Arkady Nikolayevich Yermakov ( – 25 October 1957) was a

Soviet Army uk, Радянська армія , image = File:Communist star with golden border and red rims.svg , alt = , caption = Emblem of the Soviet Army , start_date ...

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 ...

. Yermakov served as a

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

commander during the

Winter War The Winter War,, sv, Vinterkriget, rus, Зи́мняя война́, r=Zimnyaya voyna. The names Soviet–Finnish War 1939–1940 (russian: link=no, Сове́тско-финская война́ 1939–1940) and Soviet–Finland War 1 ...

and

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

. He served as the Senior Military Adviser to the Chinese People's Liberation Army during the Cold War.

Early life and career

Winter War

During the Finnish Winter War, then

Kombrig (russian: комбриг) is an abbreviation of Commanding officer of the brigade (russian: командир бригады, komandir brigady; ), and was a military rank in the Soviet Armed Forces of the USSR from 1935 to 1940. It was also the ...

Yermakov commanded the Soviet 100th Rifle Division which was involved in the breakthrough of the

Mannerheim Line The Mannerheim Line ( fi, Mannerheim-linja, sv, Mannerheimlinjen) was a defensive fortification line on the Karelian Isthmus built by Finland against the Soviet Union. While this was never an officially designated name, during the Winter War it ...

which brought about the end of the war. He authored a report about the performance of Soviet Teletanks in that campaign.

World War II

Early War

Battle of Moscow and the Yermakov Operational Group

During the

Battle of Moscow The Battle of Moscow was a military campaign that consisted of two periods of strategically significant fighting on a sector of the Eastern Front (World War II), Eastern Front during World War II. It took place between September 1941 and January ...

, General Yermakov came to command what was known as the Yermakov Operational Group which grouped the 3rd Army,

13th Army Thirteenth Army or 13th Army may refer to: *Thirteenth Army (Japan) *Japanese Thirteenth Area Army *13th Army (Russian Empire), unit in World War I *13th Army (RSFSR), a unit in the Russian Civil War *13th Army (Soviet Union) *13th Air Army The 76 ...

, and 50th Army under his operational control in the

Bryansk Front The Bryansk Front (russian: Брянский фронт) was a major formation of the Red Army during the Second World War. First Formation (August - November 1941) General Andrei Yeremenko was designated commander of the Front when it first fo ...

fighting against German

Army Group Center Army Group Centre (german: Heeresgruppe Mitte) was the name of two distinct strategic German Army Groups that fought on the Eastern Front in World War II. The first Army Group Centre was created on 22 June 1941, as one of three German Army fo ...

. Ermakov's command was controversial for his focus on offensive operations from mid August to late September 1941. Marshal Yeryomenko credited his command's actions for significantly weakening the strength of the German Attack Groupings. Conversely, General Sanalov criticized him for paying insufficient attention to the defense during this time, leading to later losses.

Arrest, Court Martial, and Reinstatement

On January 29, 1942, while commander of the 50th Army, General Ermakov was arrested and court-martialed. He was later released, reinstated appointed Deputy Commander of the 20th Army later that year in June. He was to become commander of the 20th Army on March 20, 1943.

Post-war service

He was Senior Military Adviser to the Chinese People's Liberation Army between 1953 and 1957, and died shortly after serving in that position.

Awards

Soviet orders and medals

Foreign awards

Notes

References

Citations

Bibliography

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Yermakov, Arkady 1899 births 1957 deaths Communist Party of the Soviet Union members Soviet military personnel of World War II Soviet lieutenant generals Soviet military personnel of the Winter War Soviet military personnel of the Russian Civil War People from Mtsensk Recipients of the Order of Lenin Recipients of the Order of the Red Banner Recipients of the Order of Kutuzov, 2nd class Military Academy of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Soviet Union alumni People nominated for the title Hero of the Soviet Union