Alexander Fok
Encyclopedia
Alexander Viktorovich Fok (also Foch) ; September 6, 1843–1926 ) was a lieutenant general
of the Imperial Russian Army
during the Russo-Japanese War
.
, an elite unformed security police
force responsible for state security
. From 1877-1878, he saw combat in the Russo-Turkish War. From 1900, Fok was commander of the 4th East Siberian Rifle Brigade, and participated in the suppression of the Boxer Rebellion
.
During the Russo-Japanese War
, Fok commanded the 4th East Siberian Rifle Brigade stationed at Port Arthur
. He was noted for his precipitous retreat and failure to reinforce Colonel Tretyakov at the Battle of Nanshan
, leading directly to the Russian defeat. During the Siege of Port Arthur
, Fok was named commander of the fortress and promoted to lieutenant general after the death of General Roman Kondratenko
at the insistence of General Anatoly Stessel. He was further awarded the Order of St. George
(3rd degree) in October 1904. As commander, Fok constantly refused to commit reserves or reinforcements to front-line units, and after eight months of the siege was one of the first to urge acceptance of the surrender terms extended by Japanese general Nogi Maresuke at the end of 1904.
Taken as a prisoner of war
by the Japanese after the fall of Port Arther, he returned to Russia (and strong public criticism) after the end of the war. He was arrested and brought before a court martial on his return, but was acquitted and released from military service in 1908.
Fok later participated in the Balkan War of 1912-1913
as a general in the Bulgarian Army. He died in 1926.
Lieutenant General
Lieutenant General is a military rank 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 battlefield, who was normally subordinate to a Captain General....
of the Imperial Russian Army
Imperial Russian Army
The Imperial Russian Army was the land armed force of the Russian Empire, active from around 1721 to the Russian Revolution of 1917. In the early 1850s, the Russian army consisted of around 938,731 regular soldiers and 245,850 irregulars . Until the time of military reform of Dmitry Milyutin in...
during the Russo-Japanese War
Russo-Japanese War
The Russo-Japanese War was "the first great war of the 20th century." It grew out of rival imperial ambitions of the Russian Empire and Japanese Empire over Manchuria and Korea...
.
Biography
Fok graduated from the Konstantinovskoe Artillery School in St. Petersburg in 1864, and from 1871-1876 served in the Special Corps of GendarmesSpecial Corps of Gendarmes
The Special Corps of Gendarmes was the uniformed security police of the Russian Empire in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Its main responsibilities were law enforcement and state security....
, an elite unformed security police
Security police
In some countries, including the United States, security police are those persons, employed by or for a governmental agency, who provide police and security services to those agencies' properties....
force responsible for state security
State Security
State Security can refer to:* general concepts of security agency or national security* Committee for State Security * State Security * State Security...
. From 1877-1878, he saw combat in the Russo-Turkish War. From 1900, Fok was commander of the 4th East Siberian Rifle Brigade, and participated in the suppression of the Boxer Rebellion
Boxer Rebellion
The Boxer Rebellion, also called the Boxer Uprising by some historians or the Righteous Harmony Society Movement in northern China, was a proto-nationalist movement by the "Righteous Harmony Society" , or "Righteous Fists of Harmony" or "Society of Righteous and Harmonious Fists" , in China between...
.
During the Russo-Japanese War
Russo-Japanese War
The Russo-Japanese War was "the first great war of the 20th century." It grew out of rival imperial ambitions of the Russian Empire and Japanese Empire over Manchuria and Korea...
, Fok commanded the 4th East Siberian Rifle Brigade stationed at Port Arthur
Lüshunkou
Lüshunkou is a district in the municipality of Dalian, Liaoning province, China. Also called Lüshun City or Lüshun Port, it was formerly known as both Port Arthur and Ryojun....
. He was noted for his precipitous retreat and failure to reinforce Colonel Tretyakov at the Battle of Nanshan
Battle of Nanshan
The was one of many vicious land battles of the Russo-Japanese War. It took place on 25 May 1904 across a two-mile wide defense line across the narrowest part of the Liáodōng Peninsula, covering the approaches to Port Arthur and on the 116-meter high Nanshan Hill, the present-day Jinzhou District,...
, leading directly to the Russian defeat. During the Siege of Port Arthur
Siege of Port Arthur
The Siege of Port Arthur , 1 August 1904 – 2 January 1905, the deep-water port and Russian naval base at the tip of the Liaotung Peninsula in Manchuria, was the longest and most violent land battle of the Russo-Japanese War....
, Fok was named commander of the fortress and promoted to lieutenant general after the death of General Roman Kondratenko
Roman Kondratenko
Roman Isidorovich Kondratenko was a general in the Imperial Russian Army famous for his devout defense of Port Arthur during the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905.- Biography :...
at the insistence of General Anatoly Stessel. He was further awarded the Order of St. George
Order of St. George
The Military Order of the Holy Great-Martyr and the Triumphant George The Military Order of the Holy Great-Martyr and the Triumphant George The Military Order of the Holy Great-Martyr and the Triumphant George (also known as Order of St. George the Triumphant, Russian: Военный орден Св...
(3rd degree) in October 1904. As commander, Fok constantly refused to commit reserves or reinforcements to front-line units, and after eight months of the siege was one of the first to urge acceptance of the surrender terms extended by Japanese general Nogi Maresuke at the end of 1904.
Taken as a prisoner of war
Prisoner of war
A prisoner of war or enemy prisoner of war is a person, whether civilian or combatant, who is held in custody by an enemy power during or immediately after an armed conflict...
by the Japanese after the fall of Port Arther, he returned to Russia (and strong public criticism) after the end of the war. He was arrested and brought before a court martial on his return, but was acquitted and released from military service in 1908.
Fok later participated in the Balkan War of 1912-1913
First Balkan War
The First Balkan War, which lasted from October 1912 to May 1913, pitted the Balkan League against the Ottoman Empire. The combined armies of the Balkan states overcame the numerically inferior and strategically disadvantaged Ottoman armies and achieved rapid success...
as a general in the Bulgarian Army. He died in 1926.
Honors
- Order of St. GeorgeOrder of St. GeorgeThe Military Order of the Holy Great-Martyr and the Triumphant George The Military Order of the Holy Great-Martyr and the Triumphant George The Military Order of the Holy Great-Martyr and the Triumphant George (also known as Order of St. George the Triumphant, Russian: Военный орден Св...
, 3rd class, 1903