Who was Wrangel? Literary and historical notes of a young technician

Wrangel Pyotr Nikolaevich (born August 15 (August 27), 1878 - death April 25, 1928) Baron, lieutenant general, participant in the Russian-Japanese, World War I and Civil Wars, commander of the Armed Forces of the South of Russia and the Russian Army.

Awarded the Order of St. George, 4th degree (1914), the soldier's Cross of St. George (1917) and other orders. Author of the memoirs “Notes: in 2 parts” (1928).

Origin

The Wrangel family, dating back to the 13th century, was of Danish origin. Many of its representatives served under the banners of Denmark, Sweden, Germany, Austria, Holland and Spain, and when Livonia and Estland finally secured their place in Russia, the Wrangels began to faithfully serve the Russian crown. There were 7 field marshals, 18 generals and 2 admirals in the Wrangel family (the islands in the Arctic and Pacific oceans are named after one of them, F. Wrangel).

Many of the representatives of the Wrangel family in Russia devoted their lives to military careers. However, there were also those who refused it. One of them was Nikolai Georgievich Wrangel. Having abandoned his military career, he became director of the Equitable insurance company, which was located in Rostov-on-Don. Nikolai Georgievich had the title of baron, but had neither estates nor fortune. He inherited the title to his son, Pyotr Nikolaevich Wrangel, who became one of the most famous military figures of the early 20th century.

Education

Wrangel Pyotr Nikolaevich was born in Novoaleksandrovsk on August 27, 1878. Primary education he got a home, and then entered the Rostov real school. After graduating from college, Peter went to St. Petersburg, where in 1896 he successfully passed the exams at the Mining Institute.

Baron title and family ties allowed young Peter Wrangel to be accepted into high society, A higher education gave him the opportunity to serve military service, mandatory for Russian citizens, for only one year and choose his own place of service.

Russo-Japanese War 1904-1905

Peter Wrangel graduated from the Institute in 1901 and in the same year he volunteered in the Life Guards Horse Regiment. The next year he was promoted to cornet, having passed exams for the officer rank at the Nikolaev Cavalry School. Then, having retired to the reserve, he went to Irkutsk to serve as an official for special assignments under the Governor-General. The outbreak of the Russian-Japanese War of 1904-1905. found him in Siberia, and Wrangel again enters active duty military service, and goes to the Far East. There Pyotr Nikolaevich was enlisted in the 2nd Argun Regiment of the Transbaikal Cossack Army.

1904, December - Pyotr Wrangel was promoted to centurion - “for distinction in cases against the Japanese.” During military operations, for courage and bravery, he received his first military orders - St. Anne of the 4th degree and St. Stanislav. 1905 - served in a separate reconnaissance division of the 1st Manchurian Army and by the end of the war received the rank of captain ahead of schedule. During the war, Wrangel strengthened his desire to become a career military man.

Revolution 1905-1907

The first Russian revolution of 1905-1907. marched across Siberia, and Pyotr Nikolaevich, as part of the detachment of General A. Orlov, took part in pacifying the riots and eliminating the pogroms that accompanied the revolution.

1906 - with the rank of headquarters captain he is transferred to the 55th Finnish Dragoon Regiment, and the next year he is a lieutenant of the Life Guards Horse Regiment.

1907 - Pyotr Nikolaevich Wrangel entered Nikolaevskaya military academy General Staff, which he graduated in 1910 among the best - seventh on the list. It should be noted that the future marshal studied on the same course with Wrangel Soviet Union B. Shaposhnikov.

1911 - he takes a course at the cavalry officer school, receiving a squadron under his command, and becomes a member of the regimental court in the Life Guards Cavalry Regiment.

First World War

The outbreak of the First World War brought Pyotr Nikolaevich to the front. Together with the regiment, with the rank of captain of the guard, he became part of the 1st Army of the North-Western Front. Already in the first days of the war he was able to distinguish himself. 1914, August 6 - his squadron attacked and captured a German battery. He was awarded the Order of St. George, 4th degree. After the unsuccessful East Prussian operation, Russian troops retreated, but despite the fact that there was practically no active combat, Wrangel was repeatedly awarded for bravery and heroism. He was promoted to colonel and awarded the Golden Arms of St. George. For him the rank of officer was makes a lot of sense, and he said that he was obliged to set an example to his subordinates through personal courage.

1915, October - Pyotr Nikolaevich was transferred to the Southwestern Front and took command of the 1st Nerchinsky Regiment of the Transbaikal Cossack Army. Upon transfer, he was given the following description by his former commander: “Outstanding courage. He understands the situation perfectly and quickly, and is very resourceful in difficult situations.”

Under his command, the regiment fought in Galicia and took part in the famous “Brusilovsky breakthrough”. 1916 - Pyotr Nikolaevich Wrangel was promoted to major general and he became commander of the 2nd brigade of the Ussuri Cavalry Division. By the end of the war he was already heading the division.

Wrangel was a monarchist by his convictions, but often criticized both the senior command staff and personally in conversations. He associated failures in the war with the weakness of the command. He considered himself a true officer and made high demands both on himself and on anyone who wore officer's shoulder straps. Wrangel repeated that if an officer admits that his order may not be carried out, then “he is no longer an officer; officer's shoulder straps No". He was highly respected among fellow officers and ordinary soldiers. He considered the main things in military affairs to be military valor, the intelligence and honor of the commander and strict discipline.

Civil war

Wrangel with his wife Olga Ivanenko

February revolution Pyotr Nikolaevich accepted immediately and swore allegiance to the Provisional Government. But the collapse of the army that began soon had a very difficult impact on her state of mind. Not wanting to continue to take part in this, Pyotr Nikolaevich, citing illness, went on vacation and went to Crimea. For almost a year he led a very secluded life, practically did not communicate with anyone.

1918, summer - Wrangel decides to act. He comes to Kyiv to the former commander of the Life Guards Cavalry Regiment, General, and now Hetman Skoropadsky, and becomes under his banner. However, the hetman cared little about the revival of Russia; he fought for the “independence” of Ukraine. Because of this, conflicts began to arise between him and the general, and soon Wrangel decided to leave for Yekaterinodar.

Having joined the Volunteer Army, Wrangel received a cavalry brigade under his command, with which he participated in the 2nd Kuban campaign. Having extensive combat experience behind him, without losing courage, determination and courage, Pyotr Nikolaevich very soon received recognition as an excellent commander, and his command was entrusted first with the 1st Cavalry Division, and 2 months later with the entire 1st Cavalry Corps.

He enjoyed great authority in the army and often addressed the troops with bright patriotic speeches. His orders were always clear and precise. 1918, December - he was promoted to lieutenant general. It should be noted that Wrangel under no circumstances allowed a weakening or violation of discipline. For example, during successful operations In Ukraine, cases of looting have become more frequent in the Volunteer Army. Many commanders turned a blind eye to this, justifying the actions of their subordinates by the poor supply of the army. But the general did not want to put up with this and even used it in the units entrusted to him. public executions marauders as a warning to others.

Successful operations in the south significantly increased the front of the offensive. At the end of May 1919, a decision was made to create a new Caucasian army for operations in the Lower Volga. Pyotr Nikolaevich Wrangel was appointed commander of the army. The offensive of the Caucasian Army began successfully - they were able to take Tsaritsyn and Kamyshin and launch a campaign against Saratov. However, by the autumn of 1919, large Red forces were gathered against the Caucasian Army, and its victorious offensive was stopped. In addition, all reserves were transferred from the general to the Volunteer Army, which was advancing towards Tula and Moscow, which significantly weakened the Caucasian Army.

Having suffered a crushing defeat under counterattacks from the Southern Front, the Volunteer Army retreated. The remnants of the white armies were consolidated into one corps under the command of Kutepov, and Wrangel was instructed to go to Kuban to form new regiments. By this time, the disagreements between him and Denikin, which began in the summer of 1919, had reached their highest point. General Wrangel criticized Denikin both for the methods of military leadership, and on issues of strategy, and for the civilian policy he pursued. He opposed the undertaken campaign against Moscow and insisted on joining with. The result of the disagreement was that Wrangel was forced to leave the army and go to Constantinople.

Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the South

1920, March - Denikin resigns and asks the Military Council to find a replacement for him. Wrangel Pyotr Nikolaevich was elected (unanimously) as the new commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of the South.

Having taken office, Pyotr Nikolaevich first began to put the army in order and began to reorganize it. The generals whose troops were distinguished by indiscipline - Pokrovsky and Shkuro - were fired. The commander-in-chief also changed the name of the army - now it became known as the Russian Army, which, in his opinion, should attract more supporters to its ranks. He himself and the “Government of the South of Russia” he created tried to create a new state on the territory of Crimea that could fight the Soviets with an example of the best government structure. The reforms carried out by the government were not successful, and the support of the people was not received.

1920, early summer - the Russian army numbered 25,000 people in its ranks. Wrangel carried out a successful military operation to capture Northern Tavria, taking advantage of the fact that the main forces of the Reds were in Poland. In August, he sent a naval landing force to Kuban, which, not meeting the support of the Cossacks there, returned to Crimea. 1920, autumn - The Russian army tried to take active steps to capture Donbass and break through to Right Bank Ukraine. The size of Wrangel's army by this time had reached 60,000 people.

Fall of White Crimea

But soon military operations in Poland were stopped, and 5 armies were sent against the Russian army, including two cavalry armies under the command of M.V. Frunze, numbering more than 130,000 people. It took the Red Army just one week to liberate Northern Tavria, break through the Perekop fortifications and break into Crimea. The Russian army, unable to withstand a numerically superior enemy, began to retreat. General Wrangel nevertheless managed to make this retreat not a disorderly flight, but an organized withdrawal of units. From Crimea, tens of thousands of Russian army soldiers and refugees were sent to Turkey on Russian and French ships.

Emigration

Baron Wrangel stayed in Turkey for about a year, remaining with the army, maintaining order and discipline in it. During this year, the soldiers of the Russian army gradually dispersed around the world, and many went back to Russia. At the end of 1921, the remnants of the Russian army were transferred to Bulgaria and Yugoslavia.

Instead of the collapsed Russian army, the Russian All-Military Union (ROVS) was founded in Paris, which had departments in the countries where they found shelter former officers and members of the White movement. The purpose of the EMRO was to preserve officer cadres for future struggle.

Until his death, Baron Wrangel remained the leader of the EMRO and did not stop fighting the Bolsheviks. The EMRO carried out extensive reconnaissance work and had a combat department that developed plans for carrying out armed actions on the territory of the USSR.

Wrangel Pyotr Nikolaevich died in Brussels on April 25, 1928, several months short of his 50th birthday. His body was transported to Yugoslavia and solemnly buried in Belgrade in the Russian Church of the Holy Trinity.

, Russian Empire

Death April 25(1928-04-25 ) (49 years old)
Brussels, Belgium Burial place in Brussels, Belgium
reburied in the Church of the Holy Trinity in Belgrade, Kingdom of Yugoslavia Genus Tolsburg-Ellistfer from the Wrangel family Party

White movement

Education ,
Nikolaev Cavalry School,
Nikolaev Military Academy Profession engineer Activity Russian military leader, one of the leaders of the White Movement. Autograph Awards Military service Years of service 1901-1922 Affiliation Russian Empire Russian Empire
White movement White movement Branch of the military cavalry Rank lieutenant general Commanded cavalry division;
cavalry corps;
Caucasian Volunteer Army;
Volunteer Army;
Armed forces of the South of Russia;
Russian army Battles Russo-Japanese War
First World War
Civil war Pyotr Nikolaevich Wrangel at Wikimedia Commons

He received the nickname “black baron” for his traditional (since September 1918) everyday uniform - a black Cossack Circassian coat with gazyrs.

Origin and family

Came from home Tolsburg-Ellistfer the Wrangel family is an old noble family that traces its ancestry back to the beginning of the 13th century. The motto of the Wrangel family was: “Frangas, non flectes” (with lat. - “You will break, but you will not bend”).

The name of one of Pyotr Nikolaevich's ancestors is listed among the wounded on the fifteenth wall of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior in Moscow, where the names of Russian officers killed and wounded during the Patriotic War of 1812 are inscribed. A distant relative of Peter Wrangel - Baron Alexander Wrangel - captured Shamil. The name of an even more distant relative of Pyotr Nikolaevich - the famous Russian navigator and polar explorer Admiral Baron Ferdinand Wrangel - is named after Wrangel Island in the Arctic Ocean, as well as others geographical features in the Arctic and Pacific oceans.

Second cousins of Peter Wrangel's grandfather, Yegor Ermolaevich (1803-1868), were Professor Yegor Vasilyevich and Admiral Vasily Vasilyevich.

In October 1908, Peter Wrangel married a maid of honor, the daughter of the chamberlain of the Supreme Court, Olga Mikhailovna Ivanenko, who subsequently bore him four children: Elena (1909-1999), Peter (1911-1999), Natalya (1913-2013) and Alexei (1922- 2005).

Education

Participation in the Russo-Japanese War

Participation in the First World War

Because on February 20, 1915, when the brigade was moving around the defile near the village. Daukshe from the north, was sent with a division to capture the crossing over the river. Dovin near the village of Danelishki, which he completed successfully, delivering valuable information about the enemy. Then, with the approach of the brigade, he crossed the river. Dovinu and moved into the cut between two enemy groups near the village. Daukshe and M. Lyudvinov, overturned two companies of Germans covering their retreat from the village from three consecutive positions. Dauksha, having captured 12 prisoners, 4 charging boxes and a convoy during the pursuit.

In October 1915, he was transferred to the Southwestern Front and on October 8, 1915, he was appointed commander of the 1st Nerchinsky Regiment of the Transbaikal Cossack Army. Upon transfer, he was given the following description by his former commander: “Outstanding courage. He understands the situation perfectly and quickly, and is very resourceful in difficult situations.” Commanding this regiment, Baron Wrangel fought against the Austrians in Galicia, participated in the famous Lutsk breakthrough of 1916, and then in defensive positional battles. He placed military valor, military discipline, honor and the intelligence of the commander at the forefront. If an officer gives an order, Wrangel said, and it is 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, “for military distinction,” in January 1917 and his appointment as commander of the 2nd brigade of the Ussuri Cavalry Division, then in July 1917 as commander of the 7th cavalry division, and after - Commander of the Consolidated Cavalry Corps.

For a successfully carried out operation on the Zbruch River in the summer of 1917, General Wrangel was awarded the soldier's St. George Cross, IV degree with a laurel branch (No. 973657).

For the distinctions he showed as the commander of the consolidated cavalry corps, which covered the retreat of our infantry to the line of the Sbruch River in the period from July 10 to July 20, 1917.
- “Service record of the Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Army
Lieutenant General Baron Wrangel" (formed on December 29, 1921)

Participation in the Civil War

From the end of 1917 he lived at a dacha in Yalta, where he was soon arrested by the Bolsheviks. After a short imprisonment, the general, upon release, hid in Crimea until the German army entered it, after which he left for Kyiv, where he decided to cooperate with the hetman government of P. P. Skoropadsky. Convinced of the weakness of the new Ukrainian government, which rested solely on German bayonets, the baron leaves Ukraine and arrives in Yekaterinodar, occupied by the Volunteer Army, where he takes command of the 1st Cavalry Division. From this moment on, Baron Wrangel's service in the White Army begins.

In August 1918 he entered the Volunteer Army, having by this time the rank of major general and being a Knight of St. George. During the 2nd Kuban campaign he commanded the 1st Cavalry Division, and then the 1st Cavalry Corps. November 28, 1918, for successful fighting in the area of the village of Petrovskoye (where he was located at that time), he was promoted to the rank of lieutenant general.

Pyotr Nikolaevich was opposed to the conduct of battles along the entire front by mounted units. General Wrangel sought to gather the cavalry into a fist and throw it into the breakthrough. It was the brilliant attacks of Wrangel’s cavalry that determined the final result of the battles in the Kuban and North Caucasus.

In January 1919, for some time he commanded the Volunteer Army, and from January 1919 - the Caucasian Volunteer Army. He was in strained relations with the Commander-in-Chief of the AFSR, General A.I. Denikin, as he demanded a speedy offensive in the Tsaritsyn direction to join the army of Admiral A.V. Kolchak (Denikin insisted on a speedy attack on Moscow).

The baron's major military victory was the capture of Tsaritsyn on June 30, 1919, which had previously been unsuccessfully stormed three times by the troops of Ataman P. N. Krasnov during 1918. It was in Tsaritsyn that Denikin, who soon arrived there, signed his famous “Moscow Directive,” which, according to Wrangel, “was a death sentence for the troops of the South of Russia.” In November 1919, he was appointed commander of the Volunteer Army operating in the Moscow direction. On December 20, 1919, due to disagreements and conflict with the commander-in-chief of the AFSR, he was removed from command of the troops, and on February 8, 1920, he was dismissed and left for Constantinople.

On April 2, 1920, the commander-in-chief of the AFSR, General Denikin, decided to resign from his post. The next day, a military council was convened in Sevastopol, chaired by General Dragomirov, at which Wrangel was chosen as commander-in-chief. According to the memoirs of P. S. Makhrov, at the council, the first to name Wrangel was the chief of the fleet staff, captain 1st rank Ryabinin. On April 4, Wrangel arrived in Sevastopol on the English battleship Emperor of India and took command.

Wrangel's policy in Crimea

For six months of 1920, P. N. Wrangel, Ruler of the South of Russia and Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Army, tried to take into account the mistakes of his predecessors, boldly made previously unthinkable compromises, tried to win over various segments of the population to his side, but by the time he came to power, White the fight was actually already lost both in the international and in the domestic aspects.

General Wrangel, upon assuming the post of Commander-in-Chief of the AFSR, realizing the full extent of the vulnerability of Crimea, immediately took a number of preparatory measures in case of evacuation of the army - in order to avoid a repetition of the disasters of the Novorossiysk and Odessa evacuation. The Baron also understood that economic resources Crimea is insignificant and incomparable with the resources of the Kuban, Don, Siberia, which served as bases for the emergence of the White movement, and keeping the region isolated can lead to famine.

A few days after Baron Wrangel took office, he received information about the Reds preparing a new assault on the Crimea, for which the Bolshevik command brought here a significant amount of artillery, aviation, 4 rifle and cavalry divisions. Among these forces were also selected Bolshevik troops - the Latvian Division, the 3rd Infantry Division, which consisted of internationalists - Latvians, Hungarians, etc.

On April 13, 1920, the Latvians attacked and overthrew the advanced units of General Ya. A. Slashchev on Perekop and had already begun to move south from Perekop to the Crimea. Slashchev counterattacked and drove the enemy back, but the Latvians, receiving reinforcements after reinforcements from the rear, managed to cling to the Perekop Wall. The approaching Volunteer Corps decided the outcome of the battle, as a result of which the Reds were driven out of Perekop and were soon partially cut down and partially driven away by the cavalry of General Morozov near Tyup-Dzhankoy.

On April 14, General Baron Wrangel launched a counterattack against the Reds, having previously grouped the Kornilovites, Markovites and Slashchevites and reinforced them with a detachment of cavalry and armored cars. The Reds were crushed, but the approaching 8th Red Cavalry Division, knocked out the day before by Wrangel's troops from Chongar, as a result of their attack restored the situation, and the Red infantry again launched an attack on Perekop - however, this time the Red assault was no longer successful, and their advance was stopped at approaches to Perekop. In an effort to consolidate the success, General Wrangel decided to inflict flank attacks on the Bolsheviks, landing two troops (the Alekseevites on ships were sent to the Kirillovka area, and the Drozdovskaya division was sent to the village of Khorly, 20 km west of Perekop). Both landings were noticed by Red aviation even before the landing, so 800 Alekseevites after a difficult unequal battle with the entire 46th Estonian Red Division arrived with big losses broke through to Genichesk and were evacuated under the cover of naval artillery. The Drozdovites, despite the fact that their landing also did not come as a surprise to the enemy, were able to carry out the initial plan of the operation (Landing Operation Perekop - Khorly): they landed in the rear of the Reds, in Khorly, from where they walked behind enemy lines more than 60 miles with battles to Perekop, diverting the forces of the pressing Bolsheviks from him. For Khorly, the commander of the First (of two Drozdovsky) regiments, Colonel A.V. Turkul, was promoted to major general by the Commander-in-Chief. As a result, the assault on Perekop by the Reds was generally thwarted and the Bolshevik command was forced to postpone the next attempt to assault Perekop to May in order to transfer more troops here. great forces and then act for sure. In the meantime, the Red command decided to lock the AFSR in the Crimea, for which they began to actively construct barriers and concentrated large forces of artillery (including heavy) and armored vehicles.

V. E. Shambarov writes on the pages of his research about how the first battles under the command of General Wrangel affected the morale of the army:

General Wrangel quickly and decisively reorganized the army and renamed it on April 28, 1920 “Russian”. Cavalry regiments are replenished with horses. He is trying to strengthen discipline with harsh measures. Equipment is also starting to arrive. The coal delivered on April 12 allows the White Guard ships, which had previously been standing without fuel, to come to life. And Wrangel, in his orders for the army, already speaks of a way out of the difficult situation “ not only with honor, but also with victory».

The offensive of the Russian army in Northern Tavria

Having defeated several Red divisions, which tried to counterattack to prevent the White advance, the Russian Army managed to escape from Crimea and occupy the fertile territories of Northern Taurida, vital for replenishing the Army's food supplies.

Fall of White Crimea

Having accepted the Volunteer Army in a situation where the entire White Cause had already been lost by his predecessors, General Baron Wrangel, nevertheless, did everything possible to save the situation, but in the end, under the influence of military failures, he was forced to take out the remnants of the Army and civilian population who did not want to remain under Bolshevik rule.

By September 1920, the Russian army was still unable to liquidate the left bank bridgeheads of the Red Army near Kakhovka. On the night of November 8, the Southern Front of the Red Army under the overall command of M. V. Frunze launched a general offensive, the goal of which was to capture Perekop and Chongar and break through to the Crimea. The offensive involved units of the 1st and 2nd Cavalry armies, as well as the 51st division of Blucher and the army of N. Makhno. General A.P. Kutepov, who commanded the defense of Crimea, was unable to hold back the offensive, and the attackers broke into the territory of Crimea with heavy losses.

On November 11, 1920, the Revolutionary Military Council of the Southern Front addressed P. N. Wrangel on the radio with a proposal “immediately stop fighting and put down your weapons” With "guarantees" amnesty “...for all offenses related to the civil struggle.” P. N. Wrangel did not give an answer to M. V. Frunze; moreover, he hid the contents of this radio message from the personnel of his army, ordering the closure of all radio stations except one served by officers. The lack of response allowed the Soviet side to subsequently claim that the amnesty proposal had been formally annulled.

The remnants of the white units (approximately 100 thousand people) were evacuated in an organized manner to Constantinople with the support of transport and naval ships of the Entente.

The evacuation of the Russian army from Crimea, much more difficult than the Novorossiysk evacuation, according to contemporaries and historians, was successful - order reigned in all ports and the bulk of those wishing to get on board the ships. Before leaving Russia himself, Wrangel personally visited all Russian ports on a destroyer to make sure that the ships carrying refugees were ready to go to the open sea.

After the capture of the Crimean peninsula by the Bolsheviks, arrests and executions of the Wrangelites remaining in Crimea began. According to historians, from November 1920 to March 1921, from 60 to 120 thousand people were shot, according to official Soviet data from 52 to 56 thousand.

Emigration and death

In 1922, he moved with his headquarters from Constantinople to the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes, to Sremski Karlovtsi.

Wrangel was related to Vasily Shulgin’s illegal travel across the USSR in 1925-1926.

In September 1927, Wrangel moved with his family to Brussels. He worked as an engineer in one of the Brussels companies.

On April 25, 1928, he died suddenly in Brussels after suddenly contracting tuberculosis. According to his family, he was poisoned by his servant's brother, who was a Bolshevik agent. The version about the poisoning of Wrangel by an NKVD agent is also expressed by Alexander Yakovlev in his book “Twilight”.

The main part of the archive of P. N. Wrangel, according to his personal order, was transferred for storage to Stanford University in 1929. Some of the documents sank when the yacht Lucullus sank, some were destroyed by Wrangel. After the death of Wrangel’s widow in 1968, her archive, where her husband’s personal documents remained, was also transferred by the heirs to the Hoover Institution.

Awards

Memory

In 2009, a monument to Wrangel was unveiled in the Zarasai region of Lithuania.

In 2013, on the occasion of the 135th anniversary of the birth and the 85th anniversary of the death of P. N. Wrangel, a round table “The Last Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Army P. N. Wrangel” was held at the A. Solzhenitsyn House of Russian Abroad.

In 2014, the Baltic Union of Cossacks of the Union of Cossacks of Russia in the village of Ulyanovo, Kaliningrad Region (near the former Kaushen of East Prussia) installed a memorial plaque to Baron Pyotr Nikolaevich Wrangel and the Horse Guards soldiers who saved the situation in the Battle of Kaushen.

On April 4, 2017, the Literary and Artistic Prize named after. Lieutenant General, Baron P. N. Wrangel (Wrangel Prize)

In works of art

Film incarnations

Literature

Wrangel P. N. Notes
Trotsky L. To the officers of Baron Wrangel's army (Appeal)
Wrangel P. N. Southern Front (November 1916 - November 1920). Part I// Memories. - M.: Terra, 1992. - 544 p. - ISBN 5-85255-138-4.
Krasnov V. G. Wrangel. The tragic triumph of the baron: Documents. Opinions. Reflections. - M.: OLMA-PRESS, 2006. - 654 p. - (Riddles of history). - ISBN 5-224-04690-4.
Sokolov B.V. Wrangel. - M.: Young Guard, 2009. - 502 p. - (“Life of Remarkable People”) - ISBN 978-5-235-03294-1
Shambarov V. E. White Guardism. - M.: EKSMO; Algorithm, 2007. - (History of Russia. Modern view). -

Peter Wrangel is one of the most controversial figures of the White movement. Until the end of his life, he waged both open and “secret” war against the Bolsheviks, their agents abroad and the false organization “Trust”.

Black Baron

Of all the leaders of the White movement, Baron Wrangel was almost the only one who combined the qualities of a military man and a manager, a general and an official. He came from an old noble family that gave Russia a whole galaxy of talented military men, pioneers and successful businessmen, who was Pyotr Nikolaevich’s father, Nikolai Egorovich Wrangel. He also predicted a secular career for his eldest son, who, however, did not show much interest in military activities and was safely listed as a guard cornet in the reserve.

Everything changed during the Russian-Japanese War, when the young baron voluntarily took up the sword and never let it go. The bloody Russo-Japanese War brought awards for bravery and “distinction in deeds against the Japanese”, “St. George” for the crazy cavalry charge near Cachen during the First World War, which should have ended in defeat, but ended in complete victory and the capture of the enemy battery. Then the Civil War, the birth of the “black baron” and for many years fruitless labors in exile.

Pyotr Wrangel received the nickname “black baron” due to his constant habit of wearing a black Cossack Circassian coat. It was replicated with the lines of the song “The Red Army is Strongest of All”, became a household word and for a long time was an allegory of world evil, enemy of the people No. 1, who with his intrigues did not allow the “reborn country” to develop normally, seeking to return “monarchical slavery. And he himself favored very few people. It belongs to him famous phrase: “Even with the devil, but against the Bolsheviks.”

The case of the annulled amnesty and the missing manifesto

Under the command of Pyotr Nikolaevich were the small but still powerful remnants of his army. And he was going to preserve them at all costs, even if he sacrificed his moral principles.

On November 8, 1920, white troops lost the battle for Crimea - numerous Frunze troops broke into the territory of the peninsula. This was followed by a proposal on the radio for voluntary surrender and amnesty: “for all offenses related to the civil struggle,” which at that time was a popular practice of the Soviets, which made it possible to replenish the Red Army with valuable personnel. However, the appeal did not reach the soldiers. Wrangel ordered the closure of all radio stations except one operated by officers. The lack of response was perceived by the Soviet side as an obvious refusal, and the amnesty proposal was canceled.

The manifesto of Grand Duke Kirill Vladimirovich, sent to Wrangel twice: by mail and by chance, also disappeared without a trace. The second son of Vladimir Alexandrovich, the third son of Alexander II, declaring himself the guardian of the throne of the absent Emperor Nicholas II (the fate of the imperial family was unknown at that time), offered Wrangel “profitable cooperation.” It consisted in organizing a new open confrontation with the Bolsheviks with the help of the remnants of the White Army. It would seem, what else could someone who has spent too much time in exile dream of? white general, struggling to find a political force capable of fighting the Bolsheviks.

However, Kirill Vladimirovich’s reputation was very dubious. Not only is his marriage to cousin- Catholic Victoria Melita was not recognized by Nicholas II, who seriously intended to deprive the “possible” heir of the rights to the throne, since he was the first to support the February Revolution of 1917. But the main reason for the refusal, of course, was not old grudge, but the prince’s shortsightedness. Wrangel understood that the slogans “for the restoration of the empire” would not be supported by the Republicans who fought for Denikin. This means there may not be enough strength. Therefore, citing the failure to receive the manifesto, which disappeared twice without a trace, Pyotr Nikolaevich refused to accept the new guardian of the throne.

However, the story did not end there. Wrangel's White Army was too tasty a morsel to simply give up. On August 31, 1924, the self-appointed “guardian” declared himself Emperor of All Russia, Kirill I. Thus, the army automatically came under his command, since it was formally subordinate to the emperor. But the next day the army was gone - it was disbanded by Wrangel himself, and in its place appeared the Russian All-Military Union, headed by Peter Wrangel. Oddly enough, the EMRO exists to this day, following the same principles of 1924.

Party with a false ally. Operation Trust

Wrangel's formations caused serious concern among the Soviet command. “Special people” began to come for Denikin’s successor. So, in the fall of 1923, Yakov Blumkin, the murderer of the German ambassador Mirbach, knocked on his door.

The security officers pretended to be French cameramen, for whom Wrangel had previously agreed to pose. The box simulating a camera was filled to the brim with weapons; an additional Lewis machine gun was hidden in a tripod case.

But the conspirators immediately allowed serious mistake- they knocked on the door, which was completely unacceptable both in Serbia, where the action took place, and in France, where they had long ago switched to doorbells. The guards rightly considered that only people who came from Soviet Russia, and the gates, just in case, were not opened.

A more serious opponent turned out to be the false monarchist organization "Trust", whose tasks were to penetrate the emigrant elite, find out their plans, create a split among them, and eliminate key representatives of the white movement. Assurances that new Russia counter-revolutionary forces are growing stronger, and soon a retaliatory blow will be struck, they “bought” many: Grand Duke Nikolai Nikolaevich, on whom Peter Wrangel relied, General Alexander Kutepov, eager for activity, who began to send his people to Petrograd, Socialist Revolutionary Boris Savinkov. Even the famous British intelligence officer Sidney Reilly, the “king of espionage” and the future prototype of James Bond, was unable to figure out the enemy in time and was executed at the Lubyanka.

But Wrangel immediately suspected something was wrong, doubting the very possibility of the existence of counter-revolutionary forces in the Russia of that time, with the rampant Red Terror. For final verification, the black baron sent his man, a brave monarchist and best friend General Vasily Shulgin, who sought to find his missing son. "Trust" promised to provide assistance. Shulgin traveled through NEP Russia for three months, describing everything he saw. His impressions are presented in the book “Three Capitals”, which was published in huge quantities. In it he talked about the number of dissatisfied Soviet power. Allegedly prominent Soviet figures They constantly came to him and talked about how nice it would be to “take everything back.”

Trump card of the “black baron”

But Wrangel’s people monitored his movements in the USSR and found out that all of his interesting fellow travelers and representatives of the Soviet intelligentsia were career security officers. However, the baron was in no hurry to share his discoveries. Only after the cessation of funding by Grand Duke Nikolai Nikolaevich, who preferred to invest money in Kutepov’s senseless terrorist attacks, and the subsequent refusal of the English government to help, did Peter Wrangel decide to openly speak out.

On October 8, 1927, the magazine “Illustrated Russia,” popular abroad, published an article by journalist Burtsev about Shulgin’s journey, under the telling title “In the Networks of the GPU.” Burtsev wrote:

“The provocateurs knew that V.V. Shulgin would write memoirs about his trip to Russia, and they expressed concern to him that he, not well acquainted with the conditions of Russian life, might make some hints in the book that would help the GPU decipher his trip. Therefore, they asked that he give them the opportunity to view the manuscript of his book before printing his memoirs. V.V. Shulgin, of course, agreed to this and, thus, his memoirs were edited in Moscow at the GPU before printing.”

Almost a month later, the same publication published an interview with the “black baron”, where he recalled the “merits” of Nikolai Nikolaevich and Alexander Kutepov, who by their actions deprived the white movement of its last chance of existence: “The methods of the GPU, unprecedented in their monstrosity, put many to sleep. Is it because the incapable commander lost the battle, throwing his units on the offensive, without carrying out proper reconnaissance, without providing this offensive with the proper forces and means, should we conclude that the eternal principle “only the offensive ensures victory” is incorrect? Work in Russia is necessary and possible. The world is beginning to understand that Bolshevism is not only a Russian, but a global evil, and that the fight against this evil is a common cause. Healthy forces are maturing and strengthening within Russia. Despite all the trials I have experienced, I look confidently into the future.”

Of course, such an unexpected death, which came for the general in the midst of his counter-revolutionary activities, could not but cause rumors and rumors about the elimination of Wrangel by OGPU agents. The Paris newspaper “Echo de Paris” was the first to announce this the next day after his death: “very persistent rumors are circulating that General Wrangel was poisoned, that he allegedly “only recently told one of his friends that he should take extreme measures.” precautions regarding his diet, as he fears poisoning.”

This point of view was also supported by members of the Wrangel family. According to their version, the “poisoner” was an unknown guest who was staying in the Wrangel house on the eve of his illness. Allegedly, this was the brother of the messenger Yakov Yudikhin, who was attached to the general. The sudden relative, whose presence the soldier had not previously mentioned, was a sailor on a Soviet merchant ship stationed in Antwerp.

The reasons for such a sudden death of the “black baron,” as the communists called him, or the “white knight” (in the memories of his white comrades) remain a mystery.

People of the older generation well remember the famous Bolshevik hit “White Army, Black Baron,” but not everyone knows that it so darkly referred to Wrangel Pyotr Nikolaevich, whose biography formed the basis of this article. And few people know that he received this nickname during his lifetime not for any dark deeds, but only because of his passion for the black Circassian coat, which he preferred to an ordinary uniform.

Famous graduate of the Mining Institute

Wrangel Pyotr Nikolaevich was born on August 15, 1878 in the city of Novoaleksandrovsk, Kovno province. He inherited his baronial title from his ancestors, whose names appear in chronicles dating back to the 13th century. Representatives of the Wrangel family also occupied a worthy place among statesmen and scientists of subsequent centuries.

In his youth, Pyotr Nikolaevich hardly thought about a military career; in any case, in 1896 he entered the St. Petersburg Mining Institute, after graduating from which he became an engineer. However, belonging to the highest aristocratic circle implied the presence officer rank, and in order not to break tradition, he served for two years as a volunteer in the Life Guards Cavalry Regiment, after which, having successfully passed the exam, he was promoted to cornet.

Official career and happy marriage

Having resigned, Pyotr Nikolaevich Wrangel went to Irkutsk, where he was offered a very promising position as an official on special assignments under the Governor General. That's how he would live, rising to set time along the steps of the career ladder, if not for the Russo-Japanese War. Without considering oneself the right to remain aloof from the events that took place on Far East, Pyotr Nikolaevich returns to the army and takes part in battles, where for his heroism he is awarded a number of awards and promoted to lieutenant. From now on, military service becomes his life's work.

Another thing happens soon important event- he marries Olga Mikhailovna Ivanenko, the daughter of one of the dignitaries of the Highest Court. This marriage, which resulted in four children, was a true gift from heaven for both, and, having gone through the most difficult years together, the couple did not part until the death of Pyotr Nikolaevich.

New war and new differences

Returning to the capital, Pyotr Nikolaevich Wrangel continued his education, this time within the walls of the Nikolaev Military Academy, after graduating from which he met the First world war squadron commander of the Horse Regiment. The next three years became a period of amazing growth in his officer's career. Having served at the front as a captain, in 1917 he returned with the rank of major general - holder of most of Russia's highest military awards. This is how the Motherland celebrated the battle path of its devoted soldier.

The path to the Volunteer Army

He perceived the seizure of power by the Bolsheviks and the violence they committed as a crime, and, not wanting to participate in them, he and his wife left for Yalta, where at a dacha they owned he was soon arrested by local security officers. The Red Terror had not yet been unleashed, and people were not shot just for belonging to the noble class, therefore, not finding a reason for further detention, he was soon released.

When German units entered Crimea, Pyotr Nikolaevich Wrangel received relative freedom of movement, and, taking advantage of it, left for Kyiv, where he hoped to establish cooperation with Hetman Skoropadsky. However, having arrived there and familiarized himself with the situation, he soon became convinced of the weakness and unviability of his pro-German government and, leaving Ukraine, departed for Yekaterinodar, which was occupied at that time by the Volunteer Army.

In August 1918, Lieutenant General Wrangel took command of the 1st Cavalry Division of the Volunteer Army. In battles with the red units, he showed the same extraordinary leadership talent as he once did on the fronts of the First World War, only now his compatriots became his opponents, which could not but affect the general morale of the commander.

Nevertheless, putting above all else the duty of a soldier who has sworn an oath of allegiance to the Tsar and the Fatherland, he devotes himself entirely to the fight, and soon his military labors receive due appreciation - a new promotion in rank, this time he becomes a lieutenant general and a cavalier of new military awards

The tactics he developed have gone down in the history of military art, in which cavalry units are not dispersed along the front line, but gathered into a single fist inflict a crushing blow on the enemy, which in most cases decides the outcome of the entire battle. This is how he managed to win a series major victories in the North Caucasus and Kuban.

Master of the south of Russia

Despite the success that invariably accompanied his units, Wrangel was forced to resign at the height of the war. The reason for this was his disagreements with the commander of the Southern Front, General A.I. Denikin, only after whose departure he again continued his activities, taking his place.

From now on, Pyotr Nikolaevich Wrangel became the sovereign master of the south of Russia. The White movement, which had previously swept the entire country, was practically suppressed by the beginning of 1920, and the capture of Crimea by units of the Red Army was essentially only a matter of time. Nevertheless, even in such a situation, when the outcome of the war was already a foregone conclusion, for six months he retained in his hands this last stronghold of the former Russia.

Latest efforts

Pyotr Nikolaevich is trying to turn the tide of events by attracting to his side the most diverse segments of the population of the southern regions of the country. For this purpose, he developed an agrarian reform, if adopted, the bulk of agricultural land would become the property of peasants. Changes were also made to labor legislation to provide workers with increased wages. However, time was lost, nothing could be changed.

In the current situation, the only realistically feasible task was to ensure the evacuation of military units, as well as the civilian population who did not want to be under the rule of the Bolsheviks. Wrangel coped with this task brilliantly. Under his leadership, in November 1920, more than 146 thousand refugees were transported from Crimea to Constantinople. Together with them, Pyotr Nikolaevich Wrangel left his homeland forever.

They deserve special attention, after all, they indicate that, once abroad, Wrangel did not fall out of the sight of the Russian special services; a real hunt was organized for him. The first link in this chain of events was an incident that occurred in the roadstead of Constantinople, where the yacht “Lucullus” was moored, on which Pyotr Nikolaevich lived with his family. One day she was sunk by a ship that came from Batum that crashed into her for no apparent reason. Then, fortunately, the couple were not injured, as they were on the shore.

Having moved to Europe and leading the union he created, which united more than 100 thousand. former members White movement, Pyotr Nikolaevich began to pose a real danger to the Bolsheviks, and on April 25, 1927, he was poisoned by a specially sent OGPU agent. Death overtook him in Brussels, where he worked as an engineer at one of the companies. His body was buried there.

How this and a number of other special operations to eliminate Wrangel were developed became known only during the years of perestroika after part of the archives of the special services were declassified. In subsequent years, the descendants of Wrangel Peter Nikolaevich transferred his ashes to Belgrade, where he was reburied in the fence Orthodox Church Holy Trinity.

His children Elena (1909 - 1999), Natalya (1913 - 2013), Alexey (1922 - 2005) and Peter (1911 - 1999), unlike their father, turned out to be long-lived, but none of them returned to Russia. The current generation of Wrangels also has no connection with their historical homeland.

Baron, Russian military leader, lieutenant general (1918). Participant Civil War 1918-1920, one of the leaders of the white movement, commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of the South of Russia (1920).

Pyotr Nikolaevich Wrangel was born on August 15 (27), 1878 in the city of Novoaleksandrovsk, Kovno province (now Zarasai in Lithuania) in the family of Baron Nikolai Egorovich Wrangel (1847-1923).

P. N. Wrangel spent his childhood and youth in: in this city, his father was the director of an insurance company. In 1896, the future military leader graduated from the Rostov Real School. In 1896-1901, he studied at the Mining Institute in, and received a degree in engineering.

In 1901, P. N. Wrangel volunteered in the Life Guards Horse Regiment. In 1902, having passed the exam at the Nikolaev Cavalry School, he was promoted to the Cornet Guard and enlisted in the reserve. After this, the young officer left the army and went to, where he served as an official on special assignments under the governor general.

With the beginning Russo-Japanese War 1904-1905 P. N. Wrangel returned to military service. The Baron volunteered for active army and was assigned to the 2nd Verkhneudinsk Regiment of the Transbaikal Cossack Army. In December 1904, he was promoted to the rank of centurion "for distinguished service in cases against the Japanese" and awarded the Order of St. Anne, 4th class, and St. Stanislaus, 3rd class, with swords and bow. In January 1906, Baron Wrangel was appointed to the 55th Finnish Dragoon Regiment with the rank of staff captain. In 1907, he returned to the Life Guards Cavalry Regiment with the rank of lieutenant.

In 1910, P. N. Wrangel graduated from the Nikolaev Academy of the General Staff, and in 1911, he graduated from the Officer Cavalry School course. At the beginning of the First World War, he was a squadron commander of the Life Guards Cavalry Regiment with the rank of captain. In October 1914, Baron Wrangel was awarded the Order of St. George, 4th degree, for an equestrian attack near Caushen, during which an enemy battery was captured. In December 1914 he was promoted to colonel, and in June 1915 he was awarded the honorary Arms of St. George.

During the First World War, P. N. Wrangel commanded a regiment, brigade, and division, and in 1917 he was promoted to major general “for military distinction.” He was appointed to command the 3rd Cavalry Corps, but “due to the Bolshevik coup, he refused to serve the enemies of the Motherland and did not take command of the corps.”

In 1918, P. N. Wrangel came to the Don, where he joined white movement and joined the Volunteer Army. In 1919 he became commander of the Caucasian Volunteer Army. Baron Wrangel's major military victory was the capture on June 30, 1919. In November 1919, P.N. Wrangel was appointed commander of the Volunteer Army forces operating in the Moscow direction. In December 1919, due to disagreements with the baron, he was forced to resign and go to Constantinople.

In March 1920, P. N. Wrangel took command of the Armed Forces of the South, replacing him in this post. In April 1920, he reorganized the All-Russian Socialist Republic into the Russian Army. During the period of leadership of the white movement, he made an unsuccessful attempt to create an independent state entity in Crimea.

In November 1920, P. N. Wrangel led the evacuation of the Russian army from Crimea. From that time on, he lived in exile in Turkey (1920-1922), Yugoslavia (1922-1927) and Belgium (1927-1928). In 1924, the baron created the Russian All-Military Union (ROVS), the most significant association of right-wing monarchist circles of the Russian emigration.

P. N. Wrangel died on April 25, 1928 in Brussels (Belgium). In 1929, his ashes were transferred to Belgrade and solemnly reburied in the Russian Church of the Holy Trinity.