• General of the Red Army Mikhail Semenovich Chosin, 1896

Chosin enlisted in 1915 for military service in the Tsarist army, with which he took part in the First World War. He was soon an ensign and regiment adjutant. In 1918, he joined both the Red Army and the Communist Party. During the Russian Civil War he served as commander of a rifle battalion, a regiment and a brigade in the South and in the North Caucasus .

After the end of the civil war Chosin attended a commanding course in the Frunze Military Academy, graduating in 1925. Then he commanded infantry divisions and corps. In addition, he also graduated in 1930 from the Military Political Lenin Academy. From July 1937, he served in the Leningrad Military District, first as an inspector, and from December to April 1938 as deputy commander. From January 1939, he held the post of Head of Frunze Academy.

Chosin took part from July 1941 in the German - Soviet war, first as commander of the rear area of the reserve armies. Then in 1941, he served in the General Staff as Deputy Chief of Staff and as Commander of the Leningrad direction. He then served as chief of staff of the Leningrad front and commander of the 54th Army. In October 1941, he followed Fedjuninski II as commander of the Leningrad Front. In that post, he was instrumental in the battle of Tikhvin and involved in the battle of Volkhov. After the failure of this last operation, Chosin was replaced in July 1942 by LA Govorov. Chosin commanded in the years 1942 - 43, the 33rd and 20th Army. After serving he was promoted to the rank of Colonel General and served as deputy commander of the Western Front and in the meantime just as the commander of an operational group of the northwestern front. During this time, the troops under Chosin's command took part at the Battle of Kursk. Since March 1944, he was again in command of the Leningrad military district.

After the end of the war Chosin headed from 1946 to 1956, various military training institutions. He then headed the courses and faculties of the General Staff Academy, until his retirement in November 1963.