Nikolay Shchors
Encyclopedia
Nikolay Aleksandrovich Shchors was a Red Army
commander, member of the Russian Communist Party
, renowned for his personal courage during the Russian Civil War
and sometimes being called the Ukrainian Chapayev. In 1918-1919 he fought against the new established Ukrainian government in Kyiv. Later he commanded the Bohunsky regiment, brigade, 1st Soviet Ukrainian division and 44th rifle division against Symon Petlura
and his Polish allies. Shchors perished in a battle, while some sources claim that he was shot out of jealousy.
) into a family of kulak
(a locomotive engineer, according to the official Soviet historiography). His father Aleksandr Nikolayevich arrived from a town of Stovpci (Minsk Governorate
) "in search of better life" to Snovsk where he was able to build his own house (since August 1939 - a memorial museum). Nikolay Shchors was the oldest child amongst his other siblings: Konstantine (1896–1979), Akulina (1898–1937), Yekaterina (1900–1984), Olga (1900–1985). In 1905 Nikolai enrolled into a parish church school. In 1906 giving a birth to another child Nikolai's mother, Aleksandra Mikhailovna Tabelchuk, died due to loss of blood. About six months after the death of his wife Nikolai's father married once again to Maria Konstantinovna Podbelo. Aleksandr and Maria had five more children: Grigori, Zinaida, Boris, Raisa, and Lidia. In 1909 Nikolai Shchors graduated out of his church school.
, which was established in 1833 and was considered one of the best. The school was usually attended by the children of retired soldiers. Among some of the graduates were Ivan Ohienko
, Ostap Vyshnya
, Mykhailo Donets, and others. The state scholarship allowed a free enrollment which had to be repaid by voluteer service in the army. Nikolai graduated from the school in 1914 and upon receiving the rank of a junior physician assistant
was transferred to the Vilna Military District
. In September 1914 when the Russian Empire was drawn into the World War I
Nikolai went to the frontlines as part of the 3rd Light Artillery Division near Vilno where he served as a medical assistant. During one of the battles he was wounded and evacuated from the area to recover.
Upon recovery in 1916 the 21-year old Shchors enrolled into the accelerated four months program at Vilensky military college (uchilishche) that had been evacuated to Poltava
in 1915. The school was preparing unter-officers and praporshchik
s who specialized in tactics, navigation, and trench warfare
. Upon the graduation in May 1916 Shchors at first was sent as a praporshchik to a reserve regiment in the city of Simbirsk and only in September of that same year he was transferred to the 335th Arapa Regiment of the 84th Infantry Division (South-Western Front). For his courage and tactical knowledge Shchors soon was promoted to a rank of junior lieutenant (podporuchik). However, the trench warfare left a mark on his health when he was diagnosed with a tuberculosis
and once again was sent to the rear.
City hospital Shchors was released from the military service due to health problems and at the beginning of 1918 he arrived back to his home village of Snovsk. Accidentally, since the January of 1918 the government of the Soviet Russia
started military aggression against the Ukrainian People's Republic
accusing the latter in sabotaging the frontlines of the Russian Imperial Army and impeding military maneuvers of the Red Army
. In less than three weeks the "Red Guards
" occupied most of the Left-bank Ukraine
. Right before the elections to the Ukrainian Constituent Assembly
the Red Army of Mikhail Muravyov sacked Kiev
. The government of Ukraine was appealing to world powers to provide some military assistance and finally finding it in a face of the Central Powers
that were eager to cooperate.
Sometime after the arrival to his native land he became acquainted with the chairman of a local Cheka
Fruma Rostova (real name Khaikina) whom he married in the fall of 1918. Fruma in her early 20s was conducting so-called "cleaning" (zachistka) in the region, an ambiguous Cheka term. Simultaneously around that time Shchors also was enrolled into the Russian Communist Party (bolshevik). In March–April, 1918 he commanded a joint detachment of Novozybkovsky district that fought against the Ukrainian Army and German invaders as a part of the 1st Insurgent Division. In September 1918 he formed the 1st Bohun
Regiment and lead it against German forces and Hetman's army. In November 1918 he took command of the 2nd brigade of the 1st Ukrainian Soviet division (Bohun and Tarashcha regiments) and took Chernihiv
, Kiev
and Fastiv
from the Ukrainian Directory. On February 5, 1918 Shchors was appointed mayor of Kiev.
Between March 6 and August 15, 1919 Shchors again led the 1st Ukrainan Soviet division in its impetuous offensive and liberated Zhytomyr
, Vinnytsia
, and Zhmerynka
from Petlyura. Then he smashed the main forces of Petlyura near Sarny - Rivne - Brody - Proskuriv.
In summer 1919 the Polish army began a major offensive. Shchors attempted to hold the line near Sarny - Novohrad-Volynsky - Shepetivka, but was forced to retreat east by the superior numbers of the enemy. The 1st Ukrainan Soviet division was merged with the 44th Rifle Division and Shchors was appointed its new commander. Under his command the division defended the Korostensky railroad junction allowing the evacuation of Kiev and the escape of the southern group of the 12th Army from encirclement.
According to a legend, while fighting in the front lines of Bohun regiment, Shchors was killed in very obscure circumstances near the Biloshitsa village (now Shchorsivka village, Zhytomyr Oblast
) on August 30, 1919. However, in reality Shchors was killed by a commissar of the 12th Division near Korosten
after the decision of Revolutionary military council. Shchors was buried in Samara
, far from the battlefield, for unclear reasons.
Shchors' widow, Fruma Khaikina, was Jewish. Her revolutionary name was Rostova, after the heroine of War and Peace
, Masha Rostova. Their daughter married noted Soviet physicist Isaak Markovich Khalatnikov
.
, which was awarded the State prize of the Soviet Union in 1941. Yevgeny Samoylov
played Shchors in the movie. A famous patriotic song "Song about Shchors" was composed by Matvey Blanter
, author of "Katyusha (song)
", and the poet Mikhail Golodny.
Red Army
The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army started out as the Soviet Union's revolutionary communist combat groups during the Russian Civil War of 1918-1922. It grew into the national army of the Soviet Union. By the 1930s the Red Army was among the largest armies in history.The "Red Army" name refers to...
commander, member of the Russian Communist Party
Communist Party of the Soviet Union
The Communist Party of the Soviet Union was the only legal, ruling political party in the Soviet Union and one of the largest communist organizations in the world...
, renowned for his personal courage during the Russian Civil War
Russian Civil War
The Russian Civil War was a multi-party war that occurred within the former Russian Empire after the Russian provisional government collapsed to the Soviets, under the domination of the Bolshevik party. Soviet forces first assumed power in Petrograd The Russian Civil War (1917–1923) was a...
and sometimes being called the Ukrainian Chapayev. In 1918-1919 he fought against the new established Ukrainian government in Kyiv. Later he commanded the Bohunsky regiment, brigade, 1st Soviet Ukrainian division and 44th rifle division against Symon Petlura
Symon Petlura
Symon Vasylyovych Petliura was a publicist, writer, journalist, Ukrainian politician, statesman, and national leader who led Ukraine's struggle for independence following the Russian Revolution of 1917....
and his Polish allies. Shchors perished in a battle, while some sources claim that he was shot out of jealousy.
Early life
Nikolay Shchors was born in the Snovsk village of Gorodnya uyezd (Chernigov GovernorateChernigov Governorate
The Chernigov Governorate , also known as the Government of Chernigov, was a guberniya in the historical Left-bank Ukraine region of the Russian Empire, which was officially created in 1802 from the disbanded Malorossiya Governorate with an administrative centre of Chernigov...
) into a family of kulak
Kulak
Kulaks were a category of relatively affluent peasants in the later Russian Empire, Soviet Russia, and early Soviet Union...
(a locomotive engineer, according to the official Soviet historiography). His father Aleksandr Nikolayevich arrived from a town of Stovpci (Minsk Governorate
Minsk Governorate
The Minsk Governorate or Government of Minsk was a governorate of the Russian Empire. The seat was in Minsk. It was created in 1793 from the land acquired in the partitions of Poland, and lasted until 1921.- Administrative structure :...
) "in search of better life" to Snovsk where he was able to build his own house (since August 1939 - a memorial museum). Nikolay Shchors was the oldest child amongst his other siblings: Konstantine (1896–1979), Akulina (1898–1937), Yekaterina (1900–1984), Olga (1900–1985). In 1905 Nikolai enrolled into a parish church school. In 1906 giving a birth to another child Nikolai's mother, Aleksandra Mikhailovna Tabelchuk, died due to loss of blood. About six months after the death of his wife Nikolai's father married once again to Maria Konstantinovna Podbelo. Aleksandr and Maria had five more children: Grigori, Zinaida, Boris, Raisa, and Lidia. In 1909 Nikolai Shchors graduated out of his church school.
World War I
In 1910 he enrolled into a military medical college (uchilishche) in KievKiev
Kiev or Kyiv is the capital and the largest city of Ukraine, located in the north central part of the country on the Dnieper River. The population as of the 2001 census was 2,611,300. However, higher numbers have been cited in the press....
, which was established in 1833 and was considered one of the best. The school was usually attended by the children of retired soldiers. Among some of the graduates were Ivan Ohienko
Metropolitan Ilarion (Ivan Ohienko)
Metropolitan Ilarion was a Ukrainian Orthodox cleric, linguist, church historian, and historian of Ukrainian culture. In 1940 he was Archimandrite of the St...
, Ostap Vyshnya
Ostap Vyshnya
Ostap Vyshnia was a Ukrainian writer, humourist, satirist, and official.-Early life:...
, Mykhailo Donets, and others. The state scholarship allowed a free enrollment which had to be repaid by voluteer service in the army. Nikolai graduated from the school in 1914 and upon receiving the rank of a junior physician assistant
Physician assistant
A physician assistant/associate ' is a healthcare professional trained and licensed to practice medicine with limited supervision by a physician.-General description:...
was transferred to the Vilna Military District
Vilno Military District (Russian Empire)
Vilno Military District was a Russian military district of the Imperial Russian Army.In the Russian Empire, military districts were first formed by Dmitry Milyutin in 1862–64 to replace the pre-existing Military Inspectorates...
. In September 1914 when the Russian Empire was drawn into the World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
Nikolai went to the frontlines as part of the 3rd Light Artillery Division near Vilno where he served as a medical assistant. During one of the battles he was wounded and evacuated from the area to recover.
Upon recovery in 1916 the 21-year old Shchors enrolled into the accelerated four months program at Vilensky military college (uchilishche) that had been evacuated to Poltava
Poltava
Poltava is a city in located on the Vorskla River in central Ukraine. It is the administrative center of the Poltava Oblast , as well as the surrounding Poltava Raion of the oblast. Poltava's estimated population is 298,652 ....
in 1915. The school was preparing unter-officers and praporshchik
Praporshchik
Praporshchik is a rank in the Russian military.-Imperial Russia:Praporshchik was originally a name of a junior commissioned officer rank in the military of the Russian Empire equivalent to ensign...
s who specialized in tactics, navigation, and trench warfare
Trench warfare
Trench warfare is a form of occupied fighting lines, consisting largely of trenches, in which troops are largely immune to the enemy's small arms fire and are substantially sheltered from artillery...
. Upon the graduation in May 1916 Shchors at first was sent as a praporshchik to a reserve regiment in the city of Simbirsk and only in September of that same year he was transferred to the 335th Arapa Regiment of the 84th Infantry Division (South-Western Front). For his courage and tactical knowledge Shchors soon was promoted to a rank of junior lieutenant (podporuchik). However, the trench warfare left a mark on his health when he was diagnosed with a tuberculosis
Tuberculosis
Tuberculosis, MTB, or TB is a common, and in many cases lethal, infectious disease caused by various strains of mycobacteria, usually Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Tuberculosis usually attacks the lungs but can also affect other parts of the body...
and once again was sent to the rear.
Revolutionary period
Upon his recovery on December 30, 1917 from the SimferopolSimferopol
-Russian Empire and Civil War:The city was renamed Simferopol in 1784 after the annexation of the Crimean Khanate to the Russian Empire by Catherine II of Russia. The name Simferopol is derived from the Greek, Συμφερόπολις , translated as "the city of usefulness." In 1802, Simferopol became the...
City hospital Shchors was released from the military service due to health problems and at the beginning of 1918 he arrived back to his home village of Snovsk. Accidentally, since the January of 1918 the government of the Soviet Russia
Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic
The Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic , commonly referred to as Soviet Russia, Bolshevik Russia, or simply Russia, was the largest, most populous and economically developed republic in the former Soviet Union....
started military aggression against the Ukrainian People's Republic
Ukrainian People's Republic
The Ukrainian People's Republic or Ukrainian National Republic was a republic that was declared in part of the territory of modern Ukraine after the Russian Revolution, eventually headed by Symon Petliura.-Revolutionary Wave:...
accusing the latter in sabotaging the frontlines of the Russian Imperial Army and impeding military maneuvers of the Red Army
Red Army
The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army started out as the Soviet Union's revolutionary communist combat groups during the Russian Civil War of 1918-1922. It grew into the national army of the Soviet Union. By the 1930s the Red Army was among the largest armies in history.The "Red Army" name refers to...
. In less than three weeks the "Red Guards
Red Guards (Russia)
In the context of the history of Russia and Soviet Union, Red Guards were paramilitary formations consisting of workers and partially of soldiers and sailors formed in the time frame of the Russian Revolution of 1917...
" occupied most of the Left-bank Ukraine
Left-bank Ukraine
Left-bank Ukraine is a historic name of the part of Ukraine on the left bank of the Dnieper River, comprising the modern-day oblasts of Chernihiv, Poltava and Sumy as well as the eastern parts of the Kiev and Cherkasy....
. Right before the elections to the Ukrainian Constituent Assembly
Ukrainian Constituent Assembly
The Ukrainian Constituent Assembly was a scheduled All-National Congress which supposed to confirm the Constitution of Ukraine and establish a new political system. The Assembly was supposed to be the supreme state power and elections to which would be organized by the Central Rada that would hold...
the Red Army of Mikhail Muravyov sacked Kiev
Kiev
Kiev or Kyiv is the capital and the largest city of Ukraine, located in the north central part of the country on the Dnieper River. The population as of the 2001 census was 2,611,300. However, higher numbers have been cited in the press....
. The government of Ukraine was appealing to world powers to provide some military assistance and finally finding it in a face of the Central Powers
Central Powers
The Central Powers were one of the two warring factions in World War I , composed of the German Empire, the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Ottoman Empire, and the Kingdom of Bulgaria...
that were eager to cooperate.
Sometime after the arrival to his native land he became acquainted with the chairman of a local Cheka
Cheka
Cheka was the first of a succession of Soviet state security organizations. It was created by a decree issued on December 20, 1917, by Vladimir Lenin and subsequently led by aristocrat-turned-communist Felix Dzerzhinsky...
Fruma Rostova (real name Khaikina) whom he married in the fall of 1918. Fruma in her early 20s was conducting so-called "cleaning" (zachistka) in the region, an ambiguous Cheka term. Simultaneously around that time Shchors also was enrolled into the Russian Communist Party (bolshevik). In March–April, 1918 he commanded a joint detachment of Novozybkovsky district that fought against the Ukrainian Army and German invaders as a part of the 1st Insurgent Division. In September 1918 he formed the 1st Bohun
Ivan Bohun
Ivan Bohun was a Ukrainian Cossack colonel. Close associate and friend of Bohdan Khmelnytsky, he opposed both the pacts with Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and with Tsardom of Russia ....
Regiment and lead it against German forces and Hetman's army. In November 1918 he took command of the 2nd brigade of the 1st Ukrainian Soviet division (Bohun and Tarashcha regiments) and took Chernihiv
Chernihiv
Chernihiv or Chernigov is a historic city in northern Ukraine. It is the administrative center of the Chernihiv Oblast , as well as of the surrounding Chernihivskyi Raion within the oblast...
, Kiev
Kiev
Kiev or Kyiv is the capital and the largest city of Ukraine, located in the north central part of the country on the Dnieper River. The population as of the 2001 census was 2,611,300. However, higher numbers have been cited in the press....
and Fastiv
Fastiv
Fastiv is a city located in the Kiev Oblast in central Ukraine. Serving as the administrative center of the Fastivskyi Raion , the city itself is also designated as a separate raion within the oblast...
from the Ukrainian Directory. On February 5, 1918 Shchors was appointed mayor of Kiev.
Between March 6 and August 15, 1919 Shchors again led the 1st Ukrainan Soviet division in its impetuous offensive and liberated Zhytomyr
Zhytomyr
Zhytomyr is a city in the North of the western half of Ukraine. It is the administrative center of the Zhytomyr Oblast , as well as the administrative center of the surrounding Zhytomyr Raion...
, Vinnytsia
Vinnytsia
Vinnytsia is a city located on the banks of the Southern Bug, in central Ukraine. It is the administrative center of Vinnytsia Oblast.-Names:...
, and Zhmerynka
Zhmerynka
Zhmerynka [ʒ’mærınkɑ:] is a town in the Vinnytska Oblast of central Ukraine. Serving as the administrative center of the Zhmerynsky Raion , the town itself is also designated as a separate community within the oblast, and is located at around .The current estimated population is around 37.000...
from Petlyura. Then he smashed the main forces of Petlyura near Sarny - Rivne - Brody - Proskuriv.
In summer 1919 the Polish army began a major offensive. Shchors attempted to hold the line near Sarny - Novohrad-Volynsky - Shepetivka, but was forced to retreat east by the superior numbers of the enemy. The 1st Ukrainan Soviet division was merged with the 44th Rifle Division and Shchors was appointed its new commander. Under his command the division defended the Korostensky railroad junction allowing the evacuation of Kiev and the escape of the southern group of the 12th Army from encirclement.
According to a legend, while fighting in the front lines of Bohun regiment, Shchors was killed in very obscure circumstances near the Biloshitsa village (now Shchorsivka village, Zhytomyr Oblast
Zhytomyr Oblast
Zhytomyr Oblast is an oblast of northern Ukraine. The administrative center of the oblast is the city of Zhytomyr.-History:The oblast was created as part of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic on September 22, 1937....
) on August 30, 1919. However, in reality Shchors was killed by a commissar of the 12th Division near Korosten
Korosten
Korosten is a historic city and a large railway node in the Zhytomyr Oblast of northern Ukraine. Serving as the administrative center of the Korosten Raion , the city itself is also designated as a separate raion within the oblast, and is located on the Uzh River.The city was founded over a...
after the decision of Revolutionary military council. Shchors was buried in Samara
Samara, Russia
Samara , is the sixth largest city in Russia. It is situated in the southeastern part of European Russia at the confluence of the Volga and Samara Rivers. Samara is the administrative center of Samara Oblast. Population: . The metropolitan area of Samara-Tolyatti-Syzran within Samara Oblast...
, far from the battlefield, for unclear reasons.
Shchors' widow, Fruma Khaikina, was Jewish. Her revolutionary name was Rostova, after the heroine of War and Peace
War and Peace
War and Peace is a novel by the Russian author Leo Tolstoy, first published in 1869. The work is epic in scale and is regarded as one of the most important works of world literature...
, Masha Rostova. Their daughter married noted Soviet physicist Isaak Markovich Khalatnikov
Isaak Markovich Khalatnikov
Isaak Markovich Khalatnikov is a leading Soviet physicist, well known for his role in developing the BKL conjecture in general relativity.Khalatnikov was born in Dnipropetrovsk and graduated from Dnipropetrovsk State University with a degree in Physics in 1941. He has been a member of the...
.
In popular culture
In 1939 Aleksandr Dovzhenko made a film ShchorsShchors (film)
Shchors is a 1939 Soviet film by Ukrainian director Alexander Dovzhenko. Commissioned by Joseph Stalin, the film is a biography of the partisan leader and Ukrainian Bolshevik Nikolai Shchors. Shchors is played by Yevgeny Samoylov ....
, which was awarded the State prize of the Soviet Union in 1941. Yevgeny Samoylov
Yevgeny Samoylov
Yevgeny Valerianovich Samoilov was a Soviet actor who gained prominence in youthful heroic parts and was named a People's Artist of the USSR in 1974. He is the father of Tatiana Samoilova....
played Shchors in the movie. A famous patriotic song "Song about Shchors" was composed by Matvey Blanter
Matvey Blanter
Matvei Isaakovich Blanter was one of the most prominent composers of popular songs and film music in the Soviet Union. Among many other works, he wrote the internationally famous "Katyusha" , performed to this day in countries around the world...
, author of "Katyusha (song)
Katyusha (song)
Katyusha, Katusha or Katjusha is a Soviet wartime song about a girl longing for her beloved, who is away on military service. The music was composed in 1938 by Matvei Blanter and the lyrics were written by Mikhail Isakovsky. It was first performed by Valentina Batishcheva in the Column Hall of...
", and the poet Mikhail Golodny.