Papers by Dimitri Silakadze
კაპიტანი სიმონ შავგულიძე - მეომრის გზა/Captain Simon Shavgulidze - Warior's way, 2024
On the night of April 1, 1918, near Batumi, the garrison of Anaria Fort, commanded by a young, 24... more On the night of April 1, 1918, near Batumi, the garrison of Anaria Fort, commanded by a young, 24-year-old officer, Simon Shavgulidze, was almost completely destroyed in the battle with the Ottoman army and also died Simon Shavgulidze. Among the defenders of the city, Anaria Fort was one of the exceptions who fought until the end, while most of them left the city without a fight. The name of Simon Shavgulidze and his garrison became a symbol of struggle, sacrifice and awakening in the Georgian society. This article tells about the combat path of a young officer, the history of the orders he received, his last battle and the echo of this battle in the Georgian society.
Today, in the place where Simon was buried, there are sidewalks and lime trees made during the Soviet period. On the site of the Anaria fort are the ruins of the fort. There is no information about Anaria or Simon's burial place, which needs to be corrected and an information board should be put up
აირუმის ბრძოლა - პოლკოვნიკ ვაჩნაძის ტყვედ ჩავარდნის ისტორია (სომხეთ-საქართველოს 1918 წლის ომი) /The Battle of Aurum - The story of captivation of Colonel Vachnadzes squad (Georgian-Armenian war in 1918), 2020
At the end of 1918, the argument between two newly-formed Caucasian states, Georgia and Armenia, ... more At the end of 1918, the argument between two newly-formed Caucasian states, Georgia and Armenia, regarding the ownership of Borchalo and Akhalkalaki districts, turned into a war. Currently, historiographers are interested in the political, diplomatic and purely military aspects of this war. The given research focuses on the battle which took place at Ayrum railway station on December 15, 1918. During this battle, Colonel Vachnadze’s squad was ambushed by the Armenian army. Until now, there was certain information regarding this battle, but the archive case found in the Chancellery Fund of the Military Prosecutor of Georgian Democratic Republic, the Central Historical Archive of Georgia, regarding the investigation of the above-mentioned battle, has made it possible to restore the events in detail.
რუსეთ-საქართველოს 1921 წლის ომი და სანგარი N4 / Russian-Georgian war of 1921 and the Trennch N4 / ქართული წყაროთმცოდნეობა XXII , 2020
The Russian-Georgian War of 1921 is one of the most important and tragic episodes in Georgia's mo... more The Russian-Georgian War of 1921 is one of the most important and tragic episodes in Georgia's modern history, an episode that ended the existence of the First Republic and plunged the country into a 70-year Soviet experiment. For Georgian historiography, a comprehensive study of this war is a very important issue, this applies equally to the political and diplomatic components of this war, as well as its culmination - the military component. In 2017, an archeological expedition led by Zurab Bragvadze explored the right section of one of the most important positions of the Tbilisi battle during the Russian-Georgian war, the Tabakhmela’s trench N4. We compared the materials obtained by archaeologists with the archival documents and military memoirs obtained by us. The research paper consists of two parts.
In the first part, based on Georgian and Russian written sources, the ongoing combat operations on the Trench №4, (the same strategic height 1046) including February 19-24, are investigated. This part of the paper shows that a particularly large battle for the trench took place on 24 February, as described by Georgian soldiers who took part in the battle, also this is confirmed by Russian historiography and documents. This information contradicts a small amount of ammunition found during archeological excavations, however , it is noteworthy that only one part of the first strip of the three-lane trench was excavated, which is only a small insignificant part of the entire position(Consisting of a three-lane defensive line and the space between these lanes). At the same time, it is not excluded that the collected masses will be reloaded after the battle, which was an adopted practice at the time, as well as the collection of broken and damaged weapons for repair from the battlefield. Therefore the obtained scarce material cannot be used as an evidence that there was no major clash on the trench. The second part of the study summarizes the relevance of the information obtained by archaeologists to the archival information or memories we have found about the lack of ammunition and types of ammunition.
Despite the scarcity of firearms obtained in this regard, their diversity clearly confirms the information preserved in written sources about the shortage of ammunition and the diversity of rifles and machine gun systems.
ქართველი და სომეხი მამაკაცის საშუალო სიმაღლე XX საუკუნის დასაწყისში ჟანდარმერიის ბარათების მიხედვით/Average Height of Georgian and Armenian Man at the Beginning of the 20th Century According to the Gendarmerie Cards, 2019
The Fond of Tbilisi Gendarmerie Department of the National Archives of Georgia contains 5413 card... more The Fond of Tbilisi Gendarmerie Department of the National Archives of Georgia contains 5413 cards
completed in Tbilisi and other cities of Caucasus. These cards are filled in during 1904-1917. They contain
information about person’s height and also some other materials. An analysis of the data enables us to calculate the average height of Georgian and Armenian man at the beginning of the 20th c. and compare it to the
results of anthropological researches of that period. After summing up the results of 1089 Georgian man,
their average height was equal to 166,3 cm, the difference was between 147-190 cm. The average height
shown in these notes is 1 cm more to those unveiled in the researches of Ivan Pantiukhov and Alexander
Javakhishvili (165,3 cm) and 2 cm more to the results of Joseph Wenninger (164,3). After assuming the data
of 1013 Armenian men their average height was equal to 165,8 cm. the difference was between 148-189 cm.
This result exceeds the result of Wenninger’s research by 2,1 cm and by 2,7 cm the result of Pantiukhov
(163,1). Despite the lack of data this article also unveils the average height of Georgian (56 cards) and Armenian (31 cards) women – appropriately 157,3 and 156,8 cm. The article also discloses information regarding the heights of renowned Georgian and Armenian politicians, writers and public activists.
„საქართველოს დემოკრატიული რესპუბლიკის გახსენება ასი წლის შემდეგ. მოდელი ევროპისთვის?“ საერთაშორის... more „საქართველოს დემოკრატიული რესპუბლიკის გახსენება ასი წლის შემდეგ. მოდელი ევროპისთვის?“ საერთაშორისო კონფერენციის მასალები. თბილისი, 2018.
გენერალ გიორგი კვინიტაძის კარიერის უცნობი დეტალები/UNKNOWN DETAILS OF MILITARY SERVICE OF GENERAL GIORGI KVINIKADZE IN RUSSIAN ARMY
Air Forse of the First Democratic Republic Of Georgia
The regular armed forces were founded durin... more Air Forse of the First Democratic Republic Of Georgia
The regular armed forces were founded during the period of the First Republic of Georgia. It contained various types of troops, including military aviation. On the basis of the documents, preserved
in the Central Historical Archive of the National Archives of Georgia we can keep an eye on the history of formation and development of military navigation in the republic. This is the period of the first steps of its development; the military use of aviation was newly
introduced in military actions. After the collapse of Russian Empire, the Firs republic of Georgia inherited the outdated airplanes of Caucasian army, also ethnic Georgians and other nationalities of the pilots, serving in the army. During the three years of its existence the Georgian aviation has got many problems: outdated equipment, severe financial problems, unorganized infrastructure and the lack of fuel oil. The head of the Republic tried to solve these problems: in 1920 they bought
10 modern airplanes of Ansaldo type SVA-10, they also tried to improve financial situation and to buy fuel supply. They partially achieved this. Armed forces used aviation regularly during thethree years of ongoing military operations. The Georgian pilots actively spied and bombed enemy positions.
Books by Dimitri Silakadze
საქართველოს დემოკრატიული რესპუბლიკა და ცხინვალის რეგიონის ბოლშევიკური აჯანყებები 1918-1920 წლებში/Democratic Republic of Georgia and Bolshevik uprisings in the Tskhinvali Region in 1918-1920, 2022
The memorial album dedicated to the First Democratic Republic of Georgia
The period of the First Democratic Republic of Georgia
is one of the significant periods of our ... more The period of the First Democratic Republic of Georgia
is one of the significant periods of our modern country,
and an understanding of this point is very important.
In the short period of the existence of the Republic,
the most important issue was security, and the greatest
efforts were focused on providing security and protection
for the country. And that depended on the creation
of professional armed forces. The formation of strong
armed forces was disrupted by multiple factors which,
according to archive documentation, indicated that the
significant issue was the lack of armaments, which created
an unfavorable environment for the deployment of
not only all our mobilization resources, but even as little
as half of them. In the discourse of memoir literature
and public opinion, it has often been claimed that the
political leaders of the First Republic were unable to
deploy a large quantity of weaponry, which was kept in
the Caucasian armouries of the Russian Empire. But the
archive documents show a different view, one which
represents a key aspect in understanding this issue and
in dismantling mistaken and clichéd notions. The existing
protected documents in the Georgian National
Archive allow us to identify and analyze the type of
armaments which were maintained by the armed forces
of the First Democratic Republic of Georgia, and the
conditions of their deployment in a combat environment.
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Papers by Dimitri Silakadze
Today, in the place where Simon was buried, there are sidewalks and lime trees made during the Soviet period. On the site of the Anaria fort are the ruins of the fort. There is no information about Anaria or Simon's burial place, which needs to be corrected and an information board should be put up
In the first part, based on Georgian and Russian written sources, the ongoing combat operations on the Trench №4, (the same strategic height 1046) including February 19-24, are investigated. This part of the paper shows that a particularly large battle for the trench took place on 24 February, as described by Georgian soldiers who took part in the battle, also this is confirmed by Russian historiography and documents. This information contradicts a small amount of ammunition found during archeological excavations, however , it is noteworthy that only one part of the first strip of the three-lane trench was excavated, which is only a small insignificant part of the entire position(Consisting of a three-lane defensive line and the space between these lanes). At the same time, it is not excluded that the collected masses will be reloaded after the battle, which was an adopted practice at the time, as well as the collection of broken and damaged weapons for repair from the battlefield. Therefore the obtained scarce material cannot be used as an evidence that there was no major clash on the trench. The second part of the study summarizes the relevance of the information obtained by archaeologists to the archival information or memories we have found about the lack of ammunition and types of ammunition.
Despite the scarcity of firearms obtained in this regard, their diversity clearly confirms the information preserved in written sources about the shortage of ammunition and the diversity of rifles and machine gun systems.
completed in Tbilisi and other cities of Caucasus. These cards are filled in during 1904-1917. They contain
information about person’s height and also some other materials. An analysis of the data enables us to calculate the average height of Georgian and Armenian man at the beginning of the 20th c. and compare it to the
results of anthropological researches of that period. After summing up the results of 1089 Georgian man,
their average height was equal to 166,3 cm, the difference was between 147-190 cm. The average height
shown in these notes is 1 cm more to those unveiled in the researches of Ivan Pantiukhov and Alexander
Javakhishvili (165,3 cm) and 2 cm more to the results of Joseph Wenninger (164,3). After assuming the data
of 1013 Armenian men their average height was equal to 165,8 cm. the difference was between 148-189 cm.
This result exceeds the result of Wenninger’s research by 2,1 cm and by 2,7 cm the result of Pantiukhov
(163,1). Despite the lack of data this article also unveils the average height of Georgian (56 cards) and Armenian (31 cards) women – appropriately 157,3 and 156,8 cm. The article also discloses information regarding the heights of renowned Georgian and Armenian politicians, writers and public activists.
The regular armed forces were founded during the period of the First Republic of Georgia. It contained various types of troops, including military aviation. On the basis of the documents, preserved
in the Central Historical Archive of the National Archives of Georgia we can keep an eye on the history of formation and development of military navigation in the republic. This is the period of the first steps of its development; the military use of aviation was newly
introduced in military actions. After the collapse of Russian Empire, the Firs republic of Georgia inherited the outdated airplanes of Caucasian army, also ethnic Georgians and other nationalities of the pilots, serving in the army. During the three years of its existence the Georgian aviation has got many problems: outdated equipment, severe financial problems, unorganized infrastructure and the lack of fuel oil. The head of the Republic tried to solve these problems: in 1920 they bought
10 modern airplanes of Ansaldo type SVA-10, they also tried to improve financial situation and to buy fuel supply. They partially achieved this. Armed forces used aviation regularly during thethree years of ongoing military operations. The Georgian pilots actively spied and bombed enemy positions.
Books by Dimitri Silakadze
is one of the significant periods of our modern country,
and an understanding of this point is very important.
In the short period of the existence of the Republic,
the most important issue was security, and the greatest
efforts were focused on providing security and protection
for the country. And that depended on the creation
of professional armed forces. The formation of strong
armed forces was disrupted by multiple factors which,
according to archive documentation, indicated that the
significant issue was the lack of armaments, which created
an unfavorable environment for the deployment of
not only all our mobilization resources, but even as little
as half of them. In the discourse of memoir literature
and public opinion, it has often been claimed that the
political leaders of the First Republic were unable to
deploy a large quantity of weaponry, which was kept in
the Caucasian armouries of the Russian Empire. But the
archive documents show a different view, one which
represents a key aspect in understanding this issue and
in dismantling mistaken and clichéd notions. The existing
protected documents in the Georgian National
Archive allow us to identify and analyze the type of
armaments which were maintained by the armed forces
of the First Democratic Republic of Georgia, and the
conditions of their deployment in a combat environment.
Today, in the place where Simon was buried, there are sidewalks and lime trees made during the Soviet period. On the site of the Anaria fort are the ruins of the fort. There is no information about Anaria or Simon's burial place, which needs to be corrected and an information board should be put up
In the first part, based on Georgian and Russian written sources, the ongoing combat operations on the Trench №4, (the same strategic height 1046) including February 19-24, are investigated. This part of the paper shows that a particularly large battle for the trench took place on 24 February, as described by Georgian soldiers who took part in the battle, also this is confirmed by Russian historiography and documents. This information contradicts a small amount of ammunition found during archeological excavations, however , it is noteworthy that only one part of the first strip of the three-lane trench was excavated, which is only a small insignificant part of the entire position(Consisting of a three-lane defensive line and the space between these lanes). At the same time, it is not excluded that the collected masses will be reloaded after the battle, which was an adopted practice at the time, as well as the collection of broken and damaged weapons for repair from the battlefield. Therefore the obtained scarce material cannot be used as an evidence that there was no major clash on the trench. The second part of the study summarizes the relevance of the information obtained by archaeologists to the archival information or memories we have found about the lack of ammunition and types of ammunition.
Despite the scarcity of firearms obtained in this regard, their diversity clearly confirms the information preserved in written sources about the shortage of ammunition and the diversity of rifles and machine gun systems.
completed in Tbilisi and other cities of Caucasus. These cards are filled in during 1904-1917. They contain
information about person’s height and also some other materials. An analysis of the data enables us to calculate the average height of Georgian and Armenian man at the beginning of the 20th c. and compare it to the
results of anthropological researches of that period. After summing up the results of 1089 Georgian man,
their average height was equal to 166,3 cm, the difference was between 147-190 cm. The average height
shown in these notes is 1 cm more to those unveiled in the researches of Ivan Pantiukhov and Alexander
Javakhishvili (165,3 cm) and 2 cm more to the results of Joseph Wenninger (164,3). After assuming the data
of 1013 Armenian men their average height was equal to 165,8 cm. the difference was between 148-189 cm.
This result exceeds the result of Wenninger’s research by 2,1 cm and by 2,7 cm the result of Pantiukhov
(163,1). Despite the lack of data this article also unveils the average height of Georgian (56 cards) and Armenian (31 cards) women – appropriately 157,3 and 156,8 cm. The article also discloses information regarding the heights of renowned Georgian and Armenian politicians, writers and public activists.
The regular armed forces were founded during the period of the First Republic of Georgia. It contained various types of troops, including military aviation. On the basis of the documents, preserved
in the Central Historical Archive of the National Archives of Georgia we can keep an eye on the history of formation and development of military navigation in the republic. This is the period of the first steps of its development; the military use of aviation was newly
introduced in military actions. After the collapse of Russian Empire, the Firs republic of Georgia inherited the outdated airplanes of Caucasian army, also ethnic Georgians and other nationalities of the pilots, serving in the army. During the three years of its existence the Georgian aviation has got many problems: outdated equipment, severe financial problems, unorganized infrastructure and the lack of fuel oil. The head of the Republic tried to solve these problems: in 1920 they bought
10 modern airplanes of Ansaldo type SVA-10, they also tried to improve financial situation and to buy fuel supply. They partially achieved this. Armed forces used aviation regularly during thethree years of ongoing military operations. The Georgian pilots actively spied and bombed enemy positions.
is one of the significant periods of our modern country,
and an understanding of this point is very important.
In the short period of the existence of the Republic,
the most important issue was security, and the greatest
efforts were focused on providing security and protection
for the country. And that depended on the creation
of professional armed forces. The formation of strong
armed forces was disrupted by multiple factors which,
according to archive documentation, indicated that the
significant issue was the lack of armaments, which created
an unfavorable environment for the deployment of
not only all our mobilization resources, but even as little
as half of them. In the discourse of memoir literature
and public opinion, it has often been claimed that the
political leaders of the First Republic were unable to
deploy a large quantity of weaponry, which was kept in
the Caucasian armouries of the Russian Empire. But the
archive documents show a different view, one which
represents a key aspect in understanding this issue and
in dismantling mistaken and clichéd notions. The existing
protected documents in the Georgian National
Archive allow us to identify and analyze the type of
armaments which were maintained by the armed forces
of the First Democratic Republic of Georgia, and the
conditions of their deployment in a combat environment.