Vasily Yegorovich Flug (March 19, 1860 – December 3, 1955) was an
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 ...
General of the Infantry General of the Infantry is a military rank of a General officer in the infantry and refers to:
* General of the Infantry (Austria)
* General of the Infantry (Bulgaria)
* General of the Infantry (Germany) ('), a rank of a general in the German Impe ...
. A career military officer, he served in the
Boxer Rebellion
The Boxer Rebellion, also known as the Boxer Uprising, the Boxer Insurrection, or the Yihetuan Movement, was an anti-foreign, anti-colonial, and anti-Christian uprising in China between 1899 and 1901, towards the end of the Qing dynasty, by ...
,
Russo-Japanese War
The Russo-Japanese War ( ja, 日露戦争, Nichiro sensō, Japanese-Russian War; russian: Ру́сско-япóнская войнá, Rússko-yapónskaya voyná) was fought between the Empire of Japan and the Russian Empire during 1904 and 1 ...
, and
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
, before joining the
White movement during the
Russian Civil War
, date = October Revolution, 7 November 1917 – Yakut revolt, 16 June 1923{{Efn, The main phase ended on 25 October 1922. Revolt against the Bolsheviks continued Basmachi movement, in Central Asia and Tungus Republic, the Far East th ...
. Like many other officers, he went into exile after the end of the Russian Civil War, initially moving to
Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia (; sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Jugoslavija, Југославија ; sl, Jugoslavija ; mk, Југославија ;; rup, Iugoslavia; hu, Jugoszlávia; rue, label=Pannonian Rusyn, Югославия, translit=Juhoslavija ...
. After
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
, Flug went to the United States, where he died.
Biography
Flug graduated from the
2nd Saint Petersburg Military Gymnasium in 1877 and the
Mikhailovsky Artillery Academy
Russia has a number of military academies of different specialties. This article primarily lists institutions of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation rather than those of the Soviet Armed Forces.
Russian institutions designated as an "acad ...
in 1880 with the rank of
second lieutenant
Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces, comparable to NATO OF-1 rank.
Australia
The rank of second lieutenant existed in the military forces of the Australian colonies and Australian Army until ...
, being first assigned to the 7th Horse Artillery Battery. Upon his graduation from the
General Staff Academy in 1890, he was appointed head of the drilling staff department of the
Vladivostok Fortress
Vladivostok Fortress is a system of fortifications built from 1889 to 1918 in Vladivostok, Russia, and the surrounding area.
During construction, lessons from the Russo-Japanese War were taken into account, so that this is the most fortified ...
on November 26 of that year. From October 4, 1893, Flug served as a squadron commander in the
11th Kharkov Dragoon Regiment. He transferred to become a senior
adjutant
Adjutant is a military appointment given to an officer who assists the commanding officer with unit administration, mostly the management of human resources in an army unit. The term is used in French-speaking armed forces as a non-commission ...
of the
Caucasian Grenadier Division on October 6, 1894.
Far East service
![Flug 1900](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d1/Flug_1900.jpg)
On February 16, 1896, Flug became a staff officer at the headquarters of the
2nd East Siberian Rifle Brigade, stationed in the
Russian Far East
The Russian Far East (russian: Дальний Восток России, r=Dal'niy Vostok Rossii, p=ˈdalʲnʲɪj vɐˈstok rɐˈsʲiɪ) is a region in Northeast Asia. It is the easternmost part of Russia and the Asian continent; and is admini ...
. He participated in the
Russian invasion of Manchuria
The Russian invasion of Manchuria occurred in the aftermath of the First Sino-Japanese War (1894–1895) when concerns regarding Qing dynasty, Qing China's defeat by the Empire of Japan, and Japan's brief occupation of Liaodong Peninsula, L ...
during the
Boxer Rebellion
The Boxer Rebellion, also known as the Boxer Uprising, the Boxer Insurrection, or the Yihetuan Movement, was an anti-foreign, anti-colonial, and anti-Christian uprising in China between 1899 and 1901, towards the end of the Qing dynasty, by ...
in 1900 and 1901. On July 22, 1900, he became head of the military staff department of the
Kwantung Oblast. For his actions during the capture of
Lutai
Lutai () is a town in and the seat of Ninghe District, in the northeast of Tianjin, People's Republic of China. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, it was the terminus for the Lutai Canal and the first extension of the Kaiping Tramway. By r ...
on September 9, 1900, Flug was awarded the
Gold Sword for Bravery
The Gold Sword for Bravery (russian: Золотое оружие "За храбрость") was a Russian award for bravery. It was set up with two grades on 27 July 1720 by Peter the Great, reclassified as a public order in 1807 and abolished ...
on March 15, 1901. On January 22, 1902, he became chief of staff of the Kwangtung Oblast, and was promoted to major general on August 27, 1903, for distinguishing himself.
From 29 January 1904, Flug was the quartermaster of the field headquarters of the governor in the Far East.
He participated in the Russo-Japanese War. From 14 January 1905, Flug was the general quartermaster of the headquarters of the 2nd Manchurian Army. From 21 September 1905, he is the military governor of the
Maritime Region
Maritime is the southernmost of Togo's five regions, with the country's only shoreline on the Bight of Benin. Tsévié serves as the regional capital. It is the smallest region in terms of area, but it has the largest population.
Other major ...
and Ataman of the
Ussuri Cossacks.
A Lieutenant General in 1908, he became on 19 November 1909, the commander of the
37th infantry Division and on 30 July 1912, of the
2nd Guards Infantry Division. From 12 January 1913, Flug was an assistant to the General Governor of Turkestan and commander of the Army of the
Turkestan Military District
The Turkestan Military District (russian: Туркестанский военный округ (ТуркВО), ''Turkestansky voyenyi okrug (TurkVO)'') was a military district of both the Imperial Russian Army and the Soviet Armed Forces, with it ...
.
World War I
After the destruction of
General Samsonov's 2nd Army in the wake of the
Battle of Tannenberg
The Battle of Tannenberg, also known as the Second Battle of Tannenberg, was fought between Russia and Germany between 26 and 30 August 1914, the first month of World War I. The battle resulted in the almost complete destruction of the Russi ...
, the
10th Army was formed in late August 1914 from reserve units. On 29 August 1914, Vasily Flug was appointed commander of this 10th Army and made a general of the infantry. Despite successful actions in the battles against the 8th German Army and the taking of
Suwałki
Suwałki ( lt, Suvalkai; yi, סואוואַלק) is a city in northeastern Poland with a population of 69,206 (2021). It is the capital of Suwałki County and one of the most important centers of commerce in the Podlaskie Voivodeship. Suwałki ...
, and because of disagreements with General
Nikolai Ruzsky
Nikolai Vladimirovich Ruzsky (russian: Никола́й Влади́мирович Ру́зский; – October 18, 1918) was a Russian general, member of the state and military councils, best known for his role in World War I and the abdi ...
, Vasily Flug was on 23 September 1914 suspended for "dangerous activities" by the command of the army and transferred to the supreme commander. On 4 October 1914, he was appointed to supervise the restoration of the
13th and
15th Army Corps, which had been all but destroyed in Eastern Prussia in August 1914. On 8 July 1915, he was appointed commander of the
2nd Army Corps. He was awarded the Order of St. George 4th degree.
During the Vilnius operation in September 1915, the Germans set out to disengage the troops of the Northern and Western fronts by hitting at the wedge between the 5th and 10th armies, and sending cavalry to the area of Molodechno to operate in the rear of the 10th Army. Part of the 2nd Corps under the general command of General Flug was ordered to counter the enemy's designs. Not only did he withheld the onslaught of the enemy, but he also moved to the offensive. As a result of the energy, courage and skilful leadership shown by General Flug, the German plan came to nothing.
In 1916, the 2nd Corps joined the 7th Army and participated in the
South-Western Front offensive in the summer of 1916.
Revolution and Civil War
After the February Revolution, Flug was put on 30 May 1917 in the reserve of officers at the headquarters of the
Petrograd Military District
The Petersburg Military District (Питербургский вое́нный о́круг) was a Military District of the Russian Empire originally created in August 1864 following Order B-228 of Dmitry Milyutin, the Minister of War of the Russia ...
. After the October coup, he left for Don. On November 14, 1917, he arrived in
Novocherkassk
Novocherkassk (russian: Новочерка́сск, lit. ''New Cherkassk'') is a city in Rostov Oblast, Russia, located near the confluence of the Tuzlov and Aksay Rivers, the latter a distributary of the Don River. Novocherkassk is best known as t ...
and offered his services to General
Mikhail Alekseyev
Mikhail Vasilyevich Alekseyev (russian: Михаил Васильевич Алексеев) ( – ) was an Imperial Russian Army general during World War I and the Russian Civil War. Between 1915 and 1917 he served as Tsar Nicholas II's Ch ...
, who had formed the
Volunteer Army
The Volunteer Army (russian: Добровольческая армия, translit=Dobrovolcheskaya armiya, abbreviated to russian: Добрармия, translit=Dobrarmiya) was a White Army active in South Russia during the Russian Civil War from ...
.
In February 1918, Vasily Flug was sent to Siberia to organize the anti-bolshevik resistance there. He left Novocherkassk on 25 February under the name of Vasily Fadeev. During his mission to Siberia, he helped unify and coordinate the activities of the clandestine officers' organizations in Omsk, Petropavlovsk, Tomsk and Irkutsk. On 29 March 1918, he arrived in Omsk, on 27 April, in Tomsk, on 4 May, in Irkutsk, and on 11 June in Vladivostok. Vasily Flug then travelled to
Harbin
Harbin (; mnc, , v=Halbin; ) is a sub-provincial city and the provincial capital and the largest city of Heilongjiang province, People's Republic of China, as well as the second largest city by urban population after Shenyang and largest ...
, where he was a member of the Government of General Horvath from June 1918. On 1–14 December 1918, he temporarily served as commander of the troops in the Amur military region. As of 3 December 1918, he became an assistant High Commissioner in the Far East of General Horvath in the civil area.
At the very end of 1918, Flug arrived in Omsk, where he met
Admiral Kolchak
Alexander Vasilyevich Kolchak (russian: link=no, Александр Васильевич Колчак; – 7 February 1920) was an Imperial Russian admiral, military leader and polar explorer who served in the Imperial Russian Navy and fought ...
. Despite his extensive experience and involvement in the organization of the Anti-Bolshevik resistance in Siberia, there was no place for him in Kolchak's Army. On the instructions of Kolchak, he returned to southern Russia at the disposal of general
Anton Denikin
Anton Ivanovich Denikin (russian: Анто́н Ива́нович Дени́кин, link= ; 16 December Old_Style_and_New_Style_dates">O.S._4_December.html" ;"title="Old_Style_and_New_Style_dates.html" ;"title="nowiki/>Old Style and New St ...
. On February 10, 1919, Vasily Flug sailed from Vladivostok on the steamboat ''Tomsk'' and on April 6, 1919, arrived in
Novorossiysk
Novorossiysk ( rus, Новоросси́йск, p=nəvərɐˈsʲijsk; ady, ЦIэмэз, translit=Chəməz, p=t͡sʼɜmɜz) is a city in Krasnodar Krai, Russia. It is one of the largest ports on the Black Sea. It is one of the few cities hono ...
.
After returning to Southern Russia, Flug was entrusted in May 1919 with carrying out an inspection of all logistical institutions under the authority of the Special Meeting. His main task was the expulsion from the excessively overgrown number of logistical offices compared to officers suitable for combat service. In September 1919, he was appointed an assistant to the military unit of the commander-in-chief and commander of the Kiev region,
General Dragomirov. After the loss of Kiev, he retreated to the Crimea. On 8 December 1919 Flug was transferred to the reserve ranks at the headquarters of the Novorossiysk region.
In exile
In 1920, after the Crimea was abandoned by the White Russian troops, Flug left for Yugoslavia. From 1922 he served in the Yugoslav Military Ministry (Varaždin). He was actively involved in the activities of the
Russian All-Military Union
The Russian All-Military Union ( rus, Русский Обще-Воинский Союз, abbreviated РОВС, ROVS) is an organization that was founded by White Army General Pyotr Wrangel in the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes on 1 Septembe ...
. In 1930, Flug became acting chief of the 4th Division of the Russian All-Military Union (Yugoslavia), and at the same time until March 1932, he served as chairman of the district government of the Russian staff officers in the 4th Division of the Russian All-Military Union.
During World War II Flug served in the
Russian Corps
The Russian Protective Corps (german: Russisches Schutzkorps, russian: Русский охранный корпус, sr, Руски заштитни корпус / Ruski zaštitni korpus) was an armed force composed of anti-communist White Russi ...
. After the war ended, he moved to the United States. He was a member of the Society of Great War veterans. He was a permanent employee of the magazine ''Watch'' and ''Bulletin of Military Knowledge''. Flug died in San Francisco.
Essays
*A mission report from the Volunteer Army to Siberia in 1918//Archives of the Russian Revolution. -Berlin, 1923. -T. 9. -c. 243–304;
*10th Army in September 1914, military compendium-kn. V. Belgrade, 1924. -c. 232–260;
*New French Field Service Statutes/Military Knowledge Bulletin. -No. 1-4. 1931;
Unpublished memoirs
*From the Kvantuna class to the beginning of the Japanese War (1929, manuscript);
*The Japanese War of 1904–1905. (1930, manuscript);
*The Great War (1930, manuscript);
*Revolution and Civil War (1931, manuscript);
*After the Russo-Japanese War in the administrative post of 1905–1910. (1932, manuscript);
*In the Great War, chapter II of the Army Corps. 1915–1917. (1934, manuscript).
Awards
Flug received the following awards and decorations:
*
Order of Saint Anna
The Imperial Order of Saint Anna (russian: Орден Святой Анны; also "Order of Saint Anne" or "Order of Saint Ann") was a Holstein ducal and then Russian imperial order of chivalry. It was established by Karl Friedrich, Duke of Hol ...
, 3rd class (1896) and 1st class with Swords (1905)
*
Order of the White Eagle with Swords (May 25, 1915)
*
Order of Saint Stanislaus
The Order of Saint Stanislaus ( pl, Order Św. Stanisława Biskupa Męczennika, russian: Орден Святого Станислава), also spelled Stanislas, was a Polish order of knighthood founded in 1765 by King Stanisław August Ponia ...
, 3rd class (1893), 2nd class (1900), and 1st class with Swords (1905)
*
Order of Saint Vladimir
The Imperial Order of Saint Prince Vladimir (russian: орден Святого Владимира) was an Imperial Russian order established on by Empress Catherine II in memory of the deeds of Saint Vladimir, the Grand Prince and the Baptize ...
, 4th class with Swords and Bow (1900), 3rd class with Swords (1905), and 2nd class (December 6, 1911)
*
Gold Sword for Bravery
The Gold Sword for Bravery (russian: Золотое оружие "За храбрость") was a Russian award for bravery. It was set up with two grades on 27 July 1720 by Peter the Great, reclassified as a public order in 1807 and abolished ...
(March 15, 1901)
*
Order of St. George
The Order of Saint George (russian: Орден Святого Георгия, Orden Svyatogo Georgiya) is the highest military decoration of the Russian Federation. Originally established on 26 November 1769 Julian (7 December 1769 Gregorian) a ...
, 4th class (January 9, 1916)
References
Sources
*
*E. Wolves, N. D. Egorov, and B. Merchants. White generals of the Eastern front of the Civil War. M. Russian route, 2003.
*Rutych N. H. Biographical Directory of the highest ranks of the voluntary Army and the armed forces of southern Russia. M., 2002.
*A. Ganin. General Fluga's secret mission.
*Flug, Vasily E. On the Russian army in Great War website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Flug, Vasily
1860 births
1955 deaths
Russian military personnel of the Boxer Rebellion
Russian military personnel of the Russo-Japanese War
Russian military personnel of World War I
People of the Russian Civil War
Recipients of the Order of St. Anna, 1st class
Recipients of the Order of St. Anna, 3rd class