Heroes of the Russo-Japanese War - General Kondratenko. The soul of the defense of Port Arthur. Roman Isidorovich Kondratenko The role of Kondratenko in the Russo-Japanese War

Kondratenko Roman Isidorovich

The famous defender of Port Arthur (1857-1904). Higher education received at the engineering and general staff academies. After serving for some time in the engineering department, in 1895 he received a regiment, and before the war - the 7th East Siberian Rifle Brigade in Port Arthur. Being the chief of defense of the entire land front of the fortress, he completed many of its constructions. On July 17, the siege of the fortress began. Kondratenko spent whole days at threatened points, directing the defense, raising the spirit of the garrison, instilling in him confidence in the success of the defense. According to Kondratenko, hand grenades were used to repel assaults, and a special commission produced anti-assault weapons. On December 2, 1904, Kondratenko was killed by a shell that exploded in the casemate. A distinctive feature of Kondratenko was the ability to influence the spirit of the troops, which was clearly reflected in the reflection of several assaults, when no one hoped for success; he linked the ground and naval forces into one whole, skillfully directing them to friendly, joint work. The memory of Kondratenko is immortalized by assigning his name to the 25th East Siberian Rifle Regiment and mine cruiser as well as the establishment of awards and scholarships. The St. Petersburg City Duma named one of the city's elementary schools "in memory of Roman Isidorovich Kondratenko" - See Ovchinnikov "" folk hero Roman Isidorovich Kondratenko"; Mitkevich and Dubensky "Roman Isidorovich Kondratenko"

Rozhdestvensky Zinovy ​​Petrovich

Russian sailor, vice admiral. Born in 1848. Participated in Turkish war 1877 - 78 years. In 1903-04, he served as chief of the main naval headquarters. In 1904 he was appointed commander of the 2nd squadron of the Pacific Fleet, which was sent to the Far East. On October 2, R. left with a squadron from Libau. On October 8, 1904, near Hull, on the Dogger Bank, he met a flotilla of English fishing steamers and subjected it to fire (see Hull Incident, Add. I, 640). For the further movement of the squadron, see the Japanese-Russian War. On May 14, 1905, at 1 1/2 o'clock in the afternoon, a battle began near the island of Tsushima between the squadron of Admiral R. and the squadron of Admiral Togo. Despite some formal excess in tons, which, however, was more than outweighed by the speed of the Japanese ships and the superiority of their artillery, the Russian squadron was utterly defeated in a few hours. The battleship "Prince Suvorov", on which R. was located, was sunk 4 hours after the start of the battle; seriously wounded in the head and in both legs, R. was transferred to the destroyer "Buyny", from where it was given to know that the command was being transferred to Rear Admiral Nebogatov. The destroyer Buiny was badly damaged in the ensuing battle; then, on the morning of May 15, R. wished to go to the destroyer "Bedovy", which was done. Going north to Vladivostok, along with the destroyer Grozny, Bedovy was overtaken by two Japanese destroyers and surrendered to the Japanese without a fight, while Grozny entered the battle and sank one of the Japanese destroyers. The question of the extent to which R. is guilty of the defeat at Tsushima cannot be considered unconditionally resolved. Serving under his command, Captain Vl. Semyonov (who surrendered with him) proves that the Russian squadron was no good; the artillery on it was below all criticism, the team, hastily selected, could not be compared with the Japanese team; the addition of Nebogatov's detachment, with even worse ships, only weakened the squadron. On the contrary, Rear Admiral Nebogatov (see II Add., 255) in a newspaper article accuses R. of indiscipline and lack of a plan. R. is also accused of strategic mistakes by Captain Clado, who also served in his squadron. In a response letter (New Time, December 21, 1905), R. says, among other things, that even the admiral of the English fleet, allied to the Japanese, who concentrated his forces at Wei-Hai-Wei in anticipation of order to destroy the Russian fleet, if this ultimate goal of England was beyond the power of the Japanese. These words caused an outburst of indignation against R. in England. In the Russian press, in 1906, several articles appeared, exposing R. in a very unfavorable light. Upon his return from Japanese captivity, when the issue of bringing to justice those responsible for the defeats came up, R. resigned and demanded trial himself. On June 21 - 26, 1906, the process of Admiral R. and several officers under his command took place in the Kronstadt naval court; but they were accused not of any actions that caused the defeat, but only of the surrender of the destroyer "Bedovoy". R. himself insisted that although he was seriously wounded and could not speak, he was fully conscious when he was asked whether to surrender or not to surrender, and with a nod of his head quite consciously ordered to surrender; for this he pleaded guilty to death. R. was acquitted by the verdict of the court.

KONDRATENKO ROMAN ISIDOROVYCH

Kondratenko Roman Isidorovich - the famous defender of Port Arthur (1857 - 1904). He received his higher education at the engineering and general staff academies. After serving for some time in the engineering department, in 1895 he received a regiment, and before the war - the 7th East Siberian Rifle Brigade in Port Arthur. Being the chief of defense of the entire land front of the fortress, he completed many of its constructions. On July 17, the siege of the fortress began. Kondratenko spent whole days at threatened points, directing the defense, raising the spirit of the garrison, instilling in him confidence in the success of the defense. According to Kondratenko, hand grenades were used to repel assaults, and a special commission produced anti-assault weapons. On December 2, 1904, Kondratenko was killed by a shell that exploded in the casemate. A distinctive feature of Kondratenko was the ability to influence the spirit of the troops, which was clearly reflected in the reflection of several assaults, when no one hoped for success; he linked the ground and naval forces into one whole, skillfully directing them to friendly, joint work. The memory of Kondratenko is immortalized by the assignment of his name to the 25th East Siberian Rifle Regiment and the mine cruiser, as well as by the establishment of prizes and scholarships. Petersburg City Duma named one of the city primary schools "in memory of Roman Isidorovich Kondratenko" - See Ovchinnikov "People's Hero Roman Isidorovich Kondratenko"; Mitkevich and Dubensky "Roman Isidorovich Kondratenko" (St. Petersburg, 1908); "The Russo-Japanese War of 1904 - 1905" (published by the Chief Executive of the General Staff).

Brief biographical encyclopedia. 2012

See also interpretations, synonyms, meanings of the word and what is KONDRATENKO ROMAN ISIDOROVICH in Russian in dictionaries, encyclopedias and reference books:

  • KONDRATENKO ROMAN ISIDOROVYCH
    (1857-1904) Russian lieutenant general (1904). During the Russo-Japanese War, he was the head of a division, successfully led the land defense of Port Arthur. Under the leadership of Kondratenko, and ...
  • KONDRATENKO ROMAN ISIDOROVYCH in the Great Soviet Encyclopedia, TSB:
    Roman Isidorovich, hero of the defense of Port Arthur, lieutenant general (1904). Born in the family of an officer. Graduated from the Nikolaev Engineering School ...
  • KONDRATENKO ROMAN ISIDOROVYCH
    lieutenant general. Born September 30, 1857. He graduated from the course at the Nikolaev Engineering School, the Nikolaev Engineering Academy and the Nikolaev Academy of the General Staff. …
  • KONDRATENKO ROMAN ISIDOROVYCH
    ? lieutenant general. Born September 30, 1857. He graduated from the course at the Nikolaev Engineering School, the Nikolaev Engineering Academy and the Nikolaev Academy of General ...
  • KONDRATENKO in the Dictionary of Generals:
    Roman Isidorovich (1857-1904), Russian. gene.- lieutenant. (1904). Genus. in the family of an officer. windows. Nikolaev engineer. school (1877), Ing. Acad. (1882) and ...
  • NOVEL in the Dictionary of Gypsy Names:
    (borrowed, male) - is comprehended by analogy with the word "romano" - "gypsy, gypsy", as well as "Roman, Roman", which is equivalent from the point ...
  • NOVEL in the Character Handbook and places of worship Greek mythology:
    I LAKAPIN The Byzantine emperor in 920-945. June 115, 948 Roman came from the city of Lakapi in the theme of Likand. …
  • NOVEL
    Roman - Reverend, disciple of St. Sergius of Radonezh. When the anxieties of worldly self-will and disagreement penetrated into the wilderness of St. Sergius, Sergius ...
  • NOVEL in the Dictionary of Literary Terms:
    - (from French roman - originally: a work written in one of the Romance (i.e. modern, living) languages, as opposed to written ...
  • NOVEL in the Literary Encyclopedia:
    great epic form, the most typical genre of bourgeois society. HISTORY OF THE TERM. - Name "R." arose in the Middle Ages and originally belonged to ...
  • NOVEL in the Big Encyclopedic Dictionary:
    (French roman) a literary genre, an epic work of great form, in which the narrative is focused on the fate of an individual in relation to ...
  • NOVEL in the Encyclopedic Dictionary of Brockhaus and Euphron:
    - currently the most popular and richest form of literary works, reflecting modern life with everything ...
  • KONDRATENKO in the Encyclopedic Dictionary of Brockhaus and Euphron:
    (Gavriil Pavlovich) - landscape painter, b. in 1854. After completing the course at the Serdobsk district school, he entered, in 1873, in ...
  • NOVEL
    [French romans - originally literary work, written in the Romance language] 1) a large narrative work in prose, sometimes in ...
  • NOVEL in the Encyclopedic Dictionary:
    I a, m. Great narrative piece of art with a complex plot. Historical r. Novels of Leo Tolstoy. Romance (lit.) - related to ...
  • NOVEL in the Encyclopedic Dictionary:
    2, -a, m. Love relationship between a man and a woman. She has with him r. R. twist with someone. (to be in …
  • NOVEL
    ROMAN SLADKOPEVETS (late 5th century - ca. 560), Byzantine. church hymnographer (melod). A native of Syria. Monk. The author of multi-stanza lyrical-poetic poems called kontakia...
  • NOVEL in the Big Russian Encyclopedic Dictionary:
    "ROMAN ABOUT ROSE" ("Roman de la Rose"), a monument to the French. literature of the 13th century, allegorical. a poem about the poet's love for the Rose, personifying ...
  • NOVEL in the Big Russian Encyclopedic Dictionary:
    "ROMAN ABOUT THE FOX" ("Roman de Renart"), poems. Prod., a monument to the French. liter ser. 13th c. Tells about the struggle of the cunning Fox-Renard with ...
  • NOVEL in the Big Russian Encyclopedic Dictionary:
    ROMAN MSTISLAVICH (? -1205), Prince of Novgorod (1168-69), Vladimir-Volyn (from 1170), Galician (1188, 1199), son of Mstislav Izyaslavich. Strengthened the princely power in Galich ...
  • NOVEL in the Big Russian Encyclopedic Dictionary:
    ROMAN IV Diogenes (?-1072), Byzant. emperor c 1068. Defeated and captured in Aug. 1071 under Manzikert by Sultan Alp-Arslan, released to ...
  • NOVEL in the Big Russian Encyclopedic Dictionary:
    ROMAN I Lekapenos (?-948), Byzantine. emperor in 920-944, from the Macedonian dynasty. Decrees R.I 934, 943 defended the cross. land ownership from seizures ...
  • NOVEL in the Big Russian Encyclopedic Dictionary:
    ROMAN (Roman), city in the East of Romania. St. 70 i.zh. Pipe rolling plant, machine, chemical, light, food …
  • NOVEL in the Big Russian Encyclopedic Dictionary:
    ROMAN (French roman), lit. genre, epic prod. large form, in which the narration is focused on the fate of otd. personality in relation to her ...
  • KONDRATENKO in the Big Russian Encyclopedic Dictionary:
    KONDRATENKO Rum. Isis. (1857-1904), general - lieutenant. (1904). In Russian-Japanese. war at the beginning divisions, led the land. defense of Port Arthur. Under the arm K. were…
  • KONDRATENKO in the Encyclopedia of Brockhaus and Efron:
    (Gavriil Pavlovich)? landscape painter, b. in 1854. After completing the course at the Serdobsky district school, he entered, in 1873, in ...
  • NOVEL in Collier's Dictionary:
    detailed narrative, which usually gives the impression of a story about real people and events that are not really such. What…
  • NOVEL in the Full accentuated paradigm according to Zaliznyak:
    roma "n, roma" us, roma "on, roma" new, roma "well, roma" us, roma "n, roma" us, roma "nom, roma" us, roma "not, ...
  • NOVEL in the Dictionary of the Great Russian language of business communication:
    novel, detective - just submitted project documentation, consultant's report and ...
  • NOVEL in the Popular Explanatory-Encyclopedic Dictionary of the Russian Language:
    -a, m. 1) A large narrative work of art with a complex plot, with a large number actors, usually in prose. Historical novel. …
  • NOVEL
    Love relationship or the fruit of labor ...
  • NOVEL in the Dictionary for solving and compiling scanwords:
    Resort…
  • NOVEL in the Thesaurus of Russian business vocabulary:
    Syn: See...
  • NOVEL in the New Dictionary of Foreign Words:
    (St. French romans narration in French (and not in Latin)) 1) a large epic form of artistic narration (usually prosaic), usually distinguished by a variety of acting ...
  • NOVEL in the Dictionary of Foreign Expressions:
    [ 1. a large epic form of artistic narration (usually prosaic), usually characterized by a variety of characters in the branching of the plot; 2. love…
  • NOVEL in the Russian Thesaurus:
    Syn: See...
  • NOVEL in the Dictionary of the Russian Language Ozhegov:
    1 narrative work with a complex plot and many characters, a large form of ethical prose Historical r. R. epic. novel 2 love relationship...
  • ROMAN in the Dahl Dictionary.
  • NOVEL
    (Roman), a city in eastern Romania. 71 thousand inhabitants (1985). Pipe mill, mechanical engineering, chemical, light, food industry. - (French roman), ...
  • KONDRATENKO in the Modern Explanatory Dictionary, TSB:
    Roman Isidorovich (1857-1904), Russian lieutenant general (1904). During the Russo-Japanese War, he was the head of a division, successfully led the land defense of Port Arthur. Under the leadership of Kondratenko ...
  • NOVEL in explanatory dictionary Russian language Ushakov:
    novel, m. (fr. roman). 1. A large narrative work, usually in prose, with a complex and developed plot. Read novels. …
  • PERELMAN OSIP ISIDOROVYCH in the Brief Biographical Encyclopedia:
    Perelman (Osip Isidorovich) is a writer known under the pseudonym Osip Dymov. Born in 1878 to a Jewish family. Completed a course at...
  • MITROKHIN DMITRY ISIDOROVICH in the Brief Biographical Encyclopedia:
    Mitrokhin Dmitry Isidorovich - draftsman and illustrator. Born in 1884, studied at the Moscow School of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture and…
  • KONDRATENKO GAVRIIL PAVLOVYCH in the Brief Biographical Encyclopedia:
    Kondratenko Gavriil Pavlovich - landscape painter. Born in 1854; studied at the Academy of Arts with K.F. Goon and Baron M.K. Klodt ...
  • GESSEN YULIY ISIDOROVICH in the Brief Biographical Encyclopedia:
    Gessen, Julius Isidorovich - writer. Born in 1871, author of studies on the history of Jews in Russia: "From the history of ritual processes. ...
  • FRANKL FELIX ISIDOROVICH in the Big Encyclopedic Dictionary:
    (1905-61) physicist, doctor of technical (1934) and physical and mathematical (1936) sciences, member of the USSR National Committee for Theoretical and Applied Mechanics (since 1956). …
  • PERELMAN YAKOV ISIDOROVICH in the Big Encyclopedic Dictionary:
    (1882-1942) Russian scientist, popularizer of physical and mathematical sciences, founder of the genre of scientific and entertaining literature. One of the first propagandists of the ideas of K. E. Tsiolkovsky. The author of St. …
  • MITROKHIN DMITRY ISIDOROVICH in the Big Encyclopedic Dictionary:
    (1883-1973) Russian graphic artist, Honored Art Worker of Russia (1969). Member of the World of Art. A subtle master of decorative book graphics ("Ethiopica" by Heliodor, 1932), landscape, …
  • BERDZENISHVILI MERAB ISIDOROVICH in the Big Encyclopedic Dictionary:
    (b. 1929) Georgian sculptor, People's Artist of the USSR (1987), corresponding member of the Academy of Arts (1988). A monumental, plastically expressive monument in honor of the 30th anniversary of the Victory in …

The famous Russian military leader, hero of the defense of Port Arthur, Lieutenant General Roman Isidorovich Kondratenko was born on September 30, 1857 in Tiflis. He was the youngest son in a large retired military family of 10 children. The former major's only source of income was his father's small pension. In order to somehow help the family, Roman from the age of six began to distribute cold water for drinking through the bazaar and city streets. In 1874, among the best graduates, he graduated from a military gymnasium in Polotsk, and in 1877 - from the Nikolaev Engineering School. Having received officer epaulettes, Lieutenant Kondratenko was enrolled in the 1st Sapper Battalion, which was located in the city of his childhood, Tiflis. AT Russian-Turkish war 1877-1878 the young officer, despite the report he submitted, did not take part, but, in 1879, realizing the need to learn new knowledge, including the experience of the past campaign, having brilliantly passed the exams, Roman Isidorovich enters the Nikolaev Engineering Academy. After graduating in 1882 from the academy in the first category, staff captain Kondratenko was sent to serve in Batum, at the disposal of the head of the Chorokh military distance. For two years he developed a project for the construction of the Batumi fortress, which was supposed to replace the existing fortifications there, the basis of which was only coastal batteries. The construction of new fortifications, shelters, workshops, pantries, powder magazines was carried out taking into account the smallest details, and this valuable experience undoubtedly came in handy for Kondratenko twenty years later, in the besieged Port Arthur. For the diligence shown in 1884, Roman Isidorovich was awarded the order St. Stanislaus of the 3rd degree and promoted to the rank of captain. Soon (in 1885) he entered the senior class of the Nikolaev Academy of the General Staff, from which he was released in the first category in 1886.

For 8 years, Kondratenko served at the headquarters of the Vilna military district, rising to the rank of colonel. In 1895, he was appointed to the post of chief of staff of the troops of the Ural Military District, but soon he was appointed commander of the 20th rifle regiment stationed in the town of Suwalki.

At the beginning of 1900, Kondratenko was summoned to St. Petersburg and involved in the work of the "Commission for the Education of Troops", at the same time he conceived and even began to write a reference book for officers, but soon received an order to return to his former duty station. His regiment was to be redeployed to the Far East to take part in the fight against the uprising of the Yihetuans (boxers), which then broke out in China. However, his soldiers did not have to take part in the hostilities - by the time they arrived in China, the uprising had already been suppressed, and the regiment returned to its old quarters.

Russian borders on Far East at that time they demanded a significant fortification, new military units were formed there, experienced commanders and general staff officers were required. In 1901, Kondratenko was offered the position of district duty general of the headquarters of the Amur Military District, then located in Khabarovsk. In November 1903, Roman Isidorovich was promoted to major general, soon received an appointment as head of the 7th East Siberian brigade, and just before the start Russo-Japanese War 1904-1905 deployed to a division and redeployed to Port Arthur.

After the outbreak of hostilities, Roman Isidorovich became the head of the land defense of the fortress, having managed to significantly strengthen and strengthen its position even before the start of the Japanese siege. Kondratenko's activities were appreciated by Admiral S.O., appointed commander of the Pacific Squadron. Makarov, who once told him: “I will soon stop talking to anyone here except you. No matter what question you touch on, everything depends on Kondratenko. Too bad you're not a sailor."

Kondratenko led the repulsion of four enemy attacks of Port Arthur, was the soul of the defense of this fortress, an indisputable authority in the eyes of its courageous defenders. However, he failed to fully implement his plans. “In Port Arthur,” said Kondratenko, “it is not easy to maneuver forces and weapons, but it is even more difficult to maneuver between the three excellencies.” Roman Isidrovich had in mind the most incompetent military leaders Kuropatkin, Stessel and Smirnov. From day to day Kondratenko was forced to take on the resolution of issues that were beyond his competence, but he persistently achieved his goal. It is no coincidence that Roman Isidorovich was called the soul of the defense of Port Arthur. He devoted all his talent, all his energy and experience to the defense of the fortress. In May - June 1904, after the defeat of the Russian troops in the battles on the Jingzhou heights, near Kuinsan, on the Green and Wolf mountains, the enemy came close to Port Arthur, in the harbor of which almost the entire Russian Pacific Fleet. Kondratenko took a personal part in repelling enemy attacks on the front lines to the city, but he could no longer prevent the siege of Port Arthur. “No assault can be terrible,” Kondratenko inspired his subordinates, “if we decide to fulfill our oath to the end.” Around the brave general, a close circle of assistants rallied, actively working to strengthen the defense of Port Arthur. Under their leadership, home-made hand grenades ("bombs"), illuminating rockets ("star bombs") were made from spent cartridge cases of small-caliber guns, sea mines rolling down on the enemy were used, mine (torpedo) tubes were adapted for firing from land, 47 -millimeter naval guns turned into a new type of weapon previously unknown in any army - mortars that fired over-caliber pole mines.

One of the participants in the defense of Port Arthur Ya.U. Shishko, describing the activities of R.I. Kondratenko, wrote that he “at the same time, with his soul, thought and deed, was in positions in battle, where by personal example he encouraged everyone and raised the firmness of the spirit, and in Arthur there was no place where he would not look, there was no height where he did not rise to indicate where the forts, fortifications, batteries should immediately appear.

What [should] have been done in seven years, he, as far as possible, created in a few months. And now his thought, his labors, his perseverance was a whole chain of fortifications around Arthur. Fortifications appeared where it was not even supposed to build anything, such as on the mountains: Angular, High, Long, etc., on which the enemy subsequently led his assaults most persistently, understanding the importance of these points, and under which he laid tens of thousands of victims, to take them.

General Kondratenko for Arthur was everything: both strength, and soul, and thought, and the spirit of heroism.

The ring of the Japanese siege tightened ever closer, in September the enemy brought up 11-inch howitzers, the shells of which destroyed the concrete casemates of Russian forts, the vaults of which were designed to withstand hits from 6-inch guns. There was less and less hope for help from Kuropatkin's army, which suffered one setback after another in Manchuria, but while Kondratenko was alive, the defenders of Port Arthur could not even think about surrendering the fortress. Roman Isidorovich did not want to think about it either. On the day when the Japanese captured the Russian positions on Mount Vysokaya (November 22, 1904), he wept, not ashamed of tears. On the evening of that day, the general said to his assistants: “Now the agony of Arthur has begun!” But his spirit was not broken, and Kondratenko was not going to lay down his arms without a desperate struggle. Everything was changed by the death of a general who fell like a hero on a military post. On December 2, during the explosion of a large-caliber 11-inch Japanese shell in the casemate of Fort No. 2, in the most dangerous sector of the defense, Kondratenko and eight other officers were killed. With the death of the most steadfast defender of Port Arthur, the moral core that cemented the will of the command of the fortress, which was still capable of resisting and restraining the enemy forces, disappeared. On December 20, senior commanders General Stessel and General Fok, who replaced Kondratenko, surrendered the city to the Japanese with suspicious haste.

Kondratenko was posthumously promoted to the rank of lieutenant general. The ashes of Roman Isidorovich, originally buried near the battery of Plosky Cape, were subsequently transported to their homeland and buried in St. Petersburg in the Alexander Nevsky Lavra. A majestic marble monument was subsequently erected on his grave. Obelisks in memory fallen hero Port Arthur were placed in the Nikolaev Engineering School, in Suwalki (in the 20th Infantry Regiment) and in the Polotsk Cadet Corps.

We invite you to discuss this material on the forum of friends of our portal: ""

Russian-Japanese Wyona 1904-1905

The more a person is able to respond to the historical and universal, the wider his nature, the richer his life and the more capable such a person is of progress and development.

M. Dostoevsky

The Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905, which we will briefly discuss today, is one of the most important pages in the history of the Russian Empire. In the war, Russia was defeated, demonstrating a military lag behind the leading world countries. Another important event of the war was that, as a result of it, the Entente was finally formed, and the world began to slowly but steadily slide towards the First World War.

Background of the war

In 1894-1895, Japan defeated China, as a result of which Japan had to cross the Liaodong (Kwantung) Peninsula along with Port Arthur and Farmosa Island (the current name is Taiwan).

Germany, France and Russia intervened in the course of the negotiations, insisting that the Liaodong Peninsula remain in the use of China.

In 1896, the government of Nicholas II signed a treaty of friendship with China. As a result, China allows Russia to build a railroad to Vladivostok through Northern Manchuria (China Eastern Railway).

In 1898, Russia, within the framework of a friendship agreement with China, leases the Liaodong Peninsula from the latter for 25 years.

This move drew sharp criticism from Japan, which also laid claim to these lands. But this did not lead to serious consequences at that time. In 1902 royal army included in Manchuria. Formally, Japan was ready to recognize this territory for Russia if the latter recognized Japan's dominance in Korea. But the Russian government made a mistake. They did not take Japan seriously, and did not even think of entering into negotiations with it.

Causes and nature of the war

The reasons for the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905 are as follows:

  • Lease of the Liaodong Peninsula and Port Arthur by Russia.
  • Economic expansion of Russia in Manchuria.
  • Distribution of spheres of influence in China and Korea.

The nature of hostilities can be defined as follows

  • Russia planned to conduct defense and pull up reserves.

    The transfer of troops was planned to be completed in August 1904, after which it was planned to go on the offensive, up to the landing in Japan.

  • Japan planned to wage an offensive war. The first strike was planned at sea with the destruction of the Russian fleet, so that nothing would interfere with the transfer of the landing force.

    The plans included the capture of Manchuria, the Ussuri and Primorsky Territories.

The balance of power at the beginning of the war

Japan in the war could put up about 175 thousand people (another 100 thousand in reserve) and 1140 field guns.

The Russian army consisted of 1 million people and 3.5 million in reserve (reserve). But in the Far East, Russia had 100,000 men and 148 field guns. Also at the disposal of the Russian army were the border guards, who were 24 thousand people with 26 guns.

The problem was that these forces, inferior in number to the Japanese, were widely scattered geographically: from Chita to Vladivostok and from Blagoveshchensk to Port Arthur. During 1904-1905, Russia carried out 9 mobilizations, calling for military service about 1 million people.

The Russian fleet consisted of 69 warships. 55 of these ships were in Port Arthur, which was very poorly fortified. To demonstrate that Port Arthur was not completed and ready for war, it is enough to cite the following figures.

The fortress was supposed to have 542 guns, but in fact there were only 375, but even of these only 108 guns were usable. That is, the gun supply of Port Arthur at the time of the outbreak of the war was 20%!

It is obvious that the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905 began with a clear superiority of Japan on land and at sea.

The course of hostilities

Map of military operations

1 - Map of the Russo-Japanese War 1904-1905

Events of 1904

In January 1904, Japan breaks off diplomatic relations with Russia and on January 27, 1904 attacks warships near Port Arthur. This was the beginning of the war.

Russia began to transfer the army to the Far East, but this happened very slowly.

A distance of 8 thousand kilometers and an unfinished section of the Siberian railway- all this interfered with the transfer of the army. The capacity of the road was 3 echelons per day, which is extremely small.

At the same time, in the Korean port of Chemulpo, an attack was made on the Varyag cruiser and the Korean escort boat. After an unequal battle, the "Korean" was blown up, and the "Varyag" was flooded by the Russian sailors themselves, so that the enemy would not get it. After that, the strategic initiative at sea passed to Japan. The situation at sea worsened after the battleship Petropavlovsk was blown up on a Japanese mine on March 31, on board of which was the commander of the fleet - S.

Makarov. In addition to the commander, his entire staff, 29 officers and 652 sailors perished.

In February 1904, Japan landed an army of 60,000 in Korea, which moved towards the Yalu River (the river separated Korea and Manchuria). There were no significant battles at that time, and in mid-April the Japanese army crossed the border of Manchuria.

Fall of Port Arthur

In May, the second Japanese army (50 thousand people) landed on the Liaodong Peninsula and headed for Port Arthur, creating a bridgehead for the offensive. By this time, the Russian army had partially managed to complete the transfer of troops and its strength was 160 thousand people.

One of major events war - the battle of Liaoyang in August 1904. This battle still raises many questions among historians. The fact is that in this battle (and it was practically a general one), the Japanese army was defeated.

And so much so that the command of the Japanese army declared the impossibility of continuing the conduct of hostilities. The Russo-Japanese War could have ended there if the Russian army went on the offensive. But the commander, Koropatkin, gives an absolutely absurd order - to retreat.

During further developments war in the Russian army there will be several opportunities to inflict a decisive defeat on the enemy, but each time Kuropatkin either gave absurd orders or hesitated to act, giving the enemy the right time.

After the battle at Liaoyang, the Russian army retreated to the Shahe River, where a new battle took place in September, which did not reveal a winner.

After that, there was a lull, and the war moved into a positional phase. In December, General R.I. Kondratenko, who commanded the land defense of the Port Arthur fortress. The new commander of the troops A.M. Stessel, despite the categorical refusal of the soldiers and sailors, decided to surrender the fortress.

On December 20, 1904, Stessel surrendered Port Arthur to the Japanese. On this, the Russo-Japanese War in 1904 passed into a passive phase, continuing active operations already in 1905.

Later, under public pressure, General Stessel was put on trial and sentenced to death.

The sentence was not carried out. Nicholas 2 pardoned the general.

History reference

Defense map of Port Arthur

rice. 2 - Map of the defense of Port Arthur

Events of 1905

The Russian command demanded active actions from Kuropatkin.

It was decided to start the offensive in February. But the Japanese preempted him by going on the offensive on Mukden (Shenyang) on ​​February 5, 1905. From 6 to 25 February lasted biggest battle Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905. From the Russian side, 280 thousand people took part in it, from the Japanese side - 270 thousand people.

There are many interpretations of the Mukden battle in terms of who won the victory in it. In fact, it was a draw. The Russian army lost 90 thousand soldiers, the Japanese - 70 thousand. Smaller losses on the part of Japan are a frequent argument in favor of her victory, but this battle did not give the Japanese army any advantage or gain.

Moreover, the losses were so severe that Japan made no further attempts to organize major land battles until the end of the war.

Much more important is the fact that the population of Japan is much smaller than the population of Russia, and after Mukden, the island country has exhausted its human resources. Russia could and should have gone on the offensive in order to win, but 2 factors played against this:

  • Kuropatkin factor
  • Factor in the Revolution of 1905

On May 14-15, 1905, the Tsushima naval battle in which the Russian squadrons were defeated.

The losses of the Russian army amounted to 19 ships and 10 thousand killed and captured.

Kuropatkin factor

Kuropatkin, commanding ground forces, for the entire Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905, he did not use a single chance for a favorable offensive in order to inflict great damage on the enemy. There were several such chances, and we talked about them above. Why did the Russian general and commander refuse active actions and did not seek to end the war?

After all, if he had given the order to attack after Liaoyang, and with a high degree of probability, the Japanese army would have ceased to exist.

Of course, it is impossible to answer this question directly, but a number of historians put forward the following opinion (I cite it for the reason that it is well-reasoned and extremely similar to the truth). Kuropatkin was closely associated with Witte, who, let me remind you, by the time of the war was removed from the post of prime minister by Nicholas II.

Kuropatkin's plan was to create conditions under which the tsar would return Witte. The latter was considered an excellent negotiator, so it was necessary to reduce the war with Japan to a stage where the parties would sit down at the negotiating table. For this, the war could not be ended with the help of the army (the defeat of Japan is a direct surrender without any negotiations).

Therefore, the commander did everything to bring the war to a draw. He successfully coped with this task, and indeed Nicholas 2 called on Witte by the end of the war.

Revolution Factor

There are many sources pointing to Japanese financing of the 1905 Revolution.

The real facts of the transfer of money, of course. No. But there are 2 facts that I find extremely curious:

  • The peak of the revolution and movement fell on the Battle of Tsushima. Nicholas 2 needed an army to fight the revolution and he decided to start peace negotiations with Japan.
  • Immediately after the signing of the Peace of Portsmouth, the revolution in Russia began to wane.

Reasons for the defeat of Russia

Why was Russia defeated in the war with Japan? The reasons for the defeat of Russia in the Russian Japanese war the following:

  • The weakness of the grouping of Russian troops in the Far East.
  • The unfinished Trans-Siberian Railway, which did not allow the transfer of troops in full.
  • Mistakes of the army command.

    I already wrote above about the Kuropatkin factor.

  • Japan's superiority in military equipment.

The last point is extremely important. He is often forgotten, but undeservedly. In terms of technical equipment, primarily in the navy, Japan was far ahead of Russia.

Portsmouth Peace

To conclude peace between countries, Japan demanded that Theodore Roosevelt, the President of the United States, act as an intermediary.

Negotiations began and the Russian delegation was headed by Witte. Nicholas 2 returned him to his post and entrusted him with negotiating, knowing the talents of this man. And Witte really took a very tough position, not allowing Japan to get significant gains from the war.

The terms of the Peace of Portsmouth were as follows:

  • Russia recognized Japan's right to dominate Korea.
  • Russia ceded part of the territory of Sakhalin Island (the Japanese wanted to get the entire island, but Witte was against it).
  • Russia transferred the Kwantung Peninsula to Japan along with Port Arthur.
  • No one paid indemnities to anyone, but Russia had to pay a reward to the enemy for the maintenance of Russian prisoners of war.

Consequences of the war

During the war, Russia and Japan lost about 300 thousand people each, but in view of the population for Japan, these were almost catastrophic losses.

Losses were associated with the fact that it was the first major war during which automatic weapons were used. At sea, there was a big bias towards the use of mines.

An important fact that many bypass, it was after the Russo-Japanese War that the Entente (Russia, France and England) and the Triple Alliance (Germany, Italy and Austria-Hungary) were finally formed.

The fact of the formation of the Entente draws upon itself. Before the war, Europe had an alliance between Russia and France. The latter did not want its expansion. But the events of the Russian war against Japan showed that the Russian army had many problems (it really was), so France signed agreements with England.

Positions of world powers during the war

During the Russo-Japanese War, the world powers occupied the following positions:

  • England and USA.

    Traditionally, the interests of these countries were extremely similar. They supported Japan, but mostly financially. Approximately 40% of Japan's costs of the war were covered by Anglo-Saxon money.

  • France declared neutrality. Although, in fact, she had an allied agreement with Russia, she did not fulfill her allied obligations.
  • Germany from the first days of the war declared its neutrality.

The Russian-Japanese war was practically not analyzed by tsarist historians, since they simply did not have enough time.

After the end of the war Russian empire existed for almost 12 years, which included the revolution, economic problems and world war. Therefore, the main study took place already in Soviet time. But it is important to understand that for Soviet historians it was a war against the backdrop of a revolution. That is, "the tsarist regime strove for aggression, and the people prevented this with all their might."

Test on the history of Russia at the beginning of the twentieth century in the USE format

That is why it is written in Soviet textbooks that, for example, the Liaoyang operation ended in the defeat of Russia. Although technically it was a draw.

The end of the war is also seen as the complete defeat of the Russian army on land and in the navy. If at sea the situation was indeed close to defeat, then on land Japan was on the brink of an abyss, since they no longer had the manpower to continue the war.

I propose to look at this question even a little wider. How did the wars of that era end after the unconditional defeat (and this is what Soviet historians often talked about) of one of the parties? Large indemnities, large territorial concessions, partial economic and political dependence of the loser on the winner. But there is nothing like it in the Portsmouth world. Russia did not pay anything, lost only the southern part of Sakhalin (an insignificant territory) and refused the land leased from China.

The argument is often made that Japan won the fight for dominance in Korea. But Russia has never seriously fought for this territory. She was only interested in Manchuria. And if we go back to the origins of the war, we will see that the Japanese government would never have started a war if Nicholas 2 had recognized Japan's dominance in Korea, just as the Japanese government would have recognized Russia's positions in Manbchuria.

Therefore, at the end of the war, Russia did what it should have done back in 1903, without bringing matters to a war. But this is a question for the personality of Nicholas 2, who today is extremely fashionable to call a martyr and hero of Russia, but it was his actions that provoked the war.

Kondratenko Roman Isidorovich (1857-1904) - was born in Tiflis in the family of a career officer, in 1877 he graduated from the Nikolaev Cavalry School, then the Engineering Academy. He served in various engineering units, in 1886 he graduated from the Academy of the General Staff. Since 1903, in the Amur Military District, he commanded the rank of Major General of the 7th Siberian Rifle Brigade. With the beginning of the Russo-Japanese War, he became the head of the land defense of the fortress in Port Arthur.

He became the soul of this defense, a favorite of officers and soldiers, was a talented commander, distinguished by personal courage. Killed by a Japanese shell on 2 December. The ashes of Kondratenko in 1905 were solemnly reburied in the Alexander Nevsky Lavra of St. Petersburg.

Korea is a country between the Japanese and Yellow Seas on the Korean Peninsula.

In the second half of the 19th century, it was in vassal dependence on China. After the Sino-Japanese War of 1894–95, Korea formally gained independence, but in fact became completely dependent on Japan. During the Russo-Japanese War, it was completely occupied by Japanese troops. From 1907 Korea officially became a protectorate of Japan.

Bloody Sunday - the execution of a mass demonstration of workers in St. Petersburg on January 9, 1905, which occurred due to the criminal negligence of the tsarist administration; The news of this caused a sharp indignation among the troops and sea ​​crews in the Far East.

Kuropatkin Alexei Nikolaevich (1848–1926) — general, participant in Skobelev’s Central Asian campaigns, a hardened and educated military leader, in 1898–1904 — Minister of Defense, showed himself to be a skilled administrator, but did not have the will and determination.

From October 1904 to March 1905 - Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces in the Far East, turned out to be weak as a military leader.

Linevich Nikolai Petrovich (1838-1908) - general, participant in the wars in the Caucasus.

From 1903 - Commander of the Amur District. With the beginning of the Russo-Japanese War, he commanded the Manchurian army, but did not show success. From March 1905 - commander in chief in the Far East. At the end of the war, a criminal case was initiated against him on charges of inaction, but was soon dropped.

Makarov Stepan Osipovich (1849-1904) - an outstanding Russian naval commander, vice admiral since 1896.

Hero of the Russian-Turkish war of 1877-1878, commander of squadrons in the Baltic, the Mediterranean and the Far East, the author of many inventions and scientific papers. The creator of the first Russian icebreaker "Ermak", the pioneer of the Northern sea ​​route. He warned about the unpreparedness of the Russian fleet in the Pacific Ocean, but they did not listen to him. From February 1904 - commander of the Pacific squadron in Port Arthur.

He died on the flagship battleship Petropavlovsk on March 31. A monument to Makarov was erected in Kronstadt.

Manchuria is a northeastern province of China, the main theater of military operations between Japan and Russia in 1904–1905.

The area is 950 thousand square kilometers, the population at the beginning of the twentieth century is about 10 million people, 1.5 million are Manchus, the rest are Chinese and Koreans. The area is hilly, sparsely populated, with sparse and poor roads.

During the war, the Japanese occupied the southern part of Manchuria, and under the Treaty of Portsmouth received the Liaodong Peninsula, gradually turning Manchuria into their zone of influence.

Nebogatov Nikolai Ivanovich (1849-1922) - after graduating from the Naval Corps, he served on various ships of the Baltic and Black Sea Fleet, did not participate in hostilities.

By seniority, rear admiral since 1900. In January 1905 he was appointed commander of a squadron from the remains of ships Baltic Fleet. On the second day of the Tsushima battle, he surrendered on May 15 (28), 1905. The Naval Court sentenced him to death, pardoned by Nicholas II.

Nicholas II (1868-1918) - eldest son Alexander III, received a good education, was smart and hardworking, possessed endurance and had no "bad habits". However, he was much more inclined to prosperous family life than to the affairs of the state, and especially the military leadership, which played a major role in his tragic fate.

Nikolai visited Japan in 1888, partly knew the life and history of the country. He bears undoubted personal responsibility for the adventure in the Far East, which brought Russia so many misfortunes.

Oyama Iwao (1842–1916), artillery officer during civil war in Japan in the late 1960s. Graduated military school in France.

During the Sino-Japanese War of 1894-1895 he commanded the 2nd Army. During the Russo-Japanese War, he was commander-in-chief of the Japanese ground forces in Manchuria. Received a princely title.

Petropavlovsk is a battleship built at the Admiralty Shipyard in St. Petersburg in 1897.

Displacement 11 thousand tons, speed over 30 km, armament: 4 - 305 mm, 12 - 152 mm, anti-mine guns. Flagship of the Pacific Squadron.

LIEUTENANT GENERAL R.I. KONDRATENKO

Port Arthur is a fortress on the Liaodun Peninsula with a very convenient harbor in the Yellow Sea.

It was founded by the Chinese in 1892. Under an agreement with China, in 1898 it was leased to Russia as a naval base, at the same time the construction of the fortress began, which was far from completed by the beginning of the Russo-Japanese War.

On April 20 (May 12), 1904, Japanese troops interrupted communications between the fortress and Manchuria. The siege of Port Arthur was accompanied by the heroism of the defenders, the Japanese suffered huge losses. The commandant of the fortress Stessel treacherously capitulated on December 20, 1904 (January 2, 1905). Losses of Russian troops - 27 thousand killed and wounded, Japanese - 112 thousand.

Peace of Portsmouth - signed between Russia and Japan on the end of the war in the city of Portsmouth, USA on August 23 (September 3), 1905, the Russian side was represented by the Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers Witte, the Japanese side was Foreign Minister Komura, US President Theodore Roosevelt (namesake of the president of the war years) served as an intermediary ).

Witte managed to exploit Japan's difficult economic situation towards the end of the war and secure relatively favorable terms; Russia was losing Port Arthur and half of Sakhalin Island. Witte received the title of count from Nicholas II, in the press he was ironically called since then "Count of Polusakhalinsky."

Rozhdestvensky Zinovy ​​Petrovich (1848-1909) - graduated from the Naval Corps and the Mikhailovsky Artillery Academy, in the Russian-Turkish War of 1877-78 he distinguished himself in military operations at sea.

He commanded various ships in the Baltic, and in 1903–04 he was chief of the Naval Staff. In April 1904 he was appointed with the rank of vice admiral commander of the 2nd Pacific Squadron, which he led to the Far East. An experienced sailor with a strong will, he brought the squadron without losses to the battle, but he could not organize the battle itself.

He did not show naval talent, was distinguished by a despotic and arrogant disposition, neglected the opinion of junior flagships and ship commanders. At the beginning of the Tsushima battle, he was wounded, later captured. He was acquitted by the court and retired.

Roosevelt Theodore (1858–1919) — political figure United States from the Republican Party, since 1901 - vice president, since September of that year, after the assassination of McKinley, president. In the elections of 1904 he again became president of the United States.

During the Russo-Japanese War, he contributed to the provision of military assistance to Japan against Russia, but at the same time he was afraid of Japan's excessive strengthening in the Pacific. At the conclusion of the Portsmouth Peace, he provided some assistance to Witte.

"Guarding" - a destroyer built in 1902 at the Nevsky Shipyard in St. Petersburg, the ship was distinguished by a speed of about 60 km per hour, which was then a record.

The disassembled destroyer was transported along the Great Siberian Railway to Pacific Ocean, which was an innovation in shipbuilding. Under the command of Lieutenant Sergeev, the destroyer took part in the battles from January 1904. On February 25, the Guardian went on combat patrol near Port Arthur and was surrounded by four Japanese destroyers, the ship was hit in an unequal battle, almost the entire crew died, including the commander. The surviving sailors sank the destroyer, which the Japanese were trying to capture.

A monument was erected to the “Guardian” in St. Petersburg.

Stessel Anatoly Mikhailovich (1848-1915) - graduated from the Pavlovsk infantry school, fought in infantry units in the Russian-Turkish war of 1877-78. In 1903, by order of the governor in the Far East, Alekseev, with the rank of lieutenant general, he was appointed commandant of Port Arthur.

He was distinguished by intrigue and servility, turned out to be a weak and cowardly military leader. On the evening of December 20 (January 2, 1905) he treacherously surrendered the fortress. In September 1906 he was dismissed from military service, court-martialed, sentenced to death. Nicholas II pardoned him a year later.

Togo Heihachiro (1847-1934) - Japanese naval commander, received a naval education in Europe, participated in the Sino-Japanese War of 1895-96.

A talented naval commander, he was distinguished by unshakable restraint and prudence, from 1904 he commanded the Joint Squadron of the Japanese Navy, successfully completed the war at sea. Soon, thanks to the intrigues at the court of the emperor, he was sent into an honorable retirement, he held high, but nominal positions.

Harbin is a city in the center of Manchuria, the center of the Chinese Eastern Railway (CER). At the beginning of the 20th century, it grew into a major industrial and transport center.

Until 1917, it was inhabited mainly by Russians (the population is about 100 thousand people).

← CtrlPrevious123 … 798081

  • Start.
  • CHAPTER I. Life and work of Roman Isidorovich Kondratenko before participation in the last war.
  • CHAPTER II. Reasons for the war.
  • CHAPTER III. Our adversary.
  • CHAPTER IV. State of Russia and its army.
  • CHAPTER V. Significance of Port Arthur and its fortifications.
  • CHAPTER VI. From the beginning of the war to the siege of Port Arthur.
  • CHAPTER VII. The beginning of the siege. The role of General Kondratenko in the defense of the fortress.
  • CHAPTER VIII. Capture of Dagushan and Xiaogushan. August assaults.
  • CHAPTER IX. Gradual attack. September and October assaults.
  • CHAPTER X. November assaults. Capture of the High Mountain.
  • CHAPTER XI. Death of Roman Isidorovich Kondratenko. Surrender of the fortress.
  • APPLICATIONS.
  • From Port Arthur letters, General R. I. Kondratenko to his wife.
  • Russian press - in memory of R. I. Kondratenko.
  • From the orders of General Kondratenko.
  • Week about R. I. Kondratenko.
  • ILLUSTRATIONS:
  • Map-drawing of the Far East.
  • R. Kondratenko.
  • Nikolaev Engineering Academy and College in St. Petersburg (Engineering Castle).
  • R. I. Kondratenko in 1881 with the rank of captain, in 1884 with the rank of captain and in 188 with the rank of lieutenant colonel.
  • Nicholas Academy of the General Staff.
  • Storm from the East: a painting painted in 1895 from a sketch German Emperor Wilhelm II.
  • Port Arthur. Internal raid.
  • Far City.
  • Yellow danger: painting by V. Ulyanov.
  • Japanese commoner.
  • Japanese bannerman; Japanese infantry training.
  • Japanese artillery team.
  • Halt of the Japanese infantry.
  • Japanese detachment on the march.
  • Japanese soldier in winter; Marshal Oyama, Commander-in-Chief of the Japanese Army.
  • Japanese troops.
  • near Port Arthur.
  • "Reserve": drawing by M. Ezuchevsky.
  • Port Arthur Gate; Adjutant General Alekseev, Viceroy of the Far East.
  • Port Arthur. Inner road and harbor.
  • Cruiser Novik.
  • Fortress guns on the batteries of Port Arthur.
  • Tiger Peninsula and Liaoteshan.
  • Port Arthur. - Governor's Palace; Port Arthur. - Officer meeting.
  • Church in Dalniy; Far City. One of the streets.
  • Chinese coolies.
  • Vice Admiral S. O. Makarov, Rear Admiral Molas and the battleship Petropavlovsk. March 31, 1904
  • Admiral Togo.
  • Grand Duke Kirill Vladimirovich, who nearly died in the explosion of the battleship Petropavlovsk.
  • Three moments of the explosion of "Petropavlovsk".
  • Commander of "Petropavlovsk", captain of the 1st rank Yakovlev; Artist Vereshchagin, who died on the battleship Petropavlovsk.
  • Japanese firewalls after the attack on Port Arthur.
  • Salute of the battleship "Retvizan" Golden Mountain.
  • On the ramparts of Port Arthur. - Generals Stessel and Smirnov; General Nikitin, chief field artillery in Port Arthur.
  • Generals Stessel, Fock and Kondratenko in one of the dugouts of the fortress; General Fok and officers are watching the battle during the August assaults on the fortress.
  • Defense of Port Arthur.
  • Map of the southern part of the Liaodong Peninsula.
  • An officer's lunch at Port Arthur during the siege.
  • The house where R. I. Kondratenko lived in Port Arthur; Qingzhou city gate.
  • Fortification in Port Arthur; Major General V. Gorbatovsky; General Staff Captain F. V. Stepanov.
  • In Port Arthur.
  • Chief of the Kwantung Fortress Artillery, General Bely; General Staff Lieutenant Colonel Iolshin.
  • State of the Port Arthur fortress; Chief of Staff of the 7th East Siberian rifle division Colonel Naumenko.
  • Rear Admiral Vitgeft, who acted as the head of the squadron; Departure of the Port Arthur squadron, July 28.
  • Port Arthur. Battery Malago Eagle's Nest; Port Arthur. Chief's dugout eastern front fortress of Major General Nidin, in August 1904.
  • Golden Mountain; Port Arthur. At the internal raid.
  • Neighborhood of Port Arthur.
  • Captain of the Japanese fleet Hiroze, a famous Japanese poet who died on fireships; Inner raid of Port Arthur. Western part.
  • Japanese food convoy of the siege army.
  • General Baron Nogi, who commanded the Japanese siege army; Port Arthur. - Victims of the battle under the High Mountain. - Mass grave.
  • Types of Japanese prisoners: drawing by artist G. Backmanson.
  • Port Arthur. 2nd Platoon, 3rd Foot Hunting Team, 16th Infantry Regiment.
  • Junks in Port Arthur.
  • General Kondratenko in the advanced trenches: drawing by artist I. Popov.
  • Generals Stessel and Kondratenko rise to Lyaoteshan.
  • On Liaoteshan; Setting up guns on Lyaoteshan in the presence of Generals Stessel and Kondratenko.
  • Official letter from General Kondratenko to General Stessel.
  • Port Arthur. Regional Board of Kantun Region; Juvenile N. Zuev, who distinguished himself in Port Arthur.
  • Port Arthur. - An 11-inch projectile burst in the inner raid pool.
  • Census of the Chinese population in Port Arthur during the siege.
  • The apartment of Colonel M. A. Tyrtov, which was hit by two eleven-inch shells on the night of October 13, 1904
  • Internal raid in Port Arthur.
  • Port Arthur. Inspection of balloons built from improvised material; Artillery halt: drawing by Academician N. Samokish.
  • Fraternal help: drawing by the artist A. Safonov.
  • Skirmish: drawing by the artist Safonov.
  • Japanese soldiers are installing a telephone line.
  • In the infirmary. Chloroformation.
  • Village near Port Arthur; Port Arthur. Fire in the port; Port Arthur. The fall of the projectile near the battleship "Victory".
  • The company goes to the rescue of High Mountain.
  • Gifts of the Yellow Sea: drawing by the artist N. Petrov.
  • The graves of General Kondratenko and Colonel Naumenko in Port Arthur.
  • A group of officers defending Port Arthur; Port Arthur. Fortress artillery.
  • Port Arthur. - The headquarters of the 4th East Siberian Rifle Division with General Fock in the center and the ranks of the 6th field hospital; Shooting sea mines on the land front.
  • Heights at Port Arthur. The hills cover the camp of the 3rd Japanese division; Japanese balloon in the vicinity of Port Arthur, ready for reconnaissance.
  • Kondratenko: from the collection of foreign cartes postales.
  • Port Arthur. Docks; In the trenches of Port Arthur.
  • At mass grave: drawing by artist Petrov.
  • The death of two heroes: General Kondratenko and Colonel Naumenko.
  • The funeral of General Kondratenko in St. Petersburg. Procession along Nevsky Prospekt at the Alexander Nevsky Lavra.
  • The funeral of General Kondratenko, lithium at the cemetery of the Alexander Nevsky Lavra in St. Petersburg.
  • At the grave of R. I. Kondratenko at the Nikolsky cemetery of the Alexander Nevsky Lavra.
  • Artistic board depicting a broken sword as a symbol of the hero's untimely death.
  • "1904th year": group A. Ober.
  • Interior view of the chapel at the grave of Roman Isidorovich Kondratenko in the Alexander Nevsky Lavra.
    •

Roman Isidorovich Kondratenko. He was born on September 30 (according to the old style), 1857 in Tiflis. Lieutenant General (1904), hero of the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905. From the nobility, the son of an officer. He was brought up in a military gymnasium in Polotsk, after graduating from which in 1874 he entered the Nikolaev Engineering School. From 1877 he served as a military engineer in the Caucasus. In 1882 he graduated from the Engineering Academy, after which he joined the Main Engineering Directorate and worked on the project for the construction of the Mikhailovskaya Fortress. In 1886 he graduated from the course of the Academy of the General Staff, then he was at the headquarters of the Vilna district, successively commanded a company, a battalion, from 1895 - the 20th rifle regiment. Since 1901 - duty general of the headquarters of the Amur military district. In 1903 he was appointed commander of the 7th East Siberian Rifle Brigade, deployed in 1904 to a division in Port Arthur. At the beginning of the Russo-Japanese War, Kondratenko was appointed chief of defense of the land front of this fortress and, with his tireless energy, organizational skills, personal courage and deep knowledge of engineering, played decisive role during the siege of the city by the Japanese. Together with Vice-Admiral S.O. Makarov, he became the soul of defense. Under his leadership, a system of engineering structures was actually re-created (two defensive lines), and in the besieged city, the production of hand grenades, round mines, which rolled down from the mountains onto the enemy’s assault columns, was invented and used mortars, electrified wire obstacles and other new technical means. . At his insistence, searchlights taken from ships were widely used during night battles, as well as land mines, and underground mine warfare was waged. Kondratenko insisted on the need to defend (contrary to the directive of A.N. Kuropatkin not to defend) on the narrow position of the Chinzhou Isthmus (20 km from Port Arthur), the construction of fortifications, on which began only with the outbreak of hostilities. The retention of this position by the Russian units delayed the Japanese and delayed the siege of the fortress for a month. He skillfully led the reflection of 4 Japanese assaults on Port Arthur, successfully located artillery and reserves in areas of possible defense breakthroughs, timely strengthened and erected additional engineering structures in these areas, personally inspired soldiers and officers during battles and had great authority among the troops of the garrison. On December 2, 1904, in Port Arthur, during the distribution of awards to those who distinguished themselves in the casemate of Fort No. 2, he died with a group of officers as a result of a direct hit by an artillery shell. Considering the indisputable merits of Kondratenko, he was posthumously awarded the rank of lieutenant general, and in 1905 his ashes were reburied in the Alexander Nevsky Lavra in St. Petersburg.

V. M. Bezotosny

The famous Russian military leader, hero of the defense of Port Arthur, Lieutenant General Roman Isidorovich Kondratenko was born on September 30, 1857 in Tiflis. He was the youngest son in a large retired military family of 10 children. The former major's only source of income was his father's small pension. In order to somehow help the family, Roman from the age of six began to distribute cold water for drinking through the bazaar and city streets. In 1874, among the best graduates, he graduated from a military gymnasium in Polotsk, and in 1877 - from the Nikolaev Engineering School. Having received officer epaulettes, Lieutenant Kondratenko was enrolled in the 1st Sapper Battalion, which was located in the city of his childhood, Tiflis. In the Russian-Turkish war of 1877-1878. the young officer, despite the report he submitted, did not take part, but, in 1879, realizing the need to learn new knowledge, including the experience of the past campaign, having brilliantly passed the exams, Roman Isidorovich enters the Nikolaev Engineering Academy. After graduating in 1882 from the academy in the first category, staff captain Kondratenko was sent to serve in Batum, at the disposal of the head of the Chorokh military distance. For two years he developed a project for the construction of the Batumi fortress, which was supposed to replace the existing fortifications there, the basis of which was only coastal batteries. The construction of new fortifications, shelters, workshops, pantries, powder magazines was carried out taking into account the smallest details, and this valuable experience undoubtedly came in handy for Kondratenko twenty years later, in the besieged Port Arthur. For his diligence, in 1884 Roman Isidorovich was awarded the Order of St. Stanislaus, 3rd class, and promoted to the rank of captain. Soon (in 1885) he entered the senior class of the Nikolaev Academy of the General Staff, from which he was released in the first category in 1886.

For 8 years, Kondratenko served at the headquarters of the Vilna military district, rising to the rank of colonel. In 1895, he was appointed to the post of chief of staff of the troops of the Ural Military District, but soon he was appointed commander of the 20th rifle regiment stationed in the town of Suwalki.

At the beginning of 1900, Kondratenko was summoned to St. Petersburg and involved in the work of the "Commission for the Education of Troops", at the same time he conceived and even began to write a reference book for officers, but soon received an order to return to his former duty station. His regiment was to be redeployed to the Far East to take part in the fight against the uprising of the Yihetuans (boxers), which then broke out in China. However, his soldiers did not have to take part in the hostilities - by the time they arrived in China, the uprising had already been suppressed, and the regiment returned to its old quarters.

The Russian borders in the Far East at that time required significant strengthening, new military units were formed there, experienced commanders and general staff officers were required. In 1901, Kondratenko was offered the position of district duty general of the headquarters of the Amur Military District, then located in Khabarovsk. In November 1903, Roman Isidorovich was promoted to major general, soon received an appointment as head of the 7th East Siberian brigade, and just before the start of the Russian-Japanese war of 1904-1905. deployed to a division and redeployed to Port Arthur.

After the outbreak of hostilities, Roman Isidorovich became the head of the land defense of the fortress, having managed to significantly strengthen and strengthen its position even before the start of the Japanese siege. Kondratenko's activities were appreciated by Admiral S.O., appointed commander of the Pacific Squadron. Makarov, who once told him: “I will soon stop talking to anyone here except you. No matter what question you touch on, everything depends on Kondratenko. Too bad you're not a sailor."

Kondratenko led the repulsion of four enemy attacks of Port Arthur, was the soul of the defense of this fortress, an indisputable authority in the eyes of its courageous defenders. However, he failed to fully implement his plans. “In Port Arthur,” said Kondratenko, “it is not easy to maneuver forces and weapons, but it is even more difficult to maneuver between the three excellencies.” Roman Isidrovich had in mind the most incompetent military leaders Kuropatkin, Stessel and Smirnov. From day to day Kondratenko was forced to take on the resolution of issues that were beyond his competence, but he persistently achieved his goal. It is no coincidence that Roman Isidorovich was called the soul of the defense of Port Arthur. He devoted all his talent, all his energy and experience to the defense of the fortress. In May - June 1904, after the defeat of the Russian troops in the battles on the Jingzhou Heights, near Kuinsan, on the Green and Wolf Mountains, the enemy came close to Port Arthur, in the harbor of which almost the entire Russian Pacific Fleet was blocked. Kondratenko took a personal part in repelling enemy attacks on the front lines to the city, but he could no longer prevent the siege of Port Arthur. “No assault can be terrible,” Kondratenko inspired his subordinates, “if we decide to fulfill our oath to the end.” Around the brave general, a close circle of assistants rallied, actively working to strengthen the defense of Port Arthur. Under their leadership, home-made hand grenades ("bombs"), illuminating rockets ("star bombs") were made from spent cartridge cases of small-caliber guns, sea mines rolling down on the enemy were used, mine (torpedo) tubes were adapted for firing from land, 47 -millimeter naval guns turned into a new type of weapon previously unknown in any army - mortars that fired over-caliber pole mines.

One of the participants in the defense of Port Arthur Ya.U. Shishko, describing the activities of R.I. Kondratenko, wrote that he “at the same time, with his soul, thought and deed, was in positions in battle, where by personal example he encouraged everyone and raised the firmness of the spirit, and in Arthur there was no place where he would not look, there was no height where he did not rise to indicate where the forts, fortifications, batteries should immediately appear.

What [should] have been done in seven years, he, as far as possible, created in a few months. And now his thought, his labors, his perseverance was a whole chain of fortifications around Arthur. Fortifications appeared where it was not even supposed to build anything, such as on the mountains: Angular, High, Long, etc., on which the enemy subsequently led his assaults most persistently, understanding the importance of these points, and under which he laid tens of thousands of victims, to take them.

General Kondratenko for Arthur was everything: both strength, and soul, and thought, and the spirit of heroism.

The ring of the Japanese siege tightened ever closer, in September the enemy brought up 11-inch howitzers, the shells of which destroyed the concrete casemates of Russian forts, the vaults of which were designed to withstand hits from 6-inch guns. There was less and less hope for help from Kuropatkin's army, which suffered one setback after another in Manchuria, but while Kondratenko was alive, the defenders of Port Arthur could not even think about surrendering the fortress. Roman Isidorovich did not want to think about it either. On the day when the Japanese captured the Russian positions on Mount Vysokaya (November 22, 1904), he wept, not ashamed of tears. On the evening of that day, the general said to his assistants: “Now the agony of Arthur has begun!” But his spirit was not broken, and Kondratenko was not going to lay down his arms without a desperate struggle. Everything was changed by the death of a general who fell like a hero on a military post. On December 2, during the explosion of a large-caliber 11-inch Japanese shell in the casemate of Fort No. 2, in the most dangerous sector of the defense, Kondratenko and eight other officers were killed. With the death of the most steadfast defender of Port Arthur, the moral core that cemented the will of the command of the fortress, which was still capable of resisting and restraining the enemy forces, disappeared. On December 20, senior commanders General Stessel and General Fok, who replaced Kondratenko, surrendered the city to the Japanese with suspicious haste.

Kondratenko was posthumously promoted to the rank of lieutenant general. The ashes of Roman Isidorovich, originally buried near the battery of Plosky Cape, were subsequently transported to their homeland and buried in St. Petersburg in the Alexander Nevsky Lavra. A majestic marble monument was subsequently erected on his grave. Obelisks in memory of the fallen hero of Port Arthur were placed in the Nikolaev Engineering School, in Suwalki (in the 20th Infantry Regiment) and in the Polotsk Cadet Corps.

Read also