Yakov Smushkevich

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Yakov Vladimirovich Smushkevich
Smushkevich jv.jpg
Born14 April 1902
Rokiškis, Lithuania, Russian Empire
Died28 October 1941(1941-10-28) (aged 39)
Kuybyshev, Russian SFSR Soviet Union
AllegianceSoviet Union Red Army
Years of service1918–1941
RankGeneral-Lieutenant of Air Forces
Commands heldSoviet Air Force
Battles/warsRussian Civil War
Spanish Civil War
Battle of Khalkhin Gol
AwardsHero of the Soviet Union (2)
Order of Lenin (2)
Order of the Red Banner

Yakov Vladimirovich Smushkevich (Russian: Яков Владимирович Смушкевич; April 14, 1902 – October 28, 1941[1]) was a Lithuanian Jew and Commander of the Soviet Air Force. Smushkevich was an important member of the Communist Party.[2]

He participated in the Spanish Civil War, where he was known as "General Duglas", for which he received the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.[3] 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 on June 8, 1941[4] and executed without trial on the personal orders of Lavrentiy Beria and Joseph Stalin on 28 October 1941 in Kuybyshev.

References[edit]

  1. ^ Nagorski, Andrew (2007-09-18). The Greatest Battle: Stalin, Hitler, and the Desperate Struggle for Moscow That Changed the Course of World War II. Simon and Schuster. ISBN 9781416545736.
  2. ^ "Смушкевич Яков Владимирович". www.warheroes.ru. Retrieved 2018-02-01.
  3. ^ Beevor, Antony (2006). The Battle for Spain: The Spanish Civil War, 1936-1939. Penguin. ISBN 9780143037651.
  4. ^ Murphy, David E. What Stalin Knew: The Enigma of Barbarossa. Yale University Press. ISBN 0300130260.
Military offices
Preceded by
Aleksandr Loktionov
Soviet Air Force (VVS) Commander
1939–1940
Succeeded by
Pavel Vasilevich Rychagov