Russian army in search of shelter
After the evacuation of tens of thousands of military and civilian Russian refugees from the Crimea, the question of their future became acute. It cannot be said that all the “bourgeois” and the officers are well settled, walking around the restaurants of Paris and flooding vodka homesickness at home. There were a minority of them, mostly they were financiers and industrialists who fled Russia before the active phase of the Civil War and were able to withdraw their capital. Many politicians, whom the West used in the struggle against the Russian empire, and then Soviet Russia, were able to settle down pretty well. They were needed by the West for informational struggle against Russia and as a “deck” from which it was possible to choose managers in case the Bolsheviks were defeated. The bulk of the Russian was at the broken trough. This was especially true of those who, until the last moment, fought the Red Army without thinking of a “alternate aerodrome”. To live on a grand scale in European capitals and major cities, significant funds were needed. Naturally, front-line officers, who received a salary with Denikin or Wrangel paper money, did not have such funds.
The main center, where the Russians tried to settle down, became Paris with its Supreme Council of the Entente, the Supreme Economic Council, the League of Nations, which then became the center of world politics. Here, most people associated with political activities tried to settle down. Representatives of various parties, movements, and organizations flocked to the French capital. In addition, quite a few Russians settled in Germany, where life was cheaper than in France. In contrast to Paris, Berlin and Prague became more "cultural" emigrant centers.
When a huge white flotilla with the army of Wrangel and refugees from the Crimea in November 1920, arrived in Constantinople, negotiations began with the French occupation authorities (Turkey was an ally of Germany and became a defeated country) about their future fate. At the suggestion of Wrangel, the Russian army as an organized force was preserved. Civilian refugees were granted freedom of movement. Some people were sent to special camps in Turkey, Greece, Serbia, the islands of the Aegean archipelago. The French took the Russian ships as a “guarantee”, as payment for assistance in the evacuation, they drove them to Tunisian Bizerta. The crews were placed in camps, the ships stood for several years in a state of uncertainty, gradually collapsing without care and maintenance. As a result, they were sold for scrap.
In Constantinople, a headquarters with an escort was organized: around 700 officers, Cossacks and soldiers. In addition, there were many other officers of the White movement in Constantinople, or those not connected with the Whites, who left before the Crimean evacuation. The 1 corps of Kutepov, into which all the regular units were brought — about 24 thousand officers and soldiers, was sent to the Gallipoli peninsula (on the west bank of the Dardanelles Strait). The Don Corps of Abramov - about 8 thousand officers and Cossacks, was located in the Turkish villages of Chilingir, Kabakdzha, Sandzak-Tepe. Fostikova's Kuban Corps, about 2,3 thousand officers and Cossacks, was taken to the island of Lemnos. In addition, with the Russian army there were more than 2,5 thousand women and children.
The Russian army has become a sort of magnet that attracted all kinds of scouts, swindlers, businessmen, recruiters. For example, the French were hiring Russians for the Foreign Legion, which led intense fighting in Algeria. Russians were also recruited to settle in Brazil, promising funds for travel, various benefits, extensive land plots. In reality, this trip most often turned into slave works on coffee plantations.
The command tried to keep the army as a single force. There was also hope that the white army would be needed by the Western powers for war with the Soviets, returning home from weapons in the hands to fight the Bolsheviks. People lived on the idea of reviving the old Russia. The Western allies, on the whole, met the whites as a whole cool. Whites were already used material. True, originally rations were set tolerable, according to 2 franc per day - 500 g of bread, 250 g of canned food, cereals, potatoes, tea, salt, sugar, fats. But the placement conditions were bad. On Lemnos lived in tents, experienced a shortage of water. Don Cossacks were placed in the barracks, dugouts, sheep houses. On Gallipoli, most of the soldiers and officers were placed on the “Naked Field”, in 7 km from the city near the river. We lived in tents, there was no fuel. Part of the corps was located in the town of Gallipoli, which was dilapidated during the First World War.
Under these conditions, great efforts were made to preserve the spirit of the people, to occupy them with something, except for thoughts of survival. Opened courses for officers, amateur theater, was organized training for various crafts. Kutepov reorganized the hull. Brought together the remnants of the former parts. The formations were combined into new divisions, under the command of generals Vitkovsky, Turkul, Skoblin, and Barbovich. Regular exercises for combat and combat training were introduced, guards were put on display, and service work was carried out. Parts celebrated their holidays, held parades and parades. In his spare time, work was carried out on the improvement of the camp. To maintain order and discipline there existed officer courts of honor, military field courts (in particular, the death penalty was introduced for the sale or drinking of weapons). Everything was done to save the army. It built its own church, workshops for repairing shoes and clothes, began to produce handwritten magazines and newspapers, organized fencing gymnastics school. As a result, for some time the army remained united, a fragment of the former Russia was created in Turkey.
Wrangell at this time settled in Constantinople, where he was located on the yacht "Lukull" (the last ship of the Russian army). During this period he was busy in the field of politics, conducting negotiations with the Western powers, restraining the pressure of the left and right forces of emigration. Thus, the left demanded a “liberalization” of the army, sharply criticizing Kutepov’s actions for his tough measures to maintain discipline and order in the troops. In addition, several political groups tried to subordinate the army to themselves in order to use them for their own purposes. However, Wrangel did not want to give Amy under the authority of all sorts of politicians, since, according to him, "after going through a crucible of disasters, blood flows, through the Provisional Government, all kinds of committees ... they now want to repeat the grave mistakes of the past again ...". In his opinion, Milyukov, Kerensky and others actually “destroyed and disgraced the army” and despite all the lessons they continue to wage war against it. To counter them in Constantinople from the political figures who supported Wrangel, a "parliamentary committee" was organized.
The headquarters of Wrangel and Kutepov still tried to develop plans for any operations against Soviet Russia. They thought about the landing in Georgia, the transfer of the army to the Far East. We established contacts with Savinkov, Peremykin and Bulak-Balakhovich, who settled in Poland with their troops. Peasant uprisings in Central Russia, Ukraine and Siberia caused a brief burst of optimism. The white command even began to organize "volatile detachments" of volunteers, in order to transfer them to Russia, they had to get to the insurgent regions and become the nuclei of the rebel armies. But it was impossible to get to Russia via land roads in Turkey, due to intra-Turkish conflicts. The White Fleet was no longer there to try to land troops on the coast of the Caucasus or in Ukraine. The possibility of the transfer of troops by sea was now completely dependent on the goodwill of the Western powers, but they already cooled off towards the whites and did not show even the slightest interest in such plans. The transportation of Wrangel’s army to the Far East demanded large financial expenses and interest of the West. As a result, all plans remained unfulfilled.
By 1921, it finally became clear that the white army for the Western powers was a “headache.” The status of the Russian army was not clear - an army without a state. Thousands of experienced and hardened in fierce battles officers and soldiers who went through the fire of two bloody wars - the First World War and the Civil War. An army that does not submit to any of the existing governments and listens only to its commander in chief. The West at this time moved from the strategy of open confrontation with Soviet Russia, to a more sophisticated, underground, informational war. In addition, the British traditionally looked with fear at the presence of Russians in the strategically important straits of Constantinople. The presence of a whole Russian army in this region did not fit into their strategy in the Middle East. British politicians were already preparing to sign a trade agreement with Soviet Russia. Wrangel's army in Turkey created a "hotbed of tension" and became a hindrance for London. France was also about to conclude a trade agreement with Russia. Paris had the hope of receiving royal debts from Soviet Russia. In the military strategic plan, the French began to create in the East a chain of allies - Estonia, Latvia, Poland, Romania. Italy and Greece were also not delighted with the presence in the region 35-th. professional Russian army. The West needed whites in Russia to fight the Reds, so that the Russians would kill the Russians, and not in Western Europe or in the region of Constantinople. Helping the Russian army to land in Russia was costly in terms of the expenditure of funds, organizational efforts, help with weapons, ammunition and other materials. Moreover, now the benefits of cooperation with Soviet Russia exceeded the "dividends" from an open collision. The Western powers did not need an independent, powerful Russian force in Europe. The army had to be dismantled in order to disperse, spray and assimilate the Russians. The army was a structure that allowed the preservation of the unity of the Russians. Wrangell considered it a crime to reduce such force to nothing. But Europe considered such a state of danger, the Russian army prevented everyone.
Already at the end of 1920, the French government found its obligations fulfilled and decided to get rid of the Russian army. Wrangel put forward several requirements. First, they demanded to disarm the troops. Secondly, to withdraw from the army command and disband the military units, transferring them to the position of civilian refugees. Wrangel categorically refused to comply with these requirements. The French authorities did not immediately deprive the army of allowances, fearing an explosion, thousands of soldiers with significant combat experience and weapons were very dangerous. The occupation authorities chose to act slowly but surely, gradually reducing food rations. Offering to switch to self-financing, although they knew that the army had almost no sources for existence. Wrangel, trying to save the army, began to ask for money from wealthy people, Russian "oligarchs" who were able to save their capital after the revolution, turned for help to public organizations and various governments. In addition, huge sums still remained at the disposal of Russian embassies abroad. However, diplomats were in no hurry to part with the money. They established the Council of Ambassadors, who led their policies, and evaded the allocation of funds, saying that they belong to the "legitimate government of Russia." The Council of Ambassadors himself wanted to determine which government is "legitimate." Ambassadors even proposed to transfer all the military to the position of refugees in order to make it easier to organize assistance from charitable, public structures. Some help products and blankets had American benefactors.
Negotiations with the governments of the Entente countries did not produce results. In Paris, the Cadets and Socialists came to the fore, who were preparing to convene a new "Constituent Assembly." At this time, relations with the French escalated. In the Russian camps, the post of French "commanders" was established, to which Russian commandants were subordinate. In Gallipoli, the French gave the order to lay down their arms. But Wrangel made a protest, threatening unintended consequences. The French were forced to retreat. Then Wrangel was visited by Admiral de Beaune and offered to relinquish his rank of commander in chief in order to calm public opinion. Wrangel refused to take such a step, as this led to the death of the army. Then the French began to interfere with the dispatch to the camps of the orders of Wrangel, his trips from Constantinople. Commissioners were sent to the camps, who inclined people to transition to refugee status.
However, the army continued to hold even in such conditions. Only a few, unable to endure a half-starved, beggarly existence, enrolled in the Foreign Legion, to Kemal, left for Russia or Brazil. New churches, a gymnasium, cadet corps were opened, various clubs were organized. Of the men who wanted to return or join the army, formed a new battalion - "refugee". Around the camp, Greeks, Armenians, Turks opened small shops, shops, taverns.
But by the spring of 1921, relations with the French authorities became even more aggravated. Even conflicts began. So, the French decided to transfer the Don Cossacks of their Turkish villages, where they were more or less settled, to the island of Lemnos, where living conditions were even harder. The Cossacks dispersed the Senegalese shooters, who tried to pacify and relocate them. Only with the help of Wrangel, the Donians were reassured and transferred to Lemnos. Conflicts began to occur Russian with French patrols. The French gave the order to disarm the convoy and staff orderlies in Constantinople, Wrangell refused to comply with this instruction. Then the order was given to clear the embassy from all military establishments, and to leave Wrangel from Turkey. The commander-in-chief asked to give him the opportunity to say goodbye to the troops in Gallipoli and on Lemnos. He was only allowed to issue a written appeal, the text of which will be agreed with the French authorities. Wrangell began to take time, hinting at unpredictable consequences. Rumors about the arrest of the commander-in-chief went to Gallipoli. The most resolute began to demand to go on a campaign to Constantinople to help out Wrangel. Frightened Europeans rushed to Wrangel, and he reassured the troops. From the expulsion of Wrangel had to refuse.
Soon the French issued a new order on the surrender of weapons. General Kutepov invited them to come and take away their weapons by force. Wrangel ordered to collect weapons and store under strict guard, but at the same time to form in each division an attack battalion of the best fighters in the 600 bayonets with a machine-gun team in the 60 barrels. Then the occupying authorities pointed to the inadequacy of the cost of maintaining the Russian army, speaking of the need to abandon the supply of Russian. Then Kutepov began to conduct intensive parades and parades. The Allies asked if the Russians were going to go to Constantinople? Kutepov “calmed down” them, saying that these were only classes in case the army had to break through the road to Serbia. The occupation authorities again reduced the rations and tried to exert military pressure on the Russian army, with the help of a military squadron. However, Kutepov promised in the event of a threat to seize the isthmus of the peninsula and the French squadron was removed.
"Allies" continued to exert information and psychological pressure on the Russian army. An attempt to undermine the authority of the command in order to disobey the commander-in-chief also failed. At this time, “Kutep-Pasha, King of Gallipoli” gained immense popularity. By the end of March 1921, the relationship of the occupation authorities and the command of the Russian army was close to a complete break. From the more decisive actions of the Westernizers against the Russian army, only the unpredictability of the Russians, the fighting power of the white army, were kept.
To be continued ...
Information