Mikhail Nikolayevich Smirnov (general)
Soviet Army general / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Mikhail Nikolayevich Smirnov (Russian: Михаи́л Никола́евич Смирно́в; 8 November 1900 – 13 November 1967) was a Soviet Army major general.
Mikhail Nikolayevich Smirnov | |
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Born | 8 November 1900 Nikolskoye-Otvodnoye, Vyatskoye volost, Danilovsky Uyezd, Yaroslavl Governorate, Russian Empire |
Died | 13 November 1967(1967-11-13) (aged 67) Saratov, Soviet Union |
Allegiance |
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Service/ | Red Army (later Soviet Army) |
Years of service | 1919–1954 |
Rank | Major general |
Commands held |
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Battles/wars | |
Awards | Order of Lenin |
Drafted into the Red Army during the Russian Civil War, Smirnov became a junior commander and was captured after being wounded during the Polish–Soviet War. After being released by advancing Soviet forces, he continued to serve as a junior commander. He rose through command positions during the interwar period and by 1937 was a regimental commander. During the late 1930s Smirnov served as an instructor at military schools, and after the beginning of Operation Barbarossa became commander of the 380th Rifle Division in October 1941. He led the division during the Battles of Rzhev, but became a regimental commander and deputy division commander after being wounded. Transferring to command the 6th Guards Airborne Division in early 1943, Smirnov led the latter for the rest of the war and the immediate postwar period. His final post before retirement in 1954 was as commander of a Suvorov Military School.