Alexander Kolchak

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Alexander Kolchak bigraphy, stories - Russian admiral and explorer

Alexander Kolchak : biography

16 November 1874 – 7 February 1920

Alexander Vasilyevich Kolchak ( 4 November (16 November) 1874 – 7 February 1920) was a polar explorer and commander in the Imperial Russian Navy, who fought in the Russo-Japanese War and the First World War. During the Russian Civil War, he established a reactionary government in Siberia—later the Provisional All-Russian Government—and was recognised as the "Supreme Ruler and Commander-in-Chief of All Russian Land and Sea Forces" by the other leaders of the White movement (1918–1920).Jon Smele (2006) Civil War in Siberia: The Anti-Bolshevik Government of Admiral Kolchak, 1918–1920, Cambridge University Press, ISBN 0521029074.

Kolchak was a prominent expert on naval mines100 великих казней, "Вече", 1999, ISBN 5-7838-0424-X and a member of the Russian Geographical Society. Among his awards are the Saint George Gold Sword for Bravery, given for his actions in the battle of Port Arthur and the Great Gold Constantine Medal from the Russian Geographic Society.

In culture

A Kolchak biopic, titled Admiral (Адмиралъ), was released in Russia on 9 October 2008. The film portrays the Admiral (Konstantin Khabensky) as a tragic hero with a very deep love for his country. Elizaveta Boyarskaya appears as his common law wife, Anna Timireva.

Director Andrei Kravchuk described the film as follows, "It’s about a man who tries to create history, to take an active part in history, as he gets caught in the turmoil. However, he keeps on struggling, he preserves his honor and his dignity, and he continues to love.". Youtube

Legacy

Admiral Kolchak was not successful from the time of his taking the position of Supreme Ruler until his death, though it must be borne in mind that he operated under very difficult circumstances. As a military commander he was unable to make successful strategic plans or to coordinate with other White Army generals such as Yudenich or Denikin.

Kolchak failed to convince potentially friendly Finland join with him against the Bolsheviks. He was unable to win diplomatic recognition from any nation in the world, even Britain (though the British did support him to some degree). He alienated the Czechoslovak Legion, which for a time was a powerful organized military force and very strongly anti-Bolshevik. As was mentioned above, the American commander, General Graves, disliked Kolchak and refused to lend him any military aid at all.

After decades of being vilified by the Soviet government, Kolchak is now a controversial historic figure in post-Soviet Russia. The "For Faith and Fatherland" movement has attempted to rehabilitate his reputation. However, two rehabilitation requests have been denied, by a regional military court in 1999 and by the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation in 2001. In 2004, the Constitutional Court of Russia returned the Kolchak case to the military court for another hearing.

Monuments dedicated to Kolchak were built in Saint Petersburg in 2002 and in Irkutsk in 2004, despite objections from some former Communist and left-wing politicians and former Soviet army veterans. There is also a Kolchak Island. The modern Russian Navy thought about naming the third ship of the new s, Admiral Kolchak to commemorate the Admiral but the time was not right and the name was not assigned.

Biography

Early life and career

Kolchak was born in Saint Petersburg in 1874. His father was a retired major-general of the Marine Artillery, who was actively engaged in the siege of Sevastopol in 1854–55 and after his retirement worked as an engineer in ordnance works near St. Petersburg. Kolchak was educated for a naval career, graduating from the Naval Cadet Corps in 1894 and joining the 7th Naval Battalion of the city. He was soon transferred to the Far East, serving in Vladivostok from 1895 to 1899. He returned to western Russia and was based at Kronstadt, joining the Russian Polar expedition of Eduard Toll on the ship Zarya in 1900 as a hydrologist.