Soviet Photo Gallery: Obscure WW2 Generals

[Guest Rick Research]

inspired by Steen Ammentorp's incredible website

http://www.generals.dk

and with information from that website, if anybody has ORIGINAL "personnel file" type photos of WW2 generals, please post front AND back sides of said original photographs here. That adds faces, awards, sometimes patronymics, and often additional post-WW2 service information to that on the above website.

ONLY original unpublished NAMED personnel file type PORTRAIT images in your possession please: no reprints, no Zhukov from books, no nameless unknowns, just originals of the named OBSCURE guys about whom little if anything is known. Data from the Ammentorp website is in italics.

First up: Nikolai Mikhailovich Pilipets (1900-1970), in 1944 Chief of Engineers, Coastal Defense Forces. Photo below as Lieutenant General attested 12 December 1959 by Chief of 3rd Department, Chief Administration of Land Forces (Upravleniye Sukhoputny Voisk)

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Next, astronaut John Glenn clone, Iosif Mikhailovich Keda, in 1943 Chief of Staff, 10th Rifles Corps. This was taken circa 1946, and bears his name and ? a telephone number on back in much later ballpoint ink, as a personal and not personnel file photo

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[Guest Rick Research]

Major General Georgy Nikolaevich Karaev was on the staff of the Red Army Military Transport Academy as of 8 May 1947. I am not surprised that only his name and rank are listed on the Ammentorp website, since he received no decorations except for long service: maybe it was the mustache!

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Major General Pavel Alekseevich Usov, in 1943-44 Political Commissar in 38th Army is shown here in this bizarre photo wearing M1954 service dress of a Lieutenant General wearing no ribbons. The reverse is scrawled with his name and abbreviated rank, the date "January 1955," and what may be a "Feldpost" unit number 28193.

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Until Kim brought the Ammentorp website to our attention here, I had no idea that any data COULD be found on these generals, all of whose photos above came out of brown paper grocery bags full of discarded ? Veterans Commissariat files years ago, obtained at local flea markets.

[Guest Rick Research]

This one is a bit problematic, given the scribbled name and all but invisible faded stamp. After some group conferencing in another thread he MAY be

Major General (of Artillery) Sergei Nikolaevich Kapustin, died 1974. TRULY obscure, and another

The pre-1948 undated photo's stamp begins with the word "Artillery" and so may be for an academy.

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By tweaking the color to gray scale I can only just get ghost letter portions, but can't read anything else. Sic transit gloria Kapustin!

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[Guest Rick Research]

Expanding Steen Ammentorp's workload for his future Everybody site, I am assuming that this fellow, identified only as "Korobkov" on the back, was the Deputy Chief of Naval Aviation, Major General F. (?) G. (?) Korobkov, blown up by a Luftwaffe divebomber attack at 2 AM 24 April 1942 at Sevastapol's Aviation Factory No. 36, and posthumously made a Hero of the Soviet Union:

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His nifty awards (might help date when this was taken, since the first two could be WW2?)-- a M1934 Lenin, M1930 Red Banner, an inexplicable M1926 Order of the Red Banner of labor from the Republic of Uzbekistan (!!!!), and the 1938 "Jubilee" Medal:

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All that is on back is this, so whether it was HIS autograph that never got certified, or somebody elses handwritten ID, I don't know:

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[NavyFCO]

Rick-

Fyodor Grigorievich Korobkov was born in the city of Spassk on 7 June 1898. He joined the Red Army in 1918, and the communist party in 1925. He had served in both the First World War and the Civil War. The pre-WW2 years see him serving either in instructor or student roles in his education as a pilot, and at the outbreak of WW2 he was serving as the Deputy Commander of the Air Forces of the Navy with the rank of General Major of Aviation. He was KIA on 24 April 1942 and was posthumously awarded the title of HSU on 14 June 1942. His final award talley was: 2 Orders of Lenin, 2 Orders of the Red Banner, and the Order of the Red Banner of Labor from Uzbekistan.

Dave

[Guest Rick Research]

There can't have been TWO Korobkovs in the navy with an Uzbek RBL so thanks for verifying the identification!!!

It looks like the "first type" of that Order, whatever that means (not cotton puffs on the right) so I wonder if he was listed in the "Republics" Orders book? Aral Sea "fleet air arm?"

[Wild Card]

There can't have been TWO Korobkovs in the navy with an Uzbek RBL so thanks for verifying the identification!!!

It looks like the "first type" of that Order, whatever that means (not cotton puffs on the right) so I wonder if he was listed in the "Republics" Orders book? Aral Sea "fleet air arm?"

Yes Rick. He received badge #72 on 22 Feb. 1928 (Cdr. Uzbek Bn.)

Best wishes,

Wild Card

[Steen Ammentorp]

So many and so little time I do however have some additional information on this fellow with more details on what Dave has already written but I am unsure whether it would be of any interest?

Kind Regards

Steen Ammentorp

The Generals of World War II

[Ed_Haynes]

Speaking for myself, it would be of much interest. An amazing career, it seems?

[Steen Ammentorp]

Okay here is what I got - translated to the best of my abilities. I am unsure of the correct names of the institutions he attended but hopefully you get the picture. I am also a bit unsure about his position 06-09.1941, as it maybe that he was Deputy CinC during that time as well.

His career:

04.1918-04.1919 Clerk at a Staff of a Group

04.1919-03.1920 Deputy Chief of Staff of a Brigade

04.1920-10.1921 graduating from the Siberian Higher Military School taking an additional course

10.1921-10.1923 Company CO in a Rifle Regiment

10.1923-12.1928 Deputy CO & CO of a Battalion

12.1928-10.1929 Attending the Vystrel Course

11.1929-12.1929 CO of a Battalion

11.1929-09.1932 CO 6th Turkistan Rifle Regiment

09.1932-03.1933 Inspector of the Air Brigade at Vitebske

05.1933-12.1933 Attending Kachinskuyu 1st Pilot School

02.1934-02.1936 CO 23rd Air Squadron at Novocherkasske

02.1936-12.1936 Attending the Higher Flying-Tactical School of the VVS at Lipetske

12.1936-08.1937 Attached to the Air Forces of the Republican Army, Spain

08.1937-01.1938 At disposal (распоряженин?) of the CinC of VVS RKKA

01.1938-06.1939 Interim (исполн. обяз.) Chief, Air Forces Directorate of the Navy (UPR VVS VMF)

06.1939-06.1941 Deputy CinC Air Forces of the Navy

06.1941-09.1941 Chief of Staff Air Forces of the Navy

09.1941-04.1942 Deputy CinC Air Forces of the Navy

He was promoted komdiv on 26. February 1939 and Major General of Aviation on 4th of June 1940.

Source: V.M. Lur'e: Admiraly i Generaly Voenno-Morskogo Flota SSSP. V period Velikoj Otechestvennoj i Sovetsko-Yaponskoj Vojn (1941-1945). Sankt-Peterburg, 2001.

Btw. It also includes a small picture that removes any doubt that it could be anybody else on Rick's photo.

Kind Regards

Steen Ammentorp

The Generals of World War II

[Guest Rick Research]

Thanks WC and Steen-- and you can use my MUCH better photo as well as the others for when you DO get around to adding all these extra guys to your WW2 Generals website.

Oh OTHER people may lust after 5-figure treasures but me? My heart beats as gladly for a $9.99 special that IS special indeed!