Generalissimus of the Soviet Union

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Generalissimus of the Soviet Union
Генералиссимус Советского Союза
Proposed uniform epaulette
Country Soviet Union
Service branch Soviet Armed Forces
RankGeneral officer
Next higher rankNone
Next lower rank

Generalissimus of the Soviet Union (Russian: Генералиссимус Советского Союза, tr. Generalissimus Sovetskogo Soyuza) was the highest military rank in the Soviet Union, created after World War II for Joseph Stalin and awarded to him on 27 June 1945. Stalin soon came to regret the rank, which he considered too ostentatious, and continued to wear his Marshal insignia and uniform.

History

The rank of Generalissimus (or Generalissimo) was awarded to several military leaders in the Imperial Russian Army, including for the first time by Peter the Great to Aleksei Shein in 1696, by Catherine I to Prince Alexander Danilovich Menshikov in 1727, to Duke Anthony Ulrich of Brunswick in 1740, and most famously by Paul I to Count Alexander Suvorov after the War of the Second Coalition in 1799.[1]

The first proposal to create the rank of Generalissimus of the Soviet Union came after the

Great Patriotic War", it was necessary "to establish the military rank of Generalissimus of the Soviet Union and to award it to Comrade Stalin".[2]

The rank of Generalissimus was established by the

standing collar
and gilded stripes on the trousers. Upon presenting it to Stalin, the following was said:

Stalin: Who are you going to dress like this?
Khrulyov: This is the proposed uniform for the Generalissimus.
Stalin: For whom?
Khrulyov: For you, Comrade Stalin...

Stalin burst into a long and angry tirade against his excessive glorification, and the subject was not raised again.[5] The rank of Generalissimus, while never awarded to another holder, continued to appear in the list of ranks and in statutes of the Soviet Armed Forces until 1993.[2] In 1996, a replica of the proposed uniform was exhibited at the Museum of the Great Patriotic War in Moscow, and design sketches for it were published in 2001.[6]

Proposed shoulder insignia

Below are proposed designs of the shoulder insignia of Generalissimus of the Soviet Union.[6]

See also

References

  1. ^ Trofimov, Anton. "Пять генералиссимусов России: кто они?" [Five generalissimos of Russia: who are they?]. histrf.ru (in Russian). Retrieved 4 September 2023.
  2. ^ a b c Arzumanov, Ilya (25 June 2015). "Генералиссимус Советского Союза. Досье" [Generalissimus of the Soviet Union. Dossier]. TASS (in Russian). Retrieved 4 September 2023.
  3. ^ "об установлении высшего воинского звания — генералиссимус советского союза" [On the Establishment of the Highest Military Rank – Generalissimus of the Soviet Union] (in Russian). Gazette of the Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union. 26 June 1945. Retrieved 2 April 2022.
  4. .
  5. . Retrieved 19 November 2021.
  6. ^ a b "Васильевский Полигон. Мундир для генералиссимуса" [Uniform for the Generalissimus]. polygonv.narod.ru (in Russian). Retrieved 2023-09-04.