Nikolai Rattel

Born Dec. 3 (15), 1875, in Staryi Oskol, now in Belgorod Oblast; died Mar. 3, 1938. Russian and Soviet military leader. Son of an officer.

Rattel’ graduated from the Pavel Military School in 1896 and from the Academy of the General Staff in 1902. He fought in the Russo-Japanese War of 1904–05. From 1912 he served on the directorate of military transportation lines of the General Staff. During World War I, Rattel’ served on the directorate of military transportation lines of General Headquarters and, from June 1916 to November 1917, as assistant quartermaster and quartermaster general on the staff of the Southwestern Front. He was promoted to major general in 1916.

After the October Revolution of 1917, Rattel’ was among the first generals to side with Soviet power, becoming chief of military transportation lines at General Headquarters on Nov. 17 (30), 1917. He became chief of staff of the Supreme Military Council in June 1918, chief of the Field Staff of the Revolutionary Military Council of the Republic on Sept. 6, 1918, and chief of the All-Russian Main Staff on Oct. 25, 1918. From June 1920, Rattel’ was chairman of the Military Legislation Conference of the Revolutionary Military Council of the Republic and a member of the Special Conference of the commander in chief. From 1925, Rattel’ was in the reserve of the Workers’ and Peasants’ Red Army and was sent out to work in industry. He served as business manager of several central boards, such as the Central Board of the Gold Industry and the Central Board of the Nonferrous-Metals and Gold Industry.