Boris Shaposhnikov
| Surname | Shaposhnikov |
| Given Name | Boris |
| Born | 2 Oct 1882 |
| Died | 26 Mar 1945 |
| Country | Russia |
| Category | Military-Ground |
| Gender | Male |
Contributor: C. Peter Chen
ww2dbaseBoris Mikhailovitch Shaposhnikov was born on 2 Oct 1882 (or 20 Sep 1882 in the old style calendar) in Zlatoust, Russia in Central Asia. He joined the Russian army in 1901 and graduated from the Imperial Nicholas Military Academy in 1910 in Sankt-Peterburg (later Petrograd, Leningrad, and then back to Sankt-Peterburg/Saint Petersburg), Russia. By WW1, he had reached the rank of colonel and served with the Caucasus Grenadiers division. In 1917, he expressed support for the revolutionary sentiment, and in the following year he joined the Red Army. Between 1921 and 1925, he served with the Army General Staff. In 1925, he was named the commanding officer of the Leningrad Military District. Between 1928 and 1932, he was the commanding officer of the Moscow Military District and then the Privolzhsk (Volga) Military District. His book, Mozg Armii ("The Brain of the Army"), was published in 1929; it was a required reading for a generation of Soviet army officers. In 1930, he finally joined the Communist Party. In 1932, he was appointed commandant of the Frunze Military Academy in Moscow, Russia. Between 1935 and 1937, he was once again the commander of the Leningrad Military District. In 1937, he was named the Chief of the General Staff. In 1940, he was made a Marshal of the Soviet Union. Shaposhnikov first involvement in WW2 came in the form of planning the invasion of Finland, the mediocre result of each resulted in his resignation from his position as the Chief of the General Staff in Aug 1940 with the excuse of poor health. When Germany invaded the Soviet Union in 1941, he was reappointed as the Chief of the General Staff and held that position until Nov 1942. For several months in 1943, he was the Deputy People's Commissar for Defense, resigning due to declining health. Until his death in 1945, he was the commandant of the Voroshilov Military Academy of the USSR Army General Staff in Moscow. He was buried at the Kremlin Wall Necropolis in Moscow.
ww2dbaseSource: Wikipedia
Last Major Revision: Jul 2012
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Boris Shaposhnikov Timeline
| 2 Oct 1882 | Boris Shaposhnikov was born in Zlatoust, Russia. |
| 26 Oct 1914 | Boris Shaposhnikov was awarded the Order of St. Anna, 4th Class. |
| 2 Nov 1914 | Boris Shaposhnikov was awarded the Order of St. Vladimir, 4th Class with Swords and Bow. |
| 22 Jul 1916 | Boris Shaposhnikov was awarded the Order of Saint Stanislaus, 3rd Class with Swords and Bow. |
| 1 Nov 1916 | Boris Shaposhnikov was awarded the Order of St. Anna, 2nd Class. |
| 14 Oct 1921 | Boris Shaposhnikov was awarded his first Order of the Red Banner. |
| 15 Jan 1934 | Boris Shaposhnikov was awarded his first Order of the Red Star. |
| 22 Feb 1938 | Boris Shaposhnikov was awarded his second Order of the Red Star. |
| 31 Dec 1939 | Boris Shaposhnikov was awarded his first Order of Lenin. |
| 3 Oct 1942 | Boris Shaposhnikov was awarded his second Order of Lenin. |
| 22 Feb 1944 | Boris Shaposhnikov was awarded the Order of Suvorov. |
| 1 May 1944 | Boris Shaposhnikov received the Medal for the Defense of Moscow. |
| 3 Nov 1944 | Boris Shaposhnikov was awarded his second Order of the Red Banner. |
| 21 Feb 1945 | Boris Shaposhnikov was awarded his third Order of Lenin. |
| 26 Mar 1945 | Boris Shaposhnikov passed away in Moscow, Russia. |
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1 Apr 2015 07:35:27 AM
Wikipedia notes that Defense Commissar (and Stalin crony) Klimenti Voroshilov ignored Shaposhnikov's plan for invading Finland as being too cautious. Voroshilov and Army Political Commissar Lev Mekhlis wanted to celebrate Stalin's birthday in Helsinki, and their only concern in invading little Finland was to make sure their troops stopped at the Swedish border.
Soviet Military Inteligence(GRU) Chief Proskurov complained that they never even looked at his thorough report detailing Finnish defenses, and like Shaposhnikov had recommended thorough preparation before attack. See "What Stalin Knew" by David E. Murphy.