Iosif Ivanovich Popov (; 15 September 1898 – 6 December 1962) was a

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 ...

major general who held corps command during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

Early life, World War I, and Russian Civil War

Iosif Ivanovich Popov was born on 15 September 1898 in Rylsk,

Kursk Governorate Kursk Governorate () was an administrative-territorial unit ('' guberniya'') of the Russian Empire, which existed from 1796 to 1928 with its capital in Kursk. Administrative divisions As of 1914, Kursk Governorate included 15 uyezds. * Belgorods ...

. From May to September 1917 he served in the

Russian Army The Russian Ground Forces (), also known as the Russian Army in English, are the Army, land forces of the Russian Armed Forces. The primary responsibilities of the Russian Ground Forces are the protection of the state borders, combat on land, ...

as assistant commander of a

Don Cossack Don Cossacks (, ) or Donians (, ), are Cossacks who settled along the middle and lower Don. Historically, they lived within the former Don Cossack Host (, ), which was either an independent or an autonomous democratic republic in present-da ...

marching ''sotnya'' under the staging commandant of Stolbtsy station. During the

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 ...

, Popov served with the Kursk

Red Guard 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 from December 1917, then commanded the Kursk-

Lgov Lgov () is the name of several inhabited localities in Russia. ;Urban localities * Lgov, Kursk Oblast, a town in Kursk Oblast ;Rural localities * Lgov, Khotynetsky District, Oryol Oblast, a '' selo'' in Ilyinsky Selsoviet of Khotynetsky Distric ...

sector partisan detachment in battles against German troops in the region of Lgov, Rylsk,

Sudzha Sudzha (, ) is a town and the administrative center of Sudzhansky District in Kursk Oblast, Russia, located on the Sudzha and Oleshnya rivers southwest of Kursk, the administrative center of the oblast. It has a population of 5,127 people. ...

, Korenevo, and

Vorozhba Vorozhba (, ) is a city in Sumy Raion, Sumy Oblast, in north-eastern Ukraine. Population: In May 2025, the city's population remains at about 2,000. Geography Vorozhba is situated on the left bank of the Vyr River. Adjacent upstream is the to ...

. In February 1918, he was integrated into the

Red Army The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army, often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Republic and, from 1922, the Soviet Union. The army was established in January 1918 by a decree of the Council of People ...

as commander of the 3rd Kursk infantry Regiment at Lgov. Popov became a battalion commander in the 5th Kursk Regiment in May of that year and from July commanded the 1st Rifle Regiment, then the 4th Novo-Khopyorsk Regiment of the 2nd Kursk Rifle Division. From April 1919 he served as officer for special assignments under the 9th Army commander. With these units he fought on the Southern Front against the

Don Army The Don Army (, ) was the military of the short lived Don Republic and a part of the White movement in the Russian Civil War. It operated from 1918 to 1920, in the Don region and centered in the town of Novocherkassk. History On 23 April, K. ...

and the

Armed Forces of South Russia The Armed Forces of South Russia (AFSR or SRAF) () were the unified military forces of the White movement in southern Russia between 1919 and 1920. On 8 January 1919, the Armed Forces of South Russia were formed, incorporating the Volunteer Ar ...

in the region of

Povorino Povorino () is a town and the administrative center of Povorinsky District in the east of Voronezh Oblast, Russia. Population: History It emerged as a settlement around the eponymous railway station in 1870 and was granted town status in 1954.< ...

Novocherkassk Novocherkassk () is a types of inhabited localities in Russia, city in Rostov Oblast, Russia, located near the confluence of the Tuzlov and Aksay Rivers, the latter a distributary of the Don (river), Don River. Novocherkassk is best known as the ...

Borisoglebsk Borisoglebsk () is a town in Voronezh Oblast, Russia, located on the left bank of the Vorona River near its confluence with the Khopyor. Population: 65,000 (1969). History Borisoglebsk was founded in 1646 and was named for the Russian s ...

, Verkhne-Chirsky, and Konstantinovskaya. From April to August 1920, Popov commanded the separate cavalry brigade of the Consolidated Division of P.A. Solodukhin, which became the 47th Cavalry Regiment of the 47th Rifle Division. He led it 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 ...

in the region of fortified points of

Vinnytsia Vinnytsia ( ; , ) is a city in west-central Ukraine, located on the banks of the Southern Bug. It serves as the administrative centre, administrative center of Vinnytsia Oblast. It is the largest city in the historic region of Podillia. It also s ...

, Gaysin, Letichev, Voronovitsy, Dashkovtsy and others. From September he commanded the 14th Reserve Cavalry Battalion under the Formation Directorate of the 14th Army. From April 1921 he commanded the 1st Cavalry Regiment of the Brigade of G.I. Kotovsky, fighting in the suppression of the

Tambov Rebellion The Tambov Rebellion of 1920–1922 was one of the largest and best-organized peasant rebellions challenging the Bolshevik government during the Russian Civil War. The uprising took place in the territories of the modern Tambov Oblast and part ...

and then in battles against the armed forces of

Yuriy Tyutyunnyk Yuriy (Yurko) Yosypovych Tyutyunnyk (; 20 April 1891 in Budyshche, Pendivsky district, Zvenyhorodka county, Kiev Governorate of the Russian Empire (currently Zvenyhorodka Raion, Cherkasy Oblast, Ukraine) – 20 October 1930 in Moscow, Soviet Uni ...

in Ukraine. Twice wounded during the war, Popov was awarded the

Order of the Red Banner The Order of the Red Banner () was the first Soviet military decoration. The Order was established on 16 September 1918, during the Russian Civil War by decree of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee. It was the highest award of S ...

twice (in 1923 and 1924) for his "courage and heroism".

Interwar period

From December 1922, Popov commanded the 2nd Brigade of Poor Peasants of Ukraine of the 4th, then the 3rd Cavalry Division. From October 1924 to August 1925 he completed the Red Army Higher Officers Improvement Course, then was appointed commander of the 3rd Brigade of the 8th Gomel (renamed the 8th Orenburg) Territorial Cavalry Division. From September 1926 he served as military instructor of the Kiev Veterinary and Zootechnical Institute and then the Kiev Polytechnical Institute. He graduated from the

Frunze Military Academy 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 1931 and from December 1932 served as an instructor at the Kuybyshev Military Engineering Academy, as a head of tactics and senior head of the operational tactical cycle of the operational art department, and senior instructor for military geography of the tactics department.

World War II

After

Operation Barbarossa 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 ...

began, then-Colonel Popov continued in his previous post. In August 1941 he was appointed deputy military commandant and chief of the Southern sector of the defense of Moscow. From 23 January 1942 he commanded the

135th Rifle Division 135th may refer to: *135th (2/1st South Western) Brigade, formation of the Territorial Force of the British Army *135th (Limerick) Regiment of Foot, infantry regiment of the British Army, created and promptly disbanded in 1796 *135th (Middlesex) Ba ...

, forming at

Slobodskoy, Kirov Oblast Slobodskoy () is a town in Kirov Oblast, Russia, located on the right bank of the Vyatka River, northeast of Kirov. Population: History It was first mentioned in 1505 as a fortified settlement. From 1562 it was known as Slobodskoy posad () ...

. By 7 March the division joined the

4th Shock Army The 4th Shock Army was a combined arms army of the Soviet Armed Forces during World War II. The Army was formed from the 27th Army on 25 December 1941 (1st formation) within the Northwestern Front. On 1 October 1942 it included the 249th, 332 ...

of the

Kalinin Front The Kalinin Front was a major formation of the Red Army active in the Eastern Front of World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions ...

and was relocated to the region of

Toropets Toropets () is a town and the administrative center of Toropetsky District in Tver Oblast, Russia, located where the Toropa River enters Lake Solomennoye. Population: History In 1074, when the town was first mentioned in chronicles, Torop ...

. The 135th was tasked with cutting the Bely-Prechistoye road and thus ensuring the destruction of the German force. For a month and a half the division was involved in fierce fighting and on 15 May it was withdrawn to the second echelon of the front. In early July, the division, as part of the 41st Army, fought in heavy offensive battles east of Bely, during which it was credited with inflicting significant losses on the opposing German forces: destroyed over 2,000 soldiers and officers, 54 tanks, more than 50 machine guns, two artillery and five mortar batteries. The division was withdrawn to the front reserve on 29 July. On 14 November 1942, Popov, promoted to major general on 14 October, was appointed deputy commander of the 41st Army, during a period in which it defended on the line west and southwest of Bely, then in heavy combat actions against the Rzhev-Vyazma group of German troops. During December 1942 and January 1943 Popov temporarily commanded the 279th Rifle Division. On 21 March 1943, the 41st Army headquarters, after transferring its troops to the 39th and 43rd Armies, was withdrawn to the

Reserve of the Supreme High Command The Reserve of the Supreme High Command (Russian: Резерв Верховного Главнокомандования; also known as the '' Stavka'' Reserve or RVGK () or RGK ( comprises reserve military formations and units; the ''Stavka'' ...

(RVGK) before being disbanded by 9 April. During this period, Popov temporarily served as army commander. In April, Popov was appointed commander of the 33rd Guards Rifle Corps, which became part of the

5th Guards Army The 5th Guards Army was a Soviet Guards formation which fought in many critical actions during World War II under the command of General Aleksey Semenovich Zhadov. The 5th Guards Army was formed in spring 1943 from the 66th Army in recognition o ...

of the

Steppe Military District The Steppe Military District () was a Military districts of the Soviet Union, military district of the Soviet Union, formed twice. It was first formed in April 1943 during World War II near Voronezh as a strategic reserve, and after the beginning ...

in July. He led the corps 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 ...

, during which it fought alongside the

32nd Guards Rifle Corps 3 (three) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number following 2 and preceding 4, and is the smallest odd prime number and the only prime preceding a square number. It has religious and cultural significance in many societies ...

of the army in heavy defensive battles in the Psel in the region of

Oboyan Oboyan () is a town and the administrative center of Oboyansky District in Kursk Oblast, Russia, located on the right bank of the Psyol at its confluence with the Oboyanka, south of Kursk, the administrative center of the oblast. Population: ...

, halting the advance of the

1st SS Panzer Division Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler The 1st SS Panzer Division Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler or SS Division Leibstandarte, abbreviated as LSSAH (), began as Adolf Hitler's personal bodyguard unit, responsible for guarding the Führer's person, offices, and residences. Initially th ...

. The division then fought in the counterattack of the front in the

Battle of Prokhorovka The Battle of Prokhorovka was fought on 12 July 1943 near Prokhorovka, Belgorod Oblast, Prokhorovka, southeast of Kursk, in the Soviet Union, during the Second World War. Taking place on the Eastern Front (World War II), Eastern Front, the e ...

, During these actions, Popov demonstrated "heroism, courage, and firmness" in directing the units of the corps. Placed at the disposal of the Main Personnel Directorate in August, Popov was appointed commander of the 94th Rifle Corps in the RVGK late that month. In November the corps joined the 1st Guards and then the 38th Armies of the

1st Ukrainian 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 ...

and fought in the Battle of the Dnieper, the Zhitomir–Berdichev offensive, and the Proskurov-Chernovitsy Offensive, in which it captured Starokonstantinov and Ternopol. In June 1944 the corps was relocated to the

Karelian Front The Karelian Front ) was a front (a formation of Army Group size) of the Soviet Union's Red Army during World War II, and operated in Karelia. Wartime The Karelian Front was created in August 1941 when Northern Front was split into Karelian ...

, where it joined the 7th Army, then in July to the 21st Army of the

Leningrad Front The Leningrad Front () was formed during the 1941 German approach on Leningrad (now Saint Petersburg) by dividing the Northern Front into the Leningrad Front and Karelian Front on August 27, 1941. History The Leningrad Front was immediately ...

. With the army, the corps fought in the

Vyborg–Petrozavodsk offensive The Vyborg–Petrozavodsk offensive or Karelian offensive was a strategic operation by the Soviet Leningrad and Karelian Fronts against Finland on the Karelian Isthmus and East Karelia fronts of the Continuation War, on the Eastern Front of Wor ...

. In October the corps was withdrawn to the RVGK and relocated to the

3rd Belorussian Front The 3rd Belorussian Front () was a Front of the Red Army during the Second World War. The 3rd Belorussian Front was created on 24 April 1944 from forces previously assigned to the Western Front. Over 381 days in combat, the 3rd Belorussian Fr ...

. As part of the 21st, 11th Guards, 31st and 39th Armies of the front (then the Zemland Group of Forces from March 1945), the corps distinguished itself in the East Prussian offensive, taking the fortified points of Pillkallen and Schillen. In May 1945, the corps and its army were relocated to the

Soviet Far East The Russian Far East ( rus, Дальний Восток России, p=ˈdalʲnʲɪj vɐˈstok rɐˈsʲiɪ) is a region in North Asia. It is the easternmost part of Russia and the Asian continent, and is coextensive with the Far Eastern Fe ...

to join the

Transbaikal Front The Transbaikal Front () was a front formed on September 15, 1941, on the basis of the Transbaikal Military District. Initially, it included the 17th and 36th armies, but in August 1942 the 12th Air Army was added to the front, and, finally, in ...

, with which it fought in the

Soviet invasion of Manchuria The Soviet invasion of Manchuria, formally known as the Manchurian Strategic Offensive Operation or simply the Manchurian Operation () and sometimes Operation August Storm, began on 9 August 1945 with the Soviet Union, Soviet invasion of the Emp ...

, being awarded the

Postwar

After the end of the war, Popov commanded the

59th Rifle Corps The 59th Quartermaster Company is a bulk petroleum company designed to provide semi-portable storage for of fuel and to provide distribution of fuel to military units within a specified geographic area while deployed overseas. Its secondary missi ...

in the Transbaikal-Amur Military District from 6 November 1945. From October 1946 he was at the disposal of the Commander-in-Chief of the Ground Forces, then in December was appointed chief of the tactics department of the A.M. Kaganovich Military Transportation Academy in Leningrad. From June 1952 he served as chief of the military department of the Leningrad Engineering-Economic Institute. Popov retired on 24 March 1958 and died in Leningrad on 6 December 1962.

Awards

Popov was a recipient of the following awards and decorations: *

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 ...

(2) *

(6) *

Order of Kutuzov The Order of Kutuzov ( ''orden Kutuzova'') is a military decoration of the Russian Federation named after famous Russian Field Marshal Mikhail Kutuzov, Mikhail Illarionovich Kutuzov (1745–1813). The Order was established during World War II t ...

, 2nd class * Medals

References

Citations

Bibliography

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Popov, Iosif 1898 births 1962 deaths People from Rylsky District People from Rylsky Uyezd Communist Party of the Soviet Union members Soviet major generals Russian Provisional Government military personnel Frunze Military Academy alumni Russian military personnel of World War I Soviet military personnel of the Russian Civil War Soviet military personnel of the Polish–Soviet War Soviet military personnel of World War II Recipients of the Order of Lenin Recipients of the Order of the Red Banner Recipients of the Order of Kutuzov, 2nd class