Vladimir Kirpichnikov (general)

Vladimir Vasilevich Kirpichnikov (Владимир Васильевич Кирпичников, 7 July 1903 – 28 August 1950) was a Soviet general of the Red Army. During the World War II he served as the commander of 43rd Rifle Division. Kirpichnikov was the only Soviet general captured by the Finnish Army.

Early life
Kirpichnikov graduated from the Ulyanovsk Infantry Military Academy in 1925. He served as a platoon leader and later as a major and a colonel of the 11th Rifle Division in Leningrad Military District. In 1937 Kirpichnikov served as a chief of staff in the Spanish Civil War and was awarded with the Order of the Red Star. He was named the commander of the 43rd Rifle Division in 1939. In the Soviet-Finnish War Kirpichnikov was awarded with the Order of the Red Banner. After the war he studied at the Frunze Military Academy.

World War II
Kirpichnikov was captured by the Finns near the city of Vyborg on 1 September 1941. He was first interrogated in the village of Karisalmi and later moved to Finnish Army headquarters in Mikkeli. The Finns wanted to use Kirpichnikov on propagandist purposes since they knew he had some critical opinions about the Soviet regime. However, Kirpichnikov did not agree on working for the Finns. In December 1941 he was moved to Sotavankileiri 1 (Prison camp 1), which was located at the municipality of Köyliö in Western Finland. It was a camp for more than 3,000 Soviet prisoners, including 1,000 officers.

According to other prisoners, Kirpichnikov was offered the commander's post of the Russian Liberation Army but he refused. The pictures taken of Kirpichnikov were used as a propaganda tool. Most famous are a picture of Kirpichnikov lighting the cigarette of his interrogator general Lennart Oesch and a color photo of Kirpichnikov with a newspaper and a pack of Chesterfield cigarettes. He was also seen in a Finnish propaganda film.

Execution
After the war was over, Kirpichnikov was sent back to Soviet Union and he was immediately captured by the SMERSH. Kirpichnikov was held in a prison camp in Podolsk and later at the Lefortovo prison in Moscow. He was charged of treason and sentenced to death in 28 August 1950. The next day Kirpichnikov was executed by firing squad.