KOLCHAK'S WIDOW - Sofia Fedorovna Kolchak. According to the descriptions of contemporaries, she was tall, beautiful, smart. Her unwitting rival Anna Vasilievna Timireva, who shared the last two years of his life with the admiral, wrote about her this way: “She was a tall and slender woman, probably 38 years old. She was very different from other wives of naval officers, she was intellectual ... She was a very good and intelligent woman and treated me well. She, of course, knew that there was nothing between me and Alexander Vasilievich, but she also knew something else: what is, is very serious, she knew more than I did ... Once, in Helsingfors, S.F. and I were still. we went for a ride in the bay, the day seemed to be warm, but still I was cold, and S.F. she took off a magnificent black-brown fox, put it on my shoulders and said: “This is a portrait of Alexander Vasilyevich.” I say, "I didn't know he was so warm and soft." She looked at me with disdain: "There is much you don't know yet, lovely young creature." And until now, when she has long been dead, it seems to me that if we had a chance to meet, we would not be enemies. I’m glad that she didn’t have to go through all that I had to go through. ” But Sofya Fedorovna also had a chance to sip dashingly ...
She was born in Ukraine - in the ancient town of Kamenetz-Podolsk, in those parts where the great-grandfather of her future husband, the Turkish general Kolchak Pasha, was captured. The brother of her maternal ancestor, Field Marshal Munnich, took him prisoner. On the mother's side, Darya Fedorovna Kamenskaya, there was another warlike ancestor - general-in-chief M.V. Berg, who smashed the troops of Frederick the Great in the Seven Years' War. According to his father, Fyodor Vasilyevich Omirov, head of the Podolsk Treasury, the ancestors were much more peaceful - from the clergy.
Sofia Omirova brilliantly graduated from the Smolensk Institute. She loved to read and studied philosophy. She knew seven languages. Moreover, she was fluent in English, French and German ...
Where and how did they meet? I think at one of the balls in the Marine Corps or at the Smolnensk Institute. The courtship lasted several years, and before the departure of Lieutenant Kolchak to the northern expedition of Baron Toll, they were already engaged.
One of the letters addressed to her by her fiancé from the campaign has miraculously survived: “Two months have passed since I left you, my infinitely dear, and the whole picture of our meeting is so alive before me, so painful and painful, as if it were yesterday. How many sleepless nights I spent in my cabin, pacing from corner to corner, so many thoughts, bitter, desolate ... without you, my life has neither that meaning, nor that goal, nor that joy. I carried all my best to your feet, as to my deity, I gave all my strength to you ... "
The wedding was played in Irkutsk in 1904. The bride rushed to her beloved in Yakutia from the island of Capri - on steamboats, trains, deer, dogs - to meet him half-dead after a polar expedition. She brought with her provisions for all the participants in that desperate campaign. They got married in the Grado-Irkutsk Archangel-Michael Church hastily - the war with Japan broke out and the husband, a lieutenant, had already secured an appointment in Port Arthur. And already on the second day after the wedding in the Irkutsk Archangel and Mikhail Church, Sophia saw off her betrothed - to the Far East, to Port Arthur, to the war ...
So it was in their life… Always….
From the very first hours of the German war that began in August 1914, Captain 2nd Rank Kolchak was at sea. And Sofya, who lodged in front-line Libau with two children, hastily packed her suitcases under the cannonade of German batteries. Everyone said that Libau would be surrendered, and the families of Russian officers besieged the train cars going to St. Petersburg. Having abandoned everything acquired over ten years, Kolchak's wife, with children in her arms and miserable travel belongings, nevertheless got out of the front-line city.
She honestly bore the cross of an officer's wife: moving from place to place, other people's apartments, illnesses of children, flight from shelling, straw widowhood and eternal fear for her husband - whether she would return from a campaign ... And she did not have any sovereign awards for this and honors. The husband received orders and military crosses. And she put crosses on the graves of her daughters. First, two-week-old Tanechka died, then - after fleeing from the besieged Libava - and two-year-old Margarita. Only the middle one survived - Slavik, Rostislav.
Her son and husband were at the center of her world. She thought and worried about them only. Sophia wrote to Kolchak:
“My dear Sashenka! I tried to write to you under Slavushkin's dictation, but, as you can see, everything turns out the same: Myyama papa um tsybybe canapa (candy). Everything here is the same as before. Slavushka's two molars erupted... While unpacking, I examined your civilian dress: it's in order, except for a moth-damaged tuxedo. How many beautiful things for a pittance were given at your request to the Tatar.
She wrote to him in Libau from her friends' dacha near Yuriev, where she spent the summer with her children.
June 2, 1912. Dear Sasha! Slavushka starts talking and counting a lot and sings songs to herself when she wants to sleep... How are you? Where are you now? How did the maneuvers go and is your destroyer intact? I'm glad you're happy with your work. I'm afraid there would be no war, there was a lot of talk about it here. I was reading a novel about General Garibaldi in Italian. I sew and count the days. Write about yourself. Has the boss changed for you, having received half a billion for the fleet?
Your loving Sonya.
For a little over a year she was an admiral, the wife of the commander of the Black Sea Fleet, the first lady of Sevastopol. Then - an almost sheer fall into the hell of underground life, emigrant lack of money, withering in a foreign land ... In Sevastopol, she did not barge - she organized a sanatorium for the lower ranks, led a ladies' circle to help sick and wounded soldiers. And the husband, if he did not go on military campaigns, then sat up at the headquarters until midnight. The Black Sea Fleet under his command dominated the theater of operations.
“... Despite the hardships of life,” she wrote to him, “I think, in the end, we will settle down and at least we will have a happy old age, but in the meantime, life is struggle and work, especially for you ...” Alas, they are not destined had a happy old age...
The last time she hugged her husband was on the platform of the Sevastopol railway station. In May 1917, Kolchak left for Petrograd, on a business trip, which, against his will, turned into a round-the-world trip that ended in a spread in Siberia. Before his death, Kolchak said: "Tell your wife to Paris that I bless my son." From Irkutsk, these words actually reached Paris ... But then, in Sevastopol, they said goodbye for a short time ...
Sophia was waiting for him in Sevastopol, even when it became unsafe to stay there; she hid in the families of sailors she knew. And although her husband, Alexander Vasilyevich Kolchak, has not yet done anything to be labeled “an enemy of the working people,” there would be many people in the city who would willingly tell the Chekists that the wife of the commander of the Black Sea Fleet is hiding there. For nothing, that the former ... She understood all this very well, and therefore, even in the summer of the 17th, she sent her son, ten-year-old Rostik, to Kamenetz-Podolsky, to her childhood friends .. And she remained in Sevastopol - to wait for her husband and tempt fate.
In December, the first wave of executions swept through the city. On the night of December 15-16, 23 officers were killed, among them three admirals. Sofya Fyodorovna listened with horror to every shot, to every loud exclamation in the street, rejoicing that her husband was now far away, and her son was in a quiet and safe place. She herself would have gone there long ago, but faithful people reported that Alexander Vasilyevich was back in Russia, that he was traveling along the Siberian Railway and that he would soon be in Sevastopol. The first thought was - to immediately go to meet him, to warn that it was impossible to enter the city - they would seize and shoot him, they would not see that he was the son of a Sevastopol hero, that he himself was a hero of two wars, a cavalier of St. George ...
Now, like 13 years ago, she was again ready to rush towards him, through the KGB cordons and partisan ambushes ... She was waiting for him from this monstrously protracted business trip. She was waiting for him from polar expeditions. She was waiting for him to return from the war, she was waiting for him from Japanese captivity. But this Sevastopol expectation was the most hopeless. She almost knew that he would not return, and yet she waited, risking being recognized, arrested, "wasted."
She stopped waiting for him only when the news came from Omsk: She was with Kolchak on the train. Anna. The wife of his classmate in the Marine Corps - Captain 1st Rank Sergei Timirev. Young, beautiful, passionate, beloved ... And how cold and cruel could Kolchak be to the woman he once loved, to his wife! Everything that connected them was forgotten - only a detached, icy tone remained. Here are fragments of a letter sent by Kolchak in October 1919 to Sofya Fedorovna, where he requires his wife not to touch on her relationship with Anna Timireva. Honestly, it's just terrifying, God forbid any woman gets this:
“Before my departure from Omsk to Tobolsk, I received your letter from 4-U1, and on the way to Tara I met with V.V. Romanov, who gave me your letter dated 8-U1. I am returning after a detour of the Northern Front from Tobolsk to Omsk by boat along the Irtysh. Almost 21/2 months, from the beginning of August, I spent on the road around the front. From the end of August, the armies began to retreat and, after stubborn and heavy monthly battles, threw the Reds back to the Tobol River. The war took on a very difficult and fierce character, complicated by the autumn time, impassability and increasing epidemics of typhus and relapsing fever ...
It is strange for me to read in your letters that you ask me about representation and some position of yours as the wife of the Supreme Ruler. I ask you to clarify how I myself understand my position and my tasks. They are defined by the old knightly motto... "Ich diene" ("I serve"). I serve the Motherland of my Great Russia in the same way as I served her all the time, commanding a ship, division or fleet.
I am by no means a representative of hereditary or elective power. I look at my rank as a position of a purely official nature. In essence, I am the Supreme Commander-in-Chief, who has assumed the functions of the Supreme Civil Power, since for a successful struggle it is impossible to separate the latter from the functions of the former.
My first and main goal is to erase Bolshevism and everything connected with it from the face of Russia, to exterminate and destroy it. In essence, everything else I do is subject to this position. I do not presume to resolve the issue of everything that should follow the completion of the first task; of course, I think about this and outline certain operational directions, but with regard to the program, I imitate Suvorov before the Italian campaign and, paraphrasing his answer to the gofkriegsrat, I say: “I will begin with the destruction of Bolshevism, and then as the Lord God pleases!”
That's all. Thus, I ask you to always be guided by these provisions in relation to me ...
You write to me all the time that I am not attentive and caring enough for you. I think I did everything I had to do. All I can now wish for you and Slavushka is that you would be safe and could live peacefully outside of Russia during the present period of bloody struggle until Her revival. You cannot help me in this matter on any side, except for my confidence in your safety and your peaceful life abroad. Your future life, both figuratively and literally, depends on the outcome of the struggle that I am waging. I know that you care about Slavushka, and from this side I am calm and confident that you will do everything you need to bring him up until the time when I will be able to take care of him myself and try to make him a servant of our Motherland and a good soldier. I ask you to base his education on the history of great people, since their examples are the only way to develop in a child those inclinations and qualities that are necessary for service, and especially in the way I understand it. I have talked to you a lot about this and I believe that you know my opinions and opinions on this subject.
Regarding money, I wrote that I could not send more than 5,000 francs. per month, because when the exchange rate of our ruble falls, 8000 francs. amount to a huge sum of about 100,000 rubles, and I cannot spend that kind of money, especially in foreign currency.
From my letter you will see that not only is no role required in terms of representation and receptions, but, in my opinion, it is unacceptable and can put you in a very unpleasant position. I ask you to be extremely careful in all cases, conversations and meetings with foreign and Russian representatives...
Please do not forget my position and do not allow yourself to write letters that I cannot read to the end, because I destroy every letter after the first phrase that violates decency. If you let people hear gossip about me, then I won't let you tell me. This warning will hopefully be the last.
Goodbye. Your Alexander.
I would immediately die of horror and grief, but Kolchak was lucky for strong women.
Letter to A.V. Kolchak's son:
"October 20, 1919
My dear dear Slavushok.
I haven't had any letters from you for a long time, write me at least postcards of a few words.
I really miss you, my dear Slavushok...
It is hard and difficult for me to bear such a huge work before the Motherland, but I will endure it to the end, until the victory over the Bolsheviks.
I wanted you to go, when you grow up, along the path of serving the Motherland, which I have followed all my life. Read military history and the deeds of great people and learn from them how to act - this is the only way to become a useful servant to the Motherland. There is nothing higher than the Motherland and serving Her.
The Lord God will bless you and keep you, my infinitely dear and dear Slavushok. I kiss you hard. Your dad".

In April, the Bolsheviks hastily left the Crimea and the Kaiser's troops entered Sevastopol. And again I had to hide. The Germans would hardly have left alone the wife of the Russian admiral, who inflicted such tangible blows on them in the Baltic and Black Seas. Luckily, no one denounced her. This most terrible year in her life ended for the admiral's wife only with the arrival of the British. Sofya Fedorovna was supplied with money and, at the first opportunity, was transported on the "ship of Her Majesty" to Constanta. From there she moved to Bucharest, where she discharged her son Rostislav from independent Ukraine, and soon left with him for Paris. Sevastopol-Constanta-Bucharest-Marseille-Longjumeau... Another life began - without a husband, without a homeland, without money... whom he served - went to the pawnshop. She handed over her husband's gold medal, received from the Geographical Society for polar expeditions, and silver teaspoons, which she managed to take out of Sevastopol
Fortunately, she was not a white-handed lady; a large family, the Smolnensk Institute, nomadic military life taught her to do a lot with her own hands. And she altered, turned over old things, knitted, gardened. But the money was sorely lacking. Once, a miracle saved them from starvation: the son of Admiral Makarov, who fought under the banner of Kolchak in Siberia, sends $ 50 to a distressed widow from America - everything he could scrape together from his income. In her semi-beggarly life, this was a grandiose event. Here is a letter from Sophia Feodorovna to F. Nansen, who in 1900 in Norway A.V. Kolchak was trained before his first polar expedition. In emigration, Sofya Fedorovna went to many humiliations in order to teach her son and survive on her own. She wrote similar letters to other people, she was forced to learn the politely pleading intonation perfectly.
“Dear sir, still hoping without hope, I took the liberty of turning to you ... Until now, we have been helped by a few modest, more often wishing to remain unknown, friends, but more numerous enemies, merciless and cruel, whose machinations have ruined life my brave husband and brought me through apoplexy to a poor house. But I have my boy, whose life and future are now at stake. Our dear English friend, who has been helping us for the last three years, can no longer provide support; and said that after April 10 of this year she could not do anything for him. Young Kolchak studies at the Sorbonne... with the hope of getting back on his feet and taking his sick mother home. He has been studying for two years now, there are still two or three years left before he receives a diploma and goes out into a big life. Exams will begin in May and will be fully completed by August. But how to survive until this moment? We would only like to borrow some money for the time being to transfer him 1,000 francs a month - an amount sufficient for a young man to make ends meet. I ask you for 5,000 francs, on which he can live and study until he passes his exams...
Remember that we are all alone in this world, no country helps us, no city is only God, whom you saw in the northern seas, where my late husband also visited and where there is a small island called Bennett's Island, where the ashes rest Your friend Baron Toll, where the northern cape of these harsh lands is named Cape Sophia in honor of my wounded and rushing soul - then it is easier to look into the eyes of reality and understand the moral suffering of the unfortunate mother, whose boy on April 10 will be thrown out of life without a penny in his pocket to the very bottom Paris. I hope you understand our position and find those 5,000 francs as soon as possible, and God bless you if so. Sofya Kolchak, Admiral's widow.
Rostislav in 1931 enters the service of the Algiers Bank, marries the daughter of Admiral Razvozov. Sofya Fedorovna will die in 1956... She left an almost inconspicuous trace on the map of Russia. In the distant East Siberian Sea, Bennett Island freezes into the ice. Its southeastern cape bears the name of Sophia, the bride of a desperate lieutenant.

How did the fate of A.N. Timireva after the departure of his wife?
From May 3, 1918, he was a member of the White movement in Vladivostok. When in the autumn A.V. Kolchak took the post of the Supreme Ruler of Russia, Timirev from November 23, 1918 to August 15, 1919 served in the city as an assistant to the Supreme Commander-in-Chief for the Marine Department, and until the spring of 1919 - commander of naval forces in the Far East.
In Chinese emigration, Admiral Timirev sailed as a captain in the merchant fleet of Shanghai, in the early 1930s he was an active member of the Association of the Guards Crew - the Cabin Company, which gathered at his apartment when he chaired this elite community for the first two years. Timirev wrote interesting memoirs in 1922: “Memoirs of a Naval Officer. The Baltic Fleet during the War and Revolution (1914-1918)”. They were published in New York in 1961. In them, in a place of honor, are stories about his midshipman classmate A.V. Kolchak. Died S.N. Timirev on May 31 (June 13), 1932 in Shanghai.
He did not know that his only son had been shot by the Bolsheviks.

It is a terrible state to give orders without having the real power to ensure the execution of the order, except for one's own authority. (A. V. Kolchak, March 11, 1917)

Alexander Vasilievich Kolchak was born on November 4, 1874. In 1888-1894 he studied at the Naval Cadet Corps, where he transferred from the 6th St. Petersburg classical gymnasium. He was promoted to midshipman. In addition to military affairs, he was fond of exact sciences and factory business: he learned to fitter in the workshops of the Obukhov plant, he mastered the navigational business at the Kronstadt Naval Observatory. V. I. Kolchak served his first officer rank with a severe wound during the defense of Sevastopol during the Crimean War of 1853-1856: he turned out to be one of the seven surviving defenders of the Stone Tower on Malakhov Kurgan, whom the French found among the corpses after the assault. After the war, he graduated from the Mining Institute in St. Petersburg and, until his retirement, served as an acceptance officer for the Naval Ministry at the Obukhov Plant, having a reputation as a straightforward and extremely scrupulous person.

At the end of 1896, Kolchak was assigned to the cruiser of the 2nd rank "Cruiser" to the position of chief of the watch. On this ship, for several years he went on campaigns in the Pacific Ocean, in 1899 he returned to Kronstadt. On December 6, 1898, he was promoted to lieutenant. In the campaigns, Kolchak not only performed his official duties, but also actively engaged in self-education. He also became interested in oceanography and hydrology. In 1899, he published an article "Observations on surface temperatures and specific gravity of sea water, made on the cruisers" Rurik "and" Cruiser "from May 1897 to March 1898." July 21, 1900 A. V. Kolchak went on an expedition on the schooner "Zarya" across the Baltic, North and Norwegian seas to the shores of the Taimyr Peninsula, where the first wintering. In October 1900, Kolchak participated in Toll's trip to the Gafner fjord, and in April-May 1901, the two of them traveled around Taimyr. Throughout the expedition, the future admiral carried out active scientific work. In 1901, E. V. Toll immortalized the name of A. V. Kolchak, naming the island in the Kara Sea and the cape discovered by the expedition after him. As a result of the expedition in 1906, he was elected a full member of the Imperial Russian Geographical Society.

Schooner Zarya

The long polar expeditions of his son, his scientific and military activities pleased the aging General Vasily Kolchak. And they were alarming: his only son was almost thirty years old, and the prospect of seeing grandchildren, heirs of the famous family in the male line was very vague. And then, having received news from his son that he would soon read a report in the Irkutsk Geographical Society, the general takes decisive measures. By that time, Alexander Kolchak had been engaged for several years to a hereditary Podolsk noblewoman. Sofia Omirova.

But, apparently, he was in no hurry to become a loving husband and father of the family. Long polar expeditions, in which he voluntarily took part, followed one after another. Sophia has been waiting for her fiancé for the fourth year. And the old general decided: the wedding should take place in Irkutsk. The chronicle of further events is swift: on March 2, Alexander reads a brilliant report at the Irkutsk Geographical Society, and the next day he meets his father and bride at the Irkutsk railway station. Preparations for the wedding take two days. March fifth Sofia Omirova and Alexander Kolchak get married. Three days later, the young husband leaves his wife and voluntarily goes to the army to defend Port Arthur. The Russo-Japanese War began. The long journey of the last, perhaps the most prominent representative of the Kolchak dynasty of Russian warriors, to the ice hole on the Angara began. And to great Russian glory.

The war with Japan was the first combat test of the young lieutenant. His rapid career growth - from watch officer to commander of a destroyer and, later, commander of coastal guns, corresponded to the amount of work done in the most difficult conditions. Combat raids, minefields approaches to Port Arthur, the destruction of one of the leading enemy cruisers "Takasago" - Alexander Kolchak served the fatherland in good faith. Although he could well retire for health reasons. For participation in the Russo-Japanese War, Alexander Kolchak was awarded two orders and a golden St. George dagger with the inscription "For Courage".

In 1912, Kolchak was appointed head of the First Operational Department of the Naval General Staff, in charge of all the preparation of the fleet for the expected war. During this period, Kolchak participates in the maneuvers of the Baltic Fleet, becomes a specialist in the field of combat firing and, in particular, mine work: since the spring of 1912 he has been in the Baltic Fleet near Essen, then he served in Libau, where the Mine Division was based. Before the start of the war, his family also remained in Libau: wife, son, daughter. Since December 1913, Kolchak has been a captain of the 1st rank; after the start of the war - the flag-captain for the operational part. He developed the first combat mission for the fleet - to close the entrance to the Gulf of Finland with a strong minefield (the same mine-artillery position Porkkala-udd-island Nargen, which was completely successfully, but not so quickly repeated by the sailors of the Red Navy in 1941). Having taken a group of four destroyers into temporary command, at the end of February 1915 Kolchak closes the Danzig Bay with two hundred mines. This was the most difficult operation - not only for military reasons, but also for the conditions of navigation of ships with a weak hull in the ice: here Kolchak's polar experience came in handy again. In September 1915, Kolchak took command, at first temporary, of the Mine Division; at the same time, all naval forces in the Gulf of Riga come under his control. In November 1915, Kolchak received the highest Russian military award - the Order of St. George IV degree. On Easter 1916, in April, Alexander Vasilyevich Kolchak was awarded the first admiral's rank. In April 1916 he was promoted to Rear Admiral. In July 1916, by order of the Russian Emperor Nicholas II, Alexander Vasilyevich was promoted to vice admiral and appointed commander of the Black Sea Fleet.

After the February Revolution of 1917, the Sevastopol Soviet removed Kolchak from command, and the admiral returned to Petrograd. After the February Revolution of 1917, Kolchak was the first in the Black Sea Fleet to swear allegiance to the Provisional Government. In the spring of 1917, the Headquarters began preparations for a landing operation to capture Constantinople, but due to the disintegration of the army and navy, this idea had to be abandoned. He received gratitude from the Minister of War Guchkov for his quick reasonable actions, with which he contributed to the preservation of order in the Black Sea Fleet. However, due to the defeatist propaganda and agitation that penetrated into the army and navy after February 1917 under the guise and cover of freedom of speech, both the army and the navy began to move towards their collapse. On April 25, 1917, Alexander Vasilievich spoke at a meeting of officers with a report “The situation of our armed forces and relations with the allies.” Among other things, Kolchak noted: “We are facing the disintegration and destruction of our armed forces, [because] the old forms of discipline have collapsed, and new ones have not been created.”

Kolchak receives an invitation from the American mission, which officially turned to the Provisional Government with a request to send Admiral Kolchak to the United States to provide information on mines and anti-submarine warfare. July 4 A.F. Kerensky authorized the implementation of Kolchak's mission and, as a military adviser, he is serving in England, and then in the USA.

Kolchak returns to Russia, but the October coup delays him in Japan until September 1918. On the night of November 18, a military coup took place in Omsk, which pushed Kolchak to the top of power. The Council of Ministers insisted on proclaiming him the Supreme Ruler of Russia, the Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, and making him a full admiral. In 1919, Kolchak transferred Headquarters from Omsk to the government echelon, and Irkutsk was appointed the new capital. The Admiral stops at Nizhneudinsk.

On January 5, 1920, he agrees to transfer supreme power to General Denikin, and control of the Eastern Outskirts to Semenov, and goes into the Czech carriage, under the protection of the Allies. On January 14, the last betrayal takes place: in exchange for free passage, the Czechs give up the admiral. On January 15, 1920, at 9:50 pm local time, Irkutsk time, Kolchak was arrested. At eleven o'clock in the morning, under a reinforced escort, the arrested were led across the hummocky ice of the Angara, and then Kolchak and his officers were transported in cars to the Alexander Central. The Irkutsk Revolutionary Committee intended to make an open trial of the former Supreme Ruler of Russia and the ministers of his Russian government. On January 22, the Extraordinary Investigative Commission began interrogations, which continued until February 6, when the remnants of Kolchak's army came close to Irkutsk. The Revolutionary Committee issued a decree on the execution of Kolchak without trial. February 7, 1920 at 4 o'clock in the morning Kolchak, together with Prime Minister V.N. Pepelyaev was shot on the banks of the Ushakovka River and thrown into the hole.

Last picture Admiral

Monument to Kolchak. Irkutsk

Severe. Haughty. Proudly
Sparkling bronze eyes
Kolchak looks silently
To the place of his death.

The brave hero of Port Arthur,
Wrestler, geographer, admiral -
Carried up by a silent sculpture
He is on a granite pedestal.

Great without any optics
He sees everything around now:
River; slope where the place of execution
Marked wooden cross.

He lived. Was bold and free
And even for a short time
He become the only Supreme
The ruler of Russia could!

Execution ahead of freedom,
And in the red stars of the rebels
Found the grave of a patriot
In the cold bowels of the Angara.

Among the people, a stubborn rumor roams:
He was saved. He is still alive;
He goes to the same temple to pray,
Where he stood under the crown with his wife ...

Now terror has no power over him.
He was able to be reborn in bronze,
And tramples indifferently
Heavy forged boot

Red Guard and sailor,
What, dictatorships again hungry,
Bayonets crossed with a mute threat,
Unable to overthrow Kolchak

Recently, previously unknown documents concerning the execution and subsequent burial of Admiral Kolchak were discovered in the Irkutsk region. Documents classified as “secret” were found while working on the performance of the Irkutsk city theater “Admiral’s Star” based on the play by former state security officer Sergei Ostroumov. According to the documents found, in the spring of 1920, not far from the Innokentievskaya station (on the banks of the Angara, 20 km below Irkutsk), local residents discovered a corpse in an admiral's uniform, carried by the current to the banks of the Angara. Arriving representatives of the investigating authorities conducted an inquiry and identified the body of the executed Admiral Kolchak. Subsequently, investigators and local residents secretly buried the admiral according to Christian custom. The investigators drew up a map on which Kolchak's grave was marked with a cross. Currently, all found documents are under examination.

One command to play Beethoven's symphonies is sometimes not enough to play them well.

A. V. Kolchak, February 1917

One of the most interesting and controversial figures in the history of Russia in the twentieth century is A. V. Kolchak. Admiral, naval commander, traveler, oceanographer and writer. Until now, this historical figure is of interest to historians, writers and directors. Admiral Kolchak, whose biography is shrouded in interesting facts and events, is of great interest to contemporaries. Based on his biographical data, books are created, scripts are written for the theater stage. Admiral Kolchak Alexander Vasilievich - the hero of documentaries and feature films. It is impossible to fully appreciate the significance of this person in the history of the Russian people.

The first steps of a young cadet

A. V. Kolchak, admiral of the Russian Empire, was born on November 4, 1874 in St. Petersburg. The Kolchak family comes from an ancient noble family. Father - Vasily Ivanovich Kolchak, Major General of Naval Artillery, mother - Olga Ilyinichna Posokhova, Don Cossack. The family of the future admiral of the Russian Empire was deeply religious. In his childhood memoirs, Admiral Kolchak Alexander Vasilievich noted: "I am Orthodox, until the time I entered elementary school, I received family education under the guidance of my parents." After studying for three years (1885-1888) at the St. Petersburg Classical Men's Gymnasium, young Alexander Kolchak enters the Naval School. It was there that A. V. Kolchak, admiral of the Russian fleet, first learned naval sciences, which would later become his life's work. Studying at the Naval School revealed A.V. Kolchak's outstanding abilities and talent for maritime affairs.

The future Admiral Kolchak, whose brief biography shows that travel and sea adventures became his main passion. It was in 1890 that, as a sixteen-year-old teenager, a young cadet first went to sea. It happened on board the armored frigate "Prince Pozharsky". Training swimming lasted about three months. During this time, junior cadet Alexander Kolchak received the first skills and practical knowledge of maritime affairs. Later, during his studies at the Naval Cadet Corps, A. V. Kolchak repeatedly went on campaigns. His training ships were Rurik and Cruiser. Thanks to study trips, A. V. Kolchak began to study oceanography and hydrology, as well as navigational charts of underwater currents off the coast of Korea.

polar research

After graduating from the Naval School, young lieutenant Alexander Kolchak submits a report to the naval service in the Pacific Ocean. The request was approved, and he was sent to one of the naval garrisons of the Pacific Fleet. In 1900, Admiral Kolchak, whose biography is closely connected with the scientific research of the Arctic Ocean, sets off on the first polar expedition. On October 10, 1900, at the invitation of the famous traveler Baron Eduard Toll, the scientific group set off. The purpose of the expedition was to establish the geographical coordinates of the mysterious island of Sannikov Land. In February 1901, Kolchak made a big report about the Great Northern Expedition. In 1902, on the wooden whaling schooner Zarya, Kolchak and Toll again set off for the northern voyage. In the summer of the same year, four polar explorers, led by the head of the expedition, Eduard Toll, left the schooner and set off on dog sleds to explore the coast of the Arctic. Nobody came back. A long search for the missing expedition did not bring any results. The entire crew of the Zarya schooner was forced to return to the mainland. After some time, A.V. Kolchak submits a petition to the Russian Academy of Sciences for a second expedition to the Northern Islands. The main goal of the campaign was to find the members of the team. As a result of the search, traces of the missing group were found. However, the living members of the team were no longer there. For participation in the rescue expedition, A. V. Kolchak was awarded the Imperial Order of the Holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Prince Vladimir, 4th degree. According to the results of the work of the research polar group, Alexander Vasilyevich Kolchak was elected a full member of the Russian Geographical Society.

Military conflict with Japan (1904-1905)

With the beginning of the Russo-Japanese War, A.V. Kolchak asks to be transferred from the scientific academy to the Naval War Department. Having received approval, he goes to serve in Port Arthur to Admiral S. O. Makarov, commander of the Pacific Fleet. A. V. Kolchak is appointed commander of the destroyer "Angry". For six months, the future admiral fought valiantly for Port Arthur. However, despite the heroic confrontation, the fortress fell. The soldiers of the Russian army capitulated. In one of the battles, Kolchak is wounded and ends up in a Japanese hospital. Thanks to American military intermediaries, Alexander Kolchak and other officers of the Russian army were returned to their homeland. For his heroism and courage, Alexander Vasilyevich Kolchak was awarded a nominal gold saber and a silver medal "In memory of the Russian-Japanese war."

Continuation of scientific activity

After a six-month vacation, Kolchak again starts research work. The main theme of his scientific works was the processing of materials from polar expeditions. Scientific works on oceanology and the history of polar research helped the young scientist to win honor and respect in the scientific community. In 1907, his translation of Martin Knudsen's "Tables of Freezing Points of Sea Water" was published. In 1909, the author's monograph "The Ice of the Kara and Siberian Seas" was published. The significance of the works of A. V. Kolchak was that he was the first to lay the foundation for the doctrine of sea ice. The Russian Geographical Society highly appreciated the scientific activity of the scientist, presenting him with the highest award "Gold Konstantinovsky Medal". A. V. Kolchak became the youngest of the polar explorers who were awarded this high award. All predecessors were foreigners, and only he became the first Russian owner of a high distinction.

Revival of the Russian fleet

The loss in the Russo-Japanese War was very hard for the Russian officers. A.V. was no exception. Kolchak, an admiral in spirit and a researcher by vocation. Continuing to study the reasons for the defeat of the Russian army, Kolchak is developing a plan to create a Naval General Staff. In his scientific report, he expresses his thoughts about the reasons for the military defeat in the war, about what kind of fleet Russia needs, and also points out shortcomings in the defensive ability of naval vessels. The speech of the speaker in the State Duma does not find due approval, and A. V. Kolchak (admiral) leaves the service in the Naval General Staff. Biography and photos of that time confirm his transition to teaching at the Naval Academy. Despite the lack of an academic education, the leadership of the academy invited him to lecture on the joint actions of the army and navy. In April 1908, A. V. Kolchak was awarded the military rank of captain of the 2nd rank. Five years later, in 1913, he was promoted to the rank of captain of the 1st rank.

Participation of A. V. Kolchak in the First World War

Since September 1915, Alexander Vasilyevich Kolchak has been in charge of the Mine Division of the Baltic Fleet. The place of deployment was the port of the city of Revel (now Tallinn). The main task of the division was the development of minefields and their installation. In addition, the commander personally conducted sea raids to eliminate enemy ships. This caused admiration among ordinary sailors, as well as among the officers of the division. The courage and resourcefulness of the commander received wide appreciation in the fleet, and this reached the capital. April 10, 1916 A.V. Kolchak was promoted to the rank of rear admiral of the Russian fleet. And in June 1916, by decree of Emperor Nicholas II, Kolchak was awarded the rank of vice admiral, and he was appointed commander of the Black Sea Fleet. Thus, Alexander Vasilyevich Kolchak, admiral of the Russian fleet, becomes the youngest of the naval commanders. The arrival of an energetic and competent commander was received with great respect. From the first days of work, Kolchak established strict discipline and changed the command leadership of the fleet. The main strategic task is to clear the sea of ​​enemy warships. To accomplish this task, it was proposed to block the ports of Bulgaria and the waters of the Bosphorus Strait. An operation began to mine enemy coastlines. Admiral Kolchak's ship could often be seen performing combat and tactical missions. The commander of the fleet personally controlled the situation at sea. The special operation to mine the Bosphorus Strait with a swift blow to Constantinople was approved by Nicholas II. However, a daring military operation did not happen, all plans were violated by the February Revolution.

Revolutionary uprising of 1917

The events of the February coup of 1917 found Kolchak in Batumi. It was in this Georgian city that the admiral held a meeting with Grand Duke Nikolai Nikolayevich, commander of the Caucasian Front. The agenda was to discuss the schedule of shipping and the construction of a seaport in Trabzon (Turkey). Having received a secret dispatch from the General Staff about a military coup in Petrograd, the admiral urgently returns to Sevastopol. Upon returning to the headquarters of the Black Sea Fleet, Admiral A.V. Kolchak orders the termination of the telegraph and postal communications of the Crimea with other regions of the Russian Empire. This prevents the spread of rumors and panic in the fleet. All telegrams were sent only to the headquarters of the Black Sea Fleet. Unlike the situation in the Baltic Fleet, the situation in the Black Sea was under the control of the admiral. A. V. Kolchak kept the Black Sea flotilla from revolutionary collapse for a long time. However, political events did not pass by. In June 1917, by decision of the Sevastopol Soviet, Admiral Kolchak was removed from the leadership of the Black Sea Fleet. During the disarmament, Kolchak, in front of the formation of his subordinates, breaks the award golden saber and says: “The sea rewarded me, I return the award to the sea.”

Family life of the Russian admiral

Sofya Fedorovna Kolchak (Omirova), the wife of the great naval commander, was a hereditary noblewoman. Sophia was born in 1876 in Kamenetz-Podolsk. Father - Fedor Vasilyevich Omirov, Privy Councilor of His Imperial Majesty, mother - Daria Fedorovna Kamenskaya, came from the family of Major General V.F. Kamensky. Sofya Fedorovna was educated at the Smolny Institute for Noble Maidens. A beautiful, strong-willed woman who knew several foreign languages, she was very independent in character. The wedding with Alexander Vasilievich took place in the St. Kharlampievskaya Church in Irkutsk on March 5, 1904. After the wedding, the young spouse leaves his wife and goes to the army to defend Port Arthur. S.F. Kolchak, together with his father-in-law, goes to St. Petersburg. All her life, Sofya Fedorovna kept loyalty and devotion to her lawful spouse. She invariably began her letters to him with the words: "My dear and beloved, Sashenka." And she finished: “Sonia, who loves you.” Admiral Kolchak kept the touching letters of his wife until the last days. Constant separation did not allow the spouses to see each other often. Military service required the fulfillment of duty. And yet, rare moments of joyful meetings did not bypass loving spouses. Sofia Fedorovna gave birth to three children. The first daughter, Tatyana, was born in 1908, however, without having lived even a month, the child died. Son Rostislav was born on March 9, 1910 (died in 1965). The third child in the family was Margarita (1912-1914). When escaping from the Germans from Libava (Liepaja, Latvia), the girl caught a cold and soon died. Kolchak's wife lived for some time in Gatchina, then in Libau. During the shelling of the city, the Kolchak family was forced to leave their refuge. Having collected her things, Sophia moves to her husband in Helsingfors, where at that time the headquarters of the Baltic Fleet was located. It was in this city that Sophia met Anna Timireva, the last love of the admiral. Then there was a move to Sevastopol. Throughout the Civil War, she waited for her husband. In 1919, Sophia Kolchak emigrated with her son. British allies help them get to Constanta, then there was Bucharest and Paris. Experiencing a difficult financial situation in exile, Sofya Kolchak was able to give a decent education to her son. Rostislav Aleksandrovich Kolchak graduated from the Higher Diplomatic School and worked for some time in the Algerian banking system. In 1939, Kolchak's son entered the service of the French army and soon fell into German captivity. Sofia Kolchak will survive the German occupation of Paris. The death of the admiral's wife will occur in the Lunjumo hospital (France) in 1956. S.F. Kolchak was buried at the cemetery of Russian emigrants in Paris. In 1965, Rostislav Alexandrovich Kolchak died. The last refuge of the wife and son of the admiral will be the French tomb in Sainte-Genevieve-des-Bois.

The last love of the Russian admiral

Anna Vasilievna Timireva is the daughter of the outstanding Russian conductor and musician V. I. Safonov. Anna was born in Kislovodsk in 1893. Admiral Kolchak and Anna Timireva met in 1915 in Helsingfors. Her first husband is Captain 1st Rank Sergei Nikolaevich Timirev. The love story with Admiral Kolchak still inspires admiration and respect for this Russian woman. Love and devotion made her go to a voluntary arrest after her lover. Endless arrests and exile could not destroy tender feelings, she loved her admiral until the end of her life. Having survived the execution of Admiral Kolchak in 1920, Anna Timireva was in exile for many years. Only in 1960 she was rehabilitated and lived in the capital. Anna Vasilievna died on January 31, 1975.

Foreign trips

Upon returning to Petrograd in 1917, Admiral Kolchak (his photo is presented in our article) receives an official invitation from the American diplomatic mission. Foreign partners, knowing his extensive experience in the mine business, ask the Provisional Government to send A. V. Kolchak as a military expert in the fight against submarines. A.F. Kerensky gives his consent to his departure. Soon, Admiral Kolchak went to England, and then to America. There he held military consultations and also took an active part in training maneuvers for the US Navy. Nevertheless, Kolchak believed that his foreign voyage had failed, and a decision was made to return to Russia. While in San Francisco, the admiral receives a government telegram proposing to run for the Constituent Assembly. The October Revolution broke out and disrupted all Kolchak's plans. The news of the revolutionary uprising finds him in the Japanese port of Yokohama. The temporary stop lasted until the autumn of 1918.

Events of the Civil War in the fate of A. V. Kolchak

After long wanderings abroad, A.V. Kolchak on September 20, 1918 returns to Russian soil in Vladivostok. In this city, Kolchak studied the state of military affairs and the revolutionary mood of the inhabitants of the eastern outskirts of the country. At this time, the Russian public more than once turned to him with a proposal to lead the fight against the Bolsheviks. October 13, 1918 Kolchak arrives in Omsk to establish a common command of the volunteer armies in the east of the country. After some time, a military seizure of power takes place in the city. A. V. Kolchak - Admiral, Supreme Ruler of Russia. It was this position that the Russian officers entrusted to Alexander Vasilyevich. Kolchak's army numbered more than 150 thousand people.

The coming to power of Admiral Kolchak inspired the entire eastern region of the country, hoping for the establishment of a tough dictatorship and order. A strong administrative vertical and the correct organization of the state were established. The main goal of the new military formation was to unite with the army of A.I. Denikin and march on Moscow. During the reign of Kolchak, a number of orders, decrees and appointments were issued. A. V. Kolchak was one of the first in Russia to begin an investigation into the death of the royal family. The award system of tsarist Russia was restored. At the disposal of Kolchak's army was a huge gold reserve of the country, which was taken from Moscow to Kazan with the aim of further moving to England and Canada. With this money, Admiral Kolchak (whose photo can be seen above) provided his army with weapons and uniforms.

Battle path and the arrest of the admiral

During the entire existence of the eastern front, Kolchak and his comrades-in-arms carried out several successful military attacks (Perm, Kazan and Simbirsk operations). However, the numerical superiority of the Red Army prevented a grandiose capture of the western borders of Russia. An important factor was the betrayal of the allies. On January 15, 1920, Kolchak was arrested and sent to the Irkutsk prison. A few days later, the Extraordinary Commission began the procedure for investigative measures to interrogate the admiral. A. V. Kolchak, admiral (the protocols of interrogation testify to this), during the conduct of investigative measures, he behaved very worthily.

Cheka investigators noted that the admiral answered all questions willingly and clearly, while not giving out a single name of his colleagues. The arrest of Kolchak lasted until February 6, until the remnants of his army came close to Irkutsk. On February 7, 1920, on the banks of the Ushakovka River, the admiral was shot and thrown into an ice hole. This is how the great son of his Motherland ended his journey. Based on the events of hostilities in eastern Russia from the autumn of 1918 to the end of 1919, the book “Eastern Front of Admiral Kolchak” was written, the author is S. V. Volkov.

Truth and fiction

To this day, the fate of this man is not fully understood. A. V. Kolchak is an admiral, unknown facts from whose life and death are still of interest to historians and people who are not indifferent to this person. One thing can be said quite definitely: the life of the admiral is a vivid example of courage, heroism and high responsibility to their homeland.

Kolchak Alexander Vasilyevich - (born 4 (16) November 1874 - death February 7, 1920) military and political figure, leader of the White movement in Russia - Supreme Ruler of Russia, admiral (1918), Russian oceanographer, one one of the largest polar explorers of the late XIX - early XX centuries, full member of the Imperial Russian Geographical Society (1906).

Hero of the Russian-Japanese and World War I, one of the most striking, controversial and tragic figures in Russian history at the beginning of the 20th century.

Education

Alexander Kolchak was born on November 4, 1874 in the village of Aleksandrovskoye, Petersburg district, Petersburg province. Until the third grade, he studied at a classical gymnasium, and in 1888 he moved to the Naval Cadet Corps and 6 years later he graduated second in seniority and academic performance with a cash prize named after Admiral P.I. Rikord. In 1895–1896 the midshipman moved to Vladivostok and served on the ships of the Pacific squadron as a watch officer and junior navigator.

During the voyages, Kolchak visited China, Korea, Japan and other countries, became interested in Eastern philosophy, studied the Chinese language, independently engaged in an in-depth study of oceanography and hydrology. Upon his return, in "Notes on Hydrography" he published the first scientific work "Observations on surface temperatures and specific gravity of sea water, made on the cruisers" Rurik "and" Cruiser "from May 1897 to March 1898."

1898 - Kolchak was promoted to lieutenant. However, after the first campaign, the young officer became disillusioned with military service and began to think about switching to commercial ships. He did not have time to get into the Arctic voyage on the icebreaker "Ermak" with S.O. Makarov. 1899, summer - Alexander Vasilyevich was assigned to inland navigation on the cruiser "Prince Pozharsky". Kolchak filed a report on the transfer to the Siberian crew and the watchman of the battleship "Poltava" went to the Far East.

Polar expedition (1900-1902)

Admiral Kolchak and wife Sofia Feodorovna

Upon the ship's arrival in Piraeus, the lieutenant was offered to take part in the expedition of the St. Petersburg Academy of Sciences in search of the Sannikov Land. 1900, January - by order of the Naval Headquarters, he returned to the capital. For several months he trained at the Main Physical Observatory of St. Petersburg, the Pavlovsk Magnetic Observatory and in Norway to be a hydrologist and a second magnetologist. In 1900-1902, on the schooner Zarya, Kolchak took part in a polar expedition led by Baron E.V. Toll.

He carried out observations of temperatures and specific gravity of the surface layer of sea water, carried out deep-sea work, investigated the state of ice, and collected the remains of mammals. 1901 - together with Toll, Alexander Vasilyevich made a sledge expedition to the Chelyuskin Peninsula, carried out geographical research and compiled maps of the coast of Taimyr, Kotelny Island, Belkovsky Island, discovered Strizhev Island. Toll named one of the islands in the Kara Sea after Kolchak (now Rastorguev Island), and an island in the Litke archipelago and a cape on Bennet Island are named after Kochak's wife Sophia Fedorovna. The young researcher published the results of the work in the publications of the Academy of Sciences.

Rescue expedition (1903)

1903 - Toll went with the astronomer of the expedition and the Yakut industrialists on a sledge expedition to Cape Vysoky of the New Siberia Island, with the intention of reaching Bennett Island, and disappeared. Upon the return of Zarya, the Academy of Sciences developed two rescue plans. Alexander Vasilievich undertook to fulfill one of them. In 1903–1904 on behalf of the St. Petersburg Academy of Sciences, first on dogs, then on a whaleboat, he crossed from Tiksi Bay to Bennett Island, almost drowning in an ice crack.

The expedition delivered notes, Toll's geological collections, and news of the scientist's death. 1903 - for the polar journey, Kolchak was awarded the Order of St. Vladimir, 4th degree. 1905 - for "an outstanding geographical feat associated with labor and danger," the Russian Geographical Society presented the future admiral to be awarded the large gold Konstantinovsky medal, and in 1906 elected him as a full member.

Russo-Japanese War

1904, March - having learned about the Japanese attack on Port Arthur, Alexander Kolchak handed over the affairs of the expedition, went to the Far East and appeared to Vice Admiral S.O. Makarov. At first, Kolchak was appointed watch commander on the Askold cruiser, from April 1904 he began to act as an artillery officer on the Amur mine transport, from April 21, 1904 he commanded the Angry destroyer and made several bold attacks.

Under the leadership of Kolchak, they set up a minefield on the outskirts of Port Arthur Bay, as well as a mine bank at the mouth of the Amur, on which the Japanese cruiser Takasago was blown up. Kolchak was one of the developers of the expedition plan to break through the blockade of the fortress from the sea and intensify the actions of the fleet against Japanese transports in the Yellow Sea and the Pacific Ocean.

After the death of Makarov, Vitgeft abandoned the plan. From November 2, 1904, until the surrender of the fortress, Kolchak commanded 120-mm and 47-mm batteries on the northeastern wing of the defense of Port Arthur. Wounded, with exacerbation of rheumatism, he was taken prisoner. Alexander Vasilievich was repeatedly awarded for distinctions near Port Arthur: the Order of St. Anne of the 4th degree, a golden saber with the inscription "For Bravery" and the Order of St. Stanislaus of the 2nd degree with swords. 1906 - he received the silver medal "In Memory of the Russo-Japanese War".

Scientific work

As an expert on naval issues, Kolchak sought in the defense commission of the 3rd State Duma government appropriations for the construction of military ships for the Baltic Fleet, in particular 4 dreadnoughts, but could not overcome the resistance of the Duma members, who initially demanded reforms of the maritime department. Disappointed in the possibility of implementing his plans, in 1908 Alexander Vasilievich continued lecturing at the Nikolaev Naval Academy. 1907 - he was promoted to captain-lieutenant, in 1908 - to captain of the 2nd rank.

At the suggestion of the head of the Main Hydrographic Department A.V. Vilkitsky, Kolchak took part in the development of a project for a scientific expedition to explore the Northern Sea Route. 1909, April - Kolchak made a report "North-Eastern passage from the mouth of the river. Yenisei to the Bering Strait" in the Society for the Study of Siberia and the Improvement of its Life. At the same time, the scientist wrote his main work, The Ice of the Kara and Siberian Seas, which was published in 1909. Based on observations made during Toll's expedition, it did not lose its significance for a long time.

1909, autumn - icebreaking transports "Taimyr" and "Vaigach" set off from Kronstadt to Vladivostok. These ships made up the expedition of the Arctic Ocean, which was supposed to study the route from the Pacific Ocean to the Arctic Ocean along the coast of Siberia. Kolchak, as the commander of the Vaigach icebreaker transport, came on it in the summer of 1910 across the Indian Ocean to Vladivostok, then sailed to the Bering Strait and the Chukchi Sea, where he performed hydrological and astronomical studies.

Return to the Naval General Staff

The scientist failed to continue his activities in the North. In the autumn he was recalled from the expedition, and from the end of 1910 Kolchak was appointed head of the Baltic Operational Directorate of the Naval General Staff. Alexander Vasilyevich was involved in the development of the Russian shipbuilding program (in particular, ships of the Izmail type), taught at the Nikolaev Maritime Academy, and as an expert of the State Duma sought to increase appropriations for shipbuilding. 1912, January - he presented a note on the reorganization of the Naval General Staff. Kolchak prepared the book "Service of the General Staff: messages on the additional course of the naval department of the Nikolaev Naval Academy, 1911-1912", in which he insisted on the introduction of complete autocracy of the commander in the fleet. He firmly pursued this idea in all the posts he occupied.

Service in the Baltic Fleet

1912, spring - at the suggestion of Admiral N.O. Essen, Kolchak took command of the destroyer Ussuriets. 1913, December - for excellent service, he was promoted to captain of the 1st rank, appointed flag captain of the operational unit of the headquarters of the commander of the naval forces of the Baltic Sea and at the same time commander of the destroyer "Border Guard" - the admiral's messenger ship.

World War I

At the beginning of the First World War, a captain of the 1st rank drew up the disposition of wartime operations in the Baltic, organized the successful laying of mines and attacks on the caravans of German merchant ships. 1915, February - 4 destroyers under his command put up about 200 mines in the Danzig Bay, on which 12 warships and 11 enemy transports were blown up, which forced the German command to temporarily not put the ships out to sea.

1915, summer - on the initiative of Alexander Vasilyevich Kolchak, the battleship Slava was brought into the Gulf of Riga to cover mine laying off the coast. These productions deprived the advancing German troops of the support of the fleet. Temporarily commanding the Mine Division since September 1915, since December he was also the head of the defense of the Gulf of Riga. Using the artillery of the ships, he helped the army of General D.R. Radko-Dmitriev repel the onslaught of the enemy at Kemmern. The landing in the rear of the enemy troops, which was landed in accordance with the tactical plan of Kolchak, played its role.

For successful attacks on the caravans of German ships that delivered ore from Sweden, Kolchak was presented with the Order of St. George, 4th degree. 1916, April 10 - he was promoted to rear admiral, and on June 28 he was appointed commander of the Black Sea Fleet with promotion "for distinction in service" to vice admiral. Kolchak did not want to go to the unfamiliar maritime theater. But he was able to quickly get used to it, and already in July 1916, on the battleship Empress Maria, he took part in a raid of Russian ships in the Black Sea, started a battle with the Turkish cruiser Breslau. A month later, under the command of Kolchak, the blockade of the Bosphorus and the Eregli-Zonguldak coal region was strengthened, massive mining of enemy ports was carried out, as a result of which the enemy ships entered the Black Sea almost stopped.

After the February Revolution

1917, March 12 - Admiral Kolchak swore the fleet to the Provisional Government. Alexander Vasilievich actively fought against the revolutionary "fermentation" and the gradual decline of discipline in the fleet. A supporter of the continuation of the war to a victorious end, he opposed the end of hostilities. When, under the influence of agitators who arrived from the Baltic, the sailors began to disarm the officers, Kolchak in mid-June 1917 handed over command to Rear Admiral V.K. Lukin and, at the request of Kerensky, went with the chief of staff to Petrograd to explain the unauthorized resignation. Speaking at a government meeting, Kolchak Alexander Vasilyevich accused him of the collapse of the army and navy.

In America

1917, early August - the vice admiral was appointed head of the naval mission in America. Upon arrival in Washington, he made his proposals for the planned landing in the Dardanelles, and was collecting technical information about American military preparations. 1917, early October - the admiral took part in naval maneuvers on the American battleship Pennsylvania. Realizing that the Americans did not intend to help Russia in the war, by mid-October he decided to return to his homeland.

In Japan

But, having arrived in Japan in November 1917, Kolchak learned about the establishment of Soviet power and the intention of the Bolsheviks to make peace with Germany, after which he decided not to return. He considered the Bolsheviks to be German agents. Since the war took possession of his entire being, the admiral at the beginning of December 1917 turned to the British ambassador in Japan with a request to accept him into the British military service. 1917, the end of December - agreement followed. 1918, January - Kolchak went from Japan to the Mesopotamian front, where Russian and British troops fought with the Turks. But in Singapore, he received an order from the London government to come to Beijing to the Russian envoy, Prince N.A. Kudashev, to work in Manchuria and Siberia.

In China

In Beijing, Alexander Vasilyevich Kolchak was elected a member of the board of the Chinese Eastern Railway (CER). From April to September 21, 1918, he was engaged in the creation of armed forces for the defense of the CER. Obviously, those who chose the candidacy of the vice-admiral were impressed by his determination. But soon Kolchak's political unpreparedness fully affected. The admiral promised to restore order, intended to create a stronghold in the Far East to fight the Bolsheviks. But at the headquarters of the commander-in-chief they were unhappy that he did not understand anything in military affairs and demanded an immediate campaign against Vladivostok, not having sufficient forces.

Civil War

Kolchak entered into a struggle with Ataman Semenov, relying on the detachment of Colonel Orlov created by him, which was not much different from the Ataman. In an attempt to remove Kolchak, he threatened to call in the troops. Until the end of June, the situation remained uncertain. The commander tried to launch an offensive. But the Chinese refused to let the Russian troops through, and the admiral left for Japan. Kolchak did not know what to do. He even had the idea to go back to the British on the Mesopotamian front. Finally, he decided to make his way to the Volunteer Army of General M.V. Alekseev. Along the way, in October 1918, he arrived in Omsk with the English General A. Knox.

On October 14, the commander-in-chief of the forces of the Ufa directory, V.G. Boldyrev, invited the admiral to enter the government. On November 4, by decree of the local Provisional Government, Kolchak was appointed military and naval minister and immediately went to the front.

"Supreme ruler"

The activities of the directory, which was a coalition of different parties, including the Mensheviks and Socialist-Revolutionaries, did not suit Kolchak. On November 17, having entered into a conflict over the relationship of the directory to the naval ministry, the admiral retired. Relying on reliable troops, on November 18, he arrested the members of the directory and convened an emergency meeting of the Council of Ministers, at which he was promoted to admiral and transferred power with the title "Supreme Ruler".

Kolchak Alexander Vasilyevich granted the commanders of military districts the right to declare areas under a state of siege, close press organs and impose death sentences. With cruel measures, the admiral fought against the opponents of his dictatorship, at the same time, with the support of the allies, increasing and arming his regiments.

1918, December - as a result of the Perm operation, Kolchak's troops took Perm and continued their offensive deep into Soviet Russia. The first successes drew the attention of the allies to Kolchak. On January 16, the Supreme Ruler signed an agreement on coordinating the actions of the White Guards and interventionists.

French General M. Janin became the commander-in-chief of the troops of the allied states in Eastern Russia and Western Siberia, and the English general A. Knox became the head of the rear and supply of the Kolchak troops. Significant deliveries of military equipment and weapons from America, England, France, and Japan made it possible to increase the strength of Kolchak's armies to 400,000 by the spring. The admiral organized the attack. In March, the Eastern Front of the Red Army was broken through. Part of the Kolchak troops moved to Kotlas to organize the supply of supplies through the northern seas, while the main forces made their way to the south-west to join with A.I. Denikin.

The successful offensive of the Kolchakites, who took Buguruslan on April 15, prompted French Prime Minister J. Clemenceau to recommend Janin to attack Moscow with the main forces, and join Denikin on the left flank and form a united front. It seemed that this plan was quite feasible. Kolchak's troops approached Samara and Kazan at the end of April. In May, Kolchak's supreme power was recognized by A.I. Denikin, N.N. Yudenich and E.K. Miller.

But the unsuccessful choice of Kolchak's closest assistants, the extreme optimism of the commander of the Siberian Army, Lieutenant General Gaida and his young generals, who incorrectly assessed the situation and promised to enter Moscow in a month and a half, soon affected. As a result of the counter-offensive of the Red Army in May-June 1919, the best Siberian and Western armies of Kolchak were defeated and rolled back far to the east.

Arrest and execution of Admiral Kolchak

Siberians did not like the restoration of autocratic government; partisan movement was growing in the rear. The allies had a huge influence, on the supplies of which the actions of the army depended. Defeats at the front caused panic in the rear. In October, the evacuation of Czech troops caused the families of the White Guards to flee from Omsk. Hundreds of echelons blocked the railroad.

Alexander Vasilyevich Kolchak tried to democratize power, but it was too late. The front has collapsed. The Czechs arrested Kolchak, who was moving under the protection of the Allied flags, and on January 15, 1920, at the Innokentievskaya station, they surrendered to the Socialist-Revolutionary-Menshevik "Political Center".

The Center transferred Admiral Kolchak to the Bolshevik Irkutsk Military Revolutionary Committee (VRK). Interrogations began on January 21. At first, it was supposed to send the admiral to the capital, but, having received instructions from Moscow, the Military Revolutionary Committee shot Kolchak and Pepelyaev on February 7, 1920.

Admiral Alexander Vasilyevich Kolchak in the history of the White movement is perhaps the most striking and tragic figure. A fearless polar explorer, an oceanographer, a brilliant naval officer, who in 1916, at less than 42 years old, became the youngest commander of the Black Sea Fleet. More recently, "Motherland" spoke in detail about the denouement of his fate - the betrayal of the allies, the arrest in Nizhneudinsk, the execution in Irkutsk on February 7, 1920 ... Today, "Rossiyskaya Gazeta" in its application "Rodina" will tell about the admiral's wife.

What do we know about his wife, to whom the admiral addressed his last letter: "The Lord God will save and bless you and Slavushka"? For many years I have been studying the life of Sophia Fedorovna Kolchak in exile. I hope these notes will be of interest to Motherland.

The son is not responsible for the father

Sofya Fedorovna was 42 years old when she ended up in France with her nine-year-old son Rostislav - Slavushka, as he was affectionately called in the family.

Was it possible to stay?

It is necessary to remember Sevastopol in June 1917 - the unbridled sailors openly call for disobedience to the officers. Commander of the Black Sea Fleet, Vice Admiral A.V. Kolchak was accused by the Provisional Government of being unable to prevent a riot and, together with the flag-captain M.I. Smirnov summoned to Petrograd for an explanation. Sofya Feodorovna and her son remain in the city, where revolutionaries smash apartments every night and arrange lynching of officers and their families.

What fear for the life of her little son must have been experienced by a woman who had already mourned the loss of her children twice... Tanechka died as a baby in 1905, at that time Alexander Vasilyevich participated in the defense of the fortress of Port Arthur. In 1914, when Sofya Fedorovna, again without a fighting husband, was getting out of Libava under German shelling with four-year-old Rostislav and two-year-old Margarita, her second daughter fell ill on the way and died ...

For the time being, Sofia Kolchak, under a false name, was hiding in Sevastopol with reliable people. But after the October coup, her husband was chosen as the leader of the White movement and the Supreme Ruler of Russia - the main enemy of the Soviet Republic. One can imagine what fate awaited his family when the offensive of the Red Army began in the spring of 1919.

The mother could not endanger her son.

On April 19, 1919, in the Saturday issue of the Eco de Paris newspaper, in the Latest News heading, an article appeared "Admiral Kolchak's wife was forced to flee Sevastopol."

The note reported that on April 18, the cruiser L Isonzo (floating under the English flag) arrived in Marseille from Malta, on which among the passengers were "the wife of the Russian Admiral Kolchak, who is currently playing a very important role in the fight against the Bolsheviks." The correspondent of the newspaper took a short interview with Sofia Feodorovna, she spoke about the difficult and dangerous situation in the Crimea, which prompted her to seek help from the British authorities. She did not hide the fact that their escape with her son from Sevastopol was prepared.

I found confirmation of these words in one of the French archives. A personal card drawn up in the name of Sophie Koltchak nee Omiroff in 1926 indicated that she had arrived in France on a diplomatic passport.

Rostislav Kolchak is a graduate of the Jesuit College. 1926 Photo: from the archive of L. Abramenko

Execution confirmed

Mother and son will spend several months in Paris. About this - a small message "Madame Kolchak in Paris" in the daily newspaper "Le Petit Parisien" dated April 20, 1919. About this - Sophia's news to her husband (letter of May 16, 1919), which she conveyed through attorneys to Siberia: they arrived safely, they feel good. She was worried that there was no news for a long time, in the signature she assured: "yours, with all my heart" ...

She will carry this loyalty through her bitter life.

At first, Sophia received attention. Including from the side of unscrupulous people who expected to profit - due to her high status and money, which were regularly transferred to Kolchak's wife from the accounts of banks storing funds of the White movement. Already later, from January 1920, the Russian Mission in Paris transferred 15,000 francs to her every month.

She will not participate in the turbulent life of the emigre community, although she will maintain some acquaintances. In the parish register of the Paris Cathedral of St. Alexander Nevsky, an entry is kept dated January 25, 1920: at the baptism of the daughter of an English citizen, Maria Oven, the wife of Admiral Sofya Fedorovna Kolchak was the godmother. While the wife...

On February 14, 1920, the Eco de Paris newspaper printed several lines under the heading "Kolchak's execution has been confirmed."

Russian house in Sainte-Genevieve-des-Bois, where the admiral's widow lived in recent years

Denunciation of the Parisian baker

The widow and son will leave for the south of France and settle in the town of Pau at the foot of the Pyrenees. Perhaps the special microclimate of these places suited Rostislav better. Villa Alexandrine, boulevard Guillemin"...

I visited the quiet aristocratic quarter of this city. I sat on a bench in front of a beautiful two-story mansion, peering through the windows. Was Sophia Fedorovna's life calm behind them? The son had to be sent as a pupil to the Jesuit College - the oldest religious educational institution "Immaculate Conception" (currently exists). My mother suffered from excruciating headaches. The death of her husband exacerbated the disease, which began in Russia, - the experiences due to the death of her daughters affected. Like many Russian emigrants, she tried to take up gardening, but the experience ended in failure. And the debts of Kolchak's widow kept growing, about which in the fall of 1922 a certain baker from Pau did not fail to complain to Prime Minister Raymond Poincaré.

This denunciation had the most detrimental effect on the financial situation of Sophia Fedorovna. From the beginning of 1923, her monthly allowance was reduced to 300 francs. This money was transferred to the family of the "dictator and reactionary" so that they would not starve to death, bitterly ironic in a letter to General N.N. Yudenich Admiral V.K. Pilkin, who carried out financial transfers.

Sofya Fedorovna had to move from the aristocratic district to Montpensier Street (rue Montpensier). I visited here too, near an ordinary apartment building. A few steps from it, the Jesuit College, in which Rostislav Kolchak was brought up from 1920 to 1926, has been preserved. A small Orthodox church has also been preserved, one of the three oldest churches in France, consecrated in honor of Alexander Nevsky. A deeply religious woman, Sofya Fedorovna went to the service every day and prayed for the repose of the soul of her husband Sashenka.

Sofia Fedorovna during her life in the city of Po. 1926 Photo: from the archive of L. Abramenko

Another captivity of Kolchak

In 1927 Rostislav graduated from college and returned to Paris with his mother. It was necessary to give the son a good education and the opportunity to start an independent life with dignity. The young man successfully passed the exams and entered the Higher School in two specialties: political science and law. But the mother had no money to pay for education. Unable to work due to illness, Sofya Feodorovna now lived in the Russian House (senile, as it is now called) in the town of Sainte-Genevieve-des-Bois. Here she will remain until her last days. For the sake of his son, in despair, he will write a letter of help to the famous Norwegian explorer Fridtjof Nansen, who trained the young officer Kolchak before his first polar expedition ...

Many people helped her. B.A. transferred money from America. Bakhmetiev, who played a prominent role in the political circles of the Russian emigration. Helped General N.N. Yudenich and Kolchak's former classmate in the Naval Corps, Rear Admiral A.A. Pogulyaev. In 1930, on the decade of the death of the admiral, the former head of the Naval Ministry in the government of Kolchak and his friend Rear Admiral M.I. Smirnov published a book of memoirs about him. The income from sales was directed to help the Kolchak family. "Marine Journal" raised funds to complete the education of Rostislav ...

A mother's dream came true - her son received a diploma. And soon he got married. Ekaterina Razvozova, the daughter of the late Rear Admiral Alexander Vasilyevich Razvozov, became his chosen one. The wedding took place on January 3, 1932 in the Church of St. Alexander Nevsky (now in the status of a cathedral) - the spiritual center of Russian emigrants in Paris on Daru Street.

Rostislav got a job in one of the banks in Algeria, where the young family left. Sofya Fyodorovna remained to wait for news. A year later, joyful news came: a grandson was born, whom his parents named Alexander in honor of their famous grandfathers. Alas, the tropical climate did not suit the baby, he became seriously ill, the doctors recommended urgently taking away the baby, who was weakening every day.

And again Sofya Fyodorovna takes care of her relatives. The godmother of the daughter-in-law, a wealthy woman, lives in Switzerland - the grandmother of Alexander Kolchak addresses her. And the godmother helps...

But Sofya Fedorovna was not given the opportunity to avert a world disaster. In 1939, France entered the war with Germany, Rostislav Kolchak was mobilized to the front. In June 1940, after the defeat of the French troops near Paris, the admiral's son was captured.

What was the account in the Kolchak family of this captivity? What did the sick mother experience during those months of ignorance and expectation?

The building of the hospital in Longjumo, where Sofya Fedorovna Kolchak died, and her last shelter

French inscription

In 1947, Rostislav, Ekaterina and the minor Alexander received French citizenship. The son and his family settled in the city of Saint-Mandé, on the border with Paris. Together with them, the mother-in-law, Maria Alexandrovna Razvozova (nee Osten-Driesen), also lived in the apartment. The grandson and his father visited their grandmother in the Russian House. For periods she lived with them at St. Mande.

Sofya Fedorovna never received French citizenship, until the end she remained with a refugee passport. The admiral's widow died on March 6, 1956 in a hospital in the small town of Longjumo. The family reported her death to the Russian Thought newspaper.

A farewell memorial service was held in the church of the Russian House. Among the 11,000 graves in the cemetery of Sainte-Geneviève-des-Bois (of which more than half are Russian) is her last shelter of light stone. At the base of the Orthodox stone cross there is an inscription: "In memory of the Admiral's wife. S.F. Kolchak 1876-1956, nee Omirova, widow of the Supreme Ruler of Russia."

French inscription.

Sofya Fedorovna for many years kept her husband's last letter, which ended with the words: "The Lord God will save and bless you and Slavushka." Alexander Vasilyevich blessed his wife and son for life, and she fulfilled his order. A pupil of the Smolny Institute, who knew seven languages, knew how not only to hold herself beautifully, but also steadfastly held the blows of fate in the name of a noble and main maternal goal - to save her offspring.

This woman deserves a bright and kind memory.

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What happened to the descendants of Alexander Kolchak

Son Rostislav studied the Kolchak family a lot. In memory of his father, in 1959 he wrote an essay on the family chronicle "Admiral Kolchak. His clan and family." His life was short, the German captivity affected his health - Rostislav Alexandrovich died in 1965. Ten years later, Ekaterina Kolchak died. The son and daughter-in-law of Sophia Feodorovna are buried with her in the same grave in the cemetery of Sainte-Genevieve-des-Bois.

Grandson Alexander Rostislavovich (he asks to pronounce his patronymic in the old Russian manner - Rostislavich) Kolchak lives in Paris. He received a good education, speaks several languages, and draws beautifully. For some time he worked as a cartoonist in one of the Parisian newspapers. The humor of his works is concise and simple, but at the same time, not everyone is able to cause a smile. Part of the life of A. R. Kolchak is connected with America, where he worked for several years and where he found his passion - jazz. Alexander Rostislavich is an interesting interlocutor, his speech with the correct Russian captivates the listener. He looks like his grandfather not only in appearance. Sofya Fedorovna also noted the similarity of the characters of the two Alexanders.

And then there is Alexander Kolchak the third, as Alexander Rostislavich calls his son.

Among the hobbies of Alexander Rostislavovich Kolchak are caricatures and jazz. 2016

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