Gladkov rose to divisional command, leading the 112th Motor Rifle Division, destroyed during Operation Typhoon.

While at the courses, Gladkov took part in fighting against the Basmachi of Ibrahim Bek in Fergana Oblast, near Samarkand and Bukhara.

With a detachment drawn from the regiment, Gladkov took part in the suppression of North Caucasian resistance in Terek Oblast during June and July.

From July 1929 to January 1930 he was acting chief of staff of the regiment during the Chinese Eastern Railway border conflict.

Then a major, Gladkov was transferred to serve as commander and commissar of the 54th Cossack Motorized Regiment of the 12th Cavalry Division in March 1937.

He was arrested and imprisoned by the NKVD between 12 October 1937 and 27 May 1939 during the Great Purge, and then placed at the disposal of the Red Army Command Personnel Directorate.

[2] After Germany invaded the Soviet Union, the 18th Tank Division and its parent corps were assigned to the 20th Army of the Stavka reserve.

From 6 to 8 July Gladkov's regiment and its parent division took part in the counterattack of the front from the area north of Orsha towards Senno against the flank of the German 3rd Panzer Group, then retreated towards Smolensk.

Gladkov was appointed commander of the 100th Cavalry Division, forming at Samarkand in the Central Asian Military District.

The formation of the division was cancelled on 12 March 1942 and Gladkov appointed a tactics instructor at the Cavalry Command Personnel Improvement Courses in Moscow in April.

The division defended the passes of the Main Caucasian Range as part of the 46th Army until 20 September, then was withdrawn to the Zugdidi region for rebuilding.

The recommendation read:[3] The units of Comrade Gladkov from the day of the breakthrough of the strongly fortified zone of the enemy and pursuit of him further to the west and southwest took hundreds of settlements and the cities of Rylsk and Putivl.

Thanks to skillful command, and the maneuverability and efficiency of the units of Comrade Gladkov up to 1,800 kilometers of territory were liberated, destroying on the way the enemy's personnel and equipment, for which it was awarded the Order of the Red Banner.

But despite this, the units of Comrade Gladkov, thanks to steadfastness, fine training and skillful leadership, flanked and split up the forces of the enemy.

[2] Gladkov was recommended for the Order of the Red Banner by 27th Rifle Corps commander Filipp Cherokmanov on 24 July, which was awarded that day.

In the region of Kamenka Strumilova, the 112th Rifle Division, thanks to the skillful command of Major General Gladkov, encircled and wiped out a large group of the enemy.

While moving to the Oder crossing, Gladkov and his chief of the operations department were seriously wounded when the division command vehicle was hit during a German bombing raid on 27 January.

[2] The recommendation read:[7] Major General Gladkov, during the breakthrough of strongly fortified and deeply echeloned enemy defenses, west of Sandomir, correctly developed a plan to break through the defenses, skillfully led units of the division to the moment of the breakthrough and subsequent pursuit of the enemy.

Under the command of Major General Gladkov, units of the division fought their way through up to 250 kilometers, forced crossings of the water obstacles of the rivers Bobzha, Charna-Nida, Varta, and Pilitsa.

For skillful and courageous command of the division Major General Gladkov is deserving of the award of the Order of Bogdan Khmelnitsky 2nd class.