Aleksandr Gerngross

Baron Alexandr Alekseyevich Gerngross (4 August 1851 – 17 March 1925) was a general of Dutch descent who served in the Imperial Russian Army during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Biography Gerngross was from a Baltic German noble family of Dutch origin. He entered military service in 1868, and graduated from the Riga School of Infantry. Commissioned as an ensign in 1871, he served with the 63rd Infantry Regiment. He was promoted to second lieutenant in 1873 and to lieutenant in 1875. Serving with distinction during the Russo-Turkish War (1877–1878) he received a field commission as brevet captain, which was formally confirmed in 1879. He rose to lieutenant colonel in 1887. He served in Russian Turkestan from 1891 to 1897, during which time he was responsible for land surveys for the Trans-Caspian Railway. He was promoted to colonel in 1894, and became commander of the Transcaspian Infantry Battalion to August 1897. Gergross then commanded the border guards units of the Russian Ministry of Finance through 1901. In 1900, he was stationed in Harbin, and played an important role in the defense of Harbin during the Russian suppression of the Boxer Rebellion in 1900–1901. He was awarded the Order of St. George (4th class) for heroism during this campaign. From 1902, Gerngross was commander of the 1st Siberian Infantry Brigade, which was subsequently active in combat during the Russo-Japanese War of 1904–1905. He was promoted to lieutenant general in 1904. During the Battle of Te-li-Ssu, his division came under a strong artillery attack from the Imperial Japanese Army, and suffered heavy losses. Although the promised reinforcements never arrived, he personally led two regiments in a successful counterattack on Japanese positions. He was wounded in the battle, and was subsequently awarded the Gold Sword for Bravery. He was also at the Battle of Liaoyang.