Vasily Novitsky

A prominent figure in military historical science, Professor at the Academy of the General Staff of the Russian Imperial Army, editor of Sytin’s 18-volume Military Encyclopedia, Professor at the Military Academy of the Workers’ and Peasants’ Red Army, and Honored Worker of Science and Technology of the RSFSR.

He received his education at the Polotsk Cadet Corps (1886), the Mikhailovsky Artillery School (1889), and the Nikolaev Academy of the General Staff (1895), graduating first class with a small silver medal. In 1898, he was seconded to British India. In 1900, he participated in a military expedition to China to suppress the Boxer Rebellion.

During the Russo-Japanese War of 1904–1905, Novitsky served as an officer for special assignments under the commander of the 2nd Manchurian Army. From 1906–1911, he was a General Staff officer, participating in military-geographic expeditions to Mongolia, Afghanistan, Tibet, India, and the Pamirs. In 1912, he was awarded the title of Extraordinary Professor at the Academy of the General Staff. During World War I, he commanded the 73rd Infantry Division.

After the February Revolution, Novitsky, described as a “democratically inclined” commander, was recalled to Petrograd, appointed Assistant Minister of War under A.I. Guchkov, and promoted to Lieutenant General. In April–May 1917, he served as acting Minister of War and Navy. In July 1917, he was sent to the front as commander of the II Siberian Army Corps. In November of the same year, he commanded the 12th Army and the Northern Front. For his impeccable service in the Russian Imperial Army, Vasily Fyodorovich was awarded the Orders of Saint Stanislaus and Saint Anne of all degrees, the Order of Saint Vladimir 2nd to 4th degrees, and the Golden Weapon.

After the October Revolution, V.F. Novitsky sided with the Soviet government. From 1918, he served in the Red Army. He headed the Supreme Military Inspectorate of the Red Army, and from 1919 to 1929, he was a Professor at the Red Army Military Academy in the Department of Military History and Art of War. At the academy, he was tasked not only with establishing and heading the Department of Military History but also with preparing a lecture course on the “History of the World War”.

Vasily Fyodorovich successfully combined his teaching activities with research work: he authored works on military geography, military administration, and the history of the Russo-Japanese and First World Wars, and collected extensive information on the geography and history of Mongolia and India. Drawing upon archival materials and personal experience, he described the main battles of the Russo-Japanese and First World Wars. To this day, his military-historical works (such as “Military Essays on India”, “Strategic Outline of the 2nd Manchurian Army’s Offensive in January 1905”, “Through Eastern Mongolia”, “The Military Situation of Russia and England in the World War of 1914–1918”, “The World War of 1914–1918: The 1914 Campaign in Belgium and France”, among others) retain their scholarly value.

In 1926, Novitsky was awarded the title “Professor of the Red Army”, and in 1928, the honorary title “Honored Scientist and Technologist of the RSFSR”.

Vasily Fyodorovich Novitsky died in Moscow in 1929.