As often happens, in the history of the Civil War in Russia, to this day, true and tragic facts have become densely mixed with myths, speculation, rumors, epics, and, of course, anecdotes. There are especially many of them associated with the legendary red division commander. Almost everything that we have known about this hero since childhood is connected mainly with two sources - with the film “Chapaev” (directed by Georgy and Sergei Vasilyev) and with the story “Chapaev” (author Dmitry Furmanov). However, at the same time, we forget that both the book and the film are works of art, which contain both the author’s fiction and direct historical inaccuracies (Fig. 1).
The beginning of the way
He was born on January 28 (February 9 according to the new style) 1887 into a Russian peasant family in the village of Budaika, Cheboksary district, Kazan province (now the territory of the Leninsky district of the city of Cheboksary). Vasily was the sixth child in the family of Ivan Stepanovich Chapaev (1854-1921) (Fig. 2).
Soon after the birth of Vasily, the Chapaev family moved to the village of Balakovo, Nikolaev district, Samara province (now the city of Balakovo, Saratov region). Ivan Stepanovich enrolled his son in a local parish school, the patron of which was his wealthy cousin. Before this, there were already priests in the Chapaev family, and the parents wanted Vasily to become a clergyman, but life decreed otherwise.
In the fall of 1908, Vasily was drafted into the army and sent to Kyiv. But already in the spring of the following year, due to illness, Chapaev was transferred from the army to the reserve and transferred to first-class militia warriors. After this, until the outbreak of the First World War, he did not serve in the regular army, but worked as a carpenter. From 1912 to 1914 V.I. Chapaev and his family lived in the city of Melekess (now Dimitrovgrad, Ulyanovsk region). Here his son Arkady was born.
With the outbreak of war, Chapaev was called up for military service on September 20, 1914 and sent to the 159th reserve infantry regiment in the city of Atkarsk. He went to the front in January 1915. The future Red commander fought in the 326th Belgorai Infantry Regiment of the 82nd Infantry Division in the 9th Army of the Southwestern Front in Volyn and Galicia, where he was wounded. In July 1915, he completed training courses and received the rank of junior non-commissioned officer, and in October - senior. War V.I. Chapaev graduated with the rank of sergeant major, and for his bravery was awarded the St. George medal and soldiers' St. George crosses of three degrees (Fig. 3,4).
He met the February Revolution in a hospital in Saratov, and here on September 28, 1917 he joined the ranks of the RSDLP (b). Soon he was elected commander of the 138th reserve infantry regiment stationed in Nikolaevsk, and on December 18, by the district congress of Soviets, he was appointed military commissar of the Nikolaev district. In this position V.I. Chapaev led the dispersal of the Nikolaev district zemstvo, and then organized the district Red Guard, which consisted of 14 detachments (Fig. 5).
On the initiative of V.I. Chapaev on May 25, 1918, a decision was made to reorganize the Red Guard detachments into two regiments of the Red Army, which were named “named after Stepan Razin” and “named after Emelyan Pugachev.” Under the command of V.I. Chapaev, both regiments united into the Pugachev brigade, which, just a few days after its creation, took part in battles with the Czechoslovaks and the Komuch People's Army. The biggest victory of this brigade was the battle for the city of Nikolaevsk, which ended in the complete defeat of the Komuchevites and Czechoslovaks.
Battle for Nikolaevsk
As you know, Samara was captured by units of the Czechoslovak corps on June 8, 1918, after which the Committee of Members of the Constituent Assembly (abbreviated Komuch) came to power in the city. Then, throughout almost the entire summer of 1918, the retreat of Red Army units continued in the east of the country. Only towards the end of this summer did Lenin’s government manage to stop the joint offensive of the Czechoslovaks and White Guards in the Middle Volga region.
At the beginning of August, after extensive mobilization, the I, II, III and IV armies were formed as part of the Eastern Front, and at the end of the month - the V Army and the Turkestan Army. In the direction of Kazan and Simbirsk, from mid-August, the First Army began to operate under the command of Mikhail Tukhachevsky, to which an armored train was transferred (Fig. 6).
At this time, a group consisting of units of the People's Army of Komuch and Czechoslovak troops under the command of Captain Chechek launched a counter-offensive on the southern section of the Red Front. The Red regiments, unable to withstand their sudden onslaught, left Nikolaevsk in the middle of the day on August 20. It was not even a retreat, but a stampede, because of which the workers of Soviet institutions did not even have time to leave the city. As a result, according to eyewitnesses, the White Guards who burst into Nikolaevsk immediately began general searches and executions of communists and Soviet employees.
V.I.’s closest ally recalled further events near Nikolaevsk. Chapaeva Ivan Semyonovich Kutyakov (Fig. 7).
“At this time, Vasily Ivanovich Chapaev arrived in the village of Porubyozhka, where the 1st Pugachevsky Regiment was located, in a troika with a group of orderlies... He arrived at his brigade, excited by the latest failures.
The news of Chapaev's arrival quickly spread around the red chains. Not only commanders and soldiers, but also peasants began to flock to the headquarters of the 1st Pugachevsky Regiment. They wanted to see Chapai with their own eyes, whose fame spread throughout the Volga steppe, throughout all the villages, villages and hamlets.
Chapaev accepted the report of the commander of the 1st Pugachevsky regiment. Comrade Plyasunkov reported to Vasily Ivanovich that his regiment had been fighting for the second day with a detachment of White Czechs, who at dawn had captured the crossing over the Bolshoi Irgiz River near the village of Porubiezhka, and were now persistently striving to occupy Porubiezhka...
Chapaev immediately outlined a bold plan, which, if successful, promised to lead not only to the liberation of Nikolaevsk, but also to the complete defeat of the enemy. According to Chapaev's plan, the regiments were supposed to take vigorous action. 1st Pugachevsky received an order: not to retreat from Porubiezhka, but to counterattack the White Czechs and recapture the crossing over the Bolshoi Irgiz River. And after Stepan Razin’s regiment went to the rear of the White Czechs, together with him they attacked the enemy in the village of Tavolzhanka.
Meanwhile, Stepan Razin’s regiment was already on the way to Davydovka. The messenger sent by Chapaev found the regiment at a halt in the village of Rakhmanovka. Here the regiment commander Kutyakov received Chapaev’s order... Since there is no ford across the river, and the right bank dominates the left, it would hardly be possible to attack the White Czechs with a frontal attack. Therefore, the commander of the 2nd Stepan Razin regiment was asked to immediately move through the village of Gusikha to the rear of the White Czechs in order, simultaneously with the 1st regiment, to attack the enemy from the north in the area of the village of Tavolzhanki occupied by him and then advance on Nikolaevsk.
Chapaev's decision was extremely bold. To many, influenced by the victories of the White Czechs, it seemed impossible. But Chapaev’s will to victory, his enormous confidence in success and boundless hatred for the enemies of the workers and peasants ignited all fighters and commanders with fighting enthusiasm. The regiments began to carry out the order in unison.
On August 21, the Pugachevsky regiment under the leadership of Vasily Ivanovich made a brilliant demonstration, drawing the fire and attention of the enemy. Thanks to this, the Razins successfully completed their march-maneuver and went from the north to the rear of the village of Tavolzhanki, at a distance of two kilometers from the enemy’s heavy battery firing at the Pugachevsky regiment. The commander of the 2nd Stepan Razin regiment decided to take advantage of the opportunity and ordered the battery commander, Comrade Rapetsky, to open rapid fire on the enemy. The Razin battery rushed forward at full gallop, dismounted from its limbers and, with direct fire, showered the Czech guns with grapeshot with its first salvo. Immediately, without hesitating for a minute, the cavalry squadron and three battalions of Razins rushed to the attack with a cry of “Hurray.”
The sudden shelling and the appearance of the Reds in the rear caused confusion in the enemy ranks. The enemy artillerymen abandoned their guns and ran in panic to the covering units. The cover did not have time to prepare for battle and was destroyed along with the artillerymen.
Chapaev, who personally led the Pugachev regiment in this battle, launched a frontal attack on the enemy forces. As a result, not a single enemy soldier was saved.
In the evening, when the crimson rays of the setting sun illuminated the battlefield, covered with the corpses of White Bohemian soldiers, the regiments occupied Tavolzhanka. In this battle, 60 machine guns, 4 heavy guns and much other military booty were captured.
Despite the extreme fatigue of the fighters, Chapaev ordered to continue moving forward to Nikolaevsk. At about one o'clock in the morning the regiments reached the village of Puzanikha, a few kilometers from Nikolaevsk. Here, due to complete darkness, we had to linger. The soldiers were ordered not to leave the formation. The battalions left the road and stood up. The fighters struggled with drowsiness. There is deep silence all around. At this time, unexpectedly, some convoy drove up from the rear close to the chains. The front carts were stopped only fifty meters from the artillery location. The commander of the 2nd battalion of the regiment named after Stepan Razin, Comrade Bubenets, approached them. In response to his question, one of those riding in the front cart explained in broken Russian that he was a Czechoslovak colonel and was heading with his regiment to Nikolaevsk. Comrade Bubenets stood in front, put his hand to the visor and said that he would immediately report the arrival of the “allies” to his colonel, the commander of the volunteer detachment.
Comrade Bubenets, a former guards officer, from the beginning of the Great October Revolution went over to the side of Soviet power and devotedly served the cause of the proletariat. Together with him, his two brothers voluntarily joined the ranks of the Red Guard. They were captured by the founders and brutally killed. Bubenets was one of the most combative, courageous, proactive and decisive commanders. Chapaev, who had an acute hatred for officers, trusted him in everything.
Comrade Bubenets's message raised the entire regiment to its feet. At the first minute, no one could believe this meeting. But in the darkness on the road where the enemy column stood, the lights of cigarettes could be seen and the perplexed voices of enemy soldiers could be heard, trying to find an explanation for the unexpected stop. There could be no doubt. About twenty minutes later, two battalions were brought up close to the enemy. At the signal, they opened fire in volleys. The frightened voices of the White Czechs were heard. Everything is mixed up...
By dawn the battle was over. In the morning twilight, a battlefield stretched along the road was outlined; it was covered with the corpses of White Czechs, carriers and horses. The 40 machine guns taken in this battle, together with those captured in the daytime battle, served as the main supply for the Chapaev units until the end of the civil war.
The destruction of the enemy regiment, captured on the way, completed the defeat of the enemy. The White Czechs, who occupied Nikolaevsk, left the city that same night and retreated in panic through Seleznikha to Bogorodskoye. At about eight o’clock in the morning on August 22, Chapaev’s brigade occupied Nikolaevsk, which was renamed Pugachev at Chapaev’s suggestion” (Fig. 8-10).
"The Red Army is the strongest of all"
Samara residents regularly remember this red division commander, primarily because since November 1932 in our city there has been a well-known monument to Vasily Ivanovich Chapaev by sculptor Matvey Manizer, which, along with a few other landmarks, has long become a symbol of Samara.
In particular, one can still hear the opinion that on October 7, 1918, Samara was liberated from Czechoslovak units, among others, by the military unit headed by Chapaev - the 25th Nikolaev Division, which at that time was part of the IV Army. At the same time, allegedly Vasily Ivanovich himself, just as in the legends and anecdotes composed about him among the people, was the first to burst into the city on a dashing horse, slashing the White Guards and Czechs with his saber left and right. And if such stories still exist, then they are undoubtedly inspired by the presence of a monument to Chapaev in Samara (Fig. 11).
Meanwhile, the events near Samara in the second half of 1918 did not develop at all as we heard in the legends. On September 10, as a result of successful military operations, the Red Army drove the Komuchevites out of Kazan, and on September 12 - from Simbirsk. But on August 30, 1918, in Moscow at the Mikhelson plant, an attempt was made on the life of the Chairman of the Council of People's Commissars, Vladimir Ilyich Lenin, who was wounded by two pistol bullets. Therefore, soon after Simbirsk was liberated from the Czechoslovaks, a telegram with the following content was sent to the Council of People’s Commissars on behalf of the command of the Eastern Front: “Moscow Kremlin to Lenin For your first bullet, the Red Army took Simbirsk, for the second it will be Samara.”
In pursuance of these plans, after the successful completion of the Simbirsk operation, the commander of the Eastern Front, Joachim Vatsetis, on September 20 ordered a wide offensive on Syzran and Samara. Red troops approached Syzran on September 28-29, and, despite the fierce resistance of the besieged, over the next five days they managed to destroy all the main centers of the Czech defense one after another. This is how, by 12 o’clock on October 3, 1918, the city’s territory was completely cleared of Komuchevites and Czechoslovaks, mainly by the forces of the Iron Division under the leadership of Haik Guy (Fig. 12). 
The remnants of the Czechoslovak units retreated to the railway bridge, and after the last Czech soldier crossed it to the left bank on the night of October 4, two spans of this grandiose structure were blown up by Czechoslovak sappers. The railway connection between Syzran and Samara was interrupted for a long time (Fig. 13-15).
On the morning of October 7, 1918, from the south, from the Lipyagi station, the advanced units of the 1st Samara Division, part of the IV Army, approached Zasamara Sloboda and captured this suburb almost without a fight. During their retreat, the Czechs set fire to the pontoon bridge that existed at that time across the Samara River, preventing the city fire brigade from extinguishing it. And after a red armored train headed towards Samara from the Kryazh station, Czech miners, as it approached, blew up the span of the railway bridge over the Samara River. This happened at about two o'clock in the afternoon on October 7, 1918.
Only after work detachments from Samara factories arrived at the pontoon bridge, which continued to burn, did the Czech units guarding the bridge in panic leave their positions on the river bank and retreat to the station. The last echelon with the interventionists and their henchmen left our city to the east at about 5 pm. And three hours later, the 24th Iron Division under the command of Guy entered Samara from the northern side. Units of Tukhachevsky’s First Army broke into our city a few hours later along the extinguished pontoon bridge.
What about the legendary Chapaev cavalry? According to historical documents, at the beginning of October 1918, the Nikolaev division under the command of Chapaev was located approximately 200 kilometers south of Samara, in the Uralsk region. But, despite such distance from our city, the unit of the legendary red commander still played a very noticeable role in the Samara military operation. It turns out that in those days when the IV Army began its attack on Samara, Divisional Commander Chapaev received an order: to divert the main forces of the Ural Cossacks to himself so that they would not be able to attack the rear and flank of the Red troops.
This is what I.S. writes about this in his memoirs. Kutyakov: “...Chapaev was ordered not just to defend himself with his two regiments, but to attack Uralsk. This task, of course, was beyond the strength of the weak division, but Vasily Ivanovich, unquestioningly following the orders of the army headquarters, decisively moved east... His energetic actions forced the white command to throw almost the entire White Cossack army at the Nikolaev division... The main forces of the 4th Army, moving towards Samara were left completely alone. Throughout the entire operation, the Cossacks never attacked not only the flank, but also the rear of the 4th Army, which allowed the Red Army units to occupy Samara on October 7, 1918.” In a word, it is necessary to recognize that the monument to V.I. Chapaev in Samara was established quite deservedly.
At the end of 1918 and beginning of 1919, V.I. Chapaev visited Samara several times at the headquarters of the army, which at that time was already commanded by Mikhail Frunze. In particular, after three months of training at the Academy of the General Staff in early February 1919, Chapaev, extremely tired of these, as he considered, aimless studies, managed to obtain permission to depart back to the Eastern Front, to his 4th Army, which he commanded at that time Mikhail Vasilievich Frunze. In mid-February 1919, Chapaev arrived in Samara, at the headquarters of this army (Fig. 16, 17).
M.V. Frunze at this time had just returned from the Ural Front. During this time, he heard a lot about Chapaev’s exploits, his determination and heroism from the fighters of Chapaev’s regiments, who had just taken the city of Uralsk, the political center of the Cossacks, and fought bloody battles for the possession of the city of Lbischensk. Frunze paid great attention to the creation of combat-ready units and the selection of talented, experienced commanders, and therefore he immediately appointed V.I. Chapaev was the commander of the Alexandrovo-Gai brigade, and his commissar was Dmitry Andreevich Furmanov, who later became the author of a well-known book about the legendary division commander. An orderly for V.I. Chapaev at that time was Pyotr Semyonovich Isaev, who became especially famous after the release of the film “Chapaev” in 1934 (Fig. 18, 19).
This brigade, formed mainly from peasants of the Volga region, was stationed in the Aleksandrov Gai region. Before the appointment of Vasily Ivanovich, it was commanded by an “old regime” colonel, who was very cautious, and therefore his unit acted indecisively and with little success, was mainly on the defensive, and suffered one after another defeats from raids and raids by white Cossack detachments.
Mikhail Vasilyevich Frunze set Chapaev the task of capturing the area of the village of Slomikhinskaya, and then continuing the attack on Lbischensk in order to threaten the main enemy forces from the rear. Having received this task, Chapaev decided to stop by Uralsk to personally agree on its implementation.
Chapaev's arrival came as a complete surprise to his comrades. Within a few hours, all of Chapaev’s former comrades gathered. Some came straight from the battlefield to see their beloved commander. And Chapaev, upon arrival at the brigade, visited all the regiments and battalions in a few days, got acquainted with the command staff, held a number of meetings, paid a lot of attention to the food supply of the units and replenishing them with weapons and ammunition.
As for Furmanov, Chapaev was wary of him at first. He had not yet outlived the prejudice against political workers who first came to the front, which was then characteristic of many Red commanders who came from the people. However, the division commander soon changed his attitude towards Furmanov. He was convinced of his education and decency, had long conversations with him not only on general topics, but also on history, literature, geography and other subjects that seemed to have nothing to do with military affairs. Having learned from Furmanov a lot of things that he had never heard of before, Chapaev eventually gained trust and respect for him, and more than once consulted with his political officer on issues of interest to him.
Conducted by V.I. Chapaev's training of the Aleksandrovo-Gai brigade ultimately led the unit to combat success. In the first battle on March 16, 1919, the brigade with one blow knocked out the White Guards from the village of Slomikhinskaya, where Colonel Borodin’s headquarters was located, and threw their remnants far into the Ural steppes. Subsequently, the Ural Cossack Army also suffered defeats from the Aleksandrovo-Gai brigade, also near Uralsk and Lbischensk, which was occupied by the 1st brigade of I.S. Kutyakova.
Death of Chapaev
In June 1919, the Pugachev brigade was renamed the 25th Infantry Division under the command of V.I. Chapaev, and she participated in the Bugulma and Belebeevskaya operations against Kolchak’s army. Under the leadership of Chapaev, this division occupied Ufa on June 9, 1919, and Uralsk on July 11. During the capture of Ufa, Chapaev was wounded in the head by a burst from an aircraft machine gun (Fig. 20).
At the beginning of September 1919, units of the 25th Red Division under the command of Chapaev were on vacation in the area of the small town of Lbischensk (now Chapaevo) on the Ural River. On the morning of September 4, the division commander, together with military commissar Baturin, left for the village of Sakharnaya, where one of his units was stationed. But he did not know that at the same time, along the valley of the small river Kushum, a tributary of the Urals, in the direction of Lbischensk, the 2nd Cavalry Cossack Corps under the command of General Sladkov, consisting of two cavalry divisions, was moving freely. In total, there were about 5 thousand sabers in the corps. By the evening of the same day, the Cossacks reached a small tract located only 25 kilometers from the city, where they took refuge in the thick reeds. Here they began to wait for darkness so that, under the cover of darkness, they could attack the headquarters of the 25th Red Division, which at that moment was guarded by soldiers of a training unit numbering only 600 bayonets.
An aviation reconnaissance unit (four aircraft), flying in the vicinity of Lbischensk on the afternoon of September 4, did not detect this huge Cossack formation in the immediate vicinity of the Chapaev headquarters. At the same time, experts believe that it was simply physically impossible for the pilots not to see 5 thousand horsemen from the air, even if they were camouflaged in the reeds. Historians explain such “blindness” by direct betrayal on the part of the pilots, especially since the very next day they flew on their planes to the side of the Cossacks, where the entire air squad surrendered to the headquarters of General Sladkov (Fig. 21, 22).
One way or another, but no one was able to report to Chapaev, who returned to his headquarters late in the evening, about the danger threatening him. On the outskirts of the town, only ordinary security posts were posted, and the entire red headquarters and the training unit guarding it fell asleep peacefully. No one heard how, under the cover of darkness, the Cossacks silently removed the guards, and at about one in the morning the corps of General Sladkov struck Lbischensk with all its might. By dawn on September 5, the city was already entirely in the hands of the Cossacks. Chapaev himself, together with a handful of soldiers and orderly Pyotr Isaev, was able to make their way to the bank of the Ural River and even swim to the opposite bank, but in the middle of the river he was hit by an enemy bullet. Historians believe that the last minutes of the life of the legendary red division commander are shown with documentary accuracy in the famous film “Chapaev”, filmed in 1934 by directors Vasilyev.
On the morning of September 5, a message about the destruction of the headquarters of the 25th division was received by I.S. Kutyakov, commander of a group of red units, which included 8 rifle and 2 cavalry regiments, as well as divisional artillery. This group was stationed 15 kilometers from Lbischensk. Within a few hours, the red units entered into battle with the Cossacks, and by the evening of the same day they were driven out of the city. By order of Kutyakov, a special group was formed to search for Chapaev’s body in the Ural River, but even after many days of examining the river valley, it was never found (Fig. 23).
Anecdote on topic
An airplane was sent to Chapaev's division. Vasily Ivanovich wanted to see the strange car in person. He walked around him, looked into the cabin, twirled his mustache, and then said to Petka:
No, we don’t need such an airplane.
Why? – asks Petka.
The saddle is inconveniently located, explains Chapaev. - Well, how can you cut with a saber? If you chop, you’ll hit the wings, and they’ll fall off... (Fig. 24-30).
Valery EROFEEV.
Bibliography
Banikin V. Stories about Chapaev. Kuibyshev: Kuibyshev Book Publishing House, 1954. 109 p.
Belyakov A.V. Flying through the years. M.: Voenizdat, 1988. 335 p.
Borgens V. Chapaev. Kuibyshev, Kuib. region publishing house 1939. 80 p.
Vladimirov V.V. . Where V.I. lived and fought. Chapaev. Travel notes. - Cheboksary. 1997. 82 p.
Kononov A. Stories about Chapaev. M.: Children's literature, 1965. 62 p.
Kutyakov I.S. Chapaev's combat path. Kuibyshev, Kuib. book publishing house 1969. 96 p.
Legendary commander. Book about V.I. Chapaev. Collection. Editor-compiler N.V. Sorokin. Kuibyshev, Kuib. book publishing house 1974. 368 p.
Along Chapaev's battle path. A short guide. Kuibyshev: Publishing house. gas. "Red Army Man", 1936.
Timin T. Chapaev - real and imaginary. M., “Veteran of the Fatherland.” 1997. 120 p., ill.
Furmanov D.A. Chapaev. Publications of different years.
Khlebnikov N.M., Evlampiev P.S., Volodikhin Y.A. Legendary Chapaevskaya. M.: Znanie, 1975. 429 p.
Chapaeva E. My unknown Chapaev. M.: “Corvette”, 2005. 478 p.
A native of Chuvashia, who became a symbol of the Great Russian RevolutionVasily Ivanovich Chapaev is known as one of the most notable heroes of the Civil War. The division commander of the Red Army left a bright mark on Russian history and to this day occupies a special position in popular culture. The name of the military leader is alive in the memory of his contemporaries - they tirelessly write books about him, make films, sing songs, and also make up jokes and fables. The biography of the Red Guard is full of contradictions and secrets.
Life lines
According to legend, the surname Chapaev comes from the word “chepay” (take, hook), which was used during various works. At first this word was the nickname of the hero’s grandfather, then it turned into a family surname.
early years
Vasily Ivanovich Chapaev comes from a peasant family, the son of a carpenter. His parents lived in the village of Budaika, Cheboksary district, Simbirsk province. This place was one of the Russian villages located around the city of Cheboksary. Here Vasily was born on January 28 (February 9), 1887.
Vasily grew up in a large family and was the sixth child. Soon after his birth, the family moved to the Samara province - to the village of Balakovo, Nikolaev district. The Chapaev children were forced to leave the school they attended in Budaika and look for work. Vasily only managed to learn the alphabet. The parents wanted a better life for their child, so they sent Vasily to a parochial school to receive an education.
Metric record of 1887 about the birth of V. I. Chapaev
Father and mother hoped that their son would become a clergyman, but life decreed otherwise. In the fall of 1908, Vasily was drafted into the army - his military career dates back to this period. He began serving in Kyiv, although not for long. Already in the spring of 1909 he was transferred to the reserve - transferred to the first-class militia warriors.
V. I. Chapaev. 1909
Historians do not know the exact reason for this decision. According to one version, this was due to his political unreliability, but no evidence of this was found. Most likely, the dismissal is due to Chapaev’s illness.
Even in his youth, Vasily Chapaev received the nickname Ermak. It accompanied the hero all his life, becoming his underground nickname.
On the fronts of the First World War
In the battles of May 5-8, 1915 near the Prut River, Vasily Chapaev showed great personal courage and perseverance. A few months later, for his success in service, he immediately received the rank of junior non-commissioned officer, bypassing the rank of corporal.
On September 16, 1915, Chapaev was awarded the St. George Cross, IV degree. For the capture of two prisoners near the town of Snovidov, he was again awarded the St. George Cross, but this time of the 3rd degree.
V. I. Chapaev. 1916
Chapaev was a holder of three degrees of the St. George Cross. For each badge, a soldier or non-commissioned officer received a salary one third more than usual. The salary grew until it reached double the size. The additional salary was retained after retirement and was paid for life. The widows received the sum of money for a year after the death of the gentleman.
On September 27, 1915, in battles between the villages of Tsuman and Karpinevka, Chapaev was wounded. He was sent to the hospital. He soon learned that he had been promoted to senior non-commissioned officer.
V. I. Chapaev. 1917
Chapaev, having recovered his health, returned to the Belgorai regiment, with which he took part in battles near Kut on June 14-16, 1916. For these battles, Vasily was awarded the St. George Cross, II degree. According to some reports, that same summer, for the battles near the city of Delyatin, he was awarded the Cross of St. George, 1st degree. But no documents confirming the award of this award have been preserved.
At the end of the summer of 1916, Vasily became seriously ill. On August 20, he was sent to the dressing detachment of the 82nd Infantry Division. He returned to his company only on September 10 and the next day he was wounded by shrapnel in his left thigh, after which he again began treatment.
October Revolution and Civil War
V. I. Chapaev, commander of the 2nd Nikolaev Soviet Regiment I. Kutyakov, battalion commander I. Bubenets and Commissar A. Semennikov. 1918
In July 1917, Chapaev found himself in the city of Nikolaevsk, where he was appointed sergeant major of the 4th company of the 138th reserve infantry regiment. This military unit was famous for its revolutionary spirit. It was here that the future Red commander became close to the Bolsheviks. He was soon elected to the regimental committee, and in the fall of 1917 he joined the Council of Soldiers' Deputies.
On September 28, 1917, Vasily Ivanovich Chapaev joined the RSDLP (b) - the Bolshevik party. In December he became a Red Guard commissar and assumed the duties of commander of the Nikolaevsk garrison.
The winter-spring of 1918 was a difficult period for the new government. At this time, Chapaev suppressed peasant unrest and fought against the Cossacks and soldiers of the Czechoslovak Corps.
In films, most often, Chapaev is depicted with a saber on a dashing horse. However, in life the commander preferred cars. At first he had a “Stevers” (a bright red confiscated car), then a “Packard” taken from the Kolchakites, and after a while a “Ford”, which developed a speed that was quite good for the beginning of the 20th century - up to 50 km/h.
Chapaev horsemen. 1918
In November, the talented military man went to study at the General Staff Academy, but could not stay away from the front for long and already in January 1919 he fought in battle against the army of Admiral Kolchak.
IN AND. Chapaev visited his wounded comrades in the hospital. Left - I.K. Bubenets, commander of the battalion named after Stenka Razin regiment; on the right - I.S. Kutyakov, regiment commander. 1919
Circumstances of death
The legendary military leader died during a surprise attack by the White Guards on the headquarters of the 25th division. This happened on September 5, 1919 in the city of Lbischensk, West Kazakhstan region, which was located in the rear and was well guarded. The Chapaevites felt safe here.
Chapaev's division was separated from the main forces of the Red Army and suffered heavy losses. In addition to the 2,000 Chapaevites, there were almost as many mobilized peasants in the city who did not have any weapons. Chapaev could count on six hundred bayonets. The remaining forces of the division were removed 40-70 km from the city.
Wounded in the head V.I. Chapaev (in the center) and D.A. Furmanov (to his left) with the commanders of the 25th division. 1919
The combination of these factors led to the fact that the attack of the Cossack detachment in the early morning of September 5 turned out to be disastrous for the famous division. Most of the Chapaevites were shot or captured. Only a small part of the Red Guards were able to make their way to the banks of the Ural River, Chapaev was among them. He was able to resist the advancing forces, but was wounded in the stomach.
The eldest son Alexander witnessed the last hours of the hero’s life. He said that the wounded father was placed on a raft for crossing the river, made from half a gate. However, some time later, sad news came - the commander died from great blood loss.
Death of V.I. Chapaev in the Ural River in the film “Chapaev” (1934)
Chapaev was hastily buried in the coastal sand, covered with reeds so that the Cossacks would not find the grave and violate the body. Similar information was later confirmed by other participants in the events. But the legend embodied in books and on the silver screen that the division commander died in the stormy waves of the Ural River turned out to be more tenacious.
Hundreds of streets and almost two dozen settlements, one river, a light cruiser and a large anti-submarine ship are named after Chapaev.
Personal life
Sergeant Major Chapaev with his wife Pelageya Nikanorovna. 1916
In his personal life, the Red Army division commander was not as successful as in military service.
Even before being sent to the army, Vasily met young Pelageya Metlina, the daughter of a priest. After he was decommissioned in the summer of 1909, they got married. During 6 years of marriage, they had three children - two sons and a daughter.
Chapaev's life before the outbreak of the First World War was peaceful. He, like his father, worked as a carpenter. In 1912, together with his wife and children, he moved to the city of Melekess (today it is Dimitrovgrad, Ulyanovsk region), where he settled on Chuvashskaya Street. Here his youngest son Arkady was born.
The beginning of the war radically changed the life of Vasily Ivanovich. He began fighting as part of the 82nd Infantry Division against the Germans and Austrians.
At this time, his wife Pelageya and her children went to a neighbor. Having learned about this, Chapaev rushed to his home to divorce his wife. True, he limited himself to taking the children from his wife and moving them to their parents’ house.
From an interview with the Gordon Boulevard newspaper (September 2012):
“And a few years later, Pelageya left the children and ran away from the hero, the red commander. Why?
“She fled before Chapaev became a commander, back in the imperialist era.” She ran not from Vasily, but from her father-in-law, who was strict and tough. But she loved Vasily, gave birth to three children from him, but she rarely saw her husband at home - he was always at war. And she went to the carriage driver who drove the horse-drawn carriages in Saratov. He abandoned his nine children and his paralyzed wife for her sake.
When Vasily Ivanovich died, Pelageya was pregnant with her second child from her lover. She rushed to the Chapaevs’ house to pick up the rest of the children, but her partner locked her in. Pelageya finally got out of the house and ran away in a light dress (and it was in November). On the way, she fell into a wormwood, she was miraculously saved by a peasant passing by on a cart, and brought to the Chapaevs - there she died of pneumonia.
Chapaev then entered into a close relationship with Pelageya Kamishkertseva, the widow of his friend Pyotr Kamishkertsev, who had previously died in the battles of the Carpathians. Before the war, friends promised each other that the survivor would take care of the family of the deceased friend. Chapaev kept his promise.
In 1919, the commander settled Kamishkertseva with all the children (Chapaev and a deceased friend) in the village of Klintsovka near an artillery depot.
Pelageya Kamishkertseva with all the children
However, shortly before his death, he learned about his second wife’s betrayal with the head of the artillery depot, which led him into severe moral shock.
Chapaev's children
Alexander, Claudia and Arkady Chapaevs
The eldest son, Alexander, followed in his father’s footsteps - he became a military man and went through the entire Great Patriotic War. Recognized with three Orders of the Red Banner, Suvorov III degree, Alexander Nevsky, Patriotic War I degree, Red Star and many medals.
Alexander finished his service with the rank of major general. Died in 1985. The youngest son, Arkady, became a pilot and died during a training flight on a fighter in 1939.
The only daughter, Claudia, was a party worker and spent her entire life collecting materials about her father. She passed away in 1999.
From an interview with the information portal “Today” (September 2012):
— Is it true that you named your daughter in honor of Vasily Ivanovich?
- Yes. I couldn’t give birth for a very long time and only became pregnant when I was 30 years old. Then my grandmother came up with the idea for me to go to Chapaev’s homeland. We asked the authorities of the Republic of Chuvashia to help me give birth to a division commander in my homeland. They agreed, but with one condition: if there is a son, then we call him Vasily, and if there is a daughter, then Vasilisa. I remember that I had not yet left the maternity hospital, and the first secretary of Chuvashia had already solemnly issued me a birth certificate for my daughter Vasilisa. Later, we put the baby in a cradle in the Chapaev house-museum so that the energy of the family would be transferred to the great-great-granddaughter.
Evgenia Chapaeva, great-granddaughter of Vasily Chapaev, descendant of Claudia Chapaeva, author of the book “My Unknown Chapaev”
Great-granddaughter of Chapaev Evgenia and her daughter Vasilisa. 2013
Chapaev in cinema - a new look at history
In 1923, writer Dmitry Furmanov created a novel about Vasily Ivanovich - “Chapaev”. The author served as a commissar in Chapaev's division and was personally acquainted with the commander. In 1934, a feature film of the same name was made based on the book's materials.
A year after the premiere, the film’s creators, Georgy and Sergei Vasiliev, received an award for it at the First Moscow Film Festival. The chairman of the jury was Sergei Eisenstein, one of the most talented Soviet directors.
There was such a buzz around the film that one of the cinemas showed it every day for two years. “Chapaev” gained enormous popularity in the USSR, and its plot formed the basis of folk art. People began to invent stories, create legends and jokes about the characters in the film. The film also impressed the Russian poet Osip Mandelstam. In 1935, he wrote 2 poems that contain references to episodes of the film.
Chapaev, Vasily Ivanovich
Chapaev V.I.
(1887-1919) - Carpenter by profession (from the city of Balakova), was drafted into the army during the World War. The October Revolution found him in the army, in the 138th reserve. regiment, and Ch. was chosen as regiment commander; Upon demobilization, he formed detachments of the Red Guard and with them suppressed the uprising in Balakovo and the village of Berezovo. In 1918, Ch., at the head of a detachment, set off to repel the Cossacks who had invaded Nikolaevsky (now Pugachevsky) district, successfully fulfilled the assignment and drove the Cossacks almost to Uralsk. The activities of the partisan detachment Ch. created his legendary fame. When the Czech-Slovaks attacked Samara and Pugachevsk, Ch. successfully fought against their detachments, after which he was appointed commander of the 22nd Nikolaev Division. From here he is transferred to the Ural front and wages an energetic fight against the Cossacks. After spending some time in Gen. Academy, Ch. again returned to Pugachevsk and took command of a special group, then transferred against Kolchak and took Ufa. In the spring of 1919, Ch. was sent again to the Ural front, liberated Uralsk and forced the Cossacks to retreat to Guryev in the mountains. Lbischensk Ch. was captured by surprise by a Cossack detachment and during the battle drowned in the Urals (see " Pam. boron"). The novel "Chapaev" was written about Ch. by D. Furmanov, who was at one time a political commissar in the Ch. detachment.
Chapaev, Vasily Ivanovich
(Chepaev; 1887-1919) - communist, major organizer of the red units and hero of the civil war. Ch. was born in the city of Balakovo on the Volga in the family of a multi-family carpenter. As a carpenter, Chepaev worked in the cities and numerous villages of the steppe Trans-Volga region before being called up for military service (1909). In the war of 1914-18, Chechnya was awarded four crosses of St. George for military distinctions. After being wounded, Ch. ends up in the city of Nikolaevsk (now Pugachevsk), where the October Revolution found him.
Ch. joined the party in July 1917. In August Ch. was elected commander of the 138th reserve regiment. At the district congress of workers, peasants and soldiers' deputies, Ch. was on the presidium and spoke on behalf of the Bolshevik faction, being elected to the military commissariat. In Nikolaevsk, under the leadership of the party organization, Ch. is developing military work. From the soldiers who remained in the city after demobilization, workers of flour mills and the rural poor, Ch. formed the first Red Guard detachments. At the head of the first detachment, Ch. in January 1918 suppressed kulak uprisings in Balakovo, then in Berezovo and other villages. Returning to Nikolaevsk, Ch. participates in the work of the district council. In April 1918, the Ural White Cossacks attacked the councils of the Nikolaev district and Ch. and a detachment were sent to protect them. The poor of many Trans-Volga villages knew Ch. as a carpenter, and when he began to create the first partisan detachments, hundreds of volunteers from Semenovka, Klintsovka, Sulak and other steppe villages came to Ch. The White Cossacks were under pressure; at the beginning of June 1918, Ch. with detachments approached the city of Uralsk, but the impossibility of transporting food and artillery supplies due to the destruction of the Ryazan-Ural railway. D. delays his occupation. Meanwhile, capitalist mercenaries - Czech-Slovak legionnaires - captured Nikolaevsk on July 20, and Ch. and his troops remained in the pocket between the White Cossack and White Czech forces. At this time, Ch. makes his heroic raid, having passed over 70 km into the night, and Nikolaevsk is liberated. This blow broke the junction between the two counter-revolutionary forces, and Ch.’s detachments, joining the forces of the Red Army, turned into regiments, brigades and a division (later called the 25th). In the division, Ch. received command of a brigade, which consisted of detachments organized by him directly. In the second half of August 1918, the 25th Division set out to liberate the city of Samara, and Ch. was appointed commander of the 22nd Division, which he formed until November, while simultaneously pushing the White Cossacks towards Uralsk.
In November 1918, Ch. was sent to the Military Academy, where he worked only until January 1919. By order of the RVSR, Ch. was again transferred to the Ural Front. The commander of the 4th Army, M.V. Frunze, appointed Ch. as head of the special Alexander-Gai group and entrusted him with the most responsible section of the front - the right flank. At this time, Chepaev successfully carried out the exceptionally brave Slomikha battle, vividly described in D. Furmanov’s story “Chapaev”. With Kolchak’s attack on the Volga region, Ch. was transferred at the head of the 25th division to the Samara region. Successful battles at Buzuluk and Buguruslan give Ch. the opportunity to proceed to the pursuit of the enemy, which ended with the capture of Ufa on June 9. Having received a crushing blow, Kolchak retreats to Siberia, and Ch. is transferred again to Uralsk to liberate the 22nd Division besieged there. Having made the transition at a distance of over 200 km, The 25th Division under the command of Ch. fulfills this task and drives the White Cossacks further south to Guryev. Halfway from the final goal in the city of Lbischensk, Ch. with his headquarters on the night of September 5, 1919 was surrounded by White Cossacks and after a long battle, wounded, he threw himself into the Ural River, where he died along with other soldiers. - The 25th division, awarded the Orders of the Red Banner and Lenin, is named after Ch. The city of B. is named after him. Ivashchenkovo (Trotsk), factory, state farms, collective farms. From his associates, a society was created in the Middle Volga region, numbering up to 5 thousand members. - On the 15th anniversary of the October Revolution, a monument to Chepaev was unveiled in Samara.
Lit.: Furmanov D., Chapaev, vol. 1-2, M., 1925; Kutyakov I., With Chapaev in the Ural steppes, M.-L., 1928; Streltsov I., The Red Path of the 22nd Division (Memoirs of a Chapaevets), Samara, 1930; 10 rocks on varti [Journal of the Poltava Regional Committee of the Communist Party (Bolsheviks) and Politich. viddil of the 25th Chapaev... division, 1918-28], [Poltava], 1928.
H. Streltsov.
Large biographical encyclopedia. 2009 .
See what “Chapaev, Vasily Ivanovich” is in other dictionaries:
Hero of the Civil War 1918‒20. Member of the CPSU since September 1917. Born into a poor peasant family... Great Soviet Encyclopedia
- (1887 1919) hero of the Civil War. From 1918 he commanded a detachment, a brigade and the 25th Infantry Division, which played a significant role in the defeat of the troops of A.V. Kolchak in the summer of 1919. He died in battle. The image of Chapaev is captured in the story by D. A. Furmanov Chapaev and... ... Big Encyclopedic Dictionary
The request "Vasily Chapaev" is redirected here; see also other meanings. This article should be Wikified. Please format it according to the rules for formatting articles... Wikipedia
- (1887 1919), participant in the Civil War. From 1918 he commanded a detachment, a brigade and the 25th Infantry Division of the Red Army, which played a significant role in the defeat of the troops of A.V. Kolchak in the summer of 1919. He died in battle. The image of Chapaev is captured in the novel... ... encyclopedic Dictionary
Chapaev, Vasily Ivanovich- (28.01 (09.02).1887, village of Budaiki (Cheboksary) 05.09.1919, approx. Lbischensk) prominent site. citizen war. From the cross. He served in a merchant's shop (1901), a carpenter's apprentice (1903), a carpenter. Drafted into the army (1908). Demobilized due to illness. Since 1910 carpenter in... ... Ural Historical Encyclopedia
Vasily Ivanovich: Vasily Ivanovich (1479 1533) Grand Duke of Moscow Vasily III. Vasily Ivanovich Prince of Bryansk, son of Ivan Alexandrovich Smolensky. Vasily Ivanovich Shemyachich (d. 1529) Prince of Novgorod Seversky and ... ... Wikipedia
Vasily Ivanovich Chapaev January 28 (February 9) 1887 (18870209) September 5, 1919 Place of birth ... Wikipedia
CHAPAEV Vasily Ivanovich- Vasily Ivanovich (18871919), participant of the Civil. war. From 1918 he commanded a detachment, a brigade and the 25th rifleman. division that played means. role in the defeat of A.V. Kolchak’s troops in the summer of 1919. Killed in battle. The image of Ch. is captured in the story by D.A. Furmanova... ... Biographical Dictionary
Books
- Vasily Ivanovich Chapaev. Essay on life, revolutionary and military activity, A. V. Chapaev, K. V. Chapaeva, Ya. A. Volodikhin. The book, on a strictly documentary basis, shows in its entirety the labor, military and socio-political activities of the hero of the civil war, the famous division commander V.I. Chapaev. Book…
Name: Vasiliy Chapaev
Age: 32 years
Place of Birth: Budaika village, Chuvashia
A place of death: Lbischensk, Ural region
Activity: Chief of the Red Army
Family status: Was married
Vasily Chapaev - biography
September 5 marks the 97th anniversary of his death Vasily Chapaeva- the most famous and at the same time the most unknown hero of the civil war. His true identity is hidden under a layer of legends created both by official propaganda and the popular imagination.
Legends begin with the very birth of the future division commander. Everywhere they write that he was born on January 28 (old style) 1887 in the family of a Russian peasant Ivan Chapaev. However, his surname does not seem Russian, especially in the “Chepaev” version, as Vasily Ivanovich himself wrote it. In his native village of Budaika, the majority of Chuvash people lived, and today the residents of Chuvashia confidently consider Chapaev-Chepaev as one of their own. True, neighbors argue with them, finding Mordovian or Mari roots in the surname. The hero’s descendants have a different version - his grandfather, while working on a timber rafting site, kept shouting to his comrades “chapay”, that is, “catch on” in the local dialect.
But no matter who Chapaev’s ancestors were, by the time of his birth they had long been Russified, and his uncle even served as a priest. They wanted to direct young Vasya to the spiritual path - he was small in stature, weak and unsuitable for hard peasant labor. Church service provided at least some opportunity to escape from the poverty in which the family lived. Although Ivan Stepanovich was a skilled carpenter, his loved ones constantly subsisted on bread and kvass; out of six children, only three survived.
When Vasya was eight years old, the family moved to the village - now the city - Balakovo, where his father found work in a carpentry artel. An uncle-priest also lived there, to whom Vasya was sent to study. Their relationship did not work out - the nephew did not want to study and, moreover, was not obedient. One winter, in severe frost, his uncle locked him in a cold barn for the night for some other offense. To avoid freezing, the boy somehow got out of the barn and ran home. This is where his spiritual biography ended before it even began.
Chapaev recalled the early years of his biography without any nostalgia: “My childhood was gloomy and difficult. I had to humiliate myself and starve a lot. From an early age I hung around strangers.” He helped his father do carpentry, worked as a sex worker in a tavern, and even walked around with a barrel organ, like Seryozha from Kuprin’s “White Poodle.” Although this may be fiction - Vasily Ivanovich loved to invent all sorts of stories about himself.
For example, he once joked that it stems from a passionate romance between a gypsy tramp and the daughter of the Kazan governor. And since there is little reliable information about Chapaev’s life before the Red Army - he did not have time to tell his children anything, there were no other relatives left, this fiction ended up in his biography, written by Chapaev’s commissar Dmitry Furmanov.
At the age of twenty, Vasily fell in love with the beautiful Pelageya Metlina. By that time, the Chapaev family had gotten out of poverty, Vasya dressed up and easily charmed the girl, who had just turned sixteen. The wedding had barely taken place when, in the fall of 1908, the newlywed joined the army. He liked military science, but he didn’t like marching in formation and punching officers. Chapaev, with his proud and independent disposition, did not wait until the end of his service and was demobilized due to illness. A peaceful family life began - he worked as a carpenter, and his wife gave birth to children one after another: Alexander, Claudia, Arkady.
As soon as the last one was born in 1914, Vasily Ivanovich was again recruited as a soldier - the world war began. During two years of fighting in Galicia, he rose from private to sergeant major and was awarded the St. George Medal and four soldiers' Crosses of St. George, which spoke of extreme bravery. By the way, he served in the infantry, he was never a dashing rider - unlike Chapaev from the film of the same name - and after being wounded he could not ride a horse at all. In Galicia, Chapaev was wounded three times, the last time so seriously that after long treatment he was sent to serve in the rear, in his native Volga region.
The return home was not joyful. While Chapaev was fighting, Pelageya got along with the conductor and left with him, leaving her husband and three children. According to legend, Vasily ran for a long time after her cart, begged to stay, even cried, but the beauty firmly decided that an important railway rank suited her more than the heroic, but poor and also wounded Chapaev. Pelageya, however, did not live long with her new husband - she died of typhus. And Vasily Ivanovich married again, keeping his word to his fallen comrade Pyotr Kameshkertsev. His widow, also Pelageya, but middle-aged and ugly, became the hero’s new companion and took his children into the house in addition to her three.
After the revolution of 1917 in the city of Nikolaevsk, where Chapaev was transferred to serve, the soldiers of the 138th reserve regiment chose him as regimental commander. Thanks to his efforts, the regiment did not go home, like many others, but almost in full force joined the Red Army.
The Chapaevsky regiment found a job in May 1918, when civil war broke out in Russia. The rebel Czechoslovaks, in alliance with local White Guards, captured the entire east of the country and sought to cut the Volga artery, through which grain was delivered to the center. In the cities of the Volga region, the whites staged riots: one of them took the life of Chapaev’s brother, Grigory, the Balakovo military commissar. Chapaev took all the money from another brother, Mikhail, who owned a shop and accumulated considerable capital, using it to equip his regiment.
Having distinguished himself in heavy battles with the Ural Cossacks, who sided with the whites, Chapaev was chosen by the fighters as commander of the Nikolaev division. By that time, such elections were prohibited in the Red Army, and an angry telegram was sent down from above: Chapaev could not command the division because “he does not have the appropriate training, is infected with a delusion of autocracy, and does not carry out military orders exactly.”
However, the removal of a popular commander could turn into a riot. And then the staff strategists sent Chapaev with his division against the three times superior forces of the Samara “constituent” - it seemed to certain death. However, the division commander came up with a cunning plan to lure the enemy into a trap, and completely defeated him. Samara was soon taken, and the Whites retreated to the steppes between the Volga and the Urals, where Chapaev chased them until November.
This month, the capable commander was sent to study in Moscow, at the General Staff Academy. Upon admission, he filled out the following form:
“Are you an active party member? What was your activity like?
I belong. Formed 7 regiments of the Red Army.
What awards do you have?
Knight of St. George 4 degrees. The watch was handed over.
What general education did you receive?
Self-Taught."
Having recognized Chapaev as “almost illiterate,” he was nevertheless accepted as “having revolutionary combat experience.” The questionnaire data is supplemented by an anonymous description of the division commander, preserved in the Cheboksary Memorial Museum: “He was not brought up and did not have self-control in dealing with people. He was often rude and cruel... He was a weak politician, but he was a real revolutionary, an excellent communard in life and a noble, selfless fighter for communism... There were times when he could seem frivolous...”
Basically. Chapaev was the same partisan commander as Father Makhno, and he was uncomfortable at the academy. When some military expert in a military history class sarcastically asked if he knew the Rhine River. Chapaev, who fought in Europe during the German War, nevertheless answered boldly: “Why the hell do I need your Rhine? It’s on Solyanka that I have to know every bump, because we’re fighting the Cossacks there.”
After several similar skirmishes, Vasily Ivanovich asked to be sent back to the front. The army authorities complied with the request, but in a strange way - Chapaev had to create a new division literally from scratch. In a dispatch to Trotsky, he was indignant: “I bring to your attention, I am exhausted... You appointed me head of the division, but instead of the division you gave me a disheveled brigade with only 1000 bayonets... They don’t give me rifles, there are no overcoats, people are undressed " And yet, in a short time, he managed to create a division of 14 thousand bayonets and inflict a heavy defeat on Kolchak’s army, defeating its most combat-ready units, consisting of Izhevsk workers.
It was at this time, in March 1919, that a new commissar appeared in the 25th Chapaev Division - Dmitry Furmanov. This dropout student was four years younger than Chapaev and dreamed of a literary career. This is how he describes their meeting:
“Early in March, at about 5-6 o’clock, they knocked on my door. I go out:
I am Chapaev, hello!
In front of me stood an ordinary man, lean, of average height, apparently of little strength, with thin, almost feminine hands. Thin dark brown hair stuck to his forehead; a short nervous thin nose, thin eyebrows in a chain, thin lips, shiny clean teeth, a shaved chin, a lush sergeant-major mustache. Eyes... light blue, almost green. The face is matte-clean and fresh.”
In the novel “Chapaev,” which Furmanov published in 1923, Chapaev generally appears at first as an unattractive character and, moreover, a real savage in the ideological sense - he spoke “for the Bolsheviks, but against the communists.” However, under the influence of Furmanov, by the end of the novel he becomes a convinced party member. In reality, the division commander never joined the All-Union Communist Party (Bolsheviks), not trusting the party leadership too much, and it seems that these feelings were mutual - the same Trotsky saw in Chapaev a stubborn supporter of the “partisanism” he hated and, if necessary, could well have shot him, as commander of the Second Cavalry Army of Mironov.
Chapaev’s relationship with Furmanov was also not as warm as the latter tried to show. The reason for this is the lyrical story at the headquarters of the 25th, which became known from Furman’s diaries, which were recently declassified. It turned out that the division commander began to quite openly court the commissar’s wife, Anna Steshenko, a young and pretty failed actress. By that time, Vasily Chapaev’s second wife had also left him: she cheated on the division commander with a supply officer. Having once arrived home on leave, Vasily Ivanovich found the lovers in bed and, according to one version, drove them both under the bed with shots over their heads.
On the other hand, he simply turned around and went back to the front. After this, he flatly refused to see the traitor, although later she came to his regiment to make peace, taking with her Chapaev’s youngest son, Arkady. I thought I would pacify my husband’s anger with this - he adored children, during a short rest he played tag with them and made toys. As a result, Chapaev took the children, giving them to be raised by some widow, and divorced his treacherous wife. Later, a rumor spread that she was the culprit in Chapaev’s death, since she had betrayed him to the Cossacks. Under the weight of suspicion, Pelageya Kameshkertseva went crazy and died in a hospital.
Having become a bachelor, Chapaev turned his feelings to Furmanov’s wife. Having seen his letters with the signature “Chapaev, who loves you,” the commissioner, in turn, wrote an angry letter to the division commander, in which he called him “a dirty, depraved little man”: “There is nothing to be jealous of a low person, and I, of course, was not jealous of her, but I was I am deeply outraged by the impudent courtship and constant pestering that Anna Nikitichna repeatedly told me about.”
Chapaev’s reaction is unknown, but soon Furmanov sent a complaint to the front commander Frunze about the “offensive actions” of the division commander, “reaching assault.” As a result, Frunze allowed him and his wife to leave the division, which saved Furmanov’s life - a month later Chapaev, along with his entire staff and the new commissar Baturin, died.
In June 1919, the Chapaevites took Ufa, and the division commander himself was wounded in the head while crossing the high-water Belaya River. The Kolchak garrison of thousands fled, abandoning ammunition warehouses. The secret of Chapaev’s victories was the speed, pressure and “little tricks” of the people’s war. For example, near Ufa, he is said to have driven a herd of cattle towards the enemy, raising clouds of dust.
Deciding that Chapaev had a huge army, the whites began to flee. It is possible, however, that this is a myth - the same as those from time immemorial that have been told about Alexander the Great or. It’s not without reason that even before the popular cult in the Volga region, fairy tales were written about Chapaev - “Chapai flies into battle in a black cloak, they shoot at him, but he doesn’t care. After the battle, he shakes his cloak - and from there all the bullets come out intact.”
Another tale is that Chapaev invented the cart. In fact, this innovation first appeared in the peasant army, from which it was borrowed by the Reds. Vasily Ivanovich quickly realized the advantages of a cart with a machine gun, although he himself preferred cars. Chapaev had a scarlet Stever confiscated from some bourgeois, a blue Packard and a miracle of technology - a yellow high-speed Ford that reached speeds of up to 50 km per hour. Having installed the same machine gun on it as on the cart, the division commander would almost single-handedly knock out the enemy from captured villages.
After the capture of Ufa, Chapaev's division headed south, trying to break through to the Caspian Sea. The division headquarters with a small garrison (up to 2000 soldiers) remained in the town of Lbischensk; the remaining units went forward. On the night of September 5, 1919, a Cossack detachment under the command of General Borodin quietly crept up to the city and surrounded it. The Cossacks not only knew that the hated Chapai was in Lbischensk, but also had a good idea of the balance of power of the Reds. Moreover, the horse patrols that usually guarded the headquarters were for some reason removed, and the division's airplanes, conducting aerial reconnaissance, turned out to be faulty. This suggests a betrayal that was not the work of the ill-fated Pelageya, but of one of the staff members - former officers.
It seems that Chapaev still did not overcome all his “frivolous” qualities - in a sober state, he and his assistants would hardly have missed the approach of the enemy. Waking up from the shooting, they rushed to the river in their underwear, shooting back as they went. The Cossacks fired after. Chapaev was wounded in the arm (according to another version, in the stomach). Three fighters took him down a sandy cliff to the river. Furmanov briefly described what happened next, according to eyewitness accounts: “All four rushed in and swam. Two were killed at the same moment, as soon as they touched the water. The two were swimming, they were already close to the shore - and at that moment a predatory bullet hit Chapaev in the head. When the companion, who had crawled into the sedge, looked back, there was no one behind: Chapaev drowned in the waves of the Urals...”
But there is another version: in the 60s, Chapaev’s daughter received a letter from Hungarian soldiers who fought in the 25th division. The letter said that the Hungarians transported the wounded Chapaev across the river on a raft, but on the shore he died from loss of blood and was buried there. Attempts to find the grave led nowhere - the Urals had changed its course by that time, and the bank opposite Lbischensk was flooded.
Recently an even more sensational version appeared - Chapaev was captured, went over to the side of the whites and died in exile. There is no confirmation of this version, although the division commander could indeed have been captured. In any case, the newspaper “Krasnoyarsky Rabochiy” reported on March 9, 1926 that “Kolchak’s officer Trofimov-Mirsky was arrested in Penza, who admitted that he killed in 1919 the head of the division, Chapaev, who was captured and enjoyed legendary fame.”
Vasily Ivanovich died at 32 years old. Without a doubt, he could have become one of the prominent commanders of the Red Army - and, most likely, would have died in 1937, like his comrade-in-arms and first biographer Ivan Kutyakov, like many other Chapaevites. But it turned out differently - Chapaev, who fell at the hands of his enemies, took a prominent place in the pantheon of Soviet heroes, from where many more significant figures were erased. The heroic legend began with Furmanov's novel. “Chapaev” became the first big work of the commissar who went into literature. It was followed by the novel “Mutiny” about the anti-Soviet uprising in Semirechye - Furmanov also observed it personally. In March 1926, the writer's career was cut short by sudden death from meningitis.
The writer's widow, Anna Steshenko-Furmanova, fulfilled her dream by becoming the director of the theater (in the Chapaev division she headed the cultural and educational part). Out of love either for her husband or for Chapaev, she decided to bring the story of the legendary division commander to life on stage, but in the end the play she conceived turned into a film script, published in 1933 in the magazine “Literary Contemporary”.
Soon, the young filmmakers with the same names, Georgy and Sergey Vasiliev, decided to film a film based on the script. Already at the initial stage of work on the film, Stalin intervened in the process, always keeping film production under his personal control. Through the film bosses, he conveyed a wish to the directors of “Chapaev”: to complement the picture with a love line, introducing into it a young fighter and a girl from the people - “a kind of pretty machine gunner.”
The desired fighter became a glimpse of Petka Furmanov - "Little thin Black Mazik." There was also a “machine gunner” - Maria Popova, who actually served as a nurse in the Chapaev division. In one of the battles, a wounded machine gunner forced her to lie down behind the Maxim trigger: “Press it, otherwise I’ll shoot you!” The lines stopped the Whites' attack, and after the battle the girl received a gold watch from the division commander's hands. True, Maria’s combat experience was limited to this. Anna Furmanova didn’t have this either, but she gave the heroine of the film her name - and that’s how Anka the Machine Gunner appeared.
This saved Anna Nikitichna in 1937, when her second husband, the red commander Lajos Gavro, the “Hungarian Chapaev,” was shot. Maria Popova was also lucky - after seeing Anka in the cinema, a pleased Stalin helped her prototype make a career. Maria Andreevna became a diplomat, worked in Europe for a long time, and along the way wrote a famous song:
Chapaev the hero was walking around the Urals.
He was eager to fight with his enemies like a falcon...
Go ahead, comrades, don’t dare retreat.
Chapaevites bravely got used to dying!
They say that shortly before Maria Popova's death in 1981, a whole delegation of nurses came to her hospital to ask if she loved Petka. “Of course,” she answered, although in reality it was unlikely that anything connected her with Pyotr Isaev. After all, he was not a boy-guarantor, but a regiment commander, an employee of the Chapaev headquarters. And he died, as they say, not while crossing the Urals with his commander, but a year later. They say that on the anniversary of Chapaev’s death, he got drunk half to death, wandered to the shore of the Urals, and exclaimed: “I didn’t save Chapai!” - and shot himself in the temple. Of course, this is also a legend - it seems that literally everything that surrounded Vasily Ivanovich became legendary.
In the film, Petka was played by Leonid Kmit, who remained “an actor of one role,” like Boris Blinov - Furmanov. And Boris Babochkin, who played a lot in the theater, was first and foremost Chapaev for everyone. Participants in the Civil War, including Vasily Ivanovich’s friends, noted his 100% fit into the image. By the way, at first Vasily Vanin was appointed to the role of Chapaev, and 30-year-old Babochkin was to play Petka. They say that it was the same Anna Furmanova who insisted on the “castling”, who decided that Babochkin was more like her hero.
The directors agreed and generally hedged their bets as best they could. In case of accusations of excessive tragedy, there was another, optimistic ending - in a beautiful apple orchard, Anka plays with the children, Petka, already the division commander, approaches them. Chapaev’s voice is heard behind the scenes: “Get married, you’ll work together. The war will end, life will be wonderful. Do you know what life will be like? There’s no need to die!”
As a result, this suspense was avoided, and the film by the Vasilyev brothers, released in November 1934, became the first Soviet blockbuster - huge queues lined up at the Udarnik cinema, where it was shown. Entire factories marched there in columns, carrying the slogans “We are going to see Chapaev.” The film received high awards not only at the First Moscow Film Festival in 1935, but also in Paris and New York. The directors and Babochkin received the Stalin Prize, the actress Varvara Myasnikova, who played Anna, received the Order of the Red Banner of Labor.
Stalin himself watched the film thirty times, not much different from the boys of the 30s - they entered the cinema halls over and over again, hoping that someday Chapai would emerge. Interestingly, this is what ultimately happened - in 1941, in one of the propaganda film collections, Boris Babochkin, famous for his role as Chapaev, emerged unharmed from the waves of the Urals and set off, calling soldiers behind him, to beat the Nazis. Few people saw this movie, but the rumor about the miraculous resurrection finally cemented the myth about the hero.
Chapaev's popularity was great even before the film, but after it it turned into a real cult. A city in the Samara region, dozens of collective farms, and hundreds of streets were named after the division commander. His memorial museums appeared in Pugachev (formerly Nikolaevsk). Lbischensk, the village of Krasny Yar, and later in Cheboksary, within the city limits of which was the village of Budaika. As for the 25th division, it received the name Chapaev immediately after the death of its commander and still bears it.
The nationwide popularity also affected Chapaev’s children. His senior commander, Alexander, became an artillery officer, went through the war, and rose to the rank of major general. The younger one, Arkady, went into aviation, was a friend of Chkalov and, like him, died before the war while testing a new fighter. The faithful keeper of her father’s memory was her daughter Claudia, who, after the death of her parents, almost died of hunger and wandered around orphanages, but the title of daughter of a hero helped her make a party career. By the way, neither Klavdia Vasilievna nor her descendants tried to fight the anecdotes about Chapaev that passed from mouth to mouth (and now published many times). And this is understandable: in most jokes Chapai appears as a rude, simple-minded, but very likeable person. The same as the hero of the novel, film and all official myth.
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Biography, life story of Vasily Ivanovich Chapaev
Chapaev Vasily Ivanovich - participant in the First World War, participant in the Civil War, head of a division of the Red Army.Childhood and youth
Vasily Chapaev was born on January 28 (new style - February 9), 1887 in the village of Budaika (Cheboksary district, Kazan province). His parents were simple peasants. His father Ivan Stepanovich was Erzei by nationality, his mother Ekaterina Semenovna was of Russian-Chuvash origin. The family had many children. Vasily became the sixth child.
When Vasily was still small, the Chapaev family moved to Balakovo (Samara province). There the boy was sent to a parochial school. Ivan Stepanovich dreamed of his son becoming a priest, but Vasily did not live up to his father’s hopes. In 1908, the young man was drafted into the army. By distribution he ended up in Kyiv. However, a year later Vasily was returned to the reserve. According to the official version, this was due to his ill health, but many historians are inclined to believe that Chapaev was expelled from the ranks of the soldiers due to his political views, which were objectionable to the leadership.
In peacetime, Vasily Chapaev worked as a simple carpenter in Melekess (today this city is called Dimitrovograd).
Military service
In 1914, with the outbreak of the First World War, Vasily Chapaev was called up for military service. He ended up in a reserve infantry regiment in Atkarsk. At the beginning of 1915, Chapaev found himself at the front, in the very center of hostilities. He fought in Volyn and Galicia and was seriously wounded. In the summer of 1915, Vasily graduated from the training team and was awarded the rank of junior non-commissioned officer. A few months later he was promoted to senior. By the end of the war, Vasily was a sergeant major. For the courage and bravery shown during the battles, he was awarded the St. George's Cross and the St. George's Medal.
The revolution of 1917 found Vasily Chapaev in a hospital in Saratov. After some time, Chapaev became a member of the Russian Social Democratic Labor Party. Later he became the military commissar of the Nikolaev district (before that he commanded an infantry reserve regiment in Nikolaevsk). Vasily Chapaev created a district Red Guard, consisting of 14 detachments, and took part in a campaign against General Alexei Kaledin, a supporter of the White movement. He was the initiator of the reorganization of the Red Guard detachments into two regiments of the Red Army, united under his command into the Pugachev brigade. Chapaev also took part in battles with the People's Army, from which he recaptured Nikolaevsk and, in honor of his victory, renamed it Pugachev.
CONTINUED BELOW
In 1918, Vasily Ivanovich was appointed to the post of commander of the 2nd Nikolaev Division, then worked at the Academy of the General Staff. He was the Commissioner of Internal Affairs of the Nikolaevsky district. In 1919, he became the brigade commander of the Special Alexandrovo-Gai Brigade. In the same year, he took the post of chief of the 25th Infantry Division, which participated in the Bugulma and Belebeyevskaya operations against, the leader of the White movement. During one of the battles during the capture of Ufa, Chapaev was wounded in the head.
Death
Vasily Chapaev was killed on September 5, 1919 during a surprise attack on his division by White Cossacks. This happened in Lbischensk (Ural region). The organizer of the deep raid was General Nikolai Borodin. The main target of the attack was Vasily Chapaev, who was a huge obstacle for the White movement.
According to another version, Vasily Ivanovich died in captivity.
Family
On July 5, 1909, Vasily Chapaev married Pelageya Metlina, the 17-year-old daughter of a priest. The couple lived together for 6 years, during which time Pelageya managed to give birth to Vasily three children - sons Alexander and Arkady and daughter Claudia. When Chapaev was called to the front, Metlina lived for some time in his parents’ house, but then, taking the children, she went to live with a neighbor, a conductor.
In 1917, Vasily came home with the goal of divorcing his unfaithful wife, but in the end he limited himself to only taking the children from her and settling them with his grandparents. Soon, Chapaev began a relationship with Pelageya Kamishkertseva, the wife of his late friend Pyotr Kamishkertsev (before this, the friends agreed that if one of them was killed, the second would certainly take care of the family of the deceased). In 1919, Vasily Chapaev settled Pelageya with his and her children from Peter in the village of Klintsovka. Shortly before his death, Vasily learned that his beloved had cheated on him with Georgy Zhivolozhnov, the head of the artillery depot.
In the last years of his life, Vasily Chapaev maintained relationships with Tatyana, the daughter of a Cossack colonel, and Anna, the wife of Commissar Furmanov.