| Generalissimo of the Soviet Union Генералиссимус Советского Союза | |
|---|---|
 Proposedepaulette | |
| Country |  Soviet Union |
| Service branch | Soviet Armed Forces |
| Rank | General officer |
| Formation | 26 June 1945 |
| Abolished | 1993 |
| Next lower rank | |
Generalissimo of the Soviet Union (Russian:Генералиссимус Советского Союза,romanized: Generalissimus Sovetskogo Soyuza) was the highestmilitary rank in theSoviet Armed Forces. Created on 26 June 1945 following the victory overNazi Germany inWorld War II, it was awarded to PremierJoseph Stalin the next day. Stalin, the only person to ever hold this rank, soon came to regret accepting the title, viewing it as overly ostentatious. He rejected the proposed opulent uniform and continued to wear the insignia and uniform of his pre-existing rank,Marshal. Though never awarded again, the rank officially remained in Soviet military statutes until 1993.
The rank ofGeneralissimo was awarded to several military leaders in theImperial Russian Army, including for the first time byPeter the Great toAleksei Shein in 1696, byCatherine I to PrinceAlexander Danilovich Menshikov in 1727, toDuke Anthony Ulrich of Brunswick in 1740, and most famously byPaul I to CountAlexander Suvorov amid theWar of the Second Coalition in 1799.[1]
The first proposal to create the rank of Generalissimo of the Soviet Union came after theRed Army's victory at theBattle of Stalingrad inWorld War II. On 6 February 1943, theCentral Committee of the All-Union Communist Party (Bolsheviks) received an appeal from employees at a Moscow factory forJoseph Stalin, "a brilliant military leader", to be awarded the title of Generalissimo of the Red Army. Another such proposal was submitted to the party'sPolitburo on 24 June 1945, the day of theVictory Parade in Moscow'sRed Square, by the commanders of the Red Army,Navy, and the General Staff. The note stated that "for the outstanding leadership of combat operations of the active Army and Navy, which led to the historic victory overNazi Germany in theGreat Patriotic War", it was necessary "to establish the military rank of Generalissimo of the Soviet Union and to award it to Comrade Stalin".[2]
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The rank of Generalissimo was established by thePresidium of the Supreme Soviet on 26 June 1945,[3] and awarded to Stalin (who had held the rank ofMarshal since 1943) on 27 June by the same body "for especially outstanding services to the Motherland in leading all the armed forces of the state during the war".[2] Stalin soon regretted allowing himself the title, and at thePotsdam Conference askedWinston Churchill to continue to refer to him as Marshal instead.[4] Stalin rejected any distinction between his rank and Marshal, and continued to wear his Marshal insignia and uniform. According to the memoirs of GeneralSergei Shtemenko, in one episode GeneralAndrey Khrulyov, the head of logistics for the Red Army, designed an "opulent" uniform for the rank "sewn on the model ofKutuzov's times", with a highstanding 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 Generalissimo.
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 Generalissimo, while never awarded to another holder, continued to appear in the list of ranks and in statutes of theSoviet Armed Forces until 1993.[2] In 1996, a replica of the proposed uniform was exhibited at theMuseum of the Great Patriotic War in Moscow, and design sketches for it were published in 2001.[6]
Below are proposed designs of the shoulder insignia of Generalissimo of the Soviet Union.[6]
