Pyotr Semyonovich Isaev[a] (Russian: Пётр Семёнович Исаев; better known as Petka (Russian: Петька) or Pete; April 20, 1890 – September 5, 1919) was a participant in World War I and the Russian Civil War, assistant to a Red Army commander Vasily Chapayev and commander of the communications battalion.

Pyotr Isaev
Native name
Пётр Исаев
Other name(s)Petr, Petka, Pete
Born(1890-07-20)July 20, 1890
Korneevka [ru], Nikolaevsky district [ru], Samara Governorate, Russian Empire
DiedSeptember 5, 1919(1919-09-05) (aged 29)
Lbishchensk, Ural Oblast, Russian SFSR
AllegianceRussian Empire
Soviet Union
RankKombat
Battles/warsRussian Civil War
Lbischen raid [ru]
World War I
AwardsBrowning pistol
Order of the Red Banner

Thanks to the vivid image of Petka in the film Chapaev, he became the hero of numerous anecdotes about Petka, Vasily Ivanovich and Anka the Machine-Gunner.[1][2]

Biography edit

Pyotr was born on July 20, 1890, in the village of Korneevka [ru], Nikolaevsky district [ru], Samara Governorate, Russian Empire.[3] He graduated from the Saratov Realschule [ru].[4]

In World War I, he was a senior non-commissioned officer of the musician team, after being wounded he returned home.[5]

In the spring of 1918, he organized a detachment in Korneevka to suppress the anti-Bolshevik uprising, then in the village of Semyonovka he first met with Vasily Chapayev.[5] Soon he became squadron commander at Chapayev, in the fall he was appointed chief of communications of the 1st brigade of the Chapayev division. Together with Chapayev, he transferred to the 2nd Nikolaev division, where he was the commander of the communications battalion, the assistant to the chief of communications.[5]

Versions of death edit

There are several versions of the circumstances of his death.[3][5][6]

According to one version, Pyotr died (or shot himself[7]) on September 5, 1919, in a battle during the attack of the Cossacks on the village of Lbischenskaya [ru], where the headquarters of the 25th rifle division was located.[5] According to the version set forth in Dmitry Furmanov's novel Chapaev [Wikidata] and then reflected in the film of the same name, after the wounded Chapaev was being transported across the river, Pyotr remained on the shore, fired back and then fired the bullet into himself.[6] According to his grandson, in that battle he was mortally wounded and, together with Chapaev, was buried in an unmarked grave.[8]

According to another version, Isaev shot himself a year later after the death of Chapayev, unable to bear the loss of a close friend.[6][9]

There is a version that he committed suicide a month after the battle, without finding the body of the deceased commander,[9][10] or died of wounds at his home after leaving the hospital.[6][11]

In culture edit

For the role of Petka in the film Chapaev, Yakov Gudkin [ru] was first invited, but ultimately Leonid Kmit was approved.[12]

Awards edit

For the capture of a White Army spy, Pyotr was awarded a personalized Browning pistol with the inscription "To Pyotr Isaev for courage from the Ural Chekists" (Russian: Петру Исаеву за отвагу от уральских чекистов).[6] Pyotr was also awarded the Order of the Red Banner.[6][13]

Personal life edit

He was married to Anna Goldyreva.[5] His grand-niece claims that his wife's name was Fima.[3]

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ Alternatively: Petr
  1. ^ Egorov, Boris (2020-10-05). "The Red Army's most legendary commander". Russia Beyond. Retrieved 2021-03-04.
  2. ^ Lurie, Vadim F. "Детский анекдот" [Children's anecdote]. ruthenia.ru (in Russian). Retrieved 2021-03-05.
  3. ^ a b c Orlenko, Stanislav (2019-02-21). "Родственники друга Чапаева Петьки - Петра Исаева живут рядом с нами" [Relatives of Chapaev's friend Petka - Pyotr Isaev live next to us]. Moskovskij Komsomolets (in Russian). Retrieved 2021-03-04.
  4. ^ "Кем был легендарный чапаевский Петька" [Who was the legendary Chapaev's Petka]. Rambler (portal) (in Russian). 2017-10-17. Retrieved 2021-03-05.
  5. ^ a b c d e f "Анна Голдырева: что произошло с настоящей Анкой после выхода фильма "Чапаев"" [Anna Goldyreva: what happened to the real Anka after the release of the film "Chapaev"]. cyrillitsa.ru (in Russian). 2021-07-01. Retrieved 2021-03-04.
  6. ^ a b c d e f Kozlovsky, I (2014-04-10). "Большая Саратовская Энциклопедия : Военные : Исаев П. С." [Big Saratov Encyclopedia: Military: Isaev P.S.]. saratovregion.ucoz.ru (in Russian). Retrieved 2021-03-04.
  7. ^ Krol, Igor (2004-06-22). "Однажды Петька и Василий Иваныч..." [Once Petka and Vasily Ivanovich...]. chas-daily.com (in Russian). Archived from the original on 2007-12-13. Retrieved 2021-03-04.
  8. ^ Ozhgibesov, Pavel (2002). "Исаев - внук легендарного Петьки" [Isaev - the grandson of the legendary Petka]. ekklesiast.ru (in Russian). Archived from the original on 2015-12-22. Retrieved 2015-12-22.
  9. ^ a b "О Чем Молился Чапаев" [What Chapayev Prayed About]. vr-archive.narod.ru (in Russian). 2002. Retrieved 2021-03-04.
  10. ^ Kozlova, Tatyana (1991). "Неизвестный Чапаев" [Unknown Chapayev]. Sobesednik [ru] (in Russian). Archived from the original on 2009-09-25. Retrieved 2009-09-25 – via chapai.narod.ru.
  11. ^ "Ординарец Чапаева похоронен в Кундравах" [The orderly of Chapaev was buried in Kundravy]. sarafanovo.ru (in Russian). 2008-10-13. Archived from the original on 2013-11-01. Retrieved 2013-11-01.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  12. ^ "Быль и выдумка в фильме о Чапаеве" [Facts and fiction in the film about Chapaev]. RIA Novosti (in Russian). 2009-11-07. Retrieved 2021-03-05.
  13. ^ Kargin, Yuri (2007). Балаковская народная энциклопедия [Balakovo folk encyclopedia] (in Russian). Saratov: Privolzhskoe izdatel'stvo. ISBN 978-5-91369-020-3. OCLC 233031244.