Yakov Aleksandrovich Slashchov (
Russian
Russian(s) refers to anything related to Russia, including:
*Russians (, ''russkiye''), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries
*Rossiyane (), Russian language term for all citizens and peo ...
: Яков Александрович Слащёв; 10 January 1886 – 11 January 1929) was a leading commander of
Baron Wrangel's
Crimea
Crimea, crh, Къырым, Qırım, grc, Κιμμερία / Ταυρική, translit=Kimmería / Taurikḗ ( ) is a peninsula in Ukraine, on the northern coast of the Black Sea, that has been occupied by Russia since 2014. It has a p ...
n army who reconciled to the Soviets and returned from
Constantinople
la, Constantinopolis ota, قسطنطينيه
, alternate_name = Byzantion (earlier Greek name), Nova Roma ("New Rome"), Miklagard/Miklagarth ( Old Norse), Tsargrad ( Slavic), Qustantiniya (Arabic), Basileuousa ("Queen of Cities"), Megalopolis ( ...
to
Moscow
Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...
in 1921. He was killed in his Moscow apartment by a Jew named Lazar Kalenberg, apparently in revenge for the execution of his brother.
Slashchov, known among his subordinates by the name of General Yasha, joined the
Volunteer Army
The Volunteer Army (russian: Добровольческая армия, translit=Dobrovolcheskaya armiya, abbreviated to russian: Добрармия, translit=Dobrarmiya) was a White Army active in South Russia during the Russian Civil War from ...
in December 1917 and was appointed
Andrei Shkuro
Andrei Grigoriyevich Shkuro (russian: Андре́й Григо́рьевич Шкуро́, Ukrainian: Андрій Григорович Шкуро; 19 January 1887 ( O.S.: 7 January) – 17 January 1947) was a Lieutenant General (1919) of th ...
's chief of staff in May 1918. He was promoted to the rank of
Major General
Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...
in May 1919, to that of
Lieutenant General
Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a three-star military rank (NATO code OF-8) used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the ...
in May 1920 and was put in charge of the
Crimean-Azov Corps
The 3rd Army Corps (Russian: 3-й армейский корпус) was one of the main formations of the Armed Forces of South Russia (Russian: Вооружённых Сил Юга России, ВСЮР; VSUR) during the Russian Civil War.
Thi ...
of the Volunteer Army in December 1919. He succeeded in defending the
Perekop Isthmus
The Isthmus of Perekop, literally Isthmus of the Trench ( uk, Перекопський перешийок; transliteration: ''Perekops'kyy pereshyyok''; russian: Перекопский перешеек; transliteration: ''Perekopskiy peresheek ...
from the
Red Army
The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army (Russian language, Russian: Рабо́че-крестья́нская Кра́сная армия),) often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist R ...
in late December 1919 and prevented the
Bolsheviks
The Bolsheviks (russian: Большевики́, from большинство́ ''bol'shinstvó'', 'majority'),; derived from ''bol'shinstvó'' (большинство́), "majority", literally meaning "one of the majority". also known in English ...
from penetrating the Crimea.
Slashchov and his aide Sharov were notorious for their cruelty against the
Jews
Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""T ...
and looting the population (often against Wrangel's orders). Slashchov's sometimes bitter criticism of Wrangel's decisions led to his being convicted of insubordination and stripped of his rank. He retired to Constantinople where he earned his living by gardening before returning to the Soviet Crimea.
Slashov's example was instrumental in bringing many other retired White Army officers back to Soviet Russia. He published a memoir entitled ''The Crimea in 1920'' and delivered lectures at the
Vystrel Higher Officers' Courses before he was killed by a man avenging a relative's death. The circumstances leading to his death are disputed. The central character of
Mikhail Bulgakov's play ''
Flight
Flight or flying is the process by which an object moves through a space without contacting any planetary surface, either within an atmosphere (i.e. air flight or aviation) or through the vacuum of outer space (i.e. spaceflight). This can b ...
'' is supposed to be based on Slashchov.
[Anthony Colin Wright. ''Mikhail Bulgakov: Life and Interpretations''. University of Toronto Press, 1978. Page 125.]
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Slashchov
1880s births
1929 deaths
Generals of the Russian Empire
White movement generals
Russian military personnel of World War I
People of the Russian Civil War
Soviet murder victims