Komandarm 2nd rank



Komandarm 2nd rank is the abbreviation to Commanding officer of the Army 2nd rank (Командующий армией; literal: Commander of the Army / Army 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 to military personnel appointed to command a field army sized formation (XXXX).

Until 1940 it was the third highest military rank of the Red Army, and might have been rated OF-9a in NATO. It was equivalent to Komissar army 2nd rank (ru: Армейский комиссар 2-ого ранга) of the political staff in all military branches, Fleet Flag Officer 2nd rank (ru: Флагман флота 2-ого ранга) in the Soviet navy, or to Komissar of state security 2nd rank (ru: Комиссар государственной безопасности 2-ого ранга). With the reintroduction of regular genera ranks, the designation Komandarm 1st rank was abolished, and replaced by General of the Army (OF-9b) or Colonel general (OF-8).

History
By foundation of the Soviet Union the rank designation and rank insignia of the Imperial Russian Army suppressed. However, an alternative rank structure was introduced by disposal of the Central Executive Committee of the Soviet Union and the Council of People's Commissars, from September 22, 1935.

The new rank structure was as follows:
 * Command level Brigade X: Kombrig (Brigadier – OF6)
 * Command level DivisionXX: Komdiv (Divisio commander – OF7)
 * Command level Corps XXX: Komkor (Korps commander – OF8)
 * Command level Field army XXXX: Komandarm 2nd rank (Army commander 2nd rank – Commander Army OF9b)
 * Command level Army group, Front XXXXX: Komandarm 1st rank (Army commander 1st rank – Frond commander OF9a)
 * OF10-level: Marshal of the Soviet Union

De facto were these ranks abolished by the introduction of general ranks by disposal of the Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union in May, 1940. For example, military staff with the individual rank Komandarm 2nd rank was converted to the equivalent general´s rank.

In 1935 a total number of ten military people graduated to Komandarm 2nd rank. However, until the end of the year all ten have been shooting to dead. At the end of the 1930th the number of staff, promoted Komandarm 2nd rank, was grown up to 21 people. With the introduction of the general ranks in 1940, 12 Komandarm 2nd rank were converted to Lieutenant general (here OF-7), seven to Colonel general (OF-8), and two to General of the Army (OF-9). Komkor. However, reprisals were made on 59 Komkor in the period 1937-1938. In line to 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 sex to Major general (OF-6). Finally, Komkor Leonid Grigorevich Petrovsky was promoted to Lieutenant general in 1941.

1935
On occasion of the introduction of the particular rank 10 military leader were promoted to Komandarm 2nd rank. In a period of three years all 10 were executed by shoot to dead. However, with increase of Red Army´s personnel strength the number of Komandarm 2nd rank was grown up as well. With reintroduction of general’s rank in 1940, twelve of them were converted to Lieutenant general (OF-7), seven to Colonel general (OF-8), and two to General of the Army (OF-9).

Appointment to Komandarm 2nd rank as to the disposal of the Central Executive Committee of the Soviet Union and the Council of People's Commissars (CPC) from November 11, 1935:
 * 1) Jēkabs Alksnis  (1897–1938) — executed 1938, rehabilitated 1950
 * 2) Jukums Vācietis (1873–1937) — executed 1937, rehabilitated 1957

1937

 * Velikanov, Mikhail Dimitrievich (1893—1938) — executed 1938, rehabilitated 1956
 * Kulik, Grigory Ivanovich (1890–1950)) — promoted to Komandarm 1st rank, Marsahl of the Soviet Union, degreded, расстрелян 24.08.1950
 * Timoshenko, Semyon Konstandinivich (1895—1970)

1938

 * Loktionov, Aleksandr Dmitrievich (1893—1941), converted to Colonel general, executed 1941

1939

 * Apanasenko, Iosif Rodonovich (1890—1943);
 * Gorodovikov, Oka Ivanovichv (1879—1960), converted to Colonel general;

1940

 * Grendal, Vladimir Davydovich (1884—1940);
 * Voronov, Nikolay Nikolaevich (1899—1968);
 * Pavlov, Dmitry Grigoryevich (1897—1941), converted to Lieutenant general of armoured troops, General of the Army, executed 1941;
 * Smushkevich, Yakov Vladimirovich (1900—1941), converted to Lieutenant general of aviation, executed 1941.