Nobles - the backbone of the officer corps of the Red Army

2024 Author: Seth Attwood | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 15:55

For some time now, it has become fashionable to sympathize with "whites". They are de nobles, people of honor and duty, "the intellectual elite of the nation." Almost half of the country remembers its noble roots.

It has become fashionable, on occasion, to cry over the innocently murdered and exiled nobles. And, as usual, all the troubles of the present time are blamed on the “Reds”, who treated the “elite” in this way. Behind these conversations, the main thing becomes invisible - the “Reds” won in that fight, and the “elite” of not only Russia, but also the strongest powers of that time fought with them.

And where did the current "noble gentlemen" get that the nobles in that great Russian turmoil were necessarily on the side of the "whites"? Other nobles, like Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov, did much more for the proletarian revolution than Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels.

Let's turn to the facts

Main thesis number 1

The Red Army had 75,000 former officers, while in the White Army there were about 35,000 of the 150,000-strong officer corps of the Russian Empire.

An excursion into history

On November 7, 1917, the Bolsheviks came to power. Russia by that time was still at war with Germany and its allies. Whether you like it or not, you have to fight. Therefore, on November 19, 1917, the Bolsheviks appointed Chief of Staff of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief … a hereditary nobleman, His Excellency Lieutenant General of the Imperial Army Mikhail Dmitrievich Bonch-Bruevich.

It was he who would lead the armed forces of the Republic in the most difficult period for the country, from November 1917 to August 1918, and from the scattered parts of the former Imperial Army and Red Guard detachments, by February 1918, he would form the Workers 'Peasants' Red Army. From March to August M. D. Bonch-Bruevich will hold the post of military leader of the Supreme Military Council of the Republic, and in 1919 - chief of the Field Staff Rev. Military. Council of the Republic.

At the end of 1918, the post of commander-in-chief of all the Armed Forces of the Soviet Republic was established. We ask you to love and favor - his honor is the commander-in-chief of all the Armed Forces of the Soviet Republic, Sergei Sergeevich Kamenev (not to be confused with Kamenev, who was then shot together with Zinoviev). A career officer, graduated from the Academy of the General Staff in 1907, colonel of the Imperial Army. From the beginning of 1918 to July 1919, Kamenev made a lightning-fast career from the commander of an infantry division to the commander of the Eastern Front, and, finally, from July 1919 until the end of the Civil War, he held the post that Stalin would occupy during the Great Patriotic War. Since July 1919, not a single operation of the land and naval forces of the Soviet Republic was complete without his direct participation.

Great help to Sergei Sergeevich was provided by his immediate subordinate - His Excellency the Chief of the Field Headquarters of the Red Army Pavel Pavlovich Lebedev, a hereditary nobleman, Major General of the Imperial Army. As chief of the Field Staff, he replaced Bonch-Bruyevich and from 1919 to 1921 (almost the entire war) headed him, and from 1921 he was appointed Chief of Staff of the Red Army. Pavel Pavlovich participated in the development and conduct of the most important operations of the Red Army to defeat the troops of Kolchak, Denikin, Yudenich, Wrangel, was awarded the Orders of the Red Banner and the Red Banner of Labor (at that time the highest awards of the Republic).

One cannot ignore Lebedev's colleague, the chief of the All-Russian General Staff, His Excellency Alexander Alexandrovich Samoilo. Alexander Alexandrovich is also a hereditary nobleman and major general of the Imperial Army. During the Civil War, he headed the military district, army, front, worked as a deputy for Lebedev, then headed the All-Russian headquarters.

Isn't it an extremely interesting tendency that can be traced in the personnel policy of the Bolsheviks? It can be assumed that Lenin and Trotsky, when selecting the highest command cadres of the Red Army, made it an indispensable condition that these were hereditary nobles and career officers of the Imperial Army with the rank of colonel or higher. But of course this is not the case. Just a tough wartime quickly put forward professionals in their field and talented people, also quickly pushing all kinds of "revolutionary balaboloks".

Therefore, the personnel policy of the Bolsheviks is quite natural, they had to fight and win now, there was no time to study. However, it is truly surprising that the nobles and officers went to them, and even in such numbers, and served the Soviet power for the most part with faith and truth.

Faithfully and truly

There are often statements that the Bolsheviks drove the nobles into the Red Army by force, threatening the families of the officers with reprisals. This myth has been persistently exaggerated for many decades in pseudo-historical literature, pseudo-monographs and various kinds of "research". This is just a myth. They served not for fear, but for conscience.

And who would entrust command to a potential traitor? It is known only about a few betrayals of officers. But they commanded insignificant forces and are a sad, but still an exception. The majority, on the other hand, honestly performed their duty and selflessly fought both with the Entente and with their "brothers" in class. They acted as befits true patriots of their homeland.

The Workers 'and Peasants' Red Fleet is generally an aristocratic institution. Here is a list of its commanders during the Civil War: Vasily Mikhailovich Altfater (hereditary nobleman, rear admiral of the Imperial Navy), Evgeny Andreevich Berens (hereditary nobleman, counter-admiral of the Imperial Navy), Alexander Vasilyevich Nemitz (personal data are exactly the same).

But what are the commanders, the Naval General Staff of the Russian Navy, almost in full force, went over to the side of the Soviet government, and so it remained to lead the fleet throughout the Civil War. Apparently, Russian sailors after Tsushima perceived the idea of monarchy, as they say now, ambiguously.

Here is what Altfater wrote in his application for admission to the Red Army:

“I have served until now only because I considered it necessary to be useful to Russia where I can, and in the way I can. But I did not know and did not believe you. I still don’t understand much, but I’m convinced … that you love Russia more than many of ours. And now I have come to tell you that I am yours."

I believe that the same words could be repeated by Baron Alexander Alexandrovich von Taube, Chief of the General Staff of the Red Army Command in Siberia (former Lieutenant General of the Imperial Army). Taube's troops were defeated by the White Czechs in the summer of 1918, he himself was taken prisoner and soon died in Kolchak's prison on death row.

And a year later, another "red baron" - Vladimir Aleksandrovich Olderogge (also a hereditary nobleman, Major General of the Imperial Army), from August 1919 to January 1920, the commander of the Eastern Front of the "Reds" - finished off the White Guards in the Urals and as a result liquidated the Kolchak region.

At the same time, from July to October 1919, another important front of the "Reds" - the South - was headed by His Excellency, former Lieutenant General of the Imperial Army Vladimir Nikolaevich Yegoriev. The troops under the command of Yegoriev stopped Denikin's offensive, inflicted a number of defeats on him and held out until the reserves arrived from the Eastern Front, which ultimately predetermined the final defeat of the Whites in southern Russia. In these difficult months of fierce fighting on the Southern Front, Yegoriev's closest assistant was his deputy and at the same time the commander of a separate military group, Vladimir Ivanovich Selivachev (hereditary nobleman, lieutenant general of the Imperial Army).

As you know, in the summer and autumn of 1919, the whites planned to victoriously end the Civil War. To this end, they decided to launch a combined strike in all directions. However, by mid-October 1919, the Kolchak front was already hopeless, a turning point was outlined in favor of the "Reds" in the South. At that moment, the "whites" struck an unexpected blow from the northwest. Yudenich rushed to Petrograd. The blow was so unexpected and powerful that already in October the "whites" found themselves in the suburbs of Petrograd. The question arose about the surrender of the city. Lenin, despite the well-known panic in the ranks of his comrades, decided not to surrender the city.

And now the 7th army of the "red" under the command of his nobleness (former colonel of the Imperial Army) Sergey Dmitrievich Kharlamov is advancing towards Yudenich, and a separate group of the same army under the command of his Excellency (Major General of the Imperial Army) enters the flank of the "white" Sergei Ivanovich Odintsov. Both are from the most hereditary nobles.

The outcome of those events is known: in mid-October, Yudenich was still examining Krasny Petrograd through binoculars, and on November 28 he was unpacking his suitcases in Revel (the lover of young boys turned out to be a worthless commander …).

Northern front. From the fall of 1918 to the spring of 1919, this was an important area in the struggle against the Anglo-American-French invaders. So who is leading the Bolsheviks into battle? First, His Excellency (former Lieutenant General) Dmitry Pavlovich Parsky, then His Excellency (former Lieutenant General) Dmitry Nikolaevich Nadezhny, both hereditary nobles.

It should be noted that it was Parsky who led the detachments of the Red Army in the famous February battles of 1918 near Narva, so it is largely thanks to him that we celebrate February 23rd. After the end of the fighting in the North, His Excellency Comrade Nadezhny will be appointed commander of the Western Front.

Is it only the nobles? A little about proletarian commanders

This is the situation with nobles and generals in the service of the "Reds" almost everywhere. We will be told: you are exaggerating everything here. The “Reds” had their own talented military leaders and not from the nobility and generals. Yes, there were, we know their names well: Frunze, Budyonny, Chapaev, Parkhomenko, Kotovsky, Shchors. But who were they during the decisive battles?

When the fate of Soviet Russia was being decided in 1919, the most important was the Eastern Front (against Kolchak). Here are its commanders in chronological order: Kamenev, Samoilo, Lebedev, Frunze (26 days!), Olderogge. One proletarian and four noblemen, I emphasize - in a vital area! No, I do not want to belittle the merits of Mikhail Vasilyevich. He is a really talented commander and did a lot to defeat the same Kolchak, commanding one of the military groups of the Eastern Front. Then the Turkestan Front under his command crushed the counter-revolution in Central Asia, and the operation to defeat Wrangel in the Crimea is deservedly recognized as a masterpiece of military art. But let's be fair: by the time of the capture of Crimea, even the "whites" did not doubt their fate, the outcome of the war was finally decided.

Semyon Mikhailovich Budyonny was the commander of the army, his Cavalry Army played a key role in a number of operations on some fronts. However, one should not forget that there were dozens of armies in the Red Army, and it would still be a stretch to call the contribution of one of them decisive in victory. Nikolai Alexandrovich Shchors, Vasily Ivanovich Chapaev, Alexander Yakovlevich Parkhomenko, Grigory Ivanovich Kotovsky - division commander. Already because of this, for all their personal courage and military talents, they could not make a strategic contribution to the course of the war.

Why was it hushed up

But propaganda has its own laws. Any proletarian, having learned that the highest military positions are occupied by hereditary nobles and generals of the tsarist army, will say: "Yes, this is a contradiction!"

Therefore, a kind of conspiracy of silence arose around our heroes in the Soviet years, and even more so now. They won the Civil War and quietly disappeared into oblivion, leaving behind yellowed operational maps and stingy lines of orders.

But "their excellencies" and "nobility" shed their blood for Soviet power no worse than the proletarians. Baron Taube has already been mentioned, but this is not the only example.

In the spring of 1919, in the battles near Yamburg, the White Guards captured and executed the brigade commander of the 19th rifle division, former Major General of the Imperial Army A. P. Nikolaev. The same fate befell in 1919 the commander of the 55th rifle division, former Major General A. V. Stankevich, in 1920 - the commander of the 13th rifle division of the former Major General A. V. Sobolev. What is noteworthy, before their death, all the generals were offered to go over to the side of the "whites", and they all refused. The honor of a Russian officer is more precious than life.

What were you fighting for?

That is, you think they will tell us that the nobles and the regular officer corps were for the "Reds"?

Of course, I am far from this thought. Here you just need to distinguish the "nobleman" as a moral concept from the "nobility" as a class. The noble class almost entirely ended up in the camp of the "whites", it could not be otherwise.

Sitting on the neck of the Russian people was very comfortable for them, and they did not want to get off. True, the help from the nobles was just scanty for the "whites". Judge for yourself. In the crucial year 1919, by about May, the number of shock groups of the "white" armies was: Kolchak's army - 400 thousand people; Denikin's army (the Armed Forces of the South of Russia) - 150 thousand people; army of Yudenich (North-Western Army) - 18, 5 thousand people. Total: 568.5 thousand people.

Moreover, these are mainly “bast shoes” from the villages, who, under the threat of execution, were driven into the ranks and who then with whole armies (!), Like Kolchak’s, went over to the side of the “red”. And this is in Russia, where at that time there were 2.5 million noblemen, i.e. not less than 500 thousand men of military age! Here, it would seem, is the shock detachment of the counter-revolution …

Or take, for example, the leaders of the "white" movement: Denikin is the son of an officer, his grandfather was a soldier; Kornilov is a Cossack, Semyonov is a Cossack, Alekseev is the son of a soldier. Of the titled persons - only one Wrangel, and that Swedish baron. Who is left? The nobleman Kolchak is a descendant of a captive Turk, and Yudenich with a surname that is very typical for a “Russian nobleman” and a non-standard orientation. In the old days, the nobles themselves defined such their fellow class members as artless. But "in the absence of fish and cancer - a fish."

Do not look for princes Golitsyns, Trubetskoy, Shcherbatovs, Obolensky, Dolgorukovs, counts Sheremetevs, Orlovs, Novosiltsevs and among less significant figures of the "white" movement. The "boyars" sat in the rear, in Paris and Berlin, and waited for some of their slaves to bring others on the lasso. Didn't wait.

So Malinin's howls about the lieutenants Golitsins and the Obolensky cornets are just fiction. They did not exist in nature … But the fact that the native land is burning under our feet is not just a metaphor. It really burned under the armies of the Entente and their "white" friends.

But there is also a moral category - "nobleman". Put yourself in the shoes of "His Excellency" who has gone over to the side of Soviet power. What can he count on? At the most - a commander's ration and a pair of boots (an exceptional luxury in the Red Army, the rank and file were shod in bast shoes). At the same time, the suspicion and distrust of many "comrades" are constantly near the watchful eye of the commissar. Compare this with 5,000 rubles an annual salary of a major general of the tsarist army, and after all, many excellencies also had family property before the revolution. Therefore, selfish interest for such people is excluded, one thing remains - the honor of a nobleman and a Russian officer. The best of the nobility went to the "Reds" - to save the Fatherland.

In the days of the Polish invasion of 1920, Russian officers, including nobles, went over to the side of Soviet power in their thousands. From the representatives of the top generals of the former Imperial Army, the "red" created a special body - a Special Meeting under the Commander-in-Chief of all the Armed Forces of the Republic. The purpose of this body is to develop recommendations for the command of the Red Army and the Soviet Government to repulse the Polish aggression. In addition, the Special Meeting called on former officers of the Russian Imperial Army to defend the Motherland in the ranks of the Red Army.

The remarkable words of this address, perhaps, fully reflect the moral position of the best part of the Russian aristocracy:

“At this critical historical moment of our people's life, we, your senior comrades in arms, appeal to your feelings of love and devotion to the Motherland and appeal to you with an urgent request to forget all grievances, voluntarily go with complete selflessness and hunting to the Red Army, to the front or to the rear, wherever the government of Soviet Workers 'and Peasants' Russia appoints you, and serve there not for fear, but for conscience, so that with your honest service, not sparing your life, to defend by all means dear to us Russia and prevent its plundering …

The appeal bears the signatures of their Excellencies: General of Cavalry (Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Army in May-July 1917) Aleksey Alekseevich Brusilov, General of Infantry (Minister of War of the Russian Empire in 1915-1916) Aleksey Andreevich Polivanov, General of Infantry Andrey Me Zayonchkovsky and many other generals of the Russian Army.

Main thesis number 2

In absolute numbers, the contribution of the Russian officers to the victory of Soviet power is as follows: during the Civil War, 48.5 thousand tsarist officers and generals were called up into the ranks of the Red Army. In the decisive 1919, they made up 53% of the entire command staff of the Red Army.

Personal dedication

I would like to end this brief review with examples of human destinies that refute the myth of the pathological villainy of the Bolsheviks and the total extermination of the noble classes of Russia by them in the best possible way. I note right away that the Bolsheviks were not stupid, so they understood that, given the difficult situation in Russia, they really needed people with knowledge, talents and conscience. And such people could count on honor and respect from the Soviet government, despite their origin and pre-revolutionary life.

Let's start with his Excellency General of the Artillery Alexei Alekseevich Manikovsky.

Alexei Alekseevich, back in the First World War, headed the Main Artillery Directorate of the Russian Imperial Army. After the February Revolution, he was appointed Comrade (Deputy) Minister of War. Since the Minister of War of the Provisional Government Guchkov did not understand anything in military matters, Manikovsky had to become the de facto head of the department. On the memorable October night of 1917, Manikovsky was arrested along with the rest of the Provisional Government, then released. A few weeks later, he was arrested again and again released; he was not noticed in conspiracies against Soviet power. And already in 1918 he headed the Main Artillery Directorate of the Red Army, then he would work in various staff positions of the Red Army.

Or, for example, His Excellency Lieutenant General of the Russian Army, Count Alexei Alekseevich Ignatiev. During the First World War, he served as a military attaché in France with the rank of major general and was in charge of the procurement of weapons - the fact is that the tsarist government prepared the country for war in such a way that even cartridges had to be bought abroad. For this Russia paid a lot of money, and they lay in Western banks.

After October, our loyal allies instantly laid their hands on Russian property abroad, including on the government's accounts. However, Aleksey Alekseevich got his bearings faster than the French and transferred the money to another account, inaccessible to the allies, and besides, in his own name. And the money was 225 million rubles in gold, or $ 2 billion at the current gold rate. Ignatiev did not succumb to persuasion about the transfer of funds either from the "whites" or from the French. After France established diplomatic relations with the USSR, he came to the Soviet embassy and modestly handed over a check for the entire amount with the words: "This money belongs to Russia." The emigrants were furious, they decided to kill Ignatiev. And his brother volunteered to become the killer! Ignatiev miraculously survived - a bullet pierced his cap a centimeter from his head.

Let's invite each of you to mentally try on the cap of Count Ignatiev and think if you are capable of this? And if we add to this that during the revolution the Bolsheviks confiscated the Ignatiev family estate and the family mansion in Petrograd?

And the last thing I would like to say. Remember how at one time they accused Stalin, imputing to him that he killed all the tsarist officers and former nobles who remained in Russia. So none of our heroes was subjected to repression, all died a natural death (of course, except for those who fell on the fronts of the Civil War) in glory and honor. And their junior comrades, such as Colonel B. M. Shaposhnikov, captains A. M. Vasilevsky and F. I. Tolbukhin, second lieutenant L. A. Govorov - became Marshals of the Soviet Union.