Death was on his heels. But he was brave, lucky and brave, infinitely loved his homeland and honestly served it. It is no coincidence that he bore the title “The Last Knight of the Russian Empire.”
Black Baron
This is the nickname given to the person we want to talk about. This is Wrangel Petr Nikolaevich. A brief biography of him will be presented in the article.
By origin, he is indeed a baron. Born in the Kovno province of Russia, in the city of Novoaleksandrovsk (now Kaunas). The family is from a noble, very ancient family. She is from the 13th century. from Henrikus de Wrangel - a knight of the Teutonic Order - leads his genealogy.
And the “black” general was nicknamed because since 1918 he constantly wore a Cossack Circassian coat of this color. Yes, even decorated with gazyrami. These are small cylinders made of bone or silver, where powder charges were placed. Gazyrs were usually attached to breast pockets.
Pyotr Nikolaevich was a very popular figure. Mayakovsky, for example, wrote: “He walked with a sharp step in a black Circassian coat.”
Descendant of the glorious military
He is an engineer by training. Graduated from the Mining Institute. His father, Wrangel Nikolai Yegorovich, was an art critic and alsowriter. Also a great collector of antiques.
Probably, that's why the son did not even think of becoming a professional military man. But the genes seem to have taken their toll. But the fact is that General P. N. Wrangel is a direct branch from Herman the Elder. There was such a field marshal in Sweden (XVII century). And his great-grandson named George Gustav served as a colonel with Charles XII himself. And already the son of the latter, whose name was Georg Hans, became a major, only in the Russian army. Not only grandfathers and fathers, as well as uncles and nephews, were military men and fought in those battles that Russia often fought. Their family gave Europe seven field marshals, the same number of admirals, and more than thirty generals.
Therefore, young Peter knew all this, understood, could take an example from his ancestors. The same Russian officer, whose name is inscribed not just anywhere, but on the wall of a 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, explorer of the Arctic, also an admiral. The island is named after him. And Pushkin is a relative of the “black baron” through his grandfather Hannibal, the arap Peter the Great.
It is very difficult to summarize an interesting, voluminous topic dedicated to such an outstanding personality as Pyotr Nikolayevich Wrangel. It contains many facts that most fully convey the image of this exceptional person. Take only one motto of this kind - "I'm dying, but I don't give up!". But the hero of our essay followed him all his life.
War with Japan
So, the newly minted engineer Pyotr Nikolayevich Wrangel did not see any connection between himself and the army in the future. True, he studied for another year in the Horse Regiment. But the new cornet was recorded … in the reserve. And he went far to work - to Irkutsk. And not at all a military officer, but a civil official.
All cards were mixed up by the outbreak of war. Wrangel went to her as a volunteer. And at the front, for the first time, he showed his innate qualities of a military man. This became his true calling.
The memoirs of Pyotr Nikolaevich Wrangel have been published. He writes about everything in detail.
By the end of 1904 he was promoted to centurion. Two orders were awarded: St. Anna and St. Stanislav. They became the first "instances" in his large collection of awards.
When the end of the war came, the engineer could no longer imagine himself without an army. He even graduated from the Imperial Academy of the General Staff already in 1910.
Cavalry Squadron
Wrangel Pyotr Nikolayevich met the First World War with the rank of captain. Commanded a division of a cavalry regiment.
He already had a wife and 3 children. I might as well not go to the front. But he did not allow himself this. And in reports from the front, the authorities again wrote about the outstanding courage of Captain Wrangel.
Only three weeks have passed since the beginning of this massacre, and his squad managed to excel. The cavalry charged hard. The enemy battery was captured. And Wrangel for such a feat (among the first) was noted. Received the Order of St. George. Soon he "grew up" to the colonel. In 1917, in January, he was a generalmajor. He is valued as a very promising military man. In the description they wrote that Wrangel had "outstanding courage." In any situation, he understands quickly, especially in a difficult one. And also extremely resourceful.
In the summer of the same year - the next step. Wrangel Pyotr Nikolaevich is now the commander of a large cavalry corps. But the October Revolution again abruptly changed the trajectory of his life.
Collect into a fist
Her hereditary baron and important general could not accept for obvious reasons. Left the army. He moved to Y alta, lived with his family at his dacha. Here he was arrested by local Bolsheviks. But what could they give him? Noble origin? Military merit? Therefore, he was soon released, but was hiding until the German army entered the Crimea.
He went to Kyiv. I decided to enter the service of Hetman Pavlo Skoropadsky. However, he soon became disillusioned. The Ukrainian government (new) proved to be weak. It was held only thanks to the bayonets of the Germans.
Wrangel goes to the city of Ekaterinodar. As a commander (of the 1st Cavalry Division) he joins the volunteer army. Thus began the new service of the baron in the White Army.
Experts even now say that her success is largely the merit of Wrangel, his cavalry. After all, he always has his own tactics. For example, he was against fighting along the entire front. He preferred to gather the cavalry "into a fist" and throw them to break through one section. The blow always turned out to be of such force that the enemy simply ran. Thesebrilliant operations that were developed and carried out by the "black baron", and ensured the army's victories both in the Kuban and in the North Caucasus.
Out of favor with Denikin
The city of Tsaritsyn was taken by Wrangel's cavalry in June 1919. And here it is necessary, as it happens! After such luck, the baron fell into disgrace. Anton Denikin, commander-in-chief of the volunteer army, was angry with him. Why? The fact is that both of them - big military men - had opposing views on further measures. Denikin aimed to go to Moscow, while Wrangel - to connect with Kolchak (in the east).
Biography of Wrangel Pyotr Nikolaevich shows that he was one hundred percent right. For the campaign against the capital was a failure. But the correctness of the opponent infuriated Denikin even more. And he removed the general from business.
Wrangel retired (February 1920). Left for Constantinople.
A new hope
Well, is a brilliant career over? No, heaven decreed otherwise. A few months later, Denikin left. He himself resigned. A military council was convened in Sevastopol. Wrangel was elected commander-in-chief.
But what did he hope for? After all, the position of the "whites" - and this is very clear - was simply sad. The army kept retreating. Total destruction is already on the horizon.
However, having accepted the army, Wrangel created an incredible miracle. He stopped the advance of the "red" fighters. The White Guards settled firmly in the Crimea.
Caliph for an hour
The last Russian knight has done a lot in these six months. Given the mistakes, he made the most incredible compromises. He wanted to make his supporters people from all walks of life. He developed a plan for agrarian reform, which was supposed to allocate land to the peasants. He also adopted projects of socio-economic measures. They were supposed to "defeat" Russia, but not with weapons at all, but with their successes.
Even the baron assumed a federal structure of the country, offered to recognize the independence of both the highlanders and also Ukraine.
But by the time he came to power, the movement of the Whites was lost - both in the international aspect (the West refused to help them), and within the country. The Bolsheviks controlled most of Russia with much more resources.
Wrangel in the spring of 1920 again had to raise troops to repel the attack of the "Reds". It worked out in the summer. "White" entered the territory of Northern Tavria. They needed to stock up on groceries. However, then there was no more luck.
Most importantly, missed the time. In Soviet Russia, people generally did not hear about Wrangel's proposed reforms. 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 and intelligent, he did not focus on this in his program. And he definitely did not insist at all, which, unfortunately, no longer mattered.
Emigration
It is impossible to tell everything about the life of Petr Nikolayevich Wrangel in one article. Only one period of his stay forborder can dedicate volumes.
In November 1920, the Red Army broke into the Crimea. And in this situation, General Wrangel again showed himself perfectly. He managed to organize the evacuation of the White Army and civilians abroad in such a way that there was no confusion, no chaos. Everyone who wanted to leave. Wrangel personally controlled this when he toured the ports on a destroyer.
That was just a feat. He is only within the power of Wrangel alone. After all, the general took out from the Crimea (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 also left. There, far from his homeland, he founded the Russian All-Military Union (1924), which was ready at any moment to start an armed struggle against Bolshevism. And he was able to do it. The backbone was all former officers. It was the largest and most powerful organization of white emigrants. More than a hundred thousand members were registered.
The Bolsheviks treated them with great apprehension. It is no coincidence that many leaders were either kidnapped or killed by the Soviet secret services.
In the autumn of 1927, the baron, who was dreaming of revenge, had to remember that he had a large family in his arms. Need to feed. From Constantinople, he moved with his family to Brussels. How an engineer got a job in one company.
On the battlefield
Every day of military everyday life, of which the military general had a lot, he was very brave. Just one story that happened back in the First World War, which is worth it. The commander of the cavalry squadron was, as always,courageous and swift. In one place in the current Kaliningrad region, Captain Wrangel, having obtained permission to pounce on the enemy’s battery, carried out the attack with lightning speed. And took two guns. And from one of them managed to make the last shot. He killed the horse the commander was riding…
While in Constantinople, Wrangel Pyotr Nikolaevich lived on a yacht. One day she was rammed. It was an Italian ship, but it was sailing from our Batumi. The yacht sank before our eyes. None of the Wrangel family was on board then. And three crew members died. The strange circumstances of this incident aroused suspicions of intentional hitting the yacht. They were confirmed today by researchers of the work of the Soviet special services. Olga Golubovskaya, an emigrant and agent of the Soviet authorities, is involved in this.
And one more fact. Just six months after arriving in Brussels, Pyotr Nikolaevich died unexpectedly (from infection with tuberculosis). However, relatives suggested that he was poisoned by the servant's brother, who was assigned to the baron. He was also an agent in the NKVD. This version is confirmed today by other sources.
Stormy life! Interesting fate. There is a book, the preface to which was written by the prose writer Nikolai Starikov, - “Memoirs of Pyotr Nikolaevich Wrangel”. It's worth reading. Makes you think deeply.
