Re: New Nicholas & Alexandra Video - Mini Series? Part II

[JamesAPrattIII]

correction Russki was fired in May 1917 not 1918. In part because even though he had twice as many men as the Germans he thought they were going to attack him and demanded 4 army corps as reinforcements!? He had a history of being pessimistic and he found out the hard way the Provisional government was different than the Tsarist regime.


These are quotes from Nicholas diary that are in the book The Diary of Olga Romanov the I think might be of interest or usfull:

4 August ( 1917 )Having passed the Urals , felt a significant coolness. passed Ekaterinburg very early in the morning. All these days the second train with the riflemen would catch up to us-we greeted  (each other) like old acquaintances.
 Rode incredibly slowly, in order to arrive in Tyumen  late, at 11 1/2 o'cl. There, the train arrived almost next to the wharf, so we only had to walk down to the ship. Ours is called the Rus. They started to load our things, which continued through the night. Poor Aleksei went to bed God knows when again! Banging and pounding lasted all night and did not let me sleep. Departed Tyumen around 6 o'cl.

5 August
 Cruising down the river Tur. Slept a lot. Alix, Aleksei and I each have a cabin with no facilities, all the daughters are together in a five-bed (cabin), the suite is close by in the hallway; farther towards the bow is a nice cafeteria and a small cabin with a piano. The second class is under us, and all riflemen of the 1st regiment who were on the train with us are downstairs in the back.....

2/15 March (1918) Friday
These days (I am ) remembering last year in Pskov and in the train!
 How much longer will our poor motherland be tormented and pulled apart by the external and internal enemies? Sometimes it seems that there is no more strength to take this, (I) don't even though what to hope or wish for?
 Nevertheless, there is no one like God! May His holy will be served!

14 April Saturday
.... Arrived at Tyumen at 9 1/4 in the beautiful moonlight with the entire squadron which surrounded our carts at the entrance into town. It was very pleasant to end up on the train, even though it was not very clean; we ourselves and our things had made an awfully dirty sight.
Went to bed at 10 o'clock without undressing , I-above Alix's bunk, Maria and Nyuta in the adjoining compartment.

Scenes of Nicholas writing in his diary interspersed with scenes of what is happening in the diary.

[JamesAPrattIII]

I have some more to add:

31December 1916 NS a pale and distraught Alexandra is writing Nicholas a telegram in her boudoir: "... The police are continuing the search. I fear these to wretched boys have committed a frightfull crime, but have not yet lost all hope. Start today, I need you terribly."

Scene shift to Stavka Nicholas is meeting with his Generals (This is from the book documents in Russian History)

General Ruzski Northern Front commander: " Riga and Dvinsk-the misfortunes of the Northern front, especially Riga. These two places are hot-beds of propaganda."

General Brusilov Southwest front commander: "Quite right. When the VII Siberian Corps came from Riga's district it was completely under the influence of propaganda. The soldiers refused to fight. There were cases of mutiny. one officer was killed. it was necessary to take severe measure to shoot several men, to change the commanding officers, and now the corps is improving."

General Everrt Western front commander:" ...It is necessary to put in supplies into the empty central and food warehouses. Instead of having a month's provisions on hand we live on daily imports. We are undersupplied and undernourished... which reacts banefully on the spirit of the soldiers...local supplies are also exhausted..."

General Ruzski: "The Northern Front does not receive even its meat allowance. The general opinion is that we have everything but it is impossible to get anything. For example, in Petrograd the poor man is in need but the rich man may have everything. We lack internal organization."

General Shuvaiev War Minister: "At the outbreak of the war we had to feed 1,300,000 soldiers and now we feed ten million. To this number should be added about two million workmen. It is not right to give everything to the Army and nothing to those who work for the Army.."

General Gurko Acting Chief of Staff: "There is plenty of meat in Siberia but we can not get it here because we need three hundred locomotives which we have not. Our railways are functioning badly, all the railway men were sent to the front at the very beginning of the war and there is no one to repair the locomotives."

(to be continued)

[JamesAPrattIII]

At the staff conference at Stavka

General Gurko: Gentlemen while our army has problems I am positive that during the winter months our army will be able to recover and be ready to take the offensive next year. I also must point our army has never been so well equipped, supplied or trained since the start of the war. I must also point out we greatly outnumber the enemy who has a very long front to hold as well as other problems. Who knows gentlemen we may be able to defeat the enemy by the end of next year. (other generals nod in agreement). and now let us end this conference and get back to work. (conference breaks up)

(Scene later that day Nicholas gets on the Imperial train and it pulls out of the station for Petrograd.)

(As Nicholas is siting down General Voikov come up to him)

Voikov: A telegram from the Empress Sire. (hands telegram to Nicholas who reads it and looks angry. Nicholas grabs a notepad and starts writing)
Nicholas (voice as he writes): "I have only just read your letter, am horrified and shaken. In Prayers and thoughts I am with you. Am arriving tomorrow at 5o'clock. Heavy frost. The conference closed at 4 O'clock. I bless you and kiss you .

(Nicholas turns to Voilov)
Nicholas: Have this reply sent to the Empress at the next station!
Voikov: Yes Sire!

This is how I think the answer and reply went down based on my readings. the telegram was sent from Orsha. The conference lines were from the book documents in Russian history

[JamesAPrattIII]

This is from the book "The Last Tsar" by Oldenberg

The Russo-Japanese War has just begun in early 1904 an aide is reporting to Minister of the Interior V.C. Pleve

Aide: Among the crowds singing the national anthem outside the Winter palace the other day were students from the St Petersberg University.
Pleve (looking happy); I am pleased to hear of youth being so patriotic!
Aide: Sadly it seems there is one university which is not so patriotic. There the students have met and almost all opposed a vigil of prayers for victory which a council of professors proposed be held in one of the buildings of the institute.
Pleve (looking angry); What university is this? I will have those scondrels deferments cancelled and have them conscripted into the army and sent to fight the Japanese.
Aide; It's the Women's Institute your Excellency. Rumor has it they have telegraphed greetings to the Japanese Emperor.
Pleve: (looking stunned) the nerve of the women! Don't those fools realize our navy will soon sweep the Japanese navy from the seas and our army will easily rout the Japanese army. we will make those Japanese monkies pay for their treachery!
Aide: We have just received word from Armenia. it seems a religious service by the Armenian clergy to pray for victory has been bombed by criminals. Two killed and several wounded.
Pleve (in a rage) What's this country coming to!? We'll catch those Scum and hang them.

(scene fades)

I think this would be a interesting add on.

[TimM]

Been a while since I checked up on this.  Good scenes.

[JamesAPrattIII]

The reaction to the Treaty of Portsmouth ending the Russo-Japanese War at Japanese army headquarters in Manchuria The army commander Field Marshall Oyama and his Chief of Staff General Kodama.

Kodama: More reports of rioting in the homeland over the treaty of Portsmouth. When I told the government we needed to make peace I did not think we would have got such miserable terms!

Oyama: The people do not realize that the enemy now outnumbers us so badly that it would be almost impossible for us to fight another battle and win. They also do not realize that many of our army's best officers and soldiers are dead and their replacements are not as good. I do not have to remind you our country is nearly bankrupt do to this war. we really needed to make peace.

Kodama: You are right. We cannot continue this war.

(scene fades)

This is based on how the Japanese reaction to the end of the Russo-Japanese war

[JamesAPrattIII]

I am glad you liked them Tim here are some more:

Kodama and Oyama

Kodama: The Diet still needs to ratify the treaty

Oyama: Yes they have too. Send this message to Tokyo (Kodama pulls out a notebook and pencil seeing he is ready Oyama continues) "The fact is that after a full year of war, victoriously concluded at Mukden, the Japanese Army paused for five and a half months and dared not launch an offensive."

(Scene fades)


From A Lifelong passion"

Grand Duke Constantine Constatinovich is writing in his diary:

17 August 1905 OS
Today's papers brought news of the peace that has been agreed by representatives of Russia and Japan in Portsmouth, North America. We have conceded the southern part of Sakhalin, but refused to pay a single penny. Witte achieved a considerable diplomatic victory. Nevertheless, there is nothing joyful about this peace, crowning, as it does, such an unfortunate war for our forces. Not only does the peace bring no joy, it is rather frightening.

22 August 1905 OS
Olia (CCs sister Olga Queen of Greece) told me, that the Emperor sent Witte to America for the peace talks with the Japanese plenipotentiaries, he was so convinced that that our conditions would be unacceptable, that he did not even entertain the possibility of peace. But when the Japanese accepted our terms, there was no alternative but to conclude peace. And so the Emperor was caught out unexpectedly and has, in the words of Olia, who saw him and the Empress at Peterhof, been dropped in at the deep end.
(Scene shift to a rather downhearted Nicholas and Alexandra then scene fades)

The book "A Life long Passion" has the full letter Sandro wrote his Nichloas M after his final meeting with Nicholas and Alexandra. In it he does mention he had an argument with Alexandra. He also goes on to discuss the expropriation of landowners and equal rights for jews as mentioned in the section Nicholas study.

[TimM]

They never saw it coming, did they.  Russia getting it's a** handed to it by country a quarter of its size.

Excellent scenes.

[JamesAPrattIII]

I am glad you liked them. Here's another with a twist:

Scene: It's after dark 25 October 1917 Russian soldiers wear greycoats and fur hats are manning the barricades outside the Winter Palace. It is quite except for an occasional gunshot. A Lieutenant appears and goes along the line of defenders.

Lieutenant: Fall back inside the palace and keep low!
(The soldiers keeping low head inside the palace an officer meets them)

Officer: This way! (points to a door)
(The soldiers go past the door into a large room)

(Officer, A Lieutenant turns to Lt Valdimir Somov )

Officer: I think that's all of them. They all look alright. I think was killed earlier on today.

Lt Somov: Every one has fled except us and a few Cadets. We are surrounded and greatly outnumbered! Things are hopeless! I am going to tell everyone the Provisional Government has surrendered and order them to lay down their arms. Then I am going to try and find someone to surrender to!

(Scene shifts Lt Somov is in a hallway when a group of Red Guards come walking down the hall rifles slung over their shoulders bottles of alcohol in their hands)

Red Guard 1: Who the devil are you? (takes drink from bottle)

Lt Somov: Lieutenant Somov I would like to surrender my unit the 2nd company 1st Petrograd Women's Battalion of Death

[JamesAPrattIII]

Ooops! I hit the wrong button here's the rest:

Red guard 1 (spits out alcohol while choking looking surprised) What!?

Scene shifts the Women of the 1st Petrograd Women's battalion of Death are being lead out of the Winter palace while sailors soldiers and red guards jeer, boo, cat call, swear ect while one or two men try and punch them. Scene fades).


This is from the book "They fought for the Motherland" which has an account of this units defense of the Winter palace.

[JamesAPrattIII]

From the book "A Lifelong Passion"
 Scene Alexei looking very bored is writing in his diary:

7January "The whole day was like yesterday"

18 January "Everything is the same. Anastasia is up and dress. 26 below zero. Boring!!"

22 January "22 below-Storm. Snow whirling. It's still boring"

5/18 February "Everything the same. had lessons."

29 March/11 April "...It's getting warmer. During our morning walk, the extraordinary commissar dropped in to look at our yard and garden. The Red Guards have been here already one week."

Scene Alexei closes his diary. He looks bored. This is his last entry.
Scene fades.

[edubs31]

From the book "A Lifelong Passion"
 Scene Alexei looking very bored is writing in his diary:

7January "The whole day was like yesterday"

18 January "Everything is the same. Anastasia is up and dress. 26 below zero. Boring!!"

22 January "22 below-Storm. Snow whirling. It's still boring"

5/18 February "Everything the same. had lessons."

29 March/11 April "...It's getting warmer. During our morning walk, the extraordinary commissar dropped in to look at our yard and garden. The Red Guards have been here already one week."

Scene Alexei closes his diary. He looks bored. This is his last entry.
Scene fades.

I've always found it somewhat odd that given how little there was for them to do in Ekaterinburg that the family didn't actually write MORE rather than less. Alexei and Nicholas suddenly stopping their diaries? I assume out of depression over their situation as well as boredom but still...you'd think they'd at least taken up writing amateurish poetry or list making.

[Kalafrana]

Interesting point. Off the top of my head I can't remember the exact date Alexei started bleeding in Tobolsk, but presumably he stopped writing his diary then and never restarted.

Ann

[JamesAPrattIII]

The date when his bleeding started do to coughing that burst a blood vessel was 30 march/11 April 1918. I should of had Alexei start coughing right after he closes his diary for the last time.

On 22 April 1918 when Yakovlov arrived OTMA burned their letter and MA burned their diaries according to Nicholas diary. I guess they realized at this time that their story was not going to have a happy ending. I think one poster on this site mentions if she was in OTMAs shoes at this time she would have also burned her letters and diaries. Nicholas kept writing in his diary until almost the very end, there are gaps in it. Alexandra keeps up hers until the end, but neither writes much of interest in it. It could be they were worried anything they write might be used against them.

[JamesAPrattIII]

Some errata from re-reading the Murder of Rasputin" by MN:

I believe the plotters did try to poison Rasputin there are just too many accounts that say they tried too. it looks like the poison they used wasn't poison. note Dora/Fanny Kaplan who shot and wounded Lenin according to one account had the bullets in her pistol coated with a poison, but poison was found on them. Looks like cases of people getting the wrong stuff. I think they shot Rasputin as a back up plan. Note sound travels at night and it echos in built up areas. Even in a enclosed room like the cellar they were in with police nearby shooting him would be too noisy except as a last resort.

Reply 1640 has Dimtri P providing the pistol. I would go with this. Dmitri p did own a number of handguns. Also some officers in WW I and II did carry small pistols like the Browning 25 acp in their pockets as a back up weapon. I would say Dimtri P would do this. It would also look a little odd even for him to walk into a salon in Petrograd with a holstered pistol on his belt.

reply 1641 the book has the two servants moving Rasputin's Body instead of Purishkevich and Dimtri P since those two didn't want to get blood on their clothes. Sounds believable.