Yakov Stepanovich Fokanov (; 7 December 1899 – 9 November 1985) 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 ...

. Drafted 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 ...

, he had become a junior officer by its end and would be steadily promoted during the interwar period. After commanding two other rifle divisions during the expansion of the army in the late 1930s, Fokanov became commander of the

154th Rifle Division The 154th Rifle Division was first formed as an infantry division of the Red Army in June 1940 in the Volga Military District, based on the ''shtat'' (table of organization and equipment) of the previous September. Just before the war with Germany ...

in 1940, leading it during the Battle of Smolensk, in the first weeks after

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 ...

, and the Kozelsk Offensive, after the latter of which it was converted to the

47th Guards Rifle Division 47th may refer to: Chicago Transit Authority stations * 47th station (CTA Green Line), on the Green Line * 47th station (CTA Red Line), on the Red Line See also

* {{Disambig ...

for its actions. After a brief period as deputy commander of the

5th Tank Army The 5th Tank Army is the name of several Soviet units during World War II (not to be confused with the 5th Guards Tank Army). Its first formation occurred on 5 June, 1942, commanded by Major-General Alexander Lizyukov, serving under the Bryansk ...

, Fokanov became commander of the 29th Guards Rifle Corps in 1943 on the Eastern Front and was transferred to command the

29th Rifle Corps The 29th Rifle Corps () was formed several times in the Soviet Red Army, each formation primarily seeing combat on the Eastern Front during World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) wa ...

more than a year later. After commanding the latter in the fighting in

Pomerania Pomerania ( ; ; ; ) is a historical region on the southern shore of the Baltic Sea in Central Europe, split between Poland and Germany. The central and eastern part belongs to the West Pomeranian Voivodeship, West Pomeranian, Pomeranian Voivod ...

during the final months of the war and the early postwar period, he served in staff positions before being sent to China as an advisor to the

People's Liberation Army The People's Liberation Army (PLA) is the military of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and the People's Republic of China (PRC). It consists of four Military branch, services—People's Liberation Army Ground Force, Ground Force, People's ...

in the late 1950s; this was his last position before dismissal to the reserve in 1959.

Early life and Russian Civil War

Fokanov was born on 7 December 1899 in the village of Kononovo, Ustyuzhensky Uyezd,

Novgorod Governorate Novgorod Governorate was an administrative-territorial unit (''guberniya'') of the Russian Empire and the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic, Russian SFSR, which existed from 1727 to 1776 and from 1796 to 1927. Its administrative cent ...

to a peasant family. After graduating from the village school, he worked in the logging industry between 1912 and 1917 and then became a farmer. During the

, he was drafted into the

on 15 March 1919 by the Ustyuzhinsky Uyezd

military commissariat A military commissariat (from , shortened as ), is an institution that is part of military service or law enforcement mechanisms in some European countries. As part of the British Army in the 19th century, military commissariats were used for ...

and sent to the ski detachment of the

Petrograd Saint Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd and later Leningrad, is the second-largest city in Russia after Moscow. It is situated on the River Neva, at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea. The city had a population of 5,601, ...

garrison. He was then transferred to the 2nd Reserve Rifle Regiment, stationed at the

Peter and Paul Fortress The Peter and Paul Fortress () is the original citadel of Saint Petersburg, Russia, founded by Peter the Great in 1703 and built to Domenico Trezzini's designs from 1706 to 1740 as a star fortress. Between the first half of the 1700s and early ...

, to carry out guard duty. In the fall of 1919, Fokanov fought with a ski detachment on the Petrograd front against 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 ...

Northwestern Army. After the defeat of the Northwestern Army, he was sent to the regimental school of the 11th Reserve Rifle Regiment in December 1919. Upon graduation in November 1920, he became an assistant platoon leader in the regiment. After the latter was disbanded, Fokanov served in the same position with the 10th Reserve Rifle Regiment before being sent to study at the 7th Petrograd Red Commanders' Courses in January 1921. During March, with a cadet brigade, he fought 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

From April 1921, after completing the courses, Fokanov served as a junior commander in the 10th Reserve Rifle Regiment, now part of the Petrograd Military District. When the latter was disbanded in June, he became an acting platoon commander in the machine gun regiment of the Petrograd Fortified Region. From October 1923, he studied at the 8th Petrograd Infantry Commanders' School, which was merged with the S.S. Kamenev Kiev Combined Military School in September 1924. After graduating from the latter in August 1925, Fokanov was placed at the disposal of the 135th Territorial Rifle Regiment and appointed an acting assistant platoon commander in its 9th Company. In October, he was transferred to the 138th Pereyaslav Rifle Regiment of the

46th Rifle Division The 46th Rifle Division was a rifle division of the Red Army. History The division was formed in 1923 as a territorial unit, assigned to the 14th Rifle Corps of the Ukrainian Military District. Based in Kiev, it included the 136th, 137th, and 13 ...

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 ...

, with which he successively served as a platoon commander in the machine gun company, acting company commander, regimental treasurer, acting assistant regimental commander for economic units, and as a rifle company commander. Fokanov transferred to the 137th Rifle Regiment of the division in April 1931, serving as assistant and acting regimental chief of staff, then as chief of staff and battalion commander. From June 1934, he commanded the 57th Separate Machine Gun Battalion of the 54th Directorate of Construction Work – the Rybnitsa Fortified Region of the Ukrainian Military District, which became part of the Kiev Military District when the latter split in May 1935. After serving as acting commander of the 259th Rifle Regiment of the

87th Rifle Division The 87th Rifle Division was an infantry division of the Red Army, active before, during the Second World War and afterwards. First formation It formed in the first half of 1936 in the Kiev Military District as the personnel division for the def ...

in the Kiev Military District from August 1937, Fokanov studied at the

Vystrel course The Vystrel course () was the popular name for an officer training course of the Soviet Armed Forces, later part of the Russian Armed Forces, located in Solnechnogorsk. The training course had a one-year curriculum to train battalion and regiment le ...

from November of that year until his graduation in August 1938. He was then appointed commander of the 87th's 16th Rifle Regiment, but in January 1939 took command of the 61st Rifle Division in 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 ...

. Fokanov went on to command the 129th Rifle Division from August of that year, the 18th Reserve Brigade from January 1940, and the

from July of the latter year.

World War II

Fokanov held 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 ...

'' when

, the German invasion of the Soviet Union, began in June 1941. In July the 154th became part of the

63rd Rifle Corps The 63rd Rifle Corps was a corps of the Red Army during World War II, formed twice. First formation The corps headquarters was first formed during September 1939 in the Volga Military District. It was part of the 21st Army in June 1941, with th ...

of the Western Front's 21st Army. During the Battle of Smolensk, the corps temporarily repulsed German attacks and recaptured

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 ...

in a counterattack on 13 July. For his "skilled leadership" of the division during the counterattack, Fokanov was promoted to major general on 31 July. He then led the division with the 3rd Army of the

Central Front The Central Front was a major formation of the Red Army during the Second World War formed on July 24, 1941. The Central Front describes either of two distinct organizations during the war. The first entity existed for just a month during the ...

in defensive battles on the east bank 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 ...

, preventing a German crossing near

Loyev Loyew or Loyev (, ; , ; ) is an urban-type settlement in Gomel Region, Belarus. It serves as the administrative center of Loyew District. In 2018, its population was 6,698.

. The division fought in the Oryol–Bryansk and Tula defensive operations in September and the recapture of

Kaluga Kaluga (, ) is a types of inhabited localities in Russia, city and the administrative center of Kaluga Oblast, Russia. It stands on the Oka River southwest of Moscow. Its population was 337,058 at the 2021 census. Kaluga's most famous residen ...

during the Kaluga Offensive in December as part of the 50th Army, initially with the

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 ...

and then the Western Front. In August 1942, the 154th fought in the Kozelsk Offensive against the German

2nd Panzer Army The 2nd Panzer Army () was a German armoured formation during World War II, formed from the 2nd Panzer Group on October 5, 1941. Organisation Panzer Group Guderian () was formed on 5 June 1940 and named after its commander, general Heinz Gude ...

, after which the Soviets claimed to have inflicted heavy losses on the German forces and to have forced them onto the defensive. For its "courage and heroism" in the offensive, the division was converted into the

47th Guards Rifle Division 47th may refer to: Chicago Transit Authority stations * 47th station (CTA Green Line), on the Green Line * 47th station (CTA Red Line), on the Red Line See also

* {{Disambig ...

. His superiors assessed Fokanov as having shown "bravery and skilled organization of the combined operations of different branches". After the division was transferred to the Southwestern Front in the

Stalingrad Volgograd,. geographical renaming, formerly Tsaritsyn. (1589–1925) and Stalingrad. (1925–1961), is the largest city and the administrative centre of Volgograd Oblast, Russia. The city lies on the western bank of the Volga, covering an area o ...

area during October, Fokanov became deputy commander of the front's

in December during the advance of the latter toward the

Donbas The Donbas (, ; ) or Donbass ( ) is a historical, cultural, and economic region in eastern Ukraine. The majority of the Donbas is occupied by Russia as a result of the Russo-Ukrainian War. The word ''Donbas'' is a portmanteau formed fr ...

. From April 1943, Fokanov, promoted to lieutenant general on 28 April, commanded the 29th Guards Rifle Corps of the front's

8th Guards Army The 8th Guards Order of Lenin Combined Arms Army (abbreviated 8th GCAA) was an army of the Soviet Army, as a successor to the 62nd Army of the Soviet Union's Red Army, which was formed during World War II and was disbanded in 1998 after being do ...

. He led it during the

and

Zaporizhia Offensive Zaporizhzhia, formerly known as Aleksandrovsk or Oleksandrivsk until 1921, is a city in southeast Ukraine, situated on the banks of the Dnieper, Dnieper River. It is the Capital city, administrative centre of Zaporizhzhia Oblast. Zaporizhzhia ...

s, during which it helped recapture

Barvenkovo Barvinkove (, ) is a city in Izium Raion, Kharkiv Oblast, Ukraine. It hosts the administration of Barvinkove urban hromada, one of the communities of Ukraine. Population: History Barvinkove was first mentioned in 1653. At the beginning of it ...

and

Zaporizhia Zaporizhzhia, formerly known as Aleksandrovsk or Oleksandrivsk until 1921, is a city in southeast Ukraine, situated on the banks of the Dnieper River. It is the administrative centre of Zaporizhzhia Oblast. Zaporizhzhia has a population of ...

. For his leadership of the corps, Fokanov 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 ...

and 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. From 6 September 1944, he led the

, which, as part of the 48th Army of the

2nd A second is the base unit of time in the International System of Units (SI). Second, Seconds, The Second, or (The) 2nd may also refer to: Mathematics * 2 (number), as an ordinal (also written as ''2nd'' or ''2d'') * Minute and second of arc, ...

and then

3rd Belorussian Front The 3rd Belorussian Front () was a Front of the Red Army during the Second World War. The 3rd Belorussian Front was created on 24 April 1944 from forces previously assigned to the Western Front. Over 381 days in combat, the 3rd Belorussian Fr ...

s, participated in the Mława–Elbing and East Pomeranian Offensives, during which it captured Maków,

Maków Mazowiecki Maków Mazowiecki () is a town in Poland, in the Masovian Voivodship. It is the powiat capital of Maków County (or Powiat of Maków). Its population is 10,850. History The town obtained its town charter in 1421. It was a Polish royal town, ad ...

Przasnysz Przasnysz () is a town in north-central Poland. Located in the Masovian Voivodship, about north of Warsaw and about south of Olsztyn, it is the capital of Przasnysz County. It has 18,093 inhabitants (2004). It was one of the most important towns ...

Allenstein Olsztyn ( , ) is a city on the Łyna River in northern Poland. It is the capital of the Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship, and is a city with county rights. The population of the city was estimated at 169,793 residents Olsztyn is the largest city ...

, and

Braunsberg Braniewo () (, , Old Prussian: ''Brus''), is a town in northern Poland, in Warmia, in the Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship, with a population of 16,907 as of June 2021. It is the capital of Braniewo County. Braniewo is the second biggest city of ...

. Subsequently, he distinguished himself in battles to destroy the German forces around Heilsberg, receiving the

, 1st class.

Postwar

After the end of the war, Fokanov continued to command the 29th Rifle Corps. In April 1947, he was sent to the Higher Academic Courses at the Voroshilov Higher Military Academy, and upon graduation in May 1948 became assistant commander of the 6th Guards Mechanized Army in the

Transbaikal Military District The Transbaikal Military District () was a military district of first the Soviet Armed Forces and then the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, formed on 17 May 1935 and included the Buryat Republic, Chita Oblast, and Yakutia. Chita was ...

. From January 1953 he served as assistant commander and head of the combat training directorate of the 39th Army of the Primorsky Military District in Port Arthur. From February 1955 he served as assistant commander of troops and head of the combat training directorate of the Western Siberian Military District, continuing in that position for the reformed

Siberian Military District The Siberian Military District was a Military district of the Russian Ground Forces. The district was originally formed as a military district of the Russian Empire in 1864. In 1924 it was reformed in the Red Army. After the end of World War II the ...

from January 1956. Placed at the disposal of the Commander-in-Chief of the Ground Forces in March 1957, Fokanov was sent to the China as a senior military advisor to the commander of a

military district in July of that year. Serving as a military specialist in the military district from January 1959, he was part of a contingent of senior military specialists advising PLA military district commanders. Dismissed to the reserve in May 1959, Fokanov died in

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

on 9 November 1985.

Personal life

Fokanov married Nina Alexeyevna, who served as a nurse in the medical battalion of the 154th Rifle Division, in 1946; she had two children with him. He was survived by his wife.

Awards and honors

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 ...

(5) *

, 1st and 2nd classes *

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 *

Order of the Patriotic War The Order of the Patriotic War () is a Soviet Union, Soviet military Order (decoration), decoration that was awarded to all soldiers in the Soviet armed forces, security troops, and to Partisan (military), partisans for heroic deeds in the Easte ...

, 1st class A street in Zhlobin is named for him.

References

Citations

Bibliography

* * * * 1899 births 1985 deaths People from Vologda Oblast Soviet lieutenant generals Soviet military personnel of World War II Soviet military personnel of the Russian Civil War People from Novgorod Governorate Recipients of the Order of Lenin Recipients of the Order of the Red Banner Recipients of the Order of Kutuzov, 1st class Recipients of the Order of Kutuzov, 2nd class Recipients of the Order of Suvorov, 2nd class {{DEFAULTSORT:Fokanov, Yakov