The Epilogue and Its Cast of Characters in the Russian Civil War

 

As in Kosovo, 1999, the politics dictated the military role. And in 1919, the British wanted to stamp out the communist virus and had the means, it lacked the will to allow it’s military to be directly and knowingly involved in most cases. When the brave British men refuted the War Cabinets orders, the results were astounding. Look at what a British crew achieved with a single MkV tank at Tsaritsyn, look at the damage the 47^thsquadron did to the Volga flotilla and how Wrangel thanked them for the air support.

 

It was the same “lacking” with the French in Vietnam and then the Americans. They had the military strength but lacked the will.

 

The body count of the Russian Civil War is estimated at 25 million.

The costs of their intervention are estimated at £100,000,000 for England and £35,000,000 for France. From January-February, 1920, £250,000 worth of equipment and supplies had been stolen from the docks at Novorossisk.

The following are key participants:

 

General Peter Wrangel died in Brussels, Belgium in 1928 and buried in Belgrade

 

General Kuptepov, the commander of the 1^st Corps, the best unit in the Volunteers, was murdered in Paris. On January 26^th, 1930, he was kidnapped off the streets and Soviet agents took him back to a Russian trawler. In 1965, the KGB admitted they had executed him.

 

General Romanovski, Denikin’s Chief of Staff, was murdered in Constantinople by a Soviet agent.

 

General Denikin, lived in France, raising his Daughter, Marina, born in February 1920. He wrote books and gardened. Later he moved to the United States of America and died in 1947. Oddly, he had seen how the failure of stamping out communism had piqued the world. In 1940, the Nazi’s tried to per­suade him to make radio broadcasts delivering anti-communist propaganda.

 

Williamson, became a Lt. Col. in 1935,in 1939, he commanded the 50^th division and became the 3^rd Corps commander. He retired in 1945 as Brig. General.

 

General Holman retired after he returned and died in the 1930’s.

 

Lt. Elliot, who was an low ranking officer in 1919 and who flew Williamson around the South Russia area looking for Gas shells, became Air Chief Marshal Sir William Elliot much later.

 

Major Collishaw, who was the commander of the famed 47^thRAF Squadron, became Air Vice Mar­shal in WW2. He commanded the RAF at Alamein.

 

General Budenny, the famed Soviet Cavalry leader proved he was inept when he lost 500,000 Rus­sians at Kiev in 1941 to an old enemy. He died in 1973 at age 90 yrs.

 

Nestor Makhno, the vicious guerilla fighter, escaped the Soviet Police in 1922 fleeing to Poland with his beautiful Polish girlfriend. Upon his arrival, he murdered her parents. The two got married. He died an alcoholic in the 30’s.

 

Peter Krasnov, the Commander of the Don Army was hanged in 1947 by the Soviets after the British handed him over.

 

Shkuro,who was a fierce Cavalry Corps commander under Mamantov, was hanged with Krasnov. During the inter war period of the thirties, he performed in a circus. In 1941, fought along side with Ger­mans when Russia was invaded.

 

The two most famous Comminsaars were Stalin and Kruschev, who in the Fall of 1919, rallied the Soviet party members against Denikin. Both became the “President” of the Soviet Union. Stalin ordered millions murdered in the 30’s. Stalin died in 1953. Kruschev, followed as “President” and never forgot the American intervention. He reminded president Kennedy of this “invasion” in 1961. Kennedy denied this ever happening and no knowledge of this event.

 

Koniev, the most famous Generals of the WW2, was a young commander in the 2^nddivision under Semenov fighting on Kolchak. By 1934, he was commanding an Army, and in WW2, a whole Front. He died in 1973.

 

Popov, another Famous General of WW2, commanded the 96^th battalion of the 11^th division in Nov. 1919. He was Front Commander in WW2. He died in 1962.

 

Timoshenko, another well-known General in WW2, was part of the 2^nd Cavalry brigade of 1^st division in June 1919 and fought with 10^thArmy against Denikin in the Kuban and later the Crimea. He died in 1970.

 

Lt. Cmdr. Koehler, the only American in combat in South Russia. He became an attache for the US in Poland in the mid twenties. His son was born in 1929, then he became divorced. He died in 1941.