Vladimir Kappel
Vladimir Kappel | |
---|---|
Order of St. Anne 4th class, Order of St. Stanislaus 2nd class, Order of St. Stanislaus 3rd class [1] |
Vladimir Oskarovich Kappel (
Early life
Kappel was born into a Swedish-Russian family. He graduated from the
World War I
During the
He participated in the planning of the
On 15 August 1916, Vladimir Kappel was made lieutenant-colonel and posted Deputy Head of the Headquarters Operations Office for the South-Western front.
Russian Civil War
Although he was a self-declared monarchist, Kappel said he would fight under any banner against the Bolsheviks. Kappel's adherents and allies were known in Russian as kappelevtsy (каппелевцы).
Following the
Despite his rank, the young officer was often seen with grenades and revolvers on his belt, which earned him the reputation of a Soldier-General and made him one of the most popular White Generals among the rank-and-file. He insisted on arming all of his staff, and often carried his rifle to planning sessions. His relatively young age was also a contributing factor to his reputation as an effective general.
Despite the military prowess of Kappel and his troops, the Spring offensive failed: their supply lines were over-extended, their troops were meagre, ammunition shortages were common, and the Red Army was being reorganized and strengthened. As multiple revolts caused the Army's rear to disintegrate, Kolchak was captured by Soviet allies. Kappel and his Kappelevtsy thus began a forced march through the Siberian winter, the Great Siberian Ice March, similar to what the Volunteer Army had done in 1918, the Kuban Ice March.
During the march, on 15 January 1920, Kappel learnt of Kolchak's capture. Shortly afterwards he fell through the ice while crossing the
In the words of his colleague and friend, A. A. Fedorovich: "He clenches his teeth to not scream out in pain. The general has been hoisted and attached to his horse with what is left of his hands and body. Vladimir greets those who have not laid down their weapons. And he only stops at night."
On the 21st, Kappel handed over command of his troops to General
His command was officially handed over to General Sergei Wojciechowski, who continued the advance towards Irkutsk. Kappel's men, bringing his coffin with them (to avoid desecration like with other White Generals' burial sites), reached the outskirts of the city on 30 January. Kolchak however, had been executed on the 6th or 7 February, shortly before they were to reach him. They then continued their retreat towards Chita, ending their Great Siberian Ice March there.
Legacy
Kappel's tomb in Harbin, China was pulled down in 1955 when Mao Zedong assumed power in China. On December 19, 2006, the remains of Kappel were identified and transported for reinterment from China to Irkutsk.[3] On January 13, 2007, Vladimir Kappel's remains were interred at Donskoy Monastery in Moscow.
Honours and awards
- Order of Saint Stanislaus, 3rd class (11 April 1910), with swords and bow (10 February 1916), 2nd class with Swords (7 June 1915)
- Order of St. Anna, 3rd class (8 May 1913 - for the successful completion of the Nicholas General Staff Academy), with swords and bow (25 April 1915), 2nd class with Swords (7 June 1915), 4th class with the inscription "For Bravery" (27 January 1916)
- Order of St. Vladimir, 4th class with Swords and Bow (1 March 1915)
- Order of St. George, 4th class (22 June 1919), 3rd class (11 September 1919)
- Gratitude of the Supreme Ruler and Supreme Commander (14 February 1919)
Footnotes
- ^ By the orders from March 1, 1915, June 7, 1915 and January 27, 1916 (5th Army order no. 185)
- ^ Severtsev, Andrei (16 April 2013). "TRAGEDY OF RUSSIAN BONAPARTE". russkiymir.ru. Russkiy Mir Foundation.
First he served at the Staff of the Army Corps, and from February of 1915 he served on the front at the headquarters of Fifth Division of Don Cossacks where he stayed until being promoted to the rank of staff captain.
- ^ "Прах белого генерала Каппеля перевезли из Китая в Иркутск". December 19, 2006. Retrieved 2006-12-22.
Further reading
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg/30px-Commons-logo.svg.png)
- (in Russian) Каппель и каппелевцы. Kappel and Kappelevtsy, e-book.