Kakurin, Nikolai

Born Sept 4 (16), 1883, in Orel; died July 29, 1936. Soviet military leader and historian. Became a member of the CPSU in 1921. The son of an officer.

Kakurin graduated from the Mikhail Artillery College in 1904 and the Academy of the General Staff in 1910. He fought in World War I, reaching the rank of colonel. In late 1918 he volunteered to serve with the forces of the Western Ukrainian People’s Republic. After the republic fell in mid-1919, these troops joined Petliura’s forces and in February 1920 went over to the side of the Red Army. During the Soviet-Polish War of 1920, Kakurin was chief of staff of a division, acting commander of the Fourth Army, commander of the Third Army, and assistant commander of the Western Front. In 1921, as chief of staff of the Tambov group of forces, he took part in crushing the Antonov Revolt. The same year he began teaching, and in 1922 he led the forces of the Bukhara-Fergana region in the struggle against the Basmachi bands. He then returned to teaching at the Military Academy (later renamed the M. V. Frunze Military Academy) and was head of the division of history of the Civil War for the Headquarters of the Workers’ and Peasants’ Red Army (RKKA). He wrote a number of major works on the history of the Civil War and on strategy, tactics, and troop education and training. He was one of the initiators and authors of the three-volume work on the war published in 1928–30. He was awarded the Order of the Red Banner and the Bukhara Order of the Red Star First Class.