
Maksim Alexeyevich Purkayev (russian: Максим Алексеевич Пуркаев; August 14 (26), 1894, in the village of
Nalitovo,
Russian Empire – January 1, 1953,
Moscow) was a
Soviet military leader, reaching service rank of Army General.
Biography
Purkayev was conscripted into the
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 ...
in 1915, and reached the rank of
praporshchik before joining the
Red Army in 1918. He became a member of the
Communist Party in 1919. During the
Russian Civil War he served in the capacity of a company and battalion commander, and after completing the
Vystrel officer training course in 1923, he served as a regimental commander (
24th Rifle Division, staff officer and commander of a division until 1936 when he commenced studies at the
Frunze Military Academy.
From 1938 Purkayev served as the Chief of Staff of the
Belorussian Military District, as the Soviet military attaché in Berlin at the start of the Second World War in 1939, and participated in planning of the
Soviet invasion of Poland. From July 1940, Purkayev served as the Chief of Staff of the
Kiev Special Military District, and from the start of the
Soviet-German War serving as the Chief of Staff of the
Southwestern Front (June–July 1941), and later the
60th Army and
3rd Shock Army
The 3rd Shock Army (russian: Третья ударная армия) was a field army of the Red Army formed during the Second World War. The "Shock" armies were created with the specific structure to engage and destroy significant enemy forces ...
. In 1942–43 he served as commander of the
Kalinin Front and from April 1943, the
Far Eastern Front (from 1945
2nd Far Eastern Front
__NOTOC__
The 2nd Far Eastern Front (russian: 2-й Дальневосточный фронт) was a Front—a formation equivalent to a Western Army Group—of the Soviet Army. It was formed just prior to the Soviet invasion of Manchuria and was a ...
). From September 1945 to January 1947 Purkayev served as the commanding officer of the
Far Eastern Military District during which time he was nominated to the Supreme Soviet of USSR (1946–1950).
From June 1947 Purkayev was the Chief of Staff and 1st Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Far Eastern Forces. From July 1952 to his death Purkayev served as the Chief of Higher Education Directorate of the Ministry of Defence of USSR.
Honours and awards
Maksim Purkayev was decorated with two
Orders of Lenin (incl. 14 November 1943; "For exemplary fulfillment of the leadership of the Red Army mobilization, formation, acquisition and training of units and formations"), four
Orders of the Red Banner,
Order of Suvorov (1st class),
Order of Kutuzov (1st class), and numerous medals.
Sources
*Zalessky, K.A., Stalin's Empire: Biographical encyclopaedic dictionary, Moscow, Veche, 2000, (russian: Залесский К.А. Империя Сталина. Биографический энциклопедический словарь. Москва, Вече, 2000)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Purkayev, Maksim
1894 births
1953 deaths
People from Dubyonsky District, Republic of Mordovia
People from Ardatovsky Uyezd (Simbirsk Governorate)
Mordvin people
Bolsheviks
Second convocation members of the Soviet of the Union
Army generals (Soviet Union)
Frunze Military Academy alumni
Russian military personnel of World War I
Soviet military personnel of the Russian Civil War
People of the Soviet invasion of Poland
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 Suvorov, 1st class
Recipients of the Order of Kutuzov, 1st class
Soviet military attachés