Vladimir Vasilyevich Smirnov (4 July 1849 – 1 November 1918) was an

Imperial Russian Army The Imperial Russian Army (russian: Ру́сская импера́торская а́рмия, tr. ) was the armed land force of the Russian Empire, active from around 1721 to the Russian Revolution of 1917. In the early 1850s, the Russian Ar ...

general of the infantry General of the Infantry is a military rank of a General officer in the infantry and refers to: * General of the Infantry (Austria) * General of the Infantry (Bulgaria) * General of the Infantry (Germany) ('), a rank of a general in the German Impe ...

who was a

division Division or divider may refer to: Mathematics *Division (mathematics), the inverse of multiplication *Division algorithm, a method for computing the result of mathematical division Military *Division (military), a formation typically consisting ...

corps Corps (; plural ''corps'' ; from French , from the Latin "body") is a term used for several different kinds of organization. A military innovation by Napoleon I, the formation was first named as such in 1805. The size of a corps varies great ...

and

field army A field army (or numbered army or simply army) is a military formation in many armed forces, composed of two or more corps and may be subordinate to an army group. Likewise, air armies are equivalent formation within some air forces, and with ...

commander. He fought in the Russian-Turkish War of 1877–1878 and in

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

Biography

Born on 4 July 1849, Smirnov began his education in the

Polotsk Polotsk (russian: По́лоцк; be, По́лацк, translit=Polatsk (BGN/PCGN), Polack (official transliteration); lt, Polockas; pl, Połock) is a historical city in Belarus, situated on the Dvina River. It is the center of the Polotsk Distr ...

Cadet A cadet is an officer trainee or candidate. The term is frequently used to refer to those training to become an officer in the military, often a person who is a junior trainee. Its meaning may vary between countries which can include youths in ...

Corps, then transferred to the Pavlovsk Military School on 23 August 1865. On 17 June 1867 he graduated as a

second lieutenant Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces, comparable to NATO OF-1 rank. Australia The rank of second lieutenant existed in the military forces of the Australian colonies and Australian Army until ...

and was assigned to the

28th Polotsk Infantry Regiment 8 (eight) is the natural number following 7 and preceding 9. In mathematics 8 is: * a composite number, its proper divisors being , , and . It is twice 4 or four times 2. * a power of two, being 2 (two cubed), and is the first number of t ...

. On 17 July 1867, he received a promotion to

ensign An ensign is the national flag flown on a vessel to indicate nationality. The ensign is the largest flag, generally flown at the stern (rear) of the ship while in port. The naval ensign (also known as war ensign), used on warships, may be diffe ...

and transferred to the Life Guards of the Moscow Regiment, in which was promoted successively to

on 17 April 1870,

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations. The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often sub ...

on 30 August 1872, and staff

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

on 30 August 1872. In 1874, Smirnov graduated second in his class from the course of sciences at the Nikolayev Academy of the General Staff and was assigned to the

headquarters Headquarters (commonly referred to as HQ) denotes the location where most, if not all, of the important functions of an organization are coordinated. In the United States, the corporate headquarters represents the entity at the center or the to ...

of the

Kharkov Military District The Kharkov Military District () was a military district of the Russian Empire, the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic, and the Soviet Union. Throughout its history, the district headquarters was located in the city of Kharkov in northeast ...

. On 5 March 1875 he was appointed senior

adjutant Adjutant is a military appointment given to an officer who assists the commanding officer with unit administration, mostly the management of human resources in an army unit. The term is used in French-speaking armed forces as a non-commission ...

to the headquarters of the 36th Infantry Division and while there received a promotion to

on 13 April 1875. On 1 December 1875 he became an assistant to the senior adjutant of the headquarters of the Kharkov Military District. On 4 November 1876, Smirnov took up the post of senior adjutant of the headquarters of the 7th Army Corps, in whose ranks he took part in the Russian-Turkish War of 1877–1878, serving from 11 November 1877 at the headquarters of the

Odessa Military District The Odesa Military District (russian: Одесский военный округ, ОВО; , abbreviated ) was a military administrative division of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. In 1998 most of its territory was transformed into the Southern Operat ...

. For distinctive service in that conflict he was awarded the

Order of Saint Anna The Imperial Order of Saint Anna (russian: Орден Святой Анны; also "Order of Saint Anne" or "Order of Saint Ann") was a Holstein ducal and then Russian imperial order of chivalry. It was established by Karl Friedrich, Duke of Hol ...

3rd class. Smironov was promoted to

lieutenant colonel Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colone ...

on 16 April 1878 and to

colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...

on 12 April 12, 1881. From 1 August to 15 September 1881 he commanded a

battalion A battalion is a military unit, typically consisting of 300 to 1,200 soldiers commanded by a lieutenant colonel, and subdivided into a number of companies (usually each commanded by a major or a captain). In some countries, battalions are ...

of the 57th Modlinsky Infantry Regiment. Appointed chief of staff of the 5th Infantry Division on 20 July 1884, Smirnov spent almost seven years in that position. On 1 April 1891, he took command of the 131st Infantry Regiment at

Tiraspol Tiraspol or Tirișpolea ( ro, Tiraspol, Moldovan Cyrillic: Тираспол, ; russian: Тира́споль, ; uk, Тирасполь, Tyraspol') is the capital of Transnistria (''de facto''), a breakaway state of Moldova, where it is the th ...

. On 26 February 1894, Smirnov was promoted to

major general Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...

for his distinguished service and was appointed chief of staff of the 9th Army Corps. On 4 July 1901 he was appointed

commanding officer The commanding officer (CO) or sometimes, if the incumbent is a general officer, commanding general (CG), is the officer in command of a military unit. The commanding officer has ultimate authority over the unit, and is usually given wide latitu ...

of the 18th Infantry Division, and on 6 December 1901 he was promoted to

lieutenant general Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a three-star military rank (NATO code OF-8) used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the ...

. On 9 July 1906, Smirnov became commanding officer of the 2nd Siberian Army Corps. On 13 April 1908, Smirnov was promoted to

, and on 28 July 1908 he took command of the 20th Army Corps.

World War I

When the

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the Russian monarchy from 1721 to 1917, ruling across large parts of Eurasia. It succeeded the Tsardom of Russia following the Treaty of Nystad, which ended the Great Northern War. ...

entered

on 1 August 1914, Smirnov was still in command of the 20th Army Corps. For distinguished service at the front, he was awarded the

Order of St. George The Order of Saint George (russian: Орден Святого Георгия, Orden Svyatogo Georgiya) is the highest military decoration of the Russian Federation. Originally established on 26 November 1769 Julian (7 December 1769 Gregorian) a ...

Fourth Class on 25 October 1914. On 20 November 1914, Smirnov took command of the 2nd Army, the official order confirming him in this post following on 5 December 1914. In March 1916, Smirnov was forced to leave the front due to a serious illness, and the 2nd Army, which dealt the main blow against

Imperial German Army The Imperial German Army (1871–1919), officially referred to as the German Army (german: Deutsches Heer), was the unified ground and air force of the German Empire. It was established in 1871 with the political unification of Germany under the l ...

forces during the

Lake Naroch Offensive The Lake Naroch offensive in 1916 was an unsuccessful Russian offensive on the Eastern Front in World War I. It was launched at the request of Marshal Joseph Joffre and intended to relieve the German pressure on French forces. Due to lack of reco ...

, was transferred to the command of

General A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of highest military ranks, high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers t ...

Alexander Ragoza Alexander Frantsevich Ragoza (russian: Алекса́ндр Фра́нцевич Рагоза́, uk, Олександр Францевич Рогоза; 20 June .S. 8 June1858 – 29 June 1919), in Ukrainian Oleksandr Frantsevych Rohoza, was ...

. In March 1917, Smirnov relieved General Aleksei Evert as commander of the Western Front. A subordinate, V. Dzhunkovsky, lamented the end of Smirnov's long tour as commander of the 2nd Army, recalling: “The departure of the commander of the 2nd Army, General Smirnov: On the same day I published a farewell order of the commander of the army, the worthy General Smirnov, who received a different appointment. I was very sorry to leave the command of this honest, noble general.” Smirnov's command of the Western Front was short-lived. On 8 April 1917, he was reassigned to the

Ministry of War Ministry of War may refer to: * Ministry of War (imperial China) (c.600–1912) * Chinese Republic Ministry of War (1912–1946) * Ministry of War (Kingdom of Bavaria) (1808–1919) * Ministry of War (Brazil) (1815–1999) * Ministry of War (Estoni ...

, and on 22 April 1917 he became a member of the Ministry of War's Military Council.

Russian Civil War

After the

October Revolution The October Revolution,. officially known as the Great October Socialist Revolution. in the Soviet Union, also known as the Bolshevik Revolution, was a revolution in Russia led by the Bolshevik Party of Vladimir Lenin that was a key moment ...

, Smirnov moved from

Petrograd Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...

to the

Mineralnye Vody Mineralnye Vody (Min-Vody) ( rus, Минеральные Воды (Мин-Воды), p=mʲɪnʲɪˈralʲnɨjə ˈvodɨ, mʲɪn ˈvodɨ; lit. ''mineral waters'') is a types of inhabited localities in Russia, town in Stavropol Krai, Russia, located a ...

area. In September 1918, during the

Russian Civil War , date = October Revolution, 7 November 1917 – Yakut revolt, 16 June 1923{{Efn, The main phase ended on 25 October 1922. Revolt against the Bolsheviks continued Basmachi movement, in Central Asia and Tungus Republic, the Far East th ...

, he was taken hostage by the

Red Army The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army (Russian: Рабо́че-крестья́нская Кра́сная армия),) often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic and, after ...

and on 1 November 1918, together with generals

Nikolai Ruzsky Nikolai Vladimirovich Ruzsky (russian: Никола́й Влади́мирович Ру́зский; – October 18, 1918) was a Russian general, member of the state and military councils, best known for his role in World War I and the abdi ...

Radko Dimitriev Radko Dimitriev ( bg, Радко Димитриев) (24 September 1859 in Gradets, Sliven Province, Gradets – 18 October 1918 near Pyatigorsk) was a Bulgarians, Bulgarian general, Chief of the Defence (Bulgaria), Head of the General Staff ...

, and others, was shot at

Pyatigorsk Pyatigorsk (russian: Пятиго́рск; Circassian: Псыхуабэ, ''Psıxwabæ'') is a city in Stavropol Krai, Russia located on the Podkumok River, about from the town of Mineralnye Vody where there is an international airport and about ...

. According to other sources, he was shot by the

Bolsheviks The Bolsheviks (russian: Большевики́, from большинство́ ''bol'shinstvó'', 'majority'),; derived from ''bol'shinstvó'' (большинство́), "majority", literally meaning "one of the majority". also known in English ...

Kiev Kyiv, also spelled Kiev, is the capital and most populous city of Ukraine. It is in north-central Ukraine along the Dnieper, Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2021, its population was 2,962,180, making Kyiv the List of European cities by populat ...

in sometime between February and April 1919.

Awards

, 3rd Class (1878) * RUS Order św

Order of Saint Stanislaus The Order of Saint Stanislaus ( pl, Order Św. Stanisława Biskupa Męczennika, russian: Орден Святого Станислава), also spelled Stanislas, was a Polish order of knighthood founded in 1765 by King Stanisław August Ponia ...

, 2nd Class (1883) * Order of Saint Anna ribbon bar

, 2nd Class (1887) * Order of Saint Vladimir, ribbon bar

Order of Saint Vladimir The Imperial Order of Saint Prince Vladimir (russian: орден Святого Владимира) was an Imperial Russian order established on by Empress Catherine II in memory of the deeds of Saint Vladimir, the Grand Prince and the Baptize ...

, 4th Class (1891) * Order of Saint Vladimir, ribbon bar

, 3rd Class (1897) * RUS Order św

, 1st Class (1900) * Order of Saint Anna ribbon bar

, 1st Class (1904) * Order of Saint Vladimir, ribbon bar

, 2nd Class (6 December 1911) * RUS Order of Saint George 4th class ribbon 2000

, 4th Class (25 October 1914) * RUS Order White Eagle BAR

Order of the White Eagle (1914)

Reference

Sources

* Военный дневник великого князя Андрея Владимировича Романова. (1914—1917). — Москва. Издательство им. Сабашниковых,2008.- . * Джунковский В. Ф. Воспоминания (1915—1917). Том 3. — М.: Издательство им. Сабашниковых, 2015.- . * ''Залесский К. А.'' Кто был кто в Первой мировой войне. М., 2003. * ''Рутыч Н. Н.'' Биографический справочник высших чинов Добровольческой армии и Вооруженных Сил Юга России. М., 2002. * Список генералам по старшинству. Составлен по 1 сентября 1896 года. СПб., 1896 * Список генералам по старшинству. Составлен по 15 апреля 1914 года. Пг., 1914 *
Фотография генерала Смирнова
{{DEFAULTSORT:Smirnov, Vladimir Vasilyevich 1849 births 1918 deaths Russian military personnel of the Russo-Turkish War (1877–1878) Russian military personnel of World War I Recipients of the Order of St. Anna, 3rd class Recipients of the Order of Saint Stanislaus (Russian), 2nd class Recipients of the Order of St. Anna, 2nd class Recipients of the Order of St. Vladimir, 4th class Recipients of the Order of St. Vladimir, 3rd class Recipients of the Order of Saint Stanislaus (Russian), 1st class Recipients of the Order of St. Anna, 1st class Recipients of the Order of St. Vladimir, 2nd class Recipients of the Order of the White Eagle (Russia) People executed by the Soviet Union by firing squad