The Fate of Admiral Kolchak

by Peter Fleming

One needs to remember the Russian Revolution began in the Navy, that its first victims were officers, systematically butchered and stuffed into boilers. It helps us to understand why Kolchak, former commander of Russia's Black Sea Fleet, hated the Reds.

He led a counter revolution centered in Omsk, where he was installed as Supreme Ruler of All the Russias. Despite the gingerly support of American, British, French and Japanese forces, Omsk fell to the Red Army, doomed by its corruption and incompetence.

Kolchak was handed over to the Soviets. This book throws light on Kolchak's nine-day interrogation in gaol and his fate.

Genres: History, Russia, Biography

253 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1963

About the author

Adventurer and travel writer. A brother of James Bond author Ian Fleming, he married actress Celia Johnson in 1935 and worked on military deception operations in World War II. He was a grandson of the Scottish financier Robert Fleming, who founded the Scottish American Investment Trust and the merchant bank Robert Fleming & Co.

Reviews

[Feliks · Rating 4 out of 5]

There are some peoples who will never earn--nor merit-- the distinction of being labelled a 'nation'. Murderers --savages--brutal, lawless rabble--never deserve any such compunction. This is a horrifying episode in the history of such a people. That's the first impression I gain from this superb book.

During the latter stages of WWI--while attention (then and now) was focused much more so on the trenches in Belgium and France; similar primitivism and barbarism were being brought to a high pitch in the far-away reaches of the East. Did you know that America, France, Japan, & Britain all landed troops in Siberia during the Bolshevik uprising?

Assembling the facts of the various debacles that took place there--scrutinizing them--evaluating the men who took part in them, summing up their decision-making, their actions, their honour or lack of honour--that's the purpose of this entertaining work of nonfiction. It's a worthwhile task; sobering and mortifying at the same time...to review what men are capable of when the chips-are-down.

The story of this one particularly odd individual--Admiral Kolchak--is very singular indeed. A lodestone for his age, perhaps. He was stamped with the emphatically foolish heroism of the 1800s. This is a man who --of his own volition, out of his own strange sense of gesture--cast himself willingly among various bands of brigands and cutthroats. The lesson he exemplifies is this: never volunteer for anything. Never trust other men's word. He allowed himself to be used as a figurehead and was --as figureheads always are--dashed to the ground. But all that being said: what a man. His is a stirring story, and an indictment of the men around him in the early 1910s.

Written in the classical manner of historical nonfiction by Peter Fleming, intrepid adventurer and reporter--older brother of young Ian Fleming--this rich tale is immensely readable, entertaining, and sagacious. It is sumptuous but also economically told--it exemplifies the great lineage of historical journalism.

There's just no denying that its a very handsome book. I'm proud to own it; proud to have it on my bookshelf. It possesses many merits (and all of them in heaping measure): author's preface, author's dedication, list of illustrations and maps, brief sections of 'just photos only', footnotes, index, bibliography, glossary.

The prose is eloquent and exquisite; in the best British format. Fleming's pace is deliberate, perspicacious, and thoughtful. He takes intricate bits-of-history and makes them lucid and marvellous. I can think of no one else better than this gentleman to investigate this terrible wartime episode and deliver--as he does--the subtlest and finest verdict on it.

It's extremely likely that I will continue to read further works by this author. Bravo!

[A.L. Sowards · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book covered a lot about the Russian Civil War, the Allied intervention, and (as the title suggests) Admiral Kolchak’s regime in Siberia. I liked that the author tried to give perspectives of all the parties involved—why the Bolsheviks were concerned about this, why the Czechs were worried about that. It would be easy to describe events in terms that wrote several groups off as just plain evil, but instead he gave understanding to their motives, fears, and goals. I enjoyed the writing style and would give this 4+ stars. A good option for anyone interested in the Russian Civil War or the Allied Intervention.

[Max Nemtsov · Rating 4 out of 5]

Довольно ехидный — но от этого не менее познавательный — очерк истории интервенции: англичане в нем, конечно, оправдываются, да и у самого Колчака педалируется то, что он был английским добровольцем (хотя это было в его фигуре, как мы понимаем, не главное). Зато эта точка зрения позволяет острее показать подлость чехов и французов, да и, к чести автора, к самим англичанам и их политике он относится вполне критически.
Перевод анонимный — мне не удалось отыскать упоминаний о переводчике и редакторе, хотя сноски, подписанные ими в книге присутствуют. Зная чудовищного издателя книги (Центрполиграф), не удивлюсь, если и в самой физической книге их нет. Но перевод, как ни странно, в общем, ОК, есть лишь незначительные продрочки, вызванные недостаточным владением темой (пара искаженных ДВ-топонимов или то, что сам Флеминг и Майяр называются «двумя юношами») и недостатками редактуры. Но книга, в общем, годная.

[Jan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Somewhat rambling account of the confused activities of Allied interventions and White-russian during the Russian Civil War. The proposed main character disappears somewhat in the discussion og motives and policies of Allied intervention, the fate of the Czech legion etc. But as an appetiser for a more in-depth study of the Russian Civil War the book could be much worse.

[Christopher Saunders · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short account of the Russian Civil War and Allied intervention, focusing on Aleksandr Kolchak's doomed All-Russian Government. Fleming does an able job mixing political analysis with narrative history: all the players, from Allied statesmen to Russian revolutionaries and reactionaries, come through clearly, as do their roles and motivations in this complicated drama. Fleming critiques Kolchak's misrule but expresses sympathy for the man himself, a brave sailor out of his depth running a country (even a ramshackle republic). Inevitably aspects of his account are ill-phrased; were the Czech Legions really craven traitors for wanting to get back to their home country instead of remaining pawns of foreign powers? But you allow certain prejudices and outdated analysis with a book written 50 years ago.