Komkor

Komkor is the abbreviation for Corps Commander (Russian: комкор / командир корпуса; literal: 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.

Komkor
in the Soviet Army
Rank insigniaArmed Forces of the Soviet Union
Introduction1935 to the Soviet Army
Rank groupCommanding officers
Army / Air ForceKomkor
NavyFlag Officer 1st rank
NATO
equivalent		OF-8

Until 1940 it was the fourth highest military rank of the Red Army, and might have been rated OF-8[1] in NATO (Three-star rank). It was equivalent to Corps commissar (ru: корпусной комиссар) of the political staff in all military branches, Flag Officer 1st rank (ru: Флагман 1 ранга) in the Soviet navy, or to Commissar of state security 3rd rank (ru: комиссар государственной безопасности 3-ого ранга). With the reintroduction of regular general ranks in 1940, the designation Komkor was abolished, and replaced by Colonel general (OF-8).

History

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.[2] 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
  • Overcoat collar patch (big)
  • Jacket collar patch and Gymnastyorka
  • Collar patch (Air Force)
  • Chevron/ sleeve insignia

Assignments and Promotions

1935

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”:[3]

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

1937

1938

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:

  • Stepan Kalinin;
  • Vladimir Kachalov, promoted to Komandarm 2nd rank, converted to Lieutenant General, held higher command positions during World War II, army commander, killed in World War II;
  • Ivan Konev;
  • Kirill Meretskov;
  • Yevgeny Ptukhin, converted to Lieutenant general, during Operation Barbarossa chief of the Southwestern Front Air Force, arrested 27 June 1941, executed 1942
  • Andrei Sazontov, executed 1938
  • Maxim Stepanov, arrested 1938, died in prison
  • Ivan Tyulenev, promoted to Komandarm 2nd rank, converted to Army general
  • Raphael Khmelnitsky, converted to Lieutenant general
  • Mikhail Khozin, promoted to Komandarm 2nd rank, converted to Lieutenant general
  • Pyotr Shelukhin, converted to Major general

On 4 April, the following officer was promoted:

  • Vsevolod Yakovlev, promoted to Komandarm 2nd rank, converted to Lieutenant general

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

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:

  • Sergei Vorobyov, converted to lieutenant general;
  • Innokenty Mushnov, converted to lieutenant general;

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:

  • Leonid Bobkin, converted to major general, killed in World War II;
  • Nikolai Vatutin, converted to lieutenant general;
  • Vasily Gerasimenko, converted to lieutenant general;
  • Mikhail Dukhanov, converted to major general;
  • Andrey Yeryomenko, converted to lieutenant general;
  • Fyodor Ivanov, converted to major general, arrested in World War II, later released;
  • Fyodor Kuznetsov, converted to lieutenant general;
  • Mikhail Lukin, converted to lieutenant general, captured in World War II, returned to the Soviet Union and retired from the army;
  • Nikifor Medvedev, converted to lieutenant general;
  • Vasily Morozov, converted to lieutenant general;
  • Vasily Repin, converted to lieutenant general;
  • Dmitry Ryabyshev, converted to lieutenant general;
  • Andrei Smirnov, converted to lieutenant general, killed in World War II;
  • Yakov Cherevichenko, converted to lieutenant general

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

See also

Sources / references
  1. The abbreviation "OF" stands for de: "Offizier / en: officer / fr: officier / ru: офицер"
  2. 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.
  3. "Приказ НАРОДНОГО КОМИССАРА ОБОРОНЫ СОЮЗА ССР № 2395". www.rkka.ru. Retrieved March 19, 2017.
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