Military officer.
An outstanding White Army commander in the Russian Civil War. He was very close to capturing Petrograd − the heart of Bolshevik Russia − with a single blow. He failed and lost it all.
Background
Lived: 1862-1933.
Nikolay Nikolayevich Yudenich was born in Moscow in a noble family. He graduated excellently from the General Staff Academy and joined the Imperial Army in 1879.
World War I
Yudenich was serving as one of the army commanders in World War I. He was commanding the Caucasus Front. Yudenich was the most consistently successful army general in World War I.
When revolution broke out, Yudenich was forced to retire in May 1918. He spent some time in Finland with his friend Carl Gustav Mannerheim and developed a plan for capturing Petrograd with one quick offensive. Petrograd was not very well guarded and the Red Army troops were scattered in different fronts around the borders. Yudenich formed the Northwest Army and began making preparations.
The Petrograd Offensive
By October 1919 Yudenich started off with 17,000 men. The operation was supposed to take only a couple of days. Petrograd was panicking and he Head of Petrograd Soviet Grigory Zinoviev completely freaked out. However, Yudenich failed to take control over railway and soon he was running out of time.
Trotsky arrived in Petrograd to take over command of defence from Zinoviev. By late October 1919 the Northwest Army began retreating and by 1920 it had escaped to Estonia, where it was disbanded.
Aftermath
Yudenich tried to escape with the substantial funds of the Northwest Army but was arrested and the money was split between the soldiers as final salary.
Yudenich was then allowed to emigrate to France where he lived quietly until his death in 1933.
Nikolay Yudenich
Military officer.
An outstanding White Army commander in the Russian Civil War. He was very close to capturing Petrograd − the heart of Bolshevik Russia − with a single blow. He failed and lost it all.
Background
Lived: 1862-1933.
Nikolay Nikolayevich Yudenich was born in Moscow in a noble family. He graduated excellently from the General Staff Academy and joined the Imperial Army in 1879.
World War I
Yudenich was serving as one of the army commanders in World War I. He was commanding the Caucasus Front. Yudenich was the most consistently successful army general in World War I.
When revolution broke out, Yudenich was forced to retire in May 1918. He spent some time in Finland with his friend Carl Gustav Mannerheim and developed a plan for capturing Petrograd with one quick offensive. Petrograd was not very well guarded and the Red Army troops were scattered in different fronts around the borders. Yudenich formed the Northwest Army and began making preparations.
The Petrograd Offensive
By October 1919 Yudenich started off with 17,000 men. The operation was supposed to take only a couple of days. Petrograd was panicking and he Head of Petrograd Soviet Grigory Zinoviev completely freaked out. However, Yudenich failed to take control over railway and soon he was running out of time.
Trotsky arrived in Petrograd to take over command of defence from Zinoviev. By late October 1919 the Northwest Army began retreating and by 1920 it had escaped to Estonia, where it was disbanded.
Aftermath
Yudenich tried to escape with the substantial funds of the Northwest Army but was arrested and the money was split between the soldiers as final salary.
Yudenich was then allowed to emigrate to France where he lived quietly until his death in 1933.
Mikhail Frunze