Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Army, Lieutenant General,
Baron Pyotr Nikolaevich Wrangel.
Wrangel Petr Nikolaevich, baron (1878 – 1928). Coming from a noble family of Swedish origin, he studied to become a mining engineer, then entered military service, participated in the Russo-Japanese War, and later, during the First World War, distinguished himself in East Prussia and Galicia. After October revolution Having refused to go into the service of the Ukrainian Hetman Skoropadsky, who is supported by the Germans, he joins the Volunteer Army. IN April 1920 he becomes the successor Denikin , when he, having retreated to Crimea, leaves command of the White army. Taking advantage of the outbreak of war with Poland To regroup his troops, Wrangel goes on the offensive in Ukraine and forms a government that France recognizes. In the fall of the same year, pressed by the Red Army (which had a free hand after the truce with Poland), he retreated to Crimea and in November 1920 organized the evacuation of 140 thousand military and civilians to Constantinople. Having settled with his headquarters and part of the troops, first in Turkey, then in Yugoslavia , he refuses to continue the armed war and moves to Belgium, where he dies in 1928.
Wrangel Pyotr Nikolaevich (August 15, 1878, Novo-Alexandrovsk, now Zarasai Literary SSR, April 25, 1928, Brussels), Russian Lieutenant General. army (1917), one of the leaders of the southern. counter-revolution during the Civil. wars and military interventions in Russia. Graduated from the Mining Institute (1901), Military. General Staff Academy (1910). In 1902, being a volunteer, he was promoted to officer. Russian-Japanese participant and the 1st World War, commanded Cav. body. After Oct. revolution fled to Crimea and in Aug. 1918 entered the Denikin Volunteer Army, was a cavalry comr. divisions, then corps. In the spring of 1919 he became the head of the White Guard. Caucasian Army, Dec. 1919 - Jan. 1920 teams. Volunteer Army. Ambition, careerism, and the desire to take a leading role in the White Guard movement led V. to a conflict with the leader of the South. counter-revolution by A.I. Denikin, who sent him abroad. In April 1920, at the insistence of the Entente, V. was appointed commander-in-chief of the so-called. Russian army in Crimea. Undertook political, economic. and military measures to save the remains of the south. counter-revolution (see Wrangelism). In 1920, the army of V. was defeated by the Soviets. Army, V. himself, along with part of his troops, fled abroad. In 1924, a right-wing monarchy was created in France. Rus. All-Military Union (EMRO), led an active anti-Soviet movement. activity.
Materials from the Soviet Military Encyclopedia in 8 volumes, volume 2 were used.
Captain Wrangel Petr Nikolaevich,
student at the General Staff Academy. 1908
Poisoned with Koch's stick
WRANGEL Petr Nikolaevich (08/15/1878-04/25/1928). Colonel (12/12/1914). Major General (01/13/1917). Lieutenant General (11/22/1918). He graduated from the Mining Institute (1901), the Nikolaev Academy of the General Staff (1910) and the Officer Cavalry School course (1911). Participant in the Russian-Japanese War of 1904-1905: in the 2nd Verkhneudinsk and 2nd Argun Cossack regiments. Participant of the First World War: squadron commander of the Life Guards Cavalry Regiment, 05.1912 - 09.1914; chief of staff of the combined cavalry division, 09-12.1914; in the retinue (adjutant) of Emperor Nicholas II, 12.1914 - 10.1915; commander of the 1st Nerchinsky regiment, 10.1915-12.1916; commander of the 2nd brigade of the Ussuri Cavalry Division, 12.1916-01.1917; commander of the 7th Cavalry Division, 01 - 07.1917; from 07/10/1917 commander of the Consolidated Cavalry Corps, 07 - 09.1917. Relinquished command of the 3rd Cavalry Corps, 09.1917; left for Crimea (outside the army), 10.1917 - 07.1918. In the White movement: from 08/28/1918, brigade commander of the 1st Cavalry Division and from 08/31/1918 - commander of the 1st Cavalry Division; 08-11.1918; commander of the 1st cavalry corps, 11.1918 - 01.1919. By agreement between Generals Denikin and Krasnov, on December 26, 1918, a unified command of the Armed Forces of the South of Russia (AFSR) was formed, which included both the Volunteer Army and the Don Army under the overall Command of General Denikin. At the same time, General Wrangel was appointed commander of the Volunteer (Caucasian) Army, replacing General Denikin in this post, 05/01/08/1919. Sick of typhus 02-03.1919. Commander of the Caucasian Army of the All-Soviet Union of Socialist Republics, 05/08–12/04/1919. Commander of the Volunteer Army, 12/4/1919-01/02/1920. On behalf of Denikin, he was sent to Kuban to form new divisions, December 22-29, 1919. Left for Constantinople (Türkiye) from Crimea 01/14/1920. In exile (Türkiye) due to disagreements with Denikin 02.28 - 03.20.1920. On 03/23/1920 he took command of the Armed Forces of the South of Russia (AFSR), replacing Denikin by decision (vote) of the Military Council in Crimea convened to resolve this issue. Commander of the AFSR, 03.23-05.11.1920. On April 28, 1920, he reorganized the former Armed Forces of the South of Russia (AFSR) into the Russian Army. Commander of the Russian Army (Crimea, Novorossiya, Northern Tavria), 04/28 - 11/17/1920. Evacuated from Crimea on November 17, 1920. In exile: from 11.1920 - Türkiye, from 1922 - Yugoslavia and from 09.1927 - Belgium. 09/01/1924 created the Russian All-Military Union - EMRO, which united former Russian military personnel of all branches of the White and Russian armies. Died 04/25/1928 in Brussels (Belgium), buried in Belgrade, Serbia.
According to one version, supported by his daughter (1992), General Wrangel was killed (poisoned with Koch’s wand) by his former orderly - an NKVD agent who visited him 10 days before Wrangel’s death. After this visit, Wrangel suddenly fell ill with a very severe and acute form of tuberculosis, which he had never had before (his daughter suggests that the former orderly managed to plant artificial deadly poisonous bacteria in Wrangel’s food, created in special laboratories of the NKVD).
Materials used from the book: Valery Klaving, Civil War in Russia: White Armies. Military-historical library. M., 2003.
Wrangel at the headquarters train, Tsaritsyn 1919.
"Combat work is his calling"
Wrangel Peter Nikolaevich (1878 - 1928, Brussels) - military leader, one of the leaders of the counter-revolution. Came from hereditary nobles of St. Petersburg, lips. Wrangel's father was the director of an insurance company in Rostov-on-Don. Here Wrangel spent his childhood and youth. He studied first at home, then at the Rostov real school, and completed his secondary education in St. Petersburg, where he entered the Mining Institute, which he graduated in 1901. He volunteered for military service in 1902, passed the exam for the officer rank and, Having retired to the reserve, he went to Irkutsk as an official for special assignments under the Governor General. In Siberia, Wrangel was caught up in the Russian-Japanese War of 1904 - 1905, to which he volunteered. His colleague General P.N. Shatilov recalled this period of Wrangel’s life: “He instinctively felt that struggle was his element, and combat work was his calling.” After the end of the war, Wrangel studied at the Nikolaev General Staff Academy, graduating in 1910. In 1911 he took a course at the Officer Cavalry School and the following year became commander of the Life Guards Cavalry Regiment. With the outbreak of the First World War on August 6. 1914, near the village of Kaushen, he attacked a German battery on horseback and captured it, for which he was awarded the Order of St. George 4th degree. He commanded a regiment, brigade, division and was promoted to major general. He was appointed to command the 3rd Cavalry Corps, but, as his “track record” states, “due to the Bolshevik coup, he refused to serve the enemies of the Motherland and did not take command of the corps.” Wrangel went to the Crimea, then to the Don, where he joined the Volunteer Army. Wrangel became commander of the Caucasian Volunteer Army, but when at the end of the year the Whites began to suffer defeats, relations between Wrangel and A.I. Denikin, who had different understandings of priority military tasks. In 1920, Wrangel became commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces in southern Russia and made an unsuccessful attempt to create a state in Crimea ( Government of the South of Russia), in which reforms would be carried out that would make it possible to fight the Bolsheviks as an example of a better social order. As a result of the agrarian reform, peasants received the right of personal ownership of the land they used, and could also purchase part of the landowner's land for ransom (a fifth of the annual harvest for 25 years). Considering that the land was already in fact owned by the peasants, and payments were burdensome, the law caused discontent among the peasants. The “local government reform” also failed. The most difficult economic situation in Crimea, forced requisitions from the population, lack of support from peasants, Cossacks, workers, etc. led Wrangel, regardless of his personal aspirations, to collapse. After 8 months, the Crimean state ceased to exist. After the Red Army broke through Perekop in 1920, Wrangel, along with the remnants of the army, fled from Crimea to Turkey. In 1921 - 1927, Wrangel, while remaining commander-in-chief, lived in the town of Sremski Karlovci in Serbia, where he wrote notes about the civil war in southern Russia (Memoirs of General Baron P.N. Wrangel. M., 1992.). A convinced monarchist, Wrangel represented the right wing of the Russian emigration and was the creator of the “Russian All-Military Union,” the goal of which was to preserve officer cadres for future struggle.
Book materials used: Shikman A.P. Figures of Russian history. Biographical reference book. Moscow, 1997
General P.N. Wrangel, Chairman of the Civil Government of Crimea A.V. Krivoshein and General P.N. Shatilov. 1920
White Guard
Wrangel Baron Pyotr Nikolaevich (1878-1928) - Lieutenant General of the General Staff. He graduated from the Rostov Real School and the Mining Institute of Empress Catherine II in St. Petersburg. He entered service on September 1, 1891 as a private in the Life Guards Horse Regiment. In 1902, he passed the test to become a guard cornet at the Nikolaev Cavalry School and, by order of October 12, was promoted to cornet and enlisted in the reserve. During the Russo-Japanese War, at his own request, he was assigned to the 2nd Verkhneudinsky Regiment of the Transbaikal Cossack Army. In December 1904, he was promoted to centurion - “for distinction in cases against the Japanese” and awarded the Order of St. Anne, 4th degree with the inscription “For bravery” and St. Stanislav with swords and a bow. On January 6, 1906, he was transferred to the 55th Finnish Dragoon Regiment and promoted to headquarters captain. March 26, 1907 - transferred to the Life Guards Cavalry Regiment as a lieutenant. In 1910 he completed a course at the Nikolaev Academy of the General Staff, but remained “of his own free will” to serve in the ranks of his Life Guards Cavalry Regiment 1). In 1913 - captain and squadron commander, Cavalier of St. George - for the capture of a German battery in the cavalry, according to the order of the 1st Army of August 30, 1914. In September 1914, he was appointed assistant commander of the regiment. He was awarded the St. George Arms. Promoted to colonel. From October 1915, he was appointed commander of the 1st Nerchinsky Regiment of the Transbaikal Cossack Army, and on December 16, 1916, he was promoted to commander of the 2nd Brigade of the Ussuri Cavalry Division. On January 13, 1917, he was promoted to general. majors and temporarily took command of the Ussuri Cavalry Division. On July 9, 1917, he was appointed commander of the 7th Cavalry Division, and the next day, July 10, as commander of the consolidated cavalry corps for covering the infantry withdrawal to the Zbruch River line during the Tarnopol breakthrough of the Germans. in July 1917, by resolution of the Duma of the units of the consolidated corps, he was awarded the soldier's St. George Cross, 4th degree. On September 9, 1917, he was appointed commander of the 3rd Cavalry Corps, but did not take command.
He arrived in the Volunteer Army on August 25, 1918. On August 28 he was appointed brigade commander in the 1st Cavalry Division, on August 31 - temporary commander, and on October 31 - chief. On November 15, 1918, he was appointed commander of the 1st Cavalry Corps and on November 22 of the same year he was promoted to lieutenant general “for military distinction.” On December 26, 1918, at the Torgovaya station, a meeting took place between General Denikin and the Don Ataman, General Krasnov, at which it was recognized that it was necessary to introduce a unified command and subordinate the Don Army to General Denikin. By virtue of this decision, on December 26, 1918 (January 8, 1919), General Denikin became the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces in the South of Russia (VSYUR). Thus, the post of Commander of the Volunteer Army became vacant. Already on December 27, 1918, General Wrangel was appointed to the post of Commander of the Volunteer Army. On January 10, 1919, in connection with the division of the Volunteer Army into the Crimean-Azov Army under General Borovsky and the Caucasian Army, General Wrangel was appointed commander of the Caucasian Volunteer Army. On the same day, January 10, 1919, General Wrangel issued an order to the Caucasian Volunteer Army, in which he noted the valor of the 1st Cavalry Corps and other troops, thanks to which Kuban and the Stavropol province were liberated, and set the task of liberating the Terek. At the end of January 1919, General Wrangel fell ill with typhus in severe form. At this time and... D. army commander, his chief of staff, General Yuzefovich, by order of the Commander-in-Chief of the AFSR, carried out the transfer of the main units of the Caucasian Volunteer Army to the Donbass. At the end of March, having recovered from his illness, General Wrangel arrived in Yekaterinodar and discovered that the main volunteer regiments had been consolidated into the corps of General May-Maevsky and were fighting heavy battles in the coal basin. In this regard, on April 4, 1919, he submitted a secret report to General Denikin with a proposal to consider “our main and only operational direction to be the direction to Tsaritsyn, which makes it possible to establish direct contact with the army of Admiral Kolchak.” General Denikin did not agree with this proposal of General Wrangel, because he considered the shortest line to Moscow through Kharkov - Orel - Tula as the main direction for the offensive. It was from this time that serious disagreements began between General Wrangel and General Denikin, which later turned into a painful conflict. On April 24, 1919, in a letter from the Chief of Staff of the AFSR, General Romanovsky, General Wrangel was asked to take command of the new Kuban Army, to rename the Caucasian Volunteer Army simply to the Volunteer Army, and to appoint General May-Maevsky as commander. Initially, General Wrangel refused this proposal, but when the offensive of the 10th Red Army from the Grand Ducal to Torgovaya began, threatening the rear of the Volunteer Army, General Wrangel agreed to the persistent request of Generals Denikin and Romanovsky to take command of a group of troops composed mainly of cavalry corps , to repel the offensive of the 10th Red Army under the command of Egorov. On May 2, 1920, a fierce battle began near Velikoknyazheskaya, during which General Wrangel personally led his troops into an attack, inflicted a decisive defeat on the 10th Red Army and forced it to hastily retreat to Tsaritsyn.
After the battle of Velikoknyazheskaya, General Wrangel remained commander of the Caucasian Army, which now included mainly Kuban units. On May 8, 1920, the Commander-in-Chief of the AFSR, General Denikin, ordered General Wrangel to capture Tsaritsyn. On June 18, General Wrangel captured Tsaritsyn, and on June 20, Commander-in-Chief General Denikin arrived in Tsaritsyn, who then gave the order with his famous “Moscow Directive.” According to this directive, General Wrangel was asked to go to the Saratov-Balashov front and then attack Moscow through Nizhny Novgorod and Vladimir. At the same time, General Mai-Maevsky was ordered to attack Moscow in the direction of Kursk - Orel - Tula. General Wrangel considered the “Moscow Directive” a “death sentence for the armies of Southern Russia.” There was no maneuver in it and the dispersion of forces was allowed. At this time (that is, at the end of June 1919, when the armies of Admiral Kolchak were retreating), General Wrangel proposed to General Denikin “to concentrate a large cavalry mass in 3-4 corps in the Kharkov region” and act with this cavalry mass in the direction shortest to Moscow together with Volunteer Corps of General Kutepov. However, all these proposals were ignored, and only when the complete insolvency of General Mai-Maevsky and the catastrophic situation at the front of the Volunteer Army was revealed, General Wrangel was appointed commander of the Volunteer Army and commander-in-chief of the Kharkov region on November 26, 1919. Due to the deep breakthrough of Budyonny’s cavalry and the lack of a sufficient number of combat-ready cavalry in the Volunteer Army, General Wrangel, in a report dated December 11, 1919, proposed to withdraw the right group of the army to the line of the Mius River - Novocherkassk, and the left group to the Crimea. General Denikin did not agree with this, since he believed that the Volunteer Army should under no circumstances be separated from the Don Army. On the same day, December 11, a meeting was held in Rostov between the Commander-in-Chief of the AFSR with the commander of the Don Army, General Sidorin, and with the commander of the Volunteer Army, General Wrangel. At this meeting, the Commander-in-Chief announced his decision to consolidate the Volunteer Army into a separate Volunteer Corps and operationally subordinate it to the commander of the Don Army, General Sidorin. General Wrangel was entrusted with the formation of new Cossack corps in the Kuban and Terek. On December 21, 1919, General Wrangel gave a farewell order to the Volunteer Army and left for Yekaterinodar, where he discovered that the same task of mobilizing the Cossacks had been entrusted to the Commander-in-Chief, General Shkuro. On December 26, 1920, General Wrangel arrived in Bataysk, where the headquarters of the Commander-in-Chief was located, and received orders to go to Novorossiysk and organize its defense. However, soon an order came to appoint General Lukomsky as Governor-General of the Novorossiysk Region. Finding himself out of work, General Wrangel settled in Crimea, where he had a dacha. On January 14, 1920, he unexpectedly received from General Schilling, who had left Odessa and arrived in Sevastopol, an offer to accept the post of his military assistant. Negotiations on this issue with the Commander-in-Chief's headquarters dragged on. Many public figures, as well as General Lukomsky and the commander of the Black Sea Fleet, Vice Admiral Nenyukov and his chief of staff, Rear Admiral Bubnov, proposed appointing General Wrangel to replace General Schilling, who had been compromised by the Odessa evacuation. Having received no answer, General Wrangel resigned on January 27, 1920. On February 8, 1920, General Denikin gave an order to the General Staff “to dismiss from service” both Generals Wrangel and Shatilov, as well as General Lukomsky, Admiral Nenyukov and Admiral Bubnov. At the end of February 1920, General Wrangel left Crimea and arrived in Constantinople. On March 18, 1920, General Wrangel and other prominent generals of the White armies of Southern Russia received a telegram from General Denikin inviting them to arrive on the evening of March 21 in Sevastopol for a meeting of the Military Council chaired by cavalry general Dragomirov to elect a successor to the Commander-in-Chief of the AFSR.
Baron Wrangel (center) at Zeon Castle with friends.
Standing from left to right: second from left - Nikolai Mikhailovich Kotlyarevsky, secretary of General Wrangel; Natalya Nikolaevna Ilyina, Sergey Aleksandrovich Sokolov-Krechetov,Ivan Alexandrovich Ilyin
.
On the morning of March 22, 1920, General Wrangel arrived in Sevastopol on the English battleship Emperor of India. At the Military Council, which met on March 22, General Wrangel was unanimously elected as the new Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the South of Russia. On the same day, General Denikin gave the order for his appointment. Having taken command, General Wrangel first of all began to restore discipline and strengthen the morale of the troops. By April 28, 1920, he reorganized them into the Russian Army. The government of the South of Russia, created by him, issued a declaration on the national question and proposed to determine the form of government in Russia by “free will” within the framework of a broad federation. Along with this, the government began to implement a number of reforms; in particular, the “law on land”, “law on volost zemstvos”, etc. were adopted. Having received de facto recognition from France, General Wrangel began organizing the 3rd Russian Army (the Russian army in Crimea was divided into two armies) in Poland . Having carried out a number of successful operations in Northern Tavria, General Wrangel faced a significant increase in the forces of the Red Army in the summer and autumn, especially after the Riga Truce with Poland. The unsuccessful outcome of General Ulagai's landing on the Kuban in August 1920 and the Trans-Dnieper operation in September significantly reduced the strength of General Wrangel's Russian Army, and at the end of October 1920 it was forced to retreat to the Crimea. The evacuation of the army and everyone from Crimea in November 1920 was skillfully carried out by the headquarters of General Wrangel, and above all by the new commander of the Black Sea Fleet, Admiral Kedrov.
In Constantinople, finding himself without funds, General Wrangel sought to prevent the dispersal of the army, which was in camps in Gallipoli and on the island of Lemnos. He managed to organize the relocation of military units to Bulgaria and the Kingdom of SHS, where they were accepted for residence. General Wrangel himself with his headquarters moved from Constantinople to the Kingdom of the SHS, to Sremski Karlovitsy, in 1922. In an effort to preserve the cadres of the Russian Army abroad in the new, emigrant, conditions, General Wrangel gave September 1, 1924 (confirmed December 1 of the same year ) order to create the Russian All-Military Union (EMRO), initially consisting of 4 departments: 1st department - France and Belgium, 2nd department - Germany, Austria, Hungary, Latvia, Estonia, Lithuania; 3rd department - Bulgaria and Türkiye; 4th Division - Kingdom of the CXC, Greece and Romania. In September 1927, General Wrangel moved with his family from the Kingdom of the CXC to Belgium - to Brussels, where he soon unexpectedly became seriously ill and died on April 25, 1928. He was buried in Belgrade in the Russian Church of the Holy Trinity.
Peru of General Wrangel belongs to: Notes: In 2 hours// [Sat.] White Case: Chronicle of the White Struggle. Materials collected and developed by Baron P. N. Wrangel, Duke G. N. Leuchtenberg and His Serene Highness Prince A. P. Lieven. Ed. A. A. von Lampe. Book V, VI. Berlin: Bronze Horseman, 1928.
The second (reprint) edition was published in one volume: Memoirs: At 2 hours. Frankfurt am Main: Posev, 1969.
1) See: Order No. 17 of 1911 on the General Staff // List of the General Staff. 1912. P. 757.
Prayer service in units of the Russian army.
Ahead is Wrangel P.N. followed by Bogaevsky, Crimea, 1920.
P.N. Wrangel during the creation of the EMRO(a). Paris, 1927.
White hero
Wrangel Baron Pyotr Nikolaevich (1887-1928) - Lieutenant General of the General Staff. He graduated from the Rostov Real School and the Mining Institute of Empress Catherine II in St. Petersburg. He entered service on September 1, 1891 as a private in the Life Guards Horse Regiment. During the Russo-Japanese War in December 1904, he was promoted to centurion - “for distinction in cases against the Japanese” and awarded the Order of St. Anne, 4th degree with the inscription “For Bravery” and St. Stanislav with swords and a bow. In 1913 - captain and squadron commander. During the First World War - Knight of St. George - according to the order of the 1st Army of August 30, 1914 - for the capture of a German battery on horseback. In September 1914 he was appointed assistant regiment commander. Awarded the Arms of St. George. On December 12, 1914 he was promoted to colonel. From October 1915, he was appointed commander of the 1st Nerchinsky Regiment of the Transbaikal Cossack Army, and on December 16, 1916 - commander of the 2nd Brigade of the Ussuri Cavalry Division. On January 13, 1917, he was promoted to major general “for military distinction” and temporarily took command of the Ussuri Cavalry Division. July 9, 1917 appointed commander of the 7th Cavalry Division, and the next day, July 10, commander of the consolidated cavalry corps. For covering the retreat of the infantry to the line of the Zbruch River, during the Tarnopol breakthrough of the Germans in July 1917, by a resolution of the Duma of the units of the consolidated corps, he was awarded the soldier's St. George Cross, 4th degree. On September 9, 1917, he was appointed commander of the 3rd Cavalry Corps, but did not take command.
He arrived in the Volunteer Army on August 25, 1918 and the same year, and was promoted to lieutenant general “for military distinction.” On December 26, 1918, at the Torgovaya station, a meeting took place between General Denikin and the Don Ataman, General Krasnov, at which it was recognized that it was necessary to introduce a unified command and subordinate the Don Army to General Denikin. By virtue of this decision, on December 26, 1918 (January 8, 1919), General Denikin became the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces in the South of Russia (VSYUR). Thus, the post of Commander of the Volunteer Army became vacant. Already on December 27, 1918, General Wrangel was appointed to the post of Commander of the Volunteer Army. On January 10, 1919, in connection with the division of the Volunteer Army into the Crimean-Azov Army under General Borovsky and the Caucasian Army, General Wrangel was appointed commander of the Caucasian Volunteer Army. On the same day, January 10, 1919, General Wrangel issued an order to the Caucasian Volunteer Army, in which he noted the valor of the 1st Cavalry Corps and other troops, thanks to which Kuban and the Stavropol province were liberated, and set the task of liberating the Terek. At the end of January 1919, General Wrangel fell ill with typhus in severe form. At this time and... D. army commander, his chief of staff, General Yuzefovich, by order of the Commander-in-Chief of the AFSR, carried out the transfer of the main units of the Caucasian Volunteer Army to the Donbass. At the end of March, having recovered from his illness, General Wrangel arrived in Yekaterinodar and discovered that the main volunteer regiments had been consolidated into the corps of General May-Maevsky and were fighting heavy battles in the coal basin. In this regard, on April 4, 1919, he submitted a secret report to General Denikin with a proposal to consider “our main and only operational direction to be the direction to Tsaritsyn, which makes it possible to establish direct contact with the army of General Kolchak.” General Denikin did not agree with this proposal of General Wrangel, because he considered the shortest line to Moscow through Kharkov-Orel-Tula as the main direction for the offensive. It was from this time that serious disagreements began between General Wrangel and General Denikin, which later turned into a painful conflict. On April 24, 1919, in a letter from the Chief of Staff of the AFSR, General Romanovsky, General Wrangel was asked to take command of the new Kuban Army, to rename the Caucasian Volunteer Army simply to the Volunteer Army, and to appoint General May-Maevsky as commander. Initially, General Wrangel refused this proposal, but when the offensive of the 10th Red Army from the Grand Ducal to Torgovaya began, threatening the rear of the Volunteer Army, General Wrangel agreed to the persistent request of Generals Denikin and Romanovsky to take command of a group of troops composed mainly of cavalry corps , to repel the offensive of the 10th Red Army under the command of Egorov. On May 2, 1920, a fierce battle began near Velikoknyazheskaya, during which General Wrangel personally led his troops into an attack, inflicted a decisive defeat on the 10th Red Army and forced it to hastily retreat to Tsaritsyn. After the battle of Velikoknyazheskaya, General Wrangel remained commander of the Caucasian Army, which now included mainly Kuban units. On May 8, 1920, the Commander-in-Chief of the AFSR, General Denikin, ordered General Wrangel to capture Tsaritsyn. On June 18, General Wrangel captured Tsaritsyn, and on June 20, Commander-in-Chief General Denikin arrived in Tsaritsyn, who then gave the order with his famous “Moscow Directive.” According to this directive, General Wrangel was asked to go to the Saratov-Balashov front and then attack Moscow through Nizhny Novgorod and Vladimir. At the same time, General Mai-Maevsky was ordered to advance on Moscow in the direction of Kursk-Orel-Tula. General Wrangel considered the “Moscow Directive” “a death sentence for the armies of Southern Russia.” There was no maneuver in it and the dispersion of forces was allowed. At this time (that is, at the end of June 1919, when the armies of Admiral Kolchak were retreating), General Wrangel suggested to General Denikin “to concentrate a large cavalry mass of 3-4 corps in the Kharkov region” and act jointly with this cavalry mass in the direction shortest to Moscow with the Volunteer Corps of General Kutepov. However, all these proposals were ignored, and only when the complete insolvency of General Mai-Maevsky and the catastrophic situation at the front of the Volunteer Army was revealed, General Wrangel was appointed commander of the Volunteer Army and commander-in-chief of the Kharkov region on November 26, 1919. Due to the deep breakthrough of Budyonny’s cavalry and the lack of a sufficient number of combat-ready cavalry in the Volunteer Army, General Wrangel, in a report dated December 11, 1919, proposed to withdraw the right group of the army to the line of the Mius River - Novocherkassk, and the left group to the Crimea. General Denikin did not agree with this) because he believed that the Volunteer Army should under no circumstances be separated from the Don Army. On the same day, December 11, a meeting was held in Rostov between the Commander-in-Chief of the AFSR with the commander of the Don Army, General Sidorin, and with the commander of the Volunteer Army, General Wrangel. At this meeting. The Commander-in-Chief announced his decision to consolidate the Volunteer Army into a separate Volunteer Corps and operationally subordinate it to the commander of the Don Army, General Sidorin. General Wrangel was entrusted with the formation of new Cossack corps in the Kuban and Terek. On December 21, 1919, General Wrangel gave a farewell order to the Volunteer Army and left for Yekaterinodar, where he discovered that the same task of mobilizing the Cossacks had been entrusted to the Commander-in-Chief, General Shkuro. On December 26, 1920, General Wrangel arrived in Bataysk, where the headquarters of the Commander-in-Chief was located, and received orders to go to Novorossiysk and organize its defense. However, soon an order came to appoint General Lukomsky as governor-general of the Novorossiysk region. Finding himself out of work, General Wrangel settled in Crimea, where he had a dacha. On January 14, 1920, he unexpectedly received from General Schilling, who had left Odessa and arrived in Sevastopol, an offer to accept the post of his military assistant. Negotiations on this issue with the Commander-in-Chief's headquarters dragged on. Many public figures, as well as General Lukomsky and the commander of the Black Sea Fleet, Vice Admiral Nenyukov and his chief of staff, Rear Admiral Bubnov, proposed appointing General Wrangel to replace General Schilling, who had been compromised by the Odessa evacuation. Having received no answer, General Wrangel resigned on January 27, 1920. On February 8, 1920, General Denikin gave an order to the General Staff “to dismiss from service” both Generals Wrangel and Shatilov, as well as General Lukomsky, Admiral Nenyukov and Admiral Bubnov. At the end of February 1920, General Wrangel left Crimea and arrived in Constantinople. On March 18, 1920, General Wrangel and other prominent generals of the White Armies of Southern Russia received a telegram from General Denikin inviting them to arrive on the evening of March 21 in Sevastopol for a meeting of the Military Council chaired by Cavalry General Dragomirov to elect a successor to the Commander-in-Chief of the AFSR.
On the morning of March 22, 1920, General Wrangel arrived in Sevastopol on the English battleship Emperor of India. At the Military Council, which met on March 22, General Wrangel was unanimously elected as the new Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the South of Russia. On the same day, General Denikin gave the order for his appointment. Having taken command, General Wrangel first of all began to restore discipline and strengthen the morale of the troops. By April 28, 1920, he reorganized them into the Russian Army. The government of the South of Russia, created by him, issued a declaration on the national question and proposed to determine the form of government in Russia by “free expression” within the framework of a broad federation. Along with this, the government began to implement a number of reforms; in particular, the “law on land”, “law on volost zemstvos”, etc. were adopted. Having received de facto recognition from France, General Wrangel began organizing the 3rd Russian Army (the Russian army in Crimea was divided into two armies) in Poland. Having carried out a number of successful operations in Northern Tavria, General Wrangel faced a significant increase in the forces of the Red Army in the summer and autumn, especially after the Riga Truce with Poland. The unsuccessful outcome of General Ulagai's landing on the Kuban in August 1920 and the Trans-Dnieper operation in September significantly reduced the strength of General Wrangel's Russian Army, and at the end of October 1920 it was forced to retreat to the Crimea. The evacuation of the army and everyone from Crimea in November 1920 was skillfully carried out by the headquarters of General Wrangel, and, above all, by the new commander of the Black Sea Fleet, Admiral Kedrov.
In Constantinople, finding himself without funds, General Wrangel sought to prevent the dispersal of the army, which was in camps in Gallipoli and on the island of Lemnos. He managed to organize the transfer of military units to Bulgaria and Yugoslavia, where they were accepted for residence. General Wrangel himself and his headquarters moved from Constantinople to Yugoslavia, to Sremski Karlovitsy, in 1922. In an effort to preserve the cadres of the Russian army abroad in the new, emigrant, conditions, General Wrangel gave September 1, 1924 (confirmed December 1 of the same year) order to create the Russian All-Military Union (ROVS), initially consisting of 4 departments: 1st department - France and Belgium, 2nd department - Germany, Austria, Hungary, Latvia, Estonia, Lithuania; 3rd department - Bulgaria and Türkiye; 4th Division - Yugoslavia, Greece and Romania. In September 1927, General Wrangel moved with his family from Yugoslavia to Belgium - to Brussels, where he soon unexpectedly became seriously ill and died on April 25, 1928. He was buried in Belgrade in the Russian Church of the Holy Trinity.
General Wrangel's books belong to Peru: "The Caucasian Army" (1928), "The Last Commander-in-Chief" (1928).
Biographical information is reprinted from the magazine "Russian World" (educational almanac), No. 2, 2000.
Wrangel and Gen. Magene (France) in Crimea.
P.N. Wrangel at the portrait of Grand Duke Nikolai Nikolaevich. Paris, 1927.
Member of the White movement
Wrangel Peter Nikolaevich (15.8.1878, Novo-Alexandrovsk, Kovno province - 22.4.1928, Brussels, Belgium), baron, lieutenant general (22.11.1918). He received his education at the Mining Institute, after which in 1901 he volunteered in the Life Guards Horse Regiment. Passed the officer exams to become a guard officer at the Nikolaev Cavalry. College (1902), graduated from the Nikolaev Military Academy (1910). Participant in the Russian-Japanese War of 1904-05, during which he commanded a hundred of the 2nd Argun Kaz. Regiment of Transbaikal Kaz. divisions. In Jan. 1906 transferred to the 55th Finnish Dragoon Regiment. In Aug. 1906 returned to the Life Guards Cavalry Regiment. From 22.5.1912 temporarily commander, then commander of His Majesty's squadron, at the head of which he entered the world war. From September 12, 1914 he was chief of staff of the Consolidated Cossack Division, and from September 23. assistant commander of the Life Guards Cavalry Regiment for combat units. For the battles in 1914, one of the first Russians. officers was awarded the Order of St. George, 4th degree (10/13/1914), and on 4/13/1915 he was awarded the St. George's Arms. From October 8, 1915, commander of the 1st Nerchinsky Regiment of the Transbaikal Kazakh. troops. From 12/24/1916 commander of the 2nd, 19/1/1917 - 1st brigade of the Ussuri Cavalry Division. 23 Jan V. was appointed temporary commander of the Ussuri Cavalry Division, and from July 9 - commander of the 7th Cavalry. division, from July 10 - consolidated cavalry. body. On July 24, by resolution of the Corps Duma, he was awarded the soldier's St. George Cross, 4th degree, for distinction in covering the infantry's retreat to the Sbruga line on July 10-20. 9 Sep. V. was appointed commander of the III Cavalry Corps, but because former commander gen. P.V. Krasnov was not removed and did not take command. After the October Revolution, V. went to the Don, where Gen. joined the ataman. A.M. Kaledin, whom he helped in the formation of the Don Army. After Kaledin’s suicide, V. joined the Volunteer Army on August 28, 1918. From 31 Aug. Commander of the 1st Cavalry Division, from November 15. - 1 cavalry corps, from December 27. - Volunteer Army. 10.1.1919 V. was appointed commander of the Caucasian Volunteer Army. Since November 26, 1919, commander of the Volunteer Army and commander-in-chief of the Kharkov region. 20 Dec due to the disbandment of the army, he was placed at the disposal of the Commander-in-Chief of the AFSR. 8.2.1920 due to disagreements with the gene. A.I. Denikin dismissed.
After the resignation of Denikin, by decision of the majority of the senior command staff of the AFSR. On March 22, 1920, he was appointed Commander-in-Chief of the All-Soviet Union of Socialist Republics on May 2 - Russian Army. Concentrating it in the Crimea, he launched an offensive to the north, but failed on November 14. was forced to evacuate with the army to Turkey. In 1924 he created the EMRO, which united white military emigration.
Material used from the book: Zalessky K.A. Who was who in the First World War. Biographical encyclopedic dictionary. M., 2003
P.N. Wrangel. 1920
Baltic German
Baron P.N. Wrangel came from an old Baltic German family, known since the 13th century. Representatives of this family served the masters of the Livonian Order, then the kings of Sweden and Prussia, and when the Eastern Baltic region became part of the Russian state - the Russian emperors.
Pyotr Nikolaevich Wrangel was born on August 28, 1878 in the town of Novo-Alexandrovsk, in Lithuania. But soon the family moved to Rostov-on-Don, where the father of the future leader of the white movement, Nikolai Georgievich Wrangel, became director of an insurance company.
Peter Wrangel, after completing his studies at a real school in Rostov, went to the capital, where he successfully graduated from the Mining Institute. But he never became an engineer. While serving his military service, as a Russian citizen should, he served in the Life Guards Cavalry Regiment, known for its distinction in many battles. In 1902, he passed the exams for the officer rank and went into the reserve, but was not in the civil service for long. When the Russo-Japanese War began, Wrangel joined the Transbaikal Cossack Army. He showed courage in battles, earned an order and early promotion in rank. From that time on, the choice was irrevocably made in favor of a military career. In 1909, Wrangel graduated from the General Staff Academy, then the Officer Cavalry School.
In the very first battles of the First World War, Wrangel, who commanded a squadron of guards cavalry, gained fame as a hero. On August 6, 1914, in a battle with the Germans near the town of Kaushen, it was his squadron that with a bold attack took the German position, for which there was a stubborn bloody battle. Wrangel was awarded the Order of St. George, 4th degree. In December of the same 1914, he was promoted to colonel; in October 1915, he was entrusted with command of the 1st Nerchinsk Cossack Regiment of the Ussuri Division. In this post, he again managed to distinguish himself, especially in the battle in the Wooded Carpathians on August 22, 1916. Then, already on the eve of the revolution, Wrangel commanded the 1st Cavalry Brigade and for some time the entire Ussuri Division.
Wrangel, a supporter of the monarchy, perceived the February Revolution without optimism. Nevertheless, in the summer of 1917, he again distinguished himself on the battlefields of the First World War and was awarded the Soldier's Cross of St. George, 4th degree.
According to Baron Wrangel, revolutionary events contributed to the country's slide into anarchy and disaster. It was no coincidence that he found himself among the supporters and active participants in the Kornilov uprising. General Krymov, who shot himself because of unfair accusations from Kerensky, was his immediate superior. But, despite the failure and arrest of Kornilov, Wrangel did not suffer for his support.
After the October Revolution, Pyotr Nikolaevich resigned and came to Crimea, where his wife’s estate was located. When Soviet power was established in Crimea, he was arrested based on false libel, but was soon released. Then Crimea was captured by the Germans.
In 1918, Wrangel, after visiting Ukraine, went to Kuban, to Yekaterinodar, and from that moment linked his fate with the Volunteer Army. On behalf of Denikin, he commanded first the 1st Cavalry Division, then the Cavalry Corps. A supporter of order and discipline, Wrangel tried to stop robberies and even executed several looters. But then he resigned himself to the inevitable and only tried to somehow streamline the division of the spoils.
Wrangel's actions at Armavir and Stavropol were marked by successes, followed by his appointment to the post of commander of the 1st Cavalry Corps and promotion to lieutenant general.
At the end of 1918, the Volunteer and Don armies formed the Armed Forces of the South of Russia, being united under the leadership of Denikin. Command of the Volunteer Army was transferred to Wrangel, and when at the beginning of 1919 the Volunteer Army was divided into two parts, Wrangel headed the Caucasian Volunteer.
It was during this period that disagreements began between Denikin and Wrangel regarding further actions. Contrary to the opinion of the Commander-in-Chief, who considered the Ukrainian direction to be the leading direction, Wrangel argued that it was necessary to move the main forces to the Volga region to join with Kolchak.
However, then a new responsible assignment followed - Wrangel was asked to command the entire white cavalry in the Manych direction. Thanks to the resourcefulness of Wrangel, who managed to find a way to cross the artillery to the other side of the Manych River (which had not been possible before), the Whites achieved success in this area. In early May, in three-day battles in the area of the Manych River, the Reds suffered a crushing defeat and began to retreat north. After this, Wrangel was given another task - the Caucasian Army was to take Tsaritsyn. And the order was successfully carried out - the city was taken by storm in mid-June 1919.
But the disagreements between Wrangel and Denikin regarding further actions were not resolved, since Wrangel considered the offensive planned by the Commander-in-Chief to be doomed to failure. o By order of Denikin, Wrangel's army headed north, towards Saratov, in order to then advance to Nizhny Novgorod, and from there to Moscow. But no reinforcements arrived, and the Reds put up fierce resistance. Among the population of the Volga region, the Caucasian Army did not meet with the expected support. All these circumstances led to further failures.
The Whites began to retreat and retreated to the Tsaritsyn positions. True, the Reds’ attack on Tsaritsyn was repulsed twice, and then Wrangel, having received reinforcements, even pushed the Reds back from the city. But overall the situation was unfavorable. I had to go on the defensive.
During the decisive battles that determined the fate of the white movement in the south of Russia, Wrangel was in the Kuban, where he was supposed to pacify the separatist uprisings of part of the local leadership.
In the fall of 1919, there was a turning point in favor of the Reds. The Whites suffered defeats and retreated. Wrangel again expressed objections to Denikin’s proposal to retreat to the Don. He believed that military operations should be moved to the west, closer to the Poles. But Denikin did not agree, he believed that this would be regarded as a betrayal towards the Cossacks.
The conflict between Wrangel and Denikin reached such intensity that many believed that Wrangel was going to carry out a coup.
The disagreements were aggravated by the difference in political orientation of the white generals: Wrangel was supported by zealous supporters of the monarchy, while Denikin took a more liberal position and could find a compromise with the Republicans.
In conditions of military defeats and intrigues, on January 27, 1920, Wrangel submitted his resignation. In February, Denikin ordered the dismissal of Wrangel from service, then, at the request of the Commander-in-Chief, Wrangel left Russia and went to Constantinople, where his family had been sent shortly before.
But soon Wrangel received an invitation to take part in the Military Council, which was to elect a new Commander-in-Chief. He returned to Crimea and was elected Commander-in-Chief.
When Wrangel took command of the Armed Forces of Southern Russia, the situation seemed hopeless. The British even advocated that the Whites surrender to the Bolsheviks, provided that the latter guaranteed amnesty to their defeated opponents.
I had to reorient myself towards France and, abandoning plans for a campaign against Moscow, try to gain a foothold at least in Crimea. The remaining troops there were reorganized and became known as the Russian Army. Those generals who had previously participated in political intrigues were sent abroad by the new Commander-in-Chief. In Crimea, in white-controlled territory, Wrangel tried to establish order as much as possible, increase discipline, and put a stop to hooliganism and outrages.
Meanwhile, the situation had changed. The main forces of the Red Army were distracted by the war with Poland. Therefore, Wrangel even managed to go on the offensive in the summer of 1920. He captured Northern Taurida, sent troops to the Don and Kuban, tried to achieve coordination with the Poles and launch an offensive along the Dnieper.
But the successes achieved were fragile. The Whites were defeated on the Don, and then they had to withdraw troops from the Kuban. And when the Poles concluded a truce with the Soviet government, their last hopes collapsed. The Reds sent forces against Wrangel that were four times the size of his army. Within a few days, the White Guards were driven out of Tavria, and in November 1920 they were forced to leave Crimea. Together with P.N. Wrangel left 145 thousand people from Russia, and he was responsible for their placement in foreign countries. Peaceful refugees were placed in Balkan Orthodox countries, from where they gradually moved to other European states. The army was in Gallipoli and suffered many hardships. For a long time, Wrangel still hoped to continue the fight against Soviet power, but to no avail. Remaining | warriors gradually began to be stationed in the Slavic countries - Serbia and Bulgaria. Wrangel himself settled in Belgrade. On his initiative, the Russian All-Military Union (EMRO) was created in September 1924. But soon Wrangel transferred the leadership of this organization to the former Commander-in-Chief of the Russian troops, Grand Duke Nikolai Nikolaevich, a representative of the Romanov dynasty. Pyotr Nikolaevich himself moved to Belgium, where he wrote his memoirs. His health deteriorated due to illnesses and injuries. On April 12, 1928, Wrangel died. He was subsequently reburied in an Orthodox church in Belgrade.
Materials used from the book: I.O. Surmin "The Most Famous Heroes of Russia" - M.: Veche, 2003.
Kuban residents at the funeral of P. N. Wrangel.
The first grave of the Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Army
General Baron Pyotr Nikolaevich Wrangel
at the Uccle-Calevoet cemetery in Brussels.
Belgrade. Church of the Holy Trinity,
where is the second and last grave of P.N. Wrangel
Wrangel with his wife.
Descendant of the Danish Wrangels
Pyotr Nikolaevich Wrangel 1878-1928. General Wrangel was a distant descendant of the Danish Wrangels, in the 17th - 18th centuries. moved to different European countries and Russia. In the Wrangel family there were 7 field marshals, more than 30 generals, 7 admirals, including in Russia 18 generals and two admirals bore this surname at different times. Islands in the Arctic and Pacific oceans are named after the famous Russian navigator Admiral F. Wrangel.
A representative of the Russified Wrangel family, Pyotr Nikolaevich Wrangel, was born in the city of Novo-Alexandrovsk (Zarasai), in Lithuania. By inheritance, he had the title of Russian baron, but had no estates or fortunes. Peter received his secondary education at a real school, and in 1896 he entered the St. Petersburg Mining Institute. Upon graduation, he was called up for active military service and volunteered in the Life Guards Cavalry Regiment; After graduating from the regimental school, he passed the exam for the rank of cornet. Then he retired to the reserve, but in 1904 the Russian-Japanese War began, and 25-year-old Wrangel again put on officer's shoulder straps, going to the Far East. Acting as part of the 2nd Argun Regiment of the Transbaikal Cossack Army, he showed courage and bravery, earning his first orders, at the end of 1904 he already commanded a hundred, and in September 1905 he became a captain ahead of schedule.
In 1906, Wrangel had a difficult mission - as part of the detachment of General A. Orlov, to pacify riots and stop the pogroms in Siberia that accompanied the revolution of 1905 - 1907. Then he served in the Finnish Regiment, again in the Life Guards Cavalry Regiment, in 1907 he became a lieutenant and entered the Nikolaev Academy of the General Staff, from which he graduated among the best - seventh on the list. The future Red Marshal B. Shaposhnikov studied on the same course with him. While studying at the academy, Pyotr Nikolaevich married a wealthy noblewoman O.M. Ivanenko, who was in the empress’s retinue.
Wrangel met the war of 1914 with the rank of guard captain and spent more than a year in the ranks of the Life Guards Cavalry Regiment, which was part of the troops of the 1st Army of the North-Western Front. In one of the very first battles, on August 6 near Kraupishten, the captain distinguished himself by rushing with his squadron to a German battery and capturing it (the previous squadron that attacked the battery died). Wrangel's award was the Order of St. George, 4th degree. Subsequently, recalling this battle, Pyotr Nikolaevich explained his fearlessness by the knowledge that he wears the shoulder straps of an officer and is obliged to set an example of heroism to his subordinates.
After the unsuccessful East Prussian operation, the front troops began to retreat, military operations proceeded sluggishly, nevertheless, Wrangel continued to receive awards, became an aide-de-camp, colonel, and holder of the St. George's Arms. His personal courage was undeniable, but it must be admitted that these awards were partly facilitated by the nobility of the Wrangel family and the influence of his wife, the empress's maid of honor. In October 1915, Pyotr Nikolaevich was sent to the Southwestern Front, where he took command of the 1st Nerchinsky Regiment of the Transbaikal Cossack Army. The commander of the Life Guards Cavalry Regiment, when transferring Wrangel, gave him the following description: “Outstanding courage. Understands the situation perfectly and quickly, very resourceful in difficult situations.”
With his Cossack regiment, Wrangel fought against the Austrians in Galicia, participated in the famous “Brusilov breakthrough” of 1916, and then in defensive positional battles. He continued to place military valor, military discipline, honor and the intelligence of the commander at the forefront. If an officer gave an order, Wrangel said, and it was not carried out, “he is no longer an officer, he does not have officer’s shoulder straps.” New steps in Pyotr Nikolaevich's military career were the rank of major general and his appointment as commander of the 2nd brigade of the Ussuri Cavalry Division, then as head of this division.
He associated Russia's failures in the First World War with the weakness and moral degradation of the top leadership led by Nicholas II Romanov. “I know them all well,” Wrangel said about the Romanovs. “They cannot rule because they don’t want to... They have lost their taste for power.” After the February Revolution of 1917, he swore allegiance to the Provisional Government and soon became commander of the corps. Among the troops, broken by the fruitless war, the Baron General continued to be respected; evidence of this was the decision of the St. George Duma, elected from the rank and file, to award him the soldier’s St. George Cross (this was in June 1917).
But the collapse of the army, unbearable for Wrangel, was in full swing. Shortly before the October events, Pyotr Nikolaevich, under the pretext of illness, asked for leave and went to Crimea, where he spent about a year, distancing himself from everything. In the summer of 1918, he shook off his torpor and decided to take action. In August, Wrangel arrived in Kyiv to visit General Skoropadsky, but soon became disillusioned with the former commander of the Life Guards Cavalry Regiment: the general, who became hetman, did not want to think about the revival of Russia and focused on “Ukrainian sovereignty.” In September, Pyotr Nikolaevich appeared in Yekaterinodar, at the headquarters of the Volunteer Army, to join the fighting ranks of the White movement.
Kindly received by A. Denikin, Wrangel received a cavalry brigade into his command and became a participant in the second Kuban campaign of the Volunteer Army. He quickly proved himself to be an excellent cavalry commander, able to correctly assess the situation, make decisions on the spot, and act boldly and decisively. Recognizing his qualities as a commander, Denikin entrusted him with the 1st Cavalry Division, two months later promoted him to commander of the 1st Cavalry Corps, and promoted him to lieutenant general in December. Tall, lean, in an invariable Circassian coat and a crooked hat, Wrangel made an impression with his gallant Horse Guards bearing, impressed the troops with his demeanor, energy and self-confidence, and bright, emotional speeches. His written orders were distinguished by the clarity of their demands combined with the pathos of patriotic appeals.
With the creation of the Armed Forces of the South of Russia on January 8, 1919, Denikin, who headed them, entrusted Wrangel with the post of commander of the Volunteer Army, which formed the backbone of Denikin’s troops. Having completed the conquest of the North Caucasus by spring, the Volunteer Army launched active operations in Ukraine, Crimea and on the Manych River. During the period of success, the first signs of weakening military discipline and the development of the disease of looting began to appear, which many generals justified by the weakness of the supply of troops. Unlike them, Wrangel did not put up with robberies and repeatedly carried out public executions of looters.
Meanwhile, the offensive front of the Armed Forces of Southern Russia was expanding, and on May 22, Wrangel received under his command the newly formed Caucasian Army, intended for operations in the Lower Volga. Already on May 24, his troops crossed the Sal River and, having advanced with battles to Tsaritsyn, on June 30 captured the city, which in 1918 General Krasnov unsuccessfully besieged for four months. Continuing to move north along the Volga, Wrangel took Kamyshin and created a threat to Saratov. The Reds, having brought up large forces, including Budyonny's cavalry corps, were able to stop the Caucasian army. Giving up his last reserves to the Volunteer Army, which was rushing towards Tula and Moscow, Wrangel by the beginning of September was forced to retreat to Tsaritsyn. In October, he again went on the offensive, but worse was ahead: the Volunteer Army, unable to withstand the counterattacks of the Red Southern Front, rolled back, and a general retreat began. Trying to save the situation, on December 5 Denikin replaced the demoralized commander of the Volunteer Army, General Mai-Maevsky, with Wrangel, but it was too late. At the beginning of January 1920, the remnants of the Volunteer Army were consolidated into a corps under the command of Kutepov, and Wrangel was instructed to go to Kuban to form new cavalry regiments there.
Failures strained relations between Denikin and Wrangel. Back in the summer of 1919, Pyotr Nikolayevich criticized the commander-in-chief’s decision to attack Moscow and openly reproached him for his reluctance to go east, to unite with Kolchak. (It is curious that Kolchak, in turn, was reproached in Siberia for the fact that the unification of the white forces of the South and East did not take place.) Wrangel, while in the Kuban, continued to criticize Denikin, finding flaws in his strategy, methods of military leadership, and civil policy . Anton Ivanovich, who had long endured such criticism, which in his opinion was unfair and opportunistic, finally sharply condemned it, and at his request, Wrangel was forced to leave the army and went to Constantinople.
Having gathered the remnants of the Armed Forces of the South in Crimea in March 1920, Denikin, not finding the strength to take further active action, decided to resign and asked the Military Council to find a replacement for him. The Military Council, which met in Sevastopol, initially tried to dissuade Denikin, and when he announced the irrevocability of his decision, he voted to appoint Wrangel as the new commander-in-chief. Arriving in Sevastopol at the beginning of April, he promised nothing other than “to lead the Army out of its difficult situation with honor,” and even made the members of the Military Council sign a subscription that they would not demand an offensive from him. At the same time, Wrangel was not going to capitulate without a fight.
With a titanic effort, he set about putting the army in order and reorganizing it. The new commander-in-chief dismissed from its ranks generals Pokrovsky and Shkuro, whose troops were distinguished by indiscipline and robberies. Having come out with the slogan “Help me, Russian people, save my homeland,” Wrangel renamed the Armed Forces of the South into the Russian Army. The government of the South of Russia led by him developed an agrarian reform program acceptable to the peasants, but the peasantry, exhausted by the war, for the most part was in no hurry to follow the Russian army. Realizing that they needed success to encourage the troops, Wrangel in June launched a bold offensive operation in Northern Tavria and captured it, taking advantage of the diversion of the main forces of the Red Army to the war with Poland. In August, General Ulagai’s amphibious assault was sent to Kuban, but, not meeting the support of the Cossacks there, he returned to Crimea. In September - October, Wrangel tried to take active steps to capture Donbass and break through to Right Bank Ukraine. By this time, the Russian army already numbered up to 60 thousand people, compared to 25 thousand in June.
The truce between Soviet Russia and Poland changed the situation. At the end of October, five red armies of the Southern Front (commander M. Frunze), including two cavalry armies (the total number of front troops was over 130 thousand people), attacked Wrangel’s Russian army. In a week they liberated Northern Tavria, and then, breaking through the Perekop fortifications, moved to the Crimea. To Wrangel’s credit, he skillfully managed the withdrawal of his troops and managed to prepare for evacuation in advance. Several tens of thousands of Russian army soldiers and refugees on Russian and French ships left Crimea and found refuge in Turkey.
Not wanting to leave the Russian army in trouble, Wrangel spent about a year with it in Turkey, maintaining order in the troops and fighting hunger. His subordinates gradually dispersed, about seven thousand deserted and went to Russia. At the end of 1921, the remnants of the army were transferred to Bulgaria and Yugoslavia, where many soldiers and officers subsequently settled; others were drawn further by fate.
To replace the collapsed Russian Army, Wrangel founded the Russian All-Military Union (ROVS) in Paris with departments in countries where former officers and participants of the White movement were located. The EMRO was distinguished by its uncompromising attitude towards Soviet Russia, developed plans for the mobilization of its members at the right time, conducted intelligence work, and had a combat department (headed by Kutepov) that prepared armed actions in the USSR.
Wrangel did not stop fighting the Bolsheviks until his death, which befell him at the age of 49, in 1928 (according to one unproven version, he was poisoned). From Brussels, where he died, his body was transported to Yugoslavia and solemnly buried in one of the Orthodox cathedrals. A procession with wreaths stretched across the whole of Belgrade. After Wrangel's death, two volumes of his Notes were published in Berlin.
Book materials used: Kovalevsky N.F. History of Russian Goverment. Biographies of famous military figures of the 18th - early 20th centuries. M. 1997
Photo materials from Wrangel’s page were prepared by Igor Marchenko.
Literature:
Entente and Wrangel: Sat. Art. Vol. 1M.; Pg.: Gosizdat, 1923. - 260 p.
Vashchenko P.F., Runov V.A. The revolution is defended: [To the 70th anniversary of the defeat of Wrangel’s troops] // Military. thought. - 1990. -No. 19-- P. 46-51.
Wrangel Petr Nikolaevich // Military Encyclopedia: In 8 volumes. T. 2.- M.: Voenizdat, 1994. -P. 295 - 296.
Wrangel P.N. Memoirs of General Baron P.N. Wrangel. 4.1-2.-M.: TERRA, 1992.
Karpenko V.V., Karpenko S.V. Wrangel in Crimea: East. novel. - M.: Spas, 1995. - 621 pp. - (Spas. History).
Karpenko S.V. The collapse of the last white dictator. - M.: Znanie, 1990. -64 p.- (New in life, science, technology. Series "History"; No. 7).
Lampe A.A., background. General Baron Pyotr Nikolaevich Wrangel // New Sentinel, St. Petersburg. -No. 1.-S. 43-74.
Marchuk P. Way of the Cross of the White Army of the Black Baron: [P.N. Wrangel] // Motherland. - 1994. - No. 11. - P.24 - 33.
Alexander Kuprin. About Wrangel. Once again about Wrangel and, of course, not the last. 1921
Letter from S. Petlyura to the Chairman of the Council of People's Ministers of the UPR regarding negotiations with General Wrangel. October 9, 1920.
Slashchov-Krymsky Yakov Alexandrovich. Crimea, 1920. (there you can find a lot of interesting things about Wrangel).
Death was on his heels. But he was brave, successful and courageous, he endlessly loved his homeland and served it honestly. It is no coincidence that he bore the title “The Last Knight of the Russian Empire.”
"Black Baron"
This nickname was given to the person we want to talk about. This is Wrangel Petr Nikolaevich. A brief biography of him will be presented in the article.
He is actually a baron by birth. Born in the Kovno province of Russia, in the city of Novoaleksandrovsk (now Kaunas). The family is from a noble, very ancient family. It is from the 13th century. From Henrikus de Wrangel - a knight of the Teutonic Order - he traces his genealogy.
And the general was nicknamed “black” because since 1918 he constantly wore a Cossack Circassian coat of this color. And even decorated with gazirs. These are small cylinders made of bone or silver, where powder charges were placed. Gazyrs were usually attached to breast pockets.
Pyotr Nikolaevich was a very popular figure. Mayakovsky, for example, wrote: “He walked with a sharp step in a black Circassian coat.”
Descendant of glorious military men
He is an engineer by training. Graduated from the Mining Institute. His father, Nikolai Egorovich Wrangel, was an art critic and also a writer. Also a big collector of antiques.
This is probably why my son never thought of becoming a professional soldier. But the genes apparently did their job. But the fact is that General P.N. Wrangel is a direct branch from Herman the Elder. There was such a field marshal in Sweden (XVII century). And his great-grandson named George Gustav served as a colonel under Charles XII himself. And already the son of the latter, whose name was Georg Hans, became a major, only in the Russian army. Not only grandfathers and fathers, but also uncles and nephews were military men and fought in those battles that Russia often waged. Their family gave Europe seven field marshals, the same number of admirals, and more than thirty generals.
Therefore, young Peter knew all this, understood, and could follow the example of his ancestors. The same Russian officer, whose name is inscribed not just anywhere, but on the wall of one famous temple in Moscow. He is listed among those who suffered in the war of 1812. Another brave relative captured Shamil, the elusive leader of the highlanders. The Arctic explorer and also an admiral are also famous. The island is named after him. And Pushkin is a relative of the “black baron” through his grandfather Hannibal, an arap
It is very difficult to briefly present an interesting, voluminous topic dedicated to such an outstanding personality as Pyotr Nikolaevich Wrangel. It contains many facts that most fully convey the image of this exceptional person. Take just one motto of this kind - “I’m dying, but I’m not giving up!” But the hero of our essay followed him all his life.
War with Japan
So, the newly minted engineer Pyotr Nikolaevich Wrangel did not see any connection between himself and the army in the future. True, I studied for another year in the Horse Regiment. But the new cornet was recorded... as a reserve. And he went far away to work - to Irkutsk. And not at all a military man, but a civilian official.
All the cards were mixed up by the outbreak of war. Wrangel volunteered for it. And at the front he showed his innate military qualities for the first time. This became his real calling.
By the end of 1904 he was promoted to centurion. Two orders were awarded: St. Anne and St. Stanislav. They became the first “instances” in his large collection of awards.
When the end of the war came, the engineer could no longer imagine himself without the army. He even graduated from the Imperial Academy of the General Staff in 1910.
Cavalry squadron
Wrangel Pyotr Nikolaevich met the First World War with the rank of captain. Commanded a unit
He already had a wife and 3 children. I might not have gone to the front. But I didn’t allow myself to do that. And in reports from the front, the authorities again wrote about the outstanding courage of Captain Wrangel.
Only three weeks have passed since the beginning of this massacre, and his detachment managed to distinguish itself. The cavalrymen dashed forward. The enemy battery was captured. And Wrangel was noted for such a feat (among the first). Received the Order of St. George. Soon he rose to the rank of colonel. In January 1917, he became a major general. He is valued as a very promising military man. In the description they wrote that Wrangel had “outstanding courage.” He deals with any situation quickly, especially in a serious one. And also extremely resourceful.
In the summer of the same year - the next step. Wrangel Pyotr Nikolaevich is now the commander of a large cavalry corps. But again it abruptly changed the trajectory of his life.
Gather into a fist
Her hereditary baron and important general could not accept her for obvious reasons. Left the army. He moved to Yalta and lived with his family at his dacha. Here he was arrested by local Bolsheviks. But what could they show him? Noble origins? Military merits? Therefore, he was soon released, but hid until the German army entered Crimea.
He left for Kyiv. I decided to enter the service of Hetman Pavel Skoropadsky. However, he was soon disappointed. The Ukrainian government (new) turned out to be weak. It held out only thanks to the German bayonets.
Wrangel goes to the city of Ekaterinodar. As a commander (1st Cavalry Division) he joins the volunteer army. Thus began the baron’s new service in the White Army.
Experts still say that its successes are largely the merit of Wrangel and his cavalry. After all, he always has his own tactics. For example, he was against fighting along the entire front. He preferred to gather cavalrymen into a “fist” and throw them into breaking through a single sector. The blow was always so powerful that the enemy simply ran away. These brilliant operations, which were developed and carried out by the “black baron”, ensured the victories of the army both in the Kuban and in the North Caucasus.
Out of favor with Denikin
The city of Tsaritsyn was captured by Wrangel’s cavalry in June 1919. And just like that, it happens! After such success, the baron fell into disgrace. Anton Denikin, commander in chief of the volunteer army, was angry with him. Why? The fact is that both of them - major military men - had opposing views on further measures. Denikin aimed to go to Moscow, while Wrangel - to unite with Kolchak (in the east).
The biography of Pyotr Nikolaevich Wrangel shows that he was one hundred percent right. For the campaign against the capital was a failure. But the rightness of his opponent infuriated Denikin even more. And he removed the general from business.
Wrangel retired (February 1920). Left for Constantinople.
New Hope
So, is a brilliant career over? No, heaven decreed otherwise. A few months later Denikin left. He himself resigned. A military council was convened in Sevastopol. Wrangel was elected commander in chief.
But what did he hope for? After all, the situation of the “whites” - and this is very clear - was simply sad. The army kept retreating. Complete destruction was already looming on the horizon.
However, having nevertheless accepted the army, Wrangel performed an incredible miracle. He stopped the advance of the “red” fighters. The White Guards settled firmly in Crimea.
King for a day
During these six months, the last Russian knight did a lot. Given the mistakes, he made incredible compromises. I wanted to make my supporters people from all walks of life. He developed a plan for agrarian reform, which involved allocating land to peasants. Also adopted draft socio-economic measures. They had to “defeat” Russia, but not with weapons at all, but with their successes.
The baron also envisioned countries, proposed recognizing the independence of both the highlanders and also of Ukraine.
But by the time he came to power, the White Guard movement had been lost - both internationally (the West refused to help them) and domestically. The Bolsheviks controlled most of Russia with far greater resources.
In the spring of 1920, Wrangel again had to raise troops to repel the attack of the “Reds”. This was successful in the summer. The "Whites" entered the territory of Northern Tavria. They needed to stock up on food. However, then there were no more successes.
The main thing is that we wasted time. In Soviet Russia, people had not even heard about Wrangel’s proposed reforms. For them, he is always just a “black baron” who strives to return the “royal throne.”
Yes, the general did not hide his sympathies. Being politically flexible and smart, he did not focus on this in his program. And he definitely didn’t insist at all, which, unfortunately, no longer mattered.
Emigration
It is impossible to tell everything about the life of Pyotr Nikolaevich Wrangel in one article. Volumes could be devoted to the period of his stay abroad alone.
In November 1920, the Red Army broke into Crimea. And in this situation, General Wrangel again showed himself perfectly. He managed to organize the evacuation of the White Army and civilians abroad in such a way that there was no confusion or chaos. Everyone who wanted to left left. Wrangel personally controlled this when he toured the ports on a destroyer.
It was simply a feat. Only Wrangel can do it. After all, the general took out from Crimea (in November 1920), no less than 132 ships, loaded to the very limit! Refugees sailed on them - 145 thousand 693 people, as well as ship crews.
The organizer himself also left. There, far from his homeland, he founded the Russian All-Military Union (1924), which was ready at any moment to enter into an armed struggle against Bolshevism. And he was able to do it. The entire backbone was made up of former officers. It was the largest and most powerful organization of white emigrants. There were more than one hundred thousand members registered.
The Bolsheviks treated them with great caution. It is no coincidence that many leaders were either kidnapped or killed by the Soviet secret services.
In the fall of 1927, the baron, who really dreamed of revenge, had to remember that he had a large family on his hands. Need to feed. From Constantinople he moved with his family to Brussels. How an engineer got a job at a company.
On the battlefield
Every day of military everyday life, of which the military general turned out to be a lot, he was very brave. The story alone, which happened back in the First World War, is worth it. The commander of the cavalry squadron was, as always, brave and impetuous. In one place in what is now the Kaliningrad region, Captain Wrangel, having obtained permission to attack an enemy battery, carried out the attack with lightning speed. And captured two guns. Moreover, they managed to fire the last shot from one of them. He killed the horse on which the commander was sitting...
While in Constantinople, Wrangel Pyotr Nikolaevich lived on a yacht. One day it was rammed. It was an Italian ship, but it came from our Batumi. The yacht sank before our eyes. None of the Wrangel family was on board at the time. And three crew members died. The strange circumstances of this incident raised suspicions of a deliberate collision with the yacht. They have been confirmed today by researchers of the work of the Soviet special services. Olga Golubovskaya, an emigrant and agent of the Soviet authorities, is involved in this.
And one more fact. Just six months after arriving in Brussels, Pyotr Nikolaevich unexpectedly died (from tuberculosis infection). However, his relatives suggested that he was poisoned by the brother of a servant who was assigned to the baron. He was also an NKVD agent. This version is confirmed today by other sources.
Fast paced life! Interesting fate. There is a book, the preface to which was written by the prose writer Nikolai Starikov, “Memoirs of Pyotr Nikolaevich Wrangel.” It's worth reading. Provokes deep thought.
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 the 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!
Petr Nikolaevich
Battles and victories
Russian military leader, participant in the Russo-Japanese and First World Wars, lieutenant general (1918), Knight of St. George, one of the leaders of the White movement in Russia during the Civil War, head of the defense of Crimea (1920).
“The Last Knight of the Russian Empire” and “Black Baron” Wrangel became famous as one of the largest leaders of the White movement and Russian emigration, but not many know him as a talented cavalry officer who distinguished himself during the First World War.
Baron Pyotr Nikolaevich Wrangel was born on August 15 (27), 1878 in a family that belonged to an old Baltic noble family, which traced its history back to the 13th century from Henrikus de Wrangel, a knight of the Teutonic Order. P.N. himself Wrangel was a direct descendant of the Swedish field marshal Hermann the Elder (17th century): his great-grandson George Gustav was a colonel under Charles XII, and his son Georg Hans (1727-1774) became a major in the Russian army. While in Russian service, the Wrangels (not only in the direct line of Pyotr Nikolaevich) were participants in almost all the wars that Russia waged in the 18th-19th centuries, occupied high positions in the public service system, and some became famous public figures. Since the Wrangel family managed to become related to many noble families, among the ancestors of the “black baron” there was also the “Arap of Peter the Great” A.P. Hannibal (great-grandfather of A.S. Pushkin).
The father of the future leader of the White movement N.E. Wrangel worked for the Russian Society of Shipping and Trade (the largest shipping company in the country), and also served on the board of several coal mining joint-stock companies in Rostov. It was here, in the south of Russia, that the Wrangel family estate was located, where Pyotr Nikolaevich spent his childhood. From a very early age, he was distinguished from his peers by his height, strength, agility and extraordinary mobility. His father loved hunting, which he took his sons on: “I was a passionate hunter and hit a large animal with a bullet pretty well, but, alas, I was a poodle every now and then. I never learned to shoot well because of excessive ardor, and the boys, to their great pride and my embarrassment, soon outdid me, especially Peter.”
After the tragic death of their youngest son Vladimir, the Wrangel family moved to St. Petersburg in 1895. My father managed to find his place in financial circles thanks to his connections with S.Yu. Witte (then Minister of Finance) and A.Yu. Rotshtein (director of the St. Petersburg International Commercial Bank). Pyotr Nikolaevich entered the Mining Institute, the leading educational institution in the empire for the training of engineering personnel. The institute itself at that time was a “hotbed” of freethinking. Young Wrangel, a convinced monarchist and a nobleman to the core, stood out from the general student mass and was accepted into high society. Showing brilliant results in his studies, in 1901 he graduated from the institute with a gold medal.
After this, Pyotr Nikolaevich, as a “volunteer,” was drafted into the Life Guards Horse Regiment (where the Wrangels traditionally served), one of the elite guards cavalry regiments, which was part of the 1st Brigade of the 1st Guards Cavalry Division. The honorary commander of the horse guards was the emperor himself. A year later, having passed the 1st category exam at the Nikolaev Cavalry School, P.N. Wrangel received the first officer rank of cornet. However, the young and violent temper of the hereditary nobleman played a cruel joke on him: due to a drunken prank, which was accidentally witnessed by regiment commander Trubetskoy, Pyotr Nikolaevich’s candidacy was voted out during the officer vote, which determined the possibility of further service in the regiment.
Having left military service, he went to the disposal of the Irkutsk Governor-General A.I. Panteleev as an official on special assignments. However, less than two years had passed before the Russo-Japanese War began, and Pyotr Nikolaevich voluntarily joined the Manchurian Army, where he ended up with the rank of cornet in the 2nd Argun Cossack Regiment. He was part of the detachment of the famous General P.K. von Rennenkampf, one of the best cavalry commanders of the time. Let us note that it was in the Trans-Baikal Cossack regiments that officers from the Guards cavalry served, who stood up to defend their country. The period of the Russian-Japanese War gave the young baron useful contacts that helped him in his future career.
Wrangel became a participant in numerous transitions and skirmishes with the enemy. During the battle on the river. Shah, he was an orderly in the detachment of General Lyubavin, acting as a liaison between him and General Rennenkampf, as well as the cavalry of General Samsonov. In December 1904, “for distinction in cases against the Japanese,” Wrangel received the rank of centurion. In May 1905, he was transferred to the 2nd hundred of the Separate Reconnaissance Division, and after the end of hostilities he was given the rank of captain. As P.N., who served with him, wrote. Shatilov: “During the Manchurian War, Wrangel instinctively felt that struggle was his element, and combat work was his calling.” According to the memoirs of N.E. Wrangel, General Dokhturov (a descendant of the famous hero of the war of 1812) spoke about Pyotr Nikolaevich this way: “I talked a lot with your son, collected detailed information about him. He will make a real military man. Let him remain in service after the war. He will go far."
After the end of the Russo-Japanese War, Wrangel was transferred to the 55th Finnish Dragoon Regiment (with the rank of staff captain), from where he was almost immediately seconded to the Northern Detachment of Major General Orlov’s Retinue, which was engaged in suppressing revolutionary uprisings in the Baltic states. During the revolution, loyalty to the throne was generously rewarded. Already in May 1906, Nicholas II personally deigned to bestow the Order of St. Anne, 3rd class, on Peter Nikolayevich, and at the beginning of 1907, also not without the help of the emperor, he again entered service in the Life Guards Horse Regiment, whose commander (until 1911) was General Khan Nakhichevan.
Coming from a rich and noble family, a guards officer, he quickly became one of his own in high circles. He married the daughter of the Chamberlain of the Highest Court and a major landowner Olga Mikhailovna Ivanenko, maid of honor of Empress Alexandra Feodorovna. Among Wrangel’s colleagues in the regiment there were also representatives of the imperial dynasty: vl.kn. Dmitry Pavlovich and Prince. John Konstantinovich. As General P.N. recalled about Pyotr Nikolaevich. Shatilov: “He was a socialite who loved society, an excellent dancer and conductor at balls and an indispensable participant in officer friendly meetings. Already in his youth, he had an amazing ability to express his opinions on all sorts of issues unusually vividly, figuratively and briefly. This made him an extremely interesting conversationalist.” His passion for Piper Heidsick champagne earned him the nickname “Piper.” Possessing bright charisma, the baron was not without a certain noble arrogance, which was only enhanced by his nervous character. This affected relationships with people of lower status. So, in one store he thought that the clerk treated his mother rudely and threw him out the window.
In the interwar years, Wrangel entered the elite Nikolaev General Staff Academy, where he again showed brilliant academic abilities - now in mastering military sciences. As his son Alexei Petrovich said: “Once, during an exam in higher mathematics, Wrangel was given an easy question, he quickly dealt with it and wrote down the solution. His neighbor, a Cossack officer, came across a difficult ticket, and Wrangel exchanged with him, receiving in return a decidedly new, more difficult task, which he also successfully completed.” This episode was also included in the memoirs of Wrangel’s classmate at the academy, Marshal B.M. Shaposhnikov, however, the participants are rearranged, and the baron is shown in an unattractive light, as if he could not cope with a complex mathematical problem and actually forced the Cossack to give him the ticket. Considering that Pyotr Nikolaevich had a gold medal from the Engineering Mining Institute, Shaposhnikov’s version of his mathematical mediocrity does not seem plausible. In 1910, Wrangel graduated from the academy as one of the best, but he did not want to leave for a staff position, and therefore was soon sent to the Officer Cavalry School, after which he returned to his regiment in 1912. Here Wrangel received command of His Majesty's squadron, and in 1913 - the rank of captain and the 3rd squadron.
I am not fit to be an officer of the general staff. Their task is to advise their bosses and accept the fact that the advice will not be accepted. I love to put my own opinions into practice too much.
P.N. Wrangel
From the very beginning of the First World War, Wrangel was at the front. Together with his regiment, he became part of the cavalry corps of Khan Nakhichevan, which operated on the right flank of the 1st Russian Army of General von Rennenkampf. Already on August 16, the cavalry crossed the border of East Prussia in the Shirvindt area (now the village of Pobedino, Kaliningrad region). The 8th German Army, which was gathering in the area of the river, deployed in front of the Russian troops. Angerapp give a decisive battle.
After crossing the border, Rennenkampf's troops fought forward. On August 19 (6), the commander decided to send the cavalry corps around the enemy’s left flank in the direction of Insterburg. Nakhichevansky (admittedly, a mediocre general) failed to carry out the order. In the area of the village of Kaushen (now the village of Kashino), he unexpectedly encountered the 2nd Landwehr Brigade. Despite the maneuver advantage, the cavalrymen dismounted and became involved in a protracted battle. Several attempts to go on the attack were repulsed. However, by the end of the day the situation was objectively leaning towards the Russians: the training of our cavalry (in comparison with the German reserves), as well as numerical and fire superiority, had an impact. The Germans began to retreat, leaving two guns as cover, whose limbers were hit by our artillery fire.
It was at this time that the famous feat of P.N. took place. Wrangel, who, together with his squadron, was in reserve. As testified by the commander of the Life Guards Cavalry Regiment, General B.E. Hartmann: “Wrangel could not find a place for himself with impatience. News of losses, of killed comrades reached him and only strengthened his protest against the fact that he had to remain in the rear while his comrades were fighting. And finally, he couldn't bear it anymore. By this time, Lieutenant Gershelman approached the head of the 1st Guards Cavalry Division, General Kaznakov, from the observation post of His Majesty’s 1st Battery and reported that the enemy’s guns were in a difficult situation and that if the dismounted units were helped with fresh forces, the guns could be captured. Hearing this, Wrangel literally began to beg for permission to attack...” Having received permission, he led a decisive attack on horseback. The Germans fired several volleys that hit the horses (a horse was killed near Wrangel), the Russian guards reached the guns and captured them (later they were exhibited as trophies in Petrograd).
It was this Kaushensky battle that was replicated many times in various articles and memoirs of White emigrants. And there is nothing surprising here: this was the first (and in fact, the only one of its kind) cavalry attack of the First World War, the first serious combat episode of the Russian Guards cavalry, and - a formal victory. The Germans retreated, but Nakhichevansky did not pursue: heavy losses and high ammunition consumption forced him to withdraw his cavalry to the rear. Due to its absence on the right flank during the Battle of Gumbinnen, the 1st Army was almost defeated. Rennenkampf negatively assessed the tactical actions of Nakhichevan's cavalry in this battle.
However, she was not short of heroism, and given that among the dead and those who distinguished themselves were representatives of many noble families, this clash became known in high society and at court. Khan Nakhichevansky also contributed to the dissemination of information, apparently trying to use it in intrigues against Rennenkampf. One way or another, this caused a flow of St. George’s awards, which, by the way, bypassed the division chiefs. If, nevertheless, we abstract from the general context, then we cannot fail to recognize the heroism of many officers and, first of all, Baron Wrangel, who, among others, became a Knight of the Order of St. George, 4th Art. (one of the first when the war began).
Subsequently, together with his regiment, Wrangel took part in the advance deep into East Prussia towards Konigsberg, which was accompanied by isolated skirmishes. At the beginning of September, the 1st Brigade of the 1st Guards Cavalry Division was removed from the front and placed at the disposal of the commandant of the Kovno fortress, General V.N. Grigorieva. On the way to the rear of the Life Guards, the Horse and Cavalry Guard regiments stopped in Insterburg (now Chernyakhovsk, Kaliningrad Region), where the headquarters of the 1st Army was located. On September 5 (August 23) a ceremonial parade was held here. As V.N. wrote Zvegintsev: “To the sounds of regimental marches, Cavalry General von Rennenkampf walked around the formation, greeting the regiments and thanking them for their military work. At the end of the prayer service, the Cavalry Guards and Horse Guards, nominated for St. George's crosses and medals, were summoned in front of the formation, and the army commander, in the name of the Sovereign Emperor, distributed the first military awards. At the end of the ceremonial march, the regiments dispersed to their apartments to the sounds of trumpeters and summoned singers.” Soon they were loaded onto trains and sent to Kovno. Let us note that in modern Chernyakhovsk a memorial plaque was installed in memory of this parade.
A few days later, the 1st Army began a hasty retreat to the border, and then across the river. Neman. The withdrawal of troops was accompanied not only by fierce fighting, but also by panic in the rear. While in Kovno, Wrangel paid a friendly visit to Rennenkampf, during which he proposed using units of the Guards cavalry to restore order. The commander supported this idea. As a result, on September 15-16 (2-3), two squadrons of the Life Guards Cavalry Regiment (including the one commanded by Pyotr Nikolaevich himself) were sent to the Mariampol area, where they quickly managed to restore order in the rear of the 20th housings.
By mid-September the situation at the front had changed dramatically. The Germans invaded Russian territory, capturing the Augustow Forests. At the same time, in Galicia, Russian troops defeated the Austro-Hungarians, and therefore the Germans, saving their ally, transferred the main forces from East Prussia.
In mid-September, on the basis of the Guards Cavalry Brigade, the Consolidated Cavalry Division was formed, and General P.P. became its chief. Skoropadsky (hetman of Ukraine in 1918), and the chief of staff was captain P.N. Wrangel. At first, the division was intended for the defense of Warsaw, but then was transferred to the 10th Army, with which at the end of September it participated in the battles for the return of the Augustow Forests. During them, parts of the weakened 8th German Army (the main forces at that time were developing an offensive on Warsaw) were driven abroad. The division limited itself to isolated clashes, blowing up bridges, and conducting reconnaissance, delivering a number of valuable information. Bad weather conditions and supply problems had a negative impact on the horse composition. Already on October 6 (September 23), when it was not possible to develop a further offensive, the Combined Division was reorganized into the Guards Cuirassier Division, which was taken to rest in the Baranovichi region, where the Headquarters of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief was located. Here the Horse Guards took over the responsibilities of protecting it. Wrangel was appointed deputy commander of the Life Guards Cavalry Regiment for combat units.
P.N. Wrangel with a cadet
In October, Emperor Nicholas II visited Headquarters. By his order, Wrangel was awarded the Order of St. Vladimir, IV degree with swords and bow. In the diaries of the autocrat there was the following entry dated October 23 (10): “Friday…. After the report, Barka received Kostya, who had returned from Ostashev, and his company. L.-Gv. Horse regiment bar. Wrangel, the first Knight of St. George in this campaign." Already in December, an appointment to the Retinue (adjutant wing) took place, which testified to Wrangel’s special closeness to the person of the sovereign. A few days later he received the rank of colonel.
Wrangel returned to the front only in January 1915. At first, his division was located on the river. Pilica, and a month later it was transferred to the 10th Army: by that time it had been driven out of East Prussia beyond the Neman and Beaver rivers with heavy losses. At the end of February, an offensive was launched by the armies of the North-Western Front, which went down in history as the Prasnysh operation. On March 2, in the Mariampol area, the 3rd Corps went on the offensive, and the 1st Brigade of the 1st Guards Cavalry Division was sent to guard its right flank.
Our units gradually moved forward. On March 5 (February 20), having taken command of two squadrons, Wrangel led them to cross the enemy retreating from the village of Daukshe. Despite the frost and the fact that in the ravines the horses fell into the snow and slid along the icy hillocks, the Horse Guards managed to jump out onto the road along which the enemy was retreating, capturing 14 prisoners, 15 horses, four charging boxes and two carts with a van. For this feat, P.N. Wrangel was awarded the Arms of St. George.
Subsequently, the Horse Guards remained in this area, mainly conducting reconnaissance. The situation changed at the end of April 1915, when the Germans concentrated their main forces on the Russian front, trying to take Russia out of the war. At the beginning of May (new style), the front in the Gorlitsa area was broken through, and our armies of the Southwestern Front began to retreat. The troops stationed in Russian Poland faced a mortal threat from all sides. Supply problems and the growing demoralization of personnel only aggravated the situation, while the fate of the country depended on the resilience of these troops.
Colonel Wrangel took part in the defensive battles of the Northwestern Front. At the beginning of June, as part of his division, he fought in the Kozlovo-Rudsky positions, on the approaches to the strategic fortress of Kovno. He personally supervised the actions of various squadrons, which had a particularly difficult time due to the low morale of neighboring infantry units. Only by mid-June were the Kozlovo-Rudsky forests finally abandoned, and the Horse Guards retreated to the Neman.
The established calm only preceded the storm. In June, the new 5th Army of the talented General P.A. began to form in this direction. Plehve, which was supposed to prevent the enemy from reaching our rear. After some time, the cavalry corps of General Kaznakov was created, which included the 1st Guards Cavalry Division. Military clashes began in July, the 5th Army defended itself and gradually retreated, and the cavalry corps covered its left flank. Only at the end of the month did the troops break away from the enemy, gain a foothold, and the cavalry retreat across the river. Sventa. As the German general Pozek later wrote: “It should be noted that the Russian cavalry facing us completely fulfilled its assigned task - to delay the enemy’s advance, gain time and cover the retreat of its units.” Colonel Wrangel, of course, also made his contribution.
Later, he and his regiment took part in battles on the river. Svente, and in September - in the liquidation of the Sventsyansky breakthrough, when the German cavalry went deep into our rear. In October, when the situation at the front had already calmed down, Pyotr Nikolaevich was appointed commander of the 1st Nerchinsky Regiment of the Ussuri Cavalry Brigade (later deployed into a division), commanded by the famous General A.M. Krymov (“the third saber of the Russian army”). The brigade had been fighting in cooperation with the Guards cavalry for several months, and therefore its strengths and weaknesses were known to Wrangel. During the translation, by the way, he was given the following description: “Outstanding courage. He understands the situation perfectly and quickly, and is very resourceful in difficult situations.” Under his command, such famous future leaders of the White movement in the east as Baron von Ungern and Ataman Semenov fought in the Nerchinsky regiment.
In 1916, the Ussuri division was transferred to the Southwestern Front, where it took part in the Brusilov breakthrough. In mid-August, the Nerchintsy endured a difficult battle with the 43rd German Regiment, and in mid-September, during the fighting in the Carpathians, they captured 118 prisoners, as well as a large amount of weapons and ammunition. For this, the Nerchinsky regiment received gratitude from the emperor, and Tsarevich Alexei was appointed its chief.
At the end of 1916, the Ussuri division was transferred to the Romanian front. Wrangel himself in mid-January 1917 was appointed commander of the 1st brigade of the Ussuri Cavalry Division, and a little later he was promoted to major general for military merits.
Wrangel's attitude to the radical political changes that the February Revolution brought was sharply negative. Of course, he was aware of the difficulties that Russia faced during the First World War. He also saw the gradually growing discontent and disintegration of the units. However, all this could not be a reason for him to support the political opportunism of the Februaryists. When the manifesto of Grand Duke Mikhail Alexandrovich was read out about his unwillingness to accept the throne, Peter Nikolaevich declared: “This is the end, this is anarchy.” The beginning of the collapse of the army only confirmed the truth of these words.
With the fall of the Tsar, the very idea of power fell, in the concept of the Russian people all the obligations binding it disappeared, while power and these obligations could not be replaced by anything corresponding.
P.N. Wrangel
Soon Wrangel parted ways with his boss, General Krymov, who took command of the entire 3rd Cavalry Corps. Either the split occurred over political issues, or the conflict lay in the view of the role of the army in consolidating power - as a result, Wrangel refused to take command of the Ussuri Cavalry Division and left for Petrograd. Here he tried to create his own underground military organization, which was supposed to carry out a military coup and appoint L.G. as dictator. Kornilov. However, at the end of April, he left his post as commander of the Petrograd Military District and went to the active army, putting an end to the implementation of Wrangel’s plans.
Only in the second half of July, at the height of the summer offensive of 1917, did he receive a new appointment - head of the 7th Cavalry Division. Arriving at the front, Wrangel began by putting the quartermaster service in order. Subsequently, the division carried out active operations to cover the withdrawal of decaying infantry units. Wrangel was appointed commander of the Combined Corps, which operated at the junction of the two armies. Sometimes it was necessary to resort to force to restore order and prevent looting. As Chief of Staff Colonel V.N. wrote. von Dreyer: “Wrangel, very brave and independent, essentially did not need a chief of staff; he decided everything himself. Sometimes he just asked my opinion; personally gave orders, galloped throughout the day from one regiment of the division to another, but often lost control of the battle…. It was easy to serve with him in the war, but not always pleasant, he was such a restless person. He always wanted to do something, did not give anyone a moment’s rest, even on those days when he stood in reserve for weeks and had absolutely nothing to do.”
The retreat of the Consolidated Corps was accompanied by separate battles. So, on July 25 (12), he withstood the onslaught of enemy cavalry. Then the enemy opened powerful artillery fire, and panic began among the troops. Wrangel decided to act by example. He later wrote in his memoirs: “I commanded attention and, sitting down at the table, demanded some tea. The new shell buzzed in the air and, hitting somewhere nearby, exploded. One fragment, buzzing loudly, fell right next to the table so that I could bend down and pick it up without getting up from my chair. I picked up the fragment and, turning to the nearest regiment, shouted to the soldiers: “Take it guys, it’s hot, for a snack for tea!” and threw the fragment to the nearest soldier. In one minute, faces brightened, laughter was heard, not a trace remained of the recent anxiety... From that day on, I felt that I had the regiments in my hands, that that psychological connection between the boss and his subordinates, which constitutes the power of every army, had been established.” The next day, a telegram was received: “Please accept personally and convey to all the officers, Cossacks and soldiers of the Consolidated Cavalry Corps, especially the Kinburn Dragoons and the Donets, my heartfelt gratitude for the dashing actions of the corps on July 12, which ensured the calm withdrawal of units at the junction of the armies. Kornilov." Wrangel was awarded the special St. George Cross of the 4th Art. with a laurel branch (a soldier's insignia awarded to officers).
During Kornilov's speech, Wrangel decided to remain on his side, but did not take decisive action. As you know, the Kornilov uprising failed, and a threat loomed over Wrangel. The situation was corrected by General D.G. Shcherbachev (at that time the actual commander-in-chief of the Romanian Front), who summoned him to his place. In September, Wrangel was appointed commander of the 3rd Cavalry Corps, but never took command: General P.N. took control of him. Krasnov.
After the October Revolution and the actual dispersal of the Headquarters, Wrangel went to his family in Yalta. Here he lived until the spring of 1918, survived arrest by the revolutionary authorities and only miraculously escaped execution. Then Pyotr Nikolaevich left for Kyiv, but the offer of cooperation from P.P. Skoropadsky refused, deciding to join the Volunteer Army, which was increasingly active in the south of Russia.
Only in September 1918 did Baron Wrangel arrive in “white” Yekaterinodar. Here he was very warmly received by A.I. Denikin, who gave him command first of a brigade and then of the 1st Cavalry Division. It is worth noting that in those days in the Volunteer Army they tried to nominate only participants in the “Ice Campaign” (early 1918) to senior command posts, but an exception was made for Pyotr Nikolaevich: he was a famous cavalry commander, and the White movement needed his talent . As a close friend of the Denikin family D.V. wrote. Lekhovich: “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, well versed in the combat situation, able to take responsibility and make decisions on the spot. Having appreciated the qualities of a commander in him - the art of maneuver, impulse and energy, General Denikin, completely trusting Wrangel, promoted him with sincere joy."
Wrangel fought in the Maikop direction. Already in October, Armavir was captured, and in November - Stavropol. By the end of the year, Pyotr Nikolaevich received command of the corps, as well as the shoulder straps of a lieutenant general. And on December 31 (old style) a large group of Reds was defeated near the village. Holy Cross (now Budennovsk). At the end of January 1919, during the next reorganization of the white troops, Wrangel became the commander of the Caucasian Volunteer Army, which very quickly liberated the entire North Caucasus from the enemy.
In May, he took command of the Kuban Army, which, under his command, stopped the advance of the Red 10th Army and forced them to retreat to Tsaritsyn. However, Wrangel did not limit himself to individual successes: he launched an attack on this heavily fortified city, which fell at the end of June. Not only Wrangel’s talent for maneuver played a role here, but also the presence of tanks that broke through the wire barriers.
The successes of the White Guards in the spring-summer of 1919 literally intoxicated Commander-in-Chief A.I. Denikin, who, trying to build on his success, at the beginning of July issued the “Moscow Directive”, which aimed to capture the capital. Wrangel protested: he advised an attack on Saratov and a connection with Kolchak. The “Black Baron” (Wrangel was so nicknamed for his traditional uniform - a black Cossack Circassian coat with gazyrs) was forced to obey his superiors and organize a further offensive. However, exhausted by previous battles, Wrangel’s army could not successfully advance forward: it was soon thrown back to Tsaritsyn, where it gained a foothold, repelling one enemy offensive after another.
In the fall of 1919, the Reds regrouped and defeated the white units moving towards Moscow. In December, Wrangel received the Volunteer Army, which fought in a strategic direction, but he was unable to stop the retreat. Arriving at the troops, he was faced with their decay, widespread drunkenness and robberies. Pyotr Nikolaevich tried to restore order, however, alas, by the time of his appointment, time was lost.
Against this background, the conflict with Denikin began to flare up. Wrangel demanded decisive, tough measures, and his criticism often took on the character of “I told you so.” Denikin did not like this, who believed that he was breaking the chain of command (especially when he began distributing a critical report throughout the army). All this coincided with a political confrontation, when certain right-wing monarchist circles showed dissatisfaction with the commander-in-chief and wanted the popular Wrangel to take his place. However, at the beginning of 1920, he was removed from command of the Volunteer Army, went to the rear, and then was forced to emigrate to Turkey altogether.
The exile did not last long. Dissatisfaction with Denikin was gaining momentum, and he was forced to concede. In April, he resigned and, under pressure from certain circles, appointed P.N. to his place. Wrangel, who soon arrived in Russia.
The war years changed Pyotr Nikolaevich greatly: a young horse guard turned into a brave cavalryman, a lover of secular fun into a statesman and deeply religious man, an arrogant nobleman into a hero beloved by the troops, and “Piper” into a “black baron.”
Having led the Armed Forces of the South of Russia, Wrangel managed to literally create a miracle, for a while inspiring hope for the possibility of success. He reorganized the troops, began to actively fight against looting and corruption of personnel, and the created government of A.V. Krivoshein initiated a number of long-awaited (and already belated) reforms. Foreign policy was actively developing, in particular, cooperation with France, which was recognized by the de facto white government. The summer offensive brought individual victories, but all this only delayed the sad end: the forces of the opponents were unequal. The autumn offensive of the Reds put an end to the illusions that had come to life. Wrangel had to order the evacuation.
Ruler of the south of Russia and Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Army.
Russian people. Left alone in the fight against the rapists, the Russian army is waging an unequal battle, defending the last piece of Russian land where law and truth exist.
Conscious of the responsibility that lies with me, I am obliged to anticipate all contingencies in advance.
By my order, we have already begun evacuating and boarding ships in the ports of Crimea of all those who shared the way of the cross with the army, the families of military personnel, officials of the civil department, with their families, and individuals who might be in danger if the enemy came.
The army will cover the landing, remembering that the ships necessary for its evacuation are also in full readiness in the ports, according to the established schedule. To fulfill the duty to the army and the population, everything within the limits of human power has been done.
Our further paths are full of uncertainty.
We have no other land except Crimea. There is no state treasury either. Frankly, as always, I warn everyone about what awaits them.
May the Lord grant everyone strength and intelligence to overcome and survive the Russian hard times.
General Wrangel
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In exile, the “black baron” tried to preserve the combat effectiveness of the Russian troops. The Russian All-Military Union (ROVS) was created - the largest military organization in exile. Wrangel became the chairman, who sought to improve its activities. His life ended unexpectedly for everyone: he fell seriously ill and died suddenly in 1928. If we take into account the fate of some of his successors as chairman of the EMRO (generals Kutepov and Miller were liquidated by the NKVD), then it is not surprising that there are numerous rumors that the death of Pyotr Nikolaevich Wrangel was also the result intelligence operations.
PAKHALYUK K., member of the Russian Association
historians of the First World War
Literature
Memoirs of General Baron P.N. Wrangel. M., 1992. Part 1.
Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Army, General Baron P.N. Wrangel. On the tenth anniversary of his death on April 12\25, 1938. Ed. A.A. von Lampe. Berlin, 1938.
Dreyer V.N. At the end of the empire. Madrid, 1965.
History of L.Gv. Horse Regiment / Ed. A.P. Tuchkova, V.I. Vuicha. Paris, 1964. T.3.
Cherkasov-Georgievsky V.G. General P.N. Wrangel. The last knight of the Russian Empire. M., 2004.
Internet
Margelov Vasily Filippovich
Creator of modern airborne forces. When the BMD with its crew parachuted for the first time, its commander was his son. In my opinion, this fact speaks about such a wonderful person as V.F. Margelov, that's it. About his devotion to the Airborne Forces!
Barclay de Tolly Mikhail Bogdanovich
Full Knight of the Order of St. George. In the history of military art, according to Western authors (for example: J. Witter), he entered as the architect of the “scorched earth” strategy and tactics - cutting off the main enemy troops from the rear, depriving them of supplies and organizing guerrilla warfare in their rear. M.V. Kutuzov, after taking command of the Russian army, essentially continued the tactics developed by Barclay de Tolly and defeated Napoleon’s army.
Barclay de Tolly Mikhail Bogdanovich
In front of the Kazan Cathedral there are two statues of the saviors of the fatherland. Saving the army, exhausting the enemy, the Battle of Smolensk - this is more than enough.
Nevsky, Suvorov
Of course, the holy blessed prince Alexander Nevsky and Generalissimo A.V. Suvorov
Rokhlin Lev Yakovlevich
He headed the 8th Guards Army Corps in Chechnya. Under his leadership, a number of districts of Grozny were captured, including the presidential palace. For participation in the Chechen campaign, he was nominated for the title of Hero of the Russian Federation, but refused to accept it, stating that “he has no moral right to receive this award for military operations on his own territory.” countries".
Golovanov Alexander Evgenievich
He is the creator of Soviet long-range aviation (LAA).
Units under the command of Golovanov bombed Berlin, Koenigsberg, Danzig and other cities in Germany, striking important strategic targets behind enemy lines.
Izylmetyev Ivan Nikolaevich
Commanded the frigate "Aurora". He made the transition from St. Petersburg to Kamchatka in a record time for those times in 66 days. In Callao Bay he eluded the Anglo-French squadron. Arriving in Petropavlovsk together with the governor of the Kamchatka Territory, Zavoiko V. organized the defense of the city, during which the sailors from the Aurora, together with local residents, threw the outnumbered Anglo-French landing force into the sea. Then he took the Aurora to the Amur Estuary, hiding it there After these events, the British public demanded a trial of the admirals who lost the Russian frigate.
Blucher, Tukhachevsky
Blucher, Tukhachevsky and the whole galaxy of heroes of the Civil War. Don't forget Budyonny!
Shein Mikhail
Hero of the Smolensk Defense of 1609-11.
He led the Smolensk fortress under siege for almost 2 years, it was one of the longest siege campaigns in Russian history, which predetermined the defeat of the Poles during the Time of Troubles
Spiridov Grigory Andreevich
He became a sailor under Peter I, participated as an officer in the Russian-Turkish War (1735-1739), and ended the Seven Years' War (1756-1763) as a rear admiral. His naval and diplomatic talent reached its peak during the Russian-Turkish War of 1768-1774. In 1769 he led the first passage of the Russian fleet from the Baltic to the Mediterranean Sea. Despite the difficulties of the transition (the admiral's son was among those who died from illness - his grave was recently found on the island of Menorca), he quickly established control over the Greek archipelago. The Battle of Chesme in June 1770 remained unsurpassed in terms of loss ratio: 11 Russians - 11 thousand Turks! On the island of Paros, the naval base of Auza was equipped with coastal batteries and its own Admiralty.
The Russian fleet left the Mediterranean Sea after the conclusion of the Kuchuk-Kainardzhi Peace in July 1774. The Greek islands and lands of the Levant, including Beirut, were returned to Turkey in exchange for territories in the Black Sea region. However, the activities of the Russian fleet in the Archipelago were not in vain and played a significant role in world naval history. Russia, having made a strategic maneuver with its fleet from one theater to another and achieved a number of high-profile victories over the enemy, for the first time made people talk about itself as a strong maritime power and an important player in European politics.
Zhukov Georgy Konstantinovich
Successfully commanded Soviet troops during the Great Patriotic War. Among other things, he stopped the Germans near Moscow and took Berlin.
Denikin Anton Ivanovich
Russian military leader, political and public figure, writer, memoirist, publicist and military documentarian.
Participant in the Russo-Japanese War. One of the most effective generals of the Russian Imperial Army during the First World War. Commander of the 4th Infantry "Iron" Brigade (1914-1916, from 1915 - deployed under his command to a division), 8th Army Corps (1916-1917). Lieutenant General of the General Staff (1916), commander of the Western and Southwestern Fronts (1917). An active participant in the military congresses of 1917, an opponent of the democratization of the army. He expressed support for the Kornilov speech, for which he was arrested by the Provisional Government, a participant in the Berdichev and Bykhov sittings of generals (1917).
One of the main leaders of the White movement during the Civil War, its leader in the South of Russia (1918-1920). He achieved the greatest military and political results among all the leaders of the White movement. Pioneer, one of the main organizers, and then commander of the Volunteer Army (1918-1919). Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the South of Russia (1919-1920), Deputy Supreme Ruler and Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Army Admiral Kolchak (1919-1920).
Since April 1920 - an emigrant, one of the main political figures of the Russian emigration. Author of the memoirs “Essays on the Russian Time of Troubles” (1921-1926) - a fundamental historical and biographical work about the Civil War in Russia, the memoirs “The Old Army” (1929-1931), the autobiographical story “The Path of the Russian Officer” (published in 1953) and a number of other works.
Baklanov Yakov Petrovich
An outstanding strategist and a mighty warrior, he achieved the respect and fear of his name among the uncovered mountaineers, who had forgotten the iron grip of the “Thunderstorm of the Caucasus.” At the moment - Yakov Petrovich, an example of the spiritual strength of a Russian soldier in front of the proud Caucasus. His talent crushed the enemy and minimized the time frame of the Caucasian War, for which he received the nickname “Boklu”, akin to the devil for his fearlessness.
Suvorov Alexander Vasilievich
He is a great commander who did not lose a single (!) battle, the founder of Russian military affairs, and fought battles with genius, regardless of their conditions.
In the conditions of the disintegration of the Russian state during the Time of Troubles, with minimal material and personnel resources, he created an army that defeated the Polish-Lithuanian interventionists and liberated most of the Russian state.
Zhukov Georgy Konstantinovich
He made the greatest contribution as a strategist to the victory in the Great Patriotic War (aka World War II).
Rumyantsev-Zadunaisky Pyotr Alexandrovich
Chernyakhovsky Ivan Danilovich
To a person to whom this name means nothing, there is no need to explain and it is useless. To the one to whom it says something, everything is clear.
Twice hero of the Soviet Union. Commander of the 3rd Belorussian Front. The youngest front commander. Counts,. that he was an army general - but just before his death (February 18, 1945) he received the rank of Marshal of the Soviet Union.
Liberated three of the six capitals of the Union Republics captured by the Nazis: Kyiv, Minsk. Vilnius. Decided the fate of Kenicksberg.
One of the few who drove back the Germans on June 23, 1941.
He held the front in Valdai. In many ways, he determined the fate of repelling the German attack on Leningrad. Voronezh held. Liberated Kursk.
He successfully advanced until the summer of 1943, forming with his army the top of the Kursk Bulge. Liberated the Left Bank of Ukraine. I took Kyiv. He repulsed Manstein's counterattack. Liberated Western Ukraine.
Carried out Operation Bagration. Surrounded and captured thanks to his offensive in the summer of 1944, the Germans then humiliatedly walked through the streets of Moscow. Belarus. Lithuania. Neman. East Prussia.
Uvarov Fedor Petrovich
At the age of 27 he was promoted to general. He took part in the campaigns of 1805-1807 and in the battles on the Danube in 1810. In 1812, he commanded the 1st Artillery Corps in the army of Barclay de Tolly, and subsequently the entire cavalry of the united armies.
Rumyantsev Pyotr Alexandrovich
Russian military leader and statesman, who ruled Little Russia throughout the reign of Catherine II (1761-96). During the Seven Years' War he commanded the capture of Kolberg. For victories over the Turks at Larga, Kagul and others, which led to the conclusion of the Kuchuk-Kainardzhi Peace, he was awarded the title “Transdanubian”. In 1770 he received the rank of Field Marshal. Knight of the Russian orders of St. Andrew the Apostle, St. Alexander Nevsky, St. George 1st class and St. Vladimir 1st class, Prussian Black Eagle and St. Anna 1st class
Sheremetev Boris Petrovich
Dolgorukov Yuri Alekseevich
An outstanding statesman and military leader of the era of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich, Prince. Commanding the Russian army in Lithuania, in 1658 he defeated Hetman V. Gonsevsky in the Battle of Verki, taking him prisoner. This was the first time since 1500 that a Russian governor captured the hetman. In 1660, at the head of an army sent to Mogilev, besieged by Polish-Lithuanian troops, he won a strategic victory over the enemy on the Basya River near the village of Gubarevo, forcing hetmans P. Sapieha and S. Charnetsky to retreat from the city. Thanks to the actions of Dolgorukov, the “front line” in Belarus along the Dnieper remained until the end of the war of 1654-1667. In 1670, he led an army aimed at fighting the Cossacks of Stenka Razin, and quickly suppressed the Cossack rebellion, which subsequently led to the Don Cossacks swearing an oath of allegiance to the Tsar and transforming the Cossacks from robbers into “sovereign servants.”
Drozdovsky Mikhail Gordeevich
He managed to bring his subordinate troops to the Don in full force, and fought extremely effectively in the conditions of the civil war.
Bennigsen Leonty Leontievich
Surprisingly, a Russian general who did not speak Russian, became the glory of Russian weapons of the early 19th century.
He made a significant contribution to the suppression of the Polish uprising.
Commander-in-Chief in the Battle of Tarutino.
He made a significant contribution to the campaign of 1813 (Dresden and Leipzig).
Suvorov Alexander Vasilievich
An outstanding Russian commander. He successfully defended the interests of Russia both from external aggression and outside the country.
Skopin-Shuisky Mikhail Vasilievich
A talented commander who distinguished himself during the Time of Troubles at the beginning of the 17th century. In 1608, Skopin-Shuisky was sent by Tsar Vasily Shuisky to negotiate with the Swedes in Novgorod the Great. He managed to negotiate Swedish assistance to Russia in the fight against False Dmitry II. The Swedes recognized Skopin-Shuisky as their undisputed leader. In 1609, he and the Russian-Swedish army came to the rescue of the capital, which was under siege by False Dmitry II. He defeated detachments of adherents of the impostor in the battles of Torzhok, Tver and Dmitrov, and liberated the Volga region from them. He lifted the blockade from Moscow and entered it in March 1610.
Tsarevich and Grand Duke Konstantin Pavlovich
Grand Duke Konstantin Pavlovich, the second son of Emperor Paul I, received the title of Tsarevich in 1799 for his participation in the Swiss campaign of A.V. Suvorov, and retained it until 1831. In the Battle of Austrlitz he commanded the Guards Reserve of the Russian Army, took part in the Patriotic War of 1812, and distinguished himself in the foreign campaigns of the Russian Army. For the “Battle of the Nations” at Leipzig in 1813 he received the “golden weapon” “For bravery!” Inspector General of the Russian Cavalry, since 1826 Viceroy of the Kingdom of Poland.
Chernyakhovsky Ivan Danilovich
The only commander who carried out the order of Headquarters on June 22, 1941, counterattacked the Germans, drove them back in his sector and went on the offensive.
Shein Mikhail Borisovich
He headed the Smolensk defense against Polish-Lithuanian troops, which lasted 20 months. Under the command of Shein, multiple attacks were repelled, despite the explosion and a hole in the wall. He held back and bled the main forces of the Poles at the decisive moment of the Time of Troubles, preventing them from moving to Moscow to support their garrison, creating the opportunity to gather an all-Russian militia to liberate the capital. Only with the help of a defector, the troops of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth managed to take Smolensk on June 3, 1611. The wounded Shein was captured and taken with his family to Poland for 8 years. After returning to Russia, he commanded the army that tried to recapture Smolensk in 1632-1634. Executed due to boyar slander. Undeservedly forgotten.
Antonov Alexey Inokentevich
Chief strategist of the USSR in 1943-45, practically unknown to society
"Kutuzov" World War II
Humble and committed. Victorious. Author of all operations since the spring of 1943 and the victory itself. Others gained fame - Stalin and the front commanders.
Kornilov Vladimir Alekseevich
During the outbreak of the war with England and France, he actually commanded the Black Sea Fleet, and until his heroic death he was the immediate superior of P.S. Nakhimov and V.I. Istomina. After the landing of the Anglo-French troops in Yevpatoria and the defeat of the Russian troops on Alma, Kornilov received an order from the commander-in-chief in the Crimea, Prince Menshikov, to sink the ships of the fleet in the roadstead in order to use sailors for the defense of Sevastopol from land.
Kolchak Alexander Vasilievich
Russian admiral who gave his life for the liberation of the Fatherland.
Oceanographer, one of the largest polar explorers of the late 19th - early 20th centuries, military and political figure, naval commander, full member of the Imperial Russian Geographical Society, leader of the White movement, Supreme Ruler of Russia.
Bennigsen Leonty
An unjustly forgotten commander. Having won several battles against Napoleon and his marshals, he drew two battles with Napoleon and lost one battle. Participated in the Battle of Borodino. One of the contenders for the post of Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Army during the Patriotic War of 1812!
Paskevich Ivan Fedorovich
The armies under his command defeated Persia in the war of 1826-1828 and completely defeated Turkish troops in Transcaucasia in the war of 1828-1829.
Awarded all 4 degrees of the Order of St. George and the Order of St. Apostle Andrew the First-Called with diamonds.
Saltykov Petr Semenovich
One of those commanders who managed to inflict exemplary defeats on one of the best commanders in Europe in the 18th century - Frederick II of Prussia
Yulaev Salavat
Commander of the Pugachev era (1773-1775). Together with Pugachev, he organized an uprising and tried to change the position of the peasants in society. He won several victories over the troops of Catherine II.
Stalin Joseph Vissarionovich
People's Commissar of Defense of the USSR, Generalissimo of the Soviet Union, Supreme Commander-in-Chief. The brilliant military leadership of the USSR in the Second World War.
Oktyabrsky Philip Sergeevich
Admiral, Hero of the Soviet Union. During the Great Patriotic War, commander of the Black Sea Fleet. One of the leaders of the Defense of Sevastopol in 1941 - 1942, as well as the Crimean operation of 1944. During the Great Patriotic War, Vice Admiral F. S. Oktyabrsky was one of the leaders of the heroic defense of Odessa and Sevastopol. Being the commander of the Black Sea Fleet, at the same time in 1941-1942 he was the commander of the Sevastopol Defense Region.
Three Orders of Lenin
three Orders of the Red Banner
two Orders of Ushakov, 1st degree
Order of Nakhimov, 1st degree
Order of Suvorov, 2nd degree
Order of the Red Star
medals
Stalin Joseph Vissarionovich
He was the Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the USSR during the Great Patriotic War! Under his leadership, the USSR won the Great Victory during the Great Patriotic War!
Vorotynsky Mikhail Ivanovich
“Drafter of the statutes of the watchdog and border service” is, of course, good. For some reason, we have forgotten the Battle of YOUTH from July 29 to August 2, 1572. But it was precisely with this victory that Moscow’s right to many things was recognized. They recaptured a lot of things for the Ottomans, the thousands of destroyed Janissaries sobered them up, and unfortunately they also helped Europe. The Battle of YOUTH is very difficult to overestimate
Alexander Mikhailovich Vasilevsky (September 18 (30), 1895 - December 5, 1977) - Soviet military leader, Marshal of the Soviet Union (1943), Chief of the General Staff, member of the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command. During the Great Patriotic War, as Chief of the General Staff (1942-1945), he took an active part in the development and implementation of almost all major operations on the Soviet-German front. From February 1945, he commanded the 3rd Belorussian Front and led the assault on Königsberg. In 1945, commander-in-chief of Soviet troops in the Far East in the war with Japan. One of the greatest commanders of World War II.
In 1949-1953 - Minister of the Armed Forces and Minister of War of the USSR. Twice Hero of the Soviet Union (1944, 1945), holder of two Orders of Victory (1944, 1945).
Alekseev Mikhail Vasilievich
Outstanding employee of the Russian Academy of the General Staff. Developer and implementer of the Galician operation - the first brilliant victory of the Russian army in the Great War.
Saved the troops of the North-Western Front from encirclement during the “Great Retreat” of 1915.
Chief of Staff of the Russian Armed Forces in 1916-1917.
Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Army in 1917
Developed and implemented strategic plans for offensive operations in 1916 - 1917.
He continued to defend the need to preserve the Eastern Front after 1917 (the Volunteer Army is the basis of the new Eastern Front in the ongoing Great War).
Slandered and slandered in relation to various so-called. “Masonic military lodges”, “conspiracy of generals against the Sovereign”, etc., etc. - in terms of emigrant and modern historical journalism.
Kolovrat Evpatiy Lvovich
Ryazan boyar and governor. During Batu's invasion of Ryazan he was in Chernigov. Having learned about the Mongol invasion, he hastily moved to the city. Finding Ryazan completely incinerated, Evpatiy Kolovrat with a detachment of 1,700 people began to catch up with Batya’s army. Having overtaken them, the rearguard destroyed them. He also killed the strong warriors of the Batyevs. Died on January 11, 1238.
Suvorov Alexander Vasilievich
A commander who has not lost a single battle in his career. He took the impregnable fortress of Ishmael the first time.
Brusilov Alexey Alekseevich
In World War I, commander of the 8th Army in the Battle of Galicia. On August 15-16, 1914, during the Rohatyn battles, he defeated the 2nd Austro-Hungarian Army, capturing 20 thousand people. and 70 guns. On August 20, Galich was captured. The 8th Army takes an active part in the battles at Rava-Russkaya and in the Battle of Gorodok. In September he commanded a group of troops from the 8th and 3rd armies. From September 28 to October 11, his army withstood a counterattack by the 2nd and 3rd Austro-Hungarian armies in battles on the San River and near the city of Stryi. During the successfully completed battles, 15 thousand enemy soldiers were captured, and at the end of October his army entered the foothills of the Carpathians.
Platov Matvey Ivanovich
Military Ataman of the Don Cossack Army. He began active military service at the age of 13. A participant in several military campaigns, he is best known as the commander of Cossack troops during the Patriotic War of 1812 and during the subsequent Foreign Campaign of the Russian Army. Thanks to the successful actions of the Cossacks under his command, Napoleon’s saying went down in history:
- Happy is the commander who has Cossacks. If I had an army of only Cossacks, I would conquer all of Europe.
Gavrilov Pyotr Mikhailovich
From the first days of the Great Patriotic War - in the active army. Major Gavrilov P.M. from June 22 to July 23, 1941 he led the defense of the Eastern Fort of the Brest Fortress. He managed to rally around himself all the surviving soldiers and commanders of various units and divisions, closing the most vulnerable places for the enemy to break through. On July 23, he was seriously wounded by a shell explosion in the casemate and was captured in an unconscious state. He spent the war years in the Nazi concentration camps of Hammelburg and Revensburg, experiencing all the horrors of captivity. Liberated by Soviet troops in May 1945. http://warheroes.ru/hero/hero.asp?Hero_id=484
Momyshuly Bauyrzhan
Fidel Castro called him a hero of World War II.
He brilliantly put into practice the tactics of fighting with small forces against an enemy many times superior in strength, developed by Major General I.V. Panfilov, which later received the name “Momyshuly’s spiral.”
Ushakov Fedor Fedorovich
The great Russian naval commander who won victories at Fedonisi, Kaliakria, at Cape Tendra and during the liberation of the islands of Malta (Ianian Islands) and Corfu. He discovered and introduced a new tactic of naval combat, with the abandonment of the linear formation of ships and showed the tactics of a “scattered formation” with an attack on the flagship of the enemy fleet. One of the founders of the Black Sea Fleet and its commander in 1790-1792.
Denikin Anton Ivanovich
The commander, under whose command the white army, with smaller forces, won victories over the red army for 1.5 years and captured the North Caucasus, Crimea, Novorossia, Donbass, Ukraine, Don, part of the Volga region and the central black earth provinces of Russia. He retained the dignity of his Russian name during the Second World War, refusing to cooperate with the Nazis, despite his irreconcilably anti-Soviet position
Prince Monomakh Vladimir Vsevolodovich
The most remarkable of the Russian princes of the pre-Tatar period of our history, who left behind great fame and good memory.
Prophetic Oleg
Your shield is on the gates of Constantinople.
A.S. Pushkin.
Kolchak Alexander Vasilievich
A prominent military figure, scientist, traveler and discoverer. Admiral of the Russian Fleet, whose talent was highly appreciated by Emperor Nicholas II. The Supreme Ruler of Russia during the Civil War, a true Patriot of his Fatherland, a man of a tragic, interesting fate. One of those military men who tried to save Russia during the years of turmoil, in the most difficult conditions, being in very difficult international diplomatic conditions.
Margelov Vasily Filippovich
Rurikovich Svyatoslav Igorevich
Great commander of the Old Russian period. The first Kiev prince known to us with a Slavic name. The last pagan ruler of the Old Russian state. He glorified Rus' as a great military power in the campaigns of 965-971. Karamzin called him “Alexander (Macedonian) of our ancient history.” The prince freed the Slavic tribes from vassal dependence on the Khazars, defeating the Khazar Khaganate in 965. According to the Tale of Bygone Years, in 970, during the Russian-Byzantine War, Svyatoslav managed to win the battle of Arcadiopolis, having 10,000 soldiers under his command, against 100,000 Greeks. But at the same time, Svyatoslav led the life of a simple warrior: “On campaigns he did not carry carts or cauldrons with him, did not cook meat, but, thinly slicing horse meat, or animal meat, or beef and roasting it on coals, he ate it like that; he did not have a tent , but he slept, spreading a sweatshirt with a saddle in his head - the same were all the rest of his warriors. And he sent envoys to other lands [usually before declaring war] with the words: “I’m coming to you!” (According to PVL)
Yudenich Nikolai Nikolaevich
October 3, 2013 marks the 80th anniversary of the death in the French city of Cannes of the Russian military leader, commander of the Caucasian Front, hero of Mukden, Sarykamysh, Van, Erzerum (thanks to the complete defeat of the 90,000-strong Turkish army, Constantinople and the Bosporus with the Dardanelles retreated to Russia), the savior of the Armenian people from the complete Turkish genocide, holder of three orders of George and the highest order of France, the Grand Cross of the Order of the Legion of Honor, General Nikolai Nikolaevich Yudenich.
Romodanovsky Grigory Grigorievich
An outstanding military figure of the 17th century, prince and governor. In 1655, he won his first victory over the Polish hetman S. Potocki near Gorodok in Galicia. Later, as commander of the army of the Belgorod category (military administrative district), he played a major role in organizing the defense of the southern border of Russia. In 1662, he won the greatest victory in the Russian-Polish war for Ukraine in the battle of Kanev, defeating the traitor hetman Yu. Khmelnytsky and the Poles who helped him. In 1664, near Voronezh, he forced the famous Polish commander Stefan Czarnecki to flee, forcing the army of King John Casimir to retreat. Repeatedly beat the Crimean Tatars. In 1677 he defeated the 100,000-strong Turkish army of Ibrahim Pasha near Buzhin, and in 1678 he defeated the Turkish corps of Kaplan Pasha near Chigirin. Thanks to his military talents, Ukraine did not become another Ottoman province and the Turks did not take Kyiv.
Pokryshkin Alexander Ivanovich
Marshal of Aviation of the USSR, the first three times Hero of the Soviet Union, symbol of Victory over the Nazi Wehrmacht in the air, one of the most successful fighter pilots of the Great Patriotic War (WWII).
While participating in the air battles of the Great Patriotic War, he developed and tested in battles new tactics of air combat, which made it possible to seize the initiative in the air and ultimately defeat the fascist Luftwaffe. In fact, he created an entire school of WWII aces. Commanding the 9th Guards Air Division, he continued to personally participate in air battles, scoring 65 air victories throughout the entire period of the war.
Slashchev-Krymsky Yakov Alexandrovich
Defense of Crimea in 1919-20. “The Reds are my enemies, but they did the main thing – my job: they revived great Russia!” (General Slashchev-Krymsky).
Ushakov Fedor Fedorovich
During the Russian-Turkish War of 1787-1791, F. F. Ushakov made a serious contribution to the development of sailing fleet tactics. Relying on the entire set of principles for training naval forces and military art, incorporating all the accumulated tactical experience, F. F. Ushakov acted creatively, based on the specific situation and common sense. His actions were distinguished by decisiveness and extraordinary courage. Without hesitation, he reorganized the fleet into a battle formation even when approaching the enemy directly, minimizing the time of tactical deployment. Despite the established tactical rule of the commander being in the middle of the battle formation, Ushakov, implementing the principle of concentration of forces, boldly placed his ship in the forefront and occupied the most dangerous positions, encouraging his commanders with his own courage. He was distinguished by a quick assessment of the situation, an accurate calculation of all success factors and a decisive attack aimed at achieving complete victory over the enemy. In this regard, Admiral F. F. Ushakov can rightfully be considered the founder of the Russian tactical school in naval art.
Ermolov Alexey Petrovich
Hero of the Napoleonic Wars and the Patriotic War of 1812. Conqueror of the Caucasus. A smart strategist and tactician, a strong-willed and brave warrior.
Chuikov Vasily Ivanovich
Soviet military leader, Marshal of the Soviet Union (1955). Twice Hero of the Soviet Union (1944, 1945).
From 1942 to 1946, commander of the 62nd Army (8th Guards Army), which particularly distinguished itself in the Battle of Stalingrad. He took part in defensive battles on the distant approaches to Stalingrad. From September 12, 1942, he commanded the 62nd Army. IN AND. Chuikov received the task of defending Stalingrad at any cost. The front command believed that Lieutenant General Chuikov was characterized by such positive qualities as determination and firmness, courage and a great operational outlook, a high sense of responsibility and consciousness of his duty. The army, under the command of V.I. Chuikov, became famous for the heroic six-month defense of Stalingrad in street fighting in a completely destroyed city, fighting on isolated bridgeheads on the banks of the wide Volga.
For the unprecedented mass heroism and steadfastness of its personnel, in April 1943, the 62nd Army received the honorary title of Guards and became known as the 8th Guards Army.
Antonov Alexey Innokentievich
He became famous as a talented staff officer. He participated in the development of almost all significant operations of the Soviet troops in the Great Patriotic War since December 1942.
The only one of all Soviet military leaders awarded the Order of Victory with the rank of army general, and the only Soviet holder of the order who was not awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.
Shein Mikhail Borisovich
Voivode Shein is a hero and leader of the unprecedented defense of Smolensk in 1609-16011. This fortress decided a lot in the fate of Russia!
Margelov Vasily Filippovich
Author and initiator of the creation of technical means of the Airborne Forces and methods of using units and formations of the Airborne Forces, many of which personify the image of the Airborne Forces of the USSR Armed Forces and the Russian Armed Forces that currently exists.
General Pavel Fedoseevich Pavlenko:
In the history of the Airborne Forces, and in the Armed Forces of Russia and other countries of the former Soviet Union, his name will remain forever. He personified an entire era in the development and formation of the Airborne Forces; their authority and popularity are associated with his name not only in our country, but also abroad...
Colonel Nikolai Fedorovich Ivanov:
Under the leadership of Margelov for more than twenty years, the airborne troops became one of the most mobile in the combat structure of the Armed Forces, prestigious for service in them, especially revered by the people... A photograph of Vasily Filippovich in demobilization albums was sold to soldiers at the highest price - for a set of badges. The competition for the Ryazan Airborne School exceeded the numbers of VGIK and GITIS, and applicants who missed out on exams lived in the forests near Ryazan for two or three months, until the snow and frosts, in the hope that someone would not withstand the load and it would be possible to take his place .
Colonel Karyagin's campaign against the Persians in 1805 does not resemble real military history. It looks like a prequel to "300 Spartans" (20,000 Persians, 500 Russians, gorges, bayonet attacks, "This is madness! - No, this is the 17th Jaeger Regiment!"). A golden, platinum page of Russian history, combining the carnage of madness with the highest tactical skill, amazing cunning and stunning Russian arrogance
Uborevich Ieronim Petrovich
Soviet military leader, commander of the 1st rank (1935). Member of the Communist Party since March 1917. Born in the village of Aptandrius (now Utena region of the Lithuanian SSR) in the family of a Lithuanian peasant. Graduated from the Konstantinovsky Artillery School (1916). Participant of the 1st World War 1914-18, second lieutenant. After the October Revolution of 1917, he was one of the organizers of the Red Guard in Bessarabia. In January - February 1918 he commanded a revolutionary detachment in battles against Romanian and Austro-German interventionists, was wounded and captured, from where he escaped in August 1918. He was an artillery instructor, commander of the Dvina brigade on the Northern Front, and from December 1918 head of the 18th Infantry divisions of the 6th Army. From October 1919 to February 1920, he was the commander of the 14th Army during the defeat of the troops of General Denikin, in March - April 1920 he commanded the 9th Army in the North Caucasus. In May - July and November - December 1920, commander of the 14th Army in battles against the troops of bourgeois Poland and the Petliurists, in July - November 1920 - 13th Army in battles against the Wrangelites. In 1921, assistant commander of the troops of Ukraine and Crimea, deputy commander of the troops of the Tambov province, commander of the troops of the Minsk province, led the military operations during the defeat of the gangs of Makhno, Antonov and Bulak-Balakhovich. From August 1921 commander of the 5th Army and the East Siberian Military District. In August - December 1922, Minister of War of the Far Eastern Republic and Commander-in-Chief of the People's Revolutionary Army during the liberation of the Far East. He was commander of the troops of the North Caucasus (from 1925), Moscow (from 1928) and Belarusian (from 1931) military districts. Since 1926, a member of the Revolutionary Military Council of the USSR, in 1930-31, deputy chairman of the Revolutionary Military Council of the USSR and chief of armaments of the Red Army. Since 1934 member of the Military Council of NGOs. He made a great contribution to strengthening the defense capability of the USSR, educating and training command staff and troops. Candidate member of the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party (Bolsheviks) in 1930-37. Member of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee since December 1922. Awarded 3 Orders of the Red Banner and Honorary Revolutionary Weapon.
Vasilevsky Alexander Mikhailovich
The greatest commander of the Second World War. Two people in history were awarded the Order of Victory twice: Vasilevsky and Zhukov, but after the Second World War it was Vasilevsky who became the Minister of Defense of the USSR. His military genius is unsurpassed by ANY military leader in the world.
Skopin-Shuisky Mikhail Vasilievich
During his short military career, he knew practically no failures, both in battles with the troops of I. Boltnikov, and with the Polish-Liovian and “Tushino” troops. The ability to build a combat-ready army practically from scratch, train, use Swedish mercenaries in place and during the period, select successful Russian command cadres for the liberation and defense of the vast territory of the Russian northwestern region and the liberation of central Russia, persistent and systematic offensive, skillful tactics in fight against the magnificent Polish-Lithuanian cavalry, undoubted personal courage - these are the qualities that, despite the little-known nature of his deeds, give him the right to be called the Great Commander of Russia.
Active participant in the First World War and civil wars. Trench General. He spent the entire war from Vyazma to Moscow and from Moscow to Prague in the most difficult and responsible position of front commander. Winner in many decisive battles of the Great Patriotic War. Liberator of a number of countries in Eastern Europe, participant in the storming of Berlin. Underestimated, unfairly left in the shadow of Marshal Zhukov.
On August 15 (August 27, new style), 1878, Pyotr Nikolaevich Wrangel was born - a military and political figure, one of the leaders of the White movement in southern Russia.
Until now, when the name Wrangel is mentioned, only the unforgettable words of the song by S. Pokras and P. Gorinshtein, which for a long time was known as the “March of the Red Army”, come to mind:
For several generations of Soviet people, the information about Baron P.N. was quite enough. Wrangel, which was contained in the simple words of revolutionary agitation.
The main points of Wrangel’s activities and his biography were actively studied by historians only in the “post-Soviet” period. However, there is still no consensus among researchers either about the military genius of the last commander-in-chief of the AFSR, or about the legitimacy of his “confrontation” with Denikin at one of the most turning points of the Civil War. For the ordinary person P.N. Wrangel is still known only as a thin cavalryman in a Caucasian Circassian coat, the legendary “black baron” who appeared on the political arena at the very end of the fratricidal war.
During the years of Soviet power, the real fate of the last commander-in-chief of the White armies was of interest only to the “competent authorities” and the foreign intelligence service. The latter slept and saw how to get rid of this odious figure. Even abroad, in the position of a powerless outcast, the “black baron” seemed to pose a potential threat.
How real was this threat? What really were the plans of the defeated general? The motives for his behavior? Why in April 1920, a talented cavalryman and one of the famous military leaders of the White forces, Baron P.N. Wrangel, took on the role of “scapegoat”? Why did you allow yourself to be crowned with the crown of thorns by the leader of the vanquished? How did you manage to get out of this situation with honor? Let's try to figure it out...
P.N. Wrangel was born in Novoaleksandrovsk, Kovno province. Father N.E. Wrangel is a scion of an ancient Swedish baronial family; landowner and large entrepreneur. Mother - Maria Dmitrievna Dementieva-Maikova, lived throughout the civil war in Petrograd under her last name. Only at the end of October 1920 did her friends arrange her escape to Finland.
In his youth P.N. Wrangel did not at all aspire to be a military man. He graduated from the Rostov Real School and the Mining Institute in St. Petersburg. Having received a diploma as a mining engineer, according to some sources, Pyotr Nikolaevich worked in his specialty in Irkutsk until 1902; according to others, in 1901 he volunteered in the Life Guards Cavalry Regiment, was promoted to officer (cornet of the guard) and enlisted in the guards cavalry reserve. From 1902 to 1904, he served as an official for special assignments under the Irkutsk Governor-General.
The future general decided to change his fate after the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905. With the outbreak of war, Wrangel volunteered for the front. From a cornet in the 2nd Verkhneudinsk Regiment of the Transbaikal Cossack Army, he rose to the rank of captain of the Separate Scout Division and decided to remain in military service.
Lacking a basic military education, Wrangel entered the Nikolaev Academy of the General Staff. However, upon graduation from the academy, he refuses staff work. In 1910, the officer returned to the Life Guards Cavalry Regiment and took command of the squadron.
In August 1907, Pyotr Nikolaevich Wrangel married his maid of honor, daughter of the Chamberlain of the Supreme Court, Olga Mikhailovna Ivanenko. Subsequently, she bore him four children: Elena (1909), Peter (1911), Natalya (1914) and Alexei (1922).
At the very beginning of the First World War, being a captain of the guard, P.N. Wrangel distinguished himself in the battle near Kaushen (East Prussia). The captain talentedly and bravely carried out a cavalry attack, during which an enemy battery was captured. He was one of the first to be awarded the Order of St. George, 4th degree, and 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 received the rank of guard colonel.
In February 1915, Colonel Wrangel showed heroism during the Prasnysz operation (Poland) and was awarded the St. George's Arms. From October 1915, he commanded the 1st Nerchinsk Regiment of the Ussuri Cossack Division. In December 1916, a cavalry brigade was already under his command. In January 1917, Wrangel was promoted to major general for his military services.
The newly minted general met the February Revolution and the abdication of Nicholas II with hostility. In the brigade entrusted to him, Wrangel fiercely, sometimes risking his life, fought against the omnipotence of the soldiers' committees, and advocated for the preservation of military discipline and the combat effectiveness of the Russian troops. For some time his struggle was crowned with success. In July 1917, Wrangel became commander of the Consolidated Cavalry Corps, which managed to maintain combat effectiveness and unity of command. During the Tarnopol breakthrough of German troops, Wrangel's corps covered the retreat of the Russian infantry to the Zbruch River. For personal courage, Wrangel was awarded the Soldier's Cross of St. George, 4th degree, by the Provisional Government. In September 1917 A.F. Kerensky tried to appoint a brave general as commander of the Minsk Military District. In a climate of anarchy and complete collapse in the army, Wrangel refused the appointment and pointedly resigned.
After the October Revolution, the general left Petrograd for Crimea. In February 1918, he was arrested in Yalta by Black Sea sailors and barely escaped execution. After the Germans arrived in Crimea, Wrangel went into hiding for a long time. Then he moved to Kyiv, where he rejected the offer of Hetman of Ukraine P.P. Skoropadsky to head the headquarters of the future Ukrainian army.
Only in August 1918 did the general end up in Yekaterinodar and join the Volunteer Army. Wrangel did not show himself in any way in the first, most difficult days of the formation of the white movement. He did not take part in the Kuban campaigns and did not have the authority of a “pioneer” general. Apart from his personal fighting qualities and previous exploits, he had nothing to take credit for. Having been appointed to the post of commander of a cavalry division, Wrangel successfully fought against the Bolsheviks in the Kuban. He quickly managed to win over the command of the volunteer forces, and already in November 1918 he was promoted to lieutenant general. January 8, 1919 A.I. Denikin, who headed the Armed Forces of Southern Russia, handed over to him the post of commander of the Volunteer Army.
By the end of January 1919, Wrangel's troops ousted the Bolsheviks from the North Caucasus. On May 22, he became commander of the Caucasian Army. In the summer of 1919, Wrangel objected to Denikin's strategic plan to capture Moscow, which called for the division of White forces into three strike groups. At that time, he himself led the offensive in the Saratovo-Tsaritsyn direction. Tsaritsyn was taken on June 30, Kamyshin was taken on July 28. However, during the Red counter-offensive in August-September 1919, the troops of Wrangel’s Caucasian Army were thrown back to Tsaritsyn.
By mid-November 1919, differences between Denikin and Wrangel placed the latter at the center of political opposition to the command of the AFSR. The opposition existed in the right circles of the white movement since the end of 1918. She was not satisfied with both Denikin’s strategic mistakes and miscalculations, and the liberal democratic declarations, which were extremely inconsistently implemented by the commander-in-chief’s entourage. In fact, the Wrangel-Denikin confrontation in 1919 had not so much strategic as political roots. It was a conflict between convinced right-wing monarchists and moderate liberals, a conflict between the noble and guards elite and army servants of very “democratic” origin.
During the dizzying successes of the All-Soviet Union of Socialists in the summer of 1919, the opposition fell silent for a while, but when a tragic turning point in the course of the entire Civil War emerged in the fall, conservative monarchists led by Wrangel began to seek the removal of Denikin, accusing him of an erroneous strategy and inability to prevent the collapse of the army and rear. .
According to one of the first biographers A.I. Denikin, historian D. Lekhovich, “...Wrangel had a beautiful appearance and social splendor as an officer of one of the best cavalry regiments of the old imperial guard. He was impetuous, nervous, impatient, domineering, harsh, and at the same time had the qualities of a practical realist, extremely flexible in matters of politics.”
Outwardly unattractive, taciturn, Denikin never possessed Wrangel’s charisma and ability to arouse the sympathy of the masses. The commander-in-chief of the AFSR himself did not have a very high opinion of the leadership abilities of the general vying for his place. He considered Wrangel a talented cavalryman and nothing more. Wrangel failed to hold Tsaritsyn, but regularly bombarded Headquarters with letters and reports, which in form were more reminiscent of political pamphlets and were intended to undermine the authority of the commander-in-chief.
When on December 11, 1919, at the Yasinovataya station, Wrangel arbitrarily gathered, without Denikin’s knowledge, the commanders of the white armies in the south, the commander-in-chief did not have the slightest doubt about the impending conspiracy. The character of Anton Ivanovich and his human qualities did not allow him to immediately punish the “conspirators” with his power. On January 3, 1920, Wrangel was removed from all his posts and calmly left for Constantinople.
After the defeat of the Whites in the North Caucasus and the tragedy of the evacuation of the army from the ports of Odessa and Novorossiysk (March 1920), the demoralized, depressed Denikin decided to resign as commander in chief. On March 21, a military council was convened in Sevastopol under the chairmanship of General Dragomirov. According to the memoirs of P.S. Makhrov, the first to name Wrangel at the council was the chief of fleet staff, captain 1st rank Ryabinin. The rest of the meeting participants supported him. On March 22, the new commander-in-chief arrived in Sevastopol on the English battleship Emperor of India and took command.
Why Wrangel himself needed this still remains a mystery. In the spring of 1920, the White Cause was already lost. Perhaps the exorbitant ambition and adventurism of the new commander-in-chief played a role, but, more likely, General Wrangel took on an unattractive role only because he did not want to deprive desperate people of their last hope.
The “revanchist” plans of the new command found a lively response in the army.
In the spring of 1920, the Reds were unable to immediately take the Perekop fortifications. The Whites managed to retain Crimea.
In the territory under his control, Wrangel tried to establish a regime of military dictatorship. Using cruel measures, he strengthened discipline in the army, prohibited robberies and violence against civilians. It was in the Crimea that Pyotr Nikolaevich received his nickname “the black baron” - based on the color of his unchanging black Circassian coat, in which he usually appeared in the army and in public.
In an effort to expand the social base of its power, Wrangel's government 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. Wrangel promised to grant the people 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, in June 1920 the Wrangelites launched an attack on Northern Tavria. However, they were unable to capture Kuban, Donbass and Right Bank Ukraine. The hope for an uprising of the Don and Kuban Cossacks did not materialize. 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. At the end of October - beginning of November 1920, Wrangel's troops were driven out of Northern Tavria. On November 7–12, the Reds took advantage of unusual weather conditions for the area. Ice began to form on the non-freezing Lake Sivash in November, and Frunze’s troops broke through the White defenses at Perekop.
To Wrangel’s credit, it should be noted that when evacuating troops from Sevastopol, he took into account all the mistakes of Denikin’s command in Novorossiysk and Odessa. 75 thousand soldiers of the Russian army and more than 60 thousand civilian refugees were taken to Turkey without any problems. The tragedy of Odessa and Novorossiysk did not repeat itself. Many of those who considered Wrangel an adventurer and an overbearing “upstart” changed their opinion about him.
After arriving in Constantinople, Wrangel and his family lived on the yacht Lucullus. On October 15, 1921, near the Galata embankment, the yacht was rammed by the Italian steamer Adria, coming from the Soviet Batum. The yacht sank instantly. Wrangel and his family members were not on board at that moment. Most of the crew members managed to escape. Only the watch chief, midshipman Sapunov, who refused to leave the yacht, the ship's cook and one sailor died. The strange circumstances of the death of the Lucullus aroused suspicion among many contemporaries of a deliberate ramming of the yacht, which is confirmed by modern researchers of the Soviet special services. The Red Army Intelligence Service agent Olga Golubovskaya, known in the Russian emigration of the early 1920s as the poetess Elena Ferrari, took part in the Luculla ram. The Wrangel family moved to Yugoslavia. In exile, the commander-in-chief tried to preserve 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 to the collapse of the Russian army and the cessation of the activities of the Russian Committee. In 1924, in an effort to maintain control over numerous officer organizations, Wrangel created the Russian All-Military Union (ROVS). This was an organization of an army that had switched to “self-sufficiency,” whose officers were supposed to take arms at the first opportunity for political revenge.
How realistic and far-reaching the plans of Wrangel’s organizations in exile were can be judged from the documents and correspondence of the heads of the central departments of the EMRO preserved in the Prague Archive (RZIA). It is unlikely that white emigrant “activism” in the 20s posed any danger to the Soviet country. In the absence of funds, in conditions of persecution by European governments, even the most active leaders of the White movement were forced to deal, first of all, with survival. Wrangel himself was no exception.
To the best of his ability, he provided material assistance to needy emigrant officers, warned them against participating in adventurist actions against Soviet Russia, and wrote memoirs. In 1926 he moved to Belgium, where he worked as an engineer in one of the Brussels companies. However, the interest of the Soviet intelligence services in the “black baron” still did not weaken.
On April 25, 1928, Wrangel died suddenly in Brussels under very mysterious circumstances. Among the causes of his death was a sudden infection with tuberculosis. It was a very popular disease among the Russian emigration, which took quite a long time to develop. However, according to contemporaries, two weeks before his death, Wrangel was absolutely healthy. According to the family of Pyotr Nikolaevich, he was poisoned by the brother of his servant, who was a Bolshevik agent. In October 1928, the remains of the last commander-in-chief were reburied in the Church of the Holy Trinity (Belgrade).
