Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[VK] General Vladimir Kappel, Russian military commander, participant in the First World and Civil Wars, monarchist, one of the leaders of the White movement in Eastern Russia.
Vladimir Oskarovich Kappel (April 28, 1883 - January 26, 1920) - descendant of immigrants from Sweden. Father Oscar Pavlovich participated in the famous Akhal-Teke expedition of General Skobelev. Maternal grandfather - Lieutenant General Pyotr Postolsky, hero of the defense of Sevastopol. So Vladimir chose a military career: the cadet corps, the Nikolaev Cavalry School, and then the academy.
Vladimir Kappel completed his primary education in 1894. In 1901 he graduated from the 2nd Cadet Corps, in 1903 from the Nikolaev Cavalry School, and in 1913 from the Imperial Nikolaev Academy.
With the outbreak of the First World War, Vladimir Kappel was in the ranks of the army. He served in various positions in the army and cavalry units of the Western Front.
He was awarded the Order of St. George of the 3rd and 4th degrees, the Order of St. Vladimir of the 4th degree, the Order of St. Anna of the 2nd, 3rd and 4th degrees, the Order of St. Stanislav of the 2nd and 3rd degrees.
February 1917 Kappel took even harder than the following October. From his point of view, the Bolshevik coup was a natural consequence of February. In his views, Capel was a staunch monarchist.
The number of the first volunteer units in Samara - a couple of infantry companies, a cavalry squadron and a horse battery with two guns - was so insignificant compared to the advancing Reds that none of the officers wanted to command this detachment. Only Kappel volunteered. Taking this small detachment as a basis, he very quickly created the most combat-ready rifle brigade, which more than once successfully resisted superior enemy forces.
However, Kappel's fame grew thanks not only to military successes, but also to his character. Vladimir Oskarovich fought and behaved like a Suvorov: he ate with soldiers from the same bowler hat, lying in chains shoulder to shoulder with them, shot back from the enemy, endured all the hardships of transitions without the slightest indulgence. And the soldiers appreciated it in all ages.
At the end of 1918, during the unification of the anti-Bolshevik armed forces of the East of Russia, he headed the 1st Volga ("Kappelevsky") Corps. And in December 1919, already in the rank of lieutenant general, having taken command of the dying Eastern Front, he was able to save the army from encirclement near Krasnoyarsk and lead it to Baikal, albeit at the cost of his own life.
When the pendulum swung towards the Reds and the Whites had to retreat, Kappel's troops were used as a fire brigade. It was the Kappelites who over and over again held back the Reds, allowing others to get out from under fire. With continuous fighting, the Kappelites retreated along the railway, experiencing great hardships. Practically without ammunition, in a 50-degree frost, they made an amazing courageous transition from Omsk to Transbaikalia.
General Kappel is one of the most talented commanders of the White movement. He earned respect not only from his colleagues, but also from opponents. Kappel is an exemplary example of fidelity to the military oath, military duty and self-sacrifice in the name of the Motherland.
Vladimir Oskarovich was dying as a martyr. On January 20, in the most severe cold, his troops, leaving the encirclement, walked along the channel of the Kan River. There he fell into a wormwood, but he said this only a day later, when frostbite of his legs became a fact. There were no medical instruments or medicines, so the amputation of the feet was carried out without anesthesia with a simple knife. Despite the terrible pain that started gangrene and pneumonia, Kappel, gritting his teeth, continued to command. And in order to move on, he ordered to tie himself to the saddle.
The general fought to the end, until he finally lost consciousness. He died on January 26, 1920 near Nizhneudinsk.
For obvious reasons, the Kappelites did not dare to leave the body of the commander to the enemy, therefore, initially, having retreated, he was buried in the Chita Cathedral of Alexander Nevsky. Then the ashes were transferred there to the cemetery of the monastery, and in the fall of 1920, when approaching the city of the Reds, even further, to Harbin.
In 1956, by order of the Soviet Consulate General in Harbin, Kappel's grave was destroyed: the monument was destroyed, removed and thrown near the fence of the New (Assumption) cemetery, and the grave itself was razed to the ground. Only in December 2006, the remains of Kappel were again discovered and reburied in the Donskoy Monastery. So he returned to his homeland.
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