Baklanov for a year of service. God's people and his troops
Oleg Baklanov is an outstanding Soviet figure. His name is especially familiar to the older generation. The most global scientific discoveries in the field of defense and rocket and space industries are associated with it. He is also known for his vigorous political activity, being at different times the secretary of the CPSU Central Committee and a people's deputy of the USSR. He has many awards and honorary titles, including Hero of Socialist Labor and the Lenin Prize.
Years of study and first job
The life of the future candidate of technical sciences began in the city of Kharkov in Ukraine on March 17, 1932. After graduating from the seven-year school, the young man entered the local vocational communications school, where he studied from 1948 to 1950.
The young graduate was able to put his acquired knowledge into practice immediately after completing his studies, receiving his first job as an assembler at the Kharkov Instrument-Making Plant. The production association was one of the leading ones in the country, producing the most relevant defense items at that time - rocket and space products. It was within its walls that Baklanov acquired invaluable professional experience, learning the basic principles of producing complex technical products.
Career accomplishments
The hard work and perseverance in the work of a novice employee allowed him to receive a promotion: in a short time he rose to the position of a traffic controller for the production of radio equipment. Oleg Dmitrievich combined working shifts at the plant with his studies at the correspondence department at the All-Union Energy Institute. In the fall of 1958, by that time already the deputy head of the production workshop, Baklanov went on an important work mission to Moscow, where, under his leadership, work was carried out on debugging and delivery of manufactured devices to the customer. The business trip, which lasted about five months, was successful, allowing the Moscow plant to be supplied with Kharkov equipment on a regular basis.
Subsequently, the pace of work at the plant only increased, which gave the young specialist the opportunity to prove himself, occupying various positions (from deputy chief engineer to chief plant engineer), while delving even more deeply into the various intricacies of instrument making. The products produced by the plant in those years for on-board computers and launch vehicles were so durable that they could be reused by objects upon return from space.
Outstanding organizational skills
In 1975, Oleg Dmitrievich received a promotion, becoming general director of Monolit Production Association. The years of Baklanov’s reign coincided with the heyday of rocket and space production - objects were put on the assembly line, and about 24 thousand people worked at the plant itself. It was largely thanks to Oleg Dmitrievich’s ability to select skilled personnel and distribute each employee according to his abilities that the plant functioned smoothly, always supplying only high-quality products. For outstanding achievements in the development of special equipment in 1976, Baklanov was awarded the honorary title of Hero of Socialist Labor.
In the same year, by decree of his superiors, he was transferred to Moscow, where over the course of seven years he worked his way up to Minister of General Engineering. During his work at the ministry, Baklanov carried out the most important technical developments in the creation of the Energia-Buran complex and Zenit launch vehicles. Under his leadership, the Energia launch vehicle was successfully launched into space in 1987. Due to his duty, he often had to travel to Baikonur to monitor the launch of rockets for compliance with the necessary standards.
Political activism and biased arrest
The period of the collapse of the Soviet Union coincided with the beginning of the political activity of Oleg Dmitrievich, who by that time had been appointed to the post of Secretary of the CPSU Central Committee. He also served as Deputy Chairman for Defense Affairs. Three years later, he became a member of the State Committee for Emergency Incidents, which, perhaps, became the most tragic period in his biography. The serious contradictions that existed at that time in the power structures regarding the preservation of the political status of the USSR led to the unjust arrest of Baklanov and his placement in the “Matroskaya Tishina” detention center. The falsified verdict against Oleg Dmitrievich seriously affected his wife Lydia Fedorovna, who, upon learning of her husband’s arrest, suffered a heart attack and ended up in the hospital for four months. In addition, the biased attitude of the authorities also affected the son of a politician: Dmitry Olegovich, an employee of the Ministry of Internal Affairs who fought the drug business, lost his job.
The imprisonment of the prominent scientist lasted for a year and a half, until in 1993 the Russian State Duma issued a resolution granting an amnesty to all defendants involved in the State Emergency Committee case. During his stay in prison, Oleg Baklanov, without losing faith in a fair outcome, kept daily entries in his diary, the contents of which are now available to the public.
Tireless explorer
Today, Oleg Dmitrievich lives in Moscow and, despite his advanced age, continues to do his life’s work, heading the board of directors of OJSC Rosobschemash, as well as holding a number of other responsible positions, in particular, being the chairman of the Society for Friendship and Cooperation of the Russian and Ukrainian Peoples . He also authored a number of invaluable scientific works, which are a real treasure trove on issues of rocket and space research. And the book “Space is My Destiny”, published by him in 2012, which was in high reader demand, was released in two formats at once - book and electronic. The publication is a true confession of a man who devoted most of his life to space, from which the reader can learn about all the most important stages of the biography of a unique person.
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PRIDE OF THE DON COSSACKS
On March 27, 1809, the famous Cossack general Yakov Petrovich Baklanov, the pride of the Don Cossacks, was born in the village of Gugninskaya. Hereditary Cossack, a threat to enemies and a fearless warrior, left a mark on the history of the Don Cossacks and our Fatherland.
The hero's father, Pyotr Dmitrievich Baklanov, was a cornet of the Don Army. He was distinguished by his fearlessness and powerful physique. While serving in the army, Pyotr Dmitrievich gained a reputation as a warrior who was feared by his enemies and respected by his comrades. Pyotr Dmitrievich raised his son as a real Cossack. At the age of three, Yakov was already riding a horse; at the age of eight, his life on the road began - together with his father he went to Bessarabia.
At the age of fifteen, Yakov Petrovich Baklanov began serving as a constable, at seventeen he got married, and at nineteen, with the rank of cornet in the regiment commanded by his father, he went to war. Participation in the crossing of the Balkans, in the crossing of the Kamchik River, the capture of Burgas and other important objects in the Russian-Turkish campaign tempered the future hero even more. All the time, Yakov showed courage and bravery, recklessness and zeal. At the end of the war, Yakov Baklanov was awarded the Order of St. Anne of the third and fourth degrees.
Caucasus
After some time, young Baklanov returned to service and, after guarding the border along the Prut, in 1834 he again went to the Kuban in Zhirov’s regiment, starting his first campaigns against the highlanders.
Over time, during combat practice, Yakov Baklanov became an experienced, skillful and cunning combat officer. His fame grew, and by that time he had already received the Order of St. Vladimir, fourth degree. In 1837, Yakov Baklanov was promoted to esaul, and in 1841, as part of the Don Cossack Regiment No. 36, the hero was sent to Poland to guard the border with Russia. The time spent in Europe gave Yakov the opportunity to study classical literature, the history of wars, European culture, etc.
Returning from the West, Yakov Baklanov received the rank of sergeant major and took command of the Don Cossack Regiment No. 20, whose task was to control the Kura fortification. From that time on, a bright period in the life of the hero of the Don Cossacks began. His name began to resound far beyond the Caucasus.
In the Don Cossack regiment entrusted to Baklanov, vacillation and confusion initially reigned. Lack of discipline, zeal for service, drunkenness, playing cards, torn clothes - the Cossack chieftain began to eradicate all this. The ban on alcohol, the education of soldiers, and lessons in military strategy and tactics became the basis of regimental life. The consequence was many heroic campaigns carried out by the regiment. Baklanov bribed spies in the enemy’s camp and always knew about the enemy’s actions.
In those days, the Don Army opposed the highlanders who raided Russian villages. Using his tactics, Baklanov forced the enemy to go on the defensive; now the Cossacks attacked Chechen villages, stole livestock and people, and took away food and valuables. The mountaineers pronounced Baklanov’s name in a whisper, calling him the Russian devil, the frantic Boklyu, the Don Suvorov, the thunderstorm of Chechnya.
The mountaineers believed that Buccleuch was supported by the evil one, and they were terribly afraid of him. And even the main highlander - the formidable Shamil - treated the Cossack ataman with respect. True, he scolded his subordinates for fear of him. “If you feared Allah Almighty as much as Baklanov, you would have long ago become holy people,” the commander-in-chief of the mountain army, Imam Shamil, told his people.
During his service in the Caucasus, Yakov Petrovich Baklanov rose to the rank of lieutenant general and received many awards, including the Order of St. George of the fourth degree, the Order of St. Vladimir of the third degree and many others.
On April 10, 1853, for his valor during an attack on enemy positions near the village of Gurdali, Baklanov was awarded the Order of St. Stanislaus, 1st degree. On March 11 of the same year, Baklanov was appointed to the headquarters of the Caucasian Corps as commander of the left flank cavalry. The headquarters was located in the Grozny fortress (the current city of Grozny).
On June 14, 1854, for the courage and bravery shown during the defeat of the mountain forces between the fortress of Grozny and Urus-Martan, Baklanov was thanked by the emperor. On August 22 of the same year, Yakov Petrovich was awarded the honorary badge of impeccable service for twenty years.
The fame of the heroism and fearlessness of the legendary commander spread far beyond the Caucasus. The Cossack general Yakov Baklanov was loved and respected throughout the Russian Empire. One day, a parcel was delivered to the ataman from an unknown admirer. Having opened it, Yakov Petrovich discovered inside a black silk badge with embroidery in the form of a white Adam’s head (skull and crossbones) and the inscription “I look forward to the resurrection of the dead and the life of the next century. Amen". Baklanov simply fell in love with this gift and did not part with it until the end of his life. So the famous Baklanovsky flag became his talisman. At the sight of this flag, the mountaineers fell into panic, especially if this flag fluttered in the hands of a fearless general.
The image of General Yakov Baklanov is still preserved in the legends and fairy tales of the Chechens. The songs of the Don Cossacks glorify this great and glorious hero of the Don Cossacks.
Then there was participation in the Crimean War, where his enemies called him “Bataman-Klych” (“a hero with a half-pound sword”), further service in the Caucasus, the suppression of an uprising in Poland, where Yakov Baklanov became known not only as a warrior-hero, but also like a brilliant diplomat. In Poland he won deep respect from the local population.
In the summer of 1894 in Novocherkassk, all the ataman’s property and his money burned down. These events did not have the best effect on the health of the already elderly Cossack. In 1867, Yakov Petrovich Baklanov returned to the Don, then moved to St. Petersburg. He lived quietly and calmly, working on his memoirs “My Combat Life.”
On October 18, 1873, Yakov Petrovich appeared before the Lord as a hero and glory of the Don Cossacks, as a warrior of Christ. He was buried in the cemetery of the Novodevichy Convent. The ceremony was financed by the Don Army, which he glorified with his life and deeds. Five years later, a monument was erected over the hero’s grave, depicting a rock with a cloak and a hat thrown on it. The famous Baklanovsky sign could be seen from under the hat. In 1911, the ashes of the legendary Cossack hero were transported to his homeland and reburied in Novocherkassk, next to the heroes of Russia - Platov, Orlov-Denisov, Efremov.
The memory of the Cossack hero, the legendary general who glorified the Don Army and his Don land, is still alive today! The image of the brave chieftain, stories about his famous “Cormorant blow”, his exploits and heroism will be passed on from generation to generation! Yakov Petrovich Baklanov is an example of a warrior who fights for the love of the Motherland, for the love of his people!
Glory to the heroes of the Don!
Glory to the Don Cossacks!
Igor Martynov,
military foreman, deputy ataman of the Tambov department
Cossack society
Baklanov Yakov Petrovich (March 15 (28), 1809, Gugninskaya village, near Tsimlyansk - October 18 (31), 1873, St. Petersburg), Russian military leader, lieutenant general (1860), hero of the Caucasian War. A hereditary Don Cossack, Yakov Baklanov was born into the family of a cornet, a participant in the Patriotic War of 1812 and the foreign campaigns of the Russian army. Baklanov was accustomed to service from childhood; in 1817, when leaving with a regiment for Bessarabia, his father took Yakov with him. In the regiment, the boy learned the basics of military service and literacy.
Yakov grew up to be a hero, he was a tall (202 cm) and strong young man. In 1824, he was enlisted as a constable in the ranks of Popov’s Don Cossack regiment. In the same regiment, his father commanded a hundred. The following year, the regiment was sent to Crimea, where Yakov took a course at the district school in Feodosia. Occasionally he came home for leave, and on one of his visits he married a simple Cossack woman.
In 1828, Baklanov became a cornet, and soon went with his regiment, which by that time was commanded by his father, to the Russian-Turkish War (1828-1829). Cossacks took part in hostilities on the Balkan Peninsula. Cornetal Baklanov distinguished himself during the capture of the fortress of Silistria, the assault on Brailov, and at the crossing of the Kamchik River. The Baklanov regiment crossed the Balkans and took part in the capture of Burgas. In battles, Yakov showed himself to be a brave and daring Cossack, and for military distinction he was awarded the Order of Anna of the third and fourth degree. After the end of hostilities, Baklanov’s regiment carried out cordon service on the Prut; the Donets returned home in 1831.
In 1834, Baklanov was assigned to a Cossack regiment, which carried out guard duty in the Kuban, took part in clashes with the highlanders, and repelled their attacks on the Ascension Fortress. From the experience of skirmishes with the highlanders, Baklanov learned specific techniques for successfully fighting a mobile and treacherous enemy, and earned a reputation as a decisive and proactive officer who skillfully used non-standard combat techniques. After 1837, Baklanov, as part of the 36th Cossack Regiment, carried out cordon service in Poland, near the border with Prussia. Upon returning to the Don, he received the rank of military sergeant. In 1845, Baklanov was again sent to the Caucasus, to the Kura fortification on the border with Chechnya, where the 20th Don Cossack Regiment was stationed. He immediately took part in the completion of the Dargin expedition, which was led by the Caucasian governor M. Vorontsov. Russian troops, returning after a grueling campaign to the village of Dargo, had difficulty making their way through the ambushes of the highlanders, and Baklanov’s raid with battles towards Vorontsov turned out to be timely. For this raid, Yakov Petrovich was awarded the Order of Anna, second degree.
Participation in the Caucasian War brought Baklanov legendary fame. The Chechens called him “Shaitan Boklyu” or “Dajjal” (devil), and considered him cursed from death. He himself supported this superstition of the local residents in every possible way. This was facilitated by his powerful physique, enormous physical strength and the menacing expression of his face, eaten away by smallpox. At the beginning of 1846, Prince Vorontsov entrusted Baklanov with leading the 20th Cossack regiment. Having accepted the regiment, Yakov Petrovich quickly put it in order and achieved better organization of combat training and supplies. New to the regiment were tactical training, which no one knew about then, and a special training unit, where instructors were trained for all units. The method of combat operations also became new: from defense in the fortress, Baklanov switched to energetic offensive operations along the Kura Line. Out of the blue it fell on the detachments of the mountaineers who were gathering to attack the Kura fortification. His assistants in ensuring the surprise of actions were scouts, Chechen guides, and plastuns.
Over time, Baklanov began to conduct long-distance raids on fortified Chechen villages. Stealth of movement, speed and daring attack ensured the success of the raid. In 1848 he became a lieutenant colonel, and the following year he was awarded a gold saber with the inscription “For bravery.” For valiant actions in breaking through a strong highlander barrier at the Goytemirovsky Gate, Yakov Petrovich was promoted to colonel (1850).
In 1850, at the request of Count M.S. Vorontsov Yakov Petrovich led the 17th Cossack regiment, which replaced the 20th regiment that was leaving for the Don. And this regiment in a short time gained a brilliant military reputation. A year later, Baklanov commanded cavalry in an expedition from the Groznaya fortress into the depths of Chechnya under the leadership of Prince A. Baryatinsky. For his brilliant actions on the expedition, he received the Order of Vladimir, third degree. Returning to the Kura fortification, Baklanov continued active offensive operations towards Aukha, along the valley of the Michik River, towards Gudermes and Dzhalka. In 1852, Baklanov was awarded the Order of George, fourth class, and promoted to major general. In 1853, Baklanov’s regiment took part in a new expedition against Greater Chechnya under the leadership of the head of the left flank of the Caucasian fortified line, A. Baryatinsky. Soon Baklanov was appointed to command the entire cavalry of the left flank of the Caucasian line.
With the outbreak of the Crimean War (1854-1856), he commanded irregular cavalry in combat operations against the Turks in Transcaucasia, and took part in the siege of Kars (1855). In 1857, the new Caucasian governor A. Baryatinsky appointed Baklanov as marching ataman of the Don Cossack regiments in the Caucasus. In subsequent years, the illustrious hero was mainly involved in administrative issues and did not take part directly in hostilities. In 1859, Yakov Petrovich received the Order of Anna, first degree, becoming a full holder of this order, and the following year he was promoted to lieutenant general.
In 1861, Baklanov was appointed head of the Second District of the Don Cossack Army, and in 1863 he took command of the Cossack regiments aimed at suppressing the Polish uprising (1863-1864). After the defeat of the rebels, he was appointed head of the Suwalki-Augustovsky district. At this post, Baklanov came into conflict with his boss M. Muravyov (Hangman), who demanded that the Poles be severely punished for resisting Russian troops. Despite the reputation of a fierce and ruthless warrior, Yakov Baklanov called for abandoning revenge on the rebels and not embittering the local population with punitive measures. For the Polish campaign he received his last award - the Order of Vladimir, second degree.
During these years, Baklanov began to be plagued by liver disease; in the summer of 1864, after a strong fire in Novocherkassk, all his property and money burned. Until 1867, Yakov Petrovich commanded the Don regiments stationed in the Vilna Military District, and after the abolition of this position, he settled in St. Petersburg, where he was treated and wrote his memoirs “My Combat Life.” He died in poverty after a serious and long illness; the funeral took place in the cemetery of the St. Petersburg Novodevichy Convent at the expense of the Don Cossack Army. In 1911, his ashes were reburied in the tomb of the Ascension Cathedral in Novocherkassk, next to the graves of M. Platov, V. Orlov-Denisov, I. Efremov. In 1904, the Seventeenth Don Regiment began to bear his name Baklanova, in 1909 his native village of Gugninskaya was renamed Baklanovskaya, and Trinity Avenue in Novocherkassk - Baklanovsky Avenue.
“Donskoy Suvorov”, “Furious Boclu”, “Thunderstorm of Chechnya” - such nicknames were rightfully earned by the hero of the Caucasian War, Yakov Baklanov, from the Russians and mountaineers. “If you feared Allah as much as Baklanov, you would have been saints long ago,” Imam Shamil reproached the highlanders who were in awe of the Cossack commander.
In Russian history there are names of people who, during the bloody Caucasian War of the 19th century, were simultaneously surrounded by an aura of heroism and valor, and mystical horror and mystery. One of these personalities tightly connected with the history of the pacification of the Caucasus is Lieutenant General Yakov Petrovich Baklanov. Gloomy, two meters tall, endowed by nature with heroic strength, during his lifetime he became the hero of all kinds of rumors and legends.
For example, having received command of a regiment that was in desperately poor condition, he quickly brought it into exemplary condition with his energy and, from the timid defense of his predecessors, moved on to the most energetic offensive and soon became a threat to the mountaineers, who considered “Bokla” akin to the devil himself and called him “ Dajjal,” that is, Satan. Baklanov knew about this and strongly supported the mountaineers in the belief that evil spirits were helping him. When in March 1850 he was wounded and the highlanders, having learned about this, decided to raid in a huge party, Baklanov, overcoming the pain, at night personally led the Cossacks against the highlanders, who fled in panic fear of his invulnerability.
While cutting a clearing through the Kachkalykovsky ridge, Baklanov, who knew that the famous mountain shooter Janem had promised to kill him when he stood in his usual place on the hill, nevertheless at the usual time climbed the hill and, when Janem, who missed twice, looked out from behind the mountain , from a nozzle to the forehead, he killed Janem on the spot, which caused delight even among the mountaineers.
Cossack songs dedicated to Baklanov mention the “terrible Baklanov blow” - Yakov Petrovich was known for cutting a rider in half with a saber from the shoulder to the pommel of the saddle...
The hero of the Caucasian War, Yakov Petrovich Baklanov, was born on March 15, 1809 in the village of Gugninskaya (Baklanovskaya) of the Don Army into the family of a cornet. His father, a participant in the Patriotic War of 1812, as well as other wars of that time, earned the rank of officer, which gave the right to hereditary nobility.
He entered service on May 20, 1824 as a sergeant in the No. 1 Don Cossack Regiment (Popov), in which his father commanded a hundred. Occasionally he came home for leave, and on one of his visits he married a simple Cossack woman.
He took part in the Russian-Turkish war of 1828-1829, at the beginning of 1829 he was promoted to cornet, and on May 20 of the same year he was awarded the Order of St. for distinguished service with the army of the Grand Vizier at Kulevchi. Anna 4th degree with the inscription “For bravery”; On July 11, 1829 he was awarded the Order of St. Anna 3rd degree with a bow for distinction in deeds during the conquest of the Turkish cities of Mesemiria and Achiollo. In battles, Baklanov showed himself to be so brave and daring that for excessive ardor, his father more than once personally “hit him on the back with a whip,” as Yakov Petrovich later admitted.
At the end of the war, until August 1831, he stood with the regiment on the border guard line along the river. Rod. On September 21, 1831 he was promoted to centurion.
Active participant in the Caucasian campaigns. The first serious expedition that laid the foundation for Baklanov’s Caucasian fame was the expedition of 1836, undertaken in the area of the Psephira, Laba and Belaya rivers. Here he was wounded in the head. On July 4, 1836, pursuing for 10 versts a detachment four times superior to the mountaineers (between the Chamlyk and Laba rivers), withstood many enemy counterattacks and used up all the cartridges, in conclusion, choosing an opportune moment, near the Voznesensky fortification, struck with pikes, overthrew the enemy and pursued more than 15 versts, destroying it almost completely. For this deed, on July 4, 1837, he was awarded the Order of St. Vladimir 4th degree with a bow.
On October 22, 1837, he was promoted to esaul and transferred to No. 41 Don Cossack Regiment. In the spring of 1839, he was assigned to serve in the Don Training Regiment, and in 1841 he was transferred to No. 36 Don Cossack Regiment (Rodionova), with which he maintained cordons in Poland on the border with Prussia.
Upon returning from Poland, on October 18, 1844, Baklanov was awarded the rank of centurion (according to other sources - military foreman); in the spring of 1845, Baklanov was assigned to the No. 20 Don Cossack Regiment, located on the left flank of the Caucasian line in the Kura fortification, which constituted the forward stronghold of the Russian Kumyk possessions. On July 20, 1845 he was awarded the Order of St. Anna 2nd degree for distinction rendered in battle during the defeat of Chechen batteries and fortified rubble in the Shaukhal-Berdy tract.
The year was 1846. A Cossack detachment under the command of a military foreman was returning to the fortress after a raid on the Chechen rear. Suddenly a shot rang out from the top of a high cliff. The commander stopped his horse and, shielding himself from the sun with his hand, began to peer upward. A Chechen appeared on the rock. Laughing, he began shouting insulting phrases at the Cossacks. The distance between the opponents was so great that the man on top of the cliff seemed like a small black dot.
Well, well done,” the military foreman turned to the Cossacks, “knock down this screamer for me!”
Shots rang out in unison. However, when the gunpowder smoke cleared, it turned out that the Chechen was still unharmed. Taking advantage of his invulnerability, he continued to laugh, and the mountain echo carried his mocking laughter far away. - Urus-reed! - the highlander yelled. - Bad shooting!
“You won’t get him,” the Cossacks made excuses, “what the hell did you get into, you damned one!”
“The bullets don’t reach...” someone suggested.
The thick eyebrows of the military sergeant-major frowned menacingly.
“The mountaineers shoot well,” he said sternly, “but you are Cossacks, and God himself ordered you to shoot better.”
With these words, he tore the rifle from his shoulder and, throwing it into his left hand, fired. The Chechen swayed and fell into the abyss. There was silence for several moments, then exploded with a loud “Hurray!”
- What a trick! - one young Cossack was amazed - Without even aiming!
“Oh, you stupid head,” the elderly centurion reproached him, “it’s Baklanov himself.” It’s not for nothing that the Chechens call him the devil.
On July 5, 1846, for distinction, bravery and courage shown in the battle with Shamil’s crowd during the defense of the Vnezapnaya fortress, he was awarded the Order of St. by the Imperial Crown. Anna 2nd degree; in the same year he was appointed commander of the No. 20 Don Cossack Regiment. Having accepted the regiment, Yakov Petrovich quickly put it in order and achieved better organization of combat training and supplies. New to the regiment were tactical training, which no one knew about then, and a special training unit, where instructors were trained for all units. The method of combat operations also became new: from defense in the fortress, Baklanov switched to energetic offensive operations along the Kura Line. First of all, it fell like snow on those detachments of highlanders who were gathering to attack the Kura fortification. His assistants in ensuring the surprise of actions were scouts, Chechen guides, and plastuns. Baklanov then began to conduct longer-range raids on fortified Chechen villages. Stealth of movement, speed and then a bold strike - such was his tactics.
In difficult moments of a combat situation, Baklanov, with a saber in his hands, was the first to rush forward on his horse. His saber “ruined” the enemy from crown to saddle. He was uncompromisingly strict and merciless towards cowards and usually said to the blundering Cossack, showing a huge fist: “Once again you’ll be a coward, see this fist of mine? So I’ll smash you with this very fist!” But he encouraged his subordinates in every possible way for their courage and took care of his subordinates whenever possible.
In 1848 he became a lieutenant colonel, and the following year he was awarded a gold saber with the inscription: “For bravery.” For valiant actions in breaking through the strong barrier of the highlanders at the Goitemir Gate, the commander of the Cossack regiment received the rank of colonel. In the summer of 1850, he was appointed commander of the No. 17 Don Cossack Regiment. One day a parcel arrived in the regiment addressed to Baklanov. It contained a large piece of black fabric, on which was depicted a skull with crossbones and a circular inscription from the “Creed”: “I look forward to the resurrection of the dead and the life of the age to come. Amen". Yakov Petrovich secured the fabric to the pole, turning it into a personal banner. Even among experienced Cossacks, this badge evoked a painful feeling, while the highlanders experienced superstitious horror from the Cormorant symbol. One of the eyewitnesses wrote: “Wherever the enemy saw this terrible banner, fluttering high in the hands of the giant Don, like the shadow of one following his commander, the monstrous image of Baklanov also appeared there, and inseparably with it was the inevitable defeat and death of anyone who fell on paths."
In 1851, Baklanov was summoned to the Grozny fortress to participate in the Chechen expedition under the leadership of Prince A. Baryatinsky. Yakov Petrovich was entrusted with commanding the entire cavalry of the detachment, and for his brilliant actions in the expedition he received a new award - the Order of St. Vladimir, 3rd degree. Returning to the Kura fortification, he continued active offensive operations towards Aukha, along the Michik River valley, towards Gudermes and Dzhalka. For military services he was awarded the Order of St. George, 4th degree, and the rank of major general.
In February 1852, by order of the commander of the left flank of the Caucasian line, Prince Baryatinsky, with a detachment of three infantry battalions, four guns and his Cossack regiment, he completed the clearing from the Kurinsky fortification to the river. Michik. At the same time, Prince Baryatinsky set out from the Grozny fortress to Avtury, for further travel through Greater Chechnya and Major-Tup to Kurinskoye. On February 17, Baklanov, with two hundred of his regiment, went to the Kochkalykovsky ridge. The scouts brought the news that Shamil with a 25,000-strong detachment was standing across the Michik River, opposite the clearing, to cut off Baklanov’s return path. By nightfall, having concentrated 5 companies of infantry, 6 hundred Cossacks and 2 guns, Yakov Petrovich managed to deceive Shamil’s vigilance, made his way with a detachment through his line, without roads, through the wildest terrain, and joined Prince Baryatinsky at the very moment when the latter most needed in support when passing through forests. After commanding the prince's rearguard, Baklanov accomplished a number of new feats, for which he was awarded the Order of St. George 4th degree.
“In reward for the excellent feats of courage and courage shown on February 18, 1852 in cases against the Highlanders during the occupation from battle of the place designated for crossing the troops of the Chechen Detachment across the Michik River, and not only the position was held until the end of the crossing, but also a complete defeat was inflicted on the crowds Shamil"
On April 10, 1853, for the distinction rendered during the attack of the enemy position near the village of Gurdali and the complete dispersal of Shamil’s crowds, he was awarded the Order of St. Stanislav 1st degree. On May 11 of the same year, he was appointed to serve at the headquarters of the Caucasian Corps as chief of the cavalry of the left flank with a permanent stay in the Grozny fortress.
On June 14, 1854, for the distinction and courage shown during the defeat of the mountain parties between Urus-Martan and the Grozny fortress, Baklanov was declared the highest favor; On August 22 of the same year he was awarded the insignia of impeccable service for 20 years.
In 1855, by order of the commander-in-chief of the separate Caucasian corps, Count N. N. Muravyov, Baklanov was sent to the active army in the Caucasian theater of the Crimean War, where he was appointed head of the irregular cavalry in the detachment of Lieutenant General Brimmer. On September 17 of the same year, he took part in the column of General Bazin in the assault on Kars.
Of all the generals in his army, Muravyov hoped most of all in Baklanov, not only because of his long and loud military reputation, but also because Baklanov knew Kars and its surroundings like no one else. This commander of the irregular cavalry crossed the Turkish border in two columns at the end of May 1855 and concentrated his detachment in Ajan-Kala, north of Kars. Reconnaissance began. After the reconnaissance on June 14 (26), which yielded very important results, Baklanov advised Muravyov to order an assault on the fortress, warning that if you miss this favorable moment, it will not return so soon. But Muravyov did not dare. He explained the reason for his indecision in a letter to the Minister of War: in case of failure, the troops will retreat, and the population of the Transcaucasian region “will prepare for an uprising,” and in this case surprises should be expected from Persia. Muravyov did not have much strength. If he had at least 15,000 more people, he writes to the minister, then it would be possible, having “blocked Kars” and without stopping near it, to go straight to Erzurum. But given the situation that actually existed, all that remained was to begin closely investing the city and seizing provisions that were transported to the city on carts from Saganlug, Karakurgan, Barduz and other places. The Russian troops spent the entire month of July and August on these attacks, on burning the stored supplies, on destroying the foragers leaving the fortress. In these attacks, success was almost always on the side of the Russians.
For distinction and courage shown during the assault on advanced fortifications, he was awarded the Order of St. Anna 1st degree. At the end of December 1855, Baklanov left the army on vacation to the Don and St. Petersburg.
On February 2, 1857, Baklanov was appointed marching ataman of the Don Cossack regiments located in the Caucasus. On February 16, 1859 he was awarded the Imperial Crown and the Order of St. Anna 1st degree. On April 3, 1860, he was promoted to lieutenant general. From May 1, 1861 to 1863, he served as district general of the 2nd district of the Don Army Region.
From June 7, 1863 to January 7, 1867, Baklanov was on a business trip in Vilna and during the Polish uprising he was the head of the Don regiments in the Vilna district. On February 6, 1864, for his diligent and zealous service and labors, he was awarded the Order of St. Vladimir 2nd degree with swords above the order.
In 1867, Yakov Perovich Baklanov retired and settled in St. Petersburg. After a serious and long illness, he died in poverty on October 18, 1873; the funeral took place in the cemetery of the St. Petersburg Novodevichy Convent at the expense of the Don Cossack Army. Five years later, his grave was decorated with a monument, created with voluntary donations and depicting a rock on which a cloak and a hat were thrown, with a black “Baklanovsky badge” pulled out from under the hat.
In 1911, the ashes of Yakov Petrovich were solemnly reburied in the tomb of the Ascension Cathedral in Novocherkassk, next to the graves of other heroes of the Don - M. Platov, V. Orlov-Denisov, I. Efremov.
"Highlanders! If only you feared Allah
just like Baklanova, then a long time ago
would be saints. But don't be
cowards. Persevere in the fight and
fights with enemies bigger than you
have done this before."
Imam Shamil.
Cossack general Yakov Petrovich Baklanov, one of the most colorful heroes of the Caucasian War of the century before last - a gloomy two-meter hero, a tireless persecutor of highlanders and Turks, an enemy of political correctness and “democracy” in any of their manifestations. He, like many of his contemporaries, achieved military victories for the Motherland and created the glory of Russia.
The future thunderstorm of the Caucasus was born on March 15, 1809 in the village of Gugninskaya (Baklanovskaya) of the Don Army. Yakov Petrovich was brought up on the streets of his native village with the children of ordinary Cossacks. By the age of sixteen, Yakov learned to read, write and count, but best of all he learned to wield a pike and saber, shoot accurately and became a dashing rider.
In 1826, his military service began, he was enlisted as a constable in Popov’s Cossack regiment. By 1828, Yakov Petrovich received the shoulder straps of a cornet. Participated in the war against Turkey. He distinguished himself in action near Burgas. In battles, Yakov Baklanov was brave, daring, and sometimes overly passionate.
In 1834, Baklanov's regiment was transferred to the Caucasus. It was the Caucasian period of service that brought Yakov Petrovich the greatest fame and helped the daring Cossack become a brilliant military officer. Under the command of the commander of the Kuban Line, Baron G.Kh. Zass, whom he called his teacher all his life, he participated in many expeditions and battles. For his daring and fearlessness he was awarded the Order of St. Vladimir, 4th degree. True, already in the first serious skirmishes Yakov Petrovich could easily lay down his violent head.
In July 1836, he became interested in pursuing the enemy and found himself with a small detachment against heavily armed mountaineers who outnumbered the Cossacks three times over. In an hour, Baklanov managed to repel more than ten attacks, and then he himself went on the offensive, encouraging his fighters with the news that reinforcements were coming to them. In fact, a thunderstorm was approaching, and the shrewd commander passed off the peals of thunder as shots from Russian artillery. The daring action was a success - the Circassians fled in disarray. Another time, while conducting reconnaissance and again finding himself in an ambush, he immediately knocked down two enemies with a double-barreled shotgun, and after they laid down a horse under him, dismounted, hacked to death four Chechens with a saber and managed to dodge the shots of their comrades. Having escaped certain death, Baklanov immediately returned to command and managed to reliably cover the crossing of his detachment across the mountain river Laba. At the same time, incredible rumors began to spread in the mountains about a giant Cossack who could not be killed by a bullet.
In 1845, military foreman Baklanov was appointed commander of the 20th Don Regiment. It should be noted that by this time the regiment was distinguished by extremely low combat effectiveness: the Don Cossacks, unaccustomed to the conditions of mountain warfare, were inferior to the line Cossacks, and some of the Cossacks were generally doing auxiliary work...
Baklanov could not come to terms with this situation. First of all, he returned all the Cossacks of his regiment to duty. He established strict control over the maintenance of horses (he could have been screwed for drinking oats) and. He also introduced training for Cossacks in sapper and artillery work, and intelligence service. The seventh hundred was organized in the regiment, where, under the supervision of Baklanov, junior commanders and Plastun teams were trained to carry out especially dangerous cases - a kind of “special forces”.
And in many other ways, Yakov Petrovich found unexpected and non-standard solutions. So, he ordered the statutory uniform to be hidden until better times, and the regiment was transferred to uniforms and weapons exclusively with captured property. Thus, after some time, the 20th Regiment was dressed in Circassian coats, and the Cossacks flaunted expensive daggers, excellent Circassian sabers and rifled guns to each other.
In battle, Baklanov was terrible. In difficult moments of a combat situation, he was the first to rush forward on his horse with a saber in his hands. His famous “cormorant blow” cut the enemy from the crown to the saddle. Baklanov was irreconcilably strict and merciless towards cowards and usually said to the blundering Cossack, showing a huge fist: “Once again you’ll be a coward, see this fist of mine? I’ll smash you with this very fist!” But he encouraged his subordinates in every possible way for their courage and, if possible, taught them: “Show your enemies that your thoughts are not about life, but about the glory and honor of the Don Cossacks.” For his strict disposition, courage and strong health (Baklanov was wounded more than ten times), he was called “Ermak Timofeevich.” The Cossacks loved, were proud of and valued their commander. In one battle, Yakov Petrovich unsuccessfully exposed himself to targeted fire from mountain riflemen. Without hesitation, the famous reconnaissance scout Skopin, who by that time had three St. George Crosses, covered him with his body. The bullet shattered his shoulder, but Baklanov was saved. For this feat, Skopin was promoted to the officer rank of cornet.
Baklanov's regiment did not miss the slightest opportunity to fight the mountaineers, as well as to inflict damage on them in the form of a punitive expedition, an ambush, a burned village, trampled crops or a stolen herd. In general, Yakov Petrovich repaid the highlanders with their own coin, and his 20th regiment soon became an exemplary partisan unit. Having an extensive network of agents among the mountaineers, on whom he spent almost all of his salary, Baklanov could stay ahead of their predatory raids.
In this situation, the highlanders were forced from the attacking side to become the defending side. Now the conversation was no longer about attacking Cossack villages and Russian settlements, but about how to avoid becoming victims of Baklan’s raids. In his declining years, the conqueror of the Caucasus calculated that under his leadership the Cossacks requisitioned 12 thousand heads of cattle and 40 thousand sheep from the Chechens - an astounding scale.
The authorities were delighted with the results achieved and did not pay attention to his partisanship. For his successes in the war with the highlanders, Yakov Petrovich was awarded the Order of St. Anna, 2nd degree, and a golden weapon.
Under Baklanov, men and horses did not experience a shortage of provisions, and the commander himself, a staunch supporter of the idea of self-sufficiency for troops, could easily outwit the most crafty mountaineers, who unsuccessfully tried to hide their flocks from the voracious army of the 20th regiment. On the eve of Easter 1849, Yakov Petrovich presented his Cossacks with a big gift. There seemed to be nothing to break the fast with - the old stocks of lamb were eaten, and the Chechens hid their herds from prying eyes. During Lent, the efficient Baklanov personally explored all the secret paths and, on the eve of the bright holiday, made a successful foray for cattle. 
The confused natives had no choice but to suspect the Cossack commander of friendship with the devil himself. The mountaineers called their sworn enemy Dajjal (Satan) and considered him cursed from death. Just the sight of “Shaitan-Boklyu (Leo) inspired mystical and superstitious horror on them - two meters tall, a heroic build, a face pitted with smallpox, a huge nose, bushy eyebrows, thick long mustaches turning into sideburns, which fluttered ominously in the wind, and in a red shirt - in their eyes, he was the living embodiment and messenger of hell. Even his compatriots could not marvel at the texture of Yakov Petrovich. The author of the famous memoirs, Alexander Vasilyevich Nikitenko, described his appearance as follows: “... it was as if such a program was imprinted on Baklanov’s face, that if he performed even a quarter of it, then he should have been hanged ten times.”
Yakov Petrovich supported his demonic reputation in every possible way. One day, Chechen elders came to look at the Cossack commander - they were eager to make sure that the true accomplice of the devil was fighting with them. One cormorant appearance was enough for the desired impression, and when our hero met the guests in an inside-out sheepskin coat, with a face stained with soot and eyes rolling non-stop, no additional evidence was required.
The mountaineers were sure that “Shaitan-Boklya” could only be killed with a silver bullet, they shot at him with those, but they did not take the Cossack.
The shooter Dzhanem, well-known among the mountaineers, specially sent by Shamil, swore on the Koran to kill the hated “Boklya” with the first shot and boasted that he could break a chicken egg from fifty steps; to this, the highlanders, who had heard about the two-meter-tall Cossack, calmly replied that Baklanov would hit a fly with steps from one hundred and fifty. The duel took place on a hill near the Michik River. Yakov Petrovich appeared before Dzhanem on a horse. At the decisive moment, the Chechen sniper hesitated and fired two inaccurate shots. Baklanov, without dismounting, calmly took aim and fired a bullet between the opponent’s eyes. When Baklanov, turning his horse, began to descend from the hill, hurray rang out among the Russian troops!
Since then, a saying began to circulate around Chechnya, applied to hopeless braggarts: “Do you want to kill Baklanov?”
The black banner of the 20th Regiment brought no less horror to the highlanders. On a black silk cloth with Adam's dead head (skull) embroidered on it and two bones crossed under it, a gilded inscription from the "Creed" burned - "I look forward to the resurrection of the dead and the life of the next century. Amen." The banner was the Cormorant badge of the 20th regiment and was the calling card of a desperate warrior. Yakov Petrovich did not part with this military marching relic until the end of his days. One of the eyewitnesses wrote: “Wherever the enemy saw this terrible banner, fluttering high in the hands of a stately Don, the shadow of his commander, there also appeared the monstrous image of Baklanov, and inseparably with it, the inevitable defeat and death of anyone who got in the way. "
At the end of the service, now famous throughout the Caucasus, the 20th regiment, at the personal request of the commander-in-chief of the troops in the Caucasus M.S. Vorontsov, sent to the emperor (Vorontsov to the Minister of War: “Tell, dear prince, the sovereign that I beg him to leave us Baklanov"), Baklanov was retained for a second term. He was entrusted with the management of the 17th Don Regiment.
The Cossacks' love for their leader was so deep that many commanders and ordinary Cossacks of the 20th regiment remained with him. Soon the 17th Regiment becomes exemplary - and again there are battles, reconnaissance, ambushes...
On July 28, 1851, Baklanov was awarded the Order of St. Vladimir, 3rd degree, for his distinction in the defeat of the highlanders in the Shali glade, and on November 16 of the same year, he was declared the Highest Favor for his distinction in the extermination of the village of Dakhin-Irzau.
In February 1852, by order of the commander of the left flank of the Caucasian line, Prince Baryatinsky, with a detachment of 3 infantry battalions, 4 guns and his Cossack regiment, Baklanov completed the clearing from the Kurinsky fortification to the Michik River. At the same time, Prince Baryatinsky set out from the Grozny fortress to Avtury for further travel through Greater Chechnya and Major-Tup to Kurinskoye. On February 17, Baklanov with two hundred of his regiment left for the Kochkalykovsky ridge. The scouts brought news that Shamil with 25 thousand troops was standing behind the Michik River, opposite the clearing, to cut off Baklanov’s return path. By nightfall, having concentrated 5 companies of infantry, 6 hundred Cossacks and 2 guns, Yakov Petrovich managed to deceive Shamil’s vigilance, made his way with a detachment through his line, without roads, through the wildest terrain and joined Prince Baryatinsky at the very moment when the latter had the most need for support when passing through forests. Commanding the prince's rearguard thereafter, Baklanov accomplished a number of new feats, for which he was awarded the Order of St. George, 4th degree, and promoted to the rank of major general.
“In reward for the excellent feats of courage and bravery shown against the highlanders when occupying from the battle the place designated for crossing the troops of the Chechen detachment, and inflicting a complete defeat on Shamil’s crowds.”
On April 10, 1854, for the distinction rendered during the attack of the enemy position near the village of Gurdali and the complete dispersion of Shamil’s cavalry, Baklanov was awarded the Order of St. Stanislav, 1st degree and appointed chief of the cavalry of the entire Caucasian Corps.
In 1855, Baklanov was sent to the Caucasian theater of the Crimean War. During the assault on the Kars fortress, Baklanov was shell-shocked, but remained in service. For his distinction and courage during the assault on enemy positions, he was awarded the Order of St. Anna 1st degree, and in 1860 he was promoted to lieutenant general.
During the Polish uprising in 1863, Baklanov was appointed commander of the Don regiments in the Vilna district. In Poland, Yakov Petrovich acted using completely different methods than in Chechnya. He described himself as a stern, but extremely fair boss. Contrary to regulations, he did not indiscriminately confiscate the property of the rebels, but whenever possible he established guardianship over the young children of exiled Poles and retained their property. To the Governor-General of Poland Muravyov, Baklanov fearlessly said: “You can put me on trial or dismiss me without asking, but I will say one thing: my goal was to act in such a way that no stain would fall on the name of the Russian army, and my conscience says, that I have succeeded." This response aroused Muravyov’s gratitude.
But the prowess was no longer the same - the old warrior was bothered by a diseased liver, and in 1864 a big fire in Novocherkassk deprived him of his home and all his property. Since 1867, Yakov Petrovich lived out his life in St. Petersburg - he distributed his entire general's pension to crippled soldiers and the poor. He died on February 18, 1873 in poverty and obscurity.
The hero was buried at the expense of the “grateful Don army” in the cemetery of the Resurrection Nunnery in St. Petersburg. A monument to the sculptor Nabokov was erected at the grave, which amazed the imagination of eyewitnesses: a cloak, a hat, a saber and the famous Cormorant badge made of dark bronze were thrown on a piece of granite rock. On October 4, 1911, Baklanov’s ashes, along with the monument, were transferred to the capital of the Don Cossacks, Novocherkassk.
Under the Bolsheviks, they tried to erase the memory of the hero of the Caucasian War, like many other heroes of Russia who did not fit into the doctrine of world international brotherhood. In the 1930s, the monument was partially destroyed. They tore off his cloak, hat, saber and bronze skull and crossbones. Only in 1996 the monument was restored to its original form.
