POLITICAL TRUCKS AND COMMISSARS OF THE RKKA (1935-1943)Topic on uniforms and insignia of the political personnel of the Red Army.
The topic welcomes original military photos of political instructors and commissars.In 1935, special ranks were introduced for political workers: “junior political instructor”, “political instructor” and “senior political instructor”, corresponding to the general military ranks of “lieutenant”, “senior lieutenant” and “captain”. Senior political workers had special ranks with the word “commissar”: “battalion commissar” (major), “regimental commissar” (colonel), “divisional commissar” (divisional commander) and so on.
In 1938, by the decision of the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks, Order No. 19 of January 25, 1938, the positions of deputy and assistant political instructors of units (platoon level) were introduced, who played a significant role in the education of personnel. Pompolitruks had to wear four triangles, like the foreman, but have commissar stars on their sleeves. Military personnel with incomplete or complete secondary education, regardless of length of service, who were members or candidate members of the Komsomol and the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks, were appointed to the position of deputy political commissar. The majority of Red Army soldiers holding the position of political fighters were non-partisan, so they could not spread this practice everywhere. First of all, due to the fact that among the junior command staff there were almost no members of the All-Union Communist Party (Bolsheviks) or Komsomol members, and there was no one to fill these positions.
At the beginning of 1941, local party organizations sent 1,500 communists to political work, and on June 17, the Central Committee decided to mobilize another 3,700 communists for this purpose. On the eve of the war, over 60 military-political schools and courses trained political workers. Thus, at the beginning of 1941, compared to the previous year, the number of political workers studying in colleges, schools and courses increased by 30-35%.
At the same time, the educational level of political workers remained quite low and the institution of military commissars was again abolished at the urgent request of the People's Commissar of Defense, Marshal of the Soviet Union S.K. Timoshenko, who took office. People's Commissar Tymoshenko said: “There is still a lot of formalism and bureaucracy in party political work.”
In October 1942, by the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, the institution of commissars was replaced by the institution of deputy commanders for political affairs (political officers). At the same time, the positions of members of the Military Councils of the fronts and armies were preserved. 120 thousand political workers were transferred to command positions, three thousand were sent to the newly created Main Directorate of Counterintelligence "SMERSH" under the People's Commissariat of Defense of the USSR.
Stalin was partly forced to abolish the institution of military commissars by the huge shortage of commanders created after the defeats and failures of the initial period of the war. For example, only in the encirclement near Kiev in the summer of 1941, the Red Army lost about 60,000 command personnel. According to some sources, the institution of military commissars was also abolished at the insistence of many military leaders. For example, in the fall of 1942, Konev, in a conversation with Stalin, raised the question of eliminating the institution of military commissars in the Red Army, arguing that this institution was not needed now. The main thing that is needed in the army now, he argued, is unity of command. According to the testimony of Air Chief Marshal Golovanov, Konev’s words, the majority of military leaders supported Konev, and by decision of the Politburo, the institution of commissars in the army was abolished.
Political officers did not have commissar powers; their functions were limited to political work among the personnel. Organizationally, the political officer did not occupy a special position, being considered one of the deputy commanders and fully subordinate to him. After replacing positions, the commissars of units and formations automatically became political officers. Those of them who had military ranks of political personnel were awarded combined arms military ranks (as a rule, according to the position held at the time of recertification, usually one step below the regular rank of the corresponding commander). For some time, political officers continued to be informally called “commissars,” but over time this custom died out.
On March 29, 1943, an order was issued by the NGO “On establishing a mandatory minimum of military knowledge for political workers of the Red Army.”
In total, during the war, about 150 thousand political workers were “transferred” to team work.
The period under consideration covers the time from September 1935 to May (November) 1940.
Despite the introduction of a disguised system of military ranks in 1924, the need to introduce a full-fledged system of personal ranks was obvious. The leader of the country, J.V. Stalin, understood that the introduction of ranks would increase not only the responsibility of the command staff, but also authority and self-respect; will increase the authority of the army among the population and raise the prestige of military service. In addition, the system of personal ranks facilitated the work of army personnel authorities, made it possible to develop a clear set of requirements and criteria for the assignment of each rank, systematized official correspondence, and would be a significant incentive for official zeal. However, part of the senior command staff (Budeny, Voroshilov, Timoshenko, Mehlis, Kulik) resisted the introduction of new ranks. They hated the very word “general.” This resistance was reflected in the ranks of the senior command staff.
The resolution of the Central Executive Committee and the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR dated September 22, 1935 abolished the division of military personnel into categories (K1, ..., K14) and established personal military ranks for all military personnel. The process of transition to personal ranks took the entire fall until December 1935. In addition, rank insignia were introduced only in December 1935. This gave rise to the general opinion of historians that ranks in the Red Army were introduced in December 1935.
Private and junior command personnel also received personal ranks in 1935, which, however, sounded like job titles. This feature of the naming of ranks has given rise to a widespread mistake among many historians, who claim that in 1935 privates and junior command personnel did not receive ranks. However, the Charter of the internal service of the Red Army of 1937 in Art. 14 clause 10 lists the ranks of ordinary and junior command and command personnel.
It should, however, be noted that there is a negative point in the new rank system. The military personnel were divided into:
- 1) Command staff.
- 2) Commanding staff:
- a) military-political composition;
- b) military-technical personnel;
- c) military-economic and administrative composition;
- d) military medical personnel;
- e) military veterinary personnel;
- f) military-legal staff.
- 3) Junior command and management personnel.
- 4) Rank and file.
Each squad had its own ranks, which made the system more complex. It was possible to partially get rid of several rank scales only in 1943, and the remnants were eliminated in the mid-eighties.
P.S. All ranks and names, terminology and spelling (!) are verified according to the original - “Charter of the internal service of the Red Army (UVS-37)” Edition 1938 Military Publishing House.
Private, junior command and command personnel of the ground and air forces
Command staff of ground and air forces
*The rank of “Junior Lieutenant” was introduced on 08/05/1937.
Military-political composition of all military branches
The rank of “Junior Political Instructor” was introduced on 08/05/1937. It was equivalent to the rank of “lieutenant” (namely a lieutenant, but not a junior lieutenant!).
Military-technical composition of the ground and air forces
| Category | Rank |
| Average military-technical personnel | Junior military technician* |
| Military technician 2nd rank | |
| Military technician 1st rank | |
| Senior military technical personnel | Military engineer 3rd rank |
| Military engineer 2nd rank | |
| Military engineer 1st rank | |
| Higher military-technical personnel | Brigengineer |
| Development Engineer | |
| Coring Engineer | |
| Armengineer | |
*The rank of “Junior military technician” was introduced on 08/05/1937, corresponding to the rank of “junior lieutenant”. Persons with a higher technical education upon entering the army as technical personnel were immediately awarded the title “Military Engineer of the 3rd Rank.”
Military-economic and administrative, military-medical, military-veterinary and military-legal composition of all branches of the military
| Category | Military-economic and administrative composition | Military medical staff | Military veterinary staff | Military-legal composition |
| Average | Quartermaster technician 2nd rank | Military paramedic | Military veterinarian | Junior military lawyer |
| Quartermaster technician 1st rank | Senior military paramedic | Senior military veterinarian | Military lawyer | |
| Senior | Quartermaster 3rd rank | Military doctor 3rd rank | Military veterinarian 3rd rank | Military lawyer 3rd rank |
| Quartermaster 2nd rank | Military doctor 2nd rank | Military veterinarian 2nd rank | Military lawyer 2nd rank | |
| Quartermaster 1st Rank | Military doctor 1st rank | Military veterinarian 1st rank | Military lawyer 1st rank | |
| Higher | Brigintendant | Brigdoctor | Brigvet doctor | Brigvoenurist |
| Divintendant | Divdoctor | Divvetdoctor | Divvoenurist | |
| Corintendent | Korvrach | Corvette doctor | Corvoenurist | |
| Armintendant | Arm doctor | Armed veterinarian | Armmilitary lawyer | |
Persons with a higher education upon enlistment or conscription into the army were immediately awarded the rank of “3rd Rank Quartermaster”; higher medical education upon admission or conscription into the army was immediately awarded the rank of “Military Doctor of the 3rd Rank” (equal to the rank of “captain”); higher veterinary education upon admission or conscription into the army was immediately awarded the title “Military Veterinarian of the 3rd Rank”; higher legal education upon admission or conscription into the army was immediately awarded the title “Military Lawyer of the 3rd Rank”
The emergence of general ranks of the Red Army in 1940
In 1940, general ranks appeared in the Red Army, which was a continuation of the process of returning to the system of personal military ranks, openly begun in 1935, and in a disguised form since May 1924 (the introduction of the so-called “service categories”).
After much debate and deliberation, the system of general ranks of the Red Army was introduced by the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of May 7, 1940. However, they were introduced only for command personnel. The commanding staff (military-political, military-technical, military medical, military-veterinary, legal, administrative and quartermaster staff) remained with the same ranks, which will be changed only in 1943. However, the commissars will receive the rank of general in the fall of 1942, when the institution of military commissars will be abolished.
The Bolsheviks, having begun to create the Red Army in 1918, were forced to attract tsarist officers and generals to command its units, since there were simply no trained military personnel in the Red Army. Military experts, who at that time made up about 75% of the command staff of the Red Army, were not all reliable and betrayed the Soviets, going over to the side of the White Guards during the Civil War. Therefore, commissars almost immediately appeared in the Red Army - people loyal to the Soviet government. The main function of the commissars was supervision of the command, the second function was political educational work, i.e. The commissars had to convince the commanders and Red Army soldiers that the Red Army had been given fair goals and objectives that were needed by the people. The activities of the commissars were managed by the All-Russian Bureau of Military Commissars; in 1919 it was renamed the political department (then the department) of the Revolutionary Military Council, and in 1922 - the political department of the Red Army (PURKKA).
The creator of the institution of commissars in the Red Army - representatives of the political leadership of the state - was L.D. Trotsky, at that time the People's Commissar for Military and Naval Affairs. It must be said that the Red Army was not the first to establish the institution of military commissars, for example, commissars appeared in the French army after the Great French Revolution, at the beginning of the 19th century there were commissars in the US Army: “A commissar is an official appointed by the government to a military unit, whose duties include monitor the moral and political spirit of the military."
Since 1919, “political leaders” appeared in the Red Army - political instructors, which is how commissars in military units began to be called: company, platoon. A political instructor is a junior commander, deputy commander for political affairs. In battalions, regiments, divisions, political workers were called commissars (battalion commissar, regimental commissar, etc.) The military commissar or political officer was the representative of the party in the unit entrusted to him, endowed with enormous confidence and bearing full responsibility, along with the commander, for the combat effectiveness of the unit, political and moral education of fighters and commanders.
The creation of the institution of commissars at the stage of the Civil War was a necessary measure, and on the whole it justified itself; moreover, it played a decisive role in strengthening the combat capability of the army and its discipline. As regimental commissar L. Mekhlis said, a commissar of the Lenin-Stalin type is the father and soul of the unit. On March 2, 1925, on the basis of a decision of the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks, unity of command was introduced in those units commanded by communist commanders who had experience in party political leadership, i.e., the post of commissar was abolished. The commander became fully responsible for all aspects of the troops' activities, also performing the functions of a commissar, but received an assistant for political affairs. In other cases, the position of commissioner was retained.
In 1935, the system of military ranks was restored in the Red Army, and special ranks were introduced for political workers: “junior political instructor”, “political instructor” and “senior political instructor”, corresponding to the military ranks of “lieutenant”, “senior lieutenant” and “captain”, respectively. . The rank of "battalion commissar" corresponded to the general military rank of major, "regimental commissar" - colonel, "divisional commissar" - division commander. On May 10, 1937, the institution of military commissars was reintroduced in all military units, starting from the regiment and above, headquarters, departments and institutions.
To create unity of command in the army, on August 12, 1940, the commissars were abolished. Two superiors - one commander, and the second supervising him - blurred the responsibility for the execution of the combat mission - it became unclear which of them was specifically responsible for the defeat? True, there were deputy commanders for political affairs. Thus, in the army the function of supervision over the command and control personnel of the Red Army was abolished and only the function of educational work was left. It is interesting that at the beginning of June 1941, the German command sent the “Instruction on the Treatment of Political Commissars” to the troops at a time when they no longer existed in the Red Army. This order ordered not to take commissars and political instructors prisoner and to shoot them on the spot. However, the order was issued before the war; the Germans did not know the combat significance of the commissars and intended to destroy them purely as political opponents.
In the difficult conditions of the initial period of the Great Patriotic War, when there was a massive surrender of commanders into captivity, on July 16, 1941, they again returned to the system of military commissars in the Red Army, who were endowed with the same control functions as in 1918-1925. Now they were already subordinate to the main political department of the Red Army. The massive heroism of soldiers on the battlefield in the first and most difficult year of the war can largely be explained by the presence of political workers next to the soldiers. Of course, political workers, like Soviet commanders, were different. And the commissioner could show cowardice, weakness and cowardice. However, there are many examples of the heroic behavior of political workers in battle.
On June 25, 1941, the aircraft of the 48th Bomber Aviation Regiment was returning to its airfield after completing a combat mission. Near Izyaslav, in the area of its airfield, a Soviet plane was attacked by five enemy fighters. Having accepted an unequal battle, our pilots shot down three enemy fighters with machine gun fire. During the battle, the Germans managed to set fire to the Soviet plane. Brave crew - deputy squadron commander for political affairs, senior political instructor Turin I.A., navigator Lieutenant Afonichev N.K. and air gunner-radio operator Sergeant Derevyanenko - a burning plane rammed the fourth enemy fighter. The German plane crashed to the ground. Soviet pilots died.
For example, captain I.N. Zubachev and political officer and regimental commissar E.M. Fomin led the defense of the Brest Fortress. and chief of staff, senior lieutenant Semenenko A.I. Commissioner Fomin was always seen where it was more dangerous. He led the soldiers into attacks, encouraged the wounded, took care of the Red Army soldiers, and tried to raise the morale of the soldiers. The Nazis shot Commissioner Fomin in the fortress at the Kholm Gate.
Of course, both the commissar positions and the general positions were filled with different people: some went to defend their Motherland, while others tried to get a better job. Someone was hiding in the rear, and someone was leading the soldiers into attacks - everything was exactly the same as with the rest of the Red Army officers. The commissar position did not provide any special privileges. From the point of view of its profitability, it is no different from the commander's - the same salary, the same pension, the same benefits and uniform, rations and respect from society.
Here are a few lines about the political instructor, future twice Hero of the Soviet Union, S.V. Khokhryakov. “The Nazis are rushing to Ryazan, bypassing Moscow from the south. A threat has arisen to the capital. The political instructor is on his feet for days. He does everything possible for the success of his units in battle, he is haggard and seems to have aged. No one will say that he is 25 years old anymore. His sunken eyes glow with an unhealthy gleam, but he is always at the forefront. The political worker talks with the soldiers, supports, reassures and encourages. Subordinate soldiers listened and asked one question: “Will there soon be a holiday on our street?” And yet the political instructor’s faith and confidence in our victory was passed on to the soldiers. The October and November battles of 1941 were no longer similar to those in August and September. Our troops have more tenacity and perseverance.” (V. Zhilin “Tankmen-Heroes 1943-1945”, M., “Yauza” “Eksmo”, 2008, p. 455).
Another example, “a few phrases from the nomination for the title of Hero of the Soviet Union by Nikolai Vasilyevich Terekhin dated June 20, 1942: “He has been participating in the Patriotic War since the first days. On July 10, 1941, in one of the air battles, he shot down an enemy plane “Heinkel-111” with machine gun fire "And having used up all the ammunition, he shot down the 2nd Heinkel-111 with a ram. And with his own damaged vehicle, he shot down the 3rd Heinkel-111. As of May 30, 1942, he personally shot down 15 enemy aircraft."
N.V. Terekhin began the war as a commissar of the 161st Fighter Aviation Regiment, and on November 30, 1942, already a regiment commander, he died in battle while accompanying Il-2 attack aircraft. The title of Hero was never awarded to him." (Yu. Mukhin, “Lessons of the Great Patriotic War,” M., “Yauza-Press,” 2010, p. 380).
The commissars existed in the Red Army for a little more than a year - until October 9, 1942, when the institution of commissars was finally abolished by the decree of the Presidium of the USSR Armed Forces “On the establishment of complete unity of command and the abolition of the institution of military commissars in the Red Army.” But at the same time, the position of deputy commander for political affairs (political officer) was introduced, whose functions were limited only to propaganda. The decree determined how to deal with the military commissars: “By October 20 of this year, the military councils of the fronts should organize two-month front-line command courses, each consisting of 150-250 people, to train company commanders from the political workers most capable of teamwork. Selection for the courses is carried out according to agreement with the Main Political Directorate of the Red Army." Political workers who had undergone appropriate retraining were supposed to join the ranks of battalion and regiment commanders.
The experience of the Red Army and the armies of other countries showed that in cases where the supreme political power did not trust the command staff of the army, the institution of commissars was introduced. The commissars performed the functions of supervision of the commanders; in addition, they were also responsible for political propaganda among the personnel of the units. At the same time, the commissars did not have the necessary military education and skills, otherwise it would have been much more logical to appoint them to the post of commander.
“SS-Obersturmbannführer Schmidt, who after the war became a German military historian, speaking under the pseudonym Paul Karel (Carell), in his work “Eastern Front” conceptualized the role of the commissars as follows: “Although at the beginning of the war the role of the commissar may have been uncertain, since the Kursk battle, he was increasingly perceived by the soldiers and commanders as a support in the fight against short-sighted bosses, stupid bureaucrats and the spirit of cowardly defeatism... In reality, the commissars were politically active and reliable soldiers, whose general level of education was higher than that of most Soviet officers... He must be able to independently solve purely combat tasks... a company political commissar becomes a company commander, a division commissar becomes a division commander. To meet this level of requirement, the corps of political workers must naturally consist of tough people devoted to power, and in the first half of the war these people. , as a rule, constituted the main driving force of the Soviet resistance and firmly ensured that the troops fought to the last drop of blood. They could be ruthless, but in most cases they did not spare themselves." (Ibid. p. 381).
In 1929-1937 the head of PURKKA was Ya.B. Gamarnik, who served as commissar of the 58th division during the civil war. In 1937, during the period of repressions in the Red Army, it became clear that “traitors” had entrenched themselves in the army; one of the leaders of the “traitors” turned out to be the chief commissar of the Red Army, Gamarnik Ya.B. Having spoken out in defense of M.N. Tukhachevsky, Gamarnik himself was recognized as a participant in the fascist military conspiracy and was dismissed from the ranks of the Red Army. But on the eve of his inevitable arrest, he shot himself.
At the end of 1937, L.Z. Mehlis, who during the Civil War was also a commissar, but of the 46th division, was appointed to the post of head of the Political Directorate of the Red Army. After the abolition of the institution of commissars in the Red Army in 1940, Mehlis was appointed to the post of People's Commissar of the People's Commissariat of State Control. But in June 1941, he was again appointed head of the Main Political Directorate and Deputy People's Commissar of Defense, conferring the army rank of commissar of the 1st rank (corresponding to the rank of army general).
Even before the war, Mehlis tried to find ways to educate the courage of the Red Army, ways to arouse its courage and perseverance in battle. In 1940, at a meeting on military ideology, he demanded from commissars and commanders: “The army, of course, needs to be educated so that it is confident in its strength. The army must be instilled with a spirit of confidence in its power. But this is like heaven and earth different from boasting about the invincibility of the Red Army."
Deputy People's Commissar of Defense Mehlis L.Z. fought to strengthen discipline in the army. He wrote: “The commander... must be trained to be demanding of his subordinates, to be domineering. A rag commander will not maintain discipline.” “But the commander... must be a fair father of a fighter. Do not allow illegal repression, assault, lynching and continuous swearing ... Subdue people without humiliating them." Mehlis believed that at the front, in the presence of commissars, soldiers feel more confident.
He began his work to strengthen the troops by saturating them with communist volunteers and political workers, while simultaneously strengthening discipline, following the instructions of A.V. Suvorov: “Discipline is the mother of victory.” He demanded that cowards and alarmists, especially if they were communists and Komsomol members, be tried by a military tribunal. In Mehlis’s understanding, if a political worker is in the rear during a battle, then he deserves nothing but a bullet for this. Lev Zakharovich himself was distinguished by exceptional courage, and this quality was with him all his life.
In June 1941, at the request of Mehlis, regimental commissar A.B. Shlensky, who escaped from the front in the Baltic states, was put on trial and shot. September 11, 1941 in the village of Zaborovye, by decision of the authorized army commissar 1st rank Mehlis L.Z. and Army General Meretskov K.A. For disorganization in the management of the army's artillery and personal cowardice, without trial or investigation, on the basis of the order of the Supreme Command Headquarters No. 270, the chief of artillery of the 34th Army, Major General V.S. Goncharov, was shot in front of the formation. And on September 29, 1941, according to the verdict of the military tribunal of the North-Western Front, approved by Army Commissar 1st Rank Mehlis, the former commander of the same 34th Army, Major General Kachanov K.M. was shot.
The court found Kachanov guilty of failure to comply with the order he received on September 8, 1941 from the Armed Forces of the North-Western Front with the task of striking the flank and rear of the advancing enemy, destroying him and reaching a new frontier. Contrary to this order, he removed three divisions from the defensive line, which gave the enemy the opportunity to strengthen the offensive on the front and break through to the rear of the army. However, given the complexity of the situation at the front in 1941, the execution of two experienced generals could hardly have simplified the combat situation and improved the situation with the senior officers of the Red Army. In 1957, both generals were rehabilitated.
The arbitrariness committed by Mehlis L.Z. when deciding the fate of the command of the 34th Army, was only a continuation of the general practice of repression of the Soviet party-state system. The actions of which were aimed not at analyzing the reasons for the unpreparedness of the Soviet defense, the lack of necessary technical equipment of the Red Army, the reasons for the encirclement and mass capture of military personnel in the initial period of the war, but at searching for victims from among its own defenders and supporters.
It must be said that Lev Zakharovich Mehlis enjoyed Stalin’s special favor and trust, and, of course, his “Bolshevik intransigence” occupied not the least place here, and not the desire to objectively and carefully understand the situation, the fate of the people who depended on him. Generals Goncharov and Kachanov became only new victims as they “continued to identify traitors and cowards” and immediately carried out the sentence. Mehlis used similar “effective processes” back in the Finnish War. These actions of his were designed more for an external effect, intimidation, than for carrying out educational work, which he announced in his agitation and propaganda speeches.
We all know well another high-ranking political commissar - N.S. Khrushchev, who since 1939 was a member of the Politburo of the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks. Khrushchev undoubtedly knew about the massive accusations of political crimes; it is also obvious that he played, at least ex officio, an important role in repressive policies in Moscow and Ukraine. It is not known whether he himself made bloody decisions, but he certainly did not speak out in defense of the repressed, including those with whom he worked for a long time. Until the end of his life, Khrushchev was sure that there really were enemies in the country, only the authorities treated them too harshly and using illicit methods.
If during the Civil War Khrushchev was an ordinary Red Army soldier, then during the Great Patriotic War he was a member of the Military Councils of the South-Western direction, South-Western, Stalingrad, Southern, Voronezh, 1st Ukrainian fronts. He, of course, shares responsibility with the front commanders for the catastrophic encirclement of Red Army units near Kiev in 1941 and near Kharkov in 1942. However, this did not prevent him from receiving the rank of lieutenant general around the middle of the war. Khrushchev N.S. was not a military leader and did not play a significant role at the front, but during discussions of front-line issues in the interests of the cause and preserving the lives of soldiers, he sometimes defended an independent position in disputes with Stalin.
Khrushchev N.S. participated in the Battle of Stalingrad, led the partisan movement in Ukraine. Nikita Sergeevich was confident in the indisputability of socialist gains, which everyone was called upon to defend in the Great Patriotic War, and he himself was not a timid man. According to the memoirs of twice Hero of the Soviet Union, Colonel General V.S. Petrov. Khrushchev N.S. on the Kursk Bulge, under artillery fire on the front line, he awarded soldiers with orders and medals, thanking them for their service. He could have sent any subordinate with this assignment, but he considered it necessary to show the soldiers that the generals were also here - on the front line, that they were not shying away from this mortal battle.
In May 1938, with the consent of Khrushchev N.S. – First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party (Bolsheviks) of Ukraine, another future commissar – Brezhnev L.I. headed one of the regional committee departments. Seven months later, he became secretary of propaganda, and a year later, in addition to this high nomenklatura position, he received the post of head of the new, prestigious at that time, department of the defense industry. About a month after the start of the war (and not on the first day, as stated in the book “Malaya Zemlya”), Brezhnev put on the military uniform of a brigade commissar and became deputy head of the political department of the Southern Front. Since the fall of 1942 he has been deputy. head of the political department of the Black Sea Group of Forces of the Transcaucasian Front, from the spring of 1943 - head of the political department of the 18th Army with the rank of colonel, from the end of 1944 - (finally with the long-awaited rank of major general) head of the political department of the 4th Ukrainian Front.
Volkogonov D.A. and Medvedev R.A. cite a far from flattering description that the principled representative of PURKKA, regimental commissar Verkhorubov, who inspected political work in the 18th Army, gave to brigade commissar Brezhnev: “He shies away from menial work. Brezhnev’s military knowledge is very weak. He solves many issues as a business executive, and not as a political worker. He doesn’t treat people equally. He tends to have favorites.” So, one might say in Lenin’s way – directly, honestly and openly – I wrote what I saw. As they say, there were different commissars...
"I will still fall on the one
On that one and only Civil
And commissars in dusty helmets
They will bow silently over me."
The introduction of the position and title of “deputy and assistant political instructor” was achieved by the then head of the Main Political Directorate of the Red Army Mehlis L.Z.
He considered that personnel were covered by political leadership only from the company level. And the platoon does not have a full-time political instructor. By order of NKO No. 19 of January 25, 1938. The position of assistant (deputy) political instructor was introduced in each platoon.
Pompolitruks had to wear four triangles, like the foreman, but have commissar stars on their sleeves. However, they could not spread this practice everywhere in the army. First of all, due to the fact that among the junior command staff there were almost no members of the All-Union Communist Party (Bolsheviks) or Komsomol members, and there was no one to fill these positions.
However, the position of deputy political officer existed until 1943.
Belyaev Ivan Petrovich, deputy political instructor of the 4th outpost of the 17th Brest Border Detachment. In the photograph presented in the exhibition of the Brest Fortress Defense Museum, he has 4 triangles in his buttonholes.
Political instructor of the reconnaissance company of the 195th Infantry Regiment of the 65th Infantry Division of the Ural Military District with the rank of deputy political instructor E.P. Ustinov. 1938
Deputy political officers.
Conscript deputy political officer from among the chairmen of the presidiums of the Komsomol units. In this case, the Komsomol organizer of an artillery battery of a separate horse-mountain artillery division:
Deputy political officer of the border troops, holding an officer position.
A.V. Bagrov - deputy political instructor of the rifle unit.
"As a souvenir to my dear mother from my son Anatoly. Photographed on June 30, 1941 in Uzbekistan. I was in a hurry. I sat on a chair without looking at myself. July 1, 1941. Political instructor."
Same in 1945.
The photographs, dated in the winter of 1945-1946, show a soldier drafted into the army for military service in the summer of 1940. By the beginning of the war, he was an assistant to the commander of a rifle platoon of a rifle regiment of the Red Army by his position and a deputy political instructor by military rank.
From July 1941 to May 1945 - in Nazi captivity.
After a special inspection procedure, he became a platoon commander in a construction battalion formed in Austria from former Soviet prisoners of war. This construction battalion restored bridges in Vienna that were destroyed during the storming of the city. At that time, he was a private in military rank, but was demobilized in 1946 as a sergeant major.
Question: Where, when, and by what district military registration and enlistment office were you drafted into the Soviet Army?
Answer: I was drafted into the Soviet Army on October 25, 1937 by the Chernushinsky RVK of the Molotov region.
Question: Tell us in detail about your service in the Soviet Army.
Answer: After being drafted, I was sent to the city of Shepetivka, Kamenets-Podolsk region, to the 2nd separate communications division of the 7th cavalry corps of the Kyiv Special Military District. Here I was enrolled in the regimental school, where I stayed until October 1938.
After graduating from the regimental school, I was sent to the city of Proskurov to the 2nd separate communications division of the army cavalry. groups. Here I stayed until March 20, 1940 as a squad commander. On March 20, 1940, I was sent to the Zhitomir political school, where I stayed until February 4, 1941 as a cadet.
After graduating from college, I was sent to the city of Shepetovka to the 201st separate communications battalion of the 141st line division of the 6th Army with the rank of junior. political instructor for the position of deputy company commander for political affairs.
I was part of this division until October 25, 1941, and took part in battles on the Southwestern Front. From October 25, 1941 to March 27, 1942, I was in the reserve of the political unit of the Southwestern Front in the city of Uryupinsk, Stalingrad Region.
In April 1942, I was sent to the 393rd Donbass Rifle Division as a political instructor of a rifle company. As part of the 393rd Infantry Division, I participated in battles at the front until May 26, 1942. On May 26, 1942, being surrounded near the village of Lozovenki, Kharkov region, he was shell-shocked and captured by the Germans.
Question: With whom were you captured by the Germans?
Answer: Of my colleagues, I remember Vasily Arkhipov, who was a company commander, battalion commander Captain Vartanyak, and battalion chief of staff Shvedovsky. Arkhipov Vasily from the Kursk region, Vartanyak from the Armenian SSR, Shvedovsky from Kiev.
Question: The Germans knew that you had the rank of junior. political instructor?
Answer: The Germans did not know that I was a political instructor and a member of the CPSU(b). On May 25, 1942, when I went on reconnaissance mission, I handed over my party card and all documents to the executive secretary of the party organization; I also took off my insignia when going on reconnaissance missions. I was captured along with the rank and file and was kept in camps for rank and file all the time.
Question: Did the Germans interrogate you after your capture?
Answer: After my capture, the Germans did not interrogate me, but interrogated me already in Germany in Stalag No. 326-6 “k”, where during registration they asked about my biographical information. In addition, they asked what military factories I knew and where they were located?
Question: What answers did you give during interrogation?
Answer: I told my biographical details, with the exception that I was a member of the All-Union Communist Party (Bolsheviks) and had the rank of junior. political instructor I said about military factories that I don’t know of any, which was true, because... I really didn’t know any of them.
Question: In which prisoner of war camps were you held and what did you do there?
Answer: After being captured, I was sent to prisoner of war camp No. 326-6 "k" in Paderborn (Germany). On the way to Paterbork we were stopped in the cities of Krasnograd - 2 days, Shepetivka - 3 days and Drohobych - a day. I arrived in Paderborn as part of a train on June 14, 1942.
I stayed in Stalag No. 326-6 "k" until July 1, 1942, then I was enlisted in the work team and sent to work in the city of Gam at the Rot-bot mine, where I worked in the face as a laborer until July 1943.
Due to poor health, I was sent to work for Bauer in the village. Nienberg near Münster. Here I worked in agricultural work until October 1943. After completing agricultural work, I was sent to the city of Bielefeld in Westphalia, where I worked at the Metalturenwerke plant as a laborer until March 30, 1945, i.e. until liberated by American troops.
Question: Where did you live in the territory occupied by American troops and what did you do there?
Answer: I was with the Americans from March 30, 1945 to May 25, 1945 in the camp of Soviet citizens in the city of Gekstr, where there were about two thousand of us Russians. He did not carry out any work or duties for the Americans. Upon the arrival of representatives of the Soviet Army, military training was organized in the camp under the leadership of officers from among prisoners of war.
Question: Did the Americans summon you for interrogations or conversations?
Answer: I have never been to interrogations or conversations with Americans.
Question: Who do you know as traitors to the Motherland and traitors?
Answer: I don’t remember the names and other identifying information of the traitors, traitors and collaborators of the Germans.
Question: Were you arrested by German troops for anti-fascist agitation?
Answer: I have never been arrested and I avoided any kind of agitation.
Question: During your interrogation on German territory, you testified that you were arrested by the Germans for campaigning against the ROA and were in prison for 2 months. Now you deny it. How can you explain this situation?
Answer: I was arrested, but not for campaigning against the ROA, but for attempting to escape. I cannot explain my past testimony in any way.
Question: Where did you undergo state inspection after liberation by Soviet troops?
Answer: I passed the state inspection in the city of Oranienburg (Germany) and at the station. Alkino Bashkir Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic as part of the 12th reserve division, 32nd rifle regiment.
Question: How would you like to add to your testimony?
Answer: I can’t add anything to my testimony. The protocol from my words was recorded correctly and was read by me personally.
Trubitsin: signature.
Interrogated by: Art. o/unitary enterprise OKR Shch.-Ozersky RO MGB Lieutenant Drobinin.
D.4476. L.7-9ob. Script. Manuscript.
