Peter Wrangel was born in Russia in 1878. He joined the Russian Army and during the First World War he commanded a cavalry corps.
On the outbreak of the Civil War he joined the White Army and took part in the Caucasus campaign and led the army that captured Tsaritsyn in July, 1919.
Wrangel did not get on well with his commanding officer, General Anton Denikin. At the beginning of 1920 he was dismissed for conspiring against Denikin. However, in April, 1920, he was recalled and was given command of the White Army in the Crimea.
Wrangel only had a force of 35,000 men against the much larger Red Army. He was able to hold out for six months but defeat was inevitable. In November, 1920, he was forced to leave Russia and was the leader of the émigré movement until his death in 1928.