal of the Soviet Union B. Shaposhnikov studied on the same course with Wrangel.
In 1911, he took a course at the cavalry officer school, received command of a squadron and became a member of the regimental court in the Life Guards Cavalry Regiment.
The outbreak of the First World War brought Wrangel to the front. Together with the regiment, with the rank of captain of the guard, he became part of the 1st Army of the North-Western Front. Already in the first days of the war he managed to distinguish himself. So, on August 6, 1914, his squadron attacked and captured a German battery. His reward was the Order of St. George, 4th degree. After the unsuccessful East Prussian operation, Russian troops retreated, but despite the fact that there was practically no active combat, Pyotr Nikolaevich was repeatedly awarded for bravery and heroism. He was promoted to colonel and awarded the Golden Arms of St. George. For him, the title of officer had great meaning, and he said that he was obliged to set an example to his subordinates through personal courage.
In October 1915, Wrangel was transferred to the Southwestern Front and took command of the 1st Nerchinsky Regiment of the Transbaikal Cossack Army.
"PETER NIKOLAEVICH WRANGEL"
During his transfer, he was given the following description by his former commander: “Outstanding courage. Understands the situation perfectly and quickly, very resourceful in difficult situations.”
Under his command, the regiment fought in Galicia and took part in the famous “Brusilovsky breakthrough”. In 1916, Wrangel was promoted to major general and became commander of the 2nd brigade of the Ussuri Cavalry Division. By the end of the war he was already heading the division.
Peter Nikolaevich was a monarchist by his convictions, but often criticized in conversations both the senior command staff and personally Emperor Nicholas II. He associated failures in the war with the weakness of the command. He considered himself a true officer and made high demands both on himself and on anyone who wore officer's shoulder straps. Wrangel repeated that if an officer admits that his order may not be carried out, then “he is no longer an officer, he does not have officer’s shoulder straps.” He was highly respected among fellow officers and ordinary soldiers. He considered the main thing in military affairs to be military valor, the intelligence and honor of the commander and strict discipline.
Pyotr Nikolaevich accepted the February Revolution immediately and swore allegiance to the Provisional Government. But the collapse of the army that began soon had a very difficult impact on her state of mind. Not wanting to continue to take part in this, Wrangel, citing illness, goes on vacation and leaves for Crimea. For almost a year he has been leading a very secluded life, practically not communicating with anyone.
But in the summer of 1918, Pyotr Nikolaevich decides to act. He comes to Kyiv to the former commander of the Life Guards Cavalry Regiment, General, and now Hetman Skoropadsky, and stands under his banner. But the hetman cared little about the revival of Russia; he fought for the “independence” of Ukraine. Because of this, conflicts began to arise between him and Wrangel, and soon Pyotr Nikolaevich decided to leave for Ekaterinodar to visit Denikin.
Having joined the Volunteer Army, Wrangel received under his command a cavalry brigade, with which he took part in the 2nd Kuban campaign.
"PETER NIKOLAEVICH WRANGEL"
Having extensive combat experience behind him, without losing courage, determination and courage, Wrangel very soon received recognition as an excellent commander, and his command was entrusted first with the 1st Cavalry Division, and two months later with the entire 1st Cavalry Corps. He enjoyed great authority in the army and often addressed the troops with bright patriotic speeches. His orders were always clear and precise. In December 1918 he was promoted to lieutenant general. It should be noted that Pyotr Nikolaevich under no circumstances allowed a weakening or violation of discipline. For example, during successful operations in Ukraine, cases of looting became more frequent in the Volunteer Army. Many commanders turned a blind eye to this, justifying the actions of their subordinates by the poor supply of the army. But Wrangel did not want to put up with this and even carried out public executions of marauders in the units entrusted to him as an edification to others.
Successful actions in the south significantly increased the front of the offensive. At the end of May 1919, a decision was made to create a new Caucasian army for operations in the Lower Volga. Wrangel was appointed commander of the army. The offensive of the Caucasian Army began successfully - Tsaritsyn and Kamyshin were taken and a campaign was launched on Saratov. But by the autumn of 1919, large forces of the Red Army were pulled together against the Caucasian Army, and its victorious offensive was stopped. In addition, all reserves were transferred from Wrangel to the Volunteer Army, which was advancing towards Tula and Moscow, which significantly weakened the Caucasian Army.
Having suffered a crushing defeat under counterattacks from the Southern Front, the Volunteer Army retreated. The remnants of the white armies were consolidated into one corps under the command of Kutepov, and Wrangel was instructed to go to Kuban to form new regiments. By this time, the disagreements between him and Denikin, which began in the summer of 1919, had reached their highest point. Pyotr Nikolaevich criticized Denikin both for the methods of military leadership, and on issues of strategy, and for the civilian policy he pursued.
"PETER NIKOLAEVICH WRANGEL"
He opposed the undertaken campaign against Moscow and insisted on uniting with Kolchak. The result of the disagreement was that Wrangel was forced to leave the army and go to Constantinople.
In March 1920, Denikin resigned and asked the Military Council to find a replacement for him. Pyotr Nikolaevich Wrangel was elected (unanimously) as the new Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the South.
Having taken office, Wrangel first began to put the army in order and began to reorganize it. The generals whose troops were distinguished by indiscipline - Pokrovsky and Shkuro - were fired. Wrangel also changed the name of the army - now it became known as the Russian Army, which, in his opinion, should attract more supporters to its ranks. He himself and the “Government of the South of Russia” he created tried to create a new state on the territory of Crimea that could fight the Soviets as an example of a better government system. The reforms carried out by the government were not successful, and the support of the people was not received.
At the beginning of the summer of 1920, the Russian army numbered 25 thousand people in its ranks. Wrangel carried out a successful military operation to capture Northern Tavria, taking advantage of the fact that the main forces of the Red Army were in Poland. In August, he sent a naval landing force to Kuban, which, not meeting the support of the Cossacks there, returned to Crimea. In the fall of 1920, the Russian army tried to take active steps to capture Donbass and break through to Right Bank Ukraine. The size of Wrangel's army by this time had reached 60 thousand people.
But soon military operations in Poland were stopped, and five armies were brought against the Russian army, including two cavalry armies under the command of M.V. Frunze, numbering more than 130 thousand people. It took the Red Army just one week to liberate Northern Tavria, break through the Perekop fortifications and break into Crimea. The Russian army, unable to resist a numerically superior enemy, began to retreat.
General Wrangel still managed to make this retreat not a disorderly flight, but an organized withdrawal of units. From Crimea, tens of thousands of Russian army soldiers and refugees were sent to Turkey on Russian and French ships.
In Turkey, Baron Wrangel spent about a year, remaining with the army, maintaining order and discipline in it. During this year, the soldiers of the Russian army gradually dispersed around the world, and many went back to Russia. At the end of 1921, the remnants of the Russian army were transferred to Bulgaria and Yugoslavia.
Instead of the collapsed Russian army, the Russian All-Military Union (ROVS) was founded in Paris, which had departments in countries where former officers and participants in the White movement found shelter. The purpose of the EMRO was to preserve officer cadres for future struggle.
Until his death, Baron Wrangel remained the leader of the EMRO and did not stop fighting the Bolsheviks. The EMRO carried out extensive reconnaissance work and had a combat department that developed plans for carrying out armed actions on the territory of the USSR.
Pyotr Nikolaevich Wrangel died in Brussels on April 25, 1928, several months short of his 50th birthday. His body was transported to Yugoslavia and solemnly buried in Belgrade in the Russian Church of the Holy Trinity.
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WRANGEL, PETER NIKOLAEVICH(1878–1928), Russian military and political figure, one of the leaders of the White movement. Born on August 15 (27), 1878 in Novoaleksandrovsk, Kovno province (modern Zarasai, Lithuania) into a noble family. Father N.E. Wrangel is a scion of an ancient Swedish baronial family; landowner and large entrepreneur. He graduated from the Rostov Real School (1896) and the Mining Institute in St. Petersburg (1901). In 1901 he entered the 1st category as a volunteer in the Life Guards Horse Regiment; in 1902 he was promoted to officer (guard cornet) and enlisted in the guards cavalry reserve.
In 1902–1904 - an official for special assignments under the Irkutsk Governor-General. During the Russo-Japanese War he volunteered for the front: with the rank of cornet he served in the 2nd Verkhneudinsk Regiment of the Transbaikal Cossack Army, in the 2nd Argun Cossack Regiment and in the 2nd Hundred of the Separate Scout Division; in September 1905 he was promoted ahead of schedule to the rank of captain. For military services he was awarded the Order of St. Anne, 3rd and 4th degree, and St. Stanislav, 3rd degree.
After the war, he decided to remain in military service. In January 1906 he received the rank of staff captain; transferred to the 55th Finnish Dragoon Regiment. In August 1906 he was assigned to the Life Guards Cavalry Regiment; from March 1907 - lieutenant of the guard. In 1907–1910 he studied at the Nikolaev Academy of the General Staff. After graduating from the Academy, he refused staff work. He returned to the Horse Regiment and in May 1912 became squadron commander. In August 1913 he was promoted to captain of the guard.
At the very beginning of the First World War, he distinguished himself in the battle of Kaushen (East Prussia); awarded the Order of St. George, 4th degree. In September 1914 he was appointed chief of staff of the Combined Cavalry Division, then assistant commander of the Life Guards Cavalry Regiment. In December he became aide-de-camp and colonel of the guard. In February 1915 he showed heroism during the Prasnysz operation (Poland); awarded the Arms of St. George. From October 1915 he commanded the 1st Nerchinsk Regiment of the Ussuri Cossack Division, and from December 1916 - the 1st Brigade of this division. In January 1917, he was promoted to major general for military merits.
The February revolution was met with hostility. He fought for the preservation of military discipline, against the omnipotence of soldiers' committees. On July 9 (22), 1917, he became commander of the 7th Cavalry Division, and on July 11 (24), commander of the Consolidated Cavalry Corps. During the Tarnopol breakthrough of German troops (mid-July) he covered the retreat of Russian infantry to the Zbruch River; awarded the soldier's St. George Cross, 4th degree. In September 1917, in an atmosphere of increasing anarchy in the army, he refused his appointment to the post of commander of the Minsk Military District and resigned.
After the October Revolution, he left Petrograd for Crimea. In February 1918 he was arrested in Yalta by Black Sea sailors; barely escaped execution. He rejected the offer of P.P. Skoropadsky, who became the ruler of Ukraine with the support of Germany, to head the headquarters of the future Ukrainian army. In August 1918 he moved to Yekaterinodar, where he joined the Volunteer Army; appointed commander of the 1st Cavalry Division. Successfully fought against the Bolsheviks in Kuban. In November 1918, he was promoted to lieutenant general and given command of the 1st Cavalry Corps. On January 8, 1919, A.I. Denikin, who headed the Armed Forces of the South of Russia, handed over to him the post of commander of the Volunteer Army. By the end of January 1919, his troops ousted the Bolsheviks from the North Caucasus. On May 22 he became commander of the Caucasian Army. He objected to Denikin’s strategic plan to capture Moscow, which included dividing the White forces into three strike groups. He led the offensive in the Saratovo-Tsaritsyn direction. Tsaritsyn was taken on June 30, Kamyshin was taken on July 28. During the Red counteroffensive in August-September 1919, his troops were thrown back to Tsaritsyn. In October he resumed his offensive to the north, which was soon stopped. In November-December 1919 he repelled the Reds' attempts to take Tsaritsyn. After the defeat of the Volunteer Army near Orel and its retreat to the south, on December 5 he replaced General V.Z. May-Maevsky as its commander. He began to withdraw the army to the Crimea, but Denikin ordered the main white forces to go to the Don. Came into conflict with the commander-in-chief, accusing him of an erroneous strategy and failure to prevent the collapse of the army and rear. Became a center of attraction for conservative monarchist forces opposed to Denikin; tried to achieve his removal, but was not supported by the majority of the generals. On January 3, 1920, he was removed from his post. In February he left for Constantinople. After the defeat of the Whites in the North Caucasus (March 1920), on April 4 he returned to Crimea and replaced Denikin as commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of the South of Russia (from May 11 - the Russian Army).
He established a military dictatorship on the territory of Crimea under his control. By brutal measures he strengthened discipline in the army; prohibited violence against civilians. In an effort to expand the social base of his power, he issued laws on land reform (the purchase by peasants of part of the landowners' lands), on peasant self-government and on state protection of workers from entrepreneurs. He promised to give the peoples of Russia the right to self-determination within the framework of a free federation. Tried to create a broad anti-Bolshevik bloc with the Menshevik government of Georgia, Ukrainian nationalists, and the Insurgent Army of N.I. Makhno. In foreign policy he focused on France.
Taking advantage of Poland's attack on Soviet Russia, he launched an offensive to the north in June 1920, defeated the 13th Soviet Army and occupied Northern Tavria, but was unable to capture Kuban (Ulagayevsky landing), Donbass and Right Bank Ukraine; the hope for an uprising of the Don and Kuban Cossacks did not come true; N.I. Makhno entered into an alliance with the Bolsheviks. The cessation of hostilities on the Polish Front made it possible for the Red Army to launch a counteroffensive and drive out Wrangel’s troops from Northern Tavria at the end of October – beginning of November 1920. On November 7–12, the Reds broke through the White defenses at Perekop and broke into Crimea. Wrangel managed to organize the systematic evacuation of troops (75 thousand) and civilian refugees (60 thousand) to Turkey; On November 14, he left Russia forever.
In exile (first in Turkey, then in Yugoslavia) he tried to maintain the organizational structure and combat effectiveness of the Russian army. In March 1921 he formed the Russian Council (Russian government in exile). But the lack of financial resources and the lack of political support from Western countries led in 1922 to the collapse of the Russian Army and the cessation of the activities of the Russian Committee. In 1924, trying to maintain control over numerous officer organizations, he created the Russian All-Military Union. He provided financial assistance to needy emigrant officers and warned them against participating in adventurist actions against Soviet Russia. He wrote memoirs in which he polemicized with A.I. Denikin. In 1926 he moved to Belgium. Died on April 25, 1928 in Brussels. In October, his ashes were reburied in the Church of the Holy Trinity in Belgrade. There is a version that he was poisoned by an OGPU agent.
Ivan Krivushin
People of the older generation well remember the famous Bolshevik hit “White Army, Black Baron,” but not everyone knows that it so darkly referred to Wrangel Pyotr Nikolaevich, whose biography formed the basis of this article. And few people know that he received this nickname during his lifetime not for any dark deeds, but only because of his passion for the black Circassian coat, which he preferred to an ordinary uniform.
Famous graduate of the Mining Institute
Wrangel Pyotr Nikolaevich was born on August 15, 1878 in the city of Novoaleksandrovsk, Kovno province. He inherited his baronial title from his ancestors, whose names appear in chronicles dating back to the 13th century. Representatives of the Wrangel family also occupied a worthy place among statesmen and scientists of subsequent centuries.
In his younger years, Pyotr Nikolaevich hardly thought about a military career; in any case, in 1896 he entered the St. Petersburg Mining Institute, after graduating from which he became an engineer. However, belonging to the highest aristocratic circle implied the presence of an officer rank, and in order not to break tradition, he served for two years as a volunteer in the Life Guards Cavalry Regiment, after which, having successfully passed the exam, he was promoted to cornet.
Official career and happy marriage
Having resigned, Pyotr Nikolaevich Wrangel went to Irkutsk, where he was offered a very promising position as an official on special assignments under the Governor General. This is how he would have lived, climbing the steps of the career ladder at a set time, if not for the Russo-Japanese War. Not considering himself the right to remain aloof from the events that took place in the Far East, Pyotr Nikolaevich returned to the army and took part in battles, where he was awarded a number of awards for his heroism and promoted to lieutenant. From now on, military service becomes his life's work.
Soon another important event occurs - he marries Olga Mikhailovna Ivanenko, the daughter of one of the dignitaries of the Highest Court. This marriage, the fruit of which was four children, was a true gift from heaven for both, and, having gone through the trials of the most difficult years together, the couple did not part until the death of Pyotr Nikolaevich.
New war and new differences
Returning to the capital, Pyotr Nikolaevich Wrangel continued his education, this time within the walls of the Nikolaev Military Academy, after graduating from which he met the First World War as a squadron commander of the Horse Regiment. The next three years became a period of amazing growth in his officer's career. Having served at the front as a captain, in 1917 he returned with the rank of major general - holder of most of Russia's highest military awards. This is how the Motherland celebrated the battle path of its devoted soldier.
The path to the Volunteer Army
He perceived the seizure of power by the Bolsheviks and the violence they committed as a crime, and, not wanting to participate in them, he and his wife left for Yalta, where at a dacha they owned he was soon arrested by local security officers. The Red Terror had not yet been unleashed, and people were not shot just for belonging to the noble class, therefore, not finding a reason for further detention, he was soon released.
When German units entered Crimea, Pyotr Nikolaevich Wrangel received relative freedom of movement, and, taking advantage of it, left for Kyiv, where he hoped to establish cooperation with Hetman Skoropadsky. However, having arrived there and familiarized himself with the situation, he soon became convinced of the weakness and unviability of his pro-German government and, leaving Ukraine, departed for Yekaterinodar, which was occupied at that time by the Volunteer Army.
In August 1918, Lieutenant General Wrangel took command of the 1st Cavalry Division of the Volunteer Army. In battles with the red units, he showed the same extraordinary leadership talent as he once did on the fronts of the First World War, only now his compatriots became his opponents, which could not but affect the general morale of the commander.
Nevertheless, putting above all else the duty of a soldier who has sworn an oath of allegiance to the Tsar and the Fatherland, he devotes himself entirely to the fight, and soon his military labors receive due appreciation - a new promotion in rank, this time he becomes a lieutenant general and a cavalier of new military awards
The tactics he developed have gone down in the history of military art, in which cavalry units are not dispersed along the front line, but gathered into a single fist inflict a crushing blow on the enemy, which in most cases decides the outcome of the entire battle. It was in this way that he managed to win a number of major victories in the North Caucasus and Kuban.
Master of the south of Russia
Despite the success that invariably accompanied his units, Wrangel was forced to resign at the height of the war. The reason for this was his disagreements with the commander of the Southern Front, General A.I. Denikin, only after whose departure he again continued his activities, taking his place.
From now on, Pyotr Nikolaevich Wrangel became the sovereign master of the south of Russia. The white movement, which had previously swept the entire country, was practically suppressed by the beginning of 1920, and the capture of Crimea by units of the Red Army was essentially only a matter of time. Nevertheless, even in such a situation, when the outcome of the war was already a foregone conclusion, for six months he retained in his hands this last stronghold of the former Russia.
Latest efforts
Pyotr Nikolaevich is trying to turn the tide of events by attracting to his side the most diverse segments of the population of the southern regions of the country. For this purpose, he developed an agrarian reform, if adopted, the bulk of agricultural land would become the property of peasants. Changes were also made to labor legislation to provide workers with increased wages. However, time was lost, nothing could be changed.
In the current situation, the only realistically feasible task was to ensure the evacuation of military units, as well as the civilian population who did not want to be under the rule of the Bolsheviks. Wrangel coped with this task brilliantly. Under his leadership, in November 1920, more than 146 thousand refugees were transported from Crimea to Constantinople. Together with them, Pyotr Nikolaevich Wrangel left his homeland forever.
They deserve special attention, because they indicate that, once abroad, Wrangel did not fall out of the sight of the Russian special services; a real hunt was organized for him. The first link in this chain of events was an incident that occurred in the roadstead of Constantinople, where the yacht “Lucullus” was moored, on which Pyotr Nikolaevich lived with his family. One day she was sunk by a ship that came from Batum that crashed into her for no apparent reason. Then, fortunately, the couple were not injured, as they were on the shore.
Having moved to Europe and heading the union he created, which united more than 100 thousand former participants in the White movement, Pyotr Nikolaevich began to pose a real danger to the Bolsheviks, and on April 25, 1927, he was poisoned by a specially sent OGPU agent. Death overtook him in Brussels, where he worked as an engineer at one of the companies. His body was buried there.
How this and a number of other special operations to eliminate Wrangel were developed became known only during the years of perestroika after part of the archives of the special services were declassified. In subsequent years, the descendants of Wrangel Peter Nikolaevich transferred his ashes to Belgrade, where he was reburied in the fence of the Orthodox Church of the Holy Trinity.
His children Elena (1909 - 1999), Natalya (1913 - 2013), Alexey (1922 - 2005) and Peter (1911 - 1999), unlike their father, turned out to be long-lived, but none of them returned to Russia. The current generation of Wrangels also has no connection with their historical homeland.
