Roman Ivanovich Panin

Roman Ivanovich Panin

Roman Panin, Commander of the 14th Army
Born 28 September 1897
St. Petersburg, Russian Empire
Died 1 June 1949(1949-06-01) (aged 51)
Moscow, Soviet Union
Allegiance

Russian Empire

Soviet Union
Service/branch

Russian Imperial Army

Red Army/Soviet Army
Years of service

1916–17

1919–49
Rank Major General
Commands held

1st Rifle Corps
42nd Rifle Corps
14th Army
2nd Reserve Army
7th Rifle Corps

99th Rifle Corps
Battles/wars

World War I
Russian Civil War

Second Sino-Japanese War

World War II
Awards

(2)
Order of the Red Banner (2)

Order of Kutuzov 2nd class

Roman Ivanovich Panin (Russian: Роман Иванович Панин; 28 September 1897 – 1 June 1949) was a Soviet major general from during World War II. An Imperial Russian Army junior officer in World War I, he joined the Red Army in 1919. Panin fought in the Russian Civil War and continued to serve after the end of the Russian Civil War. He was an advisor to the National Revolutionary Army between 1938 and 1939. Later he participated in the Soviet-Finnish war as a corps commander, and during World War II as the commander of the 14th Army, commanding the defense of Murmansk during Operation Silver Fox. Panin became commander of the 2nd Reserve Army in May 1942 and two months later became a lecturer at the Frunze Military Academy. In February 1943 he became Volkhov Front chief of combat training and in September led the 7th Rifle Corps. After participating in the Leningrad–Novgorod Offensive, Panin briefly led the 99th Rifle Corps. In July 1944, Panin became deputy commander of the 5th Army. Hospitalized in February 1945 during the East Prussian Offensive, Panin did not see further action. After recovering he became an instructor at the Frunze Military Academy and retired in 1949. He died shortly afterwards.

Early life, World War I, and Russian Civil War

Panin was born on 28 September 1897 in Saint Petersburg. In October 1916, he was drafted into the Imperial Russian Army. He graduated from the Petrograd Warrant Officer School in 1917 and was discharged in December 1917 with the rank of Praporshchik.[1]

At the outbreak of the Russian Civil War he joined the Red Army in 1919 and fought on the Western Front against the White Army. In March 1921 he participated in the suppression of the Kronstadt rebellion.[1]

Interwar

After the end of the Civil War Panin served in the Leningrad Military District. He was the adjutant of the 1st Petrograd District Regiment, commander of the Detached Moskovsky District Company, the commander of the 166th Separate Rifle Battalion, and then a separate engineer battalion. In 1924 he graduated from the Vystrel courses for military commander training and became a company commander of the 11th Rifle Division's 94th Rifle Regiment. In February 1926 Panin became a battalion commander and later assistant commander of the 59th Rifle Regiment in the 20th Rifle Division. He was appointed commander of the division's 60th Rifle Regiment in April 1931. In November 1936, Panin became deputy commander of the 16th Rifle Division. Between 1938 and 1939 he served as a military advisor to the National Revolutionary Army in China.[1] In this capacity he advised Zhang Fakui in Xinpu. In late September 1938, he became advisor to the 4th War Area, which was commanded by Zhang Fakui. Panin later advised Bai Chongxi in Guilin.[2]

Winter War and World War II

After returning from China, Panin was appointed commander of the 1st Rifle Corps at Pskov in the Leningrad Military District on 21 October 1939.[3] The corps fought in the Winter War. The three divisions of the corps, part of the 8th Army, were to attack towards Ilomantsi and Korpiselka. The attack pushed the defending Finnish troops back from the border and captured Suoyarvi on 2 December.[4] After capturing Suoyarvi, Panin sent his 155th Rifle Division towards Ilomantsi and the 139th Rifle Division towards Tolvajärvi and Korpiselka.[5] The 155th Rifle Division was stopped by Finish counterattacks in the Mohko-Oinassalmi area.[6] The 56th Rifle Division, after the capture of Suoyarvi, attacked the Finnish positions on the Kollaa and was unable to break through.[7] The 139th Rifle Division fought in the Battle of Tolvajärvi on 12 December and retreated after the battle.[8] On the next day, Panin was replaced[4] by Dmitry Kozlov and transferred to the reserve.[3]

In June 1940, Panin was appointed head of combat training for the Leningrad Military District. He was promoted to Major General on 4 June.[3] In March 1941, he became commander of the 42nd Rifle Corps. After the German invasion of the Soviet Union on 22 June, the corps became part of the 14th Army. It fought in the defense of Murmansk during Operation Silver Fox. On 24 August 1941, Panin became commander of the 14th Army, leading it in the defense of Murmansk. He was considered incompetent by Murmansk CPSU Regional Committee First Secretary and 14th Army Military Council member Maxim Starostin[9] and later appointed commander of the 2nd Reserve Army in May 1942. In August 1942 Panin became a senior lecturer at the Frunze Military Academy. In February 1943, he was appointed chief of combat training for the Volkhov Front. Panin became commander of the 7th Rifle Corps of the 59th Army in September, leading it in the Leningrad–Novgorod Offensive and the capture of Novgorod. For his leadership in the offensive Panin was awarded the Order of Kutuzov 2nd class on 21 February 1944.[10] Between April and May 1944 he was commander of the 99th Rifle Corps of the 3rd Baltic Front. In May, Panin was at the disposal of the chief of staff. In June he visited the 3rd Belorussian Front with Aleksandr Vasilevsky. One month later he became deputy commander of the 5th Army, participating in Operation Bagration and the East Prussian Offensive. In February 1945, he was hospitalized and from May 1945 was again at the disposal of the chief of staff.[1]

Postwar

After the war Panin became head of a course at the Frunze Military Academy. He retired in 1949 and died in Moscow on 1 June 1949.[1] He was buried in the Novodevichy Cemetery.[9]

Notes

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Vozhakin, ed. 2005, pp. 164–165.
  2. ↑ Kalyagin 1979, pp. 51, 265, 363.
  3. 1 2 3 Kilin, Yury. "1 стрелковый корпус" [1st Rifle Corps]. www.winterwar.karelia.ru (in Russian). Retrieved 2016-09-15.
  4. 1 2 Nenye, Munter & Wirtanen 2015, pp. 88–89.
  5. ↑ Nenye, Munter & Wirtanen 2015, p. 107.
  6. ↑ Irincheev 2012, p. 77.
  7. ↑ Irincheev 2012, pp. 82–83.
  8. ↑ Irincheev 2012, pp. 94–104.
  9. 1 2 "Командующий продолжает пить водку..." [Commander continues to drink Vodka...]. Komsomolskaya Pravda (in Russian). 21 August 2012. Retrieved 15 September 2016.
  10. ↑ Order of Kutuzov 2nd class citation, available online at pamyat-naroda.ru

References

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