Career
Fought in World War 1. Spring 1918 formed anti-Communist force in Samara. Summer 1918, at head of this force, successively liberated Singiley, Simbirsk and Kazan’ from Soviet troops.
Then commanded 1st Volga Corps. November-December 1919 commanded 3rd Army. December 1919 appointed by Kolchak as commander in chief, Eastern Front.
After rout of Kolchak’s forces in Western Siberia directed their retreat from Omsk to Irkutsk. In the course of this action he broke through the ice, caught a severe chill and sustained frost-bitten legs.