Anatoly Ivanovich Rogozhin (; – 6 April 1972) was a Russian officer who served in the

Imperial Russian Army The Imperial Russian Army () was the army of the Russian Empire, active from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was organized into a standing army and a state militia. The standing army consisted of Regular army, regular troops and ...

, the

White Army The White Army, also known as the White Guard, the White Guardsmen, or simply the Whites, was a common collective name for the armed formations of the White movement and Anti-Sovietism, anti-Bolshevik governments during the Russian Civil War. T ...

, and was the last commander of the Russian Corps in Serbia during World War II.

Biography

He was born on 12 April 1893, in the stanitsa of in the Terek Cossack Host, the son of a

Cossack The Cossacks are a predominantly East Slavic Eastern Christian people originating in the Pontic–Caspian steppe of eastern Ukraine and southern Russia. Cossacks played an important role in defending the southern borders of Ukraine and Rus ...

officer. After being raised in a cadet school and completing the Nikolaevsk Cavalry School, Rogozhin commanded several cossack units in

Persia Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...

. Returning to Russia in 1914, Rogozhin fought on the South-Western front during

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

. He then served in

Kiev Kyiv, also Kiev, is the capital and most populous List of cities in Ukraine, city of Ukraine. Located in the north-central part of the country, it straddles both sides of the Dnieper, Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2022, its population was 2, ...

, then went to Terek where his unit confronted rebellion in the face of the

February Revolution The February Revolution (), known in Soviet historiography as the February Bourgeois Democratic Revolution and sometimes as the March Revolution or February Coup was the first of Russian Revolution, two revolutions which took place in Russia ...

Career

In June 1918, Rogozhin participated in the Terek Cossack rebellion against the

Bolsheviks The Bolsheviks, led by Vladimir Lenin, were a radical Faction (political), faction of the Marxist Russian Social Democratic Labour Party (RSDLP) which split with the Mensheviks at the 2nd Congress of the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party, ...

and became a part of the

White movement The White movement,. The old spelling was retained by the Whites to differentiate from the Reds. also known as the Whites, was one of the main factions of the Russian Civil War of 1917–1922. It was led mainly by the Right-wing politics, right- ...

. After evacuating from Russia, Rogozhin served in the

Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes The Kingdom of Yugoslavia was a country in Southeast and Central Europe that existed from 1918 until 1941. From 1918 to 1929, it was officially called the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes, but the term "Yugoslavia" () has been its collo ...

in the border patrol. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

he joined the Russian Corps, becoming the commander of a

regiment A regiment is a military unit. Its role and size varies markedly, depending on the country, military service, service, or administrative corps, specialisation. In Middle Ages, Medieval Europe, the term "regiment" denoted any large body of l ...

. He received an

Iron Cross The Iron Cross (, , abbreviated EK) was a military decoration in the Kingdom of Prussia, the German Empire (1871–1918), and Nazi Germany (1933–1945). The design, a black cross pattée with a white or silver outline, was derived from the in ...

second class for bravery in battle. Upon the death of General

Boris Shteifon Boris Aleksandrovich Shteifon (; 6 December 1881 – 30 April 1945) was a Russian lieutenant general Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, wh ...

, he became the last commander of the Corps. Rogozhin managed to negotiate a surrender with the British forces. He and his men were targeted for repatriation to the

SMERSH SMERSH () was an umbrella organization for three independent counter-intelligence agencies in the Red Army formed in late 1942 or even earlier, but officially announced only on 14 April 1943. The name SMERSH was coined by Joseph Stalin. The form ...

but were saved by British general Sir James Steele. He became the commander of the refugee camp. He also helped organize the evacuation of Russian veterans of the Corps and was one of the last to leave the camp in 1951. Organizing the ''Russian Corps Combatants'' veterans organization (Союз Чинов Русского Корпуса), he also established the ''Nashi Vesti'' (Our News) periodical magazine. Rogozhin moved to the United States where he continued being active in white emigre organizations. He died on 6 April 1972, and is buried in the Novo Deveevo Russian Orthodox convent in

Nanuet, New York Nanuet is a hamlet and census-designated place in the town of Clarkstown, New York, United States. The third largest hamlet in Clarkstown, it is located north of Pearl River, south of New City, east of Spring Valley, and west of West Nyack. ...

, by a chapel dedicated to the Corps.

References

"Nashi Vesti". It is s published by Russian Corps combatants in Russian
1893 births 1972 deaths Cossacks from the Russian Empire American people of Russian descent Military personnel of the Russian Empire Russian military personnel of World War I Russian Corps personnel {{Russia-mil-bio-stub Russian prisoners of war White Russian emigrants to the United States White Russian emigrants to Yugoslavia World War II prisoners of war held by the United Kingdom Graduates of the Nicholas Cavalry College

Biography

Career

See also

References