View source for Kombrig

{{Italic title}}
{{more citations needed|date=August 2021}}
{{Infobox military rank
| name           = Brigade commander
| native_name    = {{lang|ru|командир бригады}}
| image          = Red Army 1935 collar big kombrig.svg
| image_size     = 
| alt            =
| caption        = Coat-collar insignia
| image2         = 
| image_size2    = 
| alt2           =
| caption2       = 
| image3         = 
| image_size3    = 
| alt3           =
| caption3       = 
| country        = {{flag|Soviet Union}}
| service branch = [[Red Army]]
| abbreviation   = Kombrig
| rank group     =
| rank           = 
| NATO rank      = 
| Non-NATO rank  = 
| pay grade      = 
| formation      = 1935
| abolished      = 1940 (armed forces)<br/>1943 (all branches)
| higher rank    = {{lang|ru-Latn|[[Komdiv]]}}
| lower rank     = [[Colonel (Eastern Europe)#Russia|Colonel]]
| equivalents    = [[Captain 1st rank]]
| history        = 
}}

'''{{lang|ru-Latn|Kombrig}}''' ({{langx|ru|комбриг}}) is an abbreviation of '''Commanding officer of the brigade''' ({{langx|ru|командир бригады|komandir brigady|lit=brigade commander}}), and was a [[Military ranks of the Soviet Union|military rank]] in the [[Soviet Armed Forces]] of the [[USSR]] from 1935 to 1940. It was also the designation to military personnel appointed to command a [[brigade]] sized formation (X).

Until 1940 it was the fourth highest military rank of the Red Army. It was equivalent to '''''Brigade commissar''''' ({{langx|ru|бригадный комиссар|brigadny komissar}}) of the political staff in all military branches, '''''Kapitan 1st rank''''' ({{langx|ru|капита́н 1-го ранга|kapitan 1-go ranga}}) in the ''Soviet navy'', or to '''''Major of state security''''' ({{langx|ru|майор государственной безопасности|mayor gosudarstvennoy bezolosnosti}}). With the reintroduction of regular general ranks, the designation ''Kombrig'' was abolished in the armed forces, however rank equivalents were still retained in some institutions like the Political staff, Engineering Corps, Judicial, Corps etc. Those rank equivalents were formally phased out with the introduction of the 1943 rank system. Contrary to popular belief, Kombrig didn't have any rank equivalent in the new soviet rank system. The new system only had 5 ranks instead of 6 due to the redirection of Brigade Command to Colonels. All members of the Supreme Command staff (Kombrig-Kamandarm 1st rank) had to go through a re certification, where individuals were given a rank based on their appointments, Only Komrbigs that held Command positions of a Division or higher were promoted to major generals while the rest were demoted to Colonels. Officially until 1943, People who held the rank equivalent of Kombrig in an auxiliary branch were placed between a Colonel and a Major General, acting as an eqvivalent to a british Brigadier.

==History==
This particular rank was introduced by disposal of the Central Executive Committee of the Soviet Union and the Council of People's Commissars, from September 22, 1935.<ref>Decree of the Central Executive Committee of the Soviet Union and the Council of People's Commissars, from September 22, 1935, on introduction of individual military rank designation to commanding personnel of the Workers' and Peasants' Red Army.</ref>
The new rank structure was as follows:
* Command level [[Brigade]] X: {{lang|ru|'''Kombrig'''}} (Brigadier)
* Command level [[Division (military)|Division]] XX: {{lang|ru|[[Komdiv]]}} (Division commander)
* Command level [[Corps]] XXX: {{lang|ru|[[Komkor]]}} (Korps commander)
* Command level [[Field army]] XXXX: [[Komandarm 2nd rank|''Komandarm'' 2nd rank]] (Army commander 2nd rank – Commander Army)
* Command level [[Army group]], [[Front (military formation)|Front]] XXXXX: [[Komandarm 1st rank|''Komandarm'' 1st rank]] (Army commander 1st rank – Frond commander)
* [[Marshal of the Soviet Union]]

==Rank insignia==
<gallery>
Red Army 1935 collar big kombrig.svg|{{center|Overcoat collar patch (big)}}
Red Army 1935 collar small kombrig.svg|{{center|Jacket collar patch and [[Gymnastyorka]]}}
Red Air Force Kom Brig 1940 col.png|{{center|... Air Force}}
RKKA 1935 chevron OF6 kombrig.svg|{{center|[[Chevron (insignia)|Chevron]]/ sleeve insignia}}
</gallery>

== See also ==
*[[Ranks and rank insignia of the Red Army 1935–1940]], and [[Ranks and rank insignia of the Red Army 1940–1943|... 1940–1943]]

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

[[Category:Military ranks of the Soviet Union]]


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