#commander #military leader #history
(09/15/1896 - 06/18/1962) - Soviet army general (1943)
Born in the city of Grodno on September 15, 1896 in the family of a military man. His father served as a battery commander of the 26th artillery brigade in a small fortress garrison. In 1904, the Antonov family moved to the city of Ostrog, where they were transferred to the service of their father. Here Alex entered the gymnasium.
In 1908 Alexei's father died. The small pension was not enough for the family.
... With the outbreak of World War I, Ostrog ended up in the area of hostilities, and the Antonovs moved to Petrograd to live with their mother's relatives. Soon, Alexei's mother fell ill and died, and then the issuance of a pension for his father also stopped. Alexey, who successfully passed entrance exams to Petrograd University at the Faculty of Physics and Mathematics, could not start his studies. He was forced to go to work in a factory.
In February 1916, he was drafted into the army and sent to the Pavlovsk Military School. The accelerated wartime training course was completed by December of the same year, and Alexei Antonov received the rank of ensign and was enlisted in the Life Guards Jaeger Regiment.
Ensign Antonov received his baptism of fire on June 18, 1917, when the army, after artillery preparation, went on the offensive south of Stanislav. By June 27, parts of the Russian army occupied Galich, the next day - Kalush. In one of the battles, the platoon commanded by Antonov distinguished himself, and the Order of St. Anna, IV degree, became his first military award. In the next battle, Antonov was wounded in the head and was evacuated to one of the hospitals in Petrograd. After recovering, Antonov returns to his regiment.
On May 1, 1918, ensign Antonov was transferred to the reserve. He entered the Petrograd Forest Institute, working in the city's food committee.
On April 11, 1919, a new stage began in the life of Alexei Innokentyevich Antonov - he was drafted into the Red Army. Antonov is first enrolled in the 1st Moscow Workers Division, and then transferred to the 15th Inza Division. He takes part in the battles near Lugansk, Liski, Valuyk, Volchansk, Korotoyak, Rostov-on-Don and Azov. In March 1920, he fought with the Whites in the North Caucasus. Aleksey Innokent'evich went through the battle path as an assistant to the chief of staff of the brigade. At the final stage of the civil war, he became the chief of staff of the brigade of the 15th Infantry Division, which crossed the Sivash and smashed Wrangel's troops in the Crimea. His military skill, courage and courage were awarded the Honorary Weapon of the Revolutionary Military Council of the Republic and the Certificate of Honor.
With the end of the civil war, Antonov served in Nikolaev as chief of the operational unit of the 15th Infantry Division.
In 1926, Antonov became a candidate for the RCP(b) and two years later became a member of the party.
In the autumn of 1927, A.I. Antonov entered the main (command) faculty of the Military Academy. M.V. Frunze. During his studies at the academy, his abilities for military affairs and a penchant for scientific research. Then he successfully mastered French(later also German) and qualified as a military translator.
After graduating from the academy, in March 1931, Antonov was appointed chief of staff of the 46th Infantry Division stationed near Korosten. But the army needed staff workers on a larger scale. Therefore, in the fall of next year, Antonov is sent to study at the operational department of the academy already familiar to him. Studying at the operational faculty increased his theoretical knowledge and practical skills of a military specialist.
In subsequent years, Alexei Innokentievich held a number of staff positions - chief of staff of the division of the Mogilev-Yampolsky fortified area, head of the operational department of the headquarters of the Kharkov military district. He is directly involved in the preparation and conduct of the Kyiv maneuvers in the fall of 1935, for the skillful organization of the landing of a large airborne assault (1200 people landed) receiving gratitude from the People's Commissar of Defense of the USSR.
Given the outstanding abilities of Antonov, the district command sent him in 1936 for further study at the then-opened Academy of the General Staff of the Red Army. The listeners of her first set were such future military leaders as I.Kh.Bagramyan, A.M.Vasilevsky, N.F.Vatutin, L.A.Govorov, M.V.Zakharov. Many of the professors of the Academy Antonov was known for the previous years of study at the Academy. M.V. Frunze.
In June 1937, brigade commander Antonov became chief of staff of the Moscow Military District, a year later - deputy head of the department of general tactics of the Military Academy. M.V. Frunze. Soon he is assigned academic title associate professor, and on June 4, 1940 - military rank major general.
On March 16, 1941, Alexei Innokent'evich assumed the post of deputy chief of staff of the Kyiv Special Military District. In this position, he met the Great Patriotic War.
From the first days of the war, Antonov headed a group intended to form the management of the Southern Front. From June 24, 1941, he was chief of staff of the Kyiv military district, from August 27 - chief of staff of the Southern Front. Heavy defensive battles, retreat with battles to the east, counterattacks and retreat again ... His actions as chief of staff of the front, where excellent knowledge of military affairs had to be supported by outstanding organizational skills, the ability to predict the enemy’s plan and offer a way to resist him, were clear and expedient.
An important stage in the formation of Antonov as a major staff worker was the counteroffensive near Rostov. His contribution to the defeat of the tank grouping of General E. Kleist was marked by awarding him the Order of the Red Banner, and on December 27 he was awarded the rank of lieutenant general.
From the first days of the new, 1942, the headquarters of the Southern Front began preparing the Barvenkovo-Lozovskaya offensive operation. The operation was carried out by the forces of the Southwestern and Southern fronts from January 18 to 31. Although during its course the Soviet troops managed to break through the enemy's defenses and advance almost 100 km deep, the main task - to surround and destroy a large German group - could not be fully completed. And the strike of the Wehrmacht Army Group A, which followed at the end of July, put the troops of the Southern Front in an extremely difficult situation, forcing them to begin retreating beyond the Don.
On July 28, by decision of the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command, two fronts - the Southern and North Caucasian - were united into one, the North Caucasian. Marshal S.M. Budyonny was appointed commander of his troops, Lieutenant General Antonov was appointed chief of staff. The defensive battles of the battle for the Caucasus continued for five months, during which the activities of Alexei Innokentyevich were awarded the second Order of the Red Banner. "Ice Sphinx" - this is how the divisional commissar S.M. Larin, a member of the Military Council of the front, called him, probably referring to the equanimity, poise and some incomprehensibility of Antonov's character. S.M. Budyonny immediately obeyed the "ice sphinx", spoke of him in a conversation with the highest authorities with delight.
The activities of A.I.Antonov attracted the attention of the high command to him. In the early days of December 1942, when preparations were underway for the offensive, another conversation with the Chief of the General Staff, which began, as always, with a report on the operational situation in the front line, ended quite unexpectedly for General Antonov. Alexander Mikhailovich Vasilevsky suggested that he go to work at the General Staff as the head of the Operations Directorate.
On December 11, 1942, Lieutenant General A.I. Antonov was appointed to the post of Chief of the Operational Directorate - Deputy Chief of the General Staff. A new, eventful period of great significance began in his life and work.
Already from the first days of work in the department, it was felt that a great connoisseur of staff work had come to them. Antonov behaved very cleverly - he did not rush to report to the Headquarters, but got to know the people in detail, carefully studied the situation on the fronts, immediately plunging headlong into the affairs of the Operational Directorate. His phone did not stop, he negotiated with the chiefs of staff of the fronts and personally clarified the situation after daily reports.
Soon Antonov received a responsible task. As a representative of the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command, he was sent on a business trip to deal with the situation on the Voronezh, Bryansk and somewhat later on the Central Fronts in order to make specific proposals for their further use. For him, this was a maturity test, with which he did an excellent job. His activities were highly appreciated by the Chief of the General Staff and the Supreme Commander-in-Chief. A.I.Antonov for successful work was awarded the order Suvorov I degree and became a colonel general.
Subsequently, the frequent communication of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief with an intelligent and taciturn youthful general made Antonov one of Stalin's closest military assistants. In the opinion of his closest associates, the high staff culture, organization, thoughtfulness of both the main idea and the ways of its implementation were very appealing to the Supreme Commander. Stalin also liked the ability of Alexei Innokent'evich to logically and reasonably substantiate the proposals put forward.
Beginning in the spring of 1943, Antonov was directly involved in the planning of almost all subsequent strategic operations of the Soviet Armed Forces. The first of these was for him Battle of Kursk. Several times Zhukov, Vasilevsky and Antonov got together to work out the details of the plan. The operation was called "Commander Rumyantsev". The headquarters approved the direction of the main attack during the counteroffensive, proposed and justified by the General Staff.
These days Antonov worked especially hard. He did not even leave the office during those hours that were set aside for rest according to the schedule. Antonov practically combined two positions - the chief of the General Staff and the head of the Operations Directorate. Vasilevsky suggested to Stalin that Antonov be relieved of his duties as chief of the Operations Directorate, so that he would only manage the General Staff as first deputy chief of the General Staff. The Supreme Commander-in-Chief listened carefully to all the arguments of the Chief of the General Staff and agreed with them.
On May 20, 1943, Antonov assumed the post of First Deputy Chief of the General Staff, having the opportunity to pay more attention to other departments and departments, on which the accurate work of the General Staff depended, in the interests of solving two main tasks - working out the necessary information for decision-making and operational management of combat activities. fronts. Being a pedantic person, Antonov introduced a lot of new things into streamlining the work of the General Staff. They, in particular, set the exact deadlines for working out information, the time for reports by representatives of intelligence, rear, fronts, and reserve formations. He clearly distributed duties between the deputy chiefs of the Operational Directorate, approved the regulations for the work of the highest bodies of military command, including the General Staff.
With the liquidation of the Kharkov grouping of the enemy, the Battle of Kursk also ended, the victory in which created the basis for the development of the offensive in Ukraine and for wide offensive operations on the entire front with the aim of completely driving the enemy out of Soviet territory. For the skillful planning of this strategic operation, on August 27, 1943, Antonov was awarded the rank of army general.
Antonov's main tactical principles were decisiveness, flexibility and maneuverability. This was also evident in the nature of the plans of operations on which he worked. The headquarters of the Supreme High Command increased the power of strikes against the enemy, more and more expanding the front of the offensive.
In August 1943, Alexei Innokentevich twice had to fly to the combat areas of the Voronezh and Steppe fronts. Here he met with the commanders of the fronts, the representative of the Stavka Zhukov. Antonov informed them of the corrections made to the plan for the completion of offensive operations in 1943, and the outline of the General Staff for the winter campaign.
The General Staff was already developing an operational concept, and then an action plan for the 1944 campaign.
It was planned to open the campaign on the Leningrad front with an offensive against Vyborg, then the Karelian front was connected, whose actions led Finland out of the war. Actions in Belarus were immediately intensified, designed for surprise, and when reserves were brought here from the south, the 1st Ukrainian front will launch a powerful offensive in the Lvov direction.
The plan of the Belarusian strategic offensive operation "Bagration" was developed by the joint efforts of the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command, the General Staff, and the command of the fronts participating in it. The Belarusian operation became an important milestone in Antonov's life, in the development of his organizational skills, in recognition of his outstanding strategic talent. Many commanders of the troops who came to Headquarters came to Antonov and consulted with him on all matters of preparing military operations. The reports sent to Stalin by representatives of the Stavka necessarily had a copy of "Comrade Antonov." Everyone knew that Aleksei Innokent'evich would do whatever was necessary in response to these reports.
The development of the operation "Bagration" was carried out in the strictest secrecy, and only five people knew its full extent. A lot of work was done to misinform the enemy in order to convince him that the direction of the main attack should be expected in the south and in the Baltic. The purpose of the operation was the encirclement and destruction of the large forces of Army Group Center in the Minsk region. For the Belarusian operation, Alexei Innokentevich was awarded the second Order of Suvorov, I degree.
The Belarusian operation further strengthened Antonov's business relationship with the Supreme Commander.
The opening of the second front added work to the General Staff. Now it was necessary to systematically inform the allies about the situation on the Soviet-German front, to coordinate the objects of bombing attacks by Soviet and allied aviation, to determine the timing of actions and the direction of troops. In addition, the Allies had to solve a number of political problems, such as, for example, the development of a joint policy on the German question.
Soon Antonov was recruited to work as a military representative at the Yalta Conference of the Heads of the Three Governments. He became the head of a team of military experts. Aleksey Innokentievich prepared meticulously for this work, worked through various issues and situations that might arise during the conference, studied a pile of various documents and references in order to know any issue to the smallest detail. He understood that the allies would be primarily interested in the course of hostilities on the Soviet-German front and plans Soviet command for the future.
The Yalta Conference began its work on February 4, 1945 with a discussion of military issues. The heads of government of the USSR, the USA and Great Britain reviewed the situation on the European fronts. Army General Antonov informed about the situation on the Soviet-German front. He reported on the unfolding offensive of the Soviet troops, which began on January 12, 1945, ahead of schedule, at the request of the Prime Minister of England. This appeal was made in view of the alarming situation created on the Western Front in connection with the offensive Nazi German troops in the Ardennes.
During all these negotiations, Antonov showed tact and outstanding diplomatic skills. Stalin was pleased with his work. He especially liked how persistently Aleksey Innokent'evich sought from representatives of the American and British commands to intensify the actions of the allied forces.
Another decision of the conference was an agreement on the entry of the USSR into the war with Japan two or three months after the surrender of Nazi Germany. Before accurately naming this period, the employees of the General Staff, and especially Antonov, had to do a lot of work, to determine how many troops would be needed to defeat Kwantung Army where and when to transfer them. The calculations made were so accurate that only minor corrections were made to them during the preparation of the Far Eastern campaign.
A.I. Antonov spent the final period of the war and the first post-war months in the position of chief of the General Staff, since Vasilevsky became commander of the 3rd Belorussian Front. With the entry into this position, the range of tasks solved by Alexei Innokent'evich has expanded significantly. This was explained by a number of circumstances. The institution of representatives of the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command was liquidated, and the leadership of most of the strategic operations of the final stage of the war began to be carried out through the General Staff. Preparations were underway for military action on Far East. The issues of coordinating efforts with the troops of the anti-Hitler coalition demanded more and more attention.
The first drafts of the plan for the capture of Berlin and a map of the city with the surrounding areas appeared with Antonov during Operation Bagration in the summer of 1944. By November 1944, her plan was determined and calculations were prepared. Refinements were made during the Vistula-Oder, East Prussian and Pomeranian operations, and the plan was approved by the Headquarters in early March 1945.
In late March - early April, several meetings were held to specify it, in which front commanders took part.
Antonov was accustomed to work, looking ahead all the time, and while the offensive against Berlin was going on, the attention of the Stavka and him was more and more often attracted by Prague. On the table at General Antonov appeared maps of the region of the capital of Czechoslovakia. Hard work began to lead the liquidation of the last enemy troops. Even illness, and Antonov caught a bad cold in the first days of May, could not force him to postpone the development of documents for the Prague operation.
In mid-May 1945, by order of I.V. Stalin, Antonov was included in the military representatives at the upcoming conference of the leaders of the three powers. It opened on July 17 in Potsdam. Many issues discussed at the conference, to one degree or another, required the participation of Antonov. The Allies, in particular, again raised the question of the USSR's entry into the war against Japan in accordance with the agreement concluded by the heads of government of the three powers at the Crimean Conference. In this regard, Antonov thoroughly informed the military representatives of the United States and Great Britain about the preparations for the Far East campaign.
After the end of the war, Alexei Innokentyevich Antonov remained as Chief of the General Staff until March 25, 1946, and after Marshal Vasilevsky returned to this post, he again became his first deputy and remained in this position until November 6, 1948. Thus, Antonov worked in the General Staff for almost six years.
In January 1950, he was appointed commander of the Transcaucasian Military District. In April 1954, he again became the first deputy chief of the General Staff, a member of the collegium of the USSR Ministry of Defense.
May 1955 was the beginning of a new stage in the activities of General Antonov. He was appointed to the post of Chief of Staff of the United Armed Forces of the countries Warsaw Pact.
Antonov managed in a short time to create a command and control apparatus, to organize its work, to establish the process of training and preparing troops for joint military operations in modern warfare. He repeatedly traveled to the countries included in the Warsaw Pact. Antonov personally talked with ministers, chiefs of general and main staffs, organized staff games, and conducted exercises. Gradually, through the efforts of all parties to the Treaty, the principles of military cooperation between states, forms and methods of joint operational and combat training, and education of personnel were worked out step by step. He remained in this position until the end of his life.
Alexei Innokentyevich Antonov died on June 18, 1962 at the age of sixty-six. Army General Antonov was buried at the Kremlin wall. Despite his numerous merits, Antonov did not receive a marshal's baton until the end of his life, although, as documents and stories of contemporaries testify, Stalin, who was sympathetic to him, planned to assign this highest military rank to the Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces back in May 1945.
The merits of Alexei Innokent'evich were awarded three Orders of Lenin, the highest military order "Victory", four Orders of the Red Banner, Orders of Suvorov and Kutuzov I degree, Order Patriotic War And numerous medals, as well as foreign orders and medals.
Yu.N. Lubchenkov. 100 Great Commanders of World War II
Alexander Stepanovich Antonov
Antonov Alexander Stepanovich (1888-1922). Member of the Tambov uprising. Born in Moscow, spent his childhood in the city of Kirsanov, Tambov province, studied in Tambov, in a real school, from where he was expelled for distributing revolutionary SR literature. After being expelled from a real school, he entered the Tambov car repair shops as a carpenter's apprentice. At the age of 16, he joined the Socialist Revolutionary Party, participated in expropriations during the revolution of 1905. He took part in the robbery of a mail car in which money was transported. Arrested and sentenced to 20 years hard labor. He served his sentence in Tambov, Moscow and the Vladimir Central. Released by the Provisional Government in 1917, returned to Tambov. The first chief of the provincial police. IN Soviet time, in 1918, remained at his post, later the chief of police in Kirsanov, where he was transferred on his own initiative in March 1918. After being transferred to Kirsanov, he left the Socialist-Revolutionary Party, created a partisan squad and opposed Soviet power. Chief of the main operational headquarters of the 2nd rebel army United partisan army of the Tambov region. He died in an unequal battle with the Chekists, together with his brother Dmitry, in the village of Nizhny Shibryai, Borisoglebsky district, on June 24, 1922.
Curriculum vitae from the appendix to the book: Sennikov B. Tambov uprising 1918-1921 and depeasantization of Russia 1929-1933 . Series "Library of Russian Studies". Issue 9. - M .: Sowing, 2004.
A.S. Antonov is a student of the Tambov real school.
Antonov Alexander Stepanovich (1889, Moscow - 1922, village of Nizhny Shibryai, Tambov Province) - leader of a peasant uprising in Tambov Province. in 1920 - 1921. Antonov was the third child in a poor family of a retired sergeant major and dressmaker. In the 90s. the family moved to the city of Kirsanov, Tambov province. In 1905 Antonov was supposed to graduate from the Kirsanovskoye mountains. three-year school where they studied Russian. language, arithmetic with geometry and the law of God, but, being a smart person, for some reason he studied poorly and whether he completed the course is unknown. In 1905 - 1907 he became close to the Socialist-Revolutionaries, participated in expropriations and already at the beginning. 1908 was wanted by the police. At st. Inzhavino seized the cash register, which became known to the authorities, and then arrived in Saratov, where he agreed to kill Lieutenant General A.G. Sandetsky, who was sentenced to death by the Socialist-Revolutionaries for the brutal suppression of the peasants of the Volga region during the roar. He informed the police about the impending attack. E.F. Azef , and in February 1909 Antonov was arrested. He appeared before the Provisional Military Court in Tambov and was sentenced to hang, but P.A. Stolypin commuted the death sentence to hard labor "without term". After two unsuccessful escape attempts, Antonov was sent to the Shlisselburg fortress in 1910. He was amnestied in March 1917 after the February Revolution, returned to Tambov and from April. began to work ml. Assistant Chief of the Mountains police, and then the head of the Kirsanov district police. With only a hundred policemen, he managed to noticeably moderate crime on the territory of 6 thousand square meters. km with 350 thousand inhabitants, to disarm several echelons of the Czechoslovak expeditionary force, heading east, for which Antonov was awarded a Mauser. The Communists tried to put the Bolsheviks in leadership positions, getting rid of representatives of other parties. The Chekists fabricated evidence of an impending counter-revolutionary rebellion of the Socialist-Revolutionaries. In July 1918, when Antonov was away, his assistants were captured and shot. Upon learning of what had happened, Antonov went to Samara, where he was going to fight the Bolsheviks in the People's Army of the Committee of Members of the Constituent Assembly (Komuch), but the latter moved to Ufa, then to Yekaterinburg and was dispersed A. V. Kolchak . After 3 months of aimless walking around the Volga region engulfed in civil war, Antonov secretly returned to Kirsanovsky district, but on the eve of his return, spontaneous peasant uprisings began, caused by the robbery of food detachments and the arbitrariness of local authorities. Local communists declared Antonov the leader of the rebels and sentenced him to death in absentia. At the end of 1918 - early. 1919 Antonov assembled a fighting squad, consisting of 10 - 15 people, and dealt with the communists who wanted to carry out the death sentence. Along with terror, he carried out expropriations, and by the summer of 1919 Antonov had 150 well-trained and equipped people. Aug 21 peasants with Kamenka defeated the food detachment. They were supported by Antonov Thus began "Antonovism", - according to Antonov's biographer, "the last peasant war in Russia." By 1920, Antonov, having overcome partisanship, created about 20 rebel regiments, organized into two armies (about 50 thousand people). In a leaflet, Antonov wrote: “I devoted my whole life to fighting the usurpers of people’s power and will fight them to the end. Power was not wrested from the hands of the tsarist executioners in order to transfer it into the hands of a handful of communist executioners. Power must be transferred people..." In Feb. In 1921, the uprising reached its climax, but after the abolition of the surplus appraisal, hated by the peasants, began to decline. By the summer they began to take hostages and shoot them if the peasants did not issue weapons and Antonovites. As always, in civil war There were brutalities on both sides. To defeat Antonov, troops under the command of M.N. Tukhachevsky . A large role in the defeat of Antonov belonged to V.A. Antonov-Ovseenko . By the summer of 1921 the uprising was liquidated. Antonov was hunted down by security officers and died in a shootout.
Used materials of the book: Shikman A.P. Figures national history. Biographical guide. Moscow, 1997
Literature:
Samoshkip V.V. Alexander Stepanovich Antonov // Questions of history. 1994. No. 2.
Sennikov B. Tambov uprising 1918-1921 and depeasantization of Russia 1929-1933. Series "Library of Russian Studies". Issue 9. - M.: Posev, 2004. - 176 p. 22 ill. ISBN 5-85824-152-2
Persons:
Averyanov P.E. (?-1921). Lieutenant of the Russian army. Member of World War I and white movement in the south of Russia. Commander of the Semyonovsky Regiment of the United Partisan Army of the Tambov Territory. Since March 1921 - Chief of the General Staff of the Army under the Commander-in-Chief I.M. Kuznetsov. Killed in July 1921
Agapkin Vasily Ivanovich (1884-1964). Author of the march "Farewell of the Slav" (Tambov, 1912). Headquarters trumpeter of the 7th Dragoon Tambov Regiment. Colonel. Served in the Soviet Army, November 7, 1941 conducted the orchestra on Red Square during the parade. The march, composed by Agapkin, is the anthem of Tambov.
Antonov Alexander Stepanovich (1889-1919). Anarchist. An employee of the Cheka, a participant in the suppression of the Tambov uprising. Since 1905 - an anarchist. He was brought to trial by the gendarme department in 1908, sentenced to hard labor. Before the revolution - a teacher in the city of Syzran. In 1918-1919. - served in the county Cheka, was killed by rebels in 1919. He was buried at home, in the village of Rzhaksa, Tambov province. The grave and monument have survived to our time. Often the biography of Antonov the anarchist is confused and mixed with the biography of the active participant in the Tambov uprising A.S. Antonova.
Antonov Dmitry Stepanovich(1893-1922). Member of the Tambov uprising. Brother of Alexander Stepanovich.
Antonov (German) Mikhail Davydovich (1893-1944). From the townspeople. He graduated from a four-year city school, a typographical worker by profession. Member of World War I. In 1917 he headed a detachment of the Red Army in Belarus. Member of the RSDLP (b) since 1917. In 1918-1921. - at work in the bodies of the Cheka in Petrograd and Smolensk, in special departments of the Red Army on the Southern and Western fronts. In 1921 - Chairman of the Tambov Provincial Cheka and the GPU. Member of the Tambov provincial executive committee and provincial committee of the RCP (b).
Belyaev Ya.F. (?-1921). Officer of the Russian army. Member of World War I, the White movement in the South of Russia and the Tambov uprising. Commander of the Tambov partisan regiment of the 1st rebel army. Killed in 1921
Boguslavsky Alexander V. (? -1921). Colonel of the Russian Army, Knight of St. George. Member of the Tambov uprising. Born into a landowner's family. In 1918 he served in the military commander's office of Tambov, later he left the city, possibly hiding in connection with participation in the June anti-Soviet speech. In November 1920 - June 1921 - commander of the 1st rebel army, later chief of staff of the United Army of the Tambov Territory. Killed in action in the summer of 1921.
Virta (Karelsky) Nikolai Evgenievich (1906-1976). Writer. A native of the village of Bolshaya Lazovka, Tambov province. He studied at the Tambov real school. Author of the novel "Loneliness" (1935) about the peasant uprising in the Tambov region, the novel "Evening Ringing" (1951) and other works.
Gubarev Ivan Arkhipovich. Captain of the Russian army. Member of the White movement in the South of Russia. During the Tambov uprising, the chief of the main operational headquarters of the 1st rebel army, later the commander of the 1st army.
Erofeev Vasily Trofimovich(1884-?), associate of Antonov.
Kolesnikov Ivan Sergeevich (? -1921). From the peasants of the Voronezh province. Member of World War I, sergeant major. Served and deserted from the Red Army. In 1920-1921. commander of an insurgent detachment operating in the Voronezh province and in the Donbass. From January to July 1921 he acted in the ranks of the Tambov rebels. Commander of the Cavalry Mobile Army of the Rebels. Killed in action in the summer of 1921.
Kuznetsov Ivan Makarovich Captain of the Russian army. Member of World War I, the White movement in the South of Russia and the Tambov uprising. Commander of the Volche-Karachaevsky partisan regiment. After the death of the Commander-in-Chief of the United Partisan Army P.M. Tokmakova in March 1921 was nominated for the post of Commander-in-Chief.
Matarykin P.I. Don Cossack, cornet. Member of the Tambov uprising. He made his way from the retreating parts of the white armies to join the rebels with a detachment of Cossacks. Chief of Staff of the Rebel Cavalry Army.
Mitrofanovich. The captain of the Russian army. Member of the Tambov uprising. Commander of the 2nd Insurgent Army of the United Partisan Army of the Tambov Territory.
Pluzhnikov Grigory Naumovich (about 1887-1921). Eser-maximalist. One of the leaders of the Left SR STK. Born into a peasant family. Until 1909 he lived in the village of Kamenka, engaged in agriculture. In 1909 he was arrested with a group of fellow villagers for participating in agrarian terror. He served his sentence in a Tambov prison and in the Olonets province. One of the organizers of the uprising of the peasants of the villages of Kamenka and Khitrovo of the Tambov district in August 1920. In the autumn of 1920 - in the summer of 1921 - the actual head of the provincial committee of the Socialist Revolutionary Committee of the STK. In the summer of 1921 he died under unclear circumstances.
Selyansky V.F. (?-1921?). Wahmister Commander of the Pakhotno-Ugolsky Regiment of the United Partisan Army of the Tambov Territory. Presumably died in 1921.
Tokmakov Petr Mikhailovich(? -1921), Commander-in-Chief of the United Partisan Army of the Tambov Territory.
Tyukov F.P. (?-1921?). Captain of the Russian army. Member of the Tambov uprising. Chief of Staff of the 1st Insurgent Army of the United Partisan Army of the Tambov Territory. Replaced I.A. Gubareva. Presumably died in 1921.
Shamov S.A.(?-1921?). Officer of the Russian army. Member of World War I, the White movement in the South of Russia and the Tambov uprising. Commander of the Savalsky partisan regiment of the United Partisan Army of the Tambov Territory. Presumably died in 1921.
Shatrov Ilya Alexandrovich(1879-1952). Military conductor, major. Member of the Russo-Japanese War. Author of the famous waltz "On the Hills of Manchuria" (1906). He was buried in Tambov, at the Holy Cross Cemetery.
Shengyaping(?-1921). Member of the Tambov uprising. Came from peasants. Commander of the Bityugovsky regiment. Head of the Tambov partisan republic. Commander of the Bityug Partisan Regiment of the United Partisan Army of the Tambov Territory. He died in battle in 1921 (he shot himself, not wanting to be captured after a horse was killed under him).
P.D. Ektov (?-1937). The captain of the Russian army. He came from Tambov peasants. Wartime officer. Worked at the headquarters of the 2nd rebel army. During the suppression of the uprising, he went over to the side of the Soviet authorities. Shot in 1937 in Tambov.
Little is known about him to the general public - Antonov was a non-public person and carried out his service, performing staff positions.
Even the commander of the Kyiv military district, Iona Yakir, under whose command Aleksey Innokentevich served, in 1925 characterized his subordinate as a person of a gentle nature, proactive, skillfully versed in any situation and hardy in camp life. And most importantly, this is a valuable staff worker. Five years later, another boss of Antonov, one of the authors of the theory of deep operations, Georgy Isserson, gave him an excellent description, again emphasizing that a graduate of the operational faculty of the Frunze Academy is an excellent “operational staff worker. Ready for work in higher headquarters.
Alexei Innokentievich Antonov is the only general to be awarded the Order of Victory. He was not a hero Soviet Union, although for the development of almost all significant operations of the Red Army he was awarded the Order of Lenin three times and the Red Banner four times ...
Alexei Innokent'evich never dreamed of being a military man. According to a relative of his wife Olga Vasilievna Lepeshinsky, Colonel Alexander Kitnik, Antonov, after graduating from the gymnasium, entered St. Petersburg University in the department of physics and mathematics. True, he did not stay a student for long - in 1916, after an accelerated course at the Pavlovsk Military School, Ensign Antonov was sent to the Life Guards Jaeger Regiment. He received a baptism of fire in June and, having received a wound in the head and the Order of St. Anna for bravery, was evacuated to Petrograd. And already in August, he was mobilized to defend the capital and, as part of a consolidated detachment, was sent to build defensive structures in the Pulkovo Heights area.
He was known as an officer of the highest staff culture: after the seventh time in the General Staff they replaced the head of the Operational Directorate who had failed in his duties and appointed General Antonov to this position, Alexei Innokentevich, getting used to new job, expressed dissatisfaction with the way the situation is displayed on the maps. In each direction, it was “drawn” differently, and the map was difficult to read without the help of the author. Antonov put things in order: they began to use uniform conventional colors and signs for a certain time and any type of hostilities, which made it easy to read the situation without explanation.
He spoke excellent French, and on this basis, while studying at the Academy of the General Staff, he became friends with Rodion Malinovsky. Despite the external dryness, he was a subtle lyricist and connoisseur of music. In his home office were recordings of Tchaikovsky's First Concerto and Rachmaninov's Third Concerto - to this music, according to Olga Lepeshinskaya, he always worked very well.
General Antonov was an extremely sympathetic person and never advertised this. When he was gone, people who knew him in the service, friends, came to the house to say goodbye. But one day a woman came into the hallway, seeing the general's overcoat lying on a chair, buried her face in it and sobbed as if she had lost a loved one. It turned out that a few years ago, Alexei Innokent'evich was riding in a letter car from a business trip and saw a woman rushing about at the half-station. I sent a messenger to find out what was the matter. It turned out that her son was dying, but they couldn’t take him to the hospital, because trains don’t stop here, otherwise railway take out the patient
from this godforsaken place is impossible. Antonov helped, the guy was saved.
Alexey Innokentievich Antonov(September 15 (28), 1896, Grodno - June 18, 1962, Moscow) - Soviet military leader, army general, member of the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command, chief of the General Staff in 1945-1946, first chief of staff of the United armed forces ATS countries. He became famous as a talented staff officer. Participated in the development of almost all significant operations of the Soviet troops in the Great Patriotic War since December 1942. Member of the Yalta and Potsdam Allied Conferences.
The only one of all Soviet military leaders, awarded the Order of Victory with the rank of army general, and the only Soviet holder of the order who was not awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.
Three times holder of the Order of Lenin, four times - the Order of the Red Banner.
Biography
Childhood and youth
Born on September 15 (28), 1896 in the city of Grodno (Belarus) in the family of Innokenty Alekseevich Antonov, a captain, artillery officer, and Tereza Ksaveryevna Antonova, a housewife. By nationality - Tatar-Kryashen.
Antonov's grandfather - Alexei - a native of Siberia, who graduated from the Moscow Alexander Military School, is also an officer. Teresa Ksaveryevna is a Polish woman, the daughter of a man exiled to Siberia for participating in the uprising of 1863-1864. Innokenty Antonov successfully passed the exams at the Academy of the General Staff, where he was not enrolled due to his wife's Catholic religion: "If your wife converts to Orthodoxy, you will be enrolled in the Academy." After refusing such an offer, I. A. Antonov was sent to the 26th artillery brigade, stationed in Grodno, where his son was born. Aleksey was the second child in the family, the elder sister, Lyudmila, had just begun to walk by the time Aleksey was born. IN early age Alexei Antonov became fluent in both Russian and Polish.
In 1904, the family moved to Ukraine - to Ostrog, Volyn province, where Antonov Sr. was transferred to the post of battery commander. Here Alex entered the gymnasium. question about his future military career did not even get up because of his sickness, shyness and nervousness. The father, who resigned himself to the fact that his son would not continue the military traditions of the family, spent a lot of time with his son and dealt with issues of his physical and intellectual development: he tempered his son, taught horse riding and playing chess, became interested in photography, and from 10-11 years old every Summer took him to field camps. In 1908, Alexei's father died, and he, his mother and sister lived on his pension. Mother worked part-time preparing students for exams. In 1914, with the outbreak of World War I, the Antonovs moved to St. Petersburg to stay with Teresa Ksaverievna's relatives, where Alexei entered the 8th grade of the gymnasium. In 1915, after a serious illness, Antonov's mother died, and the issuance of a pension for his father ceased. Alexei graduated from the First St. Petersburg Gymnasium, after which he entered the university at the Faculty of Physics and Mathematics, where he never began to study: due to lack of funds, together with two comrades, he went to work as a grader at the Polyakov factory in the village of Slavyanka near St. Petersburg.
In 1916 he was drafted into the active army. In December of the same year, he completed an accelerated course of study at the Pavlovsk Military School, and with the rank of ensign, a Jaeger regiment was sent to the Life Guards. At the beginning of 1917, the regiment was sent to the 8th Army of the Southwestern Front, General Alexei Kaledin. Antonov received his baptism of fire in the summer of 1917 - on the night of June 18, after artillery preparation, the regiment, along with other units and formations of the front, went on the offensive south of Stanislav. By June 27, the 8th Army occupied Galich, June 28 - Kalush. On July 16, the German units launched a counteroffensive, during one of the battles Antonov received a shrapnel wound in the head and was evacuated to a hospital in Petrograd. For the courage shown in battle, Antonov was awarded the Order of St. Anna.
After Antonov's recovery, he was transferred to the Guards Jaeger Reserve Regiment, where he was elected assistant regimental adjutant. On August 27, a meeting was held in the regiment about the Kornilov rebellion. The meeting's resolution stated: "The regiment is waiting for the order to march to protect the revolution from an attack on it by treason." At the capital's enterprises, the formation of Red Guard detachments began. Antonov was engaged organizational matters formation of consolidated units, providing them with weapons and uniforms. On August 28, these units took up defenses around Petrograd. Alexey Antonov, as part of one of the consolidated detachments, was engaged in construction defensive structures near the Pulkovo Heights. By August 31, the rebellion was crushed.
Born on September 15 (28), 1896 in the city of Grodno, in the family of an officer of the 26th artillery brigade. Father - Innokenty Alekseevich (d. 1908). Mother - Teresa Ksaveryevna (d. 1915).
The Antonov family was an ordinary family of a battery commander with a small income. In 1915, Alexei entered St. Petersburg University, but soon, due to financial difficulties, he was forced to interrupt his studies and go to work at a factory.
In 1916, Alexei Antonov was drafted into the army and sent to the Pavlovsk Military School. At the end of the course of study, the newly made warrant officer is appointed to the Life Guards Jaeger Regiment.
Taking part in the battles on the fields of the First World War, the young officer A.Antonov was wounded and awarded the Order of St. Anna IV degree with the inscription "For Courage". After recovery, the soldiers elect him assistant regimental adjutant.
In May 1918, ensign Antonov was transferred to the reserve. He studied at the evening courses of the Forestry Institute, worked in the food committee of Petrograd, and in April 1919 he was drafted into the Red Army. From that moment on, Alexei Innokentyevich devoted his whole life to serving the Motherland in the ranks of its Armed Forces.
He began his service as assistant chief of staff of the 1st Moscow Workers' Division, which fought on the Southern Front. After heavy fighting in June 1919, the remnants of this division were transferred to the 15th Inza Rifle Division. A.I.Antonov served in this division until August 1928, holding various staff positions. For active participation in crossing the Sivash, he was awarded the Honorary Weapon of the Revolutionary Military Council of the Republic, and in 1923 he was awarded Certificate of honor.
In 1928, the young commander entered the Academy named after M.V. Frunze, after which he was appointed chief of staff of the 46th Infantry Division in the city of Korosten. In 1933, he graduated from the operational department of the same academy and again left for his previous position. In October 1934 A.I. Antonov became chief of staff of the Mogilev-Yampolsky fortified area, and in August 1935 - chief of the operational department of the headquarters of the Kharkov military district.
In October 1936, the Academy of the General Staff of the Red Army was opened. Among the first listeners of this educational institution were A.M. Vasilevsky, L.A. Govorov, I.Kh. Bagramyan, N.F. Vatutin and A.I. Antonov.
After graduating from the academy in 1937, Alexei Innokent'evich was appointed chief of staff of the Moscow Military District.
At the end of 1938, A.I. Antonov was appointed senior lecturer, and after some time - deputy head of the department of general tactics of the Military Academy named after M.V. Frunze. In February 1940, he was awarded the academic rank of associate professor, and in June of the same year, the military rank of major general. In March 1941, A.I.Antonov was appointed to the post of deputy chief of staff of the Kyiv Special Military District.
The Great Patriotic War began. In August 1941, Major General A.I. Antonov was appointed Chief of Staff of the Southern Front. By this time, the troops of the front were engaged in tense defensive battles. During these battles, the headquarters of the Southern Front prepared and carried out the Rostov offensive operation in November, as a result of which the 1st German tank army. Rostov-on-Don was liberated, and the enemy was thrown back from this city by 60-80 kilometers. For successful actions in the Rostov operation, A.I. Antonov was awarded the Order of the Red Banner, he was awarded the military rank of lieutenant general.
From July 1942, Alexei Innokent'evich consistently headed the headquarters of the North Caucasian Front, the Black Sea Group of Forces and the Transcaucasian Front. The troops of these fronts, having shown exceptional stamina, stopped the enemy, preventing him from seizing the Black Sea coast and breaking through into the Transcaucasus. For the flexible and skillful leadership of the troops, Lieutenant-General A.I. Antonov was awarded the second Order of the Red Banner.
In December 1942, by order of the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command, Alexei Innokent'evich was appointed First Deputy Chief of the General Staff and Chief of the Operational Directorate. Since that time, active work has begun
A. I. Antonov in this supreme governing body of the Red Army.
Work in the General Staff is complex and multifaceted. Its functions included the collection and processing of operational-strategic information about the situation on the fronts, the preparation of operational calculations and proposals for the use of the Armed Forces, the direct development of plans for military campaigns and strategic operations in theaters of military operations. Based on the decisions of the Headquarters and the Supreme Commander-in-Chief, the General Staff prepared directives for the commanders of the fronts, fleets and services of the Armed Forces and their headquarters, prepared orders People's Commissar defense, exercised control over their execution, monitored the preparation of strategic reserves and their proper use.
The General Staff was also entrusted with the task of generalizing the advanced combat experience of formations, formations and units. The General Staff developed the most important provisions in the field of military theory, prepared proposals and applications for the production of military equipment and weapons. He was also responsible for coordinating the fighting of the partisan formations with the formations of the Red Army.
In January 1943, General A.I. Antonov, as a representative of the Headquarters, was sent to the Bryansk, and then to the Voronezh and Central fronts. The Voronezh-Kastornenskaya operation, during which Alexei Innokent'evich coordinated the actions of the troops, was successfully completed. The cities of Voronezh and Kursk were liberated. On the recommendation of A.M. Vasilevsky, Lieutenant-General A.I. Antonov was awarded the Order of Suvorov, I degree.
At the end of this business trip, Alexei Innokent'evich began to visit Headquarters several times a day. He carefully analyzed the information coming from the fronts, heard many generals and officers, agreed on the most important questions with the command of the fronts and reported proposals to the Supreme Commander.
In April 1943, A.I. Antonov was awarded the military rank of colonel general, and in May he was relieved of his duties as chief of the Operations Directorate, remaining first deputy chief of the General Staff.
The first major strategic operation, in the planning of which AI Antonov was directly involved, was the Battle of Kursk. For the organization and preparation of this battle, he was awarded the Order of the Patriotic War, I degree. The Soviet Supreme High Command decided to oppose a defense in depth, insurmountable defense against the powerful offensive being prepared by the enemy on the Kursk Bulge, German troops, and then with a counteroffensive to complete their defeat. As a result, the Red Army inflicted such a defeat on the enemy from which Nazi Germany was no longer able to recover. A solid foundation was created for carrying out extensive offensive operations on the entire front in order to completely drive the enemy out of Soviet territory.
For the brilliantly planned and successfully carried out operation on the Kursk Bulge in August 1943, A.I. Antonov was awarded the military rank of army general.
milestone in the life of Alexei Innokent'evich was the Belarusian operation. In the course of its preparation and holding, his outstanding organizational skills and strategic talents were fully revealed. On May 20, 1944, the general submitted a plan for this operation, which received the code name "Bagration", for consideration by the Headquarters. Huge work was carried out on the covert concentration of troops and military equipment, measures to disinform the enemy. The offensive that had begun came as a complete surprise to the Nazi troops.
As a result of powerful blows from four fronts, Soviet troops defeated Army Group Center, liberated Belarus, part of Lithuania and Latvia, entered Poland and approached the borders East Prussia, advancing 550-600 kilometers and expanding the offensive front by more than 1000 kilometers. For the organization and conduct of this operation, Alexei Innokent'evich was again awarded the Order of Suvorov, I degree.
The Belarusian operation further strengthened business relations between A.I. Antonova with the Supreme Commander-in-Chief. It was during this period that I.V. More and more frequently, Stalin entrusted Aleksei Innokent'evich with responsible tasks and listened attentively to him, especially on operational matters. Much more often, the Supreme Commander-in-Chief began to turn to him on numerous problems of relations with the allies. The famous aircraft designer A.S. Yakovlev wrote: “Antonov was very close to Stalin, who considered his opinion, had obvious sympathy and trust in him, spent long hours with him, discussed the situation on the fronts and planned future operations.”
The commanders of the troops who came to Headquarters, before going to the Supreme Commander-in-Chief, went to A.I. Antonov and consulted with him on their plans and all issues of preparing military operations. Representatives of the Headquarters, sending their reports to I.V. Stalin, they certainly addressed a copy of them to “Comrade Antonov”, knowing that the general would take everything necessary on these reports accurately and on time.
In the second half of 1944, it became clear that it was A. I. Antonov who would be entrusted with leading a group of Soviet military experts at the upcoming conference of the heads of the three governments. The Crimean Conference began its work on February 4, 1945 with a discussion of military issues. The heads of government of the USSR, the USA and Great Britain reviewed the situation on the European fronts. A report on the situation on the Soviet-German front was made by General of the Army A.I. Antonov. During the negotiations, he was entrusted with the responsibility of coordinating the actions of the Allied strategic aviation.
In February 1945, Alexei Innokentevich was awarded the Order of Lenin. Presenting him for this award, Marshal of the Soviet Union A.M. Vasilevsky wrote: “Army General Antonov A.I., being the First Deputy of the beginning. The General Staff, in fact, from the spring of 1943 bears the brunt of the work of the beginning. The General Staff at the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command and copes with it completely. He superbly manages the work of the entire Central Office of the NPO.”
After the death of I.D. Chernyakhovsky, A.M. was appointed commander of the 3rd Belorussian Front. Vasilevsky, and A.I. Antonov became Chief of the General Staff of the Red Army. At the same time, he was included in the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command.
A map of Berlin and the surrounding areas appeared on Alexei Innokentevich's desk in the summer of 1944, during the Belarusian operation. And on April 1, 1945, his report on general plan Berlin operation. For ten days, Soviet troops surrounded the Berlin enemy grouping and joined the Allied troops on the Elbe River.
On May 8, 1945, Germany signed an act of unconditional surrender, and a few days later, Soviet troops defeated the grouping of the Nazi army in Czechoslovakia. June 4, 1945 “for the skillful execution of tasks Supreme High Command in conducting large-scale military operations” General of the Army A.I. Antonov was awarded the highest military order "Victory".
In early June 1945, the General Staff under the leadership of A.I. Antonova together with A.M. Vasilevsky completed the development of a plan for a war with Japan. At the Potsdam Conference, the general informed the military representatives of the United States and Great Britain about this. August 7 I.V. Stalin and A.I. Antonov signed an order to start hostilities against Japan on the morning of August 9.
In the difficult conditions of this theater of war, the Red Army dealt a crushing blow to the Japanese armed forces. Soviet troops completely liberated Manchuria, the Liaodong Peninsula, North Korea, the southern part of Sakhalin Island and the Kuril Islands.
Immediately after the end of the war in Europe, the General Staff began to develop a plan for the demobilization of older soldiers from the army and navy and their speedy return home and involvement in the reconstruction of the country. During 1945, all fronts and many armies, corps and separate units were disbanded, the number of military educational institutions.
In March 1946, Marshal of the Soviet Union A.M. Vasilevsky again assumed the post of Chief of the General Staff, and General of the Army A.I. Antonov became his first deputy. It was he who was entrusted with all responsibility for the implementation of the Law on Demobilization and a number of other organizational measures. During 1945 - 1948 more than 8 million people were demobilized, the regular troops were organized into military districts.
At the end of 1948, the general was appointed first deputy, and since 1950 - commander of the Transcaucasian Military District. Now the life and activities of the troops were based not on battles and battles, but on combat training in peacetime conditions. It was necessary to deal with the issues of training commanders and headquarters of the tactical and operational level, to study a new military equipment and weapons.
In the autumn of 1953, in the Transcaucasian Military District, under the leadership of the Army General
A.I. Antonov, major maneuvers were carried out, in which the personnel showed exceptional physical endurance, moral endurance and military skill.
In 1949, the NATO military-political bloc was created. The so-called cold war". In response, on May 14, 1955, the Soviet Union and its allies signed the Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation and Military Assistance in Warsaw.
A year before the establishment of the Warsaw Pact, Army General A.I. Antonov was again appointed First Deputy Chief of the General Staff and a member of the Collegium of the USSR Ministry of Defense. And with the signing of the Treaty, he was elected General Secretary Political Advisory Committee and appointed Chief of Staff of the Joint Armed Forces.
While in this post, Alexei Innokent'evich spent a lot of time working out issues of an operational, organizational and military-scientific nature, carrying out measures for the technical equipment of the troops, their combat and operational training.
In a short time, the control apparatus for the armies of the Warsaw Pact countries was established, and the training of troops in joint operations in modern warfare was organized. The indefatigable Chief of Staff of the Joint Armed Forces personally participated in many exercises of the troops of the allied countries, helping our friends and sharing his invaluable experience with them.
Since 1946, for 16 years, A.I. Antonov was a deputy of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR. He often met with his voters, sensitive to their requests, suggestions and requests.
Aleksey Innokent'evich loved his family and deeply respected the memory of his father and mother. Reading, theatre, chess, photography, skiing, rowing, volleyball, walking in the woods and traveling were his favorite pastimes.
Being careful, knowing the price of time, he demanded the same from others. He loved direct, open people, above all he valued their independence, devotion to their work. He was always outraged by rudeness, dishonesty, lies, disrespect for human dignity. Brief, but at the same time capacious and high assessment of A.I. Antonov was given by Marshal of the Soviet Union G.K. Zhukov: "Aleksey Innokentyevich was an extremely competent military man, a man of great culture and charm."
Alexei Innokentyevich died in the service in his prime creative forces, aged 65 years. It happened on June 18, 1962. He was buried in Red Square in Moscow.
On the building of the Military Academy named after M.V. Frunze and on the house in which he was born, in Grodno, are installed memorial plaques. Streets in Moscow and at home are named after him. The name of the outstanding military leader was given to the Leningrad Higher Military Topographic Command School and high school No. 11 in Grodno.
The grateful Motherland highly appreciated one of its best sons. A.I. Antonov was awarded the Order of Victory, three Orders of Lenin, four Orders of the Red Banner, two Orders of Suvorov, 1st Class, Orders of Kutuzov, 1st Class, Orders of the Patriotic War, 1st Class, fourteen foreign orders and many medals.
