M.G.Drozdovsky.
DROZDOVSKY Mikhail Gordeevich (07.10.1881-01.01.1919). Colonel (01.1917). Major General (11/08/1918). He graduated from the Kyiv Vladimir Cadet Corps (1899), the Pavlovsk Military School (1901) and the Nikolaev Academy of the General Staff (1908). Member of the Russo-Japanese War of 1904 - 1905: an officer in the 34th Siberian Regiment, was wounded in battle, was awarded combat insignia. Member of the First World War: officer at the headquarters of the South-Western Front and the headquarters of the 27th Army Corps, 07.1914 - 09.1915; Chief of Staff of the 64th Infantry Division, 09.1915-09.1916. Injured. Treatment after injury, 09.1916-01.1917. Chief of Staff of the 15th Infantry Division, 01-04.1917; commander of the 60th Infantry Regiment Zamosc, 04 - 11.1917; commander (chief) of the 14th Infantry Division, from 11.1917. Without taking office, he left the front for Iasi, where General Shcherbachev formed the Volunteer Corps to be sent to the Don. In the White movement: at the end of December 1917, on the Romanian front in Iasi, he began to form the First (separate) brigade of Russian volunteers. This detachment of about 1000 fighters (mostly officers) set out from Yass on 02/26/1918 to the Don.
Passing from Romania to the south of Ukraine for about 1700 km, he approached Rostov and, after a stubborn battle with the Red units, liberated the city from the power of the Bolsheviks on 05/25/1918. Then he helped the Don Cossacks to keep Novocherkassk, from where he joined the Volunteer Army, replenishing his detachment with new volunteers (up to 2000 fighters). On May 27, 1918, he arrived in the village of Mechetinskaya, where he was met by Generals Alekseev and Denikin (at the Headquarters of the Commander-in-Chief of the Volunteer Army after the death of Kornilov). The Drozdovsky detachment was reorganized into the 3rd Infantry Division and participated in the 2nd Kuban campaign, liberating the Kuban and the North Caucasus from the Bolsheviks. Commander of the 3rd Infantry Division, 05.1918 - 01.01.1919. Wounded 10/31/1918 in the thigh near Stavropol. He died of gangrene on 01/01/1919 in Rostov. From 01/17/1919, the 3rd Infantry Division became known as the "3rd General Drozdovsky Infantry Division."
Used materials of the book: Valery Klaving, The Civil War in Russia: White Armies. Military History Library. M., 2003.
M.G.Drozdovsky.
Portrait from http://pravaya.ru/
Drozdovsky Mikhail Gordeevich (1881-1919) - Major General of the General Staff. He graduated from the Kyiv Cadet Corps, the Pavlovsk Military School and the Nikolaev Academy of the General Staff (1908). The Volynsky regiment left the school in the Life Guards. Member of the Russian-Japanese (in the ranks of the 34th East Siberian Rifle Regiment) and the First World War. At the beginning of the war in 1914 - in the operational department of the Office of the Quartermaster General of the North-Western Front. In 1915 - and. D. Chief of Staff of the 60th Infantry Division. Colonel. At the beginning of 1917 - and. D. Chief of Staff of the 15th Infantry Division. In April 1917 - commander of the 60th Zamosc regiment. Georgievsky Cavalier. At the end of the war, he was appointed commander of the 14th Infantry Division.
Regimental badge "Drozdovites"
At the end of December 1917 in Iasi, on the Romanian front, on his initiative, the formation of the 1st separate brigade of Russian volunteers began. Contrary to the order of the headquarters of the Romanian Front to stop such formations, a detachment of Russian volunteers of the Romanian Front, consisting of about 1 thousand people (mostly officers), under the command of Colonel Drozdovsky, set out on February 26, 1918 from Iasi to the Don to join with the Volunteer Army of General Kornilov. Having marched from Romania to Rostov, Drozdovsky occupied Rostov on April 21 after a stubborn battle with Red Army detachments. Leaving Rostov, Drozdovsky's detachment helped the Cossacks, who rebelled against the Reds, to keep Novocherkassk. After a rest in Novocherkassk, a detachment of Colonel Drozdovsky, already consisting of over 2 thousand volunteers, joined up with the Volunteer Army and arrived on May 27, 1918 in the village of Mechetenskaya, where a parade was scheduled, which was hosted by the Supreme Leader of the Volunteer Army, General M. V. Alekseev and its Commander-in-Chief, General A.I. Denikin. When the Volunteer Army was reorganized, the detachment of Colonel Drozdovsky was renamed the 3rd Infantry Division and participated in all the battles of the 2nd Kuban campaign, as a result of which the Kuban and the entire North Caucasus were liberated from the Reds. On October 31, 1918, near Stavropol, General Drozdovsky was wounded in the leg by a rifle bullet. Already in the hospital on November 8, 1918, General Denikin was promoted to major general. He died from blood poisoning on January 1, 1919 in Rostov. Buried in the Yekaterinodar Cathedral. The coffin with the ashes of General Drozdovsky was taken out by the command of the Drozdov division from Ekaterinodar during the retreat in March 1920 and transported along with the division from Novorossiysk to Sevastopol. Again secretly buried in Sevastopol. Only six people knew the burial place.
Mikhail Gordeevich Drozdovsky (October 7 (19), 1881, Kyiv - January 1 (14), 1919, Rostov-on-Don) - Russian military leader, Major General of the General Staff (1918). Member of the Russian-Japanese, World War I and Civil Wars.
One of the most prominent figures and leaders of the White movement in the South of Russia. He became the first general in the history of the White movement to openly declare his loyalty to the monarchy - at a time when the "democratic values" of February were still in honor. The only one of the commanders of the Russian army who managed to form a volunteer detachment and bring it in an organized group from the front of the Great War to join the Dobrarmia was the organizer and leader of the 1200-mile transition of the volunteer detachment from Yassy to Novocherkassk in February - April (O.S.) 1918 . Commander of the 3rd Infantry Division in the Volunteer Army. Cavalier of the Order of St. George 4th degree, Order of St. Equal-to-the-Apostles Prince Vladimir 4th degree with swords and a bow, Order of St. Anne 3rd degree with swords and a bow, Order of St. Anne 4th degree with the inscription "For Courage", orders St. Stanislaus 3rd class with swords and a bow. The owner of the St. George weapon, "Medals in memory of the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905" with a bow, medal "In memory of the Patriotic War", light bronze medal "In memory of the 300th anniversary of the reign of the Romanov dynasty."
Descended from hereditary nobles of the Poltava province. Father - Major General Gordey Ivanovich Drozdovsky (1835-1908) - was a member of the Defense of Sevastopol in 1855, in the 1890s he was commander of the 168th Infantry Reserve Ostrog Regiment. Recipient of many orders and medals. Mother - Nadezhda Nikolaevna (1844-1893). Sisters - Julia (1866-1922; actually raised Mikhail Gordeevich, was his "second mother"; sister of mercy during the Russo-Japanese War, was awarded a silver medal; after the occupation of Chernigov by the Whites in October 1919, she was evacuated to the south, accompanied by her sister mercy of the Drozdovsky regiment; died in exile in Greece), Ulyana (1869-1921), Eugene (1873 - not earlier than 1916). Wife - Olga Vladimirovna, nee Evdokimova (1883-?), daughter of a hereditary nobleman. She was married to M. G. Drozdovsky since 1907, but her desire to become an actress, incompatible with the position of the wife of an officer in the Russian Imperial Army, led to a divorce. Mikhail Gordeevich was born on October 7, 1881 in Kyiv, two months later he was baptized in the Kiev-Pechora Church of the Savior. Already at the age of 12 he was left without a mother and all the cares for the upbringing of Mikhail were carried by his sister Yulia. According to the testimony of his older sister, the boy Mikhail was distinguished by independence, extraordinary curiosity, impressionability and extreme nervousness.
On October 31, 1892, he was appointed to the Polotsk Cadet Corps, shortly after that he was transferred to the Vladimir Kyiv Cadet Corps, from which he graduated in 1899.
Educators noted: "Michael's courage, honesty and scrupulousness. He directly, without hesitation, confessed his faults, never feared punishment and did not hide behind the backs of others. Therefore, despite his temper, ardor and sometimes sharp frankness, he enjoyed the respect and trust of his comrades by class. Love for military affairs disciplined the boy, who also excelled in his studies "
On August 31, 1899, Mikhail entered the service of a private cadet at the Pavlovsk Military School in St. Petersburg, famous for its especially strict discipline and considered exemplary in the training of officers of the Russian Imperial Army, which he graduated in 1901 in the first category of the first category; while he was the first of the junkers in the issue. Subsequently, Mikhail Gordeevich graduated from the Nikolaev Academy of the General Staff (1908).
From 1901 he served in the Life Guards Volynsky Regiment in Warsaw with the rank of second lieutenant. From 1904 - lieutenant. In 1904 he entered the Nikolaev Academy of the General Staff, but, without starting training, he went to the front of the Russo-Japanese War.
Participation in the Russo-Japanese War In 1904-1905 he served in the 34th East Siberian Regiment as part of the 1st Siberian Corps of the 2nd Manchurian Army. He distinguished himself in battles with the Japanese from January 12 to 16, 1905 near the villages of Heigoutai and Bezymyannaya (Semapu), for which he was awarded the Order of St. Anne of the 4th degree with the inscription "For courage" by order of the troops of the 2nd Manchurian Army No. 87 and 91 . In the battle near the village, Semapu was wounded in the thigh, but since March 18 he commanded a company. On October 30, 1905, for participation in the war, he was awarded the Order of St. Stanislav, 3rd degree with swords and a bow, and on the basis of orders No. 41 and 139 of the Military Department, he received the right to wear a light bronze medal with a bow "In memory of the Russian-Japanese wars of 1904-1905.
After graduating from the Academy on May 2, 1908, "for excellent achievements in science" he was promoted to staff captain. For two years he passed the qualification command of a company in the Volyn Life Guards Regiment. From 1910 - captain, chief officer for assignments at the headquarters of the Amur military district in Harbin, from November 1911 - assistant to the senior adjutant of the headquarters of the Warsaw military district. On December 6, 1911 he was awarded the Order of St. Anne, 3rd class. Received the right to wear a light bronze medal "In Commemoration of the 100th Anniversary of the Patriotic War of 1812". Later, Mikhail Gordeevich will also receive the right to wear a light bronze medal "In memory of the 300th anniversary of the reign of the Romanov dynasty."
With the beginning of the 1st Balkan War in October 1912, Mikhail Gordeevich applied for a secondment to the war, but was refused.
In 1913 he graduated from the Sevastopol Aviation School, where he studied aerial surveillance (he made 12 flights each lasting at least 30 minutes; he was in the air for 12 hours and 32 minutes in total), and also got acquainted with the fleet: he went to sea on an battleship for live fire, and even went to sea in a submarine and went down under water in a diving suit. Upon returning from the aviation school, Drozdovsky again served at the headquarters of the Warsaw Military District.
At the beginning of the First World War, he was appointed and. D. Assistant Chief of the General Department of the Headquarters of the Commander-in-Chief of the North-Western Front. From September 1914 he was a chief officer for assignments from the headquarters of the 27th Army Corps. He put into practice the experience gained during his stay at the flight school, while flying in an airplane and in a hot air balloon. From December 1914 - and. d. staff officer for assignments at the headquarters of the 26th army corps. On March 22, 1915 - Lieutenant Colonel of the General Staff, approved in his position. By the highest order, held on May 16, 1915, he was appointed acting chief of staff of the 64th Infantry Division. Having headed the headquarters, Mikhail Gordeevich was constantly at the forefront, under fire - the spring and summer of 1915 for the 64th division passed in endless battles and transitions.
By the highest order, held on the 1st day of July 1915, for differences in cases against the enemy, he was awarded the Order of the Holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Prince Vladimir, 4th degree with swords and a bow.
“By order of the commander of the 10th Army on November 2, 1915, No. 1270, he was awarded the St. George weapon for taking a direct part in the battle on August 20, 1915 near the town of Ohany, under real artillery and rifle fire, reconnoitred the crossing through the Mesechanka, leading its crossing, and then, having assessed the possibility of capturing the northern outskirts of the town of Ohany, he personally led the attack of the units of the Perekop regiment and, with a skillful choice of position, contributed to the actions of our infantry, which fought off the advancing units of superior enemy forces for five days.
Since the summer of 1916 - Colonel of the General Staff. Served on the Southwestern Front. August 31, 1916 led the attack on Mount Capul. One of Mikhail Gordeevich's colleagues recalled these events in the following way:
The attack was in the nature of a swift, unrestrained onslaught. But when the forward chains, under the influence of deadly fire at close range, choked, lay down in front of the wire, Lieutenant Colonel Drozdovsky, ordering a new reserve to be sent to help, raised the lying chains, and with a cry of “Forward, brothers!”, With a bare head, rushed ahead of the attackers.
In the battle on Mount Kapul he was wounded in his right hand. At the end of 1917, for the courage shown in this battle, he was awarded the Order of St. George, 4th degree.
For several months he was treated in a hospital, from January 1917 - and. D. Chief of Staff of the 15th Infantry Division on the Romanian Front. As Mikhail Gordeevich's closest assistant for service at the headquarters of the 15th division, Colonel E.E. senior adjutant of the General Staff with the rank of General Staff captain: ... not fully recovering from a serious wound, he came to us and became chief of staff of the 15th Infantry Division. It was not easy for me to serve as a senior adjutant under him: demanding of himself, he was demanding of his subordinates, and especially of me, his closest assistant. Strict, unsociable, he did not arouse love for himself, but he evoked respect: from his whole stately figure, from his thoroughbred, handsome face, nobility, directness and extraordinary willpower blew.
Mikhail Gordeevich showed this willpower, according to the General Staff of Colonel E.E. Messner, transferring the headquarters of the division to him and taking command of the 60th Zamosc Infantry Regiment of the same division on April 6, 1917 - the general revolutionary looseness did not prevent him from being imperious regiment commander both in battle and in positional conditions.
Soon events took place in Petrograd that turned the tide of the war: the February Revolution marked the beginning of the collapse of the army and the state, eventually leading the country to the October events. Order No. 1 led to the collapse of the front - already at the beginning of April 1917, Drozdovsky wrote about the changes that had taken place: Now you can’t rely positively on a single day, and with the demagoguery that has developed in our country, every day you can expect some kind of grandiose military disaster ... In general, prospects very sad, discipline has fallen sharply under the influence of impunity, and much ahead is drawn in gloomy colors.
The abdication of Sovereign Nicholas II made a very difficult impression on Mikhail Gordeevich - a staunch monarchist. He opposed the interference of the soldiers' committees in the operational orders of the commanding staff. The reprisals of unbelted soldiers against officers, which took place even on the most prosperous Romanian front, which was in relative order in comparison with the rest of the Russian fronts, also made a depressing impression, and already at the end of April, Mikhail Gordeevich wrote in his diary: "The situation in my regiment is becoming very acute You can live well only as long as you indulge everyone in everything, but I can’t. Of course, it would be easier to leave everything, easier, but dishonest. Yesterday I uttered several bitter truths to one of the companies, they were indignant, angry. that they want to "tear me to shreds" when it is quite enough into two equal parts, after all, and perhaps you will have to experience unsweetened moments. All around you watch how the best element gives up in this useless struggle. The image of death is all deliverance , a welcome exit."
However, having applied the toughest measures up to the execution of deserters and fugitives, Drozdovsky managed to partially restore discipline in the regiment entrusted to him - here such traits of Mikhail Gordeevich's character as decisiveness and rigidity, confidence in the correctness of the decisions made were fully manifested.
He distinguished himself in heavy battles in late June - early August 1917: for the battle on July 11, 1917, when he and the regiment participated in the breakthrough of the German position, Mikhail Gordeevich was awarded the Order of St. George, 4th degree; for the battles of July 30 - August 4, he was presented by the front command for the award of the Order of St. George of the 3rd degree (they did not manage to realize the presentation due to the collapse of the Russian army). Mikhail Gordeevich received the Order of St. George of the 4th degree only on November 20, 1917 - already after the Bolshevik coup, signed by them on behalf of Russia, the Brest-Litovsk Peace Treaty and the final collapse of the Russian army.
After the October events in Petrograd - the seizure of power by the Bolsheviks and the actual cessation of the war that soon followed as a result of their signing on behalf of Russia of the shameful and ruinous Brest Peace Treaty for her - the Russian army completely collapsed and Mikhail Gordeevich, seeing the impossibility of continuing his military service in such conditions , began to lean towards continuing the struggle in a different form.
In late November - early December 1917, against his will, he was appointed head of the 14th Infantry Division, the command of which he would soon resign from himself on his own initiative.
After the General Staff of Infantry M.V. Alekseev arrived on the Don in November 1917 and the Alekseevskaya organization was created there (soon transformed into the Good Army), communication was established between him and the headquarters of the Romanian Front. As a result, the idea arose on the Romanian front to create a Corps of Russian Volunteers for its subsequent dispatch to the Don. The organization of such a detachment and its further connection with the Volunteer Army became from that moment the main goal of Mikhail Gordeevich.
Shortly after the end of the Romanian campaign, Mikhail Gordeevich went to a meeting at the headquarters of the Volunteer Army, located in Art. Mechetinskaya. There, a plan of further action was developed and it was decided to give rest to both the Dobrarmia - in the Mechetinskaya area, and the Drozdovsky Detachment - in Novocherkassk.
While in Novocherkassk, Mikhail Gordeevich dealt with the issues of attracting reinforcements to the detachment, as well as the problem of its financial support. Drozdovsky sent people to different cities to organize the registration of volunteers: so Lieutenant Colonel G. D. Leslie was sent to Kyiv. The work of the recruiting bureaus of the Drozdovites was organized so efficiently that 80% of the replenishment of the entire Dobroarmiya at first went through them. Eyewitnesses also point to a certain kind of costs of this method of recruitment: in the same cities, sometimes there were recruiters from as many as several armies, incl. and independent agents of the Drozdovsky brigade, which led to undesirable competition. The results of the work of Mikhail Gordeevich in Novocherkassk and Rostov also include the organization of warehouses in these cities for the needs of the army; for the wounded Drozdovites in Novocherkassk he organized an infirmary, and in Rostov - with the support of his friend Professor N. I. Napalkov - the White Cross hospital, which remained the best white hospital until the end of the Civil War. Drozdovsky lectured and distributed appeals about the tasks of the White movement, and in Rostov, through his efforts, the newspaper Vestnik Volunteer Army, the first white printed organ in the South of Russia, even began to appear.
During the month spent in Novocherkassk, the detachment was very seriously replenished - General A.V. Turkul writes that "in ten days we were able to turn into three battalions." The two-squadron cavalry division was deployed into the four-squadron cavalry regiment, sapper and horse-machine-gun teams.
From the Don ataman, General P.N. Krasnov, Drozdovsky was offered to join the Don Army being formed as the “Don Foot Guard” - the Don people more than once later offered Drozdovsky to separate himself from General Denikin - Mikhail Gordeevich, without pursuing any personal interests and alien to petty ambition , invariably refused, declaring his adamant decision to join the Volunteer Army.
It is important to note that Drozdovsky, after his Detachment completed the Romanian campaign and arrived on the Don, was in a position where he could choose his own path: join the Volunteer Army of Denikin and Romanovsky, accept the proposal of the Don Ataman Krasnov, or become completely independent and independent force . Later, during his conflict with the Chief of Staff of the Dobroarmiya, General Romanovsky, Mikhail Gordeevich would directly write about this to the Commander-in-Chief, General Denikin: By the time my detachment joined the Volunteer Army, its condition was infinitely difficult - this is well known to everyone. I brought with me about 2½ thousand people, perfectly armed and equipped ... Considering not only the number, but also the technical equipment and supplies of the detachment, we can safely say that it was equal to the strength of the army, moreover, its spirit was very high and faith in success lived ... I was not a subordinate executor of someone else's will, only the Volunteer Army owes such a large reinforcement to me alone ... From various persons ... I received offers not to join the army, which was considered dying, but to replace it. My agents in the south of Russia were so well established that if I had remained an independent chief, the Volunteer Army would not have received even a fifth of the staffing that later poured into the Don ... But, considering it a crime to separate forces ... I categorically refused to enter into any whatever the combination, which would not have been headed by you ... The addition of my detachment made it possible to launch an offensive that opened a victorious era for the army.
Ruslan Gagkuev writes that Drozdovsky could successfully claim an independent military-political role, given the size of the human and material resources that his brigade had immediately after the completion of the Yassy-Don Campaign, the effective work of his recruiting bureaus and the resulting rapid growth in the number of his detachment.
May 26 (June 8), 1918 - after a rest in Novocherkassk - a Detachment (Brigade of Russian Volunteers), already consisting of about three thousand fighters, set out to join the Volunteer Army and arrived on May 27 (June 9), 1918 in the village of Mechetinskaya, where after the solemn parade, which was attended by the leadership of the Dobroarmiya - Generals Alekseev, Denikin, headquarters and parts of the Volunteer Army, by order No. 288 of May 12 (25), 1918 of the Commander-in-Chief of the General Staff, Lieutenant General A. I. Denikin Brigade of Russian Volunteers of the General Staff of Colonel M. G. Drozdovsky was included in the Volunteer Army. The leaders of the Dobrarmia could hardly overestimate the importance of joining the Drozdovsky brigade - their army almost doubled in size, and they had not seen such a material part as the Drozdovsky brigade had brought to the army since its organization at the end of 1917.
The brigade (later - divisions) included all units that came from the Romanian front: the 2nd Officer Rifle Regiment, the 2nd Officer Mounted Regiment, the 3rd engineering company, a light artillery battery, a platoon of howitzers consisting of 10 light and 2 heavy guns.
Parts of the Detachment of Colonel Drozdovsky did not stay long in Mechetinskaya after the parade, proceeding after it to be quartered in the village of Yegorlytskaya.
When the Volunteer Army was reorganized in June 1918, Colonel Drozdovsky's detachment formed the 3rd Infantry Division and participated in all the battles of the Second Kuban campaign, as a result of which the Kuban and the entire North Caucasus were occupied by white troops. M. G. Drozdovsky became its chief, and one of the conditions for the entry of his Detachment into the Army was the guarantee of his personal irremovability in the position of its commander.
However, by this time, Mikhail Gordeevich was already ready to play an independent role - those six months that had passed since the beginning of the collapse of the Romanian Front taught him to rely only on himself, as well as on his proven and reliable personnel. In fact, Drozdovsky already had a fairly solid, and more importantly, a very successful experience in organizational and, of course, combat work. Knowing his own worth and highly estimating himself, which, of course, he had a well-deserved right (recognized and highly placed by General Denikin), who was aware of his own importance and enjoyed the full support of his subordinates soldered to everything by the monarchist spirit, for whom he was still alive became a legend, Drozdovsky had his own personal opinion on many things and questioned the expediency of many orders of the headquarters of the Good Army.
Drozdovsky's contemporaries and associates expressed the opinion that it made sense for the leadership of the Volunteer Army to use the organizational skills of Mikhail Gordeevich and entrust him with the organization of the rear, let him supply the army or appoint him Minister of War of the White South with the order of organizing new regular divisions for the front. However, the leaders of the Volunteer Army, perhaps fearing competition from the young, energetic, intelligent colonel, preferred to assign him the modest role of division chief.
In July-August, he participated in the battles that led to the capture of Ekaterinodar, in September he took Armavir, but under the pressure of superior Red forces, he was forced to leave him.
By this time, the tension in relations between the 3rd Infantry Division and the Army Headquarters had passed into the conflict phase. During the Armavir operation of the Volunteer Army, the Drozdovsky division was entrusted with a task that was impossible to accomplish by its forces alone and, in the opinion of its chief, the probability of failure of the entire operation due to the literal implementation of the orders of the division’s overestimated forces, the headquarters of the Dobroarmiya was very high. Being all the time among his troops, correctly assessing his own forces, as well as the forces of the enemy, Drozdovsky, guided by the words of Suvorov, “the neighbor can see better in his proximity”, after repeatedly describing in his reports the position of the division and the possibility of achieving guaranteed success by transferring the operation to a pair days and strengthening the shock group due to the available reserves, seeing the futility of these reports, September 17 (30), 1918 actually ignores Denikin's order.
The commander abruptly, moreover, in the form of a public reprimand, expresses his displeasure to Drozdovsky. In response, a few days later, on September 27 (October 10), Mikhail Gordeevich sent his report to Denikin, which, at first glance, gave the impression of a bile-soaked rebuke to an undeserved offense: ... Despite the exceptional role that fate gave me to play in the revival of the Volunteer army, and perhaps even saving her from dying, despite my services to her, who came to you not as a modest petitioner for a place or protection, but brought with her a large fighting force loyal to me, you did not stop at a public reprimand to me, without even investigating reasons for my decision, did not hesitate to insult the person who gave all his strength, all his energy and knowledge to the cause of saving the Motherland, and in particular, the army entrusted to you. I do not have to blush for this reprimand, for the entire army knows what I did to win it. For Colonel Drozdovsky there is a place of honor wherever they fight for the good of Russia.
This fragment was preceded by Drozdovsky’s detailed analysis of the actions of his division during the Armavir operation and the Second Kuban campaign in general, Mikhail Gordeevich emphasized that he never complained to the command about the severity of the situation and did not take into account the superiority of the Red forces, however, “in the Armavir operation, things were completely different ...” . Drozdovsky also draws Denikin's attention to the biased attitude of the headquarters headed by Romanovsky towards his division, the unsatisfactory work of the medical and rear services. In fact, Drozdovsky with a report reminded Denikin of his merits, hinted at the personal devotion of his units. In addition, Mikhail Gordeevich also substantiated his claim to independently solve combat missions and demanded that he protect himself from the army headquarters: Our bogged down offensive on all the main fronts of the army and recent failures in all divisions prove, in my opinion, the correctness of my actions
General Denikin subsequently wrote that Drozdovsky's report was written in such a tone that he demanded a "new repression" against its author, which, in turn, according to the Commander, would lead to Drozdovsky's departure from the Volunteer Army. As a result, Denikin actually yields to Drozdovsky, leaving the report without consequences: Denikin writes that "morally, his departure was unacceptable, being an injustice against a person with such really great merits." The commander-in-chief, in addition to the above, was certainly aware that the repressive action against Drozdovsky could, as the division commander hinted at in his report, lead to at least a conflict with the 3rd division, and, quite likely, even to its departure from the Volunteer Army.
In October, he led his division during stubborn battles near Stavropol, where, having led the counterattack of parts of the division, he was wounded in the foot on October 31 (November 13), 1918.
He was sent to the hospital in Yekaterinodar, where his wound festered, gangrene began. In November 1918 he was promoted to major general. On December 26, 1918 (January 8, 1919), in a semi-conscious state, he was transferred to a clinic in Rostov-on-Don, where he died. After the death of the Drozdovsky General Staff, Lieutenant-General A.I. Denikin issued an order informing the army of the death of Mikhail Gordeevich, ending with the following words:
... High disinterestedness, devotion to the idea, complete contempt for danger in relation to himself, were combined in him with a cordial concern for his subordinates, whose life he always put above his own. Peace be upon your ashes, knight without fear or reproach.
He was originally buried in Yekaterinodar in the Kuban Military Cathedral of St. Alexander Nevsky. After the offensive of the Red troops on the Kuban in 1920, the Drozdovites, knowing how the Reds treated the graves of the white leaders, broke into the already abandoned city and took out the remains of General Drozdovsky and Colonel Tutsevich; their remains were transported to Sevastopol, where they were secretly reburied on Malakhov Hill. On the graves were placed wooden crosses with plaques and the inscriptions "Colonel M. I. Gordeev" on the cross at the grave of General Drozdovsky and "Captain Tutsevich". The place of burial was known only by five Drozdov hikers. A symbolic grave of Drozdovsky exists in the Sainte-Genevieve-des-Bois cemetery near Paris, where a memorial sign has been erected.
After the death of General Drozdovsky, the 2nd Officer Regiment (one of the “colored regiments” of the Volunteer Army) was named after him, later deployed into the four-regiment Drozdovsky (Rifle General Drozdovsky) division, the Drozdovsky artillery brigade, the Drozdovsky engineering company and (acting separately from the division) 2nd Officer Cavalry General Drozdovsky Regiment.
There are two versions of the general's death as a result of a seemingly minor wound.
According to the first of them, Drozdovsky was deliberately brought to death. It is known that Mikhail Gordeevich almost from the moment he joined the army in May 1918 had a conflict with the chief of staff of the army, General I.P. Romanovsky, which, apparently, developed as a result of the struggle for influence within the Volunteer Army of various groups, as well as ambitiousness of both officers, which was superimposed on a number of external factors. An important factor was also Romanovsky's fears about the spread of Drozdovsky's influence over the entire army, with all the ensuing consequences. The confrontation was fueled and kindled by the environment of both Drozdovsky and Romanovsky, and soon developed into a personal conflict, when their reconciliation became extremely unlikely.
The version is that allegedly Romanovsky ordered the attending physician to treat the commander incorrectly. The perpetrator of the crime was Professor Plotkin, a Jew who treated Mikhail Gordeevich in Yekaterinodar. After Drozovsky's death, no one asked Plotkin about the cause of the infection or asked about his medical history. Soon after the death of Drozdovsky, the doctor received a large sum of money and disappeared abroad, from where, according to some information, he returned to Russia under the Bolsheviks. This version is not confirmed by any of the published documents and may be related to the general hostility of many officers of the Volunteer Army towards General Romanovsky, which, as some argue, along with revenge for the murder of Drozdovsky, could lead to the murder of General Romanovsky on April 5 (18), 1920 in Constantinople. And yet, all the honors that were rendered by the command of the Volunteer Army to Mikhail Gordeevich shortly before his death lead to certain thoughts that its headquarters could have known in advance about the incurability of Drozdovsky: on the day of his angel on November 8 (21), Drozdovsky was to major general; On November 25 (December 8), by special order, a commemorative medal was installed for the Campaign of Yassy - Don, perpetuating the memory of the transition; it was precisely the grave condition of Mikhail Gordeevich that prompted the officers-walkers to this event.
The second - not so "conspiratorial" version - about the lack of medicines (in Yekaterinodar there were almost no antiseptics, not even iodine) and the poor organization of the medical business, which led to a tragic outcome.
Eyewitnesses of the events give conflicting opinions about what happened, therefore it is not possible to make an unambiguous conclusion about whether the death of Mikhail Gordeevich was the result of a conspiracy or was an accident in the conditions of unsanitary conditions that prevailed in the White South.
The commander of the army, General Denikin, who visited Drozdovsky in the hospital shortly before his death, sincerely grieved about his death: “I saw how he languished in his forced rest, how he all went into the interests of the army and his division and rushed to it ... Two months lasted for a month the struggle between life and death lasted ... Fate did not promise him to lead his regiments into battle again "
And a prominent Drozdovite, General A.V. Turkul, later wrote: “Different rumors circulated about the death of General Drozdovsky. His wound was light, not dangerous. At first there were no signs of infection. But it is also true that at that time in Ekaterinodar, they say, there were almost no antiseptics, even iodine"
Mikhail Gordeevich Drozdovsky (October 7 (October 19), 1881, Kyiv - January 14, 1919, Rostov-on-Don) - Russian military leader, Major General of the General Staff (1918). Member of the Russian-Japanese, World War I and Civil Wars.
The only commander of the Russian army who managed to form a volunteer detachment and bring it in an organized group from the front of the First World War to join the Volunteer Army - the organizer and leader of the 1200-mile transition of the volunteer detachment from Yassy to Novocherkassk in March - May (n. St.) 1918 of the year. Commander of the 3rd Infantry Division in the Volunteer Army.
In childhood. Kyiv. 80s of the XIX century
M.G. Drozdovsky. Warsaw, 1903
During the First World War
Photos from different years
In June 1918 - after a rest in Novocherkassk - a detachment (Brigade of Russian Volunteers), already consisting of about three thousand fighters, set out to join the Volunteer Army and arrived on June 9 in the village of Mechetinskaya, where, after a solemn parade attended by the leadership of the Dobroarmiya, generals Alekseev, Denikin, headquarters and units of the Volunteer Army, by order No. 288 of May 25, 1918 of the Commander-in-Chief of the General Staff, Lieutenant General A. I. Denikin, the Brigade of Russian Volunteers, Colonel M. G. Drozdovsky was included in the Volunteer Army. The leaders of the Dobrarmia could hardly overestimate the importance of joining the Drozdovsky brigade - their army almost doubled in size, and they had not seen such a material part as the Drozdovsky brigade had brought to the army since its organization at the end of 1917.
In November, Drozdovsky led his division during stubborn battles near Stavropol, where, having led the counterattack of parts of the division, on November 13, 1918, he was wounded in the foot and sent to the hospital in Yekaterinodar. There, his wound festered, gangrene began. In November 1918 he was promoted to major general. On January 8, 1919, in a semi-conscious state, he was transferred to a clinic in Rostov-on-Don, where he died.
Portrait
Drozdovtsy, thrushes - the name of the military units of the Volunteer Army (later the Armed Forces of the South of Russia and the Russian Army), which received the nominal patronage of one of the founders of the White movement in the South of Russia - Major General M. G. Drozdovsky. Initially, the soldiers of the First Separate Brigade of Russian Volunteers were called Drozdovites, which made February 26 (March 11), 1918 - April 24 (May 7), 1918, a 1200-mile crossing under the command of then Colonel M. G. Drozdovsky.
After the death of General Drozdovsky on January 1 (14), 1919, on January 4 (17), the following were named after him:
the 2nd Officer Regiment created by him, renamed the 2nd Officer General Drozdovsky Rifle Regiment (later the 1st Regiment deployed into a division),
2nd Officer Cavalry Regiment, October 10 (23), renamed the 2nd General Drozdovsky Regiment,
Drozdovskaya Artillery Brigade,
Armored train "General Drozdovsky".
On July 29 (August 11), 1919, by order of the 1st Army Corps of the Volunteer Army No. 215, the 4th (later 2nd) Officer Rifle General Drozdovsky Regiment was formed on the basis of the 3rd Battalion of the 1st Regiment, mobilized and prisoners , and also the Officer Rifle Brigade of General Drozdovsky was created as part of the 3rd Infantry Division.
On August 25 (September 7), 1919, the 2nd and 4th Drozdov regiments were renamed the 1st and 2nd, respectively.
On September 21 (October 4), 1919, the 3rd Officer Rifle Regiment of General Drozdovsky was formed from the fighters of the 3rd battalion of the 1st regiment.
In June-July 1919, the patron regiments of V.S.Yu.R. began to form the second and third "nominal" regiments based on volunteers and captured Red Army soldiers. In August-September 1919, the Drozdovites were deployed into a division of four regiments.
On October 14 (27), 1919, by order of the Commander-in-Chief V. S. Yu. Drozdov engineering company and Drozdov artillery brigade (former 3rd artillery brigade). Later, reserve battalions of the Drozdov regiments were also organized.
On April 28 (May 11), 1920, already as part of the Russian Army, the division was renamed the Strelkovaya General Drozdovsky (Drozdovskaya) as part of the 1st Army Corps; and its regiments - in the 1st, 2nd and 3rd General Drozdovsky (Drozdovsky) regiments.
The reserve battalion of the Russian army, which took part in the Zadneprovsk operation and consisted of 100% of captured Red Army soldiers, was renamed the 4th Drozdovsky Rifle Regiment by order of the Commander-in-Chief for distinction in battles.
Lieutenant General Vladimir Konstantinovich Vitkovsky (April 21, 1885, Pskov - January 18, 1978, Paolo Alto, San Francisco) - Lieutenant General (1920). Member of the First World War and the White movement in the South of Russia. Knight of St. George, Drozdovets, commander of the Drozdov division. During the Second World War he served with the Germans in the Russian Corps
Ceremonial uniform of the Life Guards Keksholmsky Regiment of General Vitkovsky
White emigration in Bulgaria. Sitting from right to left - the generals - Shteyfon, Kutepov, Vitkovsky. Standing (behind Kutepov) are the generals - Skoblin, Turkul. Bulgaria, 1921
Commander of the Volunteer Army May-Maevsky conducts a review of the horse-mountain battery of the 3rd division of General Vladimir Konstantinovich Vitkovsky at the South Station of the city of Kharkov
01/14/1919. - White general Mikhail Gordeevich Drozdovsky died as a result of a wound
(07.10.1881–14.01.1919) - one of the first military leaders of the White movement.
Born in the family of a major general, participant. He graduated from the Kyiv Vladimir Cadet Corps (1899), the Pavlovsk Military School (1901) and the Nikolaev Academy of the General Staff (1908). Participant: an officer in the 34th Siberian regiment, was wounded. He was awarded the Order of St. Anne, 4th class, with the inscription "For Courage" and the Order of St. Stanislaus, 3rd class, with swords and a bow. Since November 1911 - assistant to the senior adjutant of the headquarters of the Warsaw Military District, awarded the Order of St. Anne, 3rd degree.
Regimental badge "Drozdovites"
Having passed from Romania through the whole of Ukraine for about 1500 km, while maintaining friendly neutrality with the Germans and clashes with the Petliurists and Bolshevik partisans, the detachment of Colonel Drozdovsky approached Rostov and, after a stubborn battle with the Red units, liberated the city in May 1918. Then he helped the Don Cossacks to keep Novocherkassk , from where he joined the Volunteer Army. He arrived in the village of Mechetinskaya, where on May 26 he was met by the generals and (at the Headquarters of the Commander-in-Chief of the Volunteer Army after the death of Kornilov). Drozdovsky, having replenished his detachment with Don volunteers, brought with him about 3,000 well-armed and supplied soldiers, with three batteries, 2 armored cars, airplanes, and a radiotelegraph; gave the Volunteer Army 1,000 rifles, 200,000 cartridges and 8,000 shells. The White Army almost doubled. The Drozdovsky detachment was reorganized into the 3rd Infantry Division and participated in the 2nd Kuban campaign, freeing the Kuban and the North Caucasus from the Bolsheviks.
October 31, 1918 Mikhail Gordeevich was wounded in the leg in a battle near Stavropol, in November he was promoted to major general by General Denikin. He died of blood poisoning on January 1, 1919 in Rostov. He was buried in the Cathedral of Yekaterinodar, however, during the retreat in March 1920, the coffin with the ashes of Drozdovsky was taken out by his subordinates from Novorossiysk to Sevastopol. There, a new secret burial was made at the cemetery of Malakhov Kurgan, under an assumed name. (Sent to Sevastopol during the German occupation, the Drozdovite did not even find traces of the cemetery itself.)
Drozdovsky's campaign from Yassy to the Don region was of great importance for the formation of the Volunteer White Army, a thousand officers showed everyone by their example that their duty now is to turn their weapons against the Bolsheviks as proteges of Germany on the home front. Mikhail Gordeevich himself was an outstanding and brave military leader. One of the colleagues, V.M. Kravchenko, gave him the following description:
“Nervous, thin, Colonel Drozdovsky was a type of ascetic warrior: he did not drink, did not smoke and did not pay attention to the blessings of life; always - from Jassy until death - in the same worn jacket, with a worn St. George ribbon in his buttonhole; out of modesty, he did not wear the order itself. Always busy, always on the move. It was hard to know when he even found time to eat and sleep. An officer of the General Staff - he was not a man of office and papers. On horseback, with an infantry rifle over his shoulders, he so resembled the medieval monk Peter of Amiens, who led the crusaders to liberate the Holy Sepulcher ... Colonel Drozdovsky was the crusader of the crucified Motherland. A man of low rank, but of great energy and boldness, he was the first to light the lamp of struggle on the Romanian front and did not let it go out.
After the death of General Drozdovsky, the 2nd Officer Regiment was named after him, later deployed into the four-regiment Drozdovsky (Rifle General Drozdovsky) division, the Drozdovsky artillery brigade, the Drozdovsky engineering company and (acting separately from the division) the 2nd officer cavalry general Drozdovsky regiment. In 1919, the "Drozdovites" under the command of Colonel A.V. Turkula distinguished themselves by taking Kharkov, in 1920 - by successful raids in the Kuban, in the Crimea, on the Dnieper. later settled in Bulgaria.
Lyrics of the song of the Drozdovsky regiment
Trekking from Romania
There was Drozdovsky glorious regiment,
For the salvation of the people
Fulfilling a heavy duty.He has many sleepless nights
And endured hardships
But hardened heroes
The long way was not frightening!General Drozdovsky boldly
He went forward with his regiment.
Like a hero, he firmly believed
That he will save the Motherland!He saw that Holy Russia
Dies under the yoke
And like a wax candle
Fading away every day.He believed: the time will come
And the people will come to their senses -
Relieve the barbaric burden
And he will follow us into battle.The Drozdovites walked with a firm step,
The enemy fled under pressure.
Under the tricolor Russian Flag
The regiment gained glory for itself!Let us return gray-haired
From bloody labor
It will rise above you, Russia
The sun is new then!Glory will not cease these days,
Will never fade!
Officer outposts
Cities were occupied.
Officer outposts
They took over the cities!
(Subsequently, the melody and lyrics of the song were remade into the Red Army song "Along the valleys and over the hills".)
Books used:
"Drozdovsky and the Drozdovites". Moscow, "Posev", 2006.
A.V. Turkul. "Drozdovites on Fire: Pictures of the Civil War, 1918-20" (3rd ed., "Sowing-USA", 1990).
Vl. Kravchenko. "Drozdovites from Yass to Gallipoli". Munich, 1973.
Colonel Nilov. "Knight of the Spirit" // "Sentry". 1969. No. 512
"...while maintaining friendly neutrality with the Germans..." fought "...against the Bolsheviks as proteges of Germany on the home front..." Wonderful. Logical. Brave patriot.
Are you sure that the given sign is genuine? Can I know the size of the sign? And see the reverse?
The regimental badge of the Drozdovites was established according to the project of General Turkul, who commanded the division already in exile. In addition to the above, there was also the cross of Captain Bogoyavlensky. It was somewhat smaller.
Description of the sign: "A gilded cross 3 cm long and 2 cm wide, the upper and right ends of which are covered with crimson enamel, and the left and lower ends are covered with white. In the middle of the cross, the initial letter of the name of the chief of the regiment - General Drozdovsky - "D". Above the inscription "Yasy", and at the bottom the date "1917". The inscription and the letter "D" are gilded".
Here are the real heroes of the Russian people, who did not spare their lives in the fight against the Jewish evil spirits! And how many have remained in oblivion? May the earth rest in peace for them!
I read the material with interest. Drozdovsky's detachment passed through my Kakhovka in 1918, but there are no details anywhere, including in our history. museum. Can someone tell me where you can read the details of the campaign from Iasi.
Inaccuracy in the text. The equestrian art was also named after Drozdovsky. battery (see S. Mamontov "People and Horses", memoirs).
Interesting and instructive. I'm sure the infection of the blood is the hand of the Cheka, through the doctor Plotkin. That's how they've always done it! Well, no matter what, we will remember him proudly standing to his full height in the chains of the Russian Army. Glory to the heroes!
From the diary of M.G. Drozdovsky: “Only courage and strong will do great things. Only a firm decision gives success and victory. Let us continue, in the coming struggle, boldly set high goals for ourselves, strive to achieve them with iron perseverance, preferring a glorious death to a shameful refusal to fight.
Very interesting. I'm a Zhivuk near the village of Olginnskaya. How much we didn't know. Glory to the heroes!
The book of A.V. Turkul stunned, to my shame, I didn’t know anything about the Drozdov division before. That’s what it means to be an officer of the Russian army! The topic interested me so much that I’m looking for information about these heroes everywhere. ", I hope that the topic of the Drozdov division was not bypassed there.
Sorry, but there is a mistake in the title. Mikhail Gordeevich passed away in the glorious city of Rostov-on-Don, where he was transferred from Ekaterinodar. At the Rostov Medical Institute.
Thanks to. Corrected. It's good that the article itself is correct.
Another valiant son of the Russian Land! Kingdom of Heaven to Mikhail Gordeevich and eternal memory!
M.G. Drozdovsky became the first general in the history of the White movement who openly declared his loyalty to the monarchy at a time when the "democratic values" of February were still in honor. General Drozdovsky is the only commander of the Russian army who managed to form a volunteer detachment and bring it in an organized group from the front of the Great War to join the Dobrarmia. Drozdovsky - the organizer and leader of the 1200-verst transition of a detachment of volunteers from Yassy to Novocherkassk in the spring of 1918. Commander of the 3rd Infantry Division in the Volunteer Army. Cavalier of the Order of St. George 4th degree, Order of St. Equal-to-the-Apostles Prince Vladimir 4th degree with swords and a bow, Order of St. Anne 3rd degree with swords and a bow, Order of St. Anne 4th degree with the inscription "For Courage", orders St. Stanislaus 3rd class with swords and a bow. The owner of the St. George weapon, "Medals in memory of the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905" with a bow, medal "In memory of the Patriotic War", light bronze medal "In memory of the 300th anniversary of the reign of the Romanov dynasty."
Family, childhoodMikhail Gordeevich came from hereditary nobles of the Poltava province. Father - Major General Gordey Ivanovich Drozdovsky (1835-1908) was a member of the Defense of Sevastopol in 1855, in the 1890s he commanded the 168th Reserve Ostrog Infantry Regiment. Recipient of many orders and medals. Mother - Nadezhda Nikolaevna (1844-1893). Sisters - Julia (1866-1922); Ulyana (1869-1921), Evgenia (1873 - not earlier than 1916).
Mikhail Drozdovsky was born in Kyiv, two months later he was baptized in the Kiev-Pechora Church of the Savior. At the age of 12, he was left without a mother, his older sister Yulia raised him. Julia actually replaced Mikhail Gordeevich's mother. During the Russo-Japanese War, she was a sister of mercy, took part in campaigns, and was awarded a silver medal. After the occupation of Chernigov by the Whites in October 1919, Yulia was evacuated to the south, accompanied by the sister of mercy of the Drozdovsky regiment, and died in exile in Greece. The wife of Mikhail Gordeevich is Olga Vladimirovna, nee Evdokimova (1883-?), daughter of a hereditary nobleman. She was married to Drozdovsky since 1907, but her desire to become an actress, incompatible with the position of the wife of an officer of the Russian Imperial Army, led to a conflict, and then to a divorce.
On October 31, 1892, Mikhail Drozdovsky was appointed to the Polotsk Cadet Corps, then transferred to the Vladimir Kyiv Cadet Corps, from which he graduated in 1899.
Educators noted Michael's courage, his honesty and scrupulousness. “He directly, without hesitation, confessed his faults, never feared punishment and did not hide behind the backs of others. Therefore, despite his temper, vehemence and sometimes sharp frankness, he enjoyed the respect and trust of his classmates. Love for military affairs disciplined the boy, who also excelled in his studies.
On August 31, 1899, Mikhail entered the service of a private cadet at the Pavlovsk Military School in St. Petersburg, famous for its especially strict discipline and considered exemplary in the training of officers in the Russian Imperial Army. He graduated from the school in 1901, in the first category of the first category; was the first of the junkers in the issue. Since 1901, Mikhail Gordeevich served in the Life Guards Volynsky Regiment in Warsaw with the rank of second lieutenant. Since 1904 - lieutenant. In 1904 he entered the Nikolaev Academy of the General Staff, but, without starting training, he went to the front of the Russo-Japanese War.
Participation in the Russo-Japanese WarIn 1904-1905, Drozdovsky served in the 34th East Siberian Regiment as part of the 1st Siberian Corps of the 2nd Manchurian Army. He distinguished himself in battles with the Japanese from January 12 to 16, 1905 near the villages of Heigoutai and Bezymyannaya (Semapu), for which he was awarded the Order of St. Anna, 4th degree, with the inscription "For courage" by order of the troops of the 2nd Manchurian Army No. 87 and 91 . In the battle near the village, Semapu was wounded in the thigh, but since March 18 he commanded a company. On October 30, 1905, for participation in the war, he was awarded the Order of St. Stanislav, 3rd degree with swords and a bow, and on the basis of orders No. 41 and 139 of the Military Department, he received the right to wear a light bronze medal with a bow "In memory of the Russian-Japanese wars of 1904-1905.
1905-1914After graduating from the Academy on May 2, 1908 "for excellent achievements in the sciences" M.G. Drozdovsky was promoted to staff captain. For two years he passed the qualification command of a company in the Volyn Life Guards Regiment. Since 1910 - captain, chief officer for assignments at the headquarters of the Amur Military District in Harbin, since November 1911 - assistant to the senior adjutant of the headquarters of the Warsaw Military District. On December 6, 1911 he was awarded the Order of St. Anne, 3rd class. Received the right to wear a light bronze medal "In Commemoration of the 100th Anniversary of the Patriotic War of 1812". Later, Mikhail Gordeevich will also receive the right to wear a light bronze medal "In memory of the 300th anniversary of the reign of the Romanov dynasty."
With the beginning of the 1st Balkan War in October 1912, Mikhail Gordeevich applied for a secondment to the war, but was refused. In 1913, he graduated from the Sevastopol Aviation School, where he studied aerial surveillance (he made 12 flights each lasting at least 30 minutes; in total he was in the air for 12 hours 32 minutes). The officer went to sea on an battleship for live shooting, went on a submarine and went down under water in a diving suit. Upon returning from the aviation school, Drozdovsky again served at the headquarters of the Warsaw Military District.
World War IAt the beginning of the First World War, Drozdovsky was appointed and. D. Assistant Chief of the General Department of the Headquarters of the Commander-in-Chief of the North-Western Front. From September 1914 he was a chief officer for assignments from the headquarters of the 27th Army Corps. He put into practice the experience gained during his stay at the flight school, while flying in an airplane and in a hot air balloon. On March 22, 1915 - Lieutenant Colonel of the General Staff, approved in his position. On May 16, 1915, he was appointed acting chief of staff of the 64th Infantry Division. Having headed the headquarters, Mikhail Gordeevich was constantly at the forefront, under fire - the spring and summer of 1915 for the 64th division passed in endless battles and transitions. July 1, 1915, for differences in cases against the enemy, Drozdovsky was awarded the Order of the Holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Prince Vladimir 4th degree with swords and a bow. On November 2, 1915 he was awarded the St. George's weapon. From October 22 to November 10, 1915, he served as chief of staff of the 26th Army Corps on the Southwestern Front. On August 31, 1916, Lieutenant Colonel Drozdovsky personally led the attack on Mount Kapuls. One of Mikhail Gordeevich's colleagues recalled these events in the following way:
“The attack was in the nature of a swift, unrestrained onslaught. But when the advanced chains, under the influence of deadly fire at close range, choked, lay down in front of the wire, Lieutenant Colonel Drozdovsky, ordering a new reserve to be sent to help, raised the lying chains, and with a cry of “Forward, brothers!”, With a bare head, rushed ahead of the attackers.
Drozdovsky was wounded in the right hand in the battle on Mount Kapul. At the end of 1916, for the courage shown in this battle, he was awarded the Order of St. George 4th degree and promoted to colonel.
After spending several months in the hospital, Drozdovsky was appointed acting chief of staff of the 15th Infantry Division on the Romanian front. As Mikhail Gordeevich's closest assistant in the service at the headquarters of the 15th division, Colonel E. E. Messner, who was later known from Kornilov, wrote:
“... not fully recovering from a severe wound, he came to us and became the chief of staff of the 15th Infantry Division. It was not easy for me to serve as a senior adjutant under him: demanding of himself, he was demanding of his subordinates, and especially of me, his closest assistant. Strict, unsociable, he did not evoke love for himself, but he evoked respect: from his whole stately figure, from his thoroughbred, handsome face, nobility, directness and extraordinary willpower blew.
Mikhail Gordeevich showed this willpower, according to Colonel E.E. Messner, transferring the division headquarters to him and on April 6, 1917, taking command of the 60th Zamosc Infantry Regiment of the same division. The general revolutionary shaking did not prevent Drozdovsky from being an imperious commander of the regiment both in battle and in positional conditions.
Revolution of 1917Soon events took place in Petrograd that turned the tide of the war: the February Revolution marked the beginning of the collapse of the army and the state, eventually leading the country to the October events.
The abdication of Sovereign Nicholas II made a very heavy impression on Mikhail Gordeevich - a staunch monarchist. He opposed the interference of soldiers' committees in the operational orders of the command staff. The reprisals of unbelted soldiers against officers, which took place even on the most prosperous Romanian front, also made a depressing impression. At the end of April 1917, Mikhail Gordeevich wrote in his diary:
“The situation in my regiment is becoming very acute. You can live well only as long as you indulge everyone in everything, but I can’t. Of course, it would be easier to leave everything, easier, but dishonest. Yesterday I uttered several bitter truths to one of the companies, they were indignant, angry. I was told that they wanted to “tear me to shreds”, when it is quite enough into two equal parts, after all, and perhaps you will have to experience unsweetened minutes. All around you watch how the best element gives up in this useless struggle. The image of death is all deliverance, the desired exit.”
However, having applied the most drastic measures, up to the execution of deserters and fugitives, Drozdovsky managed to partially restore discipline in the regiment entrusted to him. Here, such traits of Mikhail Gordeevich's character as decisiveness, rigidity, and confidence in the correctness of the decisions made were fully manifested.
The regiment distinguished itself in heavy fighting in late June - early August 1917. For the battle on July 11, when Drozdovsky and the regiment participated in the breakthrough of the German position, Mikhail Gordeevich was awarded the Order of St. George, 4th degree; for the battles of July 30 - August 4, he was presented by the front command for the award of the Order of St. George, 3rd degree (they did not manage to realize the presentation due to the collapse of the front). Mikhail Gordeevich received the Order of St. George of the 4th degree only on November 20, 1917 - after the Bolshevik coup.
After the October events in Petrograd - the seizure of power by the Bolsheviks and the signing on behalf of Russia of the shameful and ruinous Brest Peace Treaty for her - the Russian army completely collapsed. Mikhail Gordeevich, seeing the impossibility of continuing the service in such conditions, began to lean towards continuing the struggle in a different form.
VolunteeringIn late November - early December 1917, against his will, Colonel Drozdovsky was appointed head of the 14th Infantry Division. After the arrival in November 1917 of the Don General of Infantry M.V. Alekseev and the creation of the Alekseevskaya organization (soon transformed into the Good Army), communication was established between him and the headquarters of the Romanian Front. As a result, the idea arose on the Romanian front to create a Corps of Russian Volunteers for its subsequent dispatch to the Don. The organization of such a detachment and its further connection with the Volunteer Army became from that moment the main goal of Mikhail Gordeevich.
March 11, 1918 began the campaign of a detachment of volunteers led by M.G. Drozdovsky on the Don. This campaign went down in the history of the White movement under the name of the “Drozdovsky campaign”. It was also called the Romanian campaign or "Yasi-Don campaign".
|
March of the Drozdovsky regiment Drozdovsky's glorious regiment marched from Romania, To save the people, Performing a heavy duty. He endured many sleepless nights And endured hardships, But the hardened heroes were not afraid of the long way! General Drozdovsky boldly walked forward with his regiment. As a hero, he firmly believed that he would save his homeland! He saw that Holy Russia was dying under the yoke And, like a wax candle, was fading away every day. He believed: the time will come And the people will come to their senses - Throw off the barbaric burden And follow us into battle. The Drozdovites walked with a firm step, The enemy fled under pressure. And with the tricolor Russian Flag, the regiment acquired glory for itself! Let us return gray-haired From bloody labor, Above you will rise, Russia The sun is new then! In 1929, the song "Through the valleys and along the hills" was written to the music of the "March of the Drozdovsky Regiment", although there is reason to believe that there was no plagiarism in this case and both songs were written on the basis of the melody of the old song of the Far Eastern hunters "Through the valleys, along tan." |
It lasted 61 days and ended with the capture of Novocherkassk by the Drozdovites. While in Novocherkassk, Mikhail Gordeevich dealt with the issues of attracting reinforcements to the detachment, as well as the problem of its financial support. Drozdovsky sent people to different cities to organize the registration of volunteers: so Lieutenant Colonel G. D. Leslie was sent to Kyiv. The work of the recruiting bureaus of the Drozdovites was organized so efficiently that 80% of the replenishment of the entire Dobroarmiya at first went through them. Eyewitnesses also point to a certain kind of cost of this method of recruiting: in the same cities, recruiters from several armies sometimes met, incl. and independent agents of the Drozdovsky brigade, which led to undesirable competition. The results of the work of Mikhail Gordeevich in Novocherkassk and Rostov also include the organization of warehouses in these cities for the needs of the army. An infirmary was organized for the wounded Drozdovites in Novocherkassk, and in Rostov - with the support of Professor N. I. Napalkov - the White Cross Hospital, which remained the best white hospital until the end of the Civil War. Drozdovsky lectured and distributed appeals about the tasks of the White movement, and in Rostov, through his efforts, the newspaper Vestnik Volunteer Army, the first white printed organ in the South of Russia, even began to appear.
On the Don, Mikhail Gordeevich has already brought almost 3,000 well-equipped and armed, battle-hardened fighters. And the entire Volunteer Army led by General Denikin, fairly battered in the battles of the 1st Kuban (Ice) campaign, numbered in those days a little more than 6,000 bayonets and sabers.
The Drozdovsky brigade, in addition to small arms and 1,000,000 (!) Cartridges, had three artillery batteries, several armored cars and airplanes, its own convoy of trucks and radiotelegraph units.
It is clear that Ataman Pyotr Krasnov, who headed the All-Great Don Army in the same May days of 1918, wished to see the Drozdovites in his submission, offering Mikhail Gordeevich and his people to become the "Don Foot Guards". But for Drozdovsky, the political views of the ataman, who was trying to create an independent state on the Don and for this did not disdain an alliance with the Germans, were unacceptable. Drozdovsky, a sovereign and a monarchist by conviction, considered his brigade to be part of the Russian army, which continued to be at war with Germany. He did not want to participate in the pulling away of the country into destinies, and therefore he led his people to the area of \u200b\u200bthe villages of Mechetinskaya and Yegorlykskaya, where the Volunteer Army, which had emerged from fierce battles, was gaining strength.
It is important to note that Drozdovsky, after his Detachment completed the Romanian campaign and arrived on the Don, was in a position where he could choose his own path: join the Volunteer Army of Denikin and Romanovsky, accept the proposal of the Don Ataman Krasnov, or become completely independent and independent force . Mikhail Gordeevich later, directly during his conflict with the Chief of Staff of the Dobroarmiya, General Romanovsky, would directly write about this to the Commander-in-Chief, General Denikin:
“By the time my detachment joined the Volunteer Army, her condition was infinitely difficult - this is well known to everyone. I brought with me about 2½ thousand people, perfectly armed and equipped ... Considering not only the number, but also the technical equipment and supplies of the detachment, we can safely say that it was equal to the strength of the army, moreover, its spirit was very high and faith in success lived ... I was not a subordinate executor of someone else's will, only the Volunteer Army owes such a large reinforcement to me alone ... From various persons ... I received offers not to join the army, which was considered dying, but to replace it. My agents in the south of Russia were so well established that if I had remained an independent chief, the Volunteer Army would not have received even a fifth of the staffing that later poured into the Don ... But, considering it a crime to separate forces ... I categorically refused to enter into any whatever the combination, which would not have been headed by you ... The addition of my detachment made it possible to launch an offensive that opened a victorious era for the army.
Ruslan Gagkuev writes that Drozdovsky could successfully claim an independent military-political role, given the size of the human and material resources that his brigade had immediately after the completion of the Yassy-Don Campaign, the effective work of his recruiting bureaus and the rapid growth in the number of his detachment.
On May 26 (June 8), 1918, the Detachment (Brigade of Russian Volunteers), already consisting of about three thousand fighters, set out to join the Volunteer Army. May 27 (June 9), 1918, he arrived in the village of Mechetinskaya. After the solemn parade, which was attended by the leadership of the Dobroarmiya (generals Alekseev, Denikin, headquarters and parts of the Volunteer Army), by order No. 288, the Brigade of Russian Volunteers of the General Staff of Colonel M. G. Drozdovsky was included in the Volunteer Army. The leaders of the Dobrarmia could hardly overestimate the importance of joining the Drozdovsky brigade - their army almost doubled in size, and they had not seen such a material part as the Drozdovsky brigade had brought to the army since its organization at the end of 1917.
The brigade (later - divisions) included all units that came from the Romanian front: the 2nd Officer Rifle Regiment, the 2nd Officer Mounted Regiment, the 3rd engineering company, a light artillery battery, a platoon of howitzers consisting of 10 light and 2 heavy guns.
When the Volunteer Army was reorganized in June 1918, Colonel Drozdovsky's detachment formed the 3rd Infantry Division and participated in all the battles of the Second Kuban campaign, as a result of which the Kuban and the entire North Caucasus were occupied by white troops. M. G. Drozdovsky became its chief, and one of the conditions for the entry of his Detachment into the Army was the guarantee of his personal irremovability as commander of the Drozdov division.
However, by this time, Mikhail Gordeevich was already ready to play an independent role - those six months that had passed since the beginning of the collapse of the Romanian Front taught him to rely only on himself, as well as on his own, proven and reliable personnel. Drozdovsky already had a fairly solid, and more importantly, a very successful experience in organizational and combat work. The Colonel knew his worth and highly appreciated himself. He enjoyed the full support of his subordinates soldered by the monarchical spirit, for whom he became a legend during his lifetime. Therefore, Drozdovsky had his own personal opinion on many things and often questioned the expediency of some orders of the headquarters of the Good Army.
Drozdovsky's contemporaries and associates expressed the opinion that it made sense for the leadership of the Volunteer Army to use the organizational skills of Mikhail Gordeevich and entrust him with the organization of the rear, let him supply the army or appoint him the Minister of War of the White South. He could be entrusted with the organization of new regular divisions for the front. However, the leaders of the Volunteer Army, perhaps fearing competition from the young, energetic, intelligent colonel, preferred to assign him the modest role of division chief.
Conflict with the leadership of the Volunteer ArmyIn July-August 1918, the 3rd Infantry Division of Drozdovsky participated in the battles that led to the capture of Yekaterinodar. In September, the Drozdovites took Armavir, but under the pressure of superior Red forces, they were forced to leave it.
During this period, Drozdovsky's tense relations with the headquarters of the Dobroarmiya move into a phase of conflict. During the Armavir operation, the 3rd Infantry Division was entrusted with a task that was impossible to accomplish by its forces alone. According to Chief Division Drozdovsky, it was necessary to postpone the operation for several days in order to strengthen the strike group at the expense of the available reserves. The colonel repeatedly brought his opinion to the attention of the army headquarters, but did not receive a positive response from Denikin. Seeing the futility of these reports, on September 17 (30), 1918, Drozdovsky actually ignores the order of the Commander-in-Chief to attack Armavir.
Denikin sharply, in the form of a public reprimand, expresses his displeasure to Drozdovsky. In response, Mikhail Gordeevich sends his report to the commander, which, at first glance, gave the impression of a bile-soaked rebuke to an undeserved insult:
“... Despite the exceptional role that fate gave me to play in the revival of the Volunteer Army, and perhaps saving it from dying, despite my services to it, who came to you not as a modest request for a place or protection, but who brought with him a faithful me a large fighting force, you did not stop at a public reprimand to me, without even investigating the reasons for my decision, did not hesitate to insult the person who gave all his strength, all his energy and knowledge to the cause of saving the Motherland, and in particular, the army entrusted to you. I do not have to blush for this reprimand, for the entire army knows what I did to win it. For Colonel Drozdovsky there is a place of honor wherever they fight for the good of Russia.
This fragment was preceded by a detailed analysis by Drozdovsky of the actions of his division during the Armavir operation and the Second Kuban campaign. Mikhail Gordeevich emphasized that he never complained to the command about the severity of the situation and did not take into account the superiority of the Red forces, however, “in the Armavir operation, things were completely different ...”. Drozdovsky draws Denikin's attention to the biased attitude of the headquarters headed by Romanovsky towards his division, the unsatisfactory work of the medical and rear services. In fact, Drozdovsky, with a report, reminded Denikin of his merits and substantiated his claim to independently solve combat missions.
General Denikin subsequently noted that Drozdovsky's report was written in such a defiant tone that he demanded "new repression" against its author. "Repression" would only lead to the departure of Drozdovsky and his division from the Volunteer Army. As a result, Denikin is actually inferior to Drozdovsky, leaving the report without consequences. According to Denikin, it was I.P. Romanovsky did everything in his power to "smooth out" the conflict between the ambitious colonel and the Commander-in-Chief. It was he who advised Denikin to "forgive" Drozdovsky his scandalous report. The departure of an entire division at such a difficult moment for the Good Army was completely unacceptable, and the public scandal that Drozdovsky sought could only lead to a fall in the authority of the commander and a split in the entire White movement in southern Russia.
Injury and deathIn October 1918, Drozdovsky personally led the counterattack of the 3rd Infantry Division during the stubborn battles near Stavropol. On October 31 (November 13), he was slightly wounded in the foot and sent to the hospital. In November 1918, Colonel Drozdovsky was promoted to major general. During treatment in Yekaterinodar, his wound festered, gangrene began. On December 26, 1918 (January 8, 1919), in a semi-conscious state, Drozdovsky was transferred to a clinic in the city of Rostov-on-Don, where he died.
After the death of Major General Drozdovsky, A.I. Denikin issued an order informing the army about the death of Mikhail Gordeevich, ending with the following words:
“... High disinterestedness, devotion to the idea, complete contempt for danger in relation to himself, were combined in him with a cordial concern for his subordinates, whose life he always put above his own. Peace be upon your ashes, knight without fear or reproach.
Initially, Drozdovsky was buried in Yekaterinodar in the Kuban Military Cathedral of St. Alexander Nevsky. After the offensive of the Red troops on the Kuban in 1920, the Drozdovites, knowing how the Reds treated the graves of the white leaders, broke into the already abandoned city and took out the remains of General Drozdovsky and Colonel Tutsevich. The remains were transported to Sevastopol, where they were secretly reburied on Malakhov Kurgan. For the purpose of secrecy, wooden crosses were placed on the graves with the inscriptions “Colonel M. I. Gordeev” and “Captain Tutsevich”. The place of burial was known only by five Drozdov hikers. A symbolic grave of Drozdovsky exists in the Sainte-Genevieve-des-Bois cemetery near Paris, where a memorial sign has been erected.
After the death of General Drozdovsky, the 2nd Officer Regiment (one of the “colored regiments” of the Volunteer Army) was named after him, later deployed into the four-regiment Drozdovsky (Rifle General Drozdovsky) division, the Drozdovsky artillery brigade, the Drozdovsky engineering company and (acting separately from the division) 2nd Officer Cavalry General Drozdovsky Regiment.
Versions about the death of DrozdovskyThere are two versions of the general's death as a result of a seemingly minor wound.
According to the first of them, Drozdovsky was deliberately brought to death. It is known that Mikhail Gordeevich almost from the moment he joined the army in May 1918 had a conflict with the chief of staff of the army, General I.P. Romanovsky. The conflict, apparently, was based on the personal hostility and ambition of both officers, which was superimposed on a number of external factors. An important factor was also Romanovsky's fears about the spread of Drozdovsky's influence over the entire army, with all the ensuing consequences. The confrontation was fueled and kindled by the environment of both Drozdovsky and Romanovsky, and soon developed into a personal conflict, when their reconciliation became extremely unlikely.
The version is that allegedly Romanovsky ordered the attending physician to treat the commander incorrectly. The perpetrator of the crime was Professor Plotkin, a Jew who treated Mikhail Gordeevich in Yekaterinodar. After Drozovsky's death, no one asked Plotkin about the cause of the infection or asked about his medical history. Soon after the death of Drozdovsky, the doctor received a large sum of money and disappeared abroad, from where, according to some information, he returned to Russia under the Bolsheviks. This version is not confirmed by any of the published documents and can only be connected with the general hostility of many officers of the Volunteer Army towards General Romanovsky. I.P. Romanovsky, being the chief of staff and personal friend of A.I. Denikin, acted exclusively in the interests of the Commander-in-Chief. Perhaps the chief of staff was afraid of the growing influence of Drozdovsky in the army, he was afraid that he would “eclipse” Denikin with his merits and authority, but the physical elimination of a talented military leader in the winter of 1918-1919 was neither in the interests of Denikin, nor in the interests of the All-Union Socialist Revolutionary League. Subsequently, Romanovsky was blamed for his hypothetical connections with world Zionism, and the replacement of Drozdovsky by the alcoholic May-Maevsky, and the "malicious" influence on the actions of the Commander-in-Chief himself in the summer and autumn of 1919. It is possible that the popular version of the involvement of a general close to Denikin in the death of Drozdovsky became one of the reasons for his assassination in Constantinople on April 5 (18), 1920.
And yet, the honors that were given by the command of the Volunteer Army to Mikhail Gordeevich shortly before his death suggest that its headquarters could have known in advance that Drozdovsky was incurable. On the day of his angel on November 8 (21), Drozdovsky was promoted to major general; On November 25 (December 8), a commemorative medal for the Campaign of Yassy - Don was installed by special order, perpetuating the memory of the transition. It was precisely the grave condition of Mikhail Gordeevich that prompted the officers-walkers to this event.
The second version of Drozdovsky's death looks more prosaic and closer to reality. In the winter of 1918-1919, there were almost no antiseptics in Ekaterinodar, not even iodine. The organization of medical practice in the hospitals of the White armies also left much to be desired.
Eyewitnesses of the events give conflicting opinions about what happened, therefore it is impossible to make an unambiguous conclusion about whether the death of Mikhail Gordeevich was the result of a conspiracy or became an accident in the conditions of unsanitary conditions that prevailed in the White South.
The commander of the army, General Denikin, who visited Drozdovsky in the hospital shortly before his death, sincerely grieved over his death: “I saw how he languished in his forced rest, how he all went into the interests of the army and his division and rushed to it ... The struggle lasted for two months between life and death ... Fate did not promise him to lead his regiments into battle again ... "
A prominent Drozdovite, General A.V. Turkul, later wrote: “There were various rumors about the death of General Drozdovsky. His wound was light, not dangerous. At first, there were no signs of infection. The infection was discovered after one doctor began to treat Drozdovsky in Yekaterinodar, who then disappeared. But it is also true that at that time in Yekaterinodar, they say, there were almost no antiseptics, even iodine ... "
How to cook frozen cutlets in a pan?
Pike perch baked in salt
How should a girl behave in a relationship with a guy so that he falls in love?
How osteochondrosis manifests itself on an x-ray Visible signs on the human body of osteochondrosis
What can be prepared for the festive table for Easter Easter table decoration and recipes