Vasily Stepanovich Rakovsky (; 1 January 1898 – 7 January 1978) 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. Drafted 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 ...

, Rakovsky briefly served as a non-commissioned officer without seeing action in 1917 before the dissolution of the army and was conscripted by the

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

forces in

Siberia Siberia ( ; , ) is an extensive geographical region comprising all of North Asia, from the Ural Mountains in the west to the Pacific Ocean in the east. It has formed a part of the sovereign territory of Russia and its predecessor states ...

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 ...

, deserting to 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 ...

. Decorated for his actions as a junior commander, he served at a military school during much of the 1930s and became commander of the 167th Rifle Division as the Red Army expanded before

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 ...

. Rakovsky led the division in a temporarily successful counterattack during the Battle of Smolensk, and managed to lead a small group from his command out of encirclement several weeks later. His division disbanded due to its losses, Rakovsky was given command of the 53rd Separate Rifle Brigade in late 1941, leading it with 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 ...

in the first days of the January 1942 Lyuban Offensive. Relieved of command in the same month, he headed a military school for the rest of the war. Postwar, he served on the faculty of the Vystrel course before retiring in the late 1950s.

Early life, World War I, and Russian Civil War

An ethnic Russian, Rakovsky was born on 1 January 1898 in the village of Plavna, Brakhlovskoy volost, Novozybkovsky Uyezd,

Chernigov Governorate Chernigov Governorate was an administrative-territorial unit (''guberniya'') of the Russian Empire. It was officially created in 1802 from the disbanded Little Russia Governorate (1796-1802), Little Russia Governorate and had its capital in Cher ...

. During

, he was mobilized for service in the

on 13 February 1917 and sent to the training detachment of the 28th Siberian Rifle Regiment in

Omsk Omsk (; , ) is the administrative center and largest types of inhabited localities in Russia, city of Omsk Oblast, Russia. It is situated in southwestern Siberia and has a population of over one million. Omsk is the third List of cities and tow ...

. After graduation with the rank of junior '' unter-ofitser'', Rakovsky served with the regiment for one and a half months. The regiment was disbanded after the

October Revolution The October Revolution, also known as the Great October Socialist Revolution (in Historiography in the Soviet Union, Soviet historiography), October coup, Bolshevik coup, or Bolshevik revolution, was the second of Russian Revolution, two r ...

in November, and following his demobilization Rakovsky went to Barnaulsky Uyezd of

Tomsk Governorate Tomsk Governorate () was an administrative-territorial unit (''guberniya'') of the Russian Empire, the Russian Republic, and the Russian SFSR, which existed from 1804 to 1925 as part of Siberian Governorate-General (1804–1822) and West Siberian ...

, where he worked as a miner. During the

, he was conscripted into the

army of

Alexander Kolchak Admiral Alexander Vasilyevich Kolchak (; – 7 February 1920) was a Russian navy officer and polar explorer who led the White movement in the Russian Civil War. As he assumed the title of Supreme Ruler of Russia in 1918, Kolchak headed a mili ...

on 13 August 1918 while at

Kamen Kamen () is a town in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, in the district Unna. Geography Kamen is situated at the east end of the Ruhr area, approximately 10 km south-west of Hamm and 25 km north-east of Dortmund. Neighbouring citie ...

and sent to

Novonikolayevsk Novosibirsk is the largest city and administrative centre of Novosibirsk Oblast and the Siberian Federal District in Russia. As of the 2021 census, it had a population of 1,633,595, making it the most populous city in Siberia and the third-mo ...

to serve with the Nikolayevsk Reserve Regiment. After deserting on 28 December, Rakovsky joined the

at the beginning of January 1919, serving with the 1st Separate

Glazov Glazov ( rus, Глазов, p=ˈɡlazəf; ) is a types of inhabited localities in Russia, town in the Udmurt Republic, Russia, located along the Trans-Siberian Railway, on the Cheptsa River. Population: History It was first mentioned in the 17t ...

Battalion of the 3rd Army of the Eastern Front, with which he fought in the battles against the army of Kolchak. Wounded near

Perm Perm or PERM may refer to: Places * Perm, Russia, a city in Russia **Permsky District, the district **Perm Krai, a federal subject of Russia since 2005 **Perm Oblast, a former federal subject of Russia 1938–2005 ** Perm Governorate, an administr ...

in March, he was evacuated to a hospital. Upon his recovery, Rakovsky entered the eight-month command course in

Samara Samara, formerly known as Kuybyshev (1935–1991), is the largest city and administrative centre of Samara Oblast in Russia. The city is located at the confluence of the Volga and the Samara (Volga), Samara rivers, with a population of over 1.14 ...

. Two weeks later, he was sent with the courses to the Southern Front to fight against the White

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 area of Millerovo and

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 ...

. For their "courage in battle", the course 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 ...

, returning to Samara in early July. After graduating in May 1920, Rakovsky became a platoon commander in the 458th Rifle Regiment of the 51st Rifle Division. With the latter, he was sent to the Southern Front during July to fight against the

Army of Wrangel The Russian Army (), commonly known as the Army of Wrangel (), was a White Army active in South Russia during the Russian Civil War from March to November 1920. It was officially formed on 28 April 1920 from the merger of several White armies, i ...

. As a company commander and acting battalion commander, Rakovsky fought on the

Kakhovka Kakhovka (, ) is a port city on the Dnieper River in Kakhovka Raion, Kherson Oblast, of southern Ukraine. It hosts the administration of the Kakhovka urban hromada, one of the hromadas of Ukraine. It had a population of Kakhovka has been under ...

bridgehead and in the Perekop–Chongar Offensive, receiving the Order of the Red Banner for his actions in the latter, which defeated the Army of Wrangel in Crimea. After the end of the fighting in Crimea, the regiment fought against

Ukrainian People's Army The Ukrainian People's Army (), also known as the Ukrainian National Army (UNA) or by the derogatory term Petliurivtsi (, ), was the army of the Ukrainian People's Republic (1917–1921). They were often quickly reorganized units of the former I ...

insurgents in

Podolian Governorate Podolia Governorate was an administrative-territorial unit ('' guberniya'') of the Southwestern Krai of the Russian Empire. It bordered Volhynian Governorate to the north, Kiev Governorate to the east, Kherson Governorate to the southeast, Bess ...

Interwar period

After the end of the Russian Civil War, Rakovsky served with the 51st Rifle Division as an assistant company commander in the 459th Rifle Regiment, and from April 1922 as assistant company commander and company commander in the 153rd Rifle Regiment. He completed a chemical course at Kharkov in 1923 and passed an external examination of the military normal school at the

Kiev Infantry School Kyiv, also Kiev, is the capital and most populous city of Ukraine. Located in the north-central part of the country, it straddles both sides of the Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2022, its population was 2,952,301, making Kyiv the seventh-mo ...

in 1926, studying at the Vystrel course between October 1927 and August 1928. Rakovsky completed a course for mobilization work 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 ...

headquarters in 1930, and in October of that year transferred to the Odessa Red Army Commanders' Infantry School in October 1930, where he served as a tactics instructor and as chief of staff and commander of a student battalion. He was appointed assistant commander for drill units of the 138th Rifle Regiment of the 46th Rifle Division of the

Kiev 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 ...

in January 1937. From December of that year he commanded the 45th and then the 351st Rifle Regiments of the 15th Rifle Division at

Kherson Kherson (Ukrainian language, Ukrainian and , , ) is a port city in southern Ukraine that serves as the administrative centre of Kherson Oblast. Located by the Black Sea and on the Dnieper, Dnieper River, Kherson is the home to a major ship-bui ...

. Now a colonel, Rakovsky was appointed assistant commander of the

95th Rifle Division The 95th Rifle Division (Russian: 95-я стрелковая дивизия 95-y strelkovaya diviziya) was a Red Army Division (military), Rifle Division during World War II, formed three times. The division was first formed in November 1923 with ...

of the Kiev Special Military District at Kotovsk in February 1939. He became commander of the 20th Reserve Rifle Brigade 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 ...

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 ...

in January 1940, later transferring to command the 19th Reserve Rifle Brigade at the same location. He became commander of the 167th Rifle Division, then forming at Balashov, on 16 July of that year, with the rank of ''

Kombrig () is an abbreviation of Commanding officer of the brigade (), and was a military rank in the Soviet Armed Forces of the USSR from 1935 to 1940. It was also the designation to military personnel appointed to command a brigade sized formation (X ...

''. Just before the beginning of

, the June 1941 German invasion of the Soviet Union, the division became part of the 63rd Rifle Corps.

World War II

After the beginning of Operation Barbarossa, the division and its corps were sent to the front, joining the 21st Army of the Reserve of the High Command (Stavka reserve). From 28 June, Rakovsky led the 167th in defense of positions between

Rogachev Rahachow or Rogachev (, ; ; ; , ) is a town in Gomel Region, Belarus. It serves as the administrative center of Rahachow District. Rahachow is located between the Drut and Dnieper rivers. As of 2025, it has a population of 31,490. History The ...

and

Zhlobin Zhlobin (; ; ; ) is a town in Gomel Region, Belarus. It is located on the Dnieper River, and serves as the administrative center of Zhlobin District. It is situated from Gomel. As of 2025, it has a population of 76,304. The town is notable fo ...

. During the Battle of Smolensk the division repulsed German attempts to cross 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 ...

. Launching a counterattack, it advanced to the line of the

Drut River The Drut or Druts (, ; , ) is a river in Belarus, a right tributary of Dnieper. It originates in the Orsha Upland in the Belarusian Ridge and flows through the Vitebsk, Mogilev and Gomel regions of Belarus. It is long, and has a drainage ba ...

and remained there until 12 August, when it was withdrawn to the army reserve. For "successful attacks" towards

Bobruisk Babruysk (, ) or Bobruysk (, ; , ) is a city in Mogilev Region, Belarus. It serves as the administrative center of Babruysk District, though it is administratively separated from the district. It is situated on the Berezina River. Babruysk o ...

Rakovsky was promoted to major general on 31 July. Relocated to the area of Dovsk, the division defended the latter as part of the 67th Rifle Corps, fighting in encirclement from 13 August. Due to its loss of contact with the 67th Rifle Corps, the 167th returned to the control of the 63rd Rifle Corps from 14 August. In the encirclement, Rakovsky decided to destroy heavy weapons and ordered the division to escape in groups. He led a group of 25 others out of the encirclement with their weapons in the sector of the 155th Rifle Division of the

Bryansk Front The Bryansk Front () was a Front (military formation), major formation of the Red Army during the World War II, Second World War. First Formation (August - November 1941) General Andrei Yeremenko was designated commander of the Front when it fi ...

on 18 September; about 2,500 men of the division escaped the encirclement. The units that escaped encirclement were disbanded and their men used to reinforce other units, and Rakovsky was appointed assistant deputy commander of the Bryansk Front by 15 October, then placed at the disposal of the Main Personnel Directorate of the People's Commissariat of Defense. Appointed commander of the 53rd Separate Rifle Brigade of the 26th Army (redesignated as the

in late December) in Stavka reserve in November, Rakovsky led the brigade in the

Lyuban Offensive Operation The Battle of Lyuban, Lyuban offensive operation or Battle of the Volkhov (7 January 1942 – 30 April 1942) (Russian: Любанская наступательная операция; German: Schlacht am Wolchow) was a Soviet offensive operatio ...

from 7 January. Ten days later, he was relieved of command for "not fulfilling orders and tolerating heavy losses", being again placed at the disposal of the Main Personnel Directorate. Rakovsky never held a combat command again and in February was appointed head of the 2nd Leningrad Infantry School, evacuated to Glazov, where he spent the rest of the war.

Postwar

Postwar, between October 1945 and March 1946, Rakovsky was again placed at the disposal of the Main Personnel Directorate, then sent to become an instructor at the Vystrel course at

Solnechnogorsk Solnechnogorsk (, lit. ''sunny mountain town'') is a town and the administrative center of Solnechnogorsky District in Moscow Oblast, Russia, located on the Moscow–St. Petersburg Highway and the Moscow–St. Petersburg railway, on ...

. There, he served as head of a class, senior tactics instructor, head of the 5th class, and head of a special department for the training of foreign military personnel, before his retirement on 7 January 1957. Rakovsky lived in Solnechnogorsk, where he died on 7 January 1978.

Awards

Rakovsky was a recipient of the following 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 ...

(3) *

Order of the Red Star The Order of the Red Star () was a military decoration of the Soviet Union. It was established by decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of 6 April 1930 but its statute was only defined in decree of the Presidium of the ...

References

Citations

Bibliography

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Rakovsky, Vasily 1898 births 1978 deaths Soviet major generals Russian military personnel of World War I Soviet military personnel of the Russian Civil War Soviet military personnel of World War II People from Chernigov Governorate People from Bryansk Oblast Recipients of the Order of Lenin Recipients of the Order of the Red Banner White movement people Deserters