Smirnov, Vasily Ivanovich (general)

Born on January 15, 1899 in the village of Shimorovo, now the village of Nemtsovo , Rural settlement of the Assumption , Rzhevsky district , Tver region , Russia . Russian ^[3] .

Civil War

In March 1919 he was drafted into the Red Army and enlisted in the reserve regiment in the city of Ostashkov, Tver province . In September, he was sent to study at the 1st Moscow Infantry Command Course . On the second day after arrival, along with the courses, he went to the Petrograd Front to fight the troops of General N.N. Yudenich . With access to Yamburg, courses were withdrawn from the front and returned to Moscow to continue their studies. In February 1921, Smirnov graduated from these courses and was sent to continue his studies at the Higher Tactical Rifle School of the command staff of the Red Army named after III Comintern . After completing his studies in August, he was reassigned to a command post at the 1st Moscow Infantry Command Course, however, due to the lack of vacancy, he was sent to study at the Moscow Military Pedagogical Institute. In 1921 he joined the RCP (b) ^[3] .

Interwar years

After graduating from the first year of the institute, he became ill with typhus, was hospitalized, and after recovery was assigned to the MBO , where he was assigned to the 48th Infantry Division as platoon commander of the 144th Infantry Regiment. From September 1924 to August 1925, Smirnov was in district repeat courses in Moscow. Upon returning to the regiment, served in the company commander, battalion, chief of staff of the regiment ^[3] .

Since April 1932 - student of the Military Academy of the Red Army. M.V. Frunze . In May 1936 he graduated from it and was appointed assistant to the chief of the 1st division of the 1st division of the headquarters of the LVO ; since June 1938, he served as the head of this division. In August 1939, Major Smirnov was appointed chief of the operational department - deputy chief of staff of the 8th Army . In this position he took part in the Soviet-Finnish war in the Petrozavodsk direction. By the decree of the USSR PVS of May 19, 1940, he was awarded the Order of the Red Star for military distinctions. At the end of hostilities, the army was first relocated to the city of Novgorod , and in the summer of 1940 - to the Baltic states as part of PribOVO ^[3] .

World War II

With the outbreak of war, Colonel Smirnov in his former post in the 8th Army of the North-Western Front . He participated with her in a border battle , in battles in the Šiauliai direction. After defensive battles in a border battle, army units retreated to the right bank of the Zapadnaya Dvina River , where they tried to gain a foothold. However, it was not possible to organize a stable defense at this line. With heavy fighting, her formations were forced to withdraw to Estonia , to the line of Pärnu, Tartu. By July 7, they reached the indicated line, where they successfully repelled the advance of the enemy’s superior forces for 12 days, causing him significant damage. From July 14, the army became part of the Northern Front and fought defensive battles in Estonia until the end of August. In September, the army as part of the Leningrad Front fought stubborn battles at the Oranienbaum bridgehead , where it managed to stop the enemy troops on the approaches to Leningrad . In November, Colonel Smirnov with the army was transferred to the Nevsky Dubrovka area . In December, he was appointed chief of staff of the 11th Infantry Division , which was on the defensive near Kolpino as part of the 55th Army of the Leningrad Front. At the end of December, the division was transferred to the Volkhov Front as part of the 54th Army ^[3] .

In January 1942, Smirnov was appointed commander of the 115th Infantry Division . Until February, she conducted active defense in the area northwest of the village. Larionov Island, and since March 11, participated in the Luban offensive operation . Upon its completion, in May 1942, the division was on the defensive in the area of ​​Posadnikov Ostrov, firmly holding the occupied line. Since July 1942, Smirnov served as chief of the operations department - deputy chief of staff of the 54th Army of the Volkhov Front. During the preparation and conduct of the operation to break the siege of Leningrad, he temporarily served as chief of staff of the army. As a representative of the front commander, he assisted the commanders of formations and units in preparing for the breakthrough of the enemy’s defense and checking the readiness of the troops, with the beginning of the operation, he served as deputy chief of staff of the 2nd shock army at the VPU. Since March 1943 he was again the chief of the operational department - deputy chief of staff of the 54th Army of the Volkhov Front. During 1943, her troops fought defensive battles north-east of Luban, and in collaboration with the 4th Army participated in the elimination of the Kirish ledge in the enemy’s defense system ^[3] .

In November 1943, Smirnov was appointed chief of staff of the 7th Rifle Corps, which, as part of the 59th Army, took part in the Novgorod-Luga offensive operation and the liberation of the city of Novgorod . In June 1944, corps formations in the 54th Army of the 3rd Baltic Front successfully operated in the Pskov-Ostrov Offensive Operation ^[3] .

From August 27, 1944 until the end of the war, Major General Smirnov commanded the 33rd Rifle Division of the Kholm Red Banner . Its units in the 1st Shock and 54th Armies of the 3rd Baltic Front in August - September 1944 took part in the Tartu offensive operation and the liberation of the city of Valga , in repelling enemy counterattacks and in the offensive to liberate the Baltic states. In October, the division of the 22nd and 61st armies of the 2nd Baltic Front successfully operated during the breakthrough of the enemy’s fortified defense on the near approaches to Riga and in the development of the offensive. After the liquidation of the enemy’s Baltic group, it was withdrawn to the reserve of the Supreme High Command, then it was included in the 3rd shock army of the 1st Belorussian Front . In 1945, the division of the 12th Guards Rifle Corps successfully operated in the Warsaw-Poznan , East Pomeranian and Berlin offensive operations. By the decree of the USSR PVS of April 26, 1945, for the exemplary performance of command assignments in battles during the capture of the cities of Belhard, Treptov, Greifenberg, Kamin, Poltsov, Plata, and shown valor and courage, she was awarded the Order of Suvorov of the 2nd art., And for distinction when the German capital was seized by the order of the Supreme High Command of June 11, 1945, it was given the name "Berlin" ^[3] .

During the war, Commander Smirnov was personally mentioned six times in letters of thanks in the orders of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief ^[4] .

Post-war time

After the war, Major General Smirnov continued to command this division in the GSOVG ^[3] .

From June 1946 - senior inspector of the Inspection of Rifle Forces of the Main Inspection of the Ground Forces, from June 1947 - Deputy Head of the 1st Division of the Planning Directorate of Combat Training of the Ground Forces ^[3] .

In February 1948, he was placed at the disposal of the commander of the Airborne Forces , and in May he was appointed head of the 2nd Division of the Combat Training Directorate of the Airborne Forces, in March 1950 - Deputy Head of the Combat Training Directorate of the Airborne Troops, in May 1953 - Head of the Combat Division training of the Office of the Airborne Commander ^[3] .

In August 1955, Major General Smirnov was dismissed due to illness ^[3] .

• Order of Lenin (02.21.1945) ^[5]
• Four Orders of the Red Banner (08/28/1943 ^[6] , 08/28/1944 ^[7] , 11/03/1944 ^[5] , 11/15/1950 ^[5] )
• Order of Suvorov II degree (05/29/1945) ^[8]
• Order of Kutuzov II degree (04/06/1945) ^[9]
• Order of Alexander Nevsky (10/15/1944) ^[10]
• Order of the Patriotic War I degree (06/10/1944) ^[11]
• Order of the Red Star (05.19.1940) ^[3]

medals including:

• • "XX years of the Workers 'and Peasants' Red Army" (1938)
  • “For the defense of Leningrad” (07/10/1943) ^[12]
  • “For the victory over Germany in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945” (08.23.1945) ^[13]
  • “For the capture of Berlin” (10.24.1945) ^[14]
  • “For the liberation of Warsaw”

Orders (thanks) of the Supreme Commander in which V. I. Smirnov was noted ^[4] .

• For capturing the city and the major railway junction Valga - a powerful stronghold of the German defense in southern Estonia. September 19, 1944. Number 188.
• For going to the Baltic Sea coast near the city of Kohlberg, mastering the cities of Berwalde, Tempelburg, Falkenburg, Dramburg, Vangerin, Labes, Freienwalde, Schiefelbein, Regenwalde and Karlin - important communication centers and strong strongholds of the German defense in Pomerania. March 4, 1945. Number 288
• For the capture of the cities of Stargard, Naugard, Poltsin - important communication centers and powerful strongholds of the German defense in the Stettin direction. March 5, 1945. Number 290
• For the capture of the cities of Belguard, Treptov, Greifenberg, Cummin, Gultsov, Plata - important communication centers and strong strongholds of German defense in Western Pomerania. March 6, 1945. Number 292.
• For the assault on the cities of Golln, Stepenitz and Massov - important strongholds of the German defense on the outskirts of Stettin. March 7, 1945. No. 295
• For the capture of the capital of Germany, the city of Berlin - the center of German imperialism and the center of German aggression. May 2, 1945. Number 359

• SMIRNOV Vasily Ivanovich (1899-1967)

• Team of authors . World War II: Divisional Commanders. Military Biographical Dictionary. Commanders of rifle, mountain rifle divisions, Crimean, polar, Petrozavodsk divisions, Rebolsky divisions, fighter divisions. (Brewers - Yatsun). - M .: Kuchkovo field, 2014 .-- V. 5 .-- S. 446-448. - 1,500 copies - ISBN 978-5-9950-0457-8 .