The military rank of Marshal of the Soviet Union, "conferred personally by the Government of the USSR to the prominent and particularly distinguished persons from the Highest commanding staff", was established by a decree of Central Executive Comittee and Council of People's Comissars, September 22, 1935. The first five Marshals were, since November 20, 1935, People's Comissar of Defence Kliment E. Voroshilov, Chief of the (General) Staff of the Red Army Alexander I. Egorov and three commanders of Russian Civil War, namely Vasili K. Blucher, Semen M. Budenny and Mikhail N. Tukhachevski.

Tukhachevski, Blucher and Egorov perished during the mass purges of late 1930s. We should note that Voroshilov and Blucher took part in the Collegium that sentenced Tukhachevski to death. May 7, 1940, the number of Marshals again reached five; big stars in buttonholes were given also to the new People's Comissar of Defence, Semen K. Timoshenko, and to the new Chief of General Staff, Boris M. Shaposhnikov, and also to Grigori I. Kulik.

During WW II the rank of MSU becomes conditioned more by merits than by status. It was usually given to front commanders, individually, for concrete battles (to Zhukov and Vasilevski, for Stalingrad operation; to Govorov, for Carelian operation, etc.) The rank of Marshal was in November 1943 conferred on Joseph Stalin himself. Soon after the war it is held by two Stalin's associates, Lavrenti P. Beria and Nikolai A. Bulganin, who never were military commanders. As for Stalin, he becomes, June 27, 1945, Generalissimo of the Soviet Union. Particular rank badges for Generalissimo were never elaborated, and the Soviet leader wore a jacket with Marshal's shoulder-straps. (For more details, see an illustrated thorough article on "Vasilievski polygon" web site). This rank formally existed until the dissolution of the USSR but was never conferred on anyone but Stalin.

In 1955 Marshal's stars were given to six more well-merited WW II generals: Eremenko, Bagramian, Chuikov and others.

http://marshals.narod.ru/unif2en.html

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