Yakov Vladimirovich Smushkevich (
Lithuanian: Jakovas Smuškevičius, ; – 28 October 1941) was the Commander of the Soviet Air Forces from 1939 to 1940 and the first Jewish
Hero of the Soviet Union
The title Hero of the Soviet Union () was the highest distinction in the Soviet Union, awarded together with the Order of Lenin personally or collectively for heroic feats in service to the Soviet state and society. The title was awarded both ...
. Arrested shortly before the start of
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 ...
on falsified charges of being part of an anti-Soviet conspiracy, he became the only man to receive the
Hero of the Soviet Union
The title Hero of the Soviet Union () was the highest distinction in the Soviet Union, awarded together with the Order of Lenin personally or collectively for heroic feats in service to the Soviet state and society. The title was awarded both ...
twice and then be executed. The charges were posthumously dropped and he was rehabilitated in 1954.
He participated in the
Spanish Civil War
The Spanish Civil War () was a military conflict fought from 1936 to 1939 between the Republican faction (Spanish Civil War), Republicans and the Nationalist faction (Spanish Civil War), Nationalists. Republicans were loyal to the Left-wing p ...
, where he was known as "General Douglas". For his service in Spain he received the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. He was in charge of aviation for the 1st Army Corps at the
Battle of Khalkhin Gol, again receiving the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. He was the commander of the Soviet Air Force from 1939 to 1940, and Deputy Chief of the General Staff from 1940 to 1941. He was arrested in June 1941
and executed without trial on the personal orders of
Lavrentiy Beria
Lavrentiy Pavlovich Beria ka, ლავრენტი პავლეს ძე ბერია} ''Lavrenti Pavles dze Beria'' ( – 23 December 1953) was a Soviet politician and one of the longest-serving and most influential of Joseph ...
on 28 October 1941 in Kuybyshev.
Early life
Smushkevich was born on to a Lithuanian Jewish family in
Rokiškis
Rokiškis () is a list of cities in Lithuania, city in northeastern Lithuania, close to the Latvia–Lithuania border, with a population of 11,606 (2023). The city is a capital of the Rokiškis District Municipality with a population of 28,715 (20 ...
, then part of the Russia Empire. He completed only three grades of primary school before the Emperor of Russia ordered the deportation and exile of all Jews in frontline areas of the First World War, resulting in he and the rest of his family being exiled to the
Arkhangelsk Oblast
Arkhangelsk Oblast ( rus, Архангельская область, p=ɐrˈxanɡʲɪlʲskəjə ˈobɫəsʲtʲ) is a federal subjects of Russia, federal subject of Russia (an oblast). It includes the Arctic Ocean, Arctic archipelagos of Franz ...
in the far north of Russia. There, despite his young age, he worked at a bakery and a pier until he was allowed to return to Lithuania with his family in 1917. In 1918 he entered the Red Army and fought in the 1st Minsk Communist Battalion. In 1919 the battalion was placed on the Western front to fight in the
Polish-Soviet War. While commissar of the battalion he was injured during a battle in Belarus and captured. He was imprisoned in Baranavichy and Vilnius before his escape in Spring 1920, after which he eventually became the political instructor of the 144th Rifle Regiment. From 1921 to 1922 he was the head of
the Cheka in Klintsy county, now part of the Bryansk region. His police unit participated in operations in the Gomel oblast, and in March 1922 he was transferred to the 3rd Infantry Regiment. There he served as the deputy commissar until September when he was made the
party
A party is a gathering of people who have been invited by a Hospitality, host for the purposes of socializing, conversation, recreation, or as part of a festival or other commemoration or celebration of a special occasion. A party will oft ...
organizer of the 4th Separate Fight Aviation Squadron in Minsk. From August 1923 to February 1926 he was the political instructor of the squadron. While a political instructor he attended the Belarusian State University, but did not complete his studies there due to receiving a new post before he could finish. He went on to receive several promotions before graduating from the M.V.Frunze military academy in 1930, after which he was appointed as the deputy head of the political department of the 2nd Aviation Brigade. In late 1931 he became the commander of the 2nd Mixed Aviation Brigade, which soon became a role model unit in the Soviet military and was praised by the government of the Byelorussian SSR. In 1932 he attended a flight training program in Kachinskygy where he learned to fly the
I-5. He left his position in command of the brigade in 1936 due to the start of the Spanish civil war.
Spanish Civil War
Smushkevich arrived in Spain as part of a group of Soviet volunteers in October 1936. There, he worked as a senior advisor to the commander of the
Spanish Republican Air Force and lived under the pseudonym General Douglas. During the conflict he gained 223 flight hours, over half of them on the I-15 fighter. He was reprimanded for spending too much time flying combat missions instead of leading the Spanish as commander of the Madrid Air Defense. In June 1937 he returned to the Soviet Union and was awarded the title
Hero of the Soviet Union
The title Hero of the Soviet Union () was the highest distinction in the Soviet Union, awarded together with the Order of Lenin personally or collectively for heroic feats in service to the Soviet state and society. The title was awarded both ...
. That year he became the deputy head of the Soviet Air Forces.
Neman R-10 crash
On 30 April 1938 Smushkevich was badly injured while conducting a practice flight on a R-10 in preparation for a parade before it crashed due to mechanical failure. The plane was a gift from
Kharkov
Kharkiv, also known as Kharkov, is the second-largest List of cities in Ukraine, city in Ukraine. ; upon taking off he had been in the air for less than a minute and reached an altitude of no more than 50 meters before the crash. Rescuers found him unconscious and badly disfigured, with burns to his back, multiple fractures in his legs and feet, crushed thighbones, and head injuries. His legs were almost amputated due to the extent of the injuries, but they were not. After surgery he was left with one leg shorter than the other and was unable to move them for a long time. After remaining bedridden for several months he was eventually able to fly again, but problems with his badly damaged legs continued to plague him for the remainder of his life.
Battle of Khalkin Gol
After Japanese forces attacked Mongolian cavalry in the disputed territory east of the Khalkin Gol river in May 1939, Smushkevich was sent to Mongolia as the commander of the air force portion of the 1st Army Group. There he spent much of his time training pilots for missions, which were flown on the new
I-16 and
I-153 fighters. After returning to the USSR in September he was awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union again on 17 November 1939 for his role in gaining air superiority over the Japanese.
Winter War
In November 1939 Smushkevich became the Commander-in-Chief of the Soviet Air Force. During the
Soviet-Finnish War he visited the front on multiple occasions and managed the development of an aviation regiment of pilots trained for flying in bad weather. In his final report to the Main Military Council of the Red Army, he noted and criticized failures of the Soviet military's organization and training.
World War II and downfall
In August 1940 Smushkevich was made the Inspector-General of the Air Force, and
Pavel Rychagov replaced him as commander-in-chief. That year he supported the establishment of a new military academy for navigators and aviation commanders. In December he became the assistant chief of General Staff of the Air Force, where he spent much of his time worrying about the lack of training pilots had for flying in poor weather and the shortage of pilots able to use new equipment.
Aleksandr Golovanov suggested that he write a letter to Stalin expressing his concerns.
He was arrested in early June 1941 while in the hospital, several days after having had another surgery on his legs.
Many other generals of the air force were also arrested on fabricated charges of participating in an anti-Soviet conspiracy shortly before the start of
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 ...
. While he was in prison he was badly beaten before being forced to stand in front of his former colleague Pavel Rychagov (who had been beaten so badly that it damaged his eardrum) in a pre-arranged "confrontation", where they were then supposed to accuse each other of a variety of charges. During interrogation threats were made against his family and his bandaged legs were hit with clubs when he refused to give the "confession" wanted by interrogators.
On 28 October 1941 he was shot without trial in Kuybyshev. In 1947 his awards were revoked, but after the death of Stalin he was rehabilitated on 25 December 1954 and on 15 March 1957 his awards were reinstated.
Awards and honors
* Twice
Hero of the Soviet Union
The title Hero of the Soviet Union () was the highest distinction in the Soviet Union, awarded together with the Order of Lenin personally or collectively for heroic feats in service to the Soviet state and society. The title was awarded both ...
(21 June 1937 and 17 November 1939)
* Two
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 January 1937 and 21 June 1937)
*
Order of the Red Banner of Mongolia
The Order of the Red Banner () is a military decoration of Mongolia, originally established as the "Order for Military Merit" of the People's Republic of Mongolia. The medal has been awarded to citizens as well as foreigners and institutions for ...
(10 August 1939)
References
Bibliography
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Smushkevich, Yakov Vladimirovich
1902 births
1941 deaths
People from Rokiškis
Lithuanian Jews
Soviet people of the Spanish Civil War
Heroes of the Soviet Union
Recipients of the Order of Lenin
Candidates of the Central Committee of the 18th Congress of the All-Union Communist Party (Bolsheviks)
Soviet Air Force generals
Soviet lieutenant generals
Soviet Jews in the military
Executed Soviet people from Lithuania
Jews executed by the Soviet Union
Jewish socialists
Soviet rehabilitations
Kacha Military Aviation School alumni