How and where did Vasiliy Ivanovich Chapaev die: history and interesting facts

Where did Chapaev die and how did this happen? There is no unequivocal answer to this question, alas, no. Vasily Ivanovich Chapaev - the legendary personality of the Civil War. The life of this person, starting from a young age, is full of mysteries and mysteries. Let's try to solve them, relying on some historical facts.

Mystery of birth

The hero of our narrative lived only 32 years. But what! The one where Chapaev was killed and where he was buried is a mystery unsolved to the end. Why did it happen so? Everyone has his own truth. Witnesses of those distant times disagree in their testimony.

Chapaev Vasily Ivanovich (1887-1919) - this is the way the historical date of birth and death of the legendary commander.

It is a pity that the story of the birth of this man has preserved more reliable facts, rather than about death.

So, Vasily was born on February 9, 1887 in the family of a poor peasant. Already the very birth of the boy was marked by the seal of death: the midwife, who was taking delivery from the mother of the poor family, saw the premature baby and predicted his imminent death.

A stunted and half-dead little boy came out with a grandmother. Despite disappointing forecasts, she believed that he would get out. The crumb was wrapped in a piece of cloth and warmed near the stove. Thanks to the efforts and prayers of the grandmother, the boy survived.

Childhood

Soon the Chapaev family in search of a better life moved from the village of Budayki, which is in Chuvashia, to the village of Balakovo in Mykolayiv province.

The family affairs went a little better: Vasily even gave up learning about science in a church-parish school. But the boy was not destined to get a full education. A little more than 2 years, he learned only to read and write. Learning ended after one incident. The fact is that parochial schools practiced discipline for disciples. Chapaev did not pass this fate. Cold winter, the boy was sent to the punishment cell almost without clothes. He was not going to die of the cold, so when the frost was unbearable, he jumped out of the window. The punishment cell was very high - the guy woke up with broken arms and legs. After this incident, Vasily did not go to school anymore. And once the training for the boy was closed, the father took him with him to work, taught carpentry, and they built the buildings together.

Vasily Ivanovich Chapaev, whose biography grew up with new and incredible facts every year, was remembered by his contemporaries after one more incident. It was like this: during the work, when the cross on the very top of the newly built church was to be established, showing courage and skill, Chapaev, Jr. took up this task. However, the guy could not resist and fell from a huge height. Everyone saw the true miracle in the fact that on Vasilii after the fall there was not even a small scratch.

In the Service of Fatherland

At the age of 21, Chapaev began military service, which lasted only a year. In 1909, he was fired.

According to the official version, the reason was in the illness of the serviceman: Chapayev was found with a thorn in his eye. The unofficial reason was much more serious - Vasily's brother, Andrei, was executed for speaking out against the tsar. Vasily Chapayev himself after that began to be considered "unreliable".

Chapaev Vasily Ivanovich, whose historical portrait emerges as an image of a man prone to bold and decisive acts, once decided to create a family. He got married.

The chosen one of Vasily - Pelageya Metlina, was a daughter of a priest, therefore the elder Chapaev opposed these marriage ties. Despite the ban, the young couple got married. In this marriage, three children were born, but the union broke up due to the treason of Pelagia.

In 1914, Chapaev was again summoned to the service. The First World War brought him awards: the St. George medal and St. George crosses of the 4th and 3rd degree.

In addition to awards, the soldier Chapayev received the rank of senior non-commissioned officer. All the achievements were obtained by him for six months of service.

Chapaev and the Red Army

In July 1917, Vasily Chapayev, recovered after being wounded, enters an infantry regiment, whose soldiers support revolutionary views. Here, after active communication with the Bolsheviks, he joins the ranks of their party.

In December of the same year, the hero of our narrative becomes the Commissar of the Red Guard. He suppresses peasant uprisings and goes to study at the Academy of the General Staff.

For a sensible commander, a new assignment is immediately set in. Chapaev is sent to the Eastern Front to fight with Kolchak.

After the successful liberation of Ufa from enemy troops and participation in the military operation to release Uralsk, the headquarters of the 25th Division, commanded by Chapaev, was subjected to a surprise attack by the White Guards. According to the official version, on September 5, 1919 Vasily Chapaev was killed.

Where did Chapaev die?

The answer to this question is just the same. A tragic event occurred in Lbischensk, on the Ural River. But the historians have been arguing about how the famous commander of the Red Guard died. There are many different legends about the death of Chapaev. A lot of "eyewitnesses" tells their truth. Still, researchers of Chapaev's life are inclined to the fact that he drowned, crossing the Urals.

This version is based on an investigation carried out by Chapayev's contemporaries immediately after his death.

The fact that the graves of the commander does not exist and his remains were not found, gave rise to a new version that he had escaped. When the Civil War ended, rumors began circulating among the people about the rescue of Chapayev. It was said that he changed his name and lived in the Arkhangelsk region. The first version confirms the film, which was released on Soviet screens in the 30s of last century.

A film about Chapayev: myth or reality

In those years, the country needed new heroes-revolutionaries with an unblemished reputation. Chapaev's feat was just what Soviet propaganda needed.

From the film we learn that the headquarters of the division, commanded by Chapaev, the enemies were taken by surprise. The advantage was on the side of the White Guards. The Reds fired back, the battle was fierce. The only way to survive and survive was crossing the Urals.

Crossing the river, Chapaev was already wounded in the arm. The next enemy bullet killed him, and he drowned. The river, where Chapaev was killed, became his burial place.

However, the film, which all Soviet citizens admired, aroused resentment among the descendants of Chapaev. His daughter Klavdia, referring to the story of Commissar Baturin, claimed that the comrades brought his father to the other side of the river on a raft.

To the question: "Where did Chapaev die?" Baturin answered: "On the river bank". From his words, the body was buried in the coastal sand and disguised as reeds.

Already the great-granddaughter of the red commander initiated the search for the grave of his great-grandfather. However, these plans were not destined to come true. On the place where the legend was supposed to be the grave, the river now flowed.

Whose testimony was taken as the basis of the film's script?

How Chapayev died and where, after the end of the war, Belonozhkin chorruzian told us. From his words it became known that he had put a bullet into the sailing commander. At the former cornet, a denunciation was written, he confirmed his version during the interrogation, and it was also the basis of the film.

The fate of Belonozhkin is also shrouded in mystery. Twice he was convicted, and as many times amnestied. He lived to a very old age. He fought during the Second World War, lost his hearing due to concussion, and died at the age of 96 years.

The fact that Chapaev's "killer" lived to such an advanced age and died his death, says that representatives of the Soviet government, taking as a basis for the film his story, did not believe in this version.

The version of the old residents of the village of Lbischensky

How Chapayev died, history is silent. We can draw conclusions, referring only to eyewitness testimony, conducting all sorts of investigations and examinations.

The version of the old residents of the village Lbischenskoy (now Chapaevo) also has the right to live. The investigation was conducted by Academician A. Cherekaev, he also recorded the history of the defeat of Chapaev's division. According to eyewitness accounts, the weather on the day of the tragedy was cold in autumn. Cossacks drove all the Red Guards to the shore of the Urals, where many soldiers, indeed, threw themselves into the river and drowned.

The victims were due to the fact that the place where Chapaev was killed is considered enchanted. The river there has not yet been able to cross anybody, despite the fact that local daredevils, in honor of the memory of the deceased commissar, arrange such swimmers on the day of his death.

About the fate of Chapaeva Cherekaev learned that he was caught, and after questioning, under guard, was sent to Guryev to the ataman Tolstov. On this Chapaev's trace breaks off.

Where is the truth?

The fact that Chapaev's death is indeed covered in mystery is an absolute fact. And the answer to this question to the researchers of the life path of the legendary commander is yet to be learned.

It is noteworthy that Chapayev was not informed about the death of the newspapers at all. Although then the death of such a famous person was considered an event, which was learned from newspapers.

About the death of Chapaev began to speak after the publication of the famous film. All eyewitnesses of his death started talking at almost the same time - after 1935, in other words, after the film was shown.

In the encyclopedia "Civil War and military intervention in the USSR" the place where Chapaev was killed is also not indicated. The official, generalized version is indicated - near Lbischensk.

Let's hope that thanks to the possibilities of the latest research, this story will someday become clearer.