Alexander Frantsevich Ragoza (, ; 20 June [O.S. 8 June] 1858 – 29 June 1919), in Ukrainian Oleksandr Frantsevych Rohoza, was a Minister of Defense of the Ukrainian State. He was also a general of the infantry in the Imperial Russian Army who saw service during World War I.
Biography
Born on 20 June (O.S. 8 June) 1858 in Vitebsk Governorate, Ragoza was the eldest son of the Ukrainian nobleman Franz Martynovich Ragosa. Following the example of his father, he chose a military career and entered the Polotsk military gymnasium, after which in 1874 he continued his education at the Mikhailovsky Artillery School.
Posted to the 3rd Guards Grenadier Artillery Brigade immediately after completing his studies, Ragoza received his baptism of fire immediately after graduation at the front during the Russo-Turkish War of 1877-1878. The young officer fought bravely, as evidenced by his military awards - the Order of Saint Anna Fourth Class, the Order of Saint Stanislaus Third Class and Second Class with Swords, and the Order of Saint Anna Third Class with Swords and Bow.
In 1883, Ragoza graduated from the Nikolaev General Staff Academy. On 22 November 1883, he became the senior adjutant of the headquarters of the 5th Infantry Division, and on 11 January 1888 he became assistant to the senior adjutant of the headquarters of the Amur Military District. On 1 July 1888 he became senior adjutant to the military chancellery under the military governor of the Primorsky Region, and on 30 August 1888 he was promoted to lieutenant colonel. On 28 January 1891 he took charge of the combat department of the headquarters of the Kerch Fortress, and he was promoted to colonel on 30 August 1892. On 4 September 1896 he became chief of staff of the 32nd Infantry Division, and on 10 March 1898 he took up the position of chief of staff of the 5th Infantry Division.
On 27 April 1900, Ragoza took command of the 18th Vologda Infantry Regiment. He was promoted to major general on 2 March 1904, he became commanding officer of the 1st Brigade of the 27th Infantry Division the same day 1904. On 22 October 1904 he was appointed chief of staff of the 3rd Army Corps, and on 16 June 1906 he became commandant of the Ust-Dvinsk fortress. He received a promotion to lieutenant general on 13 April 1908. On 17 March 1909 he took command of the 19th Infantry Division.
World War I
When the Russian Empire entered World War I on 1 August 1914, Ragoza was still in command of the 19th Infantry Division. On 27 September 1914, Ragoza — by then a lieutenant general — became commander of the 25th Army Corps, a part of the 9th Army. He led the corps in the Battle of the Vistula River in September–October 1914. On 6 December 1914, he was promoted to general of the infantry. At the head of the 25th Army Corps, he distinguished himself during the battles of Vilkolaz and Urzhendov in late June 1915, when a counterattack by the corps defeated the Austro-Hungarian Army's 4th Army commanded by Archduke Joseph Ferdinand of Austria. He received the Order of Saint Vladimir Second Class with Swords, the Order of the White Eagle with Swords, and the Order of St. George Fourth Class.
The Imperial Russian Army conducted a strategic withdrawal — the Great Retreat — from Poland to Byelorussia between July and September 1915 and created the Western Front with headquarters at Minsk. After the completion of the withdrawal, Ragoza was appointed to the post of commander of the 4th Army, which was part of the Western Front, on 20 September 1915. For more than a year thereafter, Ragoza's military operations were associated with his native region. Under his command, the 4th Army clung tightly to Baranavichy, and the front in the region became static for two years, with all German attempts to push their forces closer to Minsk in vain. On 6 October 1915, Ragoza was awarded the Order of Saint Alexander Nevsky with Swords.