Alexandre Vassilievitch Koltchak

Alexandre Vassilievitch Koltchak ( АлександрВасильевичКолчак ) (November 16th 1874, Saint-Pétersbourg (Russia) - February 7th 1920, Irkoutsk (Russia)) was a Russian admiral, a polar explorer and the chief of part of the white forces of the anti-Bolsheviks during the Russian civil war.

Biography

Wire of a naval officer, Kolchak was born in Saint-Petersbourg. Graduate of the academy of marine in 1894, it is affected with the 7th battalion of navy of the city. Transferred in the Far East, it is used for Vladivostok of 1895 to 1899. It returns then to Western Russia, in Kronstadt. It takes part in 1900 in the polar forwarding of Eduard Toll on the Zarya as a hydrograph.

After considerable difficulties, forwarding returns in December 1902, having lost its chief and three other members of forwarding. Kolchak took part in three Arctic forwardings and during one moment " was called; Kolchak-Poliarnyi" (" Kolchak the polaire"). For its explorations, Kolchak received the highest reward of the Russian geographical company.

War Russo-Japanese woman

At the time of the war Russo-Japanese woman, Kolchak is sent to Port-Arthur in March 1904. It is useful on the Askold cruiser, then takes the command of the Serdityi destroyer. It destroys the Japanese cruiser Takasago and receives the order of Saint-Anne, 4th class. Whereas the seat of the port intensifies, it receives the command of a battery of marine. Wounded a little later, it is made prisoner of war and is held in Nagasaki. Its low health involves its repatriation before the end of the war.

Turning over to Saint-Petersburg in April 1905, Kolchak takes part in the rebuilding of the Russian navy, almost completely destroyed during the war. It is affected with the staff of the fleet of the sea Blatique of 1906 until the beginning of the First World War in 1914. Kolchak ensures the deployment and the monitoring of the coastal defensive minefields, and orders the naval forces in the Gulf of Riga. It is promoted Vice-Amiral in August 1916, more the young man with this row, and takes the command of the fleet of the Black Sea, replacing the admiral Eberhart (note: the reason of this replacement is not very clear, because the admiral Eberhart was regarded as a ordering good).

The mission of Kolchak is then to support the Yudenich General in his operations against the Ottoman Empire. It is also charged to organize defense against possible attacks of U-Boot, and also, to study a plan of attack of the the Bosphorus (attacks which will never take place). The fleet of Kolchak then attacks regularly successfully the Othoman fleet transporting coal, thus putting the Othoman government in great difficulty. In 1916, in a combined attack marine and armed, the fleet of the Black Sea of Russia helps the Russian army to take the Turkish city of Trebizonde (modern Trabzon).

Revolution of February

After the revolution of February in 1917, the fleet of the Black Sea is disorganized by political chaos. Kolchak loses its command in June and voyage in Great Britain and to the United States as a semi-official military observer.

Revolution of October

Per hour of the revolution of November 1917, it is with the Japan and then in Manchuria. Kolchak supports the provisional government and turns over to Russia, by Vladivostok, in 1918. Absolute defender of the allied cause against Germany, it proposes with the British army to continue the fight. English, is initially inclined to accept the offer of Kolchak, and it is had a presentiment of to go in Mesopotamie (modern Iraq), but London decides that Kolchak could make more for the cause allied by reversing the Bolsheviks and while bringing back Russia in the war to the side of the allies. With back-plate, Kolchak accepts the British suggestions and turns over to Russia. Newcomer with Omsk to join the white Armed in constitution, he becomes minister in a Siberian regional government.

In November 1918, the regional government, inpopulaire, is reversed in a military coup d'etat. Kolchak, income with Omsk on November 16th of an excursion of inspection, is had a presentiment of to seize the power. The chief and the members Socialist-Revolutionists are stopped on November 18th. The remaining members of the council then vote dictatorial capacities for Kolchak and the title of " Suprème" governor; (Verkhovnyi Pravitel). The politicians stopped Socialist-Revolutionists are expelled of Siberia and émmigrent towards the north of Europe. The Socialist-Revolutionists chiefs of Russia denounce the methods of Kolchak and claim its death. They foment a small revolt with Omsk on December 22nd, 1918, which is quickly subdued by the kosacks and the Czech legion, which carry out summarily almost 500 rebels. The Socialist-Revolutionists then open negotiations with the Bolsheviks and in January 1919 the popular army Socialist-Revolutionist joined the Red Army.

Kolchak institutes a hard military dictatorship, imprisoning its adversaries. He sees his role in military terms - he needs a strong army, with regular provisioning, victories, and he does what he believes duty to do to obtain the conditions of realization of his military objectives. As he will say it later, he did not have absolutely any political objective. He only tried to create a regular army, able to beat the Bolsheviks. He shows on the other hand bad administrator and its government is corrupted.

Russian Civil war

direction of the white forces

At the beginning the white forces under its direction have a certain success. the Admiral Kolchak not being specialist in the terrestrial combat, it entrusts strategic strategic planning to D.A. Lebedev, and Paul J. Bubnar a Czech general. The white army aligns approximately 110.000 men against 95.000 Bolsheviks. It is entirely equipped and armed by English. It takes Perm in December 1918 and Oufa in March 1919, pushes until Kazan and Samara. It controls a territory of 300.000 km ² and 7 million people. In April, the Central committee Bolshevik, fact of the counter-attack against Kolchak its first priority. It then launches new troops against the white army, exhausted and without provisioning after its countryside. Kolchack causes the aversion of its Czech and Polish troops, which are withdrawn as of October 1918, leaving only one small presence on the ground. The 7000 soldiers American present to ensure the regularity of Trans-Siberian remain neutral and do not support Kolchak, seen like an autocratic royalist, which is little in agreement with the ideas of the US president Woodrow Wilson.

counter-attack red

The red counter-attack begins in April in the center of the white line, aiming Oufa. The combat are wild. Oufa is taken by the Red Army on June 9th, 1919. The advance continues beyond the Ural. The white army restores a line along Tobol and of the rivers of Ishim to stop the reds temporarily. It holds this line until October, but the constant loss of the killed or wounded men weakens it, whereas the reds are reinforced. the Red Army crosses Tobol mid-October and in November, the white forces beat a retreat towards Omsk in great disorder. The reds are then sufficiently trustful to begin their redeployment towards the south to face the white army of Anton Denikine.

Kolchak, without support, not even that of English who now concentrates their assistance towards the army of Denikine, PERT Omsk on November 14th, 1919. The Red Army captures 50.000 soldiers and ten generals. Whereas it tries to join the English military mission with Irkoutsk, it is delivered to the red authorities on January 14th, 1920. On order of Mouscou, he is condemned to died and shot on February 7th, 1920. Its body is thrown to the river.

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