1st rank () is the abbreviation to commanding officer of the army 1st class (; ), and was a

military rank Military ranks is a system of hierarchy, hierarchical relationships within armed forces, police, Intelligence agency, intelligence agencies, paramilitary groups, and other institutions organized along military organisation , military lines, such ...

in the

Soviet Armed Forces The Armed Forces of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, also known as the Armed Forces of the Soviet Union, the Red Army (1918–1946) and the Soviet Army (1946–1991), were the armed forces of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republi ...

of the

USSR The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

in the period from 1935 to 1940. It was also the designation to military personnel appointed to command an army group or front sized formation (XXXXX). Until 1940 it was the second highest military rank of the Red Army. It was equivalent to ''Komissar army 1st rank'' (ru: армейский комиссар 1-ого ранга) of the political staff in all military branches, ''Fleet Flag Officer 1st rank'' (ru: флагман флота 1-ого ранга) in the ''Soviet navy'', or to ''Komissar of state security 1st rank'' (ru: комиссар государственной безопасности 1-ого ранга). With the reintroduction of regular general ranks, the designation ''Komandarm 1st rank'' was abolished, and replaced by

General of the Army Army general or General of the army is the highest ranked general officer in many countries that use the French Revolutionary System. Army general is normally the highest rank used in peacetime. In countries that adopt the general officer fou ...

(OF-9).

History

By foundation of the Soviet Union the rank designation and rank insignia of the

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 ...

suppressed. However, an alternative rank structure was introduced by disposal of the Central Executive Committee of the Soviet Union and the Council of People's Commissars, from September 22, 1935. The new rank structure was as follows: * Command level

Brigade A brigade is a major tactical military unit, military formation that typically comprises three to six battalions plus supporting elements. It is roughly equivalent to an enlarged or reinforced regiment. Two or more brigades may constitute ...

X: (Brigadier) * Command level Division XX: (Division commander) * Command level

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 formally introduced March 1, 1800, when Napoleon ordered Gener ...

XXX: (Korps commander) * Command level

Field army A field army (also known as numbered army or simply army) is a military formation in many armed forces, composed of two or more corps. It may be subordinate to an army group. Air army, Air armies are the equivalent formations in air forces, and ...

XXXX: ''Komandarm'' 2nd rank (Army commander 2nd rank – Commander Army) * Command level

Army group An army group is a military organization consisting of several field army, field armies, which is self-sufficient for indefinite periods. It is usually responsible for a particular geographic area. An army group is the largest field organizatio ...

, Front XXXXX: ''Komandarm'' 1st rank (Army commander 1st rank – Front commander) *

Marshal of the Soviet Union Marshal of the Soviet Union (, ) was the second-highest military rank of the Soviet Union. Joseph Stalin wore the uniform and insignia of Marshal after World War II. The rank of Marshal of the Soviet Union was created in 1935 and abolished in ...

By appointment of Kulik, Timoschenko and Schaposchnikov to Marshal of the Soviet Union (May 7, 1940) the above-mentioned individual ran structure was abolished and replaced by the new rank designation traditional Russian general's rank designations. The rank ''Komandarm 1st rank'' was converted to General of the Army, the equivalent general's rank (OF-9).Disposal of the Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union from May 07, 1940, on introduction of military ranks to higher commanding staff of the Workers' and Peasants' Red Army, from May 07, 1940. However, the old distinction insignia had been worn until reintroduction of shoulder boards in 1943. Especially the collar insignia had to be worn out, and were finally replaced by the introduction of gorged embroidery for general officers.

Rank insignia

Red Army 1935 collar big komandarm 1-go ranga.svg, Red Army 1935 collar small komandarm 1-go ranga.svg, RKKA 1935 chevron OF9a komandarm 1-go ranga.svg, {{center, Chevron/ sleeve insignia

Appointment

1935

Appointment to ''Komandarm 1st rank'' as to the disposal of the

Central Executive Committee of the Soviet Union The Central Executive Committee of the USSR (), which may be abbreviated as the CEC (), was the supreme governing body of the USSR in between sessions of the All-Union Congress of Soviets from 1922 to 1938. The Central Executive Committee elec ...

and the

Council of People's Commissars The Council of People's Commissars (CPC) (), commonly known as the ''Sovnarkom'' (), were the highest executive (government), executive authorities of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic (RSFSR), the Soviet Union (USSR), and the Sovi ...

(CPC) from November 11, 1935: * Kamenev, Sergey Sergeyevich (1881–1936) * Yakir, Iona Emmanuilovich (1896–1937) * Uborevičius, Jeronimas (1896–1937) * Belov, Ivan Panvilovich (1893–1938) * Schaposchnikow, Boris Mikhailovitch (1882–1945)

1938

* Fedko, Ivan Fyodorovich (1897–1939); as to CPC disposal February 20, 1938 * Frinovsky, Mikhail Petrovich (1898–1940); as to CPC disposal September 14, 1938

1939

Appointments as to CPC disposal February 8, 1939: * Kulik, Grigory Ivanovich (1890–1950) * Timoshenko, Semyon Konstantinovich (1895–1970)

Sources / references

Military ranks of the Soviet Union