Mikhail Semyonovich Khozin (; 27 February 1979) was a

Soviet 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 ...

general. He was the commander 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 ...

from October 1941 to June 1942, until he was relieved from command and replaced by

Leonid Govorov Leonid Aleksandrovich Govorov (; – 19 March 1955) was a Soviet Union, Soviet military commander. Trained as an artillery officer, he joined the Red Army in 1920. He graduated from several Soviet military academies, including the Military Aca ...

for failing to relieve the

2nd Shock Army The 2nd Shock Army (), sometimes translated to English as 2nd Assault Army, was a field army of the Soviet Union during the Second World War. This type of formation was created in accordance with prewar doctrine that called for Shock Armies to ''o ...

Early life, World War I, and Russian Civil War

Mikhail Semyonovich Khozin was born on in the village of Skachikha, Kirsanovsky Uyezd,

Tambov Governorate Tambov Governorate () was an administrative-territorial unit (''guberniya'') of the Russian Empire, the Russian Republic, and the Russian SFSR, with its capital in Tambov. It was located between 51°14' and 55°6' north latitude, north and betwee ...

, the son of a railroad worker. He graduated from a parish school in 1907 and a three-year city school in 1911, entering the Saratov Railway Technical School. In August 1915, he was mobilized into 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 ...

during

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 ...

and enlisted in the 4th Company of the 60th Reserve Infantry Battalion at Tambov as a volunteer. In May 1916 he entered the 4th Kiev School for Praporshchiks for junior officer training. In June of that year he graduated with the rank of Praporshchik and was appointed a junior officer in the 60th Reserve Infantry Regiment. In late October, he was sent to the 37th Siberian Rifle Regiment of the 10th Siberian Rifle Division , where he was appointed a junior officer in the regimental machine gun detachment. Subsequently, he fought on the

Romanian Front The Romanian Front (, FR) was a moderate fascist party created in Romania in 1935. Led by former Prime Minister of Romania, Prime Minister Alexandru Vaida-Voevod, it originated as a right-wing splinter group from the mainstream National Peasants' ...

with this unit, part of the 6th Army, and was wounded on 18 December 1916. In June 1917, he was appointed regimental head of the intelligence collection, and was elected a member of the regimental committee that month. In August, Khozin was appointed officer for special assignments with the topographical section of the quartermaster general department of the 6th Army. He was demobilized in late 1917. After returning to his homeland, Khozin worked at the rail junction at the station of

Kirsanov Kirsanov () is a types of inhabited localities in Russia, town in Tambov Oblast, Russia, located on the Vorona River (Russia), Vorona River at its confluence with the Pursovka River east of Tambov. Population: History It was founded in the fir ...

as commissar of the track and traffic service of the Kirsanov Rail Junction, simultaneously commanding a workers' detachment tasked with guarding the rail bridge. He was conscripted 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 ...

during a mobilization of party members in November 1918, appointed assistant commander of the 14th

Rtishchevo Rtishchevo ( rus, Ртищево, p=ˈrtʲiɕːɪvə) is a types of inhabited localities in Russia, town in Saratov Oblast, Russia, located west of Saratov, the administrative center of the oblast. Population: History The village of Rtishchev ...

Railroad Regiment. Khozin rose to command the regiment in May 1919, leading it against Mamontov's raid. In late 1919, the regiment was reorganized into two separate battalions, the 34th and 33rd. Khozin continued to command the 34th Separate Rifle Battalion, which remained in Kirsanov and operated in 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 ...

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 ...

and

Tambov Tambov ( , ; rus, Тамбов, p=tɐmˈbof) is a types of inhabited localities in Russia, city and the administrative center of Tambov Oblast, Central Federal District, central Russia, at the confluence of the Tsna River (Moksha basin), Tsna ...

sectors. In May 1920 Khozin transferred to command the 194th Separate Rifle Battalion VOKhR, and in October took command of the 294th Rifle Regiment of the 33rd Rifle Division VNUS. He took part 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 ...

Saratov Saratov ( , ; , ) is the largest types of inhabited localities in Russia, city and administrative center of Saratov Oblast, Russia, and a major port on the Volga River. Saratov had a population of 901,361, making it the List of cities and tow ...

and Voronezh Governorates.

Interwar period

From February 1921, he commanded the 22nd Separate Rifle Brigade of the Cheka Troops, which guarded the Soviet border with Estonia and Latvia. In October of that year he was appointed commander of the 113th Separate Rifle Brigade of the Oryol Military District. Khozin's brigade was sent to the

North Caucasus Military District The North Caucasus Military District was a military district of the Russian Armed Forces from 1992-2010. Before 1992 it had been part of the Soviet Armed Forces since 1918. In 2010 it became the Southern Military District and lately also included t ...

, where it was assigned to the 28th Rifle Division. Subsequently, he led a regiment of the division in the suppression of anti-Soviet resistance in

Terek Oblast The Terek Oblast was a province (''oblast'') of the Caucasus Viceroyalty (1801–1917), Caucasus Viceroyalty of the Russian Empire, roughly corresponding to the central part of Russia's North Caucasian Federal District. Тhe ''оblast'' was created ...

between December 1921 and March 1922, and in the disarmament of Chechnya, Ingushetia and Ossetia during November and December 1923. In January 1924, Khozin was appointed assistant commander of the 22nd Rifle Division at

Krasnodar Krasnodar, formerly Yekaterinodar (until 1920), is the largest city and the administrative centre of Krasnodar Krai, Russia. The city stands on the Kuban River in southern Russia, with a population of 1,154,885 residents, and up to 1.263 millio ...

, and that fall went to Moscow to complete the Higher Academic Courses at 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 ...

. After graduating from the courses, he became commander of the

32nd Rifle Division The 32nd Rifle Division was an infantry division of the Red Army and later of the Soviet Army, formed three times. Interwar period An order of 25 May 1922 combined the 2nd Saratov Separate Rifle Brigade and the 81st Rifle Brigade of the 27th Ri ...

before taking command of the 31st Rifle Division at Stalingrad in September 1925. In October 1926, he was appointed commander of the 34th Rifle Division at

. He graduated from the political training courses for commanders at the Military-Political Academy in 1930, and was transferred to the

Transbaikal Transbaikal, Trans-Baikal, Transbaikalia ( rus, Забайка́лье, r=Zabaykal'ye, p=zəbɐjˈkalʲjɪ), or Dauria (, ''Dauriya'') is a mountainous region to the east of or "beyond" (trans-) Lake Baikal at the south side of the eastern Si ...

in 1932 to command the 36th Rifle Division of the Special Red Banner Far Eastern Army. Khozin was transferred west in May 1935 to command the 18th Rifle Division of 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 ...

, and in April 1937 rose to command the 1st Rifle Corps of the

Leningrad Military District The Order of Lenin Leningrad Military District () is a military district of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. The district was awarded the Order of Lenin in 1968. In 2010, it was merged with the Moscow Military District, the Northern ...

. Promotions followed quickly for Khozin as he was appointed deputy commander of the

in December of that year, and in April 1938 succeeded to command the district. He was promoted to the rank of

komkor () is the syllabic abbreviation for corps commander (; ). It was a Military ranks of the Soviet Union, military rank in the Red Army and Red Army Air Force of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics in the period from 1935 to 1940. It was als ...

on 22 February 1938, and was appointed chief of the Frunze Military Academy in January 1939. Khozin was promoted to Komandarm 2nd rank on 8 February 1939 and received the rank of '' general-leytenant'' when the Red Army introduced general officer ranks on 4 June 1940.

World War II

After Germany invaded the Soviet Union, Khozin was dispatched to hold an operational post in July, becoming deputy commander for the rear of

Georgy Zhukov Georgy Konstantinovich Zhukov ( 189618 June 1974) was a Soviet military leader who served as a top commander during World War II and achieved the rank of Marshal of the Soviet Union. During World War II, Zhukov served as deputy commander-in-ch ...

's Front of Reserve Armies. He was made a deputy chief of the General Staff on 4 September, responsible for the Leningrad axis. When Zhukov took command of the

, he brought Khozin with him as his chief of staff on 13 September. Khozin simultaneously commanded the 54th Army from 26 September during operations aiming to break the

Siege of Leningrad The siege of Leningrad was a Siege, military blockade undertaken by the Axis powers against the city of Leningrad (present-day Saint Petersburg) in the Soviet Union on the Eastern Front (World War II), Eastern Front of World War II from 1941 t ...

in the region of

Kolpino Kolpino () is a administrative divisions of Saint Petersburg, municipal city in Kolpinsky District of the federal cities of Russia, federal city of Saint Petersburg, St. Petersburg, Russia, located on the Izhora River (tributary of th ...

. After Zhukov departed the Leningrad Front Khozin succeeded him in command on 27 October. Khozin led the front during the Tikhvin defensive and offensive operations, and in April 1942 took simultaneous command of the Volkhov Group of Forces, reduced in status from the previously independent Volkhov Front. For his failure to relieve the

, Khozin was relieved of command in June and appointed commander of the 33rd Army, fighting on the

Vyazma Vyazma () is a types of inhabited localities in Russia, town and the administrative center of Vyazemsky District, Smolensk Oblast, Vyazemsky District in Smolensk Oblast, Russia, located on the Vyazma River, about halfway between Smolensk, the ...

axis. He served as deputy commander of the Western Front between October and December. Zhukov selected Khozin to lead the 20th Army on 7 December, replacing the dismissed Nikolay Kiryukhin as the army prepared for

Operation Mars Operation Mars (Russian: Операция «Марс»), also known as the Second Rzhev-Sychevka Offensive Operation (Russian: Вторая Ржевско-Сычёвская наступательная операция), was the codename f ...

. Khozin's army was tasked with attacking the German defenses on the Vazuza river bridgehead, and due to the understrength, demoralized and inexperienced conditions of his units Khozin's plan for the offensive relied on a frontal attack. The army suffered heavy losses in a series of costly attacks and the offensive culminated by mid-December. Khozin was replaced in command of the army and appointed Stavka representative to the 3rd Tank Army, serving in this capacity during the Ostrogozhsk–Rossosh offensive. In January 1943 Khozin was promoted to the rank of '' general-polkovnik.'' Khozin commanded the Special Group of Forces created to eliminate the German Demyansk salient in the Demyansk Offensive between February and March. Khozin's group reported directly to

Stavka The ''Stavka'' ( Russian and Ukrainian: Ставка, ) is a name of the high command of the armed forces used formerly in the Russian Empire and Soviet Union and currently in Ukraine. In Imperial Russia ''Stavka'' referred to the administrat ...

and operated in the zone of 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 ...

. Khozin became deputy commander of the Northwestern Front in April, and transferred to hold the same position for the Western Front. He was dismissed from this position by a Stavka order on 8 December for inactivity and an unserious attitude to his duties. In March 1944 he was appointed commander of the

Volga Military District The Volga Military District (PriVO) was a military district of the Soviet Union and the Russian Federation that existed from 1918 to 1989 and 1992 to 2001. The district headquarters was located at Kazan, Saratov and Kuibyshev (Samara) at differen ...

in the rear, remaining in this post for the rest of the war.

Postwar

Postwar, Khozin was relieved of command of the Volga Military District in July 1945, considered unfit for his position. After a year at the disposal of the Main Cadre Directorate awaiting his next assignment, he was appointed to a non-operational post, chief of the Military-Pedagogical Institute in July 1946. Khozin remained in military academy posts for the rest of his career, and was transferred to serve as chief of the Military Foreign Languages Institute in February 1954. He was shifted to serve as chief of the Higher Academic Courses at the Voroshilov Higher Military Academy in November 1956, and in November 1959 became head of a department of the academy. Retired in November 1963, Khozin died on 27 February 1979 in Moscow and was buried in the columbarium of the

Vagankovo Cemetery Vagankovo Cemetery () is located in the Presnensky District of Moscow, Russia. It was established in 1771, in an effort to curb 1770–1772 Russian plague, an outbreak of bubonic plague in Central Russia. The cemetery was one of those created ou ...

References

Citations

Bibliography

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Khozin, Mikhail 1896 births 1979 deaths People from Tambov Oblast People from Kirsanovsky Uyezd Bolsheviks Communist Party of the Soviet Union members Members of the Supreme Soviet of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic, 1938–1947 Soviet colonel generals Military Academy of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Soviet Union alumni Commandants of the Frunze Military Academy Imperial Russian Army officers Russian military personnel of World War I Soviet military personnel of the Russian Civil 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 Suvorov, 2nd class Recipients of the Order of Suvorov, 1st class Siege of Leningrad