Lev Skvirsky
Encyclopedia
Lev Solomonovich Skvirsky was a Soviet
military leader and lieutenant-general. In World War II
, Skvirsky was appointed chief of staff
for the 14th Army
in Karelia
in 1940 and for the entire Karelian Front
in 1941-1943. He also commanded the 26th Army
in 1943-1945.
's Ukrainian
Cherkassy region in 1903. As a Red Army
soldier in the Russian Civil War
, he took part in the fighting against Anton Denikin's White
Volunteer Army
.
Trained in infantry command at courses in Chernigov and Kiev
during the 1920s, Skvirsky served as a platoon
and company
leader in Red Army infantry units. He joined the Soviet Union
's All-Russian Communist Party (Bolsheviks) in 1924.
Skvirsky received staff officer and military academy
positions in the 1930s, and graduated from Frunze Military Academy, where he also taught. Assigned to the Leningrad Military District
-based 14th Army
as a staff officer in September 1939, he took part in the Soviet Finnish War of 1939-1940
and was made chief of staff
for the 14th Army in October 1940.
The 14th Army fought against both the German
and Finnish
armies following Nazi Germany
's invasion of the Soviet Union
in June 1941. Skvirsky was promoted to chief of staff for the recently-formed Karelian Front
in September 1941. Named commander of the 26th Army
in May 1943, he directed the Soviet advance against the Finns in the fighting around Vyborg (Viipuri)
and Petrozavodsk (Petroskoi)
.
Skvirsky worked as a chief of staff for the Belomorsky
and Ural military districts and taught at military academies in the post-war period before retiring from the Soviet Armed Forces
in 1960.
Skvirsky died in 1990 at eighty-six, and was buried at the Troyekurovskoye Cemetery
on Moscow
's outskirts.
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
military leader and lieutenant-general. In World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, Skvirsky was appointed chief of staff
Chief of Staff
The title, chief of staff, identifies the leader of a complex organization, institution, or body of persons and it also may identify a Principal Staff Officer , who is the coordinator of the supporting staff or a primary aide to an important individual, such as a president.In general, a chief of...
for the 14th Army
14th Army (Soviet Union)
The 14th Army was formed in October 1939 in the Leningrad Military District. It participated in the Soviet-Finnish war, during which its 52nd and 104th Rifle Divisions fought in the Battle of Petsamo.From 24 June 1941 the Army included...
in Karelia
Karelia
Karelia , the land of the Karelian peoples, is an area in Northern Europe of historical significance for Finland, Russia, and Sweden...
in 1940 and for the entire Karelian Front
Karelian Front
The Karelian Front was a Front of the Soviet Union's Red Army during World War II, and operated in Karelia.- Wartime :...
in 1941-1943. He also commanded the 26th Army
26th Army (Soviet Union)
The 26th Army was a field army of the Soviet Union's Red Army, active from 1941.- Operational history :...
in 1943-1945.
Biography
Lev Skvirsky was born to a Jewish family in the village of Stepantsy in the Russian EmpireRussian Empire
The Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia and the predecessor of the Soviet Union...
's Ukrainian
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
Cherkassy region in 1903. As a Red Army
Red 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...
soldier in the Russian Civil War
Russian Civil War
The Russian Civil War was a multi-party war that occurred within the former Russian Empire after the Russian provisional government collapsed to the Soviets, under the domination of the Bolshevik party. Soviet forces first assumed power in Petrograd The Russian Civil War (1917–1923) was a...
, he took part in the fighting against Anton Denikin's White
White movement
The White movement and its military arm the White Army - known as the White Guard or the Whites - was a loose confederation of Anti-Communist forces.The movement comprised one of the politico-military Russian forces who fought...
Volunteer Army
Volunteer Army
The Volunteer Army was an anti-Bolshevik army in South Russia during the Russian Civil War of 1918-1920....
.
Trained in infantry command at courses in Chernigov and Kiev
Kiev
Kiev or Kyiv is the capital and the largest city of Ukraine, located in the north central part of the country on the Dnieper River. The population as of the 2001 census was 2,611,300. However, higher numbers have been cited in the press....
during the 1920s, Skvirsky served as a platoon
Platoon
A platoon is a military unit typically composed of two to four sections or squads and containing 16 to 50 soldiers. Platoons are organized into a company, which typically consists of three, four or five platoons. A platoon is typically the smallest military unit led by a commissioned officer—the...
and company
Company (military unit)
A company is a military unit, typically consisting of 80–225 soldiers and usually commanded by a Captain, Major or Commandant. Most companies are formed of three to five platoons although the exact number may vary by country, unit type, and structure...
leader in Red Army infantry units. He joined the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
's All-Russian Communist Party (Bolsheviks) in 1924.
Skvirsky received staff officer and military academy
Military academy
A military academy or service academy is an educational institution which prepares candidates for service in the officer corps of the army, the navy, air force or coast guard, which normally provides education in a service environment, the exact definition depending on the country concerned.Three...
positions in the 1930s, and graduated from Frunze Military Academy, where he also taught. Assigned to the Leningrad Military District
Leningrad Military District
The Leningrad Military District was a military district of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. In 2010 it was merged with the Moscow Military District, the Northern Fleet and the Baltic Fleet to form the new Western Military District.-History:...
-based 14th Army
14th Army (Soviet Union)
The 14th Army was formed in October 1939 in the Leningrad Military District. It participated in the Soviet-Finnish war, during which its 52nd and 104th Rifle Divisions fought in the Battle of Petsamo.From 24 June 1941 the Army included...
as a staff officer in September 1939, he took part in the Soviet Finnish War of 1939-1940
Winter War
The Winter War was a military conflict between the Soviet Union and Finland. It began with a Soviet offensive on 30 November 1939 – three months after the start of World War II and the Soviet invasion of Poland – and ended on 13 March 1940 with the Moscow Peace Treaty...
and was made chief of staff
Chief of Staff
The title, chief of staff, identifies the leader of a complex organization, institution, or body of persons and it also may identify a Principal Staff Officer , who is the coordinator of the supporting staff or a primary aide to an important individual, such as a president.In general, a chief of...
for the 14th Army in October 1940.
The 14th Army fought against both the German
Wehrmacht
The Wehrmacht – from , to defend and , the might/power) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the Heer , the Kriegsmarine and the Luftwaffe .-Origin and use of the term:...
and Finnish
Finnish Army
The Finnish Army is the land forces branch of the Finnish Defence Forces.Today's Army is divided into six branches: the infantry , field artillery, anti-aircraft artillery, engineers, signals, and materiel troops.-History of the Finnish Army:Between 1809 and 1917 Finland was an autonomous part of...
armies following Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
's invasion of the Soviet Union
Operation Barbarossa
Operation Barbarossa was the code name for Germany's invasion of the Soviet Union during World War II that began on 22 June 1941. Over 4.5 million troops of the Axis powers invaded the USSR along a front., the largest invasion in the history of warfare...
in June 1941. Skvirsky was promoted to chief of staff for the recently-formed Karelian Front
Karelian Front
The Karelian Front was a Front of the Soviet Union's Red Army during World War II, and operated in Karelia.- Wartime :...
in September 1941. Named commander of the 26th Army
26th Army (Soviet Union)
The 26th Army was a field army of the Soviet Union's Red Army, active from 1941.- Operational history :...
in May 1943, he directed the Soviet advance against the Finns in the fighting around Vyborg (Viipuri)
Vyborg
Vyborg is a town in Leningrad Oblast, Russia, situated on the Karelian Isthmus near the head of the Bay of Vyborg, to the northwest of St. Petersburg and south from Russia's border with Finland, where the Saimaa Canal enters the Gulf of Finland...
and Petrozavodsk (Petroskoi)
Petrozavodsk
Petrozavodsk is the capital city of the Republic of Karelia, Russia. It stretches along the western shore of the Lake Onega for some . The city is served by Petrozavodsk Airport. Municipally, it is incorporated as Petrozavodsky Urban Okrug . Population:...
.
Skvirsky worked as a chief of staff for the Belomorsky
Belomorsky Military District
The Belomorsky Military District was a military district of the Soviet Armed Forces, active from in the immediate aftermath of the Russian Civil War and just after the Second World War....
and Ural military districts and taught at military academies in the post-war period before retiring from the Soviet Armed Forces
Soviet Armed Forces
The Soviet Armed Forces, also called the Armed Forces of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics and Armed Forces of the Soviet Union refers to the armed forces of the Russian SFSR , and Soviet Union from their beginnings in the...
in 1960.
Skvirsky died in 1990 at eighty-six, and was buried at the Troyekurovskoye Cemetery
Troyekurovskoye Cemetery
The Troyekurovskoye Cemetery , sometimes called the Novo-Kuntsevskoye Cemetery , is a Russian cemetery. It is located next to the Moscow Highway Ring Road, in the former village of Troyekurovo, on the edge of western Moscow...
on Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
's outskirts.