Kolchak Alexander Vasilyevich - (born 4 (16) November 1874 - death February 7, 1920) military and political figure, leader of the White movement in Russia - Supreme Ruler of Russia, admiral (1918), Russian oceanographer, one one of the largest polar explorers of the late XIX - early XX centuries, full member of the Imperial Russian Geographical Society (1906).
Hero of the Russian-Japanese and World War I, one of the most striking, controversial and tragic figures in Russian history at the beginning of the 20th century.
Education
Alexander Kolchak was born on November 4, 1874 in the village of Aleksandrovskoye, Petersburg district, Petersburg province. Until the third grade, he studied at a classical gymnasium, and in 1888 he moved to the Naval Cadet Corps and 6 years later he graduated second in seniority and academic performance with a cash prize named after Admiral P.I. Rikord. In 1895–1896 the midshipman moved to Vladivostok and served on the ships of the Pacific squadron as a watch officer and junior navigator.
During the voyages, Kolchak visited China, Korea, Japan and other countries, became interested in Eastern philosophy, studied the Chinese language, independently engaged in an in-depth study of oceanography and hydrology. Upon his return, in "Notes on Hydrography" he published the first scientific work "Observations on surface temperatures and specific gravity of sea water, made on the cruisers" Rurik "and" Cruiser "from May 1897 to March 1898."
1898 - Kolchak was promoted to lieutenant. However, after the first campaign, the young officer became disillusioned with military service and began to think about switching to commercial ships. He did not have time to get into the Arctic voyage on the icebreaker "Ermak" with S.O. Makarov. 1899, summer - Alexander Vasilyevich was assigned to inland navigation on the cruiser "Prince Pozharsky". Kolchak filed a report on the transfer to the Siberian crew and the watchman of the battleship "Poltava" went to the Far East.
Polar expedition (1900-1902)
Admiral Kolchak and wife Sofia Feodorovna
Upon the ship's arrival in Piraeus, the lieutenant was offered to take part in the expedition of the St. Petersburg Academy of Sciences in search of the Sannikov Land. 1900, January - by order of the Naval Headquarters, he returned to the capital. For several months he trained at the Main Physical Observatory of St. Petersburg, the Pavlovsk Magnetic Observatory and in Norway to be a hydrologist and a second magnetologist. In 1900-1902, on the schooner Zarya, Kolchak took part in a polar expedition led by Baron E.V. Toll.
He carried out observations of temperatures and specific gravity of the surface layer of sea water, carried out deep-sea work, investigated the state of ice, and collected the remains of mammals. 1901 - together with Toll, Alexander Vasilyevich made a sleigh expedition to the Chelyuskin Peninsula, carried out geographical research and compiled maps of the coast of Taimyr, Kotelny Island, Belkovsky Island, discovered Strizhev Island. Toll named one of the islands in the Kara Sea after Kolchak (now Rastorguev Island), and an island in the Litke archipelago and a cape on Bennet Island are named after Kochak's wife Sophia Fedorovna. The young researcher published the results of the work in the publications of the Academy of Sciences.
Rescue expedition (1903)
1903 - Toll went with the astronomer of the expedition and the Yakut industrialists on a sledge expedition to Cape Vysoky of the New Siberia Island, with the intention of reaching Bennett Island, and disappeared. Upon the return of Zarya, the Academy of Sciences developed two rescue plans. Alexander Vasilievich undertook to fulfill one of them. In 1903–1904 on behalf of the St. Petersburg Academy of Sciences, first on dogs, then on a whaleboat, he crossed from Tiksi Bay to Bennett Island, almost drowning in an ice crack.
The expedition delivered notes, Toll's geological collections, and news of the scientist's death. 1903 - for the polar journey, Kolchak was awarded the Order of St. Vladimir, 4th degree. 1905 - for "an outstanding geographical feat associated with labor and danger," the Russian Geographical Society presented the future admiral to be awarded the large gold Konstantinovsky medal, and in 1906 elected him a full member.
Russo-Japanese War
1904, March - having learned about the Japanese attack on Port Arthur, Alexander Kolchak handed over the affairs of the expedition, went to the Far East and appeared to Vice Admiral S.O. Makarov. At first, Kolchak was appointed watch commander on the Askold cruiser, from April 1904 he began to act as an artillery officer on the Amur mine transport, from April 21, 1904 he commanded the Angry destroyer and made several bold attacks.
Under the leadership of Kolchak, they set up a minefield on the outskirts of Port Arthur Bay, as well as a mine bank at the mouth of the Amur, on which the Japanese cruiser Takasago was blown up. Kolchak was one of the developers of the expedition plan to break through the blockade of the fortress from the sea and intensify the actions of the fleet against Japanese transports in the Yellow Sea and the Pacific Ocean.
After the death of Makarov, Vitgeft abandoned the plan. From November 2, 1904, until the surrender of the fortress, Kolchak commanded 120-mm and 47-mm batteries on the northeastern wing of the defense of Port Arthur. Wounded, with exacerbation of rheumatism, he was taken prisoner. Alexander Vasilievich was repeatedly awarded for distinctions near Port Arthur: the Order of St. Anne of the 4th degree, a golden saber with the inscription "For Bravery" and the Order of St. Stanislaus of the 2nd degree with swords. 1906 - he received the silver medal "In Memory of the Russo-Japanese War".
Scientific work
As an expert on naval issues, Kolchak sought in the defense commission of the 3rd State Duma government appropriations for the construction of military ships for the Baltic Fleet, in particular 4 dreadnoughts, but could not overcome the resistance of the Duma members, who initially demanded reforms of the maritime department. Disappointed in the possibility of implementing his plans, in 1908 Alexander Vasilievich continued lecturing at the Nikolaev Naval Academy. 1907 - he was promoted to captain-lieutenant, in 1908 - to captain of the 2nd rank.
At the suggestion of the head of the Main Hydrographic Department A.V. Vilkitsky, Kolchak took part in the development of a project for a scientific expedition to explore the Northern Sea Route. 1909, April - Kolchak made a report "North-Eastern passage from the mouth of the river. Yenisei to the Bering Strait" in the Society for the Study of Siberia and the Improvement of its Life. At the same time, the scientist wrote his main work, The Ice of the Kara and Siberian Seas, which was published in 1909. Based on observations made during Toll's expedition, it did not lose its significance for a long time.
1909, autumn - icebreaking transports "Taimyr" and "Vaigach" set off from Kronstadt to Vladivostok. These ships made up the expedition of the Arctic Ocean, which was supposed to study the route from the Pacific Ocean to the Arctic Ocean along the coast of Siberia. Kolchak, as the commander of the Vaigach icebreaker transport, came on it in the summer of 1910 across the Indian Ocean to Vladivostok, then sailed to the Bering Strait and the Chukchi Sea, where he performed hydrological and astronomical studies.
Return to the Naval General Staff
The scientist failed to continue his activities in the North. In the autumn he was recalled from the expedition, and from the end of 1910 Kolchak was appointed head of the Baltic Operational Directorate of the Naval General Staff. Alexander Vasilyevich was involved in the development of the Russian shipbuilding program (in particular, ships of the Izmail type), taught at the Nikolaev Maritime Academy, and as an expert of the State Duma sought to increase appropriations for shipbuilding. 1912, January - he presented a note on the reorganization of the Naval General Staff. Kolchak prepared the book "Service of the General Staff: messages on the additional course of the naval department of the Nikolaev Naval Academy, 1911-1912", in which he insisted on the introduction of complete autocracy of the commander in the fleet. He firmly pursued this idea in all the posts he occupied.
Service in the Baltic Fleet
1912, spring - at the suggestion of Admiral N.O. Essen, Kolchak took command of the destroyer Ussuriets. 1913, December - for excellent service, he was promoted to captain of the 1st rank, appointed flag captain of the operational unit of the headquarters of the commander of the naval forces of the Baltic Sea and at the same time commander of the destroyer "Border Guard" - the admiral's messenger ship.
World War I
At the beginning of the First World War, a captain of the 1st rank made up the disposition of wartime operations in the Baltic, organized the successful laying of mines and attacks on the caravans of German merchant ships. 1915, February - 4 destroyers under his command set up about 200 mines in the Danzig Bay, on which 12 warships and 11 enemy transports were blown up, which forced the German command to temporarily not put the ships out to sea.
1915, summer - on the initiative of Alexander Vasilyevich Kolchak, the battleship Slava was brought into the Gulf of Riga to cover mine laying off the coast. These productions deprived the advancing German troops of the support of the fleet. Temporarily commanding the Mine Division since September 1915, since December he was also the head of the defense of the Gulf of Riga. Using the artillery of the ships, he helped the army of General D.R. Radko-Dmitriev repel the onslaught of the enemy at Kemmern. The landing in the rear of the enemy troops, which was landed in accordance with the tactical plan of Kolchak, played its role.
For successful attacks on the caravans of German ships that delivered ore from Sweden, Kolchak was presented with the Order of St. George, 4th degree. 1916, April 10 - he was promoted to rear admiral, and on June 28 he was appointed commander of the Black Sea Fleet with promotion "for distinction in service" to vice admiral. Kolchak did not want to go to the unfamiliar maritime theater. But he was able to quickly get used to it, and already in July 1916, on the battleship Empress Maria, he took part in a raid of Russian ships in the Black Sea, started a battle with the Turkish cruiser Breslau. A month later, under the command of Kolchak, the blockade of the Bosphorus and the coal region of Eregli-Zonguldak was strengthened, massive mining of enemy ports was carried out, as a result of which the exits of enemy ships into the Black Sea almost stopped.
After the February Revolution
1917, March 12 - Admiral Kolchak swore the fleet to the Provisional Government. Alexander Vasilievich actively fought against the revolutionary "fermentation" and the gradual decline of discipline in the fleet. A supporter of the continuation of the war to a victorious end, he opposed the end of hostilities. When, under the influence of agitators who arrived from the Baltic, the sailors began to disarm the officers, Kolchak in mid-June 1917 handed over command to Rear Admiral V.K. Lukin and, at the request of Kerensky, went with the chief of staff to Petrograd to explain the unauthorized resignation. Speaking at a government meeting, Kolchak Alexander Vasilyevich accused him of the collapse of the army and navy.
In America
1917, early August - the vice admiral was appointed head of the naval mission in America. Upon arrival in Washington, he made his proposals for the planned landing in the Dardanelles, and was collecting technical information about American military preparations. 1917, early October - the admiral took part in naval maneuvers on the American battleship Pennsylvania. Realizing that the Americans did not intend to help Russia in the war, by mid-October he decided to return to his homeland.
In Japan
But, having arrived in Japan in November 1917, Kolchak learned about the establishment of Soviet power and the intention of the Bolsheviks to make peace with Germany, after which he decided not to return. He considered the Bolsheviks to be German agents. Since the war took possession of his entire being, the admiral at the beginning of December 1917 turned to the British ambassador in Japan with a request to accept him into the British military service. 1917, the end of December - agreement followed. 1918, January - Kolchak went from Japan to the Mesopotamian front, where Russian and British troops fought with the Turks. But in Singapore, he received an order from the London government to come to Beijing to the Russian envoy, Prince N.A. Kudashev, to work in Manchuria and Siberia.
In China
In Beijing, Alexander Vasilyevich Kolchak was elected a member of the board of the Chinese Eastern Railway (CER). From April to September 21, 1918, he was engaged in the creation of armed forces for the defense of the CER. Obviously, those who chose the candidacy of the vice-admiral were impressed by his determination. But soon Kolchak's political unpreparedness fully affected. The admiral promised to restore order, intended to create a stronghold in the Far East to fight the Bolsheviks. But at the headquarters of the commander-in-chief they were unhappy that he did not understand anything in military affairs and demanded an immediate campaign against Vladivostok, not having sufficient forces.
Civil War
Kolchak entered into a struggle with Ataman Semenov, relying on the detachment of Colonel Orlov created by him, which was not much different from the Ataman. In an attempt to remove Kolchak, he threatened to call in the troops. Until the end of June, the situation remained uncertain. The commander tried to launch an offensive. But the Chinese refused to let the Russian troops through, and the admiral left for Japan. Kolchak did not know what to do. He even had the idea to go back to the British on the Mesopotamian front. Finally, he decided to make his way to the Volunteer Army of General M.V. Alekseev. Along the way, in October 1918, he arrived in Omsk with the English General A. Knox.
On October 14, the commander-in-chief of the forces of the Ufa directory, V.G. Boldyrev, invited the admiral to enter the government. On November 4, by decree of the local Provisional Government, Kolchak was appointed military and naval minister and immediately went to the front.
"Supreme ruler"
The activities of the directory, which was a coalition of different parties, including the Mensheviks and Socialist-Revolutionaries, did not suit Kolchak. On November 17, having entered into a conflict over the relationship of the directory to the naval ministry, the admiral retired. Relying on reliable troops, on November 18, he arrested the members of the directory and convened an emergency meeting of the Council of Ministers, at which he was promoted to admiral and transferred power with the title "Supreme Ruler".
Kolchak Alexander Vasilyevich granted the commanders of military districts the right to declare areas under a state of siege, close the press and issue death sentences. With cruel measures, the admiral fought against the opponents of his dictatorship, at the same time, with the support of the allies, increasing and arming his regiments.
1918, December - as a result of the Perm operation, Kolchak's troops took Perm and continued their offensive deep into Soviet Russia. The first successes drew the attention of the allies to Kolchak. On January 16, the Supreme Ruler signed an agreement on coordinating the actions of the White Guards and interventionists.
French General M. Janin became the commander-in-chief of the troops of the allied states in Eastern Russia and Western Siberia, and the English general A. Knox became the head of the rear and supply of the Kolchak troops. Significant deliveries of military equipment and weapons from America, England, France, and Japan made it possible to increase the strength of Kolchak's armies to 400,000 by the spring. The admiral organized the attack. In March, the Eastern Front of the Red Army was broken through. Part of the Kolchak troops moved to Kotlas to organize the supply of supplies through the northern seas, while the main forces made their way to the south-west to join with A.I. Denikin.
The successful offensive of the Kolchakites, who took Buguruslan on April 15, prompted French Prime Minister J. Clemenceau to recommend that Janin attack Moscow with the main forces, and join Denikin on the left flank and form a united front. It seemed that this plan was quite feasible. Kolchak's troops approached Samara and Kazan at the end of April. In May, Kolchak's supreme power was recognized by A.I. Denikin, N.N. Yudenich and E.K. Miller.
But the unsuccessful choice of Kolchak's closest assistants, the extreme optimism of the commander of the Siberian Army, Lieutenant General Gaida and his young generals, who incorrectly assessed the situation and promised to enter Moscow in a month and a half, soon affected. As a result of the counter-offensive of the Red Army in May-June 1919, the best Siberian and Western armies of Kolchak were defeated and rolled back far to the east.
Arrest and execution of Admiral Kolchak
Siberians did not like the restoration of autocratic government; partisan movement was growing in the rear. The allies had a huge influence, on the supplies of which the actions of the army depended. Defeats at the front caused panic in the rear. In October, the evacuation of Czech troops caused the families of the White Guards to flee from Omsk. Hundreds of echelons blocked the railroad.
Alexander Vasilyevich Kolchak tried to democratize power, but it was too late. The front has collapsed. The Czechs arrested Kolchak, who was moving under the protection of the Allied flags, and on January 15, 1920, at the Innokentievskaya station, they surrendered to the Socialist Revolutionary-Menshevik "Political Center".
The Center transferred Admiral Kolchak to the Bolshevik Irkutsk Military Revolutionary Committee (VRK). Interrogations began on January 21. At first, it was supposed to send the admiral to the capital, but, having received instructions from Moscow, the Military Revolutionary Committee shot Kolchak and Pepelyaev on February 7, 1920.
On October 9, the film "Admiral" is released on Russian cinema screens. The picture tells about the last years of the life of one of the most striking figures in the history of the early twentieth century - the legendary Admiral Alexander Kolchak.
The disgraced White Guard admiral, who devoted his whole life to serving the fatherland, could in fact become the pride of Russia, but the revolution made him forget his name for almost a century.
"Don't spread any news about Kolchak, don't publish absolutely nothing..." Lenin wrote on the eve of the execution of the admiral. His order was carried out throughout almost the entire twentieth century - the country forgot about the outstanding naval commander of the First World War, about the polar explorer, who determined the science of the sea for almost half a century.
The name of Alexander Kolchak was rehabilitated relatively recently. Biographers and documentarians again became interested in his personality. However, it was necessary to collect information about the commander of the Black Sea Fleet literally bit by bit: from a few archival documents, transcripts of interrogation and letters, of which several dozen were sent to Anna Timireva in the period 1916-1920, who became the common-law wife of Alexander Kolchak in 1918.
Before the revolution
Kolchak grew up in a military family, his father was a naval artillery officer. At the age of fourteen he entered the naval cadet corps, where he immediately attracted attention. “Kolchak, a young man of short stature with a concentrated look of lively and expressive eyes ... by the seriousness of his thoughts and actions inspired us, boys, with deep respect for himself,” said his comrade in the corps. When in 1894 Kolchak was awarded the first prize, he refused it in favor of his comrade, whom he considered more capable than himself.
After graduating, Alexander Vasilievich spent four years on the ships of the Pacific Fleet. Eduard Toll, a well-known geographer and geologist, spotted him at a parking lot in the Greek Piraeus. He enrolled Kolchak in the upcoming expedition to search for the legendary Sannikov Land. In May 1901, during the wintering of the Zarya schooner, Tol and Kolchak completed a 500-kilometer dog sled route in 41 days. The restrained Tol then called Kolchak "the best officer of the expedition", and one of the islands discovered in the Taimyr Bay of the Kara Sea was named after Kolchak. Later, in Soviet times, this island was renamed.
After a two-year expedition on the wooden whaler "Zarya", two winterings in the ice, returning and a new journey in the footsteps of the missing Baron Tolya, Kolchak will go to the Russo-Japanese War.
In Port Arthur, he commanded a destroyer, wounded and seriously ill, was taken prisoner by the Japanese. And at the end of April 1905, together with a group of officers through America, he went to Russia.
Since then, Kolchak has done a lot to restore the fleet, working at the Naval Academy and the Naval General Staff. At the same time, he published works based on the results of polar expeditions, in which he foresaw a global picture of ice drift in the Arctic Ocean. Half a century later, his hypothesis was confirmed by the trajectories of Soviet and American drifting stations. A century later, Kolchak's Arctic research will acquire particular relevance due to the fact that an active struggle for the territories of the Arctic Ocean will be waged on the international arena.
When the World War began, Kolchak proved himself to be an outstanding mine specialist. It was his system of minefields that helped to reliably protect naval bases and warships. With the direct participation of Alexander Kolchak, enemy convoys and warships were destroyed. He did not leave the bridge for weeks, amazing with his endurance and infecting everyone with energy - from ship commanders to the lower ranks.
Even before the end of the war, Alexander Vasilyevich Kolchak was appointed commander of the Black Sea Fleet with promotion to vice admiral. This news found Kolchak in Reval. He immediately hurried to Helsingfors for further instructions.
Fateful meeting
Coincidentally, the heyday of Alexander Kolchak's career fell on troubled pre-revolutionary times. At the same time, he met with Anna Vasilievna Timireva, the daughter of the director of the Moscow Conservatory, Vasily Safonov.
Kolchak and Timireva met in the house of Lieutenant Podgursky in Helsingfors. Both were not free: Alexander Vasilyevich had a wife and son, Anna Vasilyevna had a husband - captain of the 1st rank Sergey Timirev.
Then they did not yet know that they were destined to stay together for five years, and most of this time they would have to live apart. For months they kept in touch by letters, writing as often as possible. In these messages - declarations of love and fear of losing each other.
“Two months have passed since I left you, my infinitely dear, and the picture of our meeting is still alive in front of me, just as painful and painful as if it were yesterday, in my soul. I spent so many sleepless nights in my cabin, stepping from corner to corner, so many thoughts, bitter, bleak... I don't know what happened, but with all my being I feel that you left my life, left in such a way that I don't know if I have so much strength and skill to bring you back. And without you, my life has neither that meaning, nor that purpose, nor that joy. You were more to me in life than life itself, and it is impossible for me to continue it without you, "the admiral wrote to Anna Vasilievna.
She confessed her love to him first. "I told him I love him." And he, who had long been and, as it seemed to him, hopelessly in love, replied: "I did not tell you that I love you." - "No, that's what I'm saying: I always want to see you, I always think about you, it's such a joy for me to see you." And he, embarrassed to a spasm in his throat: "I love you more than" ...
Alexander Vasilyevich took her glove with him everywhere, and in his cabin hung a photo of Anna Vasilyevna in a Russian costume. "... I spend hours looking at your photograph, which is in front of me. On it is your sweet smile, with which I have ideas about the morning dawn, happiness and joy of life. Maybe that's why, my guardian angel, things are going well," wrote Admiral Anna Vasilievna.
"You know better than me"
When the monarchy in Russia fell in early March 1917, Kolchak wrote to Timireva: “In the event of events that you know in detail, undoubtedly better than me, I set the first task to keep the armed force, fortress and port intact, especially since I received reason to expect the appearance of the enemy at sea after eight months of his stay in the Bosphorus.
Kolchak enjoyed unquestioned authority in the navy. His skillful actions for quite a long time made it possible to keep the fleet from revolutionary collapse. However, he could not stop this process alone.
In rare moments, Kolchak shared his doubts with Timireva: “It is unpleasant when this feeling (of command) is absent or weakens, and when doubt arises, turning at times into some sleepless night, into ridiculous nonsense about his complete insolvency, mistakes, failures.
"Our experiences of two wars and two revolutions will make us invalids by the time of a possible order ... On the basis of savagery and semi-literacy, the fruits turned out to be truly amazing ... However, this is everywhere, and you yourself know this no worse than me ...", - Alexander Kolchak wrote to Timireva.
Supreme ruler of the Russian state
In October 1918, the admiral was appointed military and naval minister of the "Siberian government", and on November 18, with the support of the cadets, White Guard officers and interventionists, he carried out a coup and established a military dictatorship, taking the title of "supreme ruler of the Russian state" and the title of supreme commander in chief.
By this time, Kolchak's wife Sophia had been living in exile for several years. Here is how Alexander Vasilyevich describes his position to her: “I serve the Motherland of my Great Russia as I served it all the time, commanding a ship, division or fleet. I am not a representative of hereditary or elected power on any side. I look at my rank as a position of a purely official nature. In essence, I am the Supreme Commander-in-Chief, who has assumed the functions of the Supreme Civil Power, since for a successful struggle it is impossible to separate the latter from the functions of the former. My first and main goal is to erase Bolshevism and everything connected with it from the face Russia".
The last years of the admiral's life
In 1918, Timireva announced to her husband her intention to "always be close to Alexander Vasilyevich" and was soon officially divorced. After that, Anna Vasilievna considered herself Kolchak's wife. Together they stayed less than two years - until January 1920, when Kolchak was transferred to the Revolutionary Committee.
Almost until the very end, Kolchak and Timireva addressed each other with "You" and by name and patronymic: "Anna Vasilievna", "Alexander Vasilyevich". In Anna's letters only once does the phrase "Sashenka" come out.
A few hours before the execution, Kolchak wrote her a note that never reached the addressee: "My dear dove, I received your note, thank you for your kindness and care for me ... Don't worry about me. I feel better, my colds pass. I think that transfer to another cell is impossible. I only think about you and your fate... I don’t worry about myself - everything is known in advance. My every step is being watched, and it’s very difficult for me to write... Write to me. Yours notes are the only joy I can have. I pray for you and bow before your self-sacrifice. My dear, my adored, do not worry about me and save yourself ... Goodbye, I kiss your hands."
Kolchak was shot near the Znamensky Monastery in Irkutsk on February 7, 1920, in accordance with Lenin's order, following the verdict of the Irkutsk Military Revolutionary Committee. Before his death, according to legend, the admiral sang his favorite romance "Burn, burn my star."
After the execution, Kolchak's body was taken to Ushakovka (a tributary of the Angara) and thrown into the hole.
Later, the memoirs of Samuil Chudnovsky, chairman of the Extraordinary Investigation Commission, were published: “Early on the morning of February 5, I went to prison to carry out the will of the revolutionary committee. Kolchak's cell. The admiral was awake and dressed in a fur coat and hat. I read him the decision of the revolutionary committee and ordered my men to put on his hand shackles." When they came for the admiral and announced that he would be shot, he asked, it seems, not at all surprised: "Like this? Without trial?" ... ".
After the death of Kolchak, Anna Vasilievna lived for another 55 years. She spent the first forty years of this term in prisons and camps, from which she was occasionally released for short periods. Until the last years of her life, Anna Vasilievna wrote poems, among which there is this:
Half a century I can not accept -
Nothing can help
And you all leave again
On that fateful night
But if I'm still alive
Against fate
Just like your love
And the memory of you.
The material was prepared on the basis of information from RIA Novosti, open sources and the Imars communication group
Authors: Member of the Union of Journalists of Russia, participant and invalid of the 2nd group of the Second World War, participant in the defense of Moscow, retired lieutenant colonel of the guard Ulyanin Yuri Alekseevich;
Chairman of the Public Council for the Protection and Preservation of the Memorial and Monuments near the Church of All Saints on the Sokol, participant and disabled person of the 2nd group of the Second World War, participant in the defense of Moscow Gitsevich Lev Aleksandrovich;
General Director of the Orthodox Funeral Center of the Russian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate, participant in the Second World War, former partisan Kuznetsov Vyacheslav Mikhailovich;
Chairman of the Board of REVISTOO "Volunteer Corps", grandson of Staff Captain Vinogradov Dmitry Sergeevich - participant of the 1st Kuban "Ice" campaign of the Volunteer Army in 1918. Lamm Leonid Leonidovich.
Alexander Vasilyevich Kolchak was born on November 4 (16), 1874. His father, Vasily Ivanovich Kolchak, became a hero of the defense of Sevastopol during the Crimean War. Having retired with the rank of Major General of Artillery, he wrote the famous book "On the Malakhov Kurgan".
A.V. Kolchak graduated from the Naval Cadet Corps with the Admiral Rikord Prize. In 1894 he was promoted to midshipman. In 1895 - to the lieutenant.
KOLCHAK - POLAR EXPLORER (early career)
From 1895 to 1899 Kolchak was three times in circumnavigation. In 1900, Kolchak took part in an expedition to the Arctic Ocean with the famous polar explorer Baron Eduard Toll, who was trying to find the legendary lost Sannikov Land. In 1902 A.V. Kolchak is seeking permission from the Academy of Sciences and funding for an expedition to search for Baron Toll and his companions who remained to winter in the North. Having prepared and led this expedition, Kolchak, with six associates on a wooden whaler "Zarya", explored the New Siberian Islands, found Toll's last stop and established that the expedition had died. During this expedition, Kolchak fell seriously ill and almost died from pneumonia and scurvy.KOLCHAK DURING THE RUSSIAN-JAPANESE WAR
Alexander Vasilyevich Kolchak, as soon as the Russo-Japanese War began (not fully cured) - in March 1904 he went to Port Arthur to serve under the command of Admiral Makarov. After the tragic death of Makarov, Kolchak commands the destroyer "Angry", which made a series of bold attacks on the enemy's strongest squadron. During these combat operations, several Japanese ships were damaged and the Japanese cruiser Takosago was sunk. For this, he was awarded the Order of St. Anne, 4th degree. In the last 2.5 months of the siege of Port Arthur, Kolchak successfully commanded a battery of naval guns that inflicted the greatest losses on the Japanese. For the defense of Port Arthur, Kolchak was awarded the Golden Weapon with the inscription "For Courage". Respecting his courage and talent, the Japanese command was one of the few who left Kolchak in captivity weapons, and then, without waiting for the end of the war, gave him freedom. April 29, 1905 Kolchak returned to St. Petersburg.MILITARY AND SCIENTIFIC ACTIVITIES OF KOLCHAK From 1906 to 1914
In 1906, with the formation of the Naval General Staff, Kolchak became the head of its Statistical Department. And then he headed the unit for the development of operational-strategic plans in the event of a war in the Baltic. Appointed as a naval expert in the 3rd State Duma, Kolchak, together with his colleagues, developed the Large and Small shipbuilding programs for the reconstruction of the Navy after the Russo-Japanese War. All calculations and provisions of the Program were so flawlessly verified that the authorities allocated the necessary funds without delay. As part of this project, Alexander Vasilyevich Kolchak in 1906-1908. personally oversaw the construction of four battleships.In 1908, at the suggestion of the famous polar explorer Vilkitsky, Kolchak organized a sea expedition along the coast of Siberia. This expedition marked the beginning of the development of the Northern Sea Route. To do this, with the active participation of Kolchak in 1908-1909. a project is being developed and the construction of the famous icebreakers "Vaigach" and "Taimyr" is being organized. In 1909-1911. Kolchak is again on a polar expedition. As a result, he obtained the most unique (not outdated so far) scientific data.
In 1906, for the exploration of the Russian North, Kolchak was awarded the Order of St. Vladimir and the "Great Constantine Medal", which was awarded to only three polar explorers, including Fridtjof Nansen. His name was given to one of the islands in the area of Novaya Zemlya (now Rastorguev Island). Kolchak became a full member of the Imperial Geographical Society. From that moment on, it began to be called "Kolchak-polar". The maps of the Russian North compiled by Kolchak were used by Soviet polar explorers (including military sailors) until the end of the 50s.
In 1912, Kolchak was invited by Rear Admiral von Essen to serve in the Headquarters of the Baltic Fleet. Von Essen appoints Kolchak to the post of flag-captain of the operational part of the Headquarters. Together with von Essen, Kolchak is developing plans to prepare for a possible war with Germany at sea.
KOLCHAK IN THE FIRST WORLD WAR
Blitzkrieg on land against France, the Kaiser's high command expected to start with a sudden treacherous and crushing blow on the Russian Capital - St. Petersburg from the sea. The huge German fleet in the Baltic under the command of Henry of Prussia was preparing in the first days of the war (as in a parade) to enter the Gulf of Finland. German ships, unexpectedly coming close to St. Petersburg, were supposed to bring down heavy fire from 12-inch Krupp heavy-duty guns on government and military institutions, land troops and, within a few hours, capture all the most important objects of the Capital and withdraw Russia from the war.These Napoleonic plans of Kaiser Wilhelm were not destined to come true. In the first hours of the First World War, on the orders of Admiral von Essen and under the direct supervision of Kolchak, a mine battalion set up 6,000 mines in the Gulf of Finland, which completely paralyzed the actions of the German fleet on the outskirts of the Capital. This disrupted the enemy blitzkrieg at sea, saved Russia and France.
In 1941, at the initiative of the People's Commissar of the Navy, Admiral Nikolai Gerasimovich Kuznetsov (who studied the actions of the Baltic Fleet during World War I), this plan was repeated in the early days of World War II to organize the defense of the Gulf of Finland and Leningrad.
In the autumn of 1914, with the personal participation of Kolchak, a unique (unparalleled in the world) mine blockade of German naval bases was developed. Several Russian destroyers made their way to Kiel and Danzig and set up several minefields on the approaches to them (under the noses of the Germans).
In February 1915, the captain of the 1st rank Kolchak, as the commander of a special purpose semi-division, personally undertook a second daring raid. Four destroyers again approached Danzig and put up 180 mines. As a result of this, 4 German cruisers, 8 destroyers and 11 transports were blown up in the minefields (exposed by Kolchak). Later, historians will call this operation of the Russian fleet the most successful in the entire First World War.
Largely due to the talent of Kolchak, the losses of the German fleet in the Baltic exceeded our losses in warships by 3.5 times, and by the number of transports by 5.2 times.
April 10, 1916 Kolchak was awarded the rank of Rear Admiral. After that, his mine division defeated a caravan of German ore carriers, marching under a powerful escort from Stockholm. For this success, the Sovereign promoted Kolchak to vice admiral. He became the youngest admiral and naval commander in Russia.
June 26, 1916 Kolchak is appointed commander of the Black Sea Fleet. At the beginning of July 1916, a squadron of Russian ships (during an operation developed by Kolchak) overtook and during the battle severely damaged the German cruiser Breslau, which had previously shelled Russian ports with impunity and sank transports on the Black Sea. Kolchak successfully organizes combat operations to blockade the Eregli-Zongulak coal region, Varna, and other Turkish enemy ports. By the end of 1916, Turkish and German ships were completely locked up in their ports. Kolchak records in his asset even six enemy submarines that were blown up near the Ottoman coast. This allowed the Russian ships to make all the necessary transportation in the Black Sea, as in peacetime. For 11 months of his command of the Black Sea Fleet, Kolchak achieved the absolute combat dominance of the Russian fleet over the enemy.
FEBRUARY REVOLUTION
Admiral Kolchak began preparations for the Great Bosphorus landing operation, with the aim of capturing Constantinople and withdrawing Turkey from the war. These plans are interrupted by the February revolution. Order No. 1 of the Council of Soldiers' and Workers' Deputies abolishes the disciplinary power of commanders. Kolchak is trying to actively fight against revolutionary defeatist agitation and propaganda conducted by left-wing extremist parties with the money of the German General Staff. June 10, 1917 The Provisional Government (under pressure from the left-wing radical opposition) recalls the dangerous admiral to Petrograd in order to float away the enterprising and popular naval commander. Members of the Government listen to Kolchak's report on the catastrophic collapse of the army and navy, the possible future loss of statehood and the inevitability of the establishment in this case of a pro-German Bolshevik dictatorship. After that, Kolchak is sent to the United States as a world-famous mine expert (away from Russia). In San Francisco, Kolchak was offered to stay in the United States, promising him a minecraft department at the best naval college and a rich life for his pleasure in a cottage on the ocean. Kolchak said no. Around the world, he moved to Russia.
OCTOBER REVOLUTION AND CIVIL WAR In Yokohama, Kolchak learns about the October Revolution, the liquidation of the Headquarters of the Supreme Commander and the negotiations begun by the Bolsheviks with the Germans. The admiral goes to Tokyo. There he hands over to the British ambassador a request for admission to the English active army, at least as a private. The ambassador consults with London and Kolchak is sent to the Mesopotamian front. On the way there, in Singapore, he is overtaken by a telegram from the Russian envoy to China, Kudashev. Kolchak goes to Beijing. In China, he creates the Russian armed forces to protect the CER. In November 1918 Kolchak arrives in Omsk. He is offered the post of Minister of War and Navy in the Government of the Directory.
Two weeks later, the White officers stage a coup and arrest the left-wing members of the Directory - the Socialist Revolutionaries (who, after February 1917, in alliance with the Bolsheviks, Left Socialist-Revolutionaries and anarchists, actively participated in organizing the collapse of the Imperial Army and Navy, atheistic anti-Orthodox agitation and propaganda). After that, the Council of Ministers of the Siberian Government was formed, which offered Kolchak the title of "Supreme Ruler of Russia".
KOLCHAK AND THE RUSSIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH
In January 1919, His Holiness Patriarch Tikhon blessed the Supreme Ruler of Russia, Admiral A.V. Kolchak to fight the godless Bolsheviks. At the same time, Patriarch Tikhon refused to bless the command of the Volunteer Army of the South of Russia, since among them were the main culprits of the abdication and subsequent arrest of Sovereign Nicholas 2 in February 1917, including Generals Alekseev and Kornilov. Admiral Kolchak was actually not involved in these tragic events. That is why at the beginning of January 1919 (crossing the front line) a priest sent by Patriarch Tikhon came to Admiral Kolchak. The priest brought the Admiral a personal letter from the Patriarch with a blessing and a photograph of the image of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker from the Nikolsky Gates of the Moscow Kremlin, which were sewn into the lining of a peasant scroll.TEXT OF PATRIARCH TIKHON'S MESSAGE TO ADMIRAL KOLCHAK
“As is well known to all Russians and, of course, to Your Excellency,” this letter said, “before this image revered by all of Russia, annually on December 6, on the day of winter St. on their knees. And on December 6, 1918, faithful to the Faith and tradition, the people of Moscow, at the end of the prayer service, knelt down and sang: "Save the Lord." The arriving troops dispersed the worshipers, firing at the Image from rifles and guns. with a cross in his left hand and a sword in his right. Bullets of fanatics fell around the Saint, nowhere touching the Saint of God. the hand that held the cross.On the same day, by order of the authorities of the Antichrist, this Holy Icon was hung with a large red flag with a satanic emblem. An inscription was made on the wall of the Kremlin: "Death to faith - the opium of the people." The next day, December 7, 1918, many people gathered for a prayer service, which, undisturbed by anyone, was coming to an end! But when the people, on their knees, began to sing "God save!" - the flag fell from the Image of the Wonderworker. the atmosphere of prayerful ecstasy is indescribable! It had to be seen, and who saw it, he remembers and feels today. Singing, sobbing, screaming and raising hands, shooting from rifles, many wounded, were killed. and.the place was cleared.
The next early morning, with my Blessing, the Image was photographed by a very good photographer. The Lord showed the Perfect Miracle through His Saint to the Russian people in Moscow. I am sending a photographic copy of this Miraculous Image, as Mine to you, Your Excellency, Alexander Vasilievich - Blessing - to fight against the atheistic temporary power over the suffering people of Rus'. I beg you, consider, venerable Alexander Vasilyevich, that the Bolsheviks managed to beat off the left hand of the Ugodnik with a cross, which is, as it were, an indicator of the temporary trampling of the Orthodox Faith. But the punishing sword in the right hand of the Wonderworker remained to help and Bless Your Excellency, and Your Christian struggle to save the Orthodox Church and Russia.
Admiral Kolchak, after reading the letter of the Patriarch, said: "I know that there is a sword of the state, a surgeon's lancet. I feel that the most powerful one is a spiritual sword, which will be an invincible force in a crusade against the monster of violence!"
At the insistence of the Siberian bishops, a Provisional Higher Church Administration was created in Ufa, headed by Archbishop Sylvester of Omsk. In April 1919, the Omsk Council of the Clergy of Siberia unanimously constituted Admiral Kolchak as the temporary head of the Orthodox Church in the Siberian territories liberated from the Bolsheviks - until the time of the liberation of Moscow, when His Holiness Patriarch Tikhon will be able (not hampered by the atheists) to fully begin his duties. At the same time, the Omsk Cathedral decided to mention the name of Kolchak during official church services. These decisions of the Council have not been repealed to this day!
On the personal instructions of Kolchak, the investigator for especially important cases, Sokolov, organized an investigation into the villainous murder of the Romanov Imperial family in Yekaterinburg.
Admiral Kolchak announced a crusade. He gathered more than 3.5 thousand Orthodox clergy, including 1.5 thousand military clergy. At the initiative of Kolchak, separate combat units were formed, consisting only of clergy and believers (including the Old Believers), which Kornilov, Denikin and Yudenich did not have. These are the Orthodox squad of the "Holy Cross", the "333rd Regiment named after Mary Magdalene", the "Holy Brigade", three regiments of "Jesus Christ", "Theotokos" and "Nicholas the Wonderworker".
Military units were created from believers and clergy of other faiths. For example, the Muslim detachments of the Green Banner, the Battalion of the Defenders of the Jewish Faith, etc.
URAL WORKERS IN KOLCHAK'S ARMY
Kolchak's army numbered only 150 thousand people at the front. Its main striking force was the Izhevsk and Votkinsk divisions (under the command of General Kappel), formed entirely of craftsmen and workers who raised an uprising at the end of 1918 against the policy of war communism, expropriation and leveling. These were the best in Russia and in the world, highly skilled workers of military factories in the Ural cities of Izhevsk and Votkinsk. The workers went into battle against the Bolsheviks under a red banner on which was written "In the struggle you will find your right." They had almost no ammo. They were obtained from the enemy in psychic bayonet attacks. The Ural workers went into bayonet attacks to the dashing sounds of harmonicas and the music "Varshavyanka", the words to which they composed their own. Izhevtsy and Votkintsy literally terrified the Bolsheviks, sweeping away entire regiments and divisions.ZINOVY SVERDLOV (PESHKOV) IN THE SERVICE OF KOLCHAK
Zinovy Sverdlov (Peshkov), the brother of Yakov Sverdlov, who was the chairman of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee among the Bolsheviks and Lenin's right hand, participated in the struggle against the Bolsheviks at Kolchak. At the beginning of 1919, Zinovy sent a telegram to his brother Yakov: "Yashka, when we take Moscow, we will hang Lenin first, and you second, for what you did to Russia!"THE GENUINE RELATIONS OF KOLCHAK WITH THE INTERVENTORS
Alexander Vasilyevich Kolchak was never a "puppet of the interventionists", as the Soviet agitprop claimed. His relations with the "intervening allies" were extremely strained. At the beginning of 1919, French General Janin arrived in Omsk. On behalf of Lloyd George and Clemenceau, he presented Kolchak with an ultimatum to subordinate to him (Zhanin) not only the allied, but also all Russian White troops in Siberia and to declare him (Zhanin) the Supreme Commander. Otherwise, Kolchak will not receive any help from France and England. Kolchak sharply replied that he would rather refuse outside support than agree to the subordination of all Russian troops to a foreign general and the Entente. In September 1919, the allies of the Entente countries demanded the removal of all Russian units from Vladivostok. Kolchak responded with a telegram to the commander of the Russian garrison, General Rozanov: "I command you to leave all Russian troops in Vladivostok and not to withdraw them anywhere without my order. The demand of the allies is an encroachment on the sovereign rights of Russia.".
At the same time, General Mannerheim offered Kolchak the help of the 100,000-strong Finnish army in exchange for the transfer of part of the Karelian Isthmus to Finland and the deployment of occupying Finnish troops in Petrograd. Kolchak replied: "I do not trade in Russia!"
The admiral made only economic concessions to the Entente. His Government allowed the placement of foreign concessions in Siberia and the Far East (including the creation of free economic zones there) for 15-25 years, the creation of industrial enterprises and the development of natural resources, in order to use the capital of the Entente countries to restore the Russian economy after the Civil War. "When Russia gets stronger and the time comes, we will throw them out of here," said Kolchak.
POLITICAL AND ECONOMIC GOALS OF KOLCHAK
Admiral Kolchak restored the laws of the Russian Empire in Siberia. He himself and his Government have never set as their goal the destruction of entire social groups and strata of the population. Until now, not a single directive of A.V. Kolchak to the massive White terror against the workers and peasants. The Leninist Bolsheviks (as early as the beginning of the First World War) promised to "transfer the imperialist war into a civil one", and having seized power in October 1917, they openly proclaimed mass revolutionary terror and the complete destruction of all "counter-revolutionary classes" - the gene pool of the Russian nation - officers, cadets, clergymen, merchants, nobles, highly skilled craftsmen and wealthy peasants.After the end of the Civil War, the Siberian government hoped to achieve class, civil, interethnic and interreligious reconciliation of various segments of the population and political parties (without the extreme left and without the extreme right). Therefore, in 1919, the Kolchak government banned the activities of both extreme left extremist parties (Bolsheviks and Left Social Revolutionaries) and extreme right Black Hundred organizations. A unique economic program for a state-regulated market economy was developed, including the creation of an industrial base in Central and Western Siberia, the development of arable land and natural resources, and an increase in the population of Siberia by 1950-70. up to 200-400 million people.
DEATH OF ADMIRAL KOLCHAK
In 1919 (realizing the catastrophe threatening Soviet power), the Bolsheviks were forced to refuse to export the world revolution. All combat-ready units of the Red Army, intended for the revolutionary conquest of Central and Western Europe, were thrown to the Eastern Siberian Front against Kolchak. By the middle of 1919, more than half a million Soviet troops, including 50,000 "red internationalists": Chinese, Latvians, Hungarians and other mercenaries, were operating against the 150,000-strong Kolchak army. The Lenin government, through its secret emissaries in Paris, London, Tokyo, New York, began secret negotiations with the Entente. The Bolsheviks were forced to agree to a secret compromise agreement with the Entente on leasing and granting concessions to foreign capital after the Civil War, creating a Free Economic Zone in the form of the so-called. Far Eastern Republic. In addition, the Socialist-Revolutionaries and Mensheviks were promised to create a government coalition with the Bolsheviks.In the midst of hostilities, a terrible epidemic of typhus began in the troops of Admiral Kolchak. More than half of all troops were disabled. At the same time, the "allies" completely stopped the supply of weapons and medicines, tacitly canceling all previous agreements and military orders already paid for in gold abroad. With the consent of General Zhanen, the Czechoslovak Corps at the most desperate moment completely blocked the strategic railway line Nikolaevsk-Irkutsk. The only artery connecting the rear with the front. With the consent of the ANTANTA, on January 6, 1920, the command of the Czech Corps was transferred to the Irkutsk Bolshevik-Left SR Political Center of Admiral Kolchak (by this time he had resigned all powers and transferred them to Ataman Semenov and General Denikin). For this, General Zhanen (with the consent of the Leninist government) transferred part of Russia's gold reserves to the Czechs. The Izhevsk and Votkinsk divisions marching to Irkutsk to rescue Kolchak (under the command of General Kappel) approached the city suburbs too late.
On February 7, 1920, by the verdict of the Irkutsk Revolutionary Committee, Admiral A.V. Kolchak was shot without trial on the banks of the Ushakovka river, a tributary of the Angara. The murder of the Admiral was authorized (with the knowledge of the ANTANTA) by an arch-secret telegram personally by Ulyanov-Lenin to the Irkutsk Revolutionary Committee. Before the execution, Kolchak refused to blindfold with a bandage and presented his silver cigarette case to the commander of the firing squad.
Midshipman Kolchak
During interrogation before being shot, Kolchak said about himself: “I grew up in a purely military family. My father, Vasily Ivanovich Kolchak, served in the naval artillery, was the receiver of the Naval Department at the Obukhov plant. When he retired with the rank of major general, he remained at this plant as an engineer ... I was born there.” This event took place on November 4 (16), 1874.
The Kolchak clan owed its unusual surname to the Turk of South Slavic origin, Ilias Kolchak Pasha, commandant of the Khotyn fortress, captured by Russian troops in 1739.
Many men from the Kolchak family chose the military path for themselves, and Alexander was no exception. He graduated from the Naval Cadet Corps and was promoted to midshipman. His classmate wrote: “Kolchak, by the seriousness of his thoughts and actions, inspired us boys with deep respect for himself. We sensed in him a moral force which it was impossible to disobey; felt that this is the person who must be unquestioningly followed. Not a single educator officer, not a single corps teacher instilled in us such a sense of superiority as midshipman Kolchak.
At the end of the corps, Kolchak went on voyages on the cruisers "Rurik" and "Cruiser", while, in addition to the service, he was engaged in research in the field of oceanography and hydrology.
In December 1898, Kolchak was promoted to lieutenant. He established himself as a brilliant officer and a thoughtful scientist, and in 1900 he received an invitation from the Academy of Sciences from Baron E. V. Toll to take part in his expedition.
On July 21, 1900, the schooner "Zarya" set off along the Baltic, North and Norwegian seas to the shores of the Taimyr Peninsula. Kolchak patiently endured all the hardships of a difficult expedition, wintering in harsh conditions. Baron Toll wrote: “Our hydrographer Kolchak is not only the best officer, but he is also lovingly devoted to his hydrology. This scientific work was carried out by him with great energy, despite the difficulty of combining the duties of a naval officer with the activities of a scientist. In honor of Kolchak, the island and cape discovered by Toll were named.
But the Zarya was crushed by ice. It was decided to split up - Toll and the magnetologist Zeberg set off on foot north of the New Siberian Islands, and the rest of the members of the polar expedition followed to the mouth of the Lena and returned to St. Petersburg through Yakutsk and Irkutsk.
Upon arrival in the capital, Kolchak reported on Toll's decision and his disappearance. In 1903, an expedition was organized led by Kolchak to rescue the polar explorer, during which it turned out that the baron and his companions were killed ...
Supreme ruler
When Kolchak was returning from a tragic polar expedition, the Russo-Japanese War began. He was assigned to the destroyer "Angry", took part in the siege of Port Arthur. Kolchak was wounded and spent 4 months in captivity.
After the war, Kolchak actively served in the Naval General Staff, and also designed the Taimyr and Vaygach icebreakers. Kolchak commanded the last during a cartographic expedition to the Bering Strait and Cape Dezhnev.
When the First World War began, Kolchak developed and took part in brilliant operations that brought him fame, orders and the rank of admiral.
The February revolution made its own adjustments to the admiral's career, and in 1917 Kolchak was removed from command. He received an invitation from the American mission, and, as a military adviser, went first to England, and then to the USA.
In 1918, he arrived in Russia, where the council of ministers of the "Directory" - the united anti-Bolshevik government, insisted on his proclamation as the Supreme Ruler and Supreme Commander of the armed forces. He became the leader of the White movement, fought against Bolshevism, launched an offensive throughout the Urals, but failed - due to many reasons that historians still argue about. But, one way or another, the reality is that Kolchak lost and paid for it with his life - his own and many people - both the Bolsheviks and the White Guards ...
Kolchak transferred power to Denikin and found himself under the protection of the Czech allies. But they betrayed the admiral and handed him over to the Bolsheviks - in exchange for free passage through the territory of Russia ...
January 15, 1920 Kolchak was arrested in Irkutsk. Interrogations of the admiral were carried out until February 6, and on February 7 Kolchak was shot on the banks of the Ushakovka River, and his body was thrown into the hole ...
In Soviet times, Kolchak became a purely negative figure, all his services to the fatherland were forgotten.
Today, the name of Kolchak is being actively rehabilitated. The Duma of the Taimyr Autonomous Okrug decided to return the name of Kolchak to an island in the Kara Sea, a memorial plaque was opened on the building of the Naval Corps in St. Petersburg, and a monument to the admiral in Irkutsk.
"My dear dove"...
For many people, Kolchak's difficult personal life is of particular interest. In 1904, after a polar expedition, Alexander Vasilyevich got married in Irkutsk with Sofia Fedorovna Omirova. The wedding was postponed several times due to Kolchak's expeditions, but Sophia patiently waited for the groom, whom she loved very much. They had two daughters, who died in infancy, and a son, Rostislav. Sofya Vladimirovna meekly endured all the hardships of life, moving, constant separation from her husband.
But fate dealt her a heavy blow - in 1915, Kolchak met Anna Timireva, whom he fell in love with with deep love. After the revolution, Sophia and her son ended up in Paris, and Anna Timireva spent the last months of his life with Kolchak and voluntarily went under arrest with him. And it was to her that the last lines of the admiral were addressed: “My dear dove, I received your note, thank you for your kindness and care for me ... Do not worry about me. I only think about you and your fate... I don't worry about myself - everything is known in advance. My every step is being watched, and it is very difficult for me to write... Write to me. Your notes are the only joy I can have. I pray for you and bow before your self-sacrifice. My dear, my adored, do not worry about me and save yourself ... Goodbye, I kiss your hands.
After the death of Kolchak, Anna Timireva cruelly paid for her love. She spent many years in prisons and exile. In the short intervals between the conclusion she was interrupted by odd jobs - she was a librarian, painter, draftswoman. She was rehabilitated in 1960. Advised Sergei Bondarchuk during the filming of the film War and Peace.
She died in 1975. And all these years she continued to love Alexander Kolchak and wrote poetry to him:
And every year on the seventh of February
One with my stubborn memory
I celebrate your anniversary again.
And those who knew you are long gone,
And those who are alive - everyone has long forgotten.
And this, for me, the most difficult day -
For them, the same as everyone else, -
Torn off calendar sheet.
Kolchak Alexander Vasilyevich - a prominent military leader and statesman of Russia, a polar explorer. During the civil war, he entered the historical chronicles as the leader of the White movement. The assessment of Kolchak's personality is one of the most controversial and tragic pages of Russian history of the 20th century.
ObzorfotoAlexander Kolchak was born on November 16, 1874 in the village of Aleksandrovskoe in the suburbs of St. Petersburg, in a family of hereditary nobles. Rod Kolchakov gained fame in the military field, serving the Russian Empire for many centuries. His father was a hero of the defense of Sevastopol during the Crimean campaign.
Education
Until the age of 11 he was educated at home. In 1885-88. Alexander studied at the 6th gymnasium of St. Petersburg, where he graduated from three classes. Then he entered the Naval Cadet Corps, where he showed excellent success in all subjects. As the best student in scientific knowledge and behavior, he was enrolled in the class of midshipmen and appointed sergeant major. He graduated from the Cadet Corps in 1894 with the rank of midshipman.
Carier start
From 1895 to 1899, Kolchak served in the military Baltic and Pacific fleets, made three trips around the world. He was engaged in independent research of the Pacific Ocean, most of all interested in its northern territories. In 1900, a capable young lieutenant was transferred to the Academy of Sciences. At this time, the first scientific works began to appear, in particular, an article was published on his observations of sea currents. But the goal of the young officer is not only theoretical, but also practical research - he dreams of going on one of the polar expeditions.
Blogger Interested in his publications, the well-known Arctic explorer Baron E. V. Toll invites Kolchak to take part in the search for the legendary Sannikov Land. Having gone in search of the missing Toll, he on a whaleboat from the schooner "Zarya", and then on a dog sled makes a risky transition and finds the remains of the lost expedition. During this dangerous campaign, Kolchak caught a bad cold and miraculously survived after severe pneumonia.
Russo-Japanese War
In March 1904, immediately after the outbreak of the war, not having fully recovered from his illness, Kolchak was sent to the besieged Port Arthur. The destroyer "Angry" under his command took part in the installation of barrage mines dangerously close to the Japanese raid. Thanks to these hostilities, several enemy ships were blown up.
Letanovosti In the last months of the siege, he commanded coastal artillery, which inflicted significant damage on the enemy. During the fighting he was wounded, after the capture of the fortress he was taken prisoner. In recognition of his fighting spirit, the command of the Japanese army left Kolchak weapons and freed him from captivity. For his heroism, he was awarded:
- St. George's weapons;
- Orders of St. Anna and St. Stanislav.
The struggle to recreate the fleet
After treatment in the hospital, Kolchak receives a six-month vacation. Sincerely experiencing the almost complete loss of his native fleet in the war with Japan, he is actively involved in the work of its revival.
Gossip In June 1906, Kolchak headed a commission at the Naval General Staff to find out the reasons that led to the defeat near Tsushima. As a military expert, he often spoke at State Duma hearings with justification for allocating the necessary funding.
His project, dedicated to the realities of the Russian fleet, became the theoretical basis for the entire Russian military shipbuilding in the pre-war period. As part of its implementation, Kolchak in 1906-1908. personally supervises the construction of four battleships and two icebreakers.
For his invaluable contribution to the study of the Russian North, Lieutenant Kolchak was elected a member of the Russian Geographical Society. The nickname "Kolchak-Polar" stuck behind him.
At the same time, Kolchak continues to work on systematizing the materials of past expeditions. His work on the ice cover of the Kara and Siberian Seas, published by him in 1909, was recognized as a new step in the development of polar oceanography for the study of ice cover.
World War I
The Kaiser command was preparing for the blitzkrieg of St. Petersburg. Henry of Prussia, the commander of the German fleet, expected already in the first days of the war to pass through the Gulf of Finland to the capital and subject it to hurricane fire from powerful guns.
Having destroyed important objects, he intended to land troops, capture St. Petersburg and put an end to the military claims of Russia. The implementation of Napoleonic projects was hindered by the strategic experience and brilliant actions of Russian naval officers.
Gossip Given the significant superiority of the number of German ships, the tactics of mine warfare was recognized as the initial strategy for fighting the enemy. During the first days of the war, the Kolchak division laid 6,000 mines in the waters of the Gulf of Finland. Skillfully placed mines became a reliable shield for the defense of the capital and thwarted the plans of the German fleet to capture Russia.
In the future, Kolchak persistently defended plans for the transition to more aggressive actions. Already at the end of 1914, a brave operation was undertaken to mine the Danzig Bay directly off the coast of the enemy. As a result of this operation, 35 enemy warships were blown up. The successful actions of the naval commander determined his subsequent promotion.
Sanmati In September 1915, he was appointed commander of the Mine Division. In early October, he undertook a bold maneuver to land troops on the coast of the Gulf of Riga to help the armies of the Northern Front. The operation was carried out so successfully that the enemy did not even guess about the presence of the Russians.
In June 1916, A. V. Kolchak was promoted by the Sovereign to the rank of Commander-in-Chief of the Black Sea Fleet. In the photo, a talented naval commander is depicted in dress uniform with all military regalia.
revolutionary time
After the February Revolution, Kolchak was faithful to the emperor to the end. Hearing the proposal of the revolutionary sailors to hand over their weapons, he threw the award saber overboard, arguing his act with the words: “Even the Japanese did not take away my weapon, I will not give it to you either!”
Arriving in Petrograd, Kolchak laid the blame on the ministers of the Provisional Government for the collapse of his own army and country. After that, the dangerous admiral was actually removed into political exile at the head of an allied military mission to America.
In December 1917, he asked the British government to enlist in the military. However, certain circles are already counting on Kolchak as an authoritative leader capable of rallying the liberation struggle against Bolshevism.
The Volunteer Army operated in the South of Russia, in Siberia and in the East there were many disparate governments. Having united in September 1918, they created the Directory, the inconsistency of which inspired distrust in broad officer and business circles. They needed a "strong hand" and, having made a white coup, invited Kolchak to accept the title of Supreme Ruler of Russia.
Goals of the Kolchak government
Kolchak's policy was to restore the foundations of the Russian Empire. All extremist parties were banned by his decrees. The government of Siberia wanted to achieve reconciliation of all groups of the population and parties, without the participation of left and right radicals. An economic reform was prepared, involving the creation of an industrial base in Siberia.
The highest victories of Kolchak's army were achieved in the spring of 1919, when it occupied the territory of the Urals. However, following the successes, a series of failures began, caused by a number of miscalculations:
- Kolchak's incompetence in the problems of state administration;
- refusal to settle the agrarian question;
- partisan and socialist-revolutionary resistance;
- political disagreements with allies.
In November 1919, Kolchak was forced to leave Omsk; in January 1920, he gave his powers to Denikin. As a result of the betrayal of the allied Czech Corps, he was handed over to the revolutionary committee of the Bolsheviks, who seized power in Irkutsk.
Death of Admiral Kolchak
The fate of the legendary personality ended tragically. The cause of death, some historians call a personal secret instruction, who feared his release by the troops of Kappel rushing to the rescue. A. V. Kolchak was shot on February 7, 1920 in Irkutsk.
In the 21st century, the negative assessment of Kolchak's personality has been revised. His name is immortalized on memorial plaques, monuments, in feature films.
Personal life
Kolchak's wife, Sophia Omirova, hereditary noblewoman. Due to the protracted expedition, she waited for her fiancé for several years. Their wedding took place in March 1904 in the Irkutsk church.
Three children were born in the marriage:
- The first daughter, born in 1905, died in infancy.
- Son Rostislav, born March 9, 1910
- Daughter Margarita, born in 1912, died at the age of two.
Sofia Omirova in 1919, with the help of the British allies, emigrated with her son to Constanta, and later to Paris. She died in 1956 and was buried in the cemetery of Russian Parisians.
Son Rostislav - an employee of the Algiers Bank, participated in battles with the Germans on the side of the French army. Died in 1965. Kolchak's grandson - Alexander, born in 1933, lives in Paris.
The last years of his life, Kolchak's actual wife was his last love. Acquaintance with the admiral took place in 1915 in Helsingfors, where she arrived with her husband, a naval officer. After a divorce in 1918, she followed the admiral. She was arrested along with Kolchak, and after his execution she spent almost 30 years in various exiles and prisons. She was rehabilitated and died in 1975 in Moscow.
- Alexander Kolchak was baptized in the Trinity Church, which is known today as Kulich and Easter.
- During one of the polar campaigns, Kolchak named the island after the name of his bride, who was waiting for him in the capital. Cape Sofya retains the name given by him to our time.
- A. V. Kolchak became the fourth polar navigator in history to receive the highest award of the Geographical Society - the Konstantinovsky Medal. Before him, this honor was awarded to the great F. Nansen, N. Nordenskiöld, N. Jurgens.
- The maps compiled by Kolchak were used by Soviet sailors until the end of the 1950s.
- Before his death, Kolchak did not accept the offer to blindfold. He presented his cigarette case to the officer in charge of the execution of the Cheka.
