Yakov Stepanovich Fokanov (; 7 December 1899 – 9 November 1985) was a Soviet Army lieutenant general.
Drafted into the Red Army during the Russian Civil War, he had become a junior officer by its end and would be steadily promoted during the interwar period. After commanding two other rifle divisions during the expansion of the army in the late 1930s, Fokanov became commander of the 154th Rifle Division in 1940, leading it during the Battle of Smolensk, in the first weeks after Operation Barbarossa, and the Kozelsk Offensive, after the latter of which it was converted to the 47th Guards Rifle Division for its actions. After a brief period as deputy commander of the 5th Tank Army, Fokanov became commander of the 29th Guards Rifle Corps in 1943 on the Eastern Front and was transferred to command the 29th Rifle Corps more than a year later. After commanding the latter in the fighting in Pomerania during the final months of the war and the early postwar period, he served in staff positions before being sent to China as an advisor to the People's Liberation Army in the late 1950s; this was his last position before dismissal to the reserve in 1959.
Early life and Russian Civil War
Fokanov was born on 7 December 1899 in the village of Kononovo, Ustyuzhensky Uyezd, Novgorod Governorate to a peasant family. After graduating from the village school, he worked in the logging industry between 1912 and 1917 and then became a farmer. During the Russian Civil War, he was drafted into the Red Army on 15 March 1919 by the Ustyuzhinsky Uyezd military commissariat and sent to the ski detachment of the Petrograd garrison. He was then transferred to the 2nd Reserve Rifle Regiment, stationed at the Peter and Paul Fortress, to carry out guard duty. In the fall of 1919, Fokanov fought with a ski detachment on the Petrograd front against the White Northwestern Army. After the defeat of the Northwestern Army, he was sent to the regimental school of the 11th Reserve Rifle Regiment in December 1919. Upon graduation in November 1920, he became an assistant platoon leader in the regiment. After the latter was disbanded, Fokanov served in the same position with the 10th Reserve Rifle Regiment before being sent to study at the 7th Petrograd Red Commanders' Courses in January 1921. During March, with a cadet brigade, he fought in the suppression of the Kronstadt rebellion.
Interwar period
From April 1921, after completing the courses, Fokanov served as a junior commander in the 10th Reserve Rifle Regiment, now part of the Petrograd Military District. When the latter was disbanded in June, he became an acting platoon commander in the machine gun regiment of the Petrograd Fortified Region. From October 1923, he studied at the 8th Petrograd Infantry Commanders' School, which was merged with the S.S. Kamenev Kiev Combined Military School in September 1924. After graduating from the latter in August 1925, Fokanov was placed at the disposal of the 135th Territorial Rifle Regiment and appointed an acting assistant platoon commander in its 9th Company. In October, he was transferred to the 138th Pereyaslav Rifle Regiment of the 46th Rifle Division of the Ukrainian Military District, with which he successively served as a platoon commander in the machine gun company, acting company commander, regimental treasurer, acting assistant regimental commander for economic units, and as a rifle company commander. Fokanov transferred to the 137th Rifle Regiment of the division in April 1931, serving as assistant and acting regimental chief of staff, then as chief of staff and battalion commander. From June 1934, he commanded the 57th Separate Machine Gun Battalion of the 54th Directorate of Construction Work – the Rybnitsa Fortified Region of the Ukrainian Military District, which became part of the Kiev Military District when the latter split in May 1935. After serving as acting commander of the 259th Rifle Regiment of the 87th Rifle Division in the Kiev Military District from August 1937, Fokanov studied at the Vystrel course from November of that year until his graduation in August 1938. He was then appointed commander of the 87th's 16th Rifle Regiment, but in January 1939 took command of the 61st Rifle Division in the Volga Military District. Fokanov went on to command the 129th Rifle Division from August of that year, the 18th Reserve Brigade from January 1940, and the 154th Rifle Division from July of the latter year.