Alexander Vasilyevich Kolchak and the white movement. A.V. Kolchak and the White Movement Report on the leader of the White Guard movement Kolchak

Kolchak Alexander Vasilyevich (1874-1920), Russian admiral (1916), one of the leaders of the White movement.

Born on November 16, 1874 in St. Petersburg in the family of an engineer, retired major general of naval artillery.

In 1894, Kolchak graduated from the Naval Cadet Corps; in 1900-1902 participated in the polar expedition of the St. Petersburg Academy of Sciences.

During the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905. commanded a destroyer, a minelayer, and then a battery in Port Arthur; was in captivity.

After the war, Kolchak and a group of naval officers prepared proposals for reform of the Russian navy. In 1914, he was appointed head of the operational department of the Baltic Fleet, and in July 1916 - commander of the Black Sea Fleet with the rank of rear admiral. On June 9, 1917, in response to the demand of the ship committee to hand over his personal weapons, Kolchak with the words “You didn’t hand it to me, you won’t take it!” threw a golden saber with the inscription “For bravery” into the sea. The next day he was recalled to Petrograd and sent to the United States as a mine specialist.

At the end of 1917, Kolchak arrived in the Far East. Heading to the Volunteer Army, he stayed in Omsk and on November 4, 1918, he was appointed Minister of Defense of the newly formed All-Russian Provisional Government.

On November 18, after the military coup in Omsk, the admiral, thanks to his enormous authority, was proclaimed “the supreme ruler of the Russian state.” In this capacity he was recognized by the governments of the Entente countries and the United States, but relations with the allies did not work out. Kolchak’s main goal was the armed struggle against the Bolsheviks, but he also had to curb the allies in their encroachments on Russia’s sovereign rights.

After the defeat of the Eastern White Army, the admiral transferred his powers to A.I. Denikin on January 4, 1920. The troops of the Czechoslovak Corps, commanded by the chief officer of the Allied forces in Siberia, the French General Janin, handed Kolchak over to the temporary Socialist-Revolutionary-Menshevik “Political Center” in Irkutsk in exchange for free passage to Vladivostok.

A little later, the admiral ended up in the hands of the Bolsheviks.

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Kolchak Alexander Vasilievich

Battles and victories

Military and political figure, leader of the White movement in Russia - Supreme Ruler of Russia, admiral (1918), Russian oceanographer, one of the largest polar explorers of the late 19th - early 20th centuries, full member of the Imperial Russian Geographical Society (1906) .

Hero of the Russian-Japanese and First World Wars, leader of the White movement, one of the most striking, controversial and tragic figures in Russian history of the early 20th century.

We know Kolchak as the Supreme Ruler of Russia during the Civil War, a man who unsuccessfully tried to become the very dictator who would lead the White armies to victory with an iron fist. Depending on their political views, some love and praise him, while others consider him a fierce enemy. But if not for the fratricidal Civil War, who would Kolchak remain in our memory? Then we would see in him the hero of several wars with an “external” enemy, a famous polar explorer and, perhaps, even a military philosopher and theorist.

Alexander Vasilyevich was born into a family of hereditary military men. He began his studies at the 6th St. Petersburg Gymnasium (where, by the way, among his classmates was the future head of the OGPU V. Menzhinsky), but soon, of his own free will, he entered the Naval School (Naval Cadet Corps). Here he showed very extensive academic abilities, excelling primarily in mathematics and geography. He was released with the rank of midshipman in 1894, but in terms of academic performance he was second in the class, and only because he himself refused the championship in favor of his friend Filippov, considering him more capable. Ironically, during the exams, Kolchak received the only “B” in mine work, in which he distinguished himself during the Russo-Japanese and First World Wars.

After graduation, Alexander Vasilyevich served on various ships in the Pacific and Baltic fleets, and was promoted to the rank of lieutenant. However, the young and energetic officer strived for more. The end of the 19th century was marked by increased interest in geographical discoveries, which were supposed to reveal to the civilized world the last unexplored corners of our planet. And here the public’s special attention was focused on polar research. It is not surprising that the passionate and talented A.V. Kolchak also wanted to explore the Arctic spaces. For various reasons, the first two attempts turned out to be failures, but the third time he was lucky: he ended up on the polar expedition of Baron E. Tol, who became interested in the young lieutenant after reading his articles in the “Sea Collection”. A special petition from the President of the Imperial Academy of Sciences, Vl. book Konstantin Konstantinovich. During the expedition (1900–1902), Kolchak supervised hydraulic work, collecting a number of valuable information about the coastal regions of the Arctic Ocean. In 1902, Baron Tol, together with a small group, decided to separate from the main expedition and independently find the legendary Sannikov Land, as well as explore Bennett Island. During this risky campaign, Tolya's group disappeared. In 1903, Kolchak led a rescue expedition, which managed to establish the actual death of his comrades (the corpses themselves were not found), and in addition, explore the islands of the Novosibirsk group. As a result, Kolchak was awarded the highest award of the Russian Geographical Society - the gold Konstantinovsky medal.

Admiral A.V. Kolchak

The completion of the expedition coincided with the beginning of the Russo-Japanese War. Kolchak, being primarily a naval officer, imbued with duty to the Fatherland, submitted a petition to be sent to the front. However, upon arrival at the theater of operations in Port Arthur, he was disappointed: Admiral S. O. Makarov refused to give him command of a destroyer. It is not known for certain what motivated this decision: either he wanted the lieutenant to rest after the polar expeditions, or he believed it was premature to appoint him to a combat position (especially in military conditions!) after a four-year absence from the fleet, or he wanted to reduce the temperament of the zealous Lieutenant As a result, Kolchak became the watch commander on the cruiser Askold, and only after the tragic death of the admiral was he able to transfer to the minelayer Amur, and four days later received the destroyer Angry. So Kolchak became one of the participants in the legendary defense of the Port Arthur fortress, which became a glorious page in the history of Russia.

The main task was to clear the outer raid. At the beginning of May, Kolchak took part in laying minefields in the immediate vicinity of the Japanese fleet: as a result, two Japanese battleships were blown up. At the end of November, a Japanese cruiser was blown up by the mines he had laid, which became a resounding success for the Russian fleet in the Pacific Ocean during the war. In general, the young lieutenant established himself as a brave and proactive commander, who compared favorably with many of his colleagues. True, even then his excessive impulsiveness was evident: during short-term outbursts of anger, he did not shy away from assault.

In mid-October, due to health reasons, Kolchak was transferred to the ground front and took command of a 75-mm artillery battery. Right up until the surrender of the fortress, he was directly on the front line, conducting an artillery duel with the enemy. For his services and bravery, Kolchak was awarded the St. George's Arms at the end of the campaign.

Kolchak in the Black Sea Fleet

After returning from a short captivity, Alexander Vasilyevich plunged headlong into military and scientific activities. Thus, he became a member of an informal circle of young naval officers who sought to correct the shortcomings of the Russian fleet, identified during the Russo-Japanese War, and contribute to its renewal. In 1906, on the basis of this circle, the Naval General Staff was formed, in which Kolchak took the position of chief of the operational unit. At this time, on duty, he often acted as a military expert in the State Duma, convincing deputies (who remained largely deaf to the needs of the fleet) of the need to allocate the required funding.

As Admiral Pilkin recalled: “He spoke very well, always with great knowledge of the matter, always thinking what he said, and always feeling what he thought... He did not write his speeches, the image and thoughts were born in the very process of his speech, and therefore it was never repeated.”

Unfortunately, at the beginning of 1908, due to a serious conflict between the maritime department and the State Duma, it was not possible to obtain the required allocations.

At the same time, Alexander Vasilyevich was engaged in science. At first he processed materials from polar expeditions, then compiled special hydrographic maps, and in 1909 he published the fundamental work “Ice of the Kara and Siberian Seas,” which laid the foundations for the study of sea ice. It is curious that it was republished in 1928 by the American Geographical Society in a collection that included the works of 30 of the world's most prominent polar explorers.

In May 1908, Kolchak left the Naval General Staff in order to become a member of the next polar expedition, but at the end of 1909 (when the ships were already in Vladivostok) he was recalled back to the capital to the naval department to his previous position.

Here Alexander Vasilyevich was involved in the development of shipbuilding programs, wrote a number of general theoretical works, in which, in particular, he spoke in favor of the development of all types of ships, but proposed to primarily pay attention to the linear fleet. He also wrote about the need to strengthen the Baltic Fleet due to the fear of a serious conflict with Germany. And in 1912, the book “Service of the General Staff” was published for internal use, which analyzed the relevant experience of other countries.

Monument to Admiral Kolchak in Irkutsk

It was then that A.V. Kolchak’s views on the philosophy of war finally took shape.

They were formed under the influence of the ideas of the German Field Marshal Moltke the Elder, as well as Japanese, Chinese and Buddhist philosophies. Judging by the available evidence, for him the whole world was presented through the prism of the metaphor of war, by which he understood, first of all, a natural (“natural”) phenomenon for human society, a sad necessity that must be accepted with honor and dignity: “War is one of the unchangeable manifestations of social life in the broad sense of this concept. Subject as such to the laws and norms that govern the consciousness, life and development of society, war is one of the most frequent forms of human activity, in which the agents of destruction and destruction intertwine and merge with the agents of creativity and development, with progress, culture and civilization.” .

Note that such ideas about the world historical process (as an eternal war between peoples, ideas, values), which is governed by objective laws, were widespread in the intellectual circles of both Russia and Europe, and therefore Kolchak’s views as a whole differed little from them , although they had certain specifics associated with his military service and selfless patriotism.

“War gives me the strength to treat everything “good and calmly,” I believe that it is above everything that is happening, it is above personality and one’s own interests, it contains duty and obligation to the Motherland, it contains all hopes for the future, and finally, it contains the only moral satisfaction."

In 1912, he was transferred as commander to the destroyer Ussuriets, and in May 1913 he was appointed to command the destroyer Pogranichnik. In December, he was promoted to captain 1st rank, as well as transferred to the headquarters of the Baltic Fleet to the position of head of the operational department. The commander then was the outstanding Russian admiral N. O. Essen, who favored him. Already in the summer of 1914, shortly before the start of the war, Kolchak became flag captain for the operational part. It was in this position that he met the First World War.

It was Kolchak who became the ideological inspirer and the most active participant in the development of almost all plans and operations of the Baltic Fleet at this time. As Admiral Timirev recalled: “A. V. Kolchak, who had an amazing ability to draw up the most unexpected and always witty, and sometimes ingenious plans of operations, did not recognize any superior except Essen, to whom he always reported directly.” Senior Lieutenant G.K. Graf, who served on the cruiser Novik when Kolchak commanded the Mine Division, left the following description of his commander: “Short in stature, thin, slender, with flexible and precise movements. A face with a sharp, clear, finely carved profile; proud, hooked nose; the firm oval of a shaved chin; thin lips; eyes flashing and then extinguishing under heavy eyelids. His whole appearance is the personification of strength, intelligence, nobility and determination. Nothing fake, contrived, insincere; everything is natural and simple. There is something about him that attracts eyes and hearts; “At first sight he attracts you and inspires charm and faith.”

Considering the superiority of the German fleet over our Baltic, it is not surprising that both Kolchak and Essen focused on waging a mine war. If in the first months the Baltic Fleet was in passive defense, then in the fall ideas were increasingly expressed about the need to move to more decisive actions, in particular, to laying minefields directly off the German coast. Alexander Vasilyevich became one of those officers who actively defended these views, and later it was he who developed the corresponding operations. In October, the first mines appeared near the Memel naval base, and in November - near the island. Bornholm. And at the end of 1914, on the eve of the New Year (old style), a daring operation was undertaken to lay mines in the Bay of Danzig. Although A.V. Kolchak was its initiator and ideological inspirer, direct command was entrusted to Rear Admiral V.A. Kanin. Let us note that Alexander Vasilyevich played a key role in these events: not reaching 50 miles from his destination, Kanin received an alarming report that the enemy was in close proximity, and therefore decided to stop the operation. According to eyewitness accounts, it was Kolchak who insisted on the need to bring the matter to an end. In February, Alexander Vasilyevich commanded a special-purpose semi-division (4 destroyers), which laid mines in the Bay of Danzig, which blew up 4 cruisers, 8 destroyers and 23 transports.

Let us also note the skill with which the minefields were placed directly off our coasts: they made it possible to reliably protect the capital, as well as the coast of the Gulf of Finland, from enemy attack. Moreover, in August 1915, it was minefields that prevented the German fleet from breaking into the Bay of Riga, which was one of the reasons for the failure of German plans to capture Riga.

Kolchak's army. Soldiers at the guns. Siberia, 1919

By mid-1915, Alexander Vasilyevich began to be burdened by staff work, he strove directly into battle, and in particular, expressed a desire to become the commander of the Mine Division, which happened in September 1915 due to the illness of its commander, Admiral Trukhachev.

At that time, the Russian ground forces of the Northern Front were actively fighting in the Baltic states, and therefore Kolchak’s main goal was to assist the right flank of our front in the Gulf of Riga region. So, on September 12, the battleship “Slava” was sent to Cape Ragotsem with the aim of shelling the enemy position. During the ensuing artillery battle, the commander of the ship was killed, on which A.V. Kolchak immediately arrived and took command. As Slava officer K.I. Mazurenko recalled: “Under his leadership, Slava, again approaching close to the shore, but without anchoring, opens fire on the firing batteries, which are now quite clearly visible from the pier, and quickly takes aim at them , pelts with a hail of shells and destroys. We took revenge on the enemy for the death of our valiant commander and other soldiers. During this operation we were attacked by airplanes without result."

Kolchak's army. Anti-aircraft weapon. Siberia, 1919

Subsequently, the Mine Division took a number of other measures to provide assistance to ground units from the sea. So, on September 23, enemy positions near Cape Shmarden were fired upon, and on October 9, A.V. Kolchak undertook a bold operation to land troops (two naval companies, a cavalry squadron and a subversive party) on the coast of the Gulf of Riga in order to assist the armies of the Northern Front. The landing force was landed near the village of Domesnes, and the enemy did not even notice the Russian activity. This area was patrolled by small Landsturm detachments, which were quickly swept away, losing 1 officer and 42 soldiers killed, 7 people were captured. The landing party's losses amounted to only four seriously wounded sailors. As Senior Lieutenant G.K. Graf later recalled: “Now, no matter what you say, there is a brilliant victory. Its meaning, however, is only moral, but still it is a victory and a nuisance to the enemy.”

The active support of ground units had an impact on the position of Radko-Dmitriev’s 12th Army near Riga; moreover, thanks to Kolchak, the defense of the Gulf of Riga was strengthened. For all these exploits he was awarded the Order of St. George, 4th class. Officer N. G. Fomin, who served under Kolchak’s command, recalled this as follows: “In the evening, the fleet remained at anchor when I received a telephone message from the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command with approximately the following content: “Transmitted by order of the Sovereign Emperor: Captain 1st Rank Kolchak. I was pleased to learn from the reports of Army Commander XII about the brilliant support provided to the army by ships under your command, which led to the victory of our troops and the capture of important enemy positions. I have long been aware of your valiant service and many exploits... I award you St. George of the 4th degree. Nikolai. Present those worthy of a reward."

Kolchak's army on vacation near an armored car. Siberia, 1919

Of course, there were some failures. For example, at the end of December, an operation to lay mines near Memel and Libau failed, because one of the destroyers itself was blown up by a mine. However, in general, we must highly appreciate Kolchak’s activities as commander of the Mine Division.

In the winter of 1916, when the Baltic Fleet, bound by ice, stood in ports, many ships were actively rearmed. Thus, by the opening of navigation, due to the installation of new, more powerful artillery guns, the cruisers of the Mine Division turned out to be twice as strong.

With the opening of navigation, the active activity of the Baltic Fleet resumed. In particular, at the end of May the Mine Division carried out a “lightning raid” on German merchant ships off the coast of Sweden. The operation was led by Trukhachev, and Kolchak commanded three destroyers. As a result, the enemy ships were scattered and one of the escorting ships was sunk. Subsequently, historians complained to Kolchak that he did not take advantage of surprise by firing a warning shot and thereby allowing the enemy to escape. However, as Alexander Vasilyevich himself later admitted: “I, having in mind the possibility of meeting with Swedish ships... decided to sacrifice the benefit of a surprise attack and provoke some action on the part of the moving ships that would give me the right to consider these ships enemy.”

A. Kolchak with British officers on the Eastern Front. 1918

In June 1916, A.V. Kolchak was promoted to vice admiral and appointed commander of the Black Sea Fleet. As G.K. Graf recalled: “Of course, it was very difficult to part with him, since the entire division loved him very much, admiring his colossal energy, intelligence and courage.” At a meeting with Supreme Commander-in-Chief Nicholas II and his chief of staff, General M.V. Alekseev, instructions were received: in the spring of 1917, an amphibious operation should be carried out to capture the Bosphorus Strait and the Turkish capital of Istanbul.

Flight of Kolchak's army from Siberia. Artist N. Nikonov

Kolchak’s assumption of command of the Black Sea Fleet coincided with the receipt of news that the most powerful German cruiser Breslau had entered the Black Sea. Kolchak personally led the operation to capture him, but, unfortunately, it ended unsuccessfully. You can, of course, talk about the mistakes of Alexander Vasilyevich himself, you can also point out that he has not yet had time to get used to the ships handed to him, but it is important to emphasize one thing: personal readiness to go into battle and the desire for the most active actions.

Kolchak's army is on vacation. Siberia, 1919

Kolchak saw the main task as the need to stop enemy activity in the Black Sea. To do this, already at the end of July 1916, he undertook an operation to mine the Bosphorus Strait, thereby depriving the enemy of the opportunity to actively operate in the Black Sea. Moreover, a special detachment was constantly on duty to maintain minefields in the immediate vicinity. At the same time, the Black Sea Fleet was engaged in convoying our transport ships: during the entire period the enemy managed to sink only one ship.

The end of 1916 was spent planning a daring operation to capture Istanbul and the straits. Unfortunately, the February Revolution and the bacchanalia that began after it thwarted these plans.

Kolchak remained faithful to the emperor to the last and did not immediately recognize the Provisional Government. However, in the new conditions, he had to organize his work differently, in particular, in maintaining discipline in the fleet. Constant speeches to the sailors and flirting with committees made it possible for a relatively long time to maintain the remnants of order and prevent the tragic events that occurred at that time in the Baltic Fleet. However, given the general collapse of the country, the situation could not help but worsen. On June 5, the revolutionary sailors decided that officers were required to hand over firearms and bladed weapons.

Kolchak took his St. George saber, received for Port Arthur, and threw it overboard, telling the sailors: “The Japanese, our enemies, even they left me weapons. You won’t get it either!”

Soon he surrendered his command (under the current conditions, nominally) and left for Petrograd.

Of course, the strong-willed officer, statesman Alexander Vasilyevich Kolchak could not please the increasingly left-leaning politicians in the capital, and therefore he was sent into virtual political exile: he became a naval consultant to the American Navy.

Kolchak spent more than a year abroad. During this time, the October Revolution took place, the Volunteer Army was created in the South of Russia, and a number of governments were formed in the East, which created the Directory in September 1918. At this time, A.V. Kolchak returned to Russia. It must be understood that the positions of the Directory were very weak: the officers and broad business circles, who advocated a “strong hand,” were dissatisfied with its softness, politicking and inconsistency. As a result of the November coup, Kolchak became the Supreme Ruler of Russia.

In this position, he tried to restore law and order in the territories under his control. Kolchak carried out a number of administrative, military, financial and social reforms. Thus, measures were taken to restore industry, supply peasants with agricultural machinery, and develop the Northern Sea Route. Moreover, from the end of 1918, Alexander Vasilyevich began to prepare the Eastern Front for the decisive spring offensive of 1919. However, by this time the Bolsheviks were able to bring up large forces. Due to a number of serious reasons, by the end of April the White offensive had fizzled out, and then they came under a powerful counterattack. A retreat began that could not be stopped.

As the situation at the front worsened, discipline among the troops began to decline, and society and higher spheres became demoralized. By the fall it became clear that the white struggle in the east was lost. Without removing responsibility from the Supreme Ruler, we nevertheless note that in the current situation there was practically no one next to him who would be able to help solve systemic problems.

General A. Knox (British representative under Kolchak): “I admit that with all my heart I sympathize with Kolchak, more courageous and sincerely patriotic than anyone else in Siberia. His difficult mission is almost impossible due to the selfishness of the Japanese, the vanity of the French and the indifference of the rest of the Allies."

In January 1920, in Irkutsk, Kolchak was handed over by the Czechoslovaks (who were no longer going to participate in the Civil War in Russia and were trying to leave the country as quickly as possible) to the local revolutionary council. Before this, Alexander Vasilyevich refused to run away and save his life, declaring: “I will share the fate of the army.” On the night of February 7, he was shot by order of the Bolshevik Military Revolutionary Committee.

Pakhalyuk K., head of the Internet project “Heroes of the First World War”, member of the Russian Association of Historians of the First World War.