Evgeny Messner (russian: Евгений Эдуардович Месснер, german: Eugen Messner; 1891–1974) was a Russian professional soldier and military theorist. A
Russian German, he became an officer of the
Imperial Russian Army
The Imperial Russian Army (russian: Ру́сская импера́торская а́рмия, tr. ) was the armed land force of the Russian Empire, active from around 1721 to the Russian Revolution of 1917. In the early 1850s, the Russian Ar ...
. During the
Russian Civil War he sided with the
White movement and fought against the Bolsheviks, notably as the last chief of staff of
Kornilov Division Kornilov (russian: Корни́лов) and Kornilova (feminine; ) is a common Russian surname derived from the baptismal name Kornil ( la, Cornelius). Notable people with this surname include:
* Aleksandr Kornilov (1862–1925), Russian histor ...
of the Army of
General Wrangel
Baron Pyotr Nikolayevich Wrangel (russian: Пётр Никола́евич барон Вра́нгель, translit=Pëtr Nikoláevič Vrángel', p=ˈvranɡʲɪlʲ, german: Freiherr Peter Nikolaus von Wrangel; April 25, 1928), also known by his ni ...
.
After the war, Messner fled to
Yugoslavia as one of notable
White émigrées. He settled in
Belgrade
Belgrade ( , ;, ; Names of European cities in different languages: B, names in other languages) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Serbia, largest city in Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers a ...
where he remained an active member of the
Russian All-Military Union and a professor at the
Higher Military Courses of Belgrade. During
World War II, as an ardent
anti-communist
Anti-communism is Political movement, political and Ideology, ideological opposition to communism. Organized anti-communism developed after the 1917 October Revolution in the Russian Empire, and it reached global dimensions during the Cold War, w ...
he sided with the
Axis powers and the
Russian Liberation Movement, and briefly served in the propaganda services of the
Wehrmacht as head of the Russian section. In early 1945, Messner returned to active front-line service as a Major in
Boris Smyslovsky's
1st Russian National Army russian: 1ая. Русская национальная армия
, image = First Russian National Army - 2.svg
, image_size =
, alt =
, caption = Patc ...
.
Through Liechtenstein Messner and his family moved in 1947 to Argentina, where he continued his earlier work as a journalist, publisher, writer and military theorist.
Messner's most well-known publication, "Mutiny, or the name of the Third World War" (russian: Мятеж — имя третьей всемирной), predicted that the future wars would be waged by small terrorist cells and special forces, gaining influence by subversion and organised revolutions rather than through traditional warfare.
Messner died in
Buenos Aires in 1974 and was buried at the
British Cemetery there.
1891 births
1974 deaths
Anti-communists from the Russian Empire
Recipients of the Order of St. Vladimir, 4th class
Recipients of the Order of St. Anna, 4th class
Recipients of the Order of St. George
Recipients of the Order of Saint Stanislaus (Russian), 2nd class
White Russian emigrants to Yugoslavia
Military theorists
Military personnel from Odesa
Nazis in Argentina
{{russia-mil-bio-stub
White Russian emigrants to Argentina
White movement collaborators with Nazi Germany