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Stepan KalininSoviet military leader, lieutenant general
Date of Birth: 15.12.1890
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Content:
- Early Life and Military Career
- World War I and the Red Army
- Interwar Period
- World War II
- Post-War Arrest and Prosecution
- Rehabilitation and Later Life
Early Life and Military Career
Stepan Andriyanovich Kalinin was born on December 28, 1890, in Pankratovskaya, Moscow Governorate, to a working family. He served in the Russian Army from 1912, where he completed a regimental training course and the Pskov School of Warrant Officers.
World War I and the Red Army
Kalinin participated in World War I. After the Bolshevik Revolution, he joined the Communist Party in 1917 and served in the Red Army from 1918. During the Russian Civil War, he served as a military commissar, a brigade commander, and an assistant commander in the Volga Military District.
Interwar Period
In 1922, Kalinin graduated from the Higher Academic Courses and was appointed commander of the 33rd Rifle Division. He subsequently held command positions in various corps and divisions. In 1928, he completed the Red Army's Advanced Training Courses for Senior Officers and became commander of the 84th Rifle Division.
World War II
At the outbreak of World War II, Kalinin was appointed commander of the 24th Army, which was formed from troops in the Siberian Military District where he commanded at the time. The Army became a reserve for the Supreme Command and was briefly part of the Reserve Army Front. However, Kalinin was replaced as Army commander on July 15, 1941.
He subsequently commanded an Operational Group of Troops in the Smolensk area and participated in the Battle of Smolensk. In August 1941, he was appointed Chief of Spare Parts and Assistant Commander of the Western Front, where he prepared a report on the shortcomings of Soviet troops during the early months of the war.
Post-War Arrest and Prosecution
In 1944, Kalinin was dismissed from his position and arrested for "anti-Soviet propaganda." In 1946, he was dismissed from the Armed Forces. In 1951, he was sentenced to 25 years in prison and stripped of his rank. In 1953, he received an additional 10-year sentence. His first sentence was reduced in July 1953, and he was soon released from prison.
Rehabilitation and Later Life
In July 1954, Kalinin was reinstated in the military, promoted to Lieutenant-General, and retired with a pension. He was fully rehabilitated on November 2, 1956. Kalinin died in Moscow on September 11, 1975, and was buried at the Khimkinskoe Cemetery.
