Always with Honor: The Memoirs of General Wrangel

I recently wrote of the Finnish Civil War, where the Whites defeated the Reds. In the twentieth century, that pattern was unfortunately the exception, with the more common result being seen in the Russian Civil War of 1918–20, where the Russian Reds defeated the Russian Whites. That struggle, though not as forgotten as the Finnish Civil War, does not loom large in modern consciousness, and books on it are rare. This volume, the recently-reprinted war memoir of Pyotr Wrangel, probably the most successful and certainly the most charismatic of the White generals, addresses that gap. It also carries many lessons, including about what might occur in a twenty-first-century ideological civil war in a large country.

The Whites lost for more than one reason, including poor generalship, inability to work in a unified fashion, and betrayal by the Allies, particularly Britain. We will return to all of these as seen through Wrangel’s eyes. He was a Baltic German, born in 1878 in the Russian Empire, what is now Lithuania. Trained as a mining engineer, he volunteered for Imperial service, and became a cavalry officer in the prestigious Life Guards. He fought in the Russo-Japanese War, and then...

This is really excellent stuff, though it is so sad to think how things could have been so different. I really do think Wrangel could have won, and – to use Churchill’s phrase – strangled the Bolshevik baby in its cradle, thus saving Russia and the world from oceans of suffering. The treachery and betrayal of the British – largely due to my namesake and distant kinsman General George Milne – is particularly painful for me to read.

Wrangel’s tone is fair, dispassionate, and measured. The military action is explained in clear and fascinating detail, especially the key battles around Tsaritsyn – which, of course, is the city which under its (temporary) name of Stalingrad would later be the scene for equally decisive conflict on a far greater scale. Political matters are given their due too – especially Wrangel’s determined attempt to introduce democracy and land reform. Tragically, all his reforms were undone when the Bolsheviks won. One of the inevitable consequences of undoing all Wrangel’s sensible agrarian policies and imposing Bolshevik policies instead was a devastating famine in which millions died – and yet that was only the first of many famines, all either caused or...

An intimate account from the man who lead the last remnants of the Russian army in the face of Bolshevism.

Despite us knowing the ultimate doom of this venture, one cannot help but feel excitement and hope while reading through many of the pages. However, tragedy and betrayal become insurmountable in the last weeks of the campaign. Crimea is evacuated and so too are we, from the common notions of western benevolence for the cause of anti-bolshevism.

The memoirs and his character leave us to reflect on what we value and what we would give our everything to. Wrangel ultimately maintains his honour, and I suspect earns the great respect of many (including myself). Calling us all to celebrate the sacrifices of him and his men in their fight.

One of the best war memoirs I have read. Not only was it a great chronicle of the major events of the Russian Civil War but it made me rethink the relationship between the army and the state and the role played by politics and economics.

General Wrangel is such a charismatic writer, it's hard not to be thoroughly moved as he proceeds through the events, their defeat was imminent since he took command from General Denikin, but not once did he falter from his goal to preserve as much of the White Army's lives, or at least to provide them a dignified death.

Very likely one of the biggest chads in history.