In a message to the Federal Assembly, Russian President Vladimir Putin said: “At our meetings with members of the search squads, we talked about how important it is to protect historical military memory of the fatherland. Is it true that we still do not have a single worthy national monument to the heroes of the First World War? Our ancestors called it a great war, but it was undeservedly forgotten, in fact, for a number of political, ideological reasons, it was deleted from our historical memory and from history. Meanwhile, the fighting spirit of the Armed Forces rests on traditions, on a lively connection with history, on the examples of the courage and self-sacrifice of heroes. ”It is clear that Vladimir Vladimirovich’s statement about the First World War is not a private opinion, but a guide to action. In less than a day, the helpful media talked loose about the ambitious plans for the massive 20 month-long political campaign. Its apotheosis will be the magnificent anniversary of the 100 anniversary of the outbreak of the First World War. Naturally, this campaign will have nothing to do with the real story. The main emphasis will be placed on the heroism of Russian officers and generals, not all, of course, but only the future heroes of the White movement, and the betrayal of the Bolsheviks, who “stole the victory from Russia”.
Obviously, business will not be limited to one monument. In the Russian Federation and around the world, old ones will be restored and hundreds of new monuments to “white heroes” will be built. The fact is that most of the monuments in the graves of emigrants have fallen into decay, and now they want to entrust their restoration and maintenance to the peoples of Russia, who prosper during the economic crisis.
IN CHELYABINSK, HEROES MISCEED WITH DRINKED LEGIONAIRS
The process has begun. In Chelyabinsk, Irkutsk and other cities, monuments of White Czechs have already been erected, in fact, from the insurrection of which the Civil War began. All this would be funny if it were not so sad. Drunk Czechs 14 May 1918, at the station in Chelyabinsk, committed a mass brawl with Hungarian prisoners of war returning to their homeland. Recall how a gallant soldier, Schweik, together with the sapper Vodicka, costumed or Magyar Honored. Well, and someone managed to turn this fight into rebellion. Needless to say, at the opening of the monument to the White Czechs, no one remembered about the fight at the station, or about the theft of the Czechs about a quarter of the gold reserves of the empire.
The most curious thing is that none of the most important luminaries of history knows why and how Russia fought in the First World War. No, formally hundreds of books have been written on this topic, and important professors read lectures on all the operations of the First World War: “the first column marches, the second column marches ...” But who will answer why we fought? Because of the Teutons' aggression against Russia? Oh, do not confuse 1914 with the 1941 year, and the royal "cousin Willie" - with the possessed Fuhrer. No doubt, the Kaiser was not “white and fluffy” and during the 1914 – 1917 war he spoke all sorts of nasty things about Russia, encouraging his warriors. But from 1813 to 1914 for a year, for over 100 years, the border with Prussia, and later with the German Empire, was the most peaceful. We did not have and, apparently, there will never be a century of such silence and prosperity on any border. Moreover, Germany in the 1813 – 1913 years was the only country in Europe that favored Russia and supported it in all wars and crises.
1854 – 1855 years. England, France, and then Sardinia attacked Russia. All of Western Europe was opposed to us, but from Prussia guns, gunpowder, steam engines and other strategic cargoes were coming in a huge stream.
1863 year. Polish lords revolted the Kingdom of Poland. The goal - the seizure of Russian lands to the Dnieper and Neman. Britain and France threatened Russia with war. And here again from Prussia there is a stream of guns and gunpowder. The German government orders the army to start clearing its border lands from the rebels and their sympathizers. Many Polish historians still claim that the 1863 uprising of the year was suppressed not by the Russians, but by the German forces operating on both sides of the border.
1877-1878 years. Russia is at war with Turkey. England threatens Russia with war. The Mediterranean British squadron entered the Sea of Marmara. The armada of the metropolis was assembled to attack Kronstadt and St. Petersburg. And through Verzhbolovo, one after another, echelons with Krupp cannons for the Russian army and fleet. It was then that Russia received modern weapons - guns of the 1877 model. Shells from 6-inch cannons of the 1877 model can be fired from Hyacinth and Msta, and, conversely, modern 152-mm shells are suitable for 6-inch cannons of the 1877 model, you just need to choose the right charge. Germany sells to Russia ocean passenger liners for conversion into cruisers for operations on British sea lanes.
IMPERATOR ERROR CORRECTED THE REVOLUTION
If Germany helped us, why did Alexander III enter into an alliance with France in 1891 – 1892? This was due to the underestimation of the king of German power, and most importantly, the alliance with France, Alexander III was going to use not so much against Germany, as against England. He hoped to increase the rivalry between England and France in the Mediterranean, in Africa and Asia.
Alexander II, Alexander III, Nicholas II were well aware that the seizure of Russian German territories inhabited by Poles, or Austrian Galicia would create much more problems for the empire, given the pathological nationalism of Poles and the dominance of the “Ukrainians” in Galicia. Equally, William II was not eager to get hold of the Polish clergy in full.
During the Russo-Japanese War, England actually fought on the side of Japan. And after the “Gulsky incident” the English fleet prepared to attack Admiral Rozhestvensky's 2 Pacific squadron off the coast of Spain. And only a sharp cry from Berlin stopped the "enlightened navigators."
The 2-I and 3-I Pacific squadrons passed by dozens of French ports in Europe, Africa and Asia. But our brave allies didn’t let our ships go to any of them. Russian squadrons managed to reach the Far East solely through the help of German supply vessels, primarily coal miners. Few people know that the German tugboat Roland was sunk by Japanese ships in Tsushima along with our squadrons.
Already in March, 1904, the company "Volcano" in an emergency order began the construction of four 500-ton yachts for the Russian fleet. At the same time, hulls and mechanisms for several more yachts were sent to Revel for assembly. When introduced into the Russian fleet, those yachts were reclassified into mine cruisers.
In September, the first Russian submarine "Trout" arrived in Vladivostok, 1904. It was Krupp's gift to the Russian government. And since April 1904, Krupp’s firm has laid down three large Karp-class submarines for Russia.
Already after the "Gulsky incident" the king enters into secret correspondence with the Kaiser about an alliance with Germany. Finally, on July 11, 1905, Nikolai II and Wilhelm II, signed a treaty of alliance on the yacht Polar Star off the Bjerke Island. However, on his return to St. Petersburg, the king was literally attacked by his ministers, including Prime Minister Witte, Foreign Minister Lamzdorf and others. The king was forced to ask "cousin Willy" to denounce this treaty.
For the second time, Nicholas II wanted to negotiate with Wilhelm during a meeting in Potsdam on October 22 1910. However, Foreign Minister Sazonov, who accompanied the king, refused to sign the treaty. In the end, in 1911, already in St. Petersburg, a truncated part of the contract was signed, which dealt exclusively with the construction of railways in Turkey and Persia.
It is still not known exactly how Russia entered the war. In correspondence with Wilhelm Nicholas II 15 July 1914 of the year (old style) bitterly writes: "I expect that very soon, yielding to the pressure produced on me, I will be forced to take extreme measures that will lead to war." There is a version that the Minister of War Sukhomlinov was against carrying out mobilization in Russia, and the chief of the General Staff, General Yanushkevich, in a telephone conversation forced the emperor to agree to conduct general mobilization in Russia. It is possible that the general misunderstood Nicholas. After that, the general broke the telephone receiver and began giving orders by telegraph about mobilization.
And now we hear that our country lost this war to the losing side. We lost to losing Germany. In fact, they capitulated to her, and after a while she herself capitulated to the Entente.
Yes, Germany capitulated to the Entente, but did not lose the war. At the cost of huge losses, the Allied forces for July – October 1918 managed to advance on a front about 275 km wide to a depth from 50 to 80 km. By 1 November 1918, the front line began on the North Sea coast, a few kilometers west of Antwerp, went through Mons, Sedan and further to the Swiss border, that is, the war until the last day was exclusively on Belgian and French territory.
Opening of the monument to Czechs in Chelyabinsk.During the Allied offensive in July – November 1918, the Germans lost thousands of people killed, wounded and captured, the French 785,7 thousand people, the British 531 thousand people, and the Americans lost 414 thousand people. Thus, the losses of the Allies exceeded the losses of the Germans in 148 times. If these figures were extrapolated, then the Allies would have had to lose all the personnel of all their land forces, including the Americans, to reach Berlin.
By the number of guns on November 1, 1918, the Allies and Germans were approximately equal, and the Germans were superior in quality to the Allies. By tanks at the front, the Allies had a huge advantage - almost 100 times. However, the Germans in the rear had 800 new tanks. Not only that, the Germans were preparing a large tank pogrom. Anti-tank rifles and heavy machine guns began to enter the troops, which easily pierced the armor of British and French tanks. Mass production of 37 mm anti-tank guns began. During the First World War, not a single German dreadnought (battleship of the latest type) was killed. The number and quality of submarines increased dramatically.
But Germany picked up the Russian contagion - 3 November 1918, the revolution began in the country. A week later, the Kaiser fled to Holland, and the new government had no choice but to capitulate to the Allies. So who stole the victory from Russia? If you believe the liberals, the Bolsheviks made their way into the higher echelons of power and brought the country and the army "to handle."
ROYAL HOBBIES AND BOLSHEVIKS
Nicholas I, Alexander II and Alexander III followed a defensive strategy in the west and built the world's best fortification system, consisting of three lines of fortresses. At the beginning of the twentieth century, advanced officers and generals proposed to connect them with lines of fortifications, that is, to create fortified areas, whose nodes would be fortresses. However, the "Bolsheviks" with 1894, ceased to engage in fortresses.
In February, 1909, the report of the Chief of the Main Department of the General Staff Sukhomlinov said: "Keeping the fortresses in the state in which they were located would be a betrayal." Gentlemen generals decided to abolish the fortress, then decided to modernize them, then - again to abolish, then - to modernize again. As a result, from 1894 to 1914, not a single heavy weapon entered the fortress’s armament. The Grand Duke Sergei Mikhailovich, who was in charge of the artillery "Bolshevik", promised the king to re-equip the serf artillery with new tools by ... 1930 year. In the meantime, the weapons of the 1877, 1867 and 1838 models remained in service with the fortresses.
The same "Bolshevik" Sergei Mikhailovich in 1911 year ordered the elimination of heavy (siege) artillery, leaving only the field. Her 1877 and 1867 model guns of the year should be scrapped, partly in fortress warehouses. King promised to rearm heavy artillery by 1917.
By the year the Germans had hundreds of 1914, 28 and 30,5 caliber heavy guns, as well as heavy 40-cm mortars and medium 25-cm. In Russia, in the absence of mortars in the year 17, an order was given for 1915-pound copper mortars designed by Baron Kegorn in the year 6. All Western Europe, including Belgium, Holland and others, has equipped its fortresses with cannon armored towers. In Russia, too, there was a tower - one (!) In the Osovets fortress, purchased in France for experiments. As a result, all three lines of the Russian fortresses were immediately taken by the Germans in 1867 – 1914 or abandoned by the retreating Russian troops without a fight.
Question: Could the Russian army in February or October 1917 launch an offensive on Berlin? Yes, by large losses, it was possible to achieve small wedges at the front. But the Germans, having transferred fresh forces, would have restored the situation. On the issue of mobility. At the end of the war, Russia had 7 thousand trucks, and Germany had 55 thousand. There were 2700 combat aircraft in Russia and 10 000 in Germany. Antiaircraft guns were 2560 and 10 000 respectively. I note that all Russian anti-aircraft guns at the front were "homemade knees" of field or ship guns. And by the spring of 1917, all specially made anti-aircraft guns - Lender's 76-mm guns and Vickers 40-mm guns - were guarding the imperial residence in Tsarskoye Selo, reliably protecting it from ... their own aviation.
To go to Berlin, the Russian army had no chance, even in the fantastic case - the whole army and the rear, as one, would be madly in love with Nicholas II and his entourage. With such a technique, the front by November 1918 of the year would still remain somewhere in the territory of the Russian Empire. Well, so the allies would have rewarded Russia deservedly! Starting a war with Germany, in London and Paris already in 1914 year they made plans for the dismemberment of Russia.
What would England and France do if Russia remained an ally by November 1918? Yes, the same thing that they did without the participation of Russia. The first condition for the surrender of Germany was the withdrawal of its troops from the territory of France and Belgium (the Germans fought from the first to the last day on foreign territory). And in the east, at the request of the Allies, the Germans had to leave their troops in the same positions.
The new German government was unable to fulfill the last requirement. German soldiers on their own initiative seized the trains and went home. As the eyewitness wrote, “the Germans entered the ceremonial march in Sevastopol, and left, husk sunflower seeds”. I note that by the fall of 1918, France was in a pre-revolutionary state. And if it were not for the landing of the Americans, the revolution would have started there earlier than in Germany.
By the way, this behavior is typical of the Western powers. In 1944, the British demanded that the Germans surrendered in Greece continue fighting against the Greek partisans before the arrival of British troops, threatening to shoot officers. Similarly, in September, 1945, the Americans demanded that the capitulated Japanese troops in Dutch India, Indochina and China fight against pro-communist partisans before the approach of the American and Chiang Kai-shek troops.
In any case - victory or defeat - disintegration was waiting for the Russian empire. One can only regret the Russian soldiers who fought for Alsace and Lorraine, the German colonies and the multibillion-dollar profits of the Western monopolies. In the 1914 year, the Russian army fought for the first time in history not for the increment of our lands, but for their own dismemberment.
TO A SOCIETY WITHOUT COLOR DIFFERENTIATION
What kind of heroes of the First World War are they going to erect monuments all over Russia? Anonymous? Or recall by name? Most of the officers and generals of the former royal army fought in the Red Army. And if you take the General Staff, then - the vast majority. Only in the headquarters of the Red Army served 185 royal generals. The second largest faction of the former tsarist generals and officers went to the service of all sorts of independentists to divide Russia. One of the heroes of the First World, General Mannerheim, became the Fuhrer of Finland, and another hero, General Skoropadsky, became the hetman of All Ukraine. Colonel Baron von Ungern accepted Buddhism, declared himself a descendant of Genghis Khan and a great Mongol khan.
Not all the generals managed to make a career with independentists. For example, Baron Wrangel at first tried to become commander-in-chief of the troops of the Crimean Tatar kurultai, and then asked again to his horse guard friend, Hetman Skoropadsky.
Erecting the White Guard heroes of Russia in the “white and fluffy” heroes, our liberals will also have to sweat a little, filtering the generals of Slashchev-Krymsky, Skoblin and many others who have chosen to emigrate to serve their homeland. About many heroes of the invisible front, as about Alexander Kazem-Beke, we only guess, but we will never find out about some of them.
A reasonable question arises: do we need an expensive 20-month campaign and a splendid anniversary of the 100 anniversary of the start of a little-known and unnecessary Russia war? The war in which Russia was dragged into by forces alien to it. The war, which obviously led Russia to dismemberment. And by and large, it was the Allies at Versailles who laid down a time bomb and unprecedented power. Smart people already at Versailles predicted the operating time of its fuze - in 20 years. There is no dispute, it is time to put in order the burial of participants in the First World War, but without a pump and political intrigues. They are the victims of forces hostile to Russia, but not national heroes.