The topic of the number of Ossetian generals in the army Russian Empire repeatedly mentioned in the republican media. But nowhere was the exact number of those who had a chance to put on the general's epaulets sounded. Yes, there is confusion about the names themselves. Therefore, there is a need to bring some clarity to this issue. It should be borne in mind that there are two types of generals - those who were retired "with the rank of major general" (or "promoted to major general with dismissal from service") and those who served in the ranks of generals. About the "servants" and will be discussed.

For the first time, the rank of general appeared in the Russian army in 1655, but the system of rank production was established only by the Table of Ranks, published in 1722. It remained virtually unchanged until the end of 1917. During all this time, about 15 thousand people served in the ranks of generals. How many of them were Ossetians?

The first general was Ignatius (Aslanbek) Mikhailovich Tuganov, born in 1804. He began his military service in 1823 in the Kabardian infantry regiment, in 1827 he was promoted to officer. From 1827 he served in the Life Guards of the Caucasian Mountain half-squadron of the Imperial Convoy. In 1841 he was promoted to colonel and later commanded the Gorsky regiment and the 7th brigade of the Caucasian line Cossack army. On December 6, 1851, he was promoted to major general and from that time until his death in 1868 he was with the Caucasian Corps.

Mussa Alkhasovich KUNDUHOV was the next to conquer the general's height. Taken by the amanat to Petersburg, he was assigned to Pavlovsk military school, from which in 1836 he was released as an officer in the Caucasian Corps. From that time began his long-term, full of various events military service. Kundukhov rose to the very important position of the head of the Military Ossetian District of the Terek Region. In 1860 he received the rank of major general. And then his fate took a sharp turn. In 1865, he led the resettlement of the highlanders to Turkey. And before and now there are many assumptions why he did this. But the most likely version is that it was a special operation of the Russian authorities to take some of the highlanders out of Russia, and General Kundukhov, as a reliable person, was instructed to carry it out. In the future, he commanded the Turkish troops, but in battles with the Russians he lost all the battles, not much striving for victory. Mussa Kundukhov died in 1889 in the city of Erzerum.

General Magomed Inalovich DUDAROV was born in 1823, he began his service in 1841 in the Gorsky Cossack regiment. Then he was in the Life Guards in the Ulansky regiment. In 1850, he was enlisted in the Life Guards of the Caucasian Mountain half-squadron of the Imperial Convoy, but served under the chief military educational institutions. He was promoted to colonel. In 1861 he was appointed commander of the Terek irregular cavalry regiment. He was known and respected both at the Royal Court and in the mountain villages of the Caucasus. By appointing Dudarov to such a responsible position, the authorities hoped that with his authority he would calm the unrest in the Terek region. In this case, the authorities were not mistaken. Basically, the Terek regiment participated in the hostilities in Chechnya and Dagestan. For the difference rendered in dealings with the highlanders during the winter expedition in the Argun district in 1861, Colonel Dudarov was awarded the order St. Anne 2nd class with swords. In 1865, with the end of the Caucasian War, the Terek regiment was disbanded, and the Terek permanent militia was formed on its basis, and Colonel Dudarov was appointed to be at the disposal of the head of the Terek region. On September 18, 1871, he was promoted to major general, and from 1885 to 1889 he was in the reserve. The general died in 1893 in Vladikavkaz.

Major General Mikhail Georgievich BAEV, born in 1837. He graduated from the Konstantinovsky Military School and the Academy of the General Staff (the first of the Ossetians). Most of the time he served in the customs units. From 1872 he commanded the Taurogen border guard brigade, then he was the head of the Yurburg customs district. Since 1881, he was in the Caucasus to oversee the affairs of the customs department. In 1883 he was promoted to major general. From 1888 to January 1895 he was the head of the Bessarabian customs district. He died in Vladikavkaz in 1895.

General Temirbulat DUDAROV was born in 1844, graduated from the 2nd cadet corps. Served in artillery units. From 1879 he commanded the 2nd battery of the 39th artillery brigade, from 1895 - the 3rd division of the 4th artillery brigade. In 1900, he was promoted to major general and appointed commander of the 2nd Turkestan artillery brigade, at the head of which he was until 1904, when he was dismissed.

Inal Tegoevich KUSOV, born in 1847 became the first Ossetian to receive the rank of lieutenant general and lead a division. He began his service in His Imperial Majesty's Own Convoy. He served as an officer in the 80th Kabardian Infantry Regiment, then was transferred to the cavalry - the Nizhny Novgorod Dragoon Regiment. Particularly distinguished in Russian-Turkish war For military distinction he was awarded the Order of St. George 4th class. and Golden Weapons. From 1889 he commanded the Dagestan cavalry regiment, from 1896 - the 1st Labinsk regiment of the Kuban Cossack army. On December 3, 1900, he was promoted to major general and appointed commander of the 1st brigade of the 1st Caucasian Cossack division. Since 1906, lieutenant general, head of the 1st Caucasian Cossack division. In July 1908 he was dismissed. He died in 1918.

General Sergei Semenovich KHABALOV, born in 1858, rose to high positions. He graduated from the 2nd St. Petersburg Military Gymnasium, the Mikhailovsky Artillery School and the Academy of the General Staff. He began serving as an officer in the 1st Terek Cossack Battery, then served on the line of the General Staff. He taught at various military schools. Since 1903 he became the head of the Alekseevsky military school, in 1904 he was promoted to major general and a year later he headed the Pavlovsk military school. In 1910 he became a lieutenant general, and in 1914 he received the post of military governor of the Ural region and the chief ataman of the Ural Cossack army. In June 1916 he was entrusted with the responsible post of chief commander of the Petrograd Military District, and from January 1917 he was commander of the troops of the same district. Until now, General Khabalov is accused of not being able to control the situation in Petrograd, that he is responsible for the abdication of the Sovereign Emperor. After retiring, General Khabalov during the Civil War was in the ranks of the white forces in the South of Russia. In March 1920 he was evacuated from Novorossiysk to Greece. He died in exile in 1924.

Among the most famous Ossetian generals was Sozryko Dzankhotovich (Joseph Zakharovich) KHORANOV, born in 1842. Nobody questions his personal courage, but he was not a commander. Nevertheless, he, without commanding even a hundred, became the head of a division. He began his service in His Imperial Majesty's Own Convoy. During the Russian-Turkish war, he was under General Skobelev, who continued to patronize him. Participant Russo-Japanese War. Awarded with the St. George weapon. On January 31, 1905 he was promoted to major general. From May 1907 he was with the troops of the Caucasian Military District. Member of the First World War. Since April 1916, commander of the 1st brigade of the 1st Terek Cossack division. On August 8, he was promoted to lieutenant general, and on August 23, 1917, he became the head of the 2nd Caucasian native cavalry division. During the Civil War, he was part of the Armed Forces of the South of Russia. He remained in the USSR, died in Ossetia in 1935.

Under General Skobelev, General Dmitry Konstantinovich ABATSIEV, born in 1857, also began to serve.

Unlike Khoranov, he went through all the levels of the military hierarchy, becoming a real commander and the most combative of all Ossetian generals. He was General Skobelev's personal orderly. For military distinctions in the Russian-Turkish war, he was awarded the St. George crosses of the 4th, 3rd and 2nd class. After the war, he passed the officer's examination at the Vilna infantry cadet school. Already an officer with General Skobelev, he participated in the Akhal-Teke expedition, was awarded the Golden Weapon. From 1883 he served in the Imperial Convoy. From April 1902 to May 1903 he commanded the 3rd hundred of the Convoy, then was the assistant commander of the Convoy. Colonel since 1903. From 1904 to 1906 he commanded the Ussuri Cossack regiment, with which he participated in the Russo-Japanese War. For military distinction, on March 28, 1906 he was promoted to major general. In 1907 he was appointed commander of the 2nd brigade of the 1st Caucasian Cossack division. Since 1912, Abatsiev was a lieutenant general, head of the 2nd Caucasian Cossack division. Member of the First World War on the Caucasian front. For the capture of the city of Bitlis, he was awarded the Order of St. George 4th class. From June 1916 he was the commander of the 6th Caucasian Army Corps. In September 1917, he was enrolled in the reserve ranks of the headquarters of the Caucasian Military District. In February 1918, he was appointed commander of the Caucasian Native Cavalry Corps, on September 30, 1918, by order of the Commander-in-Chief of the Caucasian Front, he was promoted to general from the cavalry for military distinctions. Member of the White Movement. In the Volunteer Army since the end of 1918. On June 13, 1919, he was approved with the rank of general from the cavalry and appointed honorary representative of the mountain peoples under the commander of the troops of the North Caucasus. Since 1920 in exile in Yugoslavia. Chairman of the court of honor for generals. He died in 1936 in Belgrade.

General Alexander Mikhailovich BORUKAEV was born in 1850, graduated from the Konstantinovsky military school. Served in the artillery. Member of the Russian-Turkish and Russian-Japanese wars. Since 1895, the battery commander of the 35th artillery brigade. Since 1903, colonel, commander of the 1st division of the 40th artillery brigade. Since 1905, the commander of the 10th artillery brigade. In 1907 he was promoted to major general, and in July 1908 he was dismissed. He died in Vladikavkaz in March 1919.

Lieutenant-General Afako Patsievich FIDAROV, born in 1859, after the Konstantinovsky military school, served in units of the Terek Cossack army. From 1902 he was a military instructor in Persia. Participated in the Russian-Japanese war as part of the Terek-Kuban regiment. For military distinction he was awarded the "Golden Weapon". Since 1907 he commanded the 1st Khopersky regiment of the Kuban KV. On July 23, 1910, he was promoted to major general with the appointment of a brigade commander of the 2nd Caucasian Cossack division. During the First World War, he commanded the 1st Turkestan Cossack division. Since 1916, lieutenant general. During the Civil War, as part of the white forces of the South of Russia. Remained in the USSR. Shot in December 1929 in Vladikavkaz.

The son of an officer in the village of Novoosetinskaya of the Terek Cossack army, Zaurbek Dzambulatovich TURGIEV, was born in 1859, graduated from the Stavropol gymnasium and the 2nd Konstantinovsky military school. He was released as an officer in the 1st Gorsko-Mozdok Regiment, then served in the 1st Sunzha-Vladikavkaz Regiment. Participated in the Russo-Japanese War. In February 1904, he was promoted to military sergeant major and became an assistant regiment commander. Since 1907, he was commander of the 2nd Black Sea Regiment of the Kuban KV, was promoted to colonel. In 1908 he headed the 1st Yeysk Regiment of the Kuban KV. In 1911 he was appointed commander of the 1st brigade of the 1st Caucasian Cossack divisions. October 21, 1913 Zaurbek Turgiev was promoted to major general. According to the mobilization plan, in case of war, he was supposed to lead the Terek Cossack division, but in March 1914 he fell seriously ill, was hospitalized and died in June 1915. He was posthumously promoted to lieutenant general.

The last general of the Russian Empire from among the Ossetians was Elmurza Aslanbekovich MISTULOV, a native of Art. Chernoyarsk Terek Cossack army. He was born in 1869, graduated from the Stavropol Cossack cadet school. He served in the 1st Sunzha-Vladikavkaz regiment. Member of the Russo-Japanese War as part of the Terek-Kuban Regiment. For military distinction he was awarded the Order of St. George of the 4th century, "Golden Weapon" and promoted to captain. Since 1913, he commanded the 2nd Sunzha-Vladikavkaz regiment, at the head of which he was caught in the rank of colonel by the First World War. From March 1916 he was commander of the 1st Caucasian Regiment of the Kuban KV. From December 1916 he became commander of the 2nd brigade of the 1st Kuban Cossack division. In January 1917, Elmurza Mistulov was promoted to major general. Since September, he has been a brigade commander of the 3rd Kuban Cossack Division. He was an active participant in the uprising of the Terek Cossacks against the Soviet regime. From July 1918 he commanded the troops of the Terek army. On July 12, he was seriously wounded in a battle near st. Cool. Having healed, on October 17 he again assumed the post of commander. Being unable to stop the retreat of the Cossack troops, on November 9, 1918, he shot himself in the village of Prokhladnaya.

Thus, it turns out that thirteen Ossetians served in the ranks of generals. Of these, the youngest general was Kundukhov, who received general's shoulder straps at 42, and later all Khoranov - at 63. Two died not by their own death - Mistulov (shot himself) and Fidarov (shot). General Khoranov, who died at the age of 93, lived the longest. And the last, in 1935, General Abatsiev died.

Although there are not so many serving Ossetian generals, but, firstly, for small Ossetia this is an impressive figure, and, secondly, what kind of generals they were! Passed through the crucible of severe trials and proved themselves in them from the most worthy side! It is also necessary to take into account the fact that even more - three times - there were retired generals. And all together they made their invaluable contribution to the military glory of the Russian army, entered the galaxy of the generals of the Russian Empire and formed the glorious traditions of the Ossetian military intelligentsia.

Mikhail BAEV

Alexander BORUKAEV Temirbolat DUDAROV

Afako FIDAROV Sergey KHABALOV

Sozryko KHORANOV Moussa KUNDUHOV

Inal KUSOV Elmurza MISTULOV

Aslambek TUGANOV

http://ossetia.kvaisa.ru/news/show/22/397

On Friday, I finally finished fiddling with the preparation for the calculations of the "general" file, which took almost a year and a half. For 36.2 thousand people. I had to place conditional icons and numbers in 9 columns: the number of representatives of the clan, to which the person belongs, since when this clan has been in the service of the Republic of Ingushetia, its origin (Ostsee, Polish, etc.), the rank of the person himself, he is military or civil, father's rank, max. rank of brothers, max. the rank of sons and their presence (either only daughters, or childless), the total number of children. This study should form the 2nd part of the book on the Russian service stratum (the 1st part of which is an already written general outline of its history from the Middle Ages with a maximum reduction of all available digital data). It will take some time to check for typos and calculate, but in the fall I hope to present it in the form of a dozen tables.

Military and civil ranks of 1-4 (until 1796 - also 5th) classes were taken into account, and only received in active service, and not in retirement (there are 2-3 times more of these). Initially interested simple thing- the degree of self-reproduction of the "general" (what percentage of the "generals" - dad is also a "general" and vice versa), but "appetite comes with eating" and led to what it led to. Things went slowly, because every time I tried to find, wherever possible, a pedigree painting: although all the main sources of this kind were originally laid down in my so-called. “common database” (where there are now about 2 million records), but in a scattered form there are many murals on all kinds of regional and amateur sites and publications, and fuss with the Baltic editions of Gothic, where different branches of the same kind can be found in different volumes, and it was necessary to bring them into a generational one, at the same time remaking the stupid German system “along the lines” into the “Dolgorukovskaya” system (by generations) required for my purposes - something in general.

But there is nothing to do, because it was necessary to separate the namesakes, and there were only dozens of noble families with common surnames (for example, about a hundred Ilyins, 98 Makarovs, 83 Matveevs, 82 Pavlovs, 76 Davydovs, 72 Danilovs, etc.), although, of course, more than 90 % of "generals" belonged to 1-3 oldest and most prominent of the same-family families. Moreover, the murals are usually not complete, and even for well-known titled families, there is usually some left. number of persons, undoubtedly to them according to the official. state belonging to sources, but not reflected in the list (because there was no general state accounting, and the lists were compiled by genealogists on archival cases about the nobility, initiated by individuals who might not have mentioned side branches in their petitions).

Until the end of the calculations, I will refrain from judging, because I know very well how deceptive impressions from “examples” are (even with all the experience of working with mass material, I can say to myself that exceptions are usually remembered at least three times better and create a corresponding deviation in the assessment). On the one hand, dozens of representatives of a number of well-known families are impressive (with closer observation, sinking, however, in the sea of ​​\u200b\u200bthe Ivanov-Petrovs), on the other hand, numerous examples of this kind: the son of a craftsman is a doctor (kol.ass), and his six children and grandchildren - valid civil and secret advisers, all five sons of the St. Petersburg tailor - in the ranks of generals, etc. (but the share of such in the total mass is also not at all the same as at first impression).

So far, it can only be absolutely definitely said that the Republic of Ingushetia is an absolutely typical example of a “bureaucratic” society: even throughout the entire period, almost half of all “generals” are the only representatives of their kind (in “aristocratic” societies, the situation is mirror-like - there are 2-3% of them, while up to 30-40% give births, which make up 2% of all births, and 10% of births give 60-80% of all higher ranks), and in the 1st and even more so the 2nd half of the 19th century, naturally, even more .

Of course, the number of representatives of the clans among the “generals” to a large extent depends on the age of the clan (which allowed it to multiply strongly by the 18th-19th centuries), but this is only one factor; in general, the “influence” of the clan should be judged by the proportion of persons who have reached the highest ranks, in total number his adult men (and according to this indicator, not the most numerous may lead). I counted 55 clans that gave 20 or more “generals” (about a dozen - even 40 or more: 118 Prince Golitsyn, 81 Tolstoy, 63 Prince Dolgorukov, 52 Bibikov, 44 Prince Gagarin, 42 Prince Volkonsky, Arsenievs and bar.Korfov, 40 Engelhardts), of these 55 - 9 genera of Rurikovich and Gediminovich, 31 belong to Russian families known no later than the 16th century, 13 Ostsee, 1 "late" Russian (Demidovs) and 1 "late" foreign (Scalons). However, such combined - "a drop in the ocean" (about 4%).

In general (with the exception of the 1st half - the middle of the 18th century), the proportion of births known in the service before early XVIII in. relatively small: in any case, out of about 2 thousand of the most prominent such families, only 128 gave 10 or more “generals” in the Republic of Ingushetia, and more than a third only one or none at all (despite the fact that the remaining 1.5 thousand old births did not give a single one). Moreover, hundreds of old families did not give in the XVIII-XIX centuries. not even a single person in the "headquarters officer" ranks (8th class and above), not rising in active service above the titular adviser or captain, and many simply by the end of the 19th century. did not serve, but peasantry on their small allotments

Forgotten pages of the Great War

Generals of the 14th year

General Staff Academy

Yes, Suvorov was not found among the Russian generals of 1914. However, there was no Napoleon among the French generals, Caesar - among the Italians, Generalissimo Eugene of Savoy - among the Austrians. The German generals Hindenburg and Ludendorff were, of course, prominent figures in the First World War, but they lost the war. So the allegations that Russia and its army more than others - both allies and opponents - suffered from the mediocrity of command, to put it mildly, are biased.

Finally, it is worth noting that military geniuses, like our Alexander Vasilyevich, are extremely rare on the planet. Commanders of this level can be counted on the fingers. And most of the wars in history have been fought by warlords far less gifted.

What are in our case? Who are they - the generals of the 14th year?

To begin with, some statistics that will help us determine "passport data" commanders Russian imperial army. By 1914, there were 1574 generals in the state: full (something in between a modern army general and a colonel general) - 169, lieutenant generals - 371, major generals - 1034.

Higher military education(Nikolaev Academy of the General Staff, Mikhailovskaya Artillery Academy, Nikolaev Engineering Academy, Alekseevskaya Law Academy, Quartermaster Academy) had 56 percent. Among the full generals, the percentage is higher - 62. In 1914, the army consisted of 36 army corps and 1 guards. Of the 37 corps commanders, 33 had a higher military education, the vast majority graduated from the Academy of the General Staff. Interestingly, among those who did not have a higher education were the commander of the Guards Corps, General Bezobrazov and the future heroic commander of the Southwestern Front, and in 1914, the commander of the 12th Army Corps, Brusilov.

If we compare the highest officers of Russia before the Russo-Japanese and First World Wars in terms of educational category, the changes are striking. Among the regimental commanders higher education could boast 9 percent more. It was - 30%, now - 39%. But among the corps commanders there were 57%, it became 90%!

The changes also affected the age limit. In 1903, among corps commanders over 60 years old, there were 67%, in 1914 only 10% remained. Among the regimental commanders who have passed the 50-year milestone, 28% of 49% remained. The bulk of the commanders of infantry divisions were aged 51-60 years, cavalry - 46-55 years. In absolute terms - 65 and 13 lieutenant generals, respectively.

As you know, there was no column "nationality" in the questionnaires of the empire. She was replaced by the column "religion". However, statistics were also kept on the “national theme”. The vast majority of generals were Russians: 86%. Every tenth general was either an ethnic German or a Pole (7 and 3 percent, respectively).

As for the class origin, again, the vast majority of the generals were from the nobility. Almost 88%. But service nobles, not local ones. At the beginning of the 20th century, few representatives of the nobility remained landowners. And even among the officers - even more so. So, among the corps commanders, only five had landed property. The same number is among divisional commanders. Even among the commanders of the guard regiments, and the Guard is the military elite of the country, less than 40% owned land and estates. Lived on a salary. By the way, it was noticeably inferior to the salary of civil officials who occupied the same positions in the Table of Ranks as the generals.

In addition to corps, divisions and regiments, before 1914 the generals served in the military ministry, the military educational institutions, artillery, engineering and railway troops, Separate corps of gendarmes, border guards, in the navy. By the way, 60 admirals also served in the Imperial Navy.

Nicholas II and the son of Grand Duke Nicholas Nikolaevich Sr., grandson of Emperor Nicholas I

It's time to introduce a few persons of the highest generals of the Russian army. Ten days before Russia's entry into the First world war The emperor's uncle was appointed supreme commander Grand Duke Nikolai Nikolaevich Jr. Among the members of the family he was called Nikolasha, in the army - the Evil One (from the prayer "Our Father" - "... save us from the evil one").

There were grounds for such a nickname in the troops. The son of Grand Duke Nikolai Nikolaevich Sr. and the grandson of Emperor Nicholas I inherited some of the character traits of his grandfather and great-grandfather Paul I. He was quick-tempered and terrible in anger. That did not contribute to the desire of the commanders of formations and units to meet with the Grand Duke once again at parades, exercises and other events.

Vasily Iosifovich Gurko

In this article, we will talk about one of the best generals Russian Empire, who began the First World War as the head of a division, and ended it as the Commander-in-Chief of the Western Front.

Vasily Iosifovich Gurko(Romeiko-Gurko) was born in 1864 in Tsarskoye Selo. His father, Field Marshal Iosif Vasilyevich Gurko, a hereditary nobleman of the Mogilev province, is known for his victories in the Russian-Turkish war of 1877-1878.

Studied V.I. Gurko at the Richelieu Gymnasium. After graduating from the Corps of Pages, in 1885 he began serving in the Life Guards of the Grodno Hussars. Then he studied at the Nikolaev Academy of the General Staff, was an officer for assignments, a chief officer under the commander of the Warsaw Military District.

Boer War

Second Boer War 1899-1902 - the war of the Boer republics: the Republic of South Africa (Republic of Transvaal) and the Orange Free State (Orange Republic) against Great Britain. It ended with the victory of Great Britain, but world public opinion was mostly on the side of the small republics. In Russia, the song "Transvaal, my country, you are all on fire ..." was very popular. In this war, the British for the first time used the scorched earth tactics on the land of the Boers (complete destruction of any industrial, agricultural, civilian facilities during the retreat so that they would not go to the enemy) and concentration camps in which about 30,000 Boer women and children and an unspecified number of black Africans died.

Boer War

In 1899 V.I. Gurko was sent to the Boer army in the Transvaal as an observer of the course of hostilities. He completed the mission successfully and was awarded the Order of St. Vladimir of the 4th degree, and for distinction in service in 1900 he was promoted to colonel.

Russo-Japanese War

With the beginning of the Russo-Japanese War, V.I. Gurko is in the Manchurian army, performing various tasks: he covered the retreat of the detachment to Liaoyang; during the Liaoyang battle, he secured the gap between the 1st and 3rd Siberian corps from a breakthrough and guarded the left flank of the army; took part in organizing the attack on Putilovskaya Sopka, and then was appointed head of the Putilovskaya defense sector; formed the headquarters of the corps under the detachment of General Rennenkampf, who was stationed at Tsinkhechen; organized the defense of the extreme left flank and communication with the rear, etc. For the battle near Liaoyang on August 17-21, 1904, V.I. Gurko was awarded the Order of St. Anna 2nd degree with swords, and for the battle on Shahe River September 22 - October 4, 1904 and the capture of Putilovskaya Sopka - with a golden weapon with the inscription "For Courage".

Battle of Laoyang. Painting by an unknown Japanese artist

At the end of the Russo-Japanese War, in 1906-1911, V.I. Gurko was chairman of the Military Historical Commission on the description of the Russian-Japanese war. And in March 1911 he was appointed head of the 1st Cavalry Division.

World War I

The first battle in which units of Gurko participated was at Markgrabov on August 1, 1914. The battle lasted half an hour - and the Russian units captured Markgrabov. Divisional Commander Gurko showed personal courage in him.

Having captured the city, V. I. Gurko organized reconnaissance and destroyed the detected enemy communications. Enemy correspondence was captured, which turned out to be useful for the command of the 1st Russian Army.

IN AND. Gurko

When the German army went on the offensive, during the first battle near the Masurian Lakes in August 1914, from two German cavalry divisions (48 squadrons) marching to the rear of the 1st Russian army, 24 squadrons were held back by Gurko's cavalry division within a day. All this time, units of V.I. Gurko repulsed the attacks of the superior forces of the German cavalry, which was supported by infantry and artillery.

In September, the cavalry of V. I. Gurko covered the retreat from East Prussia formations of the 1st army. In October 1914, for active actions during the fighting in East Prussia, the general was awarded the Order of St. George 4th degree.

In East Prussia, Gurko showed all his abilities as a military leader, capable of independent active operations.

In early November, V.I. Gurko was appointed corps commander during the Lodz operation.

Lodz operation- It's a big fight Eastern Front World War I, one of the most difficult and difficult in 1914. From Russian side the 1st Army (commander - P.K. Rennenkampf, the 2nd Army (commander - S.M. Scheideman) and the 5th Army (commander - P.A. Plehve) participated in it. This battle had an uncertain outcome. The German plan to encircle the 2nd and 5th Russian armies failed, but the planned Russian offensive deep into Germany was also thwarted.

After the operation was completed, the commander of the 1st Army, Rennekampf, and the commander of the 2nd Army, Scheidemann, were removed from their posts.

The 6th Army Corps of V.I. Gurko was the main unit of the 1st Army in the Battle of Lovichi ( The final stage Battle of Lodz). The first battles of V. I. Gurko's unit were successful, the enemy's counterattacks were repelled. By mid-December, Gurko's corps occupied a 15-kilometer section of the front at the confluence of the Bzura and Ravka rivers, and here his troops first encountered German chemical weapons.

The year 1915 began with the hardest fighting in the area of ​​​​the estate of Wola Shidlovskaya. This military operation was poorly prepared, enemy counterattacks succeeded each other, the troops suffered heavy losses, but the battles ended in nothing. Gurko warned about this in advance, but was forced to obey the command. Although his protests still had consequences - they led to an accelerated curtailment of the operation.

Since June 1915, Gurko's 6th Army Corps became part of the 11th Army of the Southwestern Front in the area of ​​the river. Dniester. Under the command of V.I. Gurko there were at least 5 infantry divisions.

General V.I. Gurko

In the offensive operation near Zhuravino on May 27-June 2, 1915, the troops of the 11th Russian Army inflicted a major defeat on the South German army. In these successful actions, the central place belongs to V. I. Gurko: his troops defeated two enemy corps, captured 13 thousand soldiers, captured 6 artillery pieces, more than 40 machine guns. The enemy was driven back to the right bank of the Dniester, Russian troops approached the large railway junction of western Ukraine, the city of Stryi (12 km remained before it). The enemy was forced to curtail the offensive in the Galich direction and regroup forces. But the victorious offensive of the Russian army was curtailed as a result of the Gorlitsky breakthrough. The period of defense began.

But the merits of General V.I. Gurko were appreciated: for the battles on the Dniester, he was awarded in November 1915 the Order of St. George 3rd degree.

In the autumn of 1915, the Russian front stabilized - a positional war began.

In December 1915, Gurko was appointed commander of the 5th Army of the Northern Front, in the winter of 1915/16. he was engaged in the improvement of defensive positions and combat training of troops. March 5-17, 1916, his army participated in one of the unsuccessful offensive operations to break through the enemy's echeloned defense - the Naroch operation of the Northern and Western fronts. The main task of the Russian troops was to alleviate the situation of the French at Verdun. The 5th Army delivered auxiliary strikes. The offensive took place in difficult weather conditions. Gurko wrote about this: “... these battles clearly demonstrated the fact that an offensive undertaken in a trench war during periods of frost or winter thaw puts the attacking troops in an extremely disadvantageous position compared to the defending enemy in our climate. In addition, from personal observations of the actions of the troops and their commanders, I concluded that the training of our units and headquarters is completely insufficient for conducting offensive operations in a positional war.

IN AND. Gurko

By the end of May, the 5th Army of General V.I. Gurko included 4 corps. Getting ready for the summer campaign. The army commander paid special attention to artillery and aviation training upcoming offensive.

On August 14, 1916, V. I. Gurko was appointed commander of the Special Army of the Western Front, but the 1916 offensive was already running out of steam. Gurko understood this, but he approached the matter creatively: he paid special attention to capturing the key points of the enemy’s position, which was well fortified, as well as artillery preparation. On September 19-22, the Special and 8th Army fought the inconclusive 5th Kovel battle. There were not enough heavy shells. Gurko stated that in their absence, on September 22, he would be forced to suspend the operation, although he was well aware that “the most effective way to break the Germans was the stubborn and uninterrupted conduct of the operation, believing that any break would force you to start all over again and make the losses incurred in vain.”

It was dangerous to stop active operations - the approaching German reserves were concentrated mainly in the zone of the Special Army. An important task was to reduce their ability to take action. This goal was achieved: the Germans failed to remove a single division from the front of the Special Army, they even had to reinforce this sector with fresh units.

The military historian of the Russian Diaspora, A. A. Kersnovsky, considered General Gurko the best of the army commanders in the 1916 campaign. He wrote: “Of the commanders of the armies, General Gurko should be put in the first place. Unfortunately, he came to Volhynia too late. A strong-willed, energetic and intelligent chief, he demanded a lot from the troops and commanders, but he gave them a lot in return. His orders and instructions - brief, clear, imbued with an offensive spirit, put the troops in the best position in the current extremely difficult and unfavorable situation for the offensive. If Gurko led the Lutsk breakthrough, it is difficult to say where the victorious regiments of the 8th Army would have stopped, and they would have stopped at all.

During M.V. Alekseev's sick leave, from November 11, 1916 to February 17, 1917, Gurko acted as Chief of Staff of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief.

IN AND. Gurko, together with General A. S. Lukomsky, developed a plan for the 1917 campaign, which provided for the transfer of a strategic decision to the Romanian front and the Balkans. But with the plan of Gurko-Lukomsky, except for A.A. Brusilov, no one agreed. "Our main enemy is not Bulgaria, but Germany," the rest of the commanders-in-chief believed.

The February coup of 1917 found V. I. Gurko at the front, in the Special Army. The purge of the army from military leaders objectionable to the new government began, and on March 31, 1917, he was appointed Commander-in-Chief of the armies of the Western Front, whose headquarters was in Minsk. But the army was already decomposing in a revolutionary frenzy. The policy of the new authorities led to the death of the army.

On May 15, 1917, the Declaration of the Rights of Military Personnel was promulgated. Gurko filed a report to the Supreme Commander-in-Chief and Minister-Chairman of the Provisional Government that he "disclaims all responsibility for the successful conduct of business." Even during the preparation of this document, he wrote: "The proposed rules are completely incompatible with the life of the troops and military discipline, and therefore their application will inevitably lead to the complete decomposition of the army ...".

On May 22, Gurko was removed from his post and placed at the disposal of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief with a ban on holding positions higher than the head of the division, i.e. the position from which he started the war. It was an insult to a combat general.

Exile

IN AND. Gurko in exile

On July 21, 1917, he was arrested for correspondence with the former Emperor Nicholas II and placed in the Trubetskoy bastion of the Peter and Paul Fortress, but was soon released. And on September 14, 1917, V. I. Gurko was dismissed from service and, with the assistance of the British authorities, he arrived in England through Arkhangelsk. Then he moved to Italy. Here V.I. Gurko actively participated in the Russian military alliance(ROVS), which united military organizations and unions of the White emigration in all countries, collaborated in the magazine "Sentry".

Cover of the magazine "Hour" for 1831

This magazine was rightly called the chronicle of the Russian army in exile, the encyclopedia of military thought abroad.

Book V.I. Gurko

Vasily Iosifovich Gurko died on February 11, 1937; buried in the Roman non-Catholic cemetery of Testaccio.

Awards V.I. Gurko

• Order of St. Stanislaus 3rd class (1894);
• Order of St. Anne 3rd class (1896);
• Order of St. Vladimir 4th class (1901);
• Order of St. Stanislaus 2nd class with swords (1905);
• Golden Weapon (1905);
• Order of St. Vladimir 3rd class with swords (1905);
• Order of St. Anne 2nd class with swords (1905);
• Order of St. Stanislaus 1st class (1908).
• Order of St. George 4th class. (25.10.1914).
• Order of St. Vladimir 2nd class with swords (06/04/1915);
• Order of St. George 3rd class (03.11.1915).

It remains only to once again be amazed at the fact how easily the new Soviet government said goodbye to those who brought glory to Russia and who did not spare their lives for it. Getting acquainted with the biographies of the military leaders of the Russian Empire, you partly understand the reasons for the difficult results of the Great Patriotic War- the entire old guard was either destroyed or sent abroad.

Family V.I. Gurko

In Italy, V.I. Gurko married a Frenchwoman Sofia Trario. His only daughter Catherine was a nun (Maria was a monk). She died in 2012 and was buried in the Russian cemetery of Sainte-Genevieve-des-Bois in Paris.

Generals were treated with great respect in the Soviet Union tsarist army who went over to the side of the Bolsheviks. Each of them had their own reasons for breaking their oath to the emperor.

Mikhail Bonch-Bruevich

Mikhail Dmitrievich Bonch-Bruevich became the first tsarist general who went over to the side of the "Reds" after the October Revolution. One of the reasons why he, who swore allegiance to the Tsar and the Fatherland, turned away from the old regime and took the side of the enemy of his Sovereign, was the discrepancy between the ideals that she preached royal power, and the reality in which the Russian people lived. Bonch-Bruevich himself wrote: “Loyalty to the monarchical system implied confidence that we, in Russia, have the best form of government, and because everything is better with us than anywhere else. "Kvass" patriotism was inherent in all people of my profession and circle, and therefore, every time the true state of affairs in the country was discovered, a crack widened in the soul. It became clear that royal Russia can no longer live like this, and even more so to fight ... ".

According to Mikhail Dmitrievich, “the interests of Russia and the dynasty are by no means the same thing; the former were to be unconditionally sacrificed to the latter.” Since the Romanov dynasty was closely related to the German princes and the emperor German Empire According to Bonch-Bruyevich, the Romanovs forgave even the most blatant betrayals during the war, if they were committed by people close to the imperial court. In the Reds, Bonch-Bruyevich saw "the only force capable of saving Russia from collapse and complete annihilation."

Alexey Brusilov

Alexey Alekseevich Brusilov, famous for his famous " Brusilov's breakthrough", after the February and October revolutions, he firmly decided not to separate from the soldiers and remain in the army, "as long as it exists or until I am replaced." Later, he said that he considered it the duty of every citizen not to abandon his people and live with them, no matter what it cost him.

The general's past was the reason for the arrest of Brusilov by the Cheka in August 1918, but thanks to the petition of the general's colleagues who were already in the Red Army, Brusilov was soon released. While he was under house arrest until 1918, his son, a former cavalry officer, was drafted into the ranks of the Red Army. Fighting on the fronts of the Civil War, during the offensive of General Denikin's troops on Moscow, he was captured and hanged.

For his father, this was the last straw. Judging by his memoirs My Memoirs, he never fully trusted the Bolsheviks. But he fought on their side until the very end.

Vasily Altvater

Rear Admiral of the Russian Navy Vasily Mikhailovich Altvater, who participated in the defense of Port Arthur during the Russo-Japanese War and worked in the Naval Administration during the First World War, became the first commander of the RKKF. Here is what he wrote in his statement to the Bolsheviks: “Until now, I served only because I considered it necessary to be useful to Russia. I didn't know you and didn't believe you. Even now, much is not clear to me, but I am convinced that you love Russia, more than many of ours.

Altvater succumbed to the general disillusionment with the previous regime, which proved unable to bring the country out of the crisis. On the one hand, he saw corruption and the decayed fleet management apparatus, on the other, a new force, the power of the soviets, which, with loud slogans, easily won the hearts of sailors, soldiers and ordinary people. According to sources, for Altvater, service in the Navy was not a means of subsistence, but the profession of a “defender of the motherland.” Feeling long for the future of Russia pushed him to go over to the side of the "Reds".

Alexander von Taube

Alexander Alexandrovich von Taube, lieutenant general Russian army, went over to the side of the Soviet government and became known as the "Siberian Red General". He, like Altvater, was one of the first to go over to the side of the Bolsheviks, guided by his personal conviction that the cause of the Communists was right. Not the last role in his choice was played by the devastation that reigned in the army, which neither the emperor nor the Provisional Government could cope with. During civil war he participated in the creation of a combat-ready Red Army, actively and successfully fought against the White Guard forces.

Dmitry Shuvaev

Dmitry Savelyevich Shuvaev - General of Infantry, Minister of War of the Russian Empire during the First World War, was arrested by the Cheka immediately after the October Revolution and could not emigrate from the country. Therefore, after his release, he decided to take advantage of the offer of the Soviet authorities and join the Red Army.

Shuvaev took the post of chief military commissar in Petrograd, as well as a teacher at the Higher Tactical Shooting School "Shot" in Moscow. But in 1937 he was twice accused of counter-revolutionary activities and anti-Soviet agitation, and shot in Lipetsk.