Roman Kondratenko

Roman Isidorovich Kondratenko (Russian: Роман Исидорович Кондратенко; Ukrainian: Роман Ісидорович Кондратенко) (October 12, 1857 – December 15, 1904) was a general in the Imperial Russian Army famous for his devout defense of Port Arthur during the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905.

Biography

Roman Kondratenko was born in Tiflis, Georgia the tenth child to a retired Army major of Ukrainian origin. He was sent to study at the Polotsk Cadet Corps in Petrograd with the assistance of an elder brother, and obtained a scholarship to study at public expense. Graduating with honors in 1877, he was able enter the Nikolaev Engineering Institute , now Military engineering-technical university (Russian: Военный инженерно-технический университет). He got a praporshchik and was assigned to the 1st Caucasian sapper battalion. Kondratenko was admitted into the Military Engineering Academy in 1879, and in 1884 he became an attendee of the General Staff Academy. After serving some time on the engineering department (1882–1894), he received a regiment in 1895 and was promoted to major general in 1901. In 1903, Kondratenko received 7th East Siberian Rifle Brigade, based at Port Arthur.

Russo-Japanese War

After Kondratenko's arrival at Port Arthur in 1903, he reorganized and improved on its already massive fortifications over a period of several months, anticipating the coming conflict with the Empire of Japan. After the start of the Siege of Port Arthur, he was the soul of the Russian defenses, personally directing efforts of the defending troops in the most difficult and dangerous areas, and overseeing repairs of the fortifications due to battle damage. General Kondratenko successfully repulsed four Japanese assaults, making skillful use of both army and Imperial Russian Navy forces. However, on December 2, 1904 he was mortally wounded when the armory of the fort he was defending took a direct hit from Japanese howitzer fire. Eighteen days after his death, generals Stoessel and Foch surrendered Port Arthur to the Japanese.

After the war, the body of General Kondratenko was transported to St. Peterburg and buried in Alexander Nevsky Lavra. In the memory of General Kondratenko's courage, the Japanese erected a granite obelisk on the spot of his death.

Honors

• Order of St. Stanislaus 3rd class, 1884
• Order of St. Anne 3rd class, 1889
• Order of St. Stanislaus 2nd class, 1892
• Order of St. Anne 2nd class, 1892
• Order of St Vladimir 4th class, 1899
• Order of St. George, 4th class
• Order of St. George, 3rd class

References

• Connaughton, R.M (1988). The War of the Rising Sun and the Tumbling Bear—A Military History of the Russo-Japanese War 1904–5, London, ISBN 0-415-00906-5.
• Jukes, Geoffry. The Russo-Japanese War 1904–1905. Osprey Essential Histories. (2002). ISBN 978-1-84176-446-7.
• Warner, Denis & Peggy. The Tide at Sunrise, A History of the Russo-Japanese War 1904–1905. (1975). ISBN 0-7146-5256-3.