Frants Iosifovich Perkhorovich (; 27 May 1894 11 October 1961) was a

Belarusian Belarusian may refer to: * Something of, or related to Belarus * Belarusians, people from Belarus, or of Belarusian descent * A citizen of Belarus, see Demographics of Belarus * Belarusian language * Belarusian culture * Belarusian cuisine * Byelor ...

Soviet Army The Soviet Ground Forces () was the land warfare service branch of the Soviet Armed Forces from 1946 to 1992. It was preceded by the Red Army. After the Soviet Union ceased to exist in December 1991, the Ground Forces remained under th ...

lieutenant general Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a military rank 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 battlefield, who was norma ...

and a

Hero of the Soviet Union The title Hero of the Soviet Union () was the highest distinction in the Soviet Union, awarded together with the Order of Lenin personally or collectively for heroic feats in service to the Soviet state and society. The title was awarded both ...

. Perkhorovich served in

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

as an

Imperial Russian Army The Imperial Russian Army () was the army of the Russian Empire, active from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was organized into a standing army and a state militia. The standing army consisted of Regular army, regular troops and ...

junior officer, then joined the

Bolsheviks The Bolsheviks, led by Vladimir Lenin, were a radical Faction (political), faction of the Marxist Russian Social Democratic Labour Party (RSDLP) which split with the Mensheviks at the 2nd Congress of the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party, ...

in the subsequent

Russian Civil War The Russian Civil War () was a multi-party civil war in the former Russian Empire sparked by the 1917 overthrowing of the Russian Provisional Government in the October Revolution, as many factions vied to determine Russia's political future. I ...

. He became a Red Army officer and was briefly captured in the

Polish–Soviet War The Polish–Soviet War (14 February 1919 – 18 March 1921) was fought primarily between the Second Polish Republic and the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic, following World War I and the Russian Revolution. After the collapse ...

. Perkhorovich continued to serve in the interwar period, but was dismissed from the Red Army during the

Great Purge The Great Purge, or the Great Terror (), also known as the Year of '37 () and the Yezhovshchina ( , ), was a political purge in the Soviet Union that took place from 1936 to 1938. After the Assassination of Sergei Kirov, assassination of ...

. Reinstated in 1939, he successively commanded two regiments after the

German invasion of the Soviet Union Operation Barbarossa was the invasion of the Soviet Union by Nazi Germany and several of its European Axis allies starting on Sunday, 22 June 1941, during World War II. More than 3.8 million Axis troops invaded the western Soviet Union along a ...

in June 1941. Perkhorovich took command of the

100th Rifle Division The 100th Rifle Division was an infantry division of the Soviet Union's Red Army during World War II, formed twice. In November 1923 in the Belaya Tserkov area of the Ukrainian Military District, the 45th Territorial Rifle Division was establish ...

in May 1942, the

52nd Rifle Corps The 52nd Rifle Corps was a corps of the Soviet Red Army. It was part of the 24th Army. It took part in the Eastern Front of World War II. Organization * 91st Rifle Division * 119th Rifle Division * 166th Rifle Division The 166th Rifle Divi ...

in June 1943, and the 3rd Guards Rifle Corps in May 1944. In November of that year he became commander of the

47th Army The 47th Army () was a field army of the Red Army during World War II, active from 1941 to 1946. History The 47th Army was formed in late July 1941 in the Transcaucasian Military District as part of the Soviet Union's border defenses with Iran. O ...

, and for his leadership in the Vistula–Oder Offensive in January 1945 was awarded the title

, the highest Soviet distinction. Postwar, Perkhorovich continued to serve, becoming chief of the

General Staff A military staff or general staff (also referred to as army staff, navy staff, or air staff within the individual services) is a group of officers, Enlisted rank, enlisted, and civilian staff who serve the commanding officer, commander of a ...

's Combat Training Directorate before his 1951 retirement.

Early life and World War I

Frants Iosifovich Perkhorovich was born on 27 May 1894 in the village of Zalazy in

Minsk Governorate Minsk Governorate was an administrative-territorial unit (''guberniya'') of the Russian Empire, with its capital in Minsk. It was created from the land acquired in the partitions of Poland and existed from 1793 until 1921. Its territory covered th ...

(now Dokshytsy Raion, Minsk Region) to a working-class family. Of Polish descent, he was a member of the hereditary nobility. In 1912, he graduated from the

Lepiel Lyepyel or Lepel (; , ; ; ) is a town in Vitebsk Region, Belarus, located near Lyepyel Lake on the Vuła (river), Vula River. It serves as the administrative center of Lyepyel District. Its population in the 1998 census was 19,400. As of 2024, i ...

City School. In March 1915, Perkhorovich was drafted into the Imperial Russian Army as a

private Private or privates may refer to: Music * "In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation'' * Private (band), a Denmark-based band * "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorded ...

and was assigned to the 232nd Reserve Infantry Battalion at

Kharkov Kharkiv, also known as Kharkov, is the second-largest List of cities in Ukraine, city in Ukraine.

, where he graduated from training courses and became a junior

unteroffizier () is a junior non-commissioned officer rank used by the . It is also the collective name for all non-commissioned officers in Austria and Germany. It was formerly a rank in the Imperial Russian Army. Austria , also , is the collective name to ...

. Perkhorovich graduated from the 2nd Moscow School of

Praporshchik (, , ) is a rank used by the Russian Armed Forces and a number of former communist states. The rank is a non-commissioned officer's and is equivalent to in the corresponding navies. It is usually equivalent to warrant officer class 1 or serge ...

s and from two-month sapper courses with the 5th Sapper Battalion in 1916. In February, he became a junior officer in the 242nd Reserve Battalion. Perkhorovich was sent to the

Northwestern Front The Northwestern Front (Russian: ''Северо-Западный фронт'') was a military formation of the Red Army during the Winter War and World War II. It was operational with the 7th and 13th Armies during the Winter War. It was re-c ...

in the fall of 1916, where he became a half-company commander and acting company commander in the 437th Sestroretsk Infantry Regiment, and the 743rd Tirul Infantry Regiment. Both units were fighting on the

Riga Riga ( ) is the capital, Primate city, primate, and List of cities and towns in Latvia, largest city of Latvia. Home to 591,882 inhabitants (as of 2025), the city accounts for a third of Latvia's total population. The population of Riga Planni ...

front. In May 1917, Perkhorovich was gassed and evacuated to a hospital in Tver. When the Imperial Army collapsed as a result of the

Russian Revolution The Russian Revolution was a period of Political revolution (Trotskyism), political and social revolution, social change in Russian Empire, Russia, starting in 1917. This period saw Russia Dissolution of the Russian Empire, abolish its mona ...

, he was a lieutenant.

Russian Civil War

Perkhorovich joined the Red Army in August 1918, serving with the 4th Rostov

Red Guards The Red Guards () were a mass, student-led, paramilitary social movement mobilized by Chairman Mao Zedong in 1966 until their abolition in 1968, during the first phase of the Cultural Revolution, which he had instituted.Teiwes According to a ...

Detachment, which became the 151st Rifle Regiment of the 17th Rifle Division. He was the regimental adjutant until February 1920, during which the division fought near

Pinsk Pinsk (; , ; ; ; ) is a city in Brest Region, Belarus. It serves as the administrative center of Pinsk District, though it is administratively separated from the district. It is located in the historical region of Polesia, at the confluence of t ...

Mozyr Mazyr or Mozyr (, ; , ; ; ) is a city in Gomel Region, Belarus. It serves as the administrative center of Mazyr District. It is situated on the Pripyat River about east of Pinsk and northwest of Chernobyl in Ukraine. As of 2025, it has a po ...

, and

Korosten Korosten (, ), also historically known as Iskorosten (), is a historic city and a large transport hub in Zhytomyr Oblast, northern Ukraine. It is located on the Uzh (Pripyat), Uzh River. Korosten serves as the Capital city, administrative center ...

against the

Ukrainian People's Army The Ukrainian People's Army (), also known as the Ukrainian National Army (UNA) or by the derogatory term Petliurivtsi (, ), was the army of the Ukrainian People's Republic (1917–1921). They were often quickly reorganized units of the former I ...

and partisans in Belarus and Ukraine until the spring of 1919. From that time, the division fought in the

against Polish troops around

Vilnius Vilnius ( , ) is the capital of and List of cities in Lithuania#Cities, largest city in Lithuania and the List of cities in the Baltic states by population, most-populous city in the Baltic states. The city's estimated January 2025 population w ...

and

Polotsk Polotsk () or Polatsk () is a town in Vitebsk Region, Belarus. It is situated on the Dvina River and serves as the administrative center of Polotsk District. Polotsk is served by Polotsk Airport and Borovitsy air base. As of 2025, it has a pop ...

. In February 1920, Perkhorovich was transferred to become assistant chief of staff of the 19th Rifle Brigade in the 7th Rifle Division, with which he served in battles at Novohrad-Volynskyi and Korosten. He was a prisoner of war between May and June after being captured by Polish troops. After being released, he became adjutant of the 151st Rifle Regiment, and assistant chief of staff for operations of the 17th Division's 51st Brigade. Perkhorovich served in the Soviet offensive on

Minsk Minsk (, ; , ) is the capital and largest city of Belarus, located on the Svislach (Berezina), Svislach and the now subterranean Nyamiha, Niamiha rivers. As the capital, Minsk has a special administrative status in Belarus and is the administra ...

and the Battle of Warsaw, then took part in the elimination of

Stanisław Bułak-Bałachowicz Stanisław Bułak-Bałachowicz (10 February 1883 – 10 May 1940) was a Polish-Belarusian general and veteran of World War I, the Russian Civil War, Estonian War of Independence, Polish-Soviet War, and the Invasion of Poland at the start of Wor ...

's attempted Belarusian national uprising until November of that year.

Interwar period

In June 1921, Perkhorovich became commander of a separate company, stationed in

Alexandrov Alexandrov (masculine, also written Alexandrow) or Alexandrova (feminine) may refer to: * Alexandrov (surname) (including ''Alexandrova''), a Slavic last name * Alexandrov, Vladimir Oblast, Russia * Alexandrov (inhabited locality), several inhabite ...

. From January 1923, he served with the 17th Rifle Division's 49th Rifle Regiment at

Nizhny Novgorod Nizhny Novgorod ( ; rus, links=no, Нижний Новгород, a=Ru-Nizhny Novgorod.ogg, p=ˈnʲiʐnʲɪj ˈnovɡərət, t=Lower Newtown; colloquially shortened to Nizhny) is a city and the administrative centre of Nizhny Novgorod Oblast an ...

as its assistant chief of staff and then chief of staff. Perkhorovich became a

Communist Party of the Soviet Union The Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU),. Abbreviated in Russian as КПСС, ''KPSS''. at some points known as the Russian Communist Party (RCP), All-Union Communist Party and Bolshevik Party, and sometimes referred to as the Soviet ...

member in 1926, and from March, served successively as chief of a department, assistant chief, and deputy chief of a staff department in the

Moscow Military District The Order of Lenin Moscow Military District () is a Military districts of Russia, military district of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. Originally it was a district of the Imperial Russian Army until the Russian Empire's collapse in 191 ...

headquarters. In 1932, he graduated from a one-year course at the

Military Academy of the Red Army The M. V. Frunze Military Academy (), or in full the Military Order of Lenin and the October Revolution, Red Banner, Order of Suvorov Academy in the name of M. V. Frunze (), was a military academy of the Soviet and later the Russian Armed Forces ...

. In February 1936, Perkhorovich became assistant chief of the operations staff department of the Moscow Military District, and in November 1937 was transferred to become the military commissar of the Moscow Planning Institute. He was dismissed from the Red Army in August 1938, during the

, but was reinstated in November 1939, becoming a teacher in the combat training department at the State Central Institute of Physical Education in December. He became an assistant professor in the institute's combat training department in May 1940. Perkhorovich graduated from the Vystrel higher officers' tactical improvement courses in 1941.

World War II

In the early days of the war, Perkhorovich was appointed commander of the 211th Rifle Division's 787th Rifle Regiment, part of the

. In July, he took command of the 630th Rifle Regiment of the

107th Rifle Division 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number, numeral, and glyph. It is the first and smallest positive integer of the infinite sequence of natural numbers. This fundamental property has led to its unique uses in other fields, ranging from science to sp ...

, part of the 24th Army of the

Reserve Front The Reserve Front was a major formation of the Red Army during the Second World War. First Formation The Reserve Front describes either of two distinct organizations during the war. The first version was created on July 30, 1941 in a reorganizat ...

. Perkhorovich led the regiment in the Yelnya Offensive, after which the division became the 5th Guards Rifle Division. During the defensive phase of 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 during World War II, between October 1941 and January 1942. The Soviet defensive effort frustrated H ...

in November, his regiment was surrounded near Zabolote, and fought behind German lines for twenty days until Perkhorovich led the remnants in a breakout to Soviet lines near Tula. In January, he took command of a regiment in the 5th Guards Rifle Division and in February became the deputy commander of the division. Perkhorovich fought in the Rzhev-Vyazma Offensive, advancing towards

Yukhnov Yukhnov () is a town and the administrative center of Yukhnovsky District in Kaluga Oblast, Russia, located on the Kunava River ( Oka's basin) northwest of Kaluga, the administrative center of the oblast. Population: History It has been known ...

. In May 1942, Perkhorovich took command of the 100th Rifle Division, part of the

Arkhangelsk Military District The Arkhangelsk Military District () was a regional Military districts of the Soviet Union, military district of the Red Army which oversaw the North-Western part of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic. The district was formed in 1940 ...

, which in July moved to the

Voronezh Front The 1st Ukrainian Front (), previously the Voronezh Front (), was a major formation of the Red Army during World War II, being equivalent to a Western army group. They took part in the capture of Berlin, the capital of Nazi Germany. Wartime ...

's 40th Army. He led the division in the heavy defensive fighting around

Voronezh Voronezh ( ; , ) is a city and the administrative centre of Voronezh Oblast in southwestern Russia straddling the Voronezh River, located from where it flows into the Don River. The city sits on the Southeastern Railway, which connects wes ...

in the fall and was promoted to Major General on 20 December. Perkhrovich then led the division in the Voronezh-Kastornensk operation in January and February 1943, which recaptured the city, and the

Third Battle of Kharkov The Third Battle of Kharkov was a series of battles on the Eastern Front (World War II), Eastern Front of World War II, undertaken by Nazi Germany's Army Group South against the Soviet Red Army, around the city of Kharkov between 19 February ...

in February and March. In June, Perkhorovich was appointed commander of the

of the army, which he led in the

Battle of Kursk The Battle of Kursk, also called the Battle of the Kursk Salient, was a major World War II Eastern Front battle between the forces of Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union near Kursk in southwestern Russia during the summer of 1943, resulting in ...

, the Belgorod-Khar'kov Offensive Operation, the

Battle of the Dnieper The Battle of the Dnieper was a military campaign that took place in 1943 on the Eastern Front of World War II. Being one of the largest operations of the war, it involved almost four million troops at one point and stretched over a front. Ov ...

, and the Zhitomir–Berdichev Offensive. He became commander of the 28th Army's 3rd Guards Rifle Corps in May 1944, leading it in the

Minsk Offensive The Minsk offensive () was part of the second phase of the Belorussian strategic offensive of the Red Army in summer 1944, commonly known as Operation Bagration. The Red Army encircled the German 4th Army (Wehrmacht), Fourth Army in the city of ...

and the Lublin–Brest Offensive of

Operation Bagration Operation Bagration () was the codename for the 1944 Soviet Byelorussian strategic offensive operation (), a military campaign fought between 22 June and 19 August 1944 in Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic, Soviet Byelorussia in the Eastern ...

, and the

Gumbinnen Operation The Gumbinnen Operation,Glantz, ''Failures of Historiography'' also known as the Goldap Operation (or Goldap-Gumbinnen Operation, ), was a Soviet offensive on the Eastern Front late in 1944, in which forces of the 3rd Belorussian Front attempt ...

. His corps recaptured

Slutsk Slutsk is a town in Minsk Region, in central Belarus. It serves as the administrative center of Slutsk District, and is located on the Sluch (Belarus), Sluch River south of the capital Minsk. As of 2025, it has a population of 59,450. Geography ...

Baranovichi Baranavichy or Baranovichi is a city in the Brest Region of western Belarus. It serves as the administrative center of Baranavichy District, though it is administratively separated from the district. As of 2025, it has a population of 170,817. ...

, and

Pruzhany Pruzhany is a town in Brest Region, Belarus. It serves as the administrative center of Pruzhany District. The town is located at the confluence of the Mukha River and the Vets Canal, where the Mukhavets River rises. As of 2025, it has a popu ...

during the summer. From 17 November to the end of the war, Perkhorovich commanded the 47th Army of the

1st Belorussian Front The 1st Belorussian Front (, ''Pervyy Belorusskiy front'', also romanized " Byelorussian"), known without a numeral as the Belorussian Front between October 1943 and February 1944, was a major formation of the Red Army during World War II, bein ...

. The army fought in the Vistula–Oder Offensive from 15 January 1945. During the first two days of the attack, the army eliminated heavily fortified German positions between the

Vistula The Vistula (; ) is the longest river in Poland and the ninth-longest in Europe, at in length. Its drainage basin, extending into three other countries apart from Poland, covers , of which is in Poland. The Vistula rises at Barania Góra i ...

and the

Western Bug The Bug or Western Bug is a major river in Central Europe that flows through Belarus (border), Poland, and Ukraine, with a total length of .Warsaw Warsaw, officially the Capital City of Warsaw, is the capital and List of cities and towns in Poland, largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the Vistula, River Vistula in east-central Poland. Its population is officially estimated at ...

, playing a major role in the rapid capture of the city. Developing the offensive, the army rapidly moved west and by the end of the month had advanced 500 kilometers and reached the

Oder The Oder ( ; Czech and ) is a river in Central Europe. It is Poland's second-longest river and third-longest within its borders after the Vistula and its largest tributary the Warta. The Oder rises in the Czech Republic and flows through wes ...

. The 47th Army was reported by Soviet sources to have killed or captured 32,462 German soldiers, and captured 69 tanks, 600 guns, and 1,152 motor vehicles. On 27 January, he was promoted to

Lieutenant General Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a military rank 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 battlefield, who was norma ...

. For his leadership, Perkhorovich was awarded the title

and the

Order of Lenin The Order of Lenin (, ) was an award named after Vladimir Lenin, the leader of the October Revolution. It was established by the Central Executive Committee on 6 April 1930. The order was the highest civilian decoration bestowed by the Soviet ...

on 6 April. Continuing the advance, the army fought in the East Pomeranian Offensive and the

Battle of Berlin The Battle of Berlin, designated as the Berlin Strategic Offensive Operation by the Soviet Union, and also known as the Fall of Berlin, was one of the last major offensives of the European theatre of World War II. After the Vistula–Od ...

. During the Battle of Berlin, attack as part of the front shock group, the 47th Army and

2nd Guards Tank Army The 2nd Guards Tank Army () was a large military formation of the Red Army and Soviet Army, later part of the Russian Ground Forces of the Russian Federation. The army was originally formed in early 1943 as the 2nd Tank Army. It was the firs ...

reached positions west of

Potsdam Potsdam () is the capital and largest city of the Germany, German States of Germany, state of Brandenburg. It is part of the Berlin/Brandenburg Metropolitan Region. Potsdam sits on the Havel, River Havel, a tributary of the Elbe, downstream of B ...

, where they linked up with the 4th Guards Tank Army, completing the encirclement of Berlin. By the end of the war on 8 May, the army had reached the

Elbe The Elbe ( ; ; or ''Elv''; Upper Sorbian, Upper and , ) is one of the major rivers of Central Europe. It rises in the Giant Mountains of the northern Czech Republic before traversing much of Bohemia (western half of the Czech Republic), then Ge ...

northwest of

Brandenburg Brandenburg, officially the State of Brandenburg, is a States of Germany, state in northeastern Germany. Brandenburg borders Poland and the states of Berlin, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Lower Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, and Saxony. It is the List of Ger ...

Postwar

In July 1945, Perkhorovich was appointed first deputy chief of the Soviet Military Administration in

Saxony-Anhalt Saxony-Anhalt ( ; ) is a States of Germany, state of Germany, bordering the states of Brandenburg, Saxony, Thuringia and Lower Saxony. It covers an area of and has a population of 2.17 million inhabitants, making it the List of German states ...

. In February 1946, he was appointed commander of the 28th Army, now stationed in the

Belorussian Military District The Byelorussian Military District (; alternatively Belarusian; ) was a military district of the Soviet Armed Forces. Originally formed just before World War I as the Minsk Military District out of the remnants of the Vilno Military District an ...

, but Perkhorovich did not actually assume command and in May he entered the Higher Academic Courses at the Higher Military Academy named for K.E. Voroshilov. Due to illness he was not able to graduate, but in April 1947, Perkhorovich became chief of the General Staff's Combat Training Directorate. He retired in July 1951 and lived in Moscow, where he died on 11 October 1961. Perkhorovich was buried in section 14 of the

Vvedenskoye Cemetery Vvedenskoye Cemetery ( rus, Введенское кладбище, p=vʲːɪˈdʲenskəjə) is a historic cemetery in Lefortovo District of Moscow in Russia. Until 1918 it was mainly a burial ground for the Catholic and Protestant communities ...

. A street in Voronezh is named for him.

References

Citations

Bibliography

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Perkhorovich, Franz 1894 births 1961 deaths People from Dokshytsy district People from Borisovsky Uyezd Communist Party of the Soviet Union members Soviet lieutenant generals Russian military personnel of World War I Soviet military personnel of the Russian Civil War Soviet prisoners of war Soviet military personnel of World War II Heroes of the Soviet Union Recipients of the Order of Lenin Recipients of the Order of the Red Banner Recipients of the Order of Suvorov, 1st class Recipients of the Order of Kutuzov, 1st class Recipients of the Order of Suvorov, 2nd class Commanders of the Legion of Merit Military Academy of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Soviet Union alumni