Vasily Gurko
Encyclopedia
Vasily Iosifovich Gurko (1864–1937) served for a brief period as a Chief-of-Staff of the Imperial Russian Army
before being forced out of the country in exile following the October Revolution
of 1917.
.
With the outbreak of the war in 1914 Gurko was appointed to command of the 1st Cavalry Division under Paul von Rennenkampf
, which he led in East Prussia and at November 1914's Battle of Lodz
before receiving an appointment as Chief of Staff to Mikhail Alexeev.
Appointed to the head of VI Corps, attached to Second Army, Gurko led the Russian counterattack in the January 1915 at the Battle of Bolimov
.
Imperial Russian Army
The Imperial Russian Army was the land armed force of the Russian Empire, active from around 1721 to the Russian Revolution of 1917. In the early 1850s, the Russian army consisted of around 938,731 regular soldiers and 245,850 irregulars . Until the time of military reform of Dmitry Milyutin in...
before being forced out of the country in exile following the October Revolution
October Revolution
The October Revolution , also known as the Great October Socialist Revolution , Red October, the October Uprising or the Bolshevik Revolution, was a political revolution and a part of the Russian Revolution of 1917...
of 1917.
Biography
Son of the Iosif Gurko. Brother of the Vladimir GurkoVladimir Gurko
Vladimir Iosifovich Gurko was a Russian government official and right-wing politician.- Life :Son of the Iosif Gurko. Brother of the general Vasily Gurko....
.
With the outbreak of the war in 1914 Gurko was appointed to command of the 1st Cavalry Division under Paul von Rennenkampf
Paul von Rennenkampf
Paul von Rennenkampf was a Russian general who served in the Imperial Russian Army for over 40 years, including during World War I.-Early career:...
, which he led in East Prussia and at November 1914's Battle of Lodz
Battle of Lódz
In the history of warfare there were two battles fought in the vicinity of the city of Łódź:# Battle of Łódź during World War I# Battle of Łódź during the Invasion of Poland...
before receiving an appointment as Chief of Staff to Mikhail Alexeev.
Appointed to the head of VI Corps, attached to Second Army, Gurko led the Russian counterattack in the January 1915 at the Battle of Bolimov
Battle of Bolimov
The Battle of Bolimov was an inconclusive battle of World War I fought on January 31, 1915 between Germany and Russia and considered a preliminary to the Second Battle of the Masurian Lakes.- Battle :...
.
Honours and awards
- Order of St. Stanislaus 3rd class (1894); 2nd class with swords (1905); 1st class (1908)
- Order of St. AnnaOrder of St. AnnaThe Order of St. Anna ) is a Holstein and then Russian Imperial order of chivalry established by Karl Friedrich, Duke of Holstein-Gottorp on 14 February 1735, in honour of his wife Anna Petrovna, daughter of Peter the Great of Russia...
, 3rd class (1896); 2nd class with swords (1905) - Order of St. VladimirOrder of St. VladimirThe Cross of Saint Vladimir was an Imperial Russian Order established in 1782 by Empress Catherine II in memory of the deeds of Saint Vladimir, the Grand Prince and the Baptizer of the Kievan Rus....
, 4th class (1901); 3rd class (1905) - Gold Sword for BraveryGold Sword for BraveryThe Gold Sword for Bravery was a Russian Empire 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 in 1917. From 1913 to 1917 it was renamed the St George Sword and considered as one of the grades of the Order...
(1905) - Order of St. GeorgeOrder of St. GeorgeThe Military Order of the Holy Great-Martyr and the Triumphant George The Military Order of the Holy Great-Martyr and the Triumphant George The Military Order of the Holy Great-Martyr and the Triumphant George (also known as Order of St. George the Triumphant, Russian: Военный орден Св...
, 4th class (1914); 3rd class (1915)