The Bloody White Baron : The Extraordinary Story of the Russian Nobleman Who Became the Last Khan of Mongolia

In the history of the modern world, there have been few characters more sadistic, sinister, and deeply demented as Baron Ungern-Sternberg. An anti-Semitic fanatic with a penchant for Eastern mysticism and a hatred of communists, Baron Ungern-Sternberg took over Mongolia in 1920 with a ragtag force of White Russians, Siberians, Japanese, and native Mongolians. While tormenting friend and foe alike, he dreamed of assembling a horse-borne army with which he would retake communist controlled Moscow. In this epic saga that ranges from Austria to the Mongolian Steppe, historian and travel writer James Palmer has brought to light the gripping life story of a madman whose actions fore shadowed the most grotesque excesses of the twentieth century. In the history of the modern world, there have been few characters more sadistic, sinister, and deeply demented than Baron Ungern-Sternberg. An anti-Semitic fanatic with a penchant for Eastern mysticism and a hatred of communists, Baron Ungern-Sternberg took over Mongolia in 1920 with a ragtag force of White Russians, Siberians, Japanese, and native Mongolians. While tormenting friend and foe alike, he dreamed of assembling a horse-borne army with which he would retake communist-controlled Moscow. In this Epic Saga that ranges from Austria to the Mongolian Steppe, historian and travel writer James Palmer has brought to light the gripping life story of a madman whose actions foreshadowed the most grotesque excesses of the twentieth century. Contents; Acknowledgements; Maps; Introduction; 1 A Son of Crusaders and Privateers; 2 The Ends of the World; 3 Suspended Between Heaven and Hell; 4 Things Fall Apart; 5 Carrion Country; 6 Ragged Crusade; 7 Lord of the Steppe; 8 A Hundred and Thirty Days; 9 The Last Adventurer; Epilogue; Notes; Bibliography; Index.;Historian James Palmer relates the story of megalomaniac Baron Freiherr Roman Nikolai Maximilian von Ungern-Sternberg, an anti-Bolshevik German Russian reactionary who in 1920 led a lethally effective rabble of cavalrymen in a grand but short lived campaign to unifMongolMongul people while at the same time frightening the Russians and slaughtering everyone he suspected of irreligion or of being a Jew. Roman Ungern von Sternberg was a Baltic aristocrat, a violent, headstrong youth posted to the wilds of Siberia and Mongolia before the First World War. After the Bolshevik Revolution, the Baron - now in command of a lethally effective rabble of cavalrymen - conquered Mongolia, the last time in history a country was seized by an army mounted on horses. He was a Kurtz-like figure, slaughtering everyone he suspected of irreligion or of being a Jew. And his is a story that rehearses later horrors in Russia and elsewhere. Historian James Palmer Relates The Story Of Meglomaniac Baron Freiherr Roman Nikolai Maximilian Von Ungern-sternberg, An Anti-bolshevik German Russian Reactionary Who In 1920 Led A Lethally Effective Rabble Of Cavalrymen In A Grand But Shortlived Campaign To Unify The Mongul People While At The Same Time Frightening The Russians And Slaughtering Everyone He Suspected Of Irreligion Or Of Being A Jew. James Palmer. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 264 -267) And Index. Baron Ungern-sternberg, A Violent Anti-semitic Fanatic Took Over Mongolia In 1919 With A Ragtag Force Of White Russians, Siberians, Japanese And Native Mongolians. He Dreamed Of Creating A Huge Horse Army With Which He Would Retake Moscow And Install A New Despotic Tsar. This Is An Epic Story, Which Moves From The Baltic Through The Vastness Of Russia To Siberia And The Mongolian Steppe. James Palmer. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 264-267) And Index. Historian James Palmer relates the story of megalomaniac Baron Freiherr Roman Nikolai Maximilian von Ungern-Sternberg, an anti-Bolshevik German Russian reactionary who in 1920 led a lethally effective rabble of cavalrymen in a grand but short lived campaign to unify the Mongol people while at the same time frightening the Russians and slaughtering everyone he suspected of irreligion or of being a Jew Acknowledgements Maps Introduction A Son of Crusaders and Privateers The Ends of the World Things Fall Apart Carrion Country Ragged Crusade Lord of the Steppe A Hundred and Thrity Days The Last Adventurer Epilogue Notes Bibliography Index