[2] After the October Revolution and consequent Russian Civil War, Gorbatov enlisted in the Red Army as a commander (all Soviet officers were classified as "commanders" for the Soviet leaders believed that the word "officer" was too Westernized for the Red Army) in 1919.

[2] By the end of the Russian Civil War, Gorbatov had risen to become the commander of one of the Red Guards cavalry divisions.

During the Great Purge of Soviet officers, Gorbatov was convicted of "being an enemy of the people" and was sent to the Kolyma gold mines as punishment.

After several years of working as a manual laborer, he was rehabilitated and reinstated in the Red Army at his previous rank in March 1941.

In the aftermath of the opening days of Operation Barbarossa, Gorbatov was placed in command of the 226th Rifle Division.