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Turncoat Generals – Commanders From History Who Switched Sides

Khalid Elhassan April 3, 2025 17 min

Turncoat - Benedict Arnold — Benedict Arnold. Smithsonian Magazine

15. The Soviet Union’s Most Infamous Turncoat

Turncoat - Andrey Vlasov — Andrey Andreyevich Vlasov. Executed Today

Andrey Andreyevich Vlasov (1900 – 1946) is the USSR’s most infamous turncoat and traitor. He had been one of Stalin’s favorite generals early in World War II. Vlasov went from golden boy to redheaded stepchild when he switched allegiance after his capture by the Germans in 1942. Throwing in his lot with the Nazis, Vlasov went from hero to reviled turncoat when he fought against his countrymen at the head of the so-called Russian Liberation Army. His military career had started in 1919, when he was drafted into the Red Army. He fought in its ranks during the Russian Civil War that followed the communists’ seizure of power in 1917, and distinguished himself. He rose steadily through the officer ranks, and became known for his ability to whip poor units into shape. In 1930, Vlasov gave his career a boost by joining the Communist Party.

Written by

Khalid Elhassan

A lifelong history buff, I developed a particular passion for WW2 history as a child, when I spent hours listening to my grandfather, enraptured, as he recounted his wartime experiences in the British East African Campaign and with the British 8th Army in North Africa.

I graduated with a history BA from George Mason University, then went on to get a JD from the University of Virginia School of Law. After lawyering for a decade, I moved to sunny Rio de Janeiro and a less demanding career, opening a tourism agency in Copacabana.

A big chunk of my free time is spent blogging (you can follow me on Quora https://www.quora.com/profile/Khalid-Elhassan ) or freelance writing, mostly about my favorite subject, history.