Nikolai Golovin
Encyclopedia
Nikolai Golovin was a Russia
n general and military historian.
.
At the beginning of the First World War Golovin commanded Grodno Hussar regiment. Later he was transferred to staff of the general Lechitsky 9th Army as Quartermaster-General (Director of operations), and in 1916 as Chief of Staff of 7th Army. In 1917 he was Chief of Staff of Romanian Front
.
After the Russian Revolution and break-up of the army he retired to Odessa where he lived in obscurity until the victory of the Allies and opening of the Black Sea allowed him to come to Western Europe.
In autumn 1919 he travelled from Paris
through Vladivostok
to Siberia
to join admiral Kolchak's
anti-bolshevik "white" forces. It was assumed that Golovin would be the Chief of Staff of Kolchak's army. But when he arrived at Omsk
, Kolchak's army was already retreating in disarray. Golovin decided that the situation was hopeless and did not take command, returning to Vladivostok and Europe.
While living as an emigre in Paris he authored numerous books and articles on military theory and military history. He collected documents on Russian history for the Hoover library
. Golovin's personal collection of documents was also deposited in Hoover Institution archive.
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n general and military historian.
Biography
Since 1908 Golovin was professor of tactics at General Staff AcademyGeneral Staff Academy (Imperial Russia)
The General Staff Academy was a Russian military academy, established in 1832 in St.Petersburg. It was first known as the Imperial Military Academy , then in 1855 it was renamed Nicholas General Staff Academy and in 1909 - Imperial Nicholas Military Academy The General Staff Academy was a...
.
At the beginning of the First World War Golovin commanded Grodno Hussar regiment. Later he was transferred to staff of the general Lechitsky 9th Army as Quartermaster-General (Director of operations), and in 1916 as Chief of Staff of 7th Army. In 1917 he was Chief of Staff of Romanian Front
Romanian Front (Russian Empire)
The Romanian Front was a formation of the Imperial Russian Army during the First World War.-Commanders:* 12.12.1916—01.04.1917 — General of Cavalry Vladimir Viktorovich Sakharov* 11.04.1917—25.03.1918 — General of Infantry Dmitry Shcherbachev...
.
After the Russian Revolution and break-up of the army he retired to Odessa where he lived in obscurity until the victory of the Allies and opening of the Black Sea allowed him to come to Western Europe.
In autumn 1919 he travelled from Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
through Vladivostok
Vladivostok
The city is located in the southern extremity of Muravyov-Amursky Peninsula, which is about 30 km long and approximately 12 km wide.The highest point is Mount Kholodilnik, the height of which is 257 m...
to Siberia
Siberia
Siberia is an extensive region constituting almost all of Northern Asia. Comprising the central and eastern portion of the Russian Federation, it was part of the Soviet Union from its beginning, as its predecessor states, the Tsardom of Russia and the Russian Empire, conquered it during the 16th...
to join admiral Kolchak's
Aleksandr Kolchak
Aleksandr Vasiliyevich Kolchak was a Russian naval commander, polar explorer and later - Supreme ruler . Supreme ruler of Russia , was recognized in this position by all the heads of the White movement, "De jure" - Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes, "De facto" - Entente States...
anti-bolshevik "white" forces. It was assumed that Golovin would be the Chief of Staff of Kolchak's army. But when he arrived at Omsk
Omsk
-History:The wooden fort of Omsk was erected in 1716 to protect the expanding Russian frontier along the Ishim and the Irtysh rivers against the Kyrgyz nomads of the Steppes...
, Kolchak's army was already retreating in disarray. Golovin decided that the situation was hopeless and did not take command, returning to Vladivostok and Europe.
While living as an emigre in Paris he authored numerous books and articles on military theory and military history. He collected documents on Russian history for the Hoover library
Hoover Institution
The Hoover Institution on War, Revolution and Peace is a public policy think tank and library founded in 1919 by then future U.S. president, Herbert Hoover, an early alumnus of Stanford....
. Golovin's personal collection of documents was also deposited in Hoover Institution archive.
Books
- The problem of the Pacific in the twentieth century. 1922. (co-authored with Andrei Bubnov)
- The Russian Army in World War I. New Haven, Yale University PressYale University PressYale University Press is a book publisher founded in 1908 by George Parmly Day. It became an official department of Yale University in 1961, but remains financially and operationally autonomous....
, 1931. - The Russian Campaign of 1914: The Beginnings of the War and Operations in East Prussia. Fort Leavenworth, KS, The Command and General Staff School Press, 1933.
- Air strategy. 1936.
Articles
- Great battle for Galicia: A Study in Strategy The Slavonic Review, Vol. 5, No. 13 (Jun., 1926), pp. 25–47
- Brusilov's Offensive: The Galician Battle of 1916. The Slavonic and East European ReviewThe Slavonic and East European ReviewThe Slavonic and East European Review , the journal of the School of Slavonic and East European Studies at University College London, is an international peer-reviewed multidisciplinary academic journal in the fields of social sciences and humanities founded in...
, Vol. 13, No. 39 (Apr., 1935), pp. 571–596 - The Russian War Plan of 1914. The Slavonic and East European ReviewThe Slavonic and East European ReviewThe Slavonic and East European Review , the journal of the School of Slavonic and East European Studies at University College London, is an international peer-reviewed multidisciplinary academic journal in the fields of social sciences and humanities founded in...
, Vol. 14, No. 42 (Apr., 1936), pp. 564–584. - The Russian War Plan of 1914: II. The Execution of the Plan. The Slavonic and East European ReviewThe Slavonic and East European ReviewThe Slavonic and East European Review , the journal of the School of Slavonic and East European Studies at University College London, is an international peer-reviewed multidisciplinary academic journal in the fields of social sciences and humanities founded in...
, Vol. 15, No. 43 (Jul., 1936), pp. 70–90