Early years

Mikhail Malinin was born in 1899 in the Kostroma Governorate of the Russian Empire in a peasant family of Russian ethnicity.^[1] Originally a village carpenter, Malinin joined the Red Army at 1919 and fought in the Civil War. He graduated from the Moscow 2nd Infantry School at 1922, serving in the Moscow Military District during most of the decade. At 1931, he matriculated from the Frunze Academy and joined the Communist Party. After two years he finished his studies at the Academy of Motorization and Mechanization. Malinin was assigned as an instructor to the Leningrad Armored Forces Commanders' Course at December 1937. He participated in the Soviet-Finnish War as the 9th Army's chief of operations, and was then appointed as the 7th Mechanized Corps' chief of staff, remaining in office until June 1941.^[2]

World War II

When Germany invaded the Soviet Union, Malinin was rushed to the front and posted as Rokossovsky's chief of staff in what remained of the 9th Mechanized Corps. Their unit took part in the Battle of Smolensk.^[3] As the 16th Army was reconstructed and Rokossovsky appointed its commander, Malinin followed him, becoming the Army's chief of staff at 19 August 1941.^[4]

He continued in that capacity, under Rokossovsky (and from November 1944, Zhukov), through much of the war: at the Bryansk (Chief of staff: 20.7.42 - 27.9.42), Don (30.9.42 - 15.2.43), Central (15.2.43 - 20.10.43) and Belorussian (20.10.43 - 10.6.45) Fronts.^[5] As such, he participated in the Battles of Moscow, Stalingrad, Kursk, Belarus, Poland and Berlin.^[6] Malinin was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant General at the 20 December 1942,^[7] and to Colonel-General at 18 September 1943.

Post-war career

On 29 May 1945, Malinin was awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union (Medal no. 6456). He was the GSFG's chief of staff until 1948, and then the Soviet Army's chief of staff. From 1950 to 1952 he served as the Deputy Chief Inspector and the Chief Inspector of the Army. Then, he rose to be the Soviet Armed Forces' First Deputy Chief of Staff, an office he held until his death.^[8] As such, he was involved in the suppression of the 1956 Hungarian uprising.^[9] On 3 August 1953, he was promoted to the rank of Army General.^[10]

Malinin was also a deputy in the 3rd and 4th convocations of the Supreme Soviet. A candidate to the Central Committee at the years 1952–56, he was elected a member of the Central Auditing Commission.^[11]