THE FRUNZE MILITARY ACADEMY: ITS HISTORY, ORGANIZATION, SUBJECTS, AND PERSONNEL

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP82-00047R000300570006-9
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: C
• Document Page Count: 3
• Document Creation Date: December 23, 2016
• Document Release Date: April 18, 2013
• Sequence Number: 6
• Publication Date: November 17, 1953
• Content Type: REPORT

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CLASSIFICATION CONFIDENTIAL/SECURITY INFORMATION f-#0/
CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY REPORT
INFORMATION REPORT
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COUNTRY USSR
SUBJECT The Frunze Military Academy! Its History,
Organization, Subjects, and Personnel
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PLACE
ACQUIRED
DATE
ACQUIRED
DATE (OF INFO.)
THIS DOCUMENT CONTAINS INFORMATION AFFECTING THE NATIONAL DEFENSE
OF THE UNITED STATES, WITHIN THE MEANING OF TITLE IS. SECTIONS 793
AND 794. OF THE U.S. CODE, AS AMENDED. IT5 TRANSMISSION OR REVE-
LATION OF ITS CONTENTS TO OR RECEIPT MY AN UNAUTHORIZED PERSON IS
PROHIBITED DT. LAW. THE REPROOUCTION OF THIS FORM IS PROHIBITED.
CD NO.
DATE DISTR. /7 Nov 1953
NO. OF PAGES 3
NO. OF ENCLS.
(LISTED BELOW)
SUPPLEMENT TO
REPORT NO.
THIS IS UNEVALUATED INFORMATInN
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1. rTie Frunze Military Academy (Voeniya Akademiya imeni Frunae) during
TV aial War ii had its name changed to Frunze Red Banner Militaey Academy
.1(oeniya Krasna Znameniya Akademiya imeni Frunze). It is still L.195
refeared to by the latter name. Until 1931, Frunze was a school teach-
ing aeneaal staff, as well as staff, subjects. In that year its level
was lOwG. to that of a school instructing staff officers, with a
resultant decrease in emphasis on such subjects as military geography
and miliaary history. In 1931, the General Staff Academy (Akademiya
Generalnova Shtaba) was opened in Moscow. After World War II it became
known as the General Staff Academy imeni Voroshilov. This should not be
confueed with another military school in MOSCOW also named after Vero-
shilov - the Military Academy of Chemical Defense imeni Voroshilov
(Voeniya Akademiya Chimicheski Zachiti imeni Voroshilova).
2. The building which now houses the Frunze Military AcaeLemy was built
in 1934. It is a white concrete structure of 10 floors. Two marble
tanks are to be seen as one enters the building, one on each site.
In addition, there are three floors below the ground floor. These lower
floors house the dining room, cloak rooms, and stores. Frunze is located
on Plushikha near the Smolenskoi Rinok (Smolensk Market - really a square)
in Moscow. It was a very large school, ie in 1940, for example, there
were six thousand students.
3. There were more than one thousand instructors (prepodovateli) at Frunze.
Of these, only about six were professors. To become a professor one had
to write a research paper and defend the thesis. Academic ranks at
CONFIDENTIAL/SECURITY DIFDRMATION
DISTRIBUTION
Army E
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CONFIDENTIAL/SECURITY INFORMATION
Frunze were: were: professor, docent, senior instructor (starshi prepodovatel),
instructor (prepodovatel), and junior instructor (mlachshi prepodovatel).
A senior instructor had 10 instructors and junior instructors under him.
Each senior instructor specialized and prepared the texts (tactical prob-
lems and solutions). A senior instructor taught the other instructors,
but did not teach the students. The exception was that a senior instructor
delivered introductory lectures to a whole "kurs" (course), composed of
hoo etudents. There were about Coo instructors and junior instructors.
Most of the instruction was given in the field, with maps being used.
There were 15 students to a group. Frunze had buses which took the groups
outside of Moscow. Usually the route was weitward along the Podolski
Chauseee,
4. The student attended Frunze for three years. Classes were in session
nine months out of the year, from 1 September until 1 June. During +he
June-August period, junior students attended field exercises, while
senior students made field trips to fortified border zones. Students
attended classes eight hours a day, six days a week. In addition? the
did homework. The word "kurs" (course) had two meanings at Frunze. C
meaning was academic year. "Kars" also meant 400 students. Therefor,
in any one academic year ("kurs") there were four or five "kursi" (grc e
of 400 students each). Subjects were divided into three "tsikli" (cyci_z,
or groups): Tactics (including Geography), History, and Languages.
Geography was studied about two hours per week. History (which at Frunze
after 1931 only included History of World War I and History of the Russian
Civil War) took up two or four hours per "leek. Languages (a student took
one language) consumed two hours per week, as did close order drill
(stroeviimmiatie). All the rest of the time was devoted to Tactics.
The equivalent of only one day out of six was devoted to non-tactical
subjects. Political training was not given at the Academy. All officers
had to join "voluntarily" political instruction groups on their own time.
The groups met twice a week, two hours each time. The tactical cycle
had rather an unusual (compared to military academies in other countries)
organization. It had 10 "Kafedri" (Faculties): Infantry Tactics (from
500 to 600 instructors), Cavalry Tactics (3 or 4 instructors, who at
times also taught Infantry subjects), Tank Troops (30 instructors),
Artillery (30), Airborne Troops (30), Engineers (6), Communications (6),
Chemical Troops (6), Combat Intelligence (Voeskovoi Razvedka - 30 in-
structors. This was quite different from training for intelligence
obtained by agents - Agenturnaya Razvedka - which was taught at the
50X1 Spetsshkola, ), and Rear (Til - supply and transportation;
considered very important). In 1941, thought was given to adding two
more Faculties: NO (Proti-vozdushnaya Oborons - Antiaircraft Defense,
which included AA artillery and other activities in connection with
defense against aircraft) and Camouflage,(Maskirovka). PVC1noemally
a part of Artillery and Camouflageywas under the Engineers. However,
beginning in June 1941, in the Soviet Army WO became a separate branch,
and camouflage activities designed to provide protection against air-
craft came under PVC.
5. The sequence of tactical studies was as follows: first year - Rifle
Platoon (two or three weeks), Rifle Company (two months), Rifle Bat-
talion (rest of the year); second year - Rifle Regiment (four and one-
half months), Division (four and one-half months; and third year -
Corps (most of the academic year, included some divisional studies),
Army (at most two months). The three units most emphasized were bat-
talion, regiment, and division. Instruction vas organized as follows.
Take the Rifle Regiment is an example, which was taught for four and
one-half months. All the "Kafedri" adjusted their instruction to fit
this schedule. Large textbooks with tactical problems and solutions
were prepared. The Rifle Regiment was studied in three types of action:
In Attack, in Defense, and Meeting Engagement.
CONFIDENTIAL/SECURITY INFORMATION
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CONFIDENTIAL/SECURITY INFORMATION
Prior to to 1931, while Frunze was still a General Staff school, it
offered 4 course referred to as VAX (Vishii Akademichiskii Kursi pri
Adra&emii Frunze - Superior Academic Courses at the Frunze Academy).
It was
only for general officers and consisted of General Staff studies. One
could also obtain a diploma from Frunze, which of course helped advance
one's military career, by means of correspondence courses,
General-Army same as full general in the US ArrnJ Victor Tsvetaiev
is now fi:95 the head (nachalnik) of the Frunze Military Academy. In
1941 he was head of the Faculty of Infantry Tactics and a general-
lieutenant game as a major general in the US Armg. Prior to 1937,
Commandarm 1-vo Ranga gquivalent to the subsequent Soviet rank of Gen-
eral-Ai-mg (fnu) Kork was head of the Academy. He was executed in
June 1937, along with Marshal Tukhachevsky. He was succeeded by
General-Lieutenant (fnu) Khozin, who later was promoted to general
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colonel game as lieutenant general in the US Arne. In August 1941,
Khozin was made Chief of the Central Front (Rear), opposite Moscow.
This post, in Russian, was called Nachalnik Tila Centralnova Fronta.
As head of the Ac s ly
he was unpopular, harsh, blustering, and rude to his subordinates.
would describe him as almost stupid. Khozin, prior to 1937, had comma
an infantry division. He was a Communist Party member.
General-Lieutenant (fnu) Verovkin was
assistant chief (zamestitel nachalniki) of the Academy. It washe who
really ran the school. He was a nice person, a talented officer, and
had been at the Academy since at least 1931. Prior to that, he had com-
manded cavalry troops. Verovkin had been an officer in the Russian
Imperial Army, but later was a Communist Party member.
He evacuated the remnants of the teaching staff
of the Academy to Tashkent, where it continued to function, with Verov-
kin in charge, during World War II.
8. Other prominent officers on the staff of the Frunze Military Academy
as of 1941 wereg
0)
(a)
(h
Colonel (fnu) Below - a senior instructor in the Faculty of Cavalry
Tactics, is now a Marshal. He was the only cavalry commander to
attain such rank during World War II.
Genera1-L1oatenant (fnu) Sholokov - head of the Cavalry Faculty.
He died in 1941.
Gan'ral-Lieutenant (fnu) Chistiakov - head of the Artillery Faculty,
is nnw Marshal of Artillery.
Colonel (fnu) Rotmistrov - a senior instructor in the Faculty of
Tank Troops, is now Marshal of Tank Troops.
Colonel (fnu) Vbrobiov - head of the Faculty of Airborne Troops.
Colonel (fnu) Leoshenia - head of the Engineers Faculty, he is now
a General7Major blame as a brigadier general in the US Armjl and
head of the Engineers Faculty of the General Staff Academy.
Colonel (fnu) Botvinik - head of the Faculty of Chemical Troops
and brother of the champion chess player.
Colonel (Thu) Diachenko - head of the Combat Intelligence Faculty,
he was killed during World War II.
Colonel (fnu) Zaitsev - head of the Faculty of the Rear (Til).
Colonel (fnu) Vagauov - a senior instructor in the Faculty of the
Rear and the one who really ran it. He was the Soviet Army'a out-
standing expert on functions of the Ire r. He was evacuated with some
of the other members of the Academy to Tashkent.end- 43r4 cvad
CONFIPENTIAL/SECURITY INFORMATION I 7,n733 aN2 PV
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