Vladimir Kappel in service in the Tsarist army and the Komuch troops
Today I'd like to offer you another article from the "Faces of the Civil War" series, and we'll discuss Vladimir Oskarovich Kappel. Many know him from the famous "psychic attack" scene from the Soviet film "Chapayev."
Let us immediately note that the troops of the Red Division Commander and Kappel operated in different directions and never clashed with each other.
It's unfortunate to admit that the liberal Fifth Column's long-standing efforts to dumb down our children have been successful—many schoolchildren and even students haven't seen the Vasiliev brothers' film (or other great Soviet films), and so this factor is gradually losing its significance. It's becoming more and more important. story With the so-called "Kolchak's gold": it was Kappel who, in early August 1917, seized enormous valuables in Kazan, evacuated to that city from storage facilities in Warsaw, Riga, Kyiv, Moscow, and Petrograd—effectively stealing them from our country. They ultimately fell into the hands of the incompetent self-proclaimed "Supreme Ruler" Kolchak, who was unable to even properly manage the untold riches that fell into his hands.
However, Kappel himself received fairly favorable reviews from the Whites, and neutral ones from the Reds. The fact that he, despite being a rather serious opponent of the new government, is little known in our country (unlike Shkuro, Mamontov, Krasnov, and others) suggests that Kappel was not known for his particular atrocities against civilians. And in the same film, "Chapayev," the "Kappelites" are portrayed not as unbridled robbers and marauders, but as steadfast, disciplined fighters, calmly launching a hopeless "psychic attack." However, doubts arise about the sanity of Kappel himself, who allegedly sent elite troops virtually "to the slaughter"—under machine gun fire.
"Psychic Attack," a still from the film "Chapaev"
This episode, by the way, was clearly parodied in the film "Bumbarash," where the gang of the ataman Sofya Tulchinskaya attacks a village occupied by the Red Army:
Apparently, Kappel was a very good general and a completely honest and decent man who, unfortunately, chose the wrong side, doomed to defeat from the start.
The origin and beginning of the military service of the article's hero
Vladimir Kappel is another representative of the so-called Baltic nobility of the Russian Empire. Although relatively few in number, the Baltic Germans traditionally held high positions at the imperial court, served honorably, and had tangible accomplishments – the Buxhoevedens, Rosens, Fersen, Rosenbergs, Benckendorffs, Essens, Völkersams, Kotzebues, Osten-Sackens, Wrangels, Pahlens, Nesselrodes, Bellingshausens, and others. The Kappel family was Swedish in origin and Lutheran in faith. Many of its members traditionally chose military service. Vladimir Kappel's father, Oskar Pavlovich, served in the Imperial Russian Army from 1867 to 1878. He served in Turkestan, taking part in several battles against the forces of local rulers, rising from cadet to staff captain, and receiving the Soldier's Cross of St. George, 4th Class, the Order of St. Anne, 4th Class with the inscription "For Bravery," and the Order of St. Stanislav, 3rd Class with swords and bow. From 1881, he served in the gendarmerie units and retired with the rank of captain. His maternal grandfather, Pyotr Postopolsky, rose to the rank of lieutenant general and, as a staff captain, served among the defenders of Sevastopol during the Crimean War.
Vladimir Oskarovich was born in Tsarskoye Selo on April 16 (28), 1883. He studied at the 2nd Cadet Corps, then at the prestigious Nikolaevsky Cavalry School, whose graduates included many other very famous participants in the Civil War, such as Pyotr Wrangel, Andrei Shkura (Shkuro), Don Ataman Afrikan Bogaevsky, and Ataman of the Orenburg Cossacks Alexander Dutov, as well as the Imperial Minister of War Vladimir Sukhomlinov and Karl Mannerheim. V. Kappel graduated from the Cavalry School in 1903. "first class with promotion to cornet with seniority"He began his service in the 54th Novomirgorod Dragoon Regiment, located near Warsaw (in 1907 it became the 17th Novomirgorod Uhlan Regiment).
In 1906, this unit was sent to the Perm province, where it took part in the liquidation of a large rebel detachment of "Lbovtsy" ("forest brothers").
Alexander Mikhailovich Lbov
Alexander Lbov, a renowned Ural revolutionary and expropriator, became the subject of A. Gaidar's book "Life for Nothing (Lbovshchina)." The author wrote in the preface:
This story is in memory of Alexander Lbov, a man who knew no path to the new, yet hated the old; an undisciplined, uncontrollable, yet courageous and proud rebel who poured all his hatred into the cold barrel of his ever-present Mauser, before which the watchdogs of autocracy long trembled. In memory of "the robber Lbov" and his comrades: Demon, Thunder, Snake, Foma, Sailor, and many others, whose names are already shrouded in legends about the working-class Urals.
Clipping from the newspaper "Zvezda" dated March 3, 1926
In November 1907, V. Kappel received the position of regimental adjutant – a staff position associated with the administration of the regiment’s drill and registration department, and the organization of internal and guard service.
That same year, V. Kappel married Olga Strolman, the daughter of the head of the Perm artillery factories and an active state councilor (general's rank, fourth class). Apparently, this young officer was an unenviable suitor, and so he had to marry his chosen one in secret. Olga's parents only recognized the marriage after their son-in-law enrolled at the General Staff Academy. In 1910, the couple had a daughter, Tatyana, and in 1917, a son, Kirill.
V. Kappel with his wife and daughter
Vladimir Kappel was held in good esteem by his superiors, and in his 1908 performance appraisal, the commander of the 17th Uhlan Regiment gave him the following characterization:
This senior officer is extremely well-prepared in his duties, having served as regimental adjutant with great diligence, energy, and excellent knowledge. He is of very good moral character and an excellent family man. He is loved by his comrades and enjoys respect among them. He is well-developed and very capable. Tactically, as a line officer, he is very well-prepared… He is not prone to gambling or alcohol… He has a great ability to instill in people a spirit of energy and a desire to serve. He enjoys excellent health and can withstand all the hardships of life on the march.
But his career progressed extremely slowly, and by that same year, 1908, we see him as only a lieutenant. Things began to improve after he studied at the Nikolaev Academy of the General Staff, which he graduated from in 1913, again "first class, with the right to receive advantages during service"He was promoted to staff captain and, for his achievements in military studies, was even awarded the Order of St. Anne, 3rd degree.
V. Kappel in a photograph from 1913.
The topic of the report prepared at that time by V. Kappel is intriguing: "Automobile Service in the Army. The Main Principles of Organizing Automobile Troops." At the time, the work was highly topical and even "innovative."
During World War I, V. Kappel fought on the Southwestern and Romanian fronts – first as a senior adjutant of the headquarters of the 5th Don Cossack Division, then of the 14th Cavalry Division.
He was awarded the Order of St. Vladimir, 4th Class with Swords and Bow, the Order of St. Anne, 2nd Class with Swords, the Order of St. Stanislav, 2nd Class with Swords, the Order of St. Anne, 4th Class, and the Order of St. George, 4th Class. In March 1916, he became a staff officer for assignments in the Office of the Quartermaster General of the Headquarters of the Commander-in-Chief of the Armies of the Southwestern Front. For his role in developing the plan for the Brusilov Offensive, he was promoted to lieutenant colonel in August 1916. It was in this lowly rank that he met the February Revolution. A staunch monarchist, he recognized the futility of restoring the completely discredited tsarist regime; his colleagues recalled his words:
To talk about the monarchy now is only to harm it.
He continued to serve and in September 1917 he held the position of assistant to the chief of the intelligence department of the front headquarters.
At the beginning of October I asked for leave and went to visit my family in Perm.
Vladimir Kappel at the beginning of the civil war
In the spring of 1918, we see Kappel in Samara, where he unexpectedly found himself in a staff position in the Volga Military District of the Red Army. It seemed he had chosen the right side. But in May, the Czechoslovak Corps rebelled. It had been formed in the fall of 1917 as part of the Russian army, but by December it had been subordinated to the French command and ordered to France. On March 26, 1918, representatives of the Czechoslovak Corps command negotiated with the new authorities for free passage through Russian territory to Vladivostok. They were to proceed "as a group of free citizens taking with them a certain number of weapons for self-defense against assassination attempts by counter-revolutionaries"It was noted that
The Council of People's Commissars is ready to provide them with any assistance on the territory of Russia, provided they are honest and sincerely loyal.
The following rules were established:
In each echelon, leave an armed company of 168 people, including non-commissioned officers, and one machine gun for their own protection, 300 rounds for each rifle, and 1200 rounds for the machine gun.
A total of 63 trains, each with 40 carriages, departed for the east; by May they stretched for several thousand kilometers.
The uprising was sparked by an incident in Chelyabinsk, where on May 14, a Czech train encountered a train carrying German and Hungarian prisoners. A German seriously wounded a legionnaire with a cast-iron stove leg, and his comrades killed him. Soviet authorities arrested ten Czechs the following day, but they were freed by other legionnaires on May 17. An escalation ensued, with Aralov and Trotsky issuing orders to disarm the legionnaires, but this proved impossible. Disciplined and well-trained Czechoslovak soldiers quickly routed the few remaining Red Guard units. As a result, anti-Soviet governments emerged along the Trans-Siberian railway. Samara, which the legionnaires entered on June 8, was no exception.
Czechoslovak legionnaires in Samara, June 8, 1918
Following this, a government, the "Committee of Members of the Constituent Assembly" (Komuch), was formed here, with the Socialist Revolutionaries playing a leading role. The governments of the Orenburg Cossack Host, the Ural Cossack Host, and the Provisional Government of the Northern Region, based in Arkhangelsk, agreed to recognize the Komuch's authority. Initially, the Komuch government consisted of only five members; later, its membership increased to 97.
The first committee: Socialist Revolutionaries I. M. Brushvit, P. D. Klimushkin, B. K. Fortunatov, V. K. Volsky (chairman), I. P. Nesterov
Komuch's army numbered 350 men and had two cannons. According to contemporaries, no one at the time wanted to take on the responsibility of becoming "commander-in-chief" of such an insignificant force. One of the officers present at the "elections" recalled:
There were no volunteers for the difficult and responsible role. Everyone stood silently, their eyes cast down. Someone timidly suggested drawing lots. And then, a modest-looking, virtually unknown officer, recently arrived in Samara, stood up and asked to speak:
“Since there are no volunteers, then temporarily, until a senior officer is found, allow me to lead the units against the Bolsheviks,” he said calmly and quietly.
“Since there are no volunteers, then temporarily, until a senior officer is found, allow me to lead the units against the Bolsheviks,” he said calmly and quietly.
It should be noted that this “modest officer” was at that time an assistant to the chief of the Operations Department of the General Staff.
Thus, the monarchist Kappel became commander of the "People's Army" of the Socialist Revolutionary Komuch. He was, however, a staff officer and had little experience commanding troops. However, it soon became clear that Kappel had the makings of a great military leader.
In the service of Komuch
By June 11, Kappel's small detachment had managed to capture Syzran in a surprise attack. The Reds were unaware of the enemy's small numbers and, embarrassed by the "insolence" of their actions, decided to retreat, fearing encirclement. Having reinforced his unit, Kappel fought successfully at Stavropol (now Tolyatti), Buguruslan, Buzuluk, and Melekess (Dimitrovgrad). The authority of this recently unknown lieutenant colonel grew visibly, on both sides of the front: in an article in the newspaper "Krasnaya Zvezda," Kappel was named "little Napoleon" "This epithet, of course, was intended ironically by the author of the article, but the comparison with the great Corsican was quite flattering. And the personal modesty and unpretentiousness of the commander of the "People's Army" earned him the love of the rank-and-file "volunteers."
On July 21, in alliance with the Czechoslovaks, Kappel succeeded in capturing Simbirsk. That same day, he was appointed commander of all active forces of the "People's Army." Three days later, his unit (the First Volunteer Squad) became a Rifle Brigade, consisting of two regiments and three artillery batteries (light, howitzer, and horse). The total number of fighters reached three and a half thousand. But it was not until August 24, 1918, that Kappel was promoted to colonel.
Meanwhile, the Reds had placed a reward of 50 rubles on his head. Kappel deemed this amount too small, and he declared this in front of his soldiers.
On August 7, Kappel and the Czechoslovaks succeeded in taking Kazan. What happened in the city then can be learned from the account of Menshevik Komuch member I. M. Maisky:
Captured Bolsheviks stood in groups: Red Army soldiers, workers, women—and opposite them, Czech soldiers with raised rifles... A volley rang out, and the prisoners fell. Before my eyes, two groups of fifteen men each were shot. I couldn't bear it any longer. Overcome with indignation, I rushed to the Social Democratic Committee and demanded that a deputation be sent immediately to the military authorities to protest the summary executions. The committee members merely shrugged their shoulders.
In total, approximately 1,500 people were executed in Kazan. And, unfortunately, the events in this city were not isolated. The White Terror is by no means a myth invented by Soviet historians. In March 1918, Kolchak himself ordered General Rozanov to destroy rebellious villages "following the Japanese example" and execute every tenth of their inhabitants. During the suppression of the Yenisei Uprising, up to 8,000 such hostages were executed. For a long time, it was believed that these reprisals were initiated by Rozanov, but the original source has been discovered: the order was signed by the admiral himself.
But let's return to Kazan, captured by Kappel, and we'll see that the Whites' trophies included not only warehouses containing large quantities of weapons, food, and medicine, but also the Russian Empire's gold reserves. These stolen treasures, as we know, ultimately ended up in the hands of Alexander Kolchak, who declared himself "supreme ruler of Russia." According to the testimony of Admiral G.K. Gins, the head of the Council of Ministers of this government:
A. V. Kolchak had at his disposal 43,000 poods (688 tons) of gold and 30,000 poods (480 tons) of silver.
But there were also the imperial family’s jewels, expensive church utensils, and priceless historical relics.
In the next article, we'll discuss the fate of these treasures stolen from our country. We'll also continue the story of Vladimir Kappel, discussing the fall of Komuch, Kappel's career in Kolchak's army, the so-called "Great Siberian Ice March," which became the death throes of the bloody admiral's troops, Kappel's death at the Uta siding, and his descendants in Soviet Russia.
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