General Wrangel Peter Nikolaevich. short biography

Death followed him. But he was brave, lucky and bold, infinitely loved his homeland and honestly served her. It is no accident that he wore the title "The Last Knight of the Russian Empire".

The Black Baron

Such a nickname was given to the person we want to talk about. This is Vrangel Petr Nikolaevich. A brief biography of him will be set forth in the article.

By origin, he really is a baron. Born in the Kovno province of Russia, in the city of Novoaleksandrovsk (now Kaunas). Family - from the nobility, a very ancient family. It is from the XIII century. From Henrykus de Wrangel - knight of the Order of the Teutonic - leads his genealogy.

And the "black" general was nicknamed because, since 1918, he always wore such a Cossack Circassian color. Moreover, decorated with bubbles. These are small cylinders made of bone or silver, where gunpowder charges were placed. Hazes were usually attached to breast pockets.

Pyotr Nikolayevich was a very popular figure. Mayakovsky, for example, wrote: "It was a sharp step in a black Circassian coat."

A descendant of the glorious military

He is an engineer by education. He graduated from the Mining Institute. His father, Vrangel Nikolai Egorovich, was an art critic and a writer. Also a great collector of antiques.

Perhaps that is why the son of a professional military did not even think of becoming. But genes, apparently, have made their own. And the fact is that General PN Wrangel is a straight twig from Herman Elder. Was in Sweden (XVII century.) Such a field marshal. A great-grandson of his by the name of George Gustav served as a colonel at the very Charles XII. And already the son of the latter, who was called 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 the battles that Russia often led. Their family gave Europe seven field marshals, as many admirals, as well as more than thirty generals.

Therefore, the young Peter knew all this, he understood, he could take from his ancestors an example. The same Russian officer, whose name is inscribed not anywhere, but on the wall of one famous church 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. Famous and Ferdinand Wrangel, a researcher in the Arctic, also an admiral. In honor of him, and called the island. And Pushkin - a relative of the "black baron" through his grandfather Hannibal - arap of Peter the Great.

An interesting, voluminous theme, dedicated to such an outstanding personality as Vrangel Piotr Nikolaevich, is briefly stated very difficult. There are many facts in it, which most fully convey the image of this exceptional person. Take only one motto of this kind - "I'm dying, but I'm not giving up!". But after all, the hero of our essay followed his whole life.

War with Japan

So, the newly minted engineer Vrangel Petr Nikolaevich did not see in the long term any connection between himself and the army. True, I studied for another year in the Horse Regiment. But the new cornet was recorded ... in the reserve. And he went to work far away - to Irkutsk. And not a military man, but a civil official.

All the cards were mixed up by the war that broke out. Wrangel took the volunteer. And at the front for the first time he showed his innate qualities as a military man. This became his real vocation.

The memoirs of Pyotr Nikolayevich Wrangel are published. He writes about everything in detail.

By the end of 1904 he was made into a centurion. Two orders were awarded: St. Anne and St. Stanislaus. They became the first "specimens" in his large collection of awards.

When the war came to an end, the engineer no longer thought of himself without an army. Even the Imperial Academy of the General Staff graduated already in 1910.

Cavalry Squadron

First world Wrangel Peter Nikolaevich met in the rank of captain. He commanded the division of the cavalry regiment.

He already had a wife and 3 children. He could not have gone to the front. But he did not allow himself that. And in the reports from the front the authorities again wrote about the outstanding bravery of Captain Wrangel.

Only three weeks and passed since the beginning of this massacre, and his squad managed to excel. Cavalry dashing attacked. The battery was seized by the enemy. And Wrangel for such a feat (among the first) was noted. He received the Order of St. George. Soon "doris" to the colonel. In 1917, in January, he was a major general. He is regarded as a very promising military man. In the description they wrote that Wrangel "courage outstanding." In any situation he understands quickly, especially - in the heavy. And also extremely resourceful.

In the summer of the same year - the next step. Vrangel Peter Nikolaevich is now commander of a large cavalry corps. But the October Revolution again abruptly changed the trajectory of his life.

Fist

Her hereditary Baron and an important general could not accept for understandable reasons. He left the army. He moved to Yalta, lived with his family at his dacha. Here he was arrested and local Bolsheviks. But what could they show him? A noble lineage? Battle merit? So soon he was released, but was hiding until the German army entered the Crimea.

He left for Kiev. I planned to join the hetman Pavel Skoropadsky. However, very soon disappointed. The government of Ukraine (new) turned out to be weak. It was held only because of the bayonets of the Germans.

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

Specialists and now say that her successes - this is largely due to Wrangel, his cavalry. After all, he always has his own tactics. He, for example, was against fighting on all fronts. He preferred to collect the cavalrymen "in a fist" and throw at the break of some one section. The blow was always so strong that the enemy just ran. These brilliant operations, which the "black baron" developed and implemented, ensured the victories of the army both in the Kuban and in the North Caucasus.

In disgrace with Denikin

The city of Tsaritsyn cavalry Wrangel took in June 1919. And here it is necessary, as it happens! After such a success, the baron fell into disgrace. Anton Denikin, the commander-in-chief of the volunteer army, was angry with him. Why? The fact is that they, both large military men, had opposite views on further measures. Denikin set his sights on Moscow, while Wrangel did the same-connect with Kolchak (in the east).

Biography Wrangel Peter Nikolaevich shows that he was right to one hundred percent. For the campaign against the capital was failed. But the rightness of the opponent even more furious Denikin. And he removed the general from his work.

Wrangel retired (February 1920). He left for Constantinople.

New Hope

Well, the brilliant career is over? No, in heaven they ordered otherwise. A few months later Denikin left. He himself resigned. In Sevastopol a military council was called. They elected the commander-in-chief of Wrangel.

But what was he hoping for? After all, the situation of the "white" - and this is very clear - was just sad. The army retreated. The complete rout was already on the horizon.

However, still taking the army, Wrangel made an incredible miracle. He stopped the advance of units of "red" fighters. The White Guards settled firmly in the Crimea.

King for a day

During these six months, the last Russian knight did much. Given the mistakes, he went on incredible compromises. I wanted to make my supporters people from all walks of life. He developed a plan for agrarian reform, which was intended to give land to the peasants. Also adopted projects of socio-economic measures. They had to "defeat" Russia, but not with weapons, but with their successes.

Another baron assumed the federal structure of the country, offered to recognize the independence - and the highlanders, and also Ukraine.

But by the time he took power, the movement of the White Guards had been lost - both in the international aspect (the West refused to help them) and inside the country. The Bolsheviks controlled much of Russia, with much more resources.

Wrangel in the spring of 1920 again had to raise troops to repel the attack of the "reds." This succeeded in the summer. "White" entered the territory of Northern Tavria. They had to stock up on the food. But then luck was no more.

The main thing is that they missed the time. In Soviet Russia, people generally did not hear about the proposed reforms Wrangel. For them, he is always only a "black baron" who seeks to return the "royal throne."

Yes, the general did not hide his sympathies. Being politically flexible, intelligent, he did not focus his attention on this in his program. And definitely did not insist that, unfortunately, it did not matter.

Emigration

All about the life of Vrangel Petr Nikolaevich in one article can not be told. Only one period of his stay abroad can be devoted to the volume.

In November 1920, the Red Army broke into the Crimea. And in this situation, General Wrangel again showed himself perfectly. He managed so to organize the evacuation of the White Army and civilians abroad, that there was no chaos, there was no chaos. Everyone who has wished has left. Wrangel personally controlled this, when the destroyer circled the ports.

It was just a feat. He is capable of only one Wrangel. After all, the general from the Crimea took out (in November 1920), no less, 132 ships loaded to the very limit! Refugees sailed on them - 145 thousand 693 people, as well as ship crews.

The organizer himself left. There, far from home, founded the Russian Union of All-Union (1924), which was ready at any time to enter the armed struggle against Bolshevism. And he was able to do it. The core was former officers. That was the most massive and most powerful organization of white emigrants. There were more than one hundred thousand members on the register.

The Bolsheviks reacted to them with great apprehension. It is no coincidence that many leaders were either kidnapped or killed by Soviet special services.

In the fall of 1927, the baron, who was dreaming of revenge, had to remember that he had a large family in his arms. It is necessary to feed. From Constantinople, together with his family, he moved to Brussels. As an engineer I got a job in one firm.

On the battlefield

Every day the military everyday life, which was a lot of the battle general, he was very brave. It's just a story that happened in the First World War, which is worth it. The commander of the squadron of cavalrymen was, as always, brave and quick. In one place in the present Kaliningrad region, captain Wrangel, having obtained permission to attack the enemy's battery, carried out the attack with lightning speed. And he captured two guns. And from one of them managed to make the last shot. He killed the horse on which the commander sat ...

While in Constantinople, Vrangel Peter Nikolayevich lived on a yacht. One day she 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 that time. And three crew members were killed. The strange circumstances of this incident caused suspicions of an intentional attack on the yacht. They were confirmed today by the researchers of the Soviet special services. This involves Olga Golubovskaya, an emigre and an agent of Soviet authorities.

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

Fast paced life! An interesting fate. There is a book, a preface to which the writer Nikolai Starikov wrote, "Memoirs of Pyotr Nikolayevich Wrangel." It's worth reading. It leads to deep reflection.