Semion Ivanov
Encyclopedia
Semion Pavlovich Ivanov was a Soviet general.
in 1926, and was sent to the 1st Infantry School in Moscow. Graduating at 1929, he was given command of a platoon in the 16th Infantry Division. Ivanov joined the All-Union Communist Party (Bolsheviks) during the same year. In 1936, he was sent to the Frunze Military Academy. Three years later, when he completed his studies, Ivanov was assigned to the Ural Military District as an assistant to the chief of operations. During the Soviet-Finnish War, he served as the chief of staff in the 1st Infantry Corps of the 8th Army
.
and took part in the Battle of Białystok–Minsk. In December, he was made chief of staff in the Southwestern Front's 38th Army. On July 1942 he was given the same office in the 1st Tank Army, and later, in the 1st Guards Army. He became a Major General and the Southwestern Front's chief of operations on 14 October and as such participated in the Battle of Stalingrad
. At December, he was promoted to the front's chief of staff. On 19 January 1943, he was promoted to Lieutenant General.
When the Southwestern was reformed as the Voronezh Front
, Ivanov retained his position under General Nikolai Vatutin and took part in the Battle of Kursk
. When the 1st Ukrainian Front
was created from the Voronezh's forces, he remained as its chief of staff.
On 11 November 1943, Ivanov was relieved from his post after making two contradictory redeports to Moscow on the military situation in the Fastiv Raion, without noticing that he was submitting data on the same region at both occasions. He was removed from the front and sent to be chief of staff in the Transcaucasian Front
. At October 1944, he was assigned in the same capacity to the 3rd Ukrainian Front
, which was engaged in fighting near Budapest
. He remained in this post until the end of the war with Germany, being promoted to Colonel General on 19 April 1945. Later, he took part in the Moscow Victory Parade of 1945
.
In late June, Ivanov was transferred to the Far East Command, serving as Marshal Aleksandr Vasilevsky
chief of staff during the Soviet-Japanese War
. For his role in planning the operation, he was awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union
at 8 September 1945.
Ivanov served as chief of staff in a variety of Soviet formations: the Belorussian Military District
(March 1946 - November 1948), the Group of Soviet Forces in Germany
(November 1948 - June 1952), the Odessa Military District
(1952-3), Moscow Military District
(1953-April 1956) and the Kiev Military District
(April 1956 - September 1959).
At September 1959, he became the chief of the Soviet Army's Main Operations Directorate and a deputy to the Army's Chief of the General Staff Marshal Vasily Sokolovsky
. As such, he was involved in Operation Anadyr
and the Cuban Missile Crisis
, during the latter of which he stayed in the Kremlin and assisted Nikita Khruschev.
In 1963, when Colonel Oleg Penkovsky
was arrested, Ivanov committed negligence in his work; Khruschev wrote in his memoirs that he did not recall the exact deed, but only that it might have ended in a security risk. The general was therefore removed from office and sent to command the remote Siberian Military District
, where he remained until 1968.
At 19 February 1968, Ivnaov was promoted to Army General, and became commander of the Voroshilov Academy in May. This was his last post in the army. He retired from the Armed Forces in February 1973, and served as an inspector in the Ministry of Defence until 1992.
Early life
Ivanov was born to a peasants' family. He worked in railroad maintenance since the age of twelve, while continuing to study at school during his spare time. He volunteered into the Red ArmyRed 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 1926, and was sent to the 1st Infantry School in Moscow. Graduating at 1929, he was given command of a platoon in the 16th Infantry Division. Ivanov joined the All-Union Communist Party (Bolsheviks) during the same year. In 1936, he was sent to the Frunze Military Academy. Three years later, when he completed his studies, Ivanov was assigned to the Ural Military District as an assistant to the chief of operations. During the Soviet-Finnish War, he served as the chief of staff in the 1st Infantry Corps of the 8th Army
8th Army (Soviet Union)
The 8th Army was a field army of the Soviet Red Army during the Second World War.The 8th Army was formed in October 1939 from the Novgorod Army Operational Group of the Leningrad Military District with the task of providing security of the Northwestern borders of the USSR. The 8th Army was a field...
.
World War II
Shortly after the beginning of the German-Soviet War in 22 June 1941, Colonel Ivanov was appointed operations' chief of the 13th Army13th Army (Soviet Union)
The 13th Army was a name given to several field armies of the Soviet Union's Red Army, first created during the Russian Civil War...
and took part in the Battle of Białystok–Minsk. In December, he was made chief of staff in the Southwestern Front's 38th Army. On July 1942 he was given the same office in the 1st Tank Army, and later, in the 1st Guards Army. He became a Major General and the Southwestern Front's chief of operations on 14 October and as such participated in the Battle of Stalingrad
Battle of Stalingrad
The Battle of Stalingrad was a major battle of World War II in which Nazi Germany and its allies fought the Soviet Union for control of the city of Stalingrad in southwestern Russia. The battle took place between 23 August 1942 and 2 February 1943...
. At December, he was promoted to the front's chief of staff. On 19 January 1943, he was promoted to Lieutenant General.
When the Southwestern was reformed as the Voronezh Front
Voronezh Front
The Voronezh Front was a front of the Soviet Union's Red Army during the Second World War. The name indicated the primary geographical region in which the Front first fought, based on the town of Voronezh on the Don River....
, Ivanov retained his position under General Nikolai Vatutin and took part in the Battle of Kursk
Battle of Kursk
The Battle of Kursk took place when German and Soviet forces confronted each other on the Eastern Front during World War II in the vicinity of the city of Kursk, in the Soviet Union in July and August 1943. It remains both the largest series of armored clashes, including the Battle of Prokhorovka,...
. When the 1st Ukrainian Front
1st Ukrainian Front
The 1st Ukrainian Front was a front—a force the size of a Western Army group—of the Soviet Union's Red Army during the Second World War.-Wartime:...
was created from the Voronezh's forces, he remained as its chief of staff.
On 11 November 1943, Ivanov was relieved from his post after making two contradictory redeports to Moscow on the military situation in the Fastiv Raion, without noticing that he was submitting data on the same region at both occasions. He was removed from the front and sent to be chief of staff in the Transcaucasian Front
Transcaucasian Front
Transcaucasian Front or Transcaucasus Front was a Front of the Soviet Army during the Second World War. This sense of the term is not identical with the more general usage of military front which indicates a geographic area in wartime, although a Soviet Front may operate within designated...
. At October 1944, he was assigned in the same capacity to the 3rd Ukrainian Front
3rd Ukrainian Front
3rd Ukrainian Front was a Front of the 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 Guards Army, 6th, 12th, and 46th Armies and 17th Air Army...
, which was engaged in fighting near Budapest
Budapest
Budapest is the capital of Hungary. As the largest city of Hungary, it is the country's principal political, cultural, commercial, industrial, and transportation centre. In 2011, Budapest had 1,733,685 inhabitants, down from its 1989 peak of 2,113,645 due to suburbanization. The Budapest Commuter...
. He remained in this post until the end of the war with Germany, being promoted to Colonel General on 19 April 1945. Later, he took part in the Moscow Victory Parade of 1945
Moscow Victory Parade of 1945
The Moscow Victory Parade of 1945 was a victory parade held by the Soviet army after the defeat of Nazi Germany in the Great Patriotic War. It took place in the Soviet capital of Moscow, mostly centering around a military parade through Red Square...
.
In late June, Ivanov was transferred to the Far East Command, serving as Marshal Aleksandr Vasilevsky
Aleksandr Vasilevsky
Aleksandr Mikhaylovich Vasilevsky was a Russian career officer in the Red Army, promoted to Marshal of the Soviet Union in 1943. He was the Chief of the General Staff of the Soviet Armed Forces and Deputy Minister of Defense during World War II, as well as Minister of Defense from 1949 to 1953...
chief of staff during the Soviet-Japanese War
Soviet-Japanese War (1945)
The Soviet-Japanese War of 1945 , began on August 9, 1945, with the Soviet invasion of the Japanese puppet state of Manchukuo. The Soviets liberated Manchukuo, Mengjiang , northern Korea, southern Sakhalin, and the Kuril Islands...
. For his role in planning the operation, he was awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union
Hero of the Soviet Union
The title Hero of the Soviet Union was the highest distinction in the Soviet Union, awarded personally or collectively for heroic feats in service to the Soviet state and society.-Overview:...
at 8 September 1945.
Post-war years
Ivanov served as chief of staff in a variety of Soviet formations: the Belorussian Military District
Belorussian Military District
The Byelorussian Military District was a military district of the Soviet Armed Forces. Originally in the times of Russian Civil War it formed as the Western Front, and in April 1924 it was renamed to the Western Military District. In October 1926 it was redesignated the Belorussian Military...
(March 1946 - November 1948), the Group of Soviet Forces in Germany
Group of Soviet Forces in Germany
The Group of Soviet Forces in Germany , also known as the Group of Soviet Occupation Forces in Germany and the Western Group of Forces were the troops of the Soviet Army in East Germany....
(November 1948 - June 1952), the Odessa Military District
Odessa Military District
The Odessa Military District was a military administrative division of the Imperial Russian military, the Soviet Armed Forces and the Ukrainian Armed Forces and was known under such name from around 1862 to 1998. It was reorganized as part of the Military of Ukraine and the Military of Moldova in...
(1952-3), Moscow Military District
Moscow Military District
The Moscow Military District was a military district of the Soviet Armed Forces and the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. In 2010 it was merged with the Leningrad Military District, the Northern Fleet and the Baltic Fleet to form the new Western Military District.-History:In the beginning of...
(1953-April 1956) and the Kiev Military District
Kiev Military District
The Kiev Military District was a Russian unit of military-administrative division of the Imperial Russian Army and subsequently of the Ukrainian Army, RKKA, and Soviet Armed Forces...
(April 1956 - September 1959).
At September 1959, he became the chief of the Soviet Army's Main Operations Directorate and a deputy to the Army's Chief of the General Staff Marshal Vasily Sokolovsky
Vasily Sokolovsky
Vasily Danilovich Sokolovsky was a Soviet military commander.Sokolovsky was born into a peasant family in Kozliki, a small town in the province of Grodno, near Białystok in Poland . He worked as a teacher in a rural school, where he took part in a number of protests and demonstrations against the...
. As such, he was involved in Operation Anadyr
Operation Anadyr
Operation Anadyr was the code name used by the Soviet Union for their Cold War secret operation of deploying ballistic missiles, medium-range bombers, and a division of mechanized infantry in Cuba to create the army group that would be able to prevent an invasion of the island by U.S. forces...
and the Cuban Missile Crisis
Cuban Missile Crisis
The Cuban Missile Crisis was a confrontation among the Soviet Union, Cuba and the United States in October 1962, during the Cold War...
, during the latter of which he stayed in the Kremlin and assisted Nikita Khruschev.
In 1963, when Colonel Oleg Penkovsky
Oleg Penkovsky
Oleg Vladimirovich Penkovsky, codenamed HERO ; April 23, 1919, Vladikavkaz, North Ossetia, Soviet Russia, – May 16, 1963, Soviet Union), was a colonel with Soviet military intelligence in the late 1950s and early 1960s who informed the United Kingdom and the United States about the Soviet Union...
was arrested, Ivanov committed negligence in his work; Khruschev wrote in his memoirs that he did not recall the exact deed, but only that it might have ended in a security risk. The general was therefore removed from office and sent to command the remote Siberian Military District
Siberian Military District
The Siberian Military District was a Military district of the Russian Ground Forces. In 2010 it was divided between the two newly formed Central and Eastern Military Districts.- History :...
, where he remained until 1968.
At 19 February 1968, Ivnaov was promoted to Army General, and became commander of the Voroshilov Academy in May. This was his last post in the army. He retired from the Armed Forces in February 1973, and served as an inspector in the Ministry of Defence until 1992.