Olga's pistol

[mikeycoleman]

Olga has a small pearl handled snubnose formerly owned by Catherine the Great in the play OTMA.  It turns out to be a cigarette lighter.

Mikey

[blessOTMA]

I think this is an interesting topic. Seems to me if the Czar did give Olga a fire arm ...it was just further proof of his great respect for her. He had to completely trust she would not use it unless necessary. Nicholas was in a way transferring a good  bit of authority to Olga. She's was been deputized in the situation in a way, almost as a son would be.

This giving her a gun, imo, seems connected to their spending many hours  together in his study going over where and how everything  went wrong.(wouldn't I love to be a fly on the wall for those talks! )  Nicholas seems to be transferring some of the male/ proactive  authority over to her as if she were a son. The gun is a symbol of that . I think those who say she wasn't much use after the war because of nerves are missing the mark ( pardon the  pun)  Her parents put Olga and Tatiana both in charge when they left Tobolsk . While Tatiana was called " the governess,"   the big pair was ever a leadership  team . I have only read of Olga not be able to deal with war wounds after a while. I don't fault her for that ....not everyone can deal with them.  But otherwise I have never  read of her not doing what was asked of her and more.


 

[Kalafrana]

If it was a revolver small enough to be concealed in a lady's boot, it must have been very small and so of limited effect. I have seen and handled (though not fired) a Browning automatic pistol of the type said to have been used on Rasputin. It is almost small enough to fit in the palm of my hand and the bullet is smaller than a .22. Certainly it would go nicely into a lady's evening bag, though it's protective value would be quite low (quite different from a Webley .455, which would take the back of someone's head off at close range, and also seems to have been used on Rasputin).

[Maria the Beautiful]

I read somewhere that Nicholas had given Olga a pistol and showed her how to use it about the time they were placed under house arrest at AP.  It said that she kept it hidden in her boot.   This got me wondering if any mention had ever been made in any historical accounts about the Tsar and Tsarina being concerned with possible sexual molestation against their daughters while they were in captivity.   It seems to me that would have been of great concern to them, especially during those weeks that Tatiana, Olga and Anastasia were separated from them when N&A/Maria were first sent to Ekaterinburg.    Please forgive me as I'm a newbie  and not nearly as well read on the Romanovs as most of you here.   I did do a search to see if there may be a thread somewhere on this topic, but I found none.   

[blessOTMA]

I often wondered if the Tsar gave his eldest daughter the pistol so she would feel better generally... as you would give a child a teddy bear. If he wanted it to be about protection and someone shot, I believe he might have given it to Tatiana ! lol! But when your life is no longer governed by  rules that made up your world,  and you and your family are imprisoned...I can see the attraction....particularly for someone of strong emotions  However they were never going to shoot anyone...it would be utterly pointless .I don't see the Tsar giving it to her if he thought she would. ..but as their imprisonment  deepened , it must of felt good to think about that gun in the boot . But I also see it as the Tsar passing on an adult authority to Olga....a right of passage as well.  She was allowed to keep it quite late.
But was asked/begged to give it up before leaving for Ekaterinburg and agreed ...and a good thing too  , the children   and their things were thoroughly searched upon arrival. Olga's pistol would have been found...and then it would pose a danger only to its owner...

[Holly]

Here are a couple of threads on Olga and the gun:
http://forum.alexanderpalace.org/index.php?topic=1323.0
http://forum.alexanderpalace.org/index.php?topic=11406.0

There doesn't seem to be a solid source on the story of Olga receiving a small pistol that was kept in her boot besides word of mouth and Bob Atchinson being told the story himself. I'd be interested to know what book you read this in.

Regarding any threat of sexual assault on the Grand Duchesses, I'm sure it was something that was thought about at least once but I don't think it was any 'great concern'.

Here's another thread on that subject:
http://forum.alexanderpalace.org/index.php?topic=4360.0
http://forum.alexanderpalace.org/index.php?topic=11810.0
http://forum.alexanderpalace.org/index.php?topic=1282.0

Hope that's helpful.

[blessOTMA]

Great links Holly!

Here is Bob's post about it  that Sarushka re-posted 
awhile back  when it came up before. Undoubtedly it's in your links ....but I  found it via Google.

Sarushka:

Bob Atchison heard this story from Vladimir Soloviev. Here's the original post about it:

Quote from: BobAtchison on May 08, 2004, 07:49:38 AM

Once when I met Vladimir Soloviev, the Attorney General of Russia and the head of the committee on the investigation of the remains he showed me the Sokolov dossier that Stalin had - I have mentioned that meeting before.  We had a long talk about what he had found in his research through unpublished materials.  I asked him if he could tell me somethings he had learned about the members of the family that surprised him.  One thing he told me was the story of the small gun Olga carried.  He said, if I remember correctly but this could be wrong, she had it in her boot and she had been given the gun by her father.  He said Koblynski begged Olga to give it to him in Tobolsk. Later I found this in writing - but I haven't been able to relocate it.

[Maria the Beautiful]

Holly, thank you for the links.   They were very helpful and informative.   I have been trying to locate where I read about the pistol, but haven't found it yet.   I know for sure it is somewhere on the APsite - I just read it this past week.   As soon as I find it I will post it here. 

I also want to thank you for giving me the info in a friendly, courteous manner.   When I read some of the threads you sent the links for, I was somewhat appalled at some of the nasty, impatient posts by some.   I find it a little humorous that given the fact that this entire site is dedicated to the story of the brutal assassination of an entire family that some on this forum are "put off" by a discussion of rape.     

[Holly]

Holly, thank you for the links.   They were very helpful and informative.   I have been trying to locate where I read about the pistol, but haven't found it yet.   I know for sure it is somewhere on the APsite - I just read it this past week.   As soon as I find it I will post it here. 

I also want to thank you for giving me the info in a friendly, courteous manner.   When I read some of the threads you sent the links for, I was somewhat appalled at some of the nasty, impatient posts by some.   I find it a little humorous that given the fact that this entire site is dedicated to the story of the brutal assassination of an entire family that some on this forum are "put off" by a discussion of rape.     

You're very welcome! Yes, any sexual sort of discussion regarding the GDss is usually met with such expressions of being "put off". Although many find it preposterous, it's a question that comes up often.

[blessOTMA]

okay I couldn't resist...anyway if the Tsar gave Olga a gun and presumably  shooting lessons ...it most likely was during the war, perhaps at HQ.
( Which I can  easily see happening as almost an  amusement ) . Because we know there was no Romanov target practice going on at AP during captivity...even Alexis 's toy gun was taken away. So I would say if Olga was given a gun by the Tsar and more , given lessons, it was earlier than 1917 and  not in response to the fear of assault. The info says she had a hidden gun, but not when she received it . However it is certainly possible she was given the gun in 1917 without lessons...lord knows
 

[blessOTMA]

 I find it a little humorous that given the fact that this entire site is dedicated to the story of the brutal assassination of an entire family that some on this forum are "put off" by a discussion of rape.     

Oh dear I have to disagree....imo the site is dedicated to the family, rather than how they died... though that is certainly part of their story of course  . And  surely  a  discussion  and speculations of rape is always "off putting" whatever the context.

[voyageroffreedom]

Annie thank you for posting your drawing of Nicholas and Olga, it's beautiful<3.
Whether Nicholas gave Olga the pistol before or after the captivity, I think it was a gift to show his respect to her for becoming an intelligent and responsible adult, it’s a gift that shows he trust her, he knew that Olga will never misused it.  And if Nicholas gave the pistol during captivity, I don’t think he gave her hints that she could use it against the guards if she found herself in a dangerous position, he knew taking actions against the captors will put his family in greater danger and risk. And I don’t think Olga would ever use it to shoot someone, let’s not to forget during her nursing days, they assigned her with office work because she couldn’t handle seeing the wounds, that’s show how sensitive and emotional person she was, so imo she couldn’t hurt anyone with that gun, she would live in a great guilt.

[blessOTMA]

nie thank you for posting your drawing of Nicholas and Olga, it's beautiful<3.

It's fun...I can see Olga being quite good at it. She was fine housewoman and  she looked pretty handy with at axe in Tobolsk!

.... so imo she couldn't hurt anyone with that gun, she would live in a great guilt.

That's why I suggest TN a better candidate  as bodyguard! lol! Or Marie ! But I think it's forgotten how many people were around them all the time even in capvity...hoards...in Siberia they just didn't have their retainers about , their retainers had servants as well. I believe tea time was just the family in the Tsar's study due to this....snatching some privacy . It was at the end there were few people ...i worry about then more than other times

[Condecontessa]

If the Tsar taught Olga to shoot a gun, how no one else noted it in their memoirs. Spiridovitch, for instance, would have known and seen it would he?

[blessOTMA]

If the Tsar taught Olga to shoot a gun, how no one else noted it in their memoirs. Spiridovitch, for instance, would have known and seen it would he?

That's a good point. He may have simply given it to her. The information was in the  Sokolov dossier that Stalin had...but who told Sokolov?