Pavel Grigoryevich Kuznetsov (; 24 December 1901 – 19 May 1982) 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 ...

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 ...

who held divisional and 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 ...

. 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 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 ...

, Kuznetsov rose through command and staff positions during the interwar period and served as a military advisor in China during the

Second Sino-Japanese War The Second Sino-Japanese War was fought between the Republic of China (1912–1949), Republic of China and the Empire of Japan between 1937 and 1945, following a period of war localized to Manchuria that started in 1931. It is considered part ...

. Returning to the Soviet Union, he commanded the

26th Rifle Division The 26th Rifle Division was a rifle division in the Soviet Red Army during the Russian Civil War, World War II and the Cold War. The division was formed on 3 November 1918 on the Eastern Front (China Border), sent to the Soviet-German Front in Au ...

from 1941 to 1943, but was relieved of command. Redeeming himself through performance as a brigade commander, Kuznetsov commanded the 82nd Rifle Corps during the Soviet advance through Ukraine and into the Balkans during 1943 and 1944. He continued to command the corps as part of the Soviet occupation force in Bulgaria for the rest of the war and served in the army until the early 1950s.

Early life and Russian Civil War

Pavel Grigoryevich Kuznetsov was born on 24 December 1901 in the village of Lelyukhino, Monayensky volost, Belyovsky Uyezd,

Tula Governorate Tula Governorate () was an administrative-territorial unit ('' guberniya'') of the Russian Empire and the Russian SFSR. The governate existed from 1796 to 1929; its seat was in the city of Tula. It was divided into 12 districts. The main towns w ...

. During the

, he was conscripted into the

in March 1920 and served as a

Red Army man Red Army man () was the lowest military rank in the Red Army of the Soviet Union from 1918 to 1946. On 30 November 1917, after the October Revolution, the Military Revolutionary Committee cancelled all "officer and class ranks". Henceforth, the ...

in the 30th and 1st Reserve Rifle Regiments 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 ...

at Yefremov and Moscow. In November he was enrolled as a cadet at the 4th Soviet Infantry Courses, redesignated the 8th Petrograd Infantry School in early 1921. With a detachment of cadets from the school, Kuznetsov took part in the suppression of the

Kronstadt rebellion The Kronstadt rebellion () was a 1921 insurrection of Soviet sailors, Marines, naval infantry, and civilians against the Bolsheviks, Bolshevik government in the Russian port city of Kronstadt. Located on Kotlin Island in the Gulf of Finland, ...

Interwar period

During the last month of his training at the school, Kuznetsov commanded a cadet squad. Graduating in September 1922, he was appointed a squad leader in the 8th Separate Radio Battalion of the Western Front at

Bryansk Bryansk (, ) is a types of inhabited localities in Russia, city and the administrative center of Bryansk Oblast, Russia, situated on the Desna (river), Desna River, southwest of Moscow. It has a population of 379,152 at the 2021 census. Bryans ...

. In July 1924 he was transferred to the infantry and posted to the 109th Rifle Regiment of the

37th Rifle Division The 37th Rifle Division was an infantry division of the Soviet Union's Red Army during World War II. It served in the North Caucasus Military District; established at Novocherkassk in 1919. In June–July 1939 it was at Omsk preparing for action ...

, part of the Western Military District (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 ...

from October 1926). With the regiment, Kuznetsov served as a platoon commander, assistant company commander and company commander. Kuznetsov was admitted to 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 April 1930, and upon graduation in May 1933 appointed assistant chief of the 1st (operations) section of the staff of the 58th Rifle Division of the

Ukrainian Military District The Kiev Military District (; , abbreviated ) was a military district of the Imperial Russian Army and subsequently of the Red Army and Soviet Armed Forces. It was first formed in 1862, and was headquartered in Kiev (Kyiv) for most of its exist ...

at Cherkassy. He was transferred to Moscow to serve as chief of staff of the 3rd Rifle Regiment of the Moscow Proletarian Rifle Division in February 1934. By then a

major Major most commonly refers to: * Major (rank), a military rank * Academic major, an academic discipline to which an undergraduate student formally commits * People named Major, including given names, surnames, nicknames * Major and minor in musi ...

, Kuznetsov served as assistant chief of staff of the

10th Rifle Corps The 10th Rifle Corps (Military Unit Number 16058 until June 1956) was an infantry corps of the Red Army, which later became the 10th Army Corps after the Second World War. Interwar period The corps was formed by an order dated 12 July 1922 in ...

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 ...

from January 1938, and in March of that year became acting corps chief of staff. He was appointed chief of staff of the 19th Rifle Division of the

Oryol Military District The Orel Military District () was a military district of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic and the Soviet Union. Established in 1918 during the Russian Civil War, the district was disbanded after the end of the war in 1922. It was re ...

on 4 November 1938. He was sent as a military advisor to China during the

between 14 May 1940 and 14 April 1941, serving as senior advisor to the commanders of the 3rd and 5th Military Regions. He took part in planning and execution of one army-level and two army group-level operations against the Japanese. Returning to the Soviet Union, Kuznetsov, then a colonel, was appointed commander of the

of the

1st Red Banner Army The 1st Red Banner Army () was a Red Army field army of World War II that served in the Soviet Far East. Before 1941 The 1st Army was created in July 1938 under the name of the 1st Coastal Army (or, depending on translation, 1st Maritime Army) i ...

of the

Far Eastern Front The Far Eastern Front (Russian: Дальневосточный фронт) was a front — a level of military formation that is equivalent to army group — of the Red Army during the Second World War. Early war service Тhe Far Eastern Front wa ...

on 14 April 1941.

World War II

After Germany invaded the Soviet Union, Kuznetsov continued to command the division at the station of Khorol in

Primorsky Krai Primorsky Krai, informally known as Primorye, is a federal subjects of Russia, federal subject (a krais of Russia, krai) of Russia, part of the Far Eastern Federal District in the Russian Far East. The types of inhabited localities in Russia, ...

. In September the division 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 ...

, where it was assigned to the 11th Army and took part in defensive fighting on the approaches to

Leningrad Saint Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd and later Leningrad, is the List of cities and towns in Russia by population, second-largest city in Russia after Moscow. It is situated on the Neva, River Neva, at the head of the Gulf of Finland ...

in the Valdai region and on the

Novgorod Veliky Novgorod ( ; , ; ), also known simply as Novgorod (), is the largest city and administrative centre of Novgorod Oblast, Russia. It is one of the oldest cities in Russia, being first mentioned in the 9th century. The city lies along the V ...

axis. Until late 1941 the division defended the line east of

Staraya Russa Staraya Russa (, ) is a types of inhabited localities in Russia, town in Novgorod Oblast, Russia, located on the Polist, Polist River, south of Veliky Novgorod, the administrative center of the oblast. Its population has steadily decreased over ...

. Between January and May 1942 the division took part in the Demyansk offensive as part of the 34th Army from 25 December, returning to the 11th Army on 25 March. For his performance as division commander Kuznetsov 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 ...

on 3 May. Army commander Nikolai Berzarin's recommendation read:

Colonel Comrade Kuznetsov, in the battles to destroy the 290th Infantry Division of the enemy, showed himself to be a skillful leader and organizer of battle. In difficult conditions (swamp, almost roadless, aviation of the enemy) he was a personal example of urgency and daring to soldiers and commanders to destroy the enemy...In two days of fighting the units of Comrade Kuznetsov destroyed up to 1,000 Germans, knocked out three tanks...In the battles from 10 January to 19 February he showed himself to be a strong-willed and persistent commander.

He was positively assessed in a performance evaluation:

Kuznetsov is a tactically prepared commander, ably organizes the control of his subordinate units...He works to advance his professional knowledge.

The division was assigned to the 27th Army in June and transferred to the 11th Army in November, relocated to the Staraya Russa axis. With the latter, the division took part in the second Demyansk offensive in February 1943. During the operation, Kuznetsov was relieved of command on 22 February for "not coping with his duties." Appointed commander of the 87th Separate Rifle Brigade, Kuznetsov led the brigade as it fought its way to the Lovat and took a bridgehead on the opposite bank, commanding it for seventeen days. He was appointed acting deputy chief of staff of the Northwestern Front for the auxiliary command post on 22 March, and was promoted to major general on 21 April. Kuznetsov took command of the 82nd Rifle Corps of the 34th Army on 17 July 1943. In September the corps was transferred to the 37th Army of the

Steppe Front The Steppe Front () was a front of the Red Army during the Second World War which existed from July to October 1943. History On 9 July 1943, Stavka designated a new Reserve Front in the Voronezh region, that had been effective since 30 April.G ...

(the

2nd Ukrainian Front The 2nd Ukrainian Front () was a front of the Red Army during the Second World War. History On October 20, 1943, the Steppe Front was renamed the 2nd Ukrainian Front. In mid-May 1944 Malinovsky took over the 2nd Ukrainian Front. During t ...

from 20 October). Kuznetsov led the corps in 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 ...

in the region east of

Kremenchug Kremenchuk (; , , also spelt Kremenchug, ) is an industrial city in central Ukraine which stands on the banks of the Dnieper, Dnieper River. The city serves as the administrative center of Kremenchuk Raion and Kremenchuk urban hromada within ...

, the forcing of the

Dnieper The Dnieper or Dnepr ( ), also called Dnipro ( ), is one of the major transboundary rivers of Europe, rising in the Valdai Hills near Smolensk, Russia, before flowing through Belarus and Ukraine to the Black Sea. Approximately long, with ...

and capture of a bridgehead northeast of the village of Mishurin Rog. Between October and December the corps took part in offensive operations on the Krivoy Rog axis. For his command performance in the Battle of the Dnieper, Kuznetsov was awarded the

Order of Suvorov The Order of Suvorov () is a military decoration of the Russian Federation named in honor of Russian Generalissimo Prince Alexander Suvorov (1729–1800). History The Order of Suvorov was originally a Soviet Union, Soviet award established on ...

, 2nd class, on 19 January 1944. The recommendation read:

In the offensive battles in which the corps, forcing a crossing of the Dnieper, established and expanded a bridgehead on its right bank, Major General Kuznetsov skillfully directed his troops. In a difficult situation, waging intense battles, units of the corps under the command of Comrade Kuznetsov successfully accomplished the objective to expand the Dnieper bridgehead. For skillful organization of the battle to expand the bridgehead, Major General Kuznetsov is recommended for the Order of Suvorov, 2nd class.

He was evaluated positively for his performance as corps commander:

Kuznetsov skillfully organized the offensive...made decisions quickly and correctly in difficult situations...as a result the units of the corps accomplished the objectives..."

In mid-January 1944, Kuznetsov's corps and its parent army were shifted to the

3rd Ukrainian Front The 3rd Ukrainian Front () was a Front of the Soviet Red Army during World War II. It was founded on 20 October 1943, on the basis of a Stavka order of October 16, 1943, by renaming the Southwestern Front. It included 1st Guards Army, 8th Gua ...

. During the first months of 1944 he led the corps in the Nikopol–Krivoy Rog Offensive, the Bereznegovatoye–Snigirevka offensive and the

Odessa Offensive The Odessa Offensive Operation (Russian language, Russian: Одесская Наступательная Операция, Odesskaya Nastupatel'naya Operatsiya), known on the German side as the Defensive battle of the 6th Army between Bug and Dni ...

. In these operations the corps fought over 350 kilometers, crossing the Ingulets, Ingul,

Southern Bug The Southern Bug, also called Southern Buh (; ; ; or just ), and sometimes Boh River (; ),

and

Dniester The Dniester ( ) is a transboundary river in Eastern Europe. It runs first through Ukraine and then through Moldova (from which it more or less separates the breakaway territory of Transnistria), finally discharging into the Black Sea on Uk ...

, taking part in the liberation of Krivoy Rog,

Voznesensk Voznesensk (, ) is a city in Mykolaiv Oblast, Ukraine. It serves as the administrative center of Voznesensk Raion within the oblast. It hosts the administration of the . The city has a population of History This city was founded in 1795 o ...

and

Tiraspol Tiraspol (, ; also /; , ; , ) is the capital and largest city of Transnistria, a breakaway state of Moldova, where it is the third-largest city. The city is located on the eastern bank of the Dniester River. Tiraspol is a regional hub of cul ...

. For his performance in the Nikopol–Krivoy Rog offensive, Kuznetsov was recommended for a second Order of the Red Banner by army commander

Mikhail Sharokhin Mikhail Nikolaevich Sharokhin ( November 23, 1898 – September 19, 1974) was a Soviet military commander and Hero of the Soviet Union. Biography He was born in the village of Ivanovskoje the Yaroslavl Governorate. He fought in World War I and ...

, but this was downgraded to the

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, which he was awarded on 19 March. The recommendation read:

In the offensive battles of the corps for the breakthrough of the strongly fortified zone of the enemy in the region northeast of Krivoy Rog and the capture of the city of Krivoy Rog, Major General Kuznetsov skillfully directed its troops. Waging intense battles the units of the corps under the command of Major General Kuznetsov in four days of fighting broke through the strongly fortified defense zone of the enemy and, conducting offensive battles, took the city of Krivoy Rog on 22 February. In the offensive battles the divisions of the corps inflicted a serious defeat on the 15th and 62nd Infantry Divisions of the enemy... For his skillful organization of the battle to break through the strongly fortified enemy defensive zone in the region northeast of Krivoy Rog and the capture of the city of Krivoy Rog, I recommend Major General Kuznetsov for the Order of the Red Banner.

In August Kuznetsov led the corps in the Jassy–Kishinev offensive, followed by the Soviet invasion of Bulgaria. He continued to command the corps as it served with the 37th Army, which remained in Bulgaria as an occupation force for the rest of the war. For his command performance in the Jassy–Kishinev offensive, Kuznetsov was awarded the Order of Bogdan Khmelnitsky on 13 September. The same day, he was promoted to the rank of

Postwar

After the end of the war, Kuznetsov continued to command the corps in the

Southern Group of Forces The Southern Group of Forces (YUGV) was a Soviet Armed Forces formation formed twice following the Second World War, most notably around the time of the Hungarian Revolution of 1956. First Formation On June 15, 1945, the 26th and 37th Armies (fr ...

. He was placed at the disposal of the Main Cadre Directorate in October 1945, completing the Higher Academic Courses at the Voroshilov Higher Military Academy between March 1946 and March 1947. Upon graduation, Kuznetsov was appointed deputy chief of the Directorate of Military Training Institutions of the Rifle Troops of the Ministry of the Armed Forces. He was transferred to the reserve on 20 May 1952. In retirement, Kuznetsov wrote his memoirs and authored several military history works, including a history of the Moscow Proletarian Rifle Division that he served with in the 1930s and biographies of

Fyodor Tolbukhin Fyodor Ivanovich Tolbukhin (; 16 June 1894 – 17 October 1949) was a Soviet Union, Soviet military commander and Marshal of the Soviet Union. He is regarded as one of the finest Soviet generals of World War II. Born into a peasant family i ...

and

Ivan Chernyakhovsky Ivan Danilovich Chernyakhovsky (; ; – 18 February 1945) was the youngest-ever Soviet General of the army. For his leadership during World War II he was awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union twice. He died from wounds received outside K� ...

. He died in Moscow on 18 May 1982.

Awards

Kuznetsov was a recipient of the following awards: *

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 ...

(3) *

, 2nd class *

, 2nd class * Order of Bogdan Khmelnitsky, 2nd class * Order of Saint Alexander, 1st class with swords * Medals

References

Citations

Bibliography

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Kuznetsov, Pavel Grigoryevich 1901 births 1982 deaths People from Belyovsky Uyezd Soviet lieutenant generals Frunze Military Academy alumni 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 Kutuzov, 2nd class Recipients of the Order of Bogdan Khmelnitsky (Soviet Union), 2nd class Soviet people of the Second Sino-Japanese War