Pyotr Smirnov

Pyotr Smirnov
Birth name Pyotr Alexandrovich Smirnov
Born (1897-05-29)May 29, 1897
near Vyatka, Russia
Died February 23, 1939(1939-02-23) (aged 41)
?, Soviet Union
Allegiance  Soviet Union
Service/branch Red Army, Soviet Navy
Years of service 1917-1938
Rank Commissar 1st Rank
Commands held Soviet Navy
Battles/wars Russian Civil War
Awards Order of Lenin
Order of the Red Banner

Pyotr Alexandrovich Smirnov (Russian: Пётр Александрович Смирнов; 1897–1939) was a Soviet Commissar, Deputy Minister of Defence and Commander of the Soviet Navy.

Biography

Smirnov was born in a workers family in a village near Vyatka in 1897. He finished school and worked as a smith in a lumber factory from 1913. He joined the Bolsheviks in 1917 and was a member of the Red Guards. He fought in the civil war ending as a brigade commander and a Political officer of an army. In 1921 he took part in the suppression of the Kronstadt rebellion.

In the 1920s he was a Political Commissar of the Volga and North Caucasus Military districts. From 1926 he joined the political directorate of the armed forces and was political commissar of the Baltic Fleet and Military districts.

In 1937 he was involved in the purge of military leaders including Yakov Gamarnik. In October 1937 he became Deputy Minister of Defence and was commander of the Soviet Navy from December 1937.

He was arrested in June 1938 and executed by firing squad in February 1939. He was rehabilitated in 1956.

Military offices
Preceded by
Mikhail Viktorov
Commander-in-Chief of the Soviet Navy
1937-1938
Succeeded by
Mikhail Frinovsky
Preceded by
None
People's Commissars for the Navy
1937-1938
Succeeded by
Mikhail Frinovsky
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