Purge of the Red Army in 1941
Encyclopedia
Between October 1940 and February 1942, the impending start of the German invasion
in June 1941 notwithstanding, the Red Army
, in particular the Soviet Air Force
, as well as Soviet
military-related industries were decapitated by repressions once again. After a pause in mass repressions after the Great Purge
, in October 1940 the NKVD
(People's Commissariat of Internal Affairs) under its new chief Lavrenty Beria started a new purge that initially hit the People's Commissariat of Ammunition, People's Commissariat of Aviation Industry and People's Commissariat of Armaments. High level officials admitted guilt, typically under torture
, then testified against each other and were repressed on fabricated charges of anti-Soviet activity, sabotage
and spying.
While the new wave of repression in the military-related industries continued well into 1941, in April-May 1941 Stalin's Politburo
inquired about the high accident rate in the Air Force, which led to the dismissal of several commanders, including Head of the Air Force Lieutenant General Pavel Rychagov. In May, a German Junkers Ju 52
landed in Moscow, undetected by the ADF beforehand, leading to massive repressions among the Air Force leadership. The NKVD soon focused attention on them and started repressions against the alleged anti-Soviet conspiracy of German
spies
in the military, centered around the Air Force and linked to the conspiracies of 1937-1938. The repression had taken on a large scale by early June, when the suspects were transferred from the custody of the Military Counterintelligence to the NKVD, and continued uninterrupted into well after the German attack on the Soviet Union, which started on June 22, 1941.
Timeline of arrests:
Additionally, during the first months of the war, scores of commanders, most notably, General Dmitry Pavlov
, were repressed as scapegoat
s for failures. Some of them were conveniently linked to the conspirators. Only two of the accused were spared, People's Commissar of Armaments Boris Vannikov
(released in July) and Deputy People's Commissar of Defense General Kirill Meretskov
(released in September), although at least the latter had confessed guilt under torture.
About 300 commanders, including Lieutenant Generals Nikolay Klich and Robert Klyavinsh and Major General Sergey Chernykh, were hastily executed on October 16, 1941, during the Battle of Moscow
, the others were evacuated to Kuybyshev
, provisional capital of the Soviet Union, on October 17. On October 28 twenty were summarily shot near Kuybyshev on Beria's personal order of October 18, including Colonel Generals Alexander Loktionov and Grigory Shtern, Lieutenant Generals Fyodor Arzhenukhin, Ivan Proskurov, Yakov Smushkevich and Pavel Rychagov with his wife.
In November Beria successfully lobbied Stalin to simplify the procedure for carrying out death sentence
s issued by local military courts, which wouldn't require approval of the Military Collegium of the Supreme Court
and Politburo for the first time since the end of the Great Purge
. Moreover, the right to issue extra-judicial death sentences was once again granted to the Special Council of the NKVD
. Forty six persons, including 17 Generals, among them Lieutenant Generals Pyotr Pumpur, Pavel Alekseyev, Konstantin Gusev, Yevgeny Ptukhin, Nikolai Trubetskoy, Pyotr Klyonov, Ivan Selivanov, Major General Ernst Schacht, and People's Commissar of Ammunition Ivan Sergeyev, were sentenced to death by the Special Council with the approval of Stalin and were executed on the Day of the Red Army, February 23, 1942. On February 4, 1942, Beria together with his ally Georgy Malenkov
as members of the State Defense Committee were assigned to supervise production of aircraft, armaments and ammunition.
Many of the victims were exonerated posthumously during de-Stalinization
in the 1950s-1960s. In December 1953 a special secret session of the Supreme Court of the Soviet Union, itself without due process
, among other things found Beria guilty of terrorism for the extra-judicial execution of October 1941 and sentenced him to death.
Operation Barbarossa
Operation Barbarossa was the code name for Germany's invasion of the Soviet Union during World War II that began on 22 June 1941. Over 4.5 million troops of the Axis powers invaded the USSR along a front., the largest invasion in the history of warfare...
in June 1941 notwithstanding, the Red Army
Red Army
The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army started out as the Soviet Union's revolutionary communist combat groups during the Russian Civil War of 1918-1922. It grew into the national army of the Soviet Union. By the 1930s the Red Army was among the largest armies in history.The "Red Army" name refers to...
, in particular the Soviet Air Force
Soviet Air Force
The Soviet Air Force, officially known in Russian as Военно-воздушные силы or Voenno-Vozdushnye Sily and often abbreviated VVS was the official designation of one of the air forces of the Soviet Union. The other was the Soviet Air Defence Forces...
, as well as Soviet
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
military-related industries were decapitated by repressions once again. After a pause in mass repressions after the Great Purge
Great Purge
The Great Purge was a series of campaigns of political repression and persecution in the Soviet Union orchestrated by Joseph Stalin from 1936 to 1938...
, in October 1940 the NKVD
NKVD
The People's Commissariat for Internal Affairs was the public and secret police organization of the Soviet Union that directly executed the rule of power of the Soviets, including political repression, during the era of Joseph Stalin....
(People's Commissariat of Internal Affairs) under its new chief Lavrenty Beria started a new purge that initially hit the People's Commissariat of Ammunition, People's Commissariat of Aviation Industry and People's Commissariat of Armaments. High level officials admitted guilt, typically under torture
Torture
Torture is the act of inflicting severe pain as a means of punishment, revenge, forcing information or a confession, or simply as an act of cruelty. Throughout history, torture has often been used as a method of political re-education, interrogation, punishment, and coercion...
, then testified against each other and were repressed on fabricated charges of anti-Soviet activity, sabotage
Wrecking (Soviet crime)
Wrecking , was a crime specified in the criminal code of the Soviet Union in the Stalin era. It is often translated as "sabotage"; however "wrecking" and "diversionist acts" and "counter-revolutionary sabotage" were distinct sub-articles of Article 58 , and the meaning of "wrecking" is closer to...
and spying.
While the new wave of repression in the military-related industries continued well into 1941, in April-May 1941 Stalin's Politburo
Politburo of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union
The Politburo , known as the Presidium from 1952 to 1966, functioned as the central policymaking and governing body of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union.-Duties and responsibilities:The...
inquired about the high accident rate in the Air Force, which led to the dismissal of several commanders, including Head of the Air Force Lieutenant General Pavel Rychagov. In May, a German Junkers Ju 52
Junkers Ju 52
The Junkers Ju 52 was a German transport aircraft manufactured from 1932 to 1945. It saw both civilian and military service during the 1930s and 1940s. In a civilian role, it flew with over 12 air carriers including Swissair and Deutsche Luft Hansa as an airliner and freight hauler...
landed in Moscow, undetected by the ADF beforehand, leading to massive repressions among the Air Force leadership. The NKVD soon focused attention on them and started repressions against the alleged anti-Soviet conspiracy of German
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
spies
Espionage
Espionage or spying involves an individual obtaining information that is considered secret or confidential without the permission of the holder of the information. Espionage is inherently clandestine, lest the legitimate holder of the information change plans or take other countermeasures once it...
in the military, centered around the Air Force and linked to the conspiracies of 1937-1938. The repression had taken on a large scale by early June, when the suspects were transferred from the custody of the Military Counterintelligence to the NKVD, and continued uninterrupted into well after the German attack on the Soviet Union, which started on June 22, 1941.
Timeline of arrests:
- May 30 People's Commissar of Ammunition Ivan Sergeyev and Major General Ernst Schacht
- May 31 Lieutenant General Pyotr Pumpur
- June 7 People's Commissar of Armaments Boris VannikovBoris VannikovGeneral Boris Lvovich Vannikov , Soviet government and military official, a three-star General. People's Commissar for Armament from January 1939 through June 1941, and for Ammunition from February 1942 through June 1946. From 1945 through 1953 Vannikov was Head of the 1st Main Directorate of the...
and Colonel General Grigory Shtern - June 8 Lieutenant General Yakov Smushkevich
- June 18 Lieutenant General Pavel Alekseyev
- June 19 Colonel General Alexander Loktionov
- June 24 General Kirill MeretskovKirill MeretskovKirill Afanasievich Meretskov was a Soviet military commander. Having joined the Communist Party in 1917, he served in the Red Army from 1920. During the Winter War, he was responsible for penetrating the Mannerheim Line as commander of the 7th Army...
and Lieutenant General Pavel Rychagov - June 27 Lieutenant General Ivan Proskurov
Additionally, during the first months of the war, scores of commanders, most notably, General Dmitry Pavlov
Dmitry Pavlov
Dmitry Grigorevich Pavlov was a Soviet general who commanded the key Soviet Western Front during the initial days of the German invasion of the Soviet Union, or Operation Barbarossa, in June 1941. After his forces were heavily defeated in the first days of the campaign, he was relieved of his...
, were repressed as scapegoat
Scapegoat
Scapegoating is the practice of singling out any party for unmerited negative treatment or blame. Scapegoating may be conducted by individuals against individuals , individuals against groups , groups against individuals , and groups against groups Scapegoating is the practice of singling out any...
s for failures. Some of them were conveniently linked to the conspirators. Only two of the accused were spared, People's Commissar of Armaments Boris Vannikov
Boris Vannikov
General Boris Lvovich Vannikov , Soviet government and military official, a three-star General. People's Commissar for Armament from January 1939 through June 1941, and for Ammunition from February 1942 through June 1946. From 1945 through 1953 Vannikov was Head of the 1st Main Directorate of the...
(released in July) and Deputy People's Commissar of Defense General Kirill Meretskov
Kirill Meretskov
Kirill Afanasievich Meretskov was a Soviet military commander. Having joined the Communist Party in 1917, he served in the Red Army from 1920. During the Winter War, he was responsible for penetrating the Mannerheim Line as commander of the 7th Army...
(released in September), although at least the latter had confessed guilt under torture.
About 300 commanders, including Lieutenant Generals Nikolay Klich and Robert Klyavinsh and Major General Sergey Chernykh, were hastily executed on October 16, 1941, during the Battle of Moscow
Battle of Moscow
The Battle of Moscow is the name given by Soviet historians to two periods of strategically significant fighting on a sector of the Eastern Front during World War II. It took place between October 1941 and January 1942. The Soviet defensive effort frustrated Hitler's attack on Moscow, capital of...
, the others were evacuated to Kuybyshev
Samara, Russia
Samara , is the sixth largest city in Russia. It is situated in the southeastern part of European Russia at the confluence of the Volga and Samara Rivers. Samara is the administrative center of Samara Oblast. Population: . The metropolitan area of Samara-Tolyatti-Syzran within Samara Oblast...
, provisional capital of the Soviet Union, on October 17. On October 28 twenty were summarily shot near Kuybyshev on Beria's personal order of October 18, including Colonel Generals Alexander Loktionov and Grigory Shtern, Lieutenant Generals Fyodor Arzhenukhin, Ivan Proskurov, Yakov Smushkevich and Pavel Rychagov with his wife.
In November Beria successfully lobbied Stalin to simplify the procedure for carrying out death sentence
Death Sentence
Death Sentence is a short story by the American science-fiction writer Isaac Asimov. It was first published in the November 1943 issue of Astounding Science Fiction and reprinted in the 1972 collection The Early Asimov.-Plot summary:...
s issued by local military courts, which wouldn't require approval of the Military Collegium of the Supreme Court
Military Collegium of the Supreme Court of the USSR
Military Collegium of the Supreme Court of the USSR was created in 1924 to the Supreme Court of the USSR as a court for the higher military and political personnel of Red Army and Fleet...
and Politburo for the first time since the end of the Great Purge
Great Purge
The Great Purge was a series of campaigns of political repression and persecution in the Soviet Union orchestrated by Joseph Stalin from 1936 to 1938...
. Moreover, the right to issue extra-judicial death sentences was once again granted to the Special Council of the NKVD
Special Council of the NKVD
Special Council of the USSR NKVD was created by the same decree of Sovnarkom of July 10, 1934 that introduced the NKVD itself. By the decree, the Special Council was endowed with the rights to apply punishments "by administrative means," i.e., without trial...
. Forty six persons, including 17 Generals, among them Lieutenant Generals Pyotr Pumpur, Pavel Alekseyev, Konstantin Gusev, Yevgeny Ptukhin, Nikolai Trubetskoy, Pyotr Klyonov, Ivan Selivanov, Major General Ernst Schacht, and People's Commissar of Ammunition Ivan Sergeyev, were sentenced to death by the Special Council with the approval of Stalin and were executed on the Day of the Red Army, February 23, 1942. On February 4, 1942, Beria together with his ally Georgy Malenkov
Georgy Malenkov
Georgy Maximilianovich Malenkov was a Soviet politician, Communist Party leader and close collaborator of Joseph Stalin. After Stalin's death, he became Premier of the Soviet Union and was in 1953 briefly considered the most powerful Soviet politician before being overshadowed by Nikita...
as members of the State Defense Committee were assigned to supervise production of aircraft, armaments and ammunition.
Many of the victims were exonerated posthumously during de-Stalinization
De-Stalinization
De-Stalinization refers to the process of eliminating the cult of personality, Stalinist political system and the Gulag labour-camp system created by Soviet leader Joseph Stalin. Stalin was succeeded by a collective leadership after his death in March 1953...
in the 1950s-1960s. In December 1953 a special secret session of the Supreme Court of the Soviet Union, itself without due process
Due process
Due process is the legal code that the state must venerate all of the legal rights that are owed to a person under the principle. Due process balances the power of the state law of the land and thus protects individual persons from it...
, among other things found Beria guilty of terrorism for the extra-judicial execution of October 1941 and sentenced him to death.