Komkor

Corps commander
командир корпуса
Coat-collar insignia
Country Soviet Union
Service branchRed Army
AbbreviationKomkor
Formation1935
Abolished1940
Next higher rankKomandarm 2nd rank
Next lower rankKomdiv
Equivalent ranksFlagman 1-go ranga

Komkor (Russian: комкор) is the abbreviation for corps commander (Russian: командир корпуса, romanizedkomandir korpusa; lit.'commander of the corps / corps commander'), and was a military rank in the Soviet Armed Forces of the USSR in the period from 1935 to 1940. It was also the designation for officers appointed to command a corps sized formation.

Until 1940 it was the fourth highest military rank of the Red Army. It was equivalent to corps commissar (ru: корпусной комиссар) of the political staff in all military branches, flag officer 1st rank (ru: флагман 1-го ранга) in the Soviet navy, or to commissar of state security 3rd rank (ru: комиссар государственной безопасности 3-го ранга). With the reintroduction of regular general ranks in 1940, the designation komkor was abolished, and replaced by colonel general.

History[edit]

This particular rank was introduced by disposal of the Central Executive Committee of the Soviet Union and the Council of People's Commissars, from September 22, 1935.[1] The new rank structure was as follows:

A total number of 146 military personnel were promoted to Komkor. However, 59 were purged during the Great Purge. As a result of the reintroduction of the regular military rank system in 1940, one Komkor was promoted to General of the Army (Georgy Zhukov), 51 to Lieutenant general (OF-7), and six to Major general (OF-6). Finally, Komkor Leonid Grigorevich Petrovsky was promoted to lieutenant general in 1941.

Rank insignia[edit]

Assignments and promotions[edit]

1935[edit]

The following officers were assigned the rank of Komkor by Order No. 2395 of the People's Commissar of Defence dated November 11, 1935, pertaining to the "personnel of the Army":[2]

By Order No. 2398" of the Minister of Defence (Soviet Union) from November 21, 1935, to the “personnel of the Army”:

By Order No. 2412" of the Minister of Defence (Soviet Union) from November 23, 1935, to the “personnel of the Army”:

By Order No. 2484" of the Minister of Defence (Soviet Union) from November 26, 1935, to the “personnel of the Army”:

1936[edit]

1937[edit]

1938[edit]

On 8 January 1938, the following officers were promoted:

On 4 February, two officers received the rank:

On 19 February, the following officer was promoted:

On 20 February, the following officer was promoted:

On 22 February, the following officers were promoted:

On 4 April, the following officer was promoted:

On 13 April, the following officer was promoted:

On 14 June, the following officer was promoted:

  • Pyotr Filatov, converted to lieutenant general, killed in World War II

On 15 July, the following officer was promoted:

  • Filipp Yershakov, converted to lieutenant general, captured and died in captivity in World War II

1939[edit]

The following officer was promoted to the rank on 5 February:

On 9 February, fourteen officers were promoted to Komkor:

  • Ivan Boldin, promoted to Komandarm 2nd rank, converted to lieutenant general, during World War II held higher command positions, army commander, promoted to colonel general in 1944;
  • Ivan Zakharkin, promoted to Komandarm 2nd rank, converted to lieutenant general, during World War II held higher command positions, army commander, promoted to colonel general in 1943;
  • Vasily Chuikov, converted to lieutenant general during the great patriotic war at the highest command positions, commander of the armies, Marshal of the Soviet Union (1955);
  • Matvei Zakharov, converted to major general, during the great patriotic war at the highest staff positions, the Chief of staff of a number of fronts, Marshal of the Soviet Union (1959);
  • Timofey Kruglyakov, converted to major general;
  • Vasily Kuznetsov, converted to lieutenant general;
  • Vladimir Kurdyumov, promoted to Komandarm 2nd rank, converted to lieutenant general;
  • Maksim Purkayev, converted to lieutenant general;
  • Fyodor Remezov, converted to lieutenant general;
  • Valentin Semashko, converted to major general, arrested in World War II, later released;
  • Arkady Sivkov, converted to lieutenant general;
  • Ivan Smorodvinov, promoted to Komandarm 2nd rank, converted to lieutenant general;
  • Trifon Shevaldin, converted to lieutenant general;

Two coastal troops officers received the rank on 9 April:

On 31 July, the following officer was promoted to Komkor:

On 13 August, two officers were promoted to the rank:

  • Vladimir Grendal, promoted to Komandarm 2nd rank, converted to colonel general, died of lung cancer in 1940
  • Markian Popov, converted to lieutenant general;

Fourteen officers received the rank on 4 November:

On 23 December, the following officer was promoted to Komkor:

On 31 December, two more officers received the rank:

  • Vasily Sokolovsky, converted to lieutenant general, served as front chief of staff and commander during World War II, became Marshal of the Soviet Union in 1946
  • Nikolai Klykov, converted to lieutenant general

1940[edit]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Decree of the Central Executive Committee of the Soviet Union and the Council of People's Commissars, from September 22, 1935, on introduction of individual military rank designation to commanding personnel of the Workers' and Peasants' Red Army.
  2. ^ "Приказ НАРОДНОГО КОМИССАРА ОБОРОНЫ СОЮЗА ССР № 2395". www.rkka.ru. Retrieved March 19, 2017.