Message about Peter Nikolaevich Wrangel. Black Baron without a royal throne

Death was on his heels. But he was brave, successful and courageous, he endlessly loved his homeland and served it honestly. It is no coincidence that he bore the title “The Last Knight of the Russian Empire.”

"Black Baron"

This nickname was given to the person we want to talk about. This is Wrangel Petr Nikolaevich. short biography it will be presented in the article.

He is actually a baron by birth. Born in the Kovno province of Russia, in the city of Novoaleksandrovsk (now Kaunas). The family is from the nobility, very ancient family. It is from the 13th century. From Henrikus de Wrangel - a knight of the Teutonic Order - he traces his genealogy.

And the general was nicknamed “black” because since 1918 he constantly wore a Cossack Circassian coat of this color. And even decorated with gazirs. These are small cylinders made of bone or silver, where they were placed powder charges. Gazyrs were usually attached to breast pockets.

Pyotr Nikolaevich was a very popular figure. Mayakovsky, for example, wrote: “He walked with a sharp step in a black Circassian coat.”

Descendant of glorious military men

He is an engineer by training. Graduated from the Mining Institute. His father, Nikolai Egorovich Wrangel, was an art critic and also a writer. Also a big collector of antiques.

This is probably why my son never thought of becoming a professional soldier. But the genes apparently did their job. But the fact is that General P.N. Wrangel is a direct branch from Herman the Elder. There was such a field marshal in Sweden (XVII century). And his great-grandson named George Gustav served as a colonel under Charles XII himself. And already the son of the latter, whose name was Georg Hans, became a major, only in the Russian army. Not only grandfathers and fathers, but also uncles and nephews were military men and fought in those battles that Russia often waged. Their family gave Europe seven field marshals, the same number of admirals, and more than thirty generals.

Therefore, young Peter knew all this, understood, and could follow the example of his ancestors. The same Russian officer, whose name is inscribed not just anywhere, but on the wall of one famous temple in Moscow. He is listed among those who suffered in the war of 1812. Another brave relative captured Shamil, the elusive leader of the highlanders. The Arctic explorer and also an admiral are also famous. The island is named after him. And Pushkin is a relative of the “black baron” through his grandfather Hannibal, an arap

An interesting, voluminous topic dedicated to such outstanding personality, like Wrangel Pyotr Nikolaevich, it is very difficult to briefly summarize. It contains many facts that most fully convey the image of this exceptional person. Take just one motto of this kind - “I’m dying, but I’m not giving up!” But the hero of our essay followed him all his life.

War with Japan

So, the newly minted engineer Pyotr Nikolaevich Wrangel did not see any connection between himself and the army in the future. True, I studied for another year in the Horse Regiment. But the new cornet was recorded... as a reserve. And he went far away to work - to Irkutsk. And not at all a military man, but a civilian official.

All the cards were mixed up by the outbreak of war. Wrangel volunteered for it. And at the front he showed his innate military qualities for the first time. This became his real calling.

By the end of 1904 he was promoted to centurion. Two orders were awarded: St. Anne and St. Stanislav. They became the first “instances” in his large collection of awards.

When the end of the war came, the engineer could no longer imagine himself without the army. He even graduated from the Imperial Academy of the General Staff in 1910.

Cavalry squadron

Wrangel Pyotr Nikolaevich met the First World War with the rank of captain. Commanded a unit

He already had a wife and 3 children. I might not have gone to the front. But I didn’t allow myself to do that. And in reports from the front, the authorities again wrote about the outstanding courage of Captain Wrangel.

Only three weeks have passed since the beginning of this massacre, and his detachment managed to distinguish itself. The cavalrymen dashed forward. The enemy battery was captured. And Wrangel was noted for such a feat (among the first). Received the Order of St. George. Soon he rose to the rank of colonel. In 1917, in January, he became a major general. He is valued as a very promising military man. In the description they wrote that Wrangel had “outstanding courage.” He deals with any situation quickly, especially in a serious one. And also extremely resourceful.

In the summer of the same year - the next step. Wrangel Pyotr Nikolaevich is now the commander of a large cavalry corps. But again it dramatically changed the trajectory of his life.

Gather into a fist

Her hereditary baron and important general could not accept her for obvious reasons. Left the army. He moved to Yalta and lived with his family at his dacha. Here he was arrested by local Bolsheviks. But what could they show him? Noble origins? Military merits? Therefore, he was soon released, but hid until german army did not enter Crimea.

He left for Kyiv. I decided to enter the service of Hetman Pavel Skoropadsky. However, he was soon disappointed. The Ukrainian government (new) turned out to be weak. It held out only thanks to the German bayonets.

Wrangel goes to the city of Ekaterinodar. As a commander (1st Cavalry Division) he joins the volunteer army. Thus began the baron’s new service in the White Army.

Experts still say that its successes are largely the merit of Wrangel and his cavalry. After all, he always has his own tactics. For example, he was against fighting along the entire front. He preferred to gather cavalrymen into a “fist” and throw them into breaking through a single sector. The blow was always so powerful that the enemy simply ran away. These brilliant operations, which were developed and carried out by the “black baron”, ensured the victories of the army both in the Kuban and in the North Caucasus.

Out of favor with Denikin

The city of Tsaritsyn was captured by Wrangel’s cavalry in June 1919. And just like that, it happens! After such success, the baron fell into disgrace. Anton Denikin, commander in chief of the volunteer army, was angry with him. Why? The fact is that both of them - major military men - had opposing views on further measures. Denikin aimed to go to Moscow, while Wrangel - to unite with Kolchak (in the east).

The biography of Pyotr Nikolaevich Wrangel shows that he was one hundred percent right. For the campaign against the capital was a failure. But the rightness of his opponent infuriated Denikin even more. And he removed the general from business.

Wrangel retired (February 1920). Left for Constantinople.

New Hope

So, is a brilliant career over? No, heaven decreed otherwise. A few months later Denikin left. He himself resigned. A military council was convened in Sevastopol. Wrangel was elected commander in chief.

But what did he hope for? After all, the situation of the “whites” - and this is very clear - was simply sad. The army kept retreating. Complete destruction was already looming on the horizon.

However, having nevertheless accepted the army, Wrangel performed an incredible miracle. He stopped the advance of the “red” fighters. The White Guards settled firmly in Crimea.

King for a day

During these six months, the last Russian knight did a lot. Given the mistakes, he made incredible compromises. I wanted to make my supporters people from all walks of life. He developed a plan for agrarian reform, which involved allocating land to peasants. Also adopted draft socio-economic measures. They had to “defeat” Russia, but not with weapons at all, but with their successes.

The baron also envisioned countries, proposed recognizing the independence of both the highlanders and also of Ukraine.

But by the time he came to power, the White Guard movement had been lost - both internationally (the West refused to help them) and domestically. The Bolsheviks controlled most of Russia with far greater resources.

In the spring of 1920, Wrangel again had to raise troops to repel the attack of the “Reds”. This was successful in the summer. The "Whites" entered the territory of Northern Tavria. They needed to stock up on food. However, then there were no more successes.

The main thing is that we wasted time. IN Soviet Russia people have not even heard about Wrangel’s proposed reforms. For them, he is always just a “black baron” who strives to return the “royal throne.”

Yes, the general did not hide his sympathies. Being politically flexible and smart, he did not focus on this in his program. And he definitely didn’t insist at all, which, unfortunately, no longer mattered.

Emigration

It is impossible to tell everything about the life of Pyotr Nikolaevich Wrangel in one article. Volumes could be devoted to the period of his stay abroad alone.

In November 1920, the Red Army broke into Crimea. And in this situation, General Wrangel again showed himself perfectly. He managed to organize the evacuation of the White Army and civilians abroad in such a way that there was no confusion or chaos. Everyone who wanted to left left. Wrangel personally controlled this when he toured the ports on a destroyer.

It was simply a feat. Only Wrangel can do it. After all, the general took out from Crimea (in November 1920), no less than 132 ships, loaded to the very limit! Refugees sailed on them - 145 thousand 693 people, as well as ship crews.

The organizer himself also left. There, far from his homeland, he founded the Russian All-Military Union (1924), which was ready at any moment to enter into an armed struggle against Bolshevism. And he was able to do it. The entire backbone was former officers. It was the largest and most powerful organization of white emigrants. There were more than one hundred thousand members registered.

The Bolsheviks treated them with great caution. It is no coincidence that many leaders were either kidnapped or killed by the Soviet secret services.

In the fall of 1927, the baron, who really dreamed of revenge, had to remember what he had in his hands big family. Need to feed. From Constantinople he moved with his family to Brussels. How an engineer got a job at a company.

On the battlefield

Every day of military everyday life, of which the military general turned out to be a lot, he was very brave. The story alone, which happened back in the First World War, is worth it. The commander of the cavalry squadron was, as always, brave and impetuous. In one place today Kaliningrad region Captain Wrangel, having obtained permission to attack the enemy battery, carried out the attack with lightning speed. And captured two guns. Moreover, they managed to fire the last shot from one of them. He killed the horse on which the commander was sitting...

While in Constantinople, Wrangel Pyotr Nikolaevich lived on a yacht. One day it was rammed. It was an Italian ship, but it came from our Batumi. The yacht sank before our eyes. None of the Wrangel family was on board at the time. And three crew members died. The strange circumstances of this incident raised suspicions of a deliberate collision with the yacht. They have been confirmed today by researchers of the work of the Soviet special services. Olga Golubovskaya, an emigrant and agent of the Soviet authorities, is involved in this.

And one more fact. Just six months after arriving in Brussels, Pyotr Nikolaevich unexpectedly died (from tuberculosis infection). However, his relatives suggested that he was poisoned by the brother of a servant who was assigned to the baron. He was also an NKVD agent. This version is confirmed today by other sources.

Fast paced life! Interesting fate. There is a book, the preface to which was written by the prose writer Nikolai Starikov, “Memoirs of Pyotr Nikolaevich Wrangel.” It's worth reading. Provokes deep thought.

Wrangel Petr Nikolaevich (1878-1928) - Russian military and political figure, one of the leaders White movement.

Born on August 15 (27), 1878 in Novoaleksandrovsk, Kovno province (modern Zarasai, Lithuania) into a noble family. Father N.E. Wrangel is a scion of an ancient Swedish baronial family; landowner and large entrepreneur. He graduated from the Rostov Real School (1896) and the Mining Institute in St. Petersburg (1901). In 1901 he entered the 1st category as a volunteer in the Life Guards Horse Regiment; in 1902 he was promoted to officer (guard cornet) and enlisted in the guards cavalry reserve.

In 1902-1904 - an official for special assignments under the Irkutsk Governor-General. During the Russo-Japanese War he volunteered for the front: with the rank of cornet he served in the 2nd Verkhneudinsk Regiment of the Transbaikal Cossack Army, in the 2nd Argun Cossack Regiment and in the 2nd Hundred of the Separate Scout Division; in September 1905 he was promoted ahead of schedule to the rank of captain. For military services he was awarded the Order of St. Anne, 3rd and 4th degree, and St. Stanislav, 3rd degree.

After the war, he decided to remain in military service. In January 1906 he received the rank of staff captain; transferred to the 55th Finnish Dragoon Regiment. In August 1906 he was assigned to the Life Guards Cavalry Regiment; from March 1907 - lieutenant of the guard. In 1907-1910 he studied at the Nikolaev Academy General Staff. After graduating from the Academy, he refused staff work. He returned to the Horse Regiment and in May 1912 became squadron commander. In August 1913 he was promoted to captain of the guard.

At the very beginning of the First World War, he distinguished himself in the battle of Kaushen (East Prussia); awarded the Order of St. George, 4th degree. In September 1914 he was appointed chief of staff of the Combined Cavalry Division, then assistant commander of the Life Guards Cavalry Regiment. In December he became aide-de-camp and colonel of the guard. In February 1915 he showed heroism during the Prasnysz operation (Poland); awarded the Arms of St. George. From October 1915 he commanded the 1st Nerchinsk Regiment of the Ussuri Cossack Division, and from December 1916 - the 1st Brigade of this division. In January 1917, he was promoted to major general for military services.

The February revolution was met with hostility. He fought for the preservation of military discipline, against the omnipotence of soldiers' committees. On July 9 (22), 1917, he became commander of the 7th Cavalry Division, and on July 11 (24) - commander of the Consolidated Cavalry Corps. During the Tarnopol breakthrough of German troops (mid-July) he covered the retreat of Russian infantry to the Zbruch River; awarded the soldier's St. George Cross, 4th degree. In September 1917, in an atmosphere of increasing anarchy in the army, he refused his appointment to the post of commander of the Minsk Military District and resigned.

After October revolution left Petrograd for Crimea. In February 1918 he was arrested in Yalta by Black Sea sailors; barely escaped execution. He rejected the offer of P.P. Skoropadsky, who became the ruler of Ukraine with the support of Germany, to head the headquarters of the future Ukrainian army. In August 1918 he moved to Yekaterinodar, where he joined the Volunteer Army; appointed commander of the 1st Cavalry Division. Successfully fought against the Bolsheviks in Kuban. In November 1918 he was promoted to lieutenant general and given command of the 1st Cavalry Corps. On January 8, 1919, A.I. Denikin, who headed the Armed Forces of the South of Russia, handed over to him the post of commander of the Volunteer Army.

By the end of January 1919, his troops ousted the Bolsheviks from North Caucasus. On May 22 he became commander of the Caucasian Army. Objected to strategic plan Denikin for the capture of Moscow, which provided for the division of the white forces into three strike groups. He led the offensive in the Saratovo-Tsaritsyn direction. Tsaritsyn was taken on June 30, Kamyshin was taken on July 28. During the Red counteroffensive in August-September 1919, his troops were thrown back to Tsaritsyn. In October he resumed his offensive to the north, which was soon stopped.

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. Bloody Russo-Japanese War brought awards for bravery and “distinction in affairs against the Japanese”, “Saint George” for the crazy horse attack 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. After Civil War, the birth of the “black baron” and long 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 name 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 could knock, and, just in case, they did not open the gate.

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, during 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 for three months across NEP Russia, 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.

The “Black Baron” of the white movement belonged to a noble and ancient noble family of the Baltic Germans, which was very famous in Russia. Unlike other representatives of the Wrangel family, his father was not a military man, but an industrialist and financier. Pyotr Nikolaevich was born near present-day Kaunas in Lithuania on August 15, 1878, but he spent his childhood in Rostov-on-Don. There he graduated from the Rostov Real School, after which he entered the Mining Institute in St. Petersburg. Having received the specialty of a mining engineer (with a gold medal), Wrangel in 1902 passed the exams at the Nikolaev Cavalry School and was promoted to cornet. After which, after leaving the army, he left for Irkutsk, where he worked as an official under the governor. When the war with Japan began, Wrangel volunteered for the 2nd Verkhneudinsk Regiment of the Transbaikal Cossack Army. In December 1904, Cornet Wrangel received the rank of centurion “for distinction in affairs against the Japanese” and was awarded the Order of St. Anne, 4th class, and St. Stanislav, 3rd class, with swords and bow. After the war, with the rank of staff captain, he was transferred to the 55th Finnish Dragoon Regiment. From there he was immediately seconded to the Northern Detachment of Major General Orlov's Retinue, in which he took part in the suppression of revolutionary uprisings in the Baltic states. For this, in 1906, Nicholas II personally awarded Wrangel the Order of St. Anne, 3rd class. In 1907, under the patronage of the Emperor, he entered service with the rank of lieutenant in the Life Guards Cavalry Regiment, and in 1910 he graduated from the Nikolaev General Staff Academy. After this she studied at the Officer Cavalry School, and in 1912 Wrangel became commander of His Majesty's squadron.

With the outbreak of the First World War, he was with his regiment from the first day at the front. On August 6, 1914, commanding his squadron, Wrangel quickly captured artillery positions near Kaushenami in East Prussia. For this feat he was awarded the Order of St. George, 4th degree, and became one of the first of its holders to be awarded in this campaign. In September 1914, Captain Wrangel became chief of staff of the Combined Cavalry Division, commanded by General Pavel Skoropadsky. And two months later he received the rank of colonel and became an aide-de-camp of His Majesty’s retinue, which testified to his special closeness to the Emperor. In June 1915 he was awarded the St. George's Arms for bravery. In October 1915, Wrangel became commander of the 1st Nerchinsky Regiment of the Ussuri Division of the Transbaikal Cossack Army. The future leaders of the White movement in the east, Baron von Ungern and Ataman Semenov, fought under his command. In 1916, the Ussuri division was transferred to the Southwestern Front, where it took part in the Brusilov breakthrough. Being faithful to the idea of ​​​​the monarchy, Wrangel met the February Revolution sharply negatively, so the Provisional Government had no authority in his eyes. In the summer of 1917, already a major general, he was awarded the Soldier's Cross of St. George, 4th degree with a laurel branch, for military merits. During the August speech of General Kornilov, Wrangel, being his supporter, was unable to send his cavalry corps to support him, after which he resigned.

Baron Wrangel during the Civil War

After the Bolsheviks came to power, Wrangel left with his family for Yalta, where he lived as a private citizen until the spring of 1918. He was arrested by the Sevastopol Cheka, but was soon released and hid in Tatar villages until the Germans arrived. After the expulsion of the Bolsheviks, he decides to re-enter military service and goes to Kyiv, where he former boss Pavel Skoropadsky was proclaimed Hetman of Ukraine. But Wrangel did not stay long in Kyiv. Convinced of the weakness of the Hetman's political position, in August 1918 he left for Yekaterinodar, where he joined the Volunteer Army. Since Wrangel had an excellent reputation in military circles, Denikin gave the 1st Cavalry Division under his command. As one of the volunteers later recalled, “The services that Wrangel provided to the army lived up to expectations. From the very beginning he showed himself to be an outstanding cavalry commander." In October, battles began for Armavir and Stavropol, and by the end of 1918, the entire North Caucasus was controlled by the Volunteer Army. 11th Soviet army was defeated, and its remnants went to Astrakhan. For his skillful command, Wrangel received the rank of lieutenant general and received the 1st Cavalry Corps under his command.

In January 1919, after the reorganization of the Volunteer Army, Wrangel became commander of the Caucasian Volunteer Army, and in February the Kuban Rada awarded him the Order of the Salvation of the Kuban, 1st degree. At the same time, Wrangel almost died of typhus, but soon recovered and in May took command of the Kuban Army. Thanks to his skillful leadership, the heavily fortified Tsaritsyn was taken by storm in June. Denikin, who arrived there, in a state of euphoria, issued the “Moscow Directive”, in which he designated Moscow as the main direction of attack. According to Wrangel, this order “was a death sentence for the troops of the South of Russia,” since before the march on Moscow it was necessary to first strengthen the Yekaterinoslav-Tsaritsyn line and create a large cavalry group in the Kharkov region as a reserve for the offensive. And most importantly, direct the main blow in the Volga region, to connect with Kolchak, after which the united white armies could redoubled force hit the red ones. Denikin did not heed Wrangel’s arguments, which caused an open confrontation between them, which was aggravated by the fact that each of them belonged to different social groups. The son of a serf peasant and a representative of a baronial family harbored hostility towards each other at a deep level. After the defeat of the Dobrarmiya, Wrangel resigned in February 1920 and left for Istanbul, but in April, after Denikin’s resignation, he returned to Crimea and assumed the post of Commander-in-Chief of the AFSR. Over the next six months he struggled to find allies for the White cause. An agreement was signed on the autonomy of the Don, Kuban, Terek and Astrakhan and the independence of the mountain federation of the North Caucasus was recognized. A military alliance was concluded with the army of the UPR Directory and unsuccessful attempts attract the Makhnovists to their side. To create a new social base land reform was carried out in the interests of the wealthy and middle peasants. But all these measures were taken too late, and Wrangel’s forces in the fight against Bolshevism were unequal.

After the Red Army broke through the Perekop line, an evacuation order was issued on October 29, 1920. On November 3, a squadron of 126 ships entered the open sea and headed for the Turkish shores, and in total about 145 thousand people left Crimea. For more than two years, the remnants of the White Army were in a military camp in Galipolli, after which they settled in Bulgaria and Serbia, which agreed to accept them. Wrangel himself, with his family and headquarters, moved to Belgrade, where he created the Russian All-Military Union, which united participants in the White movement in exile. In 1927, he moved to Brussels, where he got a job as an engineer in one of the companies, but on April 25, 1928, he suddenly died of tuberculosis. There is an assumption that he was poisoned by an NKVD agent. On October 6, 1929, Wrangel's ashes were reburied in the Russian Church of the Holy Trinity in Belgrade. On September 14, 2007, in the Serbian city of Sremski Karlovci, where Wrangel lived, a monument in the form of a bronze bust on a granite pedestal was inaugurated. Also in 2012, a memorial plaque was installed on the wall of the house where he was born in the Zarasai region of Lithuania in memory of him.

The personality of this person is strongly connected with the White movement and the island of Crimea - the last stronghold and fragment of the Russian Empire.

Biography and activities of Peter Wrangel

Baron Pyotr Nikolaevich Wrangel, born on August 15, 1878 in the city of Novoaleksandrovsk. Wrangel's ancestors were Swedes. Over several centuries, the Wrangel family has produced many famous military leaders, navigators and polar explorers. Peter's father was an exception, choosing a career as an entrepreneur over a military career. He saw his eldest son the same way.

Children's and teenage years Peter Wrangel was held in Rostov-on-Don. There he graduated from a real school. In 1900 - gold medal of the Mining Institute in St. Petersburg. In 1901, mining engineer Wrangel was called up to undergo compulsory one-year military service. He serves as a volunteer in the prestigious Life Guards cavalry regiment. However, serve in Peaceful time Wrangel doesn't like it. He prefers to become an official of special assignments under the Irkutsk Governor-General and retires with only the rank of cornet. This continues until .

Then Wrangel returns to the army, actively participates in hostilities, and is awarded the Annin weapon for bravery. Wrangel's long letters home from the battlefields, revised by his mother, were published in the Historical Bulletin magazine. In 1907, Wrangel was presented to the emperor and transferred to his native regiment. He continues his education at the Nikolaev General Staff Academy. In 1910 he completed his studies, but did not remain with the General Staff.

In August 1907, Olga Ivanenko, the daughter of a chamberlain and maid of honor of the Empress's court, became Wrangel's wife. By 1914, the family already had three children. Wrangel became the first Knight of St. George in the outbreak of the World War. His wife accompanied Wrangel on the war fronts and worked as a nurse. Wrangel often and for a long time talked with. Baron commands Cossack units. Wrangel did not climb the career ladder quickly, but it was completely deserved.

Unlike many liberal intellectuals and colleagues - and Denikin, Wrangel met with hostility February revolution and decrees of the Provisional Government, undermining the very foundation of the army. His then insignificant rank and position made him an outsider to the big political game among senior officials army. Wrangel, as best he could, actively opposed the elected soldiers' committees and fought to maintain discipline. Kerensky made an attempt to involve Wrangel in the defense of Petrograd from the Bolsheviks, but he pointedly resigned.

After the October Revolution, Wrangel reunited with his family who were in Crimea. In February 1918, revolutionary sailors of the Black Sea Fleet arrested the baron, and only the intercession of his wife saved him from imminent execution. German troops occupy Ukraine. Wrangel meets with the Ukrainian Hetman Skoropadsky, his former colleague. In 1919, Commander-in-Chief Denikin appointed Wrangel commander of the so-called. Volunteer Army. However, their personal relationship is hopelessly damaged.

In April 1920, Denikin was deposed and Wrangel was elected as the new commander. Wrangel was in charge of the last piece of Russian land still free from the Bolsheviks for only seven months. Perekop defense covered the evacuation civilian population. In November 1920, the remnants of the White Army left Russia forever through Kerch, Sevastopol, and Evpatoria. Wrangel died of transient consumption on April 25, 1928 in Brussels. According to one version of modern historians, it was provoked by OGPU agents.

• The legendary white Circassian woman of Wrangel from the pen of Makovsky in the poem “Good!” turned into black - for the sake of sound expressiveness.