Ivane (Vano) Nanuaschvili or Jan Nanuashvili ( Georgian: ივანე (ვანო) ნანუაშვილი, ; January 1, 1902 – 1974) was a Georgian military activist, officer of the

Polish Army The Land Forces () are the Army, land forces of the Polish Armed Forces. They currently contain some 110,000 active personnel and form many components of the European Union and NATO deployments around the world. Poland's recorded military histor ...

, political emigrant. Vano Nanuashvili contributed to the popularization of Georgian culture and history, as well as the question of Georgian independence.

Early life and education

Vano Nanuashvili was born in

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...

on January 1, 1902. In 1912-1920, he studied in

Tbilisi Tbilisi ( ; ka, თბილისი, ), in some languages still known by its pre-1936 name Tiflis ( ), ( ka, ტფილისი, tr ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Georgia (country), largest city of Georgia ( ...

5th General Education School. In 1920-1921 he was a student of the Georgian Military Academy of Tbilisi (Officers School). In March–April 1921, during the Georgian-Russian war, he participated in the battle as a cadet of the Officers’ School. After the occupation of the Democratic Republic of Georgia by the

Soviet Russia The Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic (Russian SFSR or RSFSR), previously known as the Russian Socialist Federative Soviet Republic and the Russian Soviet Republic, and unofficially as Soviet Russia,Declaration of Rights of the labo ...

, Vano Nanuashvili emigrated from his home country together with the Georgian officers. In April–June 1921 he was in

Istanbul Istanbul is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, constituting the country's economic, cultural, and historical heart. With Demographics of Istanbul, a population over , it is home to 18% of the Demographics ...

, from June 1921 to 1922 he studied at the Greek Military Academy in

Athens Athens ( ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Greece, largest city of Greece. A significant coastal urban area in the Mediterranean, Athens is also the capital of the Attica (region), Attica region and is the southe ...

, in 1923-1925 he is a student of the Military Academy of

Warsaw Warsaw, officially the Capital City of Warsaw, is the capital and List of cities and towns in Poland, largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the Vistula, River Vistula in east-central Poland. Its population is officially estimated at ...

. In 1939, from the beginning of the

Second World War 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 ...

, Vano Nanuashvili, as a member of the Polish Army, took part in the Polish war campaign against Germany. During one of the battles he was captured. In 1939-1944 he was a war prisoner in Germany. In 1944 he managed to escape from German captivity and continued to fight against German Army in Italy. After the Second World War, Vano Nanuashvili ceased his military activity. From 1948-1951 he lived in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

. In 1951 he left for the United States, living in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

from 1951-1954. From 1954-1960 he lived in

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

and worked at various factories. For the last period of his life, 1960-1974, he lived in

San Francisco San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...

Political Activity

After his emigration, Vano Nanuashvili devoted himself to gaining the independence of

. He founded various organizations and took an active part in them. In 1928 he founded the Association of the Emigrated Georgian Officers. He has been its secretary for 9 years and was the editor of the Georgian military and political magazine "Mkhedari." Vano Nanuashvili was one of the founders of the magazine "Georgian Home in San Francisco," published in Georgian and English. Vano Nanuashvili was a member of the Executive Committee of the Occupied Nations. Vano Nanuashvili wrote military and political articles and books in English. In 1956 in

he published his book "Power and Weakness of the Soviet Union". His book "What Everyone in the Free World Should Know about Russia" was popular in

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

and in the United States, in 2012 the book was published in Georgian language. He died in the United States.

Sources

Vano Nanuashvili’s personal archive, preserved at the National Centre of Manuscripts (Tbilisi, Georgia)

References

External links

Ivane Nanuashvili at the official website of National Parliamentary Library of Georgia

Vano Nanuashvili at Manuscript.ge

Literature

* ''Grishikashvili, Ambrosi,'' Captain Vano Nanuashvili: Georgians in Poland, Tbilisi, 2008, p. 194–199 (Georgian: ''გრიშიკაშვილი, ამბროსი,'' კაპიტანი ვანო ნანუაშვილი: ქართველები პოლონეთში, თბილისი, 2008, გვ. 194–199). * ''Murusidze, Shorena,'' The Archival Heritage of Ivane (Vano) Nanuashvili for the Study of the History of Georgian Political Emigration, Tbilisi, 2013, p. 137-139 (Georgian: მურუსიძე, შორენა, ივანე (ვანო) ნანუაშვილის საარქივო მემკვიდრეობა ქართული პოლიტიკური ემიგრაციის ისტორიის კვლევისათვის, თბილისი, 2013, გვ. 137-139). {{DEFAULTSORT:Nanuashvili, Ivane 1902 births 1974 deaths Activists from Georgia (country) Polish Army officers Polish emigrants to the United States Prisoners of war from Georgia (country) Soviet emigrants to Poland World War II prisoners of war held by Germany