The Second World War is considered one of the most violent and bloody armed conflicts of the 20th century. Of course, the victory in the war was the merit of the Soviet people, who, at the cost of countless sacrifices, gave the future generation a peaceful life. However, this became possible thanks to unsurpassed talent - the participants of the Second World War forged victory together with ordinary citizens of the USSR, demonstrating heroism and courage.
Georgy Konstantinovich Zhukov
Georgy Konstantinovich Zhukov is considered one of the most key figures of the Great Patriotic War. The beginning of Zhukov's military career dates back to 1916, when he took a direct part in the First World War. In one of the battles, Zhukov was seriously injured, was shell-shocked, but, despite this, he did not leave his post. For courage and valor he was awarded the St. George Crosses of the 3rd and 4th degrees.
WWII generals are not just military commanders, they are real innovators in their field. Georgy Konstantinovich Zhukov is a prime example of this. It was he, the first of all representatives of the Red Army, who was awarded the insignia - the Marshal's star, and was also awarded the highest service - Marshal Soviet Union.
Alexei Mikhailovich Vasilevsky
The list of "Generals of the Great Patriotic War" cannot be imagined without this outstanding person. Throughout the war, Vasilevsky was on the fronts for 22 months with his soldiers, and only 12 months in Moscow. Great commander personally commanded in the battles in the heroic Stalingrad, in the days of the defense of Moscow, repeatedly visited the most dangerous territories in terms of enemy attacks german army.
Alexei Mikhailovich Vasilevsky, Major General of the Second World War, had a surprisingly courageous character. Thanks to his strategic thinking and lightning-fast understanding of the situation, he repeatedly managed to repel the onslaught of the enemy and avoid many casualties.
Konstantin Konstantinovich Rokossovsky
The rating "Outstanding Generals of the Second World War" will not be complete without mentioning an amazing person, a talented commander K.K. Rokossovsky. Military career Rokossovsky began at the age of 18, when he asked to join the Red Army, whose regiments passed through Warsaw.
There is a negative imprint in the biography of the great commander. So, in 1937, he was slandered and accused of having links with foreign intelligence, which served as the basis for his arrest. However, the persistence of Rokossovsky played a significant role. He did not confess to the charges imputed to him. The acquittal and release of Konstantin Konstantinovich took place in 1940.
For successful fighting near Moscow, as well as for the defense of Stalingrad, the name of Rokossovsky is in the forefront of the list of "great generals of the Second World War." For the role that the general played in the attack on Minsk and Baranovichi, Konstantin Konstantinovich was awarded the title of Marshal of the Soviet Union. Awarded with many orders and medals.
Ivan Stepanovich Konev
Do not forget that the list "Generals and Marshals of the Second World War" includes the name of Konev I.S. One of the key operations, which is indicative of the fate of Ivan Stepanovich, is the Korsun-Shevchenko offensive. This operation made it possible to surround a large grouping of enemy troops, which also played a positive role in turning the tide of the war.
Alexander Werth, a popular English journalist, wrote about this tactical offensive and Konev’s unique victory: “Konev carried out a lightning attack on enemy forces through slush, mud, impassability and muddy roads.” For innovative ideas, perseverance, valor and colossal courage, Ivan Stepanovich joined the list, which included the generals and marshals of the Second World War. The title of "Marshal of the Soviet Union" commander Konev received the third, after Zhukov and Vasilevsky.
Andrey Ivanovich Eremenko
One of the most famous people Andrei Ivanovich Eremenko, who was born in the Markovka settlement in 1872, is considered to be the Great Patriotic War. The military career of the outstanding commander began in 1913, when he was drafted into the Russian Imperial Army.
This person is interesting in that he received the title of Marshal of the Soviet Union for other merits than Rokossovsky, Zhukov, Vasilevsky and Konev. If the listed generals of the WWII armies were awarded orders for offensive operations, then Andrei Ivanovich received an honorary military rank for the defense. Eremenko hosted Active participation in operations near Stalingrad, in particular, he was one of the initiators of the counteroffensive, as a result of which he managed to capture the group German soldiers in the amount of 330 thousand people.
Rodion Yakovlevich Malinovsky
Rodion Yakovlevich Malinovsky is considered one of the brightest commanders of the Great Patriotic War. He was enrolled in the Red Army at the age of 16. During the First World War, he received multiple severe wounds. Two fragments from the shells got stuck in the back, the third pierced through the leg. Despite this, after recovery, he was not commissioned, but continued to serve his homeland.
Special words deserve his military successes during the Second World War. In December 1941, being in the rank of lieutenant general, Malinovsky was appointed commander of the Southern Front. However, the most striking episode in the biography of Rodion Yakovlevich is the defense of Stalingrad. The 66th Army, under the strict leadership of Malinovsky, launched a counteroffensive not far from Stalingrad. Thanks to this, it was possible to defeat the 6th German army, which reduced the onslaught of the enemy on the city. After the end of the war, Rodion Yakovlevich was awarded honorary title"Hero of the Soviet Union".
Semyon Konstantinovich Timoshenko
The victory, of course, was forged by the whole people, but the generals of the Second World War played a special role in the defeat of the German troops. The list of outstanding commanders is supplemented by the surname of Semyon Konstantinovich Timoshenko. The commander repeatedly received angry, which was due to failed operations in the early days of the war. Semyon Konstantinovich, showing courage and bravery, asked the commander in chief to send him to the most dangerous area of battles.
Marshal Timoshenko during his military activity commanded the most important fronts and directions, which were of a strategic nature. The most striking facts in the biography of the commander are the battles on the territory of Belarus, in particular the defense of Gomel and Mogilev.
Ivan Khristoforovich Chuikov
Ivan Khristoforovich was born into a peasant family in 1900. He decided to devote his life to the service of his homeland, to connect with military activities. He took a direct part in the Civil War, for which he was awarded two Orders of the Red Banner.
During the Second World War, he was the commander of the 64th and then the 62nd Army. Under his leadership, the most important defensive battles took place, which made it possible to defend Stalingrad. Ivan Khristoforovich Chuikov was awarded the title "Hero of the Soviet Union" for the liberation of Ukraine from the Nazi occupation.
The Great Patriotic War is the most important battle of the 20th century. Thanks to valor, courage and courage Soviet soldiers, as well as the innovation and ability of commanders to make decisions in difficult situations, managed to achieve a crushing victory of the Red Army over Nazi Germany.
During the Great Patriotic War, combined arms and tank armies as part of the Red Army were large military formations designed to solve the most complex operational tasks.
In order to effectively manage this army structure, the commander had to have high organizational skills, be well aware of the features of the use of all types of troops that make up his army, but of course, have a strong character.
In the course of hostilities, various military leaders were appointed to the post of army commander, but only the most trained and talented of them remained in it until the end of the war. Most of those who commanded the armies at the end of the Great Patriotic War held lower positions before it began.
Thus, it is known that during the war years, 325 military leaders were in the position of commander of a combined arms army. And the tank armies were commanded by 20 people.
At the beginning, there was a frequent change of tank commanders, for example, commanders of the 5th tank army were Lieutenant General M.M. Popov (25 days), I.T. Shlemin (3 months), A.I. Lizyukov (33 days, until his death in battle on July 17, 1942), the 1st was commanded (16 days) by artilleryman K.S. Moskalenko, 4th (within two months) - cavalryman V.D. Kryuchenkon and least of all commanded the TA (9 days) - combined arms commander (P.I. Batov).
In the future, the commanders of tank armies during the war years were the most stable group of military leaders. Almost all of them, starting to fight as colonels, successfully commanded tank brigades, divisions, tank and mechanized corps, and in 1942-1943. led tank armies and commanded them until the end of the war. http://www.mywebs.su/blog/history/10032.html
Of the combined arms commanders who ended the war in the position of commander, 14 people before the war commanded corps, 14 - divisions, 2 - brigades, one - a regiment, 6 were in teaching and command work in educational institutions, 16 officers were staff commanders different levels, 3 were deputy division commanders and 1 deputy corps commander.
Only 5 generals commanding the armies at the start of the war finished it in the same position: three (N. E. Berzarin, F. D. Gorelenko and V. I. Kuznetsov) - on the Soviet-German front and two more (M. F. Terekhin and L. G. Cheremisov) - on the Far Eastern Front.
In total, 30 commanders from among the army commanders died during the war, of which:
22 people died or died from wounds received in battle,
2 (K. M. Kachanov and A. A. Korobkov) were repressed,
2 (M. G. Efremov and A. K. Smirnov) committed suicide in order to avoid captivity,
2 people died in air (S. D. Akimov) and car accidents (I. G. Zakharkin),
1 (P.F. Alferyev) went missing and 1 (F.A. Ershakov) died in a concentration camp.
For success in planning and carrying out combat operations during the war and immediately after it, 72 commanders from among the commanders were awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union, 9 of them twice. After the collapse of the USSR, two generals were posthumously awarded the title of Hero of the Russian Federation.
During the war years, the Red Army in its composition totaled about 93 combined arms, guards, shock and tank armies, of which were:
1 seaside;
70 combined arms;
11 guards (from 1st to 11th);
5 drums (from 1 to 5);
6 tank guards;
In addition, the Red Army had:
18 air armies (from 1 to 18);
7 air defense armies;
10 sapper armies (from 1 to 10);
In the Independent Military Review of April 30, 2004. the rating of commanders of the Second World War was published, below is an extract from this rating, an assessment of the combat activities of the commanders of the main combined arms and tank Soviet armies:
3. Commanders of combined arms armies.
Chuikov Vasily Ivanovich (1900-1982) - Marshal of the Soviet Union. From September 1942 - Commander of the 62nd (8th Guards) Army. Particularly distinguished in Battle of Stalingrad.
Batov Pavel Ivanovich (1897-1985) - army General. Commander of the 51st, 3rd armies, assistant commander of the Bryansk Front, commander of the 65th army.
Beloborodov Afanasy Pavlantievich (1903-1990) - army General. Since the beginning of the war - the commander of a division, a rifle corps. Since 1944 - commander of the 43rd, in August-September 1945 - the 1st Red Banner Army.
Grechko Andrey Antonovich (1903-1976) - Marshal of the Soviet Union. From April 1942 - Commander of the 12th, 47th, 18th, 56th Armies, Deputy Commander of the Voronezh (1st Ukrainian) Front, Commander of the 1st Guards Army.
Krylov Nikolai Ivanovich (1903-1972) - Marshal of the Soviet Union. From July 1943 he commanded the 21st and 5th armies. He had unique experience in defending the besieged major cities, being the chief of staff of the defense of Odessa, Sevastopol and Stalingrad.
Moskalenko Kirill Semyonovich (1902-1985) - Marshal of the Soviet Union. From 1942 he commanded the 38th, 1st Tank, 1st Guards and 40th Armies.
Pukhov Nikolai Pavlovich (1895-1958) - Colonel General. In 1942-1945. commanded the 13th Army.
Chistyakov Ivan Mikhailovich (1900-1979) - Colonel General. In 1942-1945. commanded the 21st (6th Guards) and 25th armies.
Gorbatov Alexander Vasilyevich (1891-1973) - army General. From June 1943 - Commander of the 3rd Army.
Kuznetsov Vasily Ivanovich (1894-1964) - Colonel General. During the war he commanded the troops of the 3rd, 21st, 58th, 1st guard armies since 1945 - commander of the 3rd shock army.
Luchinsky Alexander Alexandrovich (1900-1990) - army General. Since 1944 - commander of the 28th and 36th armies. He especially distinguished himself in the Belorussian and Manchurian operations.
Ludnikov Ivan Ivanovich (1902-1976) - Colonel General. During the war he commanded a rifle division, a corps, in 1942 he was one of heroic defenders Stalingrad. Since May 1944 - commander of the 39th Army, which participated in the Belarusian and Manchurian operations.
Galitsky Kuzma Nikitovich (1897-1973) - army General. Since 1942 - commander of the 3rd shock and 11th guards armies.
Zhadov Alexey Semenovich (1901-1977) - army General. From 1942 he commanded the 66th (5th Guards) Army.
Glagolev Vasily Vasilyevich (1896-1947) - Colonel General. He commanded the 9th, 46th, 31st, in 1945 - the 9th Guards Armies. distinguished himself in Battle of Kursk, the battle for the Caucasus, during the crossing of the Dnieper, the liberation of Austria and Czechoslovakia.
Kolpakchi Vladimir Yakovlevich (1899-1961) - army General. He commanded the 18th, 62nd, 30th, 63rd, 69th armies. He acted most successfully in the Vistula-Oder and Berlin operations.
Pliev Issa Alexandrovich (1903-1979) - army General. During the war years - commander of the guards cavalry divisions, corps, commander of cavalry mechanized groups. He especially distinguished himself by bold and daring actions in the Manchurian strategic operation.
Fedyuninsky Ivan Ivanovich (1900-1977) - army General. During the war years, he was commander of the troops of the 32nd and 42nd armies, the Leningrad Front, the 54th and 5th armies, deputy commander of the Volkhov and Bryansk fronts, commander of the troops of the 11th and 2nd shock armies.
Belov Pavel Alekseevich (1897-1962) - Colonel General. Commanded the 61st Army. He was distinguished by decisive maneuvering actions during the Belorussian, Vistula-Oder and Berlin operations.
Shumilov Mikhail Stepanovich (1895-1975) - Colonel General. From August 1942 until the end of the war, he commanded the 64th Army (from 1943 - the 7th Guards), which, together with the 62nd Army, heroically defended Stalingrad.
Berzarin Nikolai Erastovich (1904-1945) - Colonel General. Commander of the 27th, 34th Armies, Deputy Commander of the 61st, 20th Armies, Commander of the 39th and 5th Shock Armies. He especially distinguished himself by skillful and decisive actions in the Berlin operation.
4. Commanders of tank armies.
Katukov Mikhail Efimovich (1900-1976) - Marshal of the armored forces. One of the founders of the Tank Guard was the commander of the 1st Guards Tank Brigade, 1st Guards Tank Corps. Since 1943 - Commander of the 1st Tank Army (since 1944 - Guards).
Bogdanov Semyon Ilyich (1894-1960) - Marshal of the armored forces. Since 1943 he commanded the 2nd (since 1944 - Guards) tank army.
Rybalko Pavel Semyonovich (1894-1948) - Marshal of the armored forces. From July 1942 he commanded the 5th, 3rd and 3rd Guards Tank Armies.
Lelyushenko Dmitry Danilovich (1901-1987) - army General. From October 1941 he commanded the 5th, 30th, 1st, 3rd Guards, 4th Tank (since 1945 - Guards) armies.
Rotmistrov Pavel Alekseevich (1901-1982) - chief marshal armored troops. He commanded a tank brigade, a corps, distinguished himself in the Stalingrad operation. From 1943 he commanded the 5th Guards Tank Army. Since 1944 - Deputy Commander of the armored and mechanized troops of the Soviet Army.
Kravchenko Andrey Grigorievich (1899-1963) - Colonel-General of Tank Troops. Since 1944 - commander of the 6th Guards Tank Army. He showed an example of highly maneuverable, swift actions during the Manchurian strategic operation.
It is known that army commanders were selected to this list, who had been in their positions for a relatively long time and showed rather high military leadership abilities.
In the process of confronting Germany and its allies (1941-1945), the Soviet leadership approved the deployment of more than a dozen fronts of the armed forces. Each of the operational-strategic formations was led by the highest military leaders of the Soviet Union. About the commanders of the Great Patriotic War and will be discussed in our article.
Ground commanders
Let's briefly talk about the most prominent:
- Semyon Mikhailovich Budyonny (1883-1973): Marshal, three times Hero. One of the organizers and commander of the First Cavalry Army (since 1918). On his initiative, new cavalry divisions were created in 1941. Commander-in-Chief, Southwest. Under his leadership, the troops of the North Caucasian Front (1942) operated. Commanded the cavalry (since 1943);
- Kliment Efremovich Voroshilov (1988-1969): Marshal, statesman, twice Hero. Participated in the Civil War. Commander-in-Chief in the northwestern direction (1941). Commanded the Leningrad Front. personally led the attack marines(1941). commander in chief partisan movement(1942-1943). In 1943 he became chairman of the Armistice Commission. Participated in the Tehran conference;
- Georgy Konstantinovich Zhukov (1896-1974): Marshal, four times Hero. Fought in World War I. He commanded a special corps in Mongolia (1939), the Kyiv Special District (1940); boss General Staff(1941); Deputy Supreme Commander (since 1942). In 1942 he led offensive operations: Moscow, Rzhev-Vyazemskaya, two Rzhev-Sychevsky. He developed operations to break the Leningrad blockade and liberate the region (1943). He regulated the actions of several fronts in the Battle of Kursk, at the first stage of the battles for the Dnieper. In 1944 he headed the First Ukrainian Front, which carried out a successful operation to separate enemy forces in the Carpathian region. He led the First Belorussian Front (1944-1945), which took part in the liberation of Warsaw and the capture of Berlin.
Rice. 1. Semyon Mikhailovich Budyonny.
The first to receive a special personal title of marshal of the Soviet Union, even before the start of the Great Patriotic War, were the military leaders Semyon Budyonny, Kliment Voroshilov (in 1935). During the war years, Georgy Zhukov was the first to receive the title for outstanding services.
- Pavel Artemyevich Artemyev (1897-1979): colonel general, head of the NKVD Operational Troops Directorate (since 1941), commander of the Moscow Defense Zone. He gained military experience in World War I as a demolition miner. As a detachment commander he participated in the Soviet-Finnish war. It was he who organized the reliable defense of Moscow;
- Mikhail Grigorievich Efremov (1987-1942): Lieutenant General, posthumously Hero of the Russian Federation. Commanding experience received during the Civil War. He commanded 21 armies on the Western Front, which delayed the advance of enemy troops to the Dnieper (1941). Commander of the Central Front (August 1941), deputy commander of the Bryansk Front. The army under his leadership eliminated the enemy's breakthrough in the area of the Nara River (Moscow region). He died during the Rzhev-Vyazemsky operation.
Many Soviet officers and soldiers were distinguished by high stamina, not stopping to fight to the last. Instead of surrender, they preferred death. So Mikhail Efremov, when they sent a plane for him (sent the wounded on it), turned out to leave the remaining parts of his army. A little later, having received a serious wound, he shot himself.
Rice. 2. Mikhail Grigorievich Efremov.
Commanders of the Air Defense Forces
Fronts air defense, among others, were commanded by generals:
- Mikhail Stepanovich Gromadin (1899-1962): colonel general. He served in the air defense forces from 1935. Participated in the development of air defense in Moscow. Commander of the air defense fronts: Western (1943), Northern (1944), Central (1945);
- Gavriil Savelyevich Zashikhin (1898-1950): colonel general, head of air defense of the Baltic Fleet (since 1940). He commanded the air defense fronts: Southern, Eastern.
2014-12-09
The fate of millions of people depended on their decisions!
This is not the whole list of our great commanders of the Second World War!
Zhukov Georgy Konstantinovich (1896-1974)
Marshal of the Soviet Union Georgy Konstantinovich Zhukov was born on November 1, 1896 in Kaluga region in a peasant family. During the First World War, he was drafted into the army and enrolled in a regiment stationed in the Kharkov province. In the spring of 1916 he was enrolled in a group sent to officer courses. After studying, Zhukov became a non-commissioned officer, and went to the dragoon regiment, in which he participated in the battles Great War. Soon he received a concussion from a mine explosion, and was sent to the hospital. He managed to prove himself, and for the capture of a German officer he was awarded the St. George Cross.
After the civil war, he graduated from the courses of the red commanders. He commanded a cavalry regiment, then a brigade. He was an assistant inspector of the cavalry of the Red Army.
In January 1941, shortly before the German invasion of the USSR, Zhukov was appointed Chief of the General Staff, Deputy People's Commissar for Defense.
He commanded the troops of the Reserve, Leningrad, Western, 1st Belorussian fronts, coordinated the actions of a number of fronts, introduced huge contribution in achieving victory in the battle of Moscow, in the battles of Stalingrad, Kursk, in the Belorussian, Vistula-Oder and Berlin operations. Four times Hero of the Soviet Union, holder of two Orders of Victory, many other Soviet and foreign orders and medals.
Vasilevsky Alexander Mikhailovich (1895-1977)- Marshal of the Soviet Union.
Born on September 16 (September 30), 1895 in the village. Novaya Golchikha, Kineshma district, Ivanovo region, in the family of a priest, Russian. In February 1915, after graduating from the Kostroma Theological Seminary, he entered Alekseevsky military school(Moscow) and completed it in 4 months (in June 1915).
During the Great Patriotic War, as Chief of the General Staff (1942-1945), he took an active part in the development and implementation of almost all major operations on the Soviet-German front. From February 1945 he commanded the 3rd Belorussian Front, led the assault on Königsberg. In 1945 the commander-in-chief Soviet troops in the Far East in the war with Japan.
Rokossovsky Konstantin Konstantinovich (1896-1968)- Marshal of the Soviet Union, Marshal of Poland.
He was born on December 21, 1896 in the small Russian town of Velikiye Luki (former Pskov province), in the family of a Pole railway engineer Xavier-Josef Rokossovsky and his Russian wife Antonina. After the birth of Konstantin, the Rokossovsky family moved to Warsaw. In less than 6 years, Kostya was orphaned: his father was in a railway accident and, after a long illness, died in 1902. In 1911, his mother also died. With the outbreak of World War I, Rokossovsky asked to join one of the Russian regiments heading west through Warsaw.
With the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, he commands the 9th mechanized corps. In the summer of 1941, he was appointed commander of the 4th Army. He managed to somewhat restrain the advance of the German armies on the western front. In the summer of 1942, he became commander of the Bryansk Front. The Germans managed to approach the Don and, from advantageous positions, create threats for the capture of Stalingrad and a breakthrough on North Caucasus. With a strike by his army, he prevented the Germans from breaking through to the north, towards the city of Yelets. Rokossovsky participated in the counteroffensive of the Soviet troops near Stalingrad. His ability to conduct combat operations played a large role in the success of the operation. In 1943, he led the central front, which, under his command, began defensive battles on the Kursk Bulge. A little later, he organized an offensive, and liberated significant territories from the Germans. He also led the liberation of Belarus, implementing the plan of the Headquarters - "Bagration".
Twice Hero of the Soviet Union.
Konev Ivan Stepanovich (1897-1973)- Marshal of the Soviet Union.
Born in December 1897 in one of the villages of the Vologda province. His family was a peasant. In 1916, the future commander was drafted into the tsarist army. In the First World War, he participates as a non-commissioned officer.
At the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, Konev commanded the 19th Army, which participated in battles with the Germans and closed the capital from the enemy. For the successful leadership of the army, he receives the rank of colonel general.
Ivan Stepanovich during the Great Patriotic War managed to be the commander of several fronts: Kalinin, Western, Northwestern, Steppe, second Ukrainian and first Ukrainian. In January 1945, the First Ukrainian Front, together with the First Belorussian Front, began the offensive Vistula-Oder operation. The troops managed to take several cities of strategic importance, and even liberate Krakow from the Germans. At the end of January, the Auschwitz camp was liberated from the Nazis. In April, two fronts launched an offensive in the Berlin direction. Soon Berlin was taken, and Konev took a direct part in the storming of the city.
Twice Hero of the Soviet Union.
Vatutin Nikolay Fedorovich (1901-1944)- army General.
Born December 16, 1901 in the village of Chepukhino Kursk province in a large peasant family. He graduated from four classes of the Zemstvo school, where he was considered the first student.
In the early days of the Great Patriotic War, Vatutin visited the most critical sectors of the front. The staff worker turned into a brilliant combat commander.
On February 21, the Headquarters instructed Vatutin to prepare an attack on Dubno and further on Chernivtsi. On February 29, the general was heading to the headquarters of the 60th Army. On the way, his car was fired upon by a detachment of Ukrainian Bandera partisans. The wounded Vatutin died on the night of April 15 in a Kiev military hospital.
In 1965, Vatutin was posthumously awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union.
Katukov Mikhail Efimovich (1900-1976)- Marshal of the armored forces. One of the founders of the tank guard.
Born on September 4 (17), 1900 in the village of Bolshoe Uvarovo, then the Kolomna district of the Moscow province in large family peasant (father had seven children from two marriages). Graduated from commendation primary rural school, while studying in which he was the first student of the class and school.
In the Soviet Army - since 1919.
At the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, he participated in defensive operations in the area of the cities of Lutsk, Dubno, Korosten, showing himself to be a skillful, proactive organizer of a tank battle with superior enemy forces. These qualities dazzlingly manifested themselves in the battle near Moscow, when he commanded the 4th tank brigade. In the first half of October 1941, near Mtsensk, on a number of defensive lines, the brigade steadfastly held back the advance of enemy tanks and infantry and inflicted enormous damage on them. Having made a 360-km march to the Istra orientation, the brigade M.E. Katukova, as part of the 16th Army of the Western Front, fought heroically in the Volokolamsk direction and participated in the counteroffensive near Moscow. On November 11, 1941, for courageous and skillful fighting, the brigade was the first in the tank troops to receive the title of Guards. In 1942, M.E. Katukov commanded the 1st Tank Corps, which repelled the onslaught of enemy troops in the Kursk-Voronezh direction, from September 1942 - the 3rd Mechanized Corps, In January 1943 he was appointed commander of the 1st Tank Army, which was part of the Voronezh, and later 1 th Ukrainian Front distinguished itself in the Battle of Kursk and during the liberation of Ukraine. In April 1944, the Sun was transformed into the 1st Guards Tank Army, which, under the command of M.E. Katukova participated in the Lvov-Sandomierz, Vistula-Oder, East Pomeranian and Berlin operations, crossed the Vistula and Oder rivers.
Twice Hero of the Soviet Union.
Rotmistrov Pavel Alekseevich (1901-1982)- Chief Marshal of the Armored Forces.
He was born in the village of Skovorovo, now in the Selizharovsky district of the Tver region, in a large peasant family (he had 8 brothers and sisters). In 1916 he graduated from a higher primary school.
In the Soviet Army since April 1919 (he was enrolled in the Samara workers' regiment), a participant in the Civil War.
During the Great Patriotic War, P.A. Rotmistrov fought on the Western, Northwestern, Kalininin, Stalingrad, Voronezh, Steppe, Southwestern, 2nd Ukrainian and 3rd Belorussian fronts. He commanded the 5th Guards Tank Army, which distinguished itself in the Battle of Kursk. In the summer of 1944, P.A. Rotmistrov with his army participated in the Belarusian offensive operation, the liberation of the cities of Borisov, Minsk, Vilnius. From August 1944 he was appointed deputy commander of the armored and mechanized troops of the Soviet Army.
Hero of the Soviet Union.
Kravchenko Andrey Grigorievich (1899-1963)- Colonel-General of Tank Troops.
Born on November 30, 1899 on the Sulimin farm, now the village of Sulimovka, Yagotinsky district, Kyiv region of Ukraine, in a peasant family. Ukrainian. Member of the CPSU (b) since 1925. Member of the Civil War. He graduated from the Poltava military infantry school in 1923, military academy named after M.V. Frunze in 1928.
From June 1940 to the end of February 1941 A.G. Kravchenko was the chief of staff of the 16th Panzer Division, and from March to September 1941 he was the chief of staff of the 18th Mechanized Corps.
On the fronts of the Great Patriotic War since September 1941. Commander of the 31st Tank Brigade (09/09/1941 - 01/10/1942). Since February 1942, Deputy Commander of the 61st Army for tank troops. Chief of Staff of the 1st Tank Corps (03/31/1942 - 07/30/1942). He commanded the 2nd (07/2/1942 - 09/13/1942) and 4th (02/07/43 - 5th Guards; from 09/18/1942 to 01/24/1944) tank corps.
In November 1942, the 4th Corps participated in the encirclement of the 6th German Army near Stalingrad, in July 1943 - in tank battle near Prokhorovka, in October of the same year - in the battle for the Dnieper.
Twice Hero of the Soviet Union.
Novikov Alexander Alexandrovich (1900-1976)- Air Chief Marshal
Born on November 19, 1900 in the village of Kryukovo, Nerekhtsky District, Kostroma Region. Educated at the teacher's seminary in 1918.
In the Soviet Army since 1919
In aviation since 1933. Member of the Great Patriotic War from the first day. He was the commander of the Northern Air Force, then the Leningrad Front. From April 1942 until the end of the war - commander of the Red Army Air Force. In March 1946, he was illegally repressed (together with A. I. Shakhurin), rehabilitated in 1953.
Twice Hero of the Soviet Union.
Kuznetsov Nikolai Gerasimovich (1902-1974)— Admiral of the Fleet of the Soviet Union. People's Commissar of the Navy.
Born on July 11 (24), 1904 in the family of Gerasim Fedorovich Kuznetsov (1861-1915), a peasant in the village of Medvedki, Veliko-Ustyug district, Vologda province (now in the Kotlas district of the Arkhangelsk region).
In 1919, at the age of 15, he joined the Severodvinsk flotilla, attributing two years to himself in order to be accepted (the erroneous 1902 year of birth is still found in some reference books). In 1921-1922 he was a combatant of the Arkhangelsk naval crew.
During the Great Patriotic War, N. G. Kuznetsov was chairman of the Main Military Council of the Navy and Commander-in-Chief of the Navy. He promptly and energetically led the fleet, coordinating its actions with the operations of other armed forces. The admiral was a member of the Headquarters Supreme High Command, constantly traveled to ships and fronts. The fleet prevented an invasion of the Caucasus from the sea. In 1944, N. G. Kuznetsov was awarded the military rank of Admiral of the Fleet. On May 25, 1945, this rank was equated with the rank of Marshal of the Soviet Union and marshal-type shoulder straps were introduced.
Hero of the Soviet Union.
Chernyakhovsky Ivan Danilovich (1906-1945)- army General.
Born in the city of Uman. His father was a railway worker, so it is not surprising that in 1915 his son followed in his father's footsteps and entered the railway school. In 1919, a real tragedy happened in the family: because of typhus, his parents died, so the boy was forced to leave school and study agriculture. He worked as a shepherd, driving cattle into the field in the morning, and every free minute he sat down for textbooks. Immediately after dinner, I ran to the teacher for clarification of the material.
During the Second World War, he was one of those young military leaders who motivated soldiers by their example, gave them confidence and gave faith in a brighter future.
Twice Hero of the Soviet Union.
Marshals of the Great Patriotic War
Zhukov Georgy Konstantinovich
19.11 (1.12). 1896-18.06.1974great commander,
Marshal of the Soviet Union,
Minister of Defense of the USSR
Born in the village of Strelkovka near Kaluga in a peasant family. Furrier. In the army since 1915. Participated in the First World War, junior non-commissioned officer in the cavalry. In battles he was seriously shell-shocked and was awarded 2 St. George's crosses.
From August 1918 in the Red Army. IN civil war fought against Ural Cossacks near Tsaritsyn, fought with the troops of Denikin and Wrangel, took part in the suppression of the Antonov uprising in the Tambov region, was wounded, awarded the Order of the Red Banner. After the Civil War, he commanded a regiment, brigade, division, and corps. In the summer of 1939, he conducted a successful encirclement operation and defeated the grouping of Japanese troops by Gen. Kamatsubara on the Khalkhin Gol River. G.K. Zhukov received the title of Hero of the Soviet Union and the Order of the Red Banner of the MPR.
During the Great Patriotic War (1941-1945) he was a member of the Headquarters, Deputy Supreme Commander, commanded the fronts (pseudonyms: Konstantinov, Yuryev, Zharov). He was the first during the war to be awarded the title of Marshal of the Soviet Union (01/18/1943). Under the command of G.K. Zhukov, the troops of the Leningrad Front, together with Baltic Fleet stopped the offensive of the Army Group "North" of Field Marshal F. W. von Leeb on Leningrad in September 1941. Under his command, the troops of the Western Front defeated the troops of Field Marshal F. von Bock's Army Group Center near Moscow and dispelled the myth of invincibility fascist german army. Then Zhukov coordinated the actions of the fronts near Stalingrad (Operation Uranus - 1942), in Operation Iskra during the breakthrough of the Leningrad blockade (1943), in the Battle of Kursk (summer 1943), where Hitler's plan was thwarted " Citadel "and the troops of Field Marshals Kluge and Manstein were defeated. The name of Marshal Zhukov is also associated with victories near Korsun-Shevchenkovsky, the liberation of the Right-Bank Ukraine; operation "Bagration" (in Belarus), where the "Line Vaterland" was broken through and the army group "Center" of field marshals E. von Busch and V. von Model was defeated. On final stage of the war, the 1st Belorussian Front, led by Marshal Zhukov, took Warsaw (01/17/1945), with a cutting blow defeated Army Group A of General von Harpe and Field Marshal F. Scherner in the Vistula-Oder operation and victoriously ended the war with the grandiose Berlin operation. Together with the soldiers, the marshal signed on the scorched wall of the Reichstag, over the broken dome of which the banner of Victory fluttered. On May 8, 1945, in Karlshorst (Berlin), the commander accepted the unconditional surrender of Nazi Germany from Hitler's Field Marshal W. von Keitel. General D. Eisenhower presented G.K. Zhukov with the highest military order of the United States "Legion of Honor" of the degree of commander in chief (06/05/1945). Later, in Berlin, at the Brandenburg Gate, British Field Marshal Montgomery laid on him a large Cross of the Knights of the Order of the Bath, 1st class with a star and a crimson ribbon. On June 24, 1945, Marshal Zhukov hosted the triumphal Victory Parade in Moscow.
In 1955-1957. "Marshal of Victory" was the Minister of Defense of the USSR.
American military historian Martin Cayden says: “Zhukov was the commander of commanders in the conduct of war by the mass armies of the twentieth century. He inflicted more casualties on the Germans than any other military leader. He was a "miracle marshal". Before us is a military genius.
He wrote memoirs "Memories and Reflections".
Marshal G.K. Zhukov had:
- 4 Gold Stars of the Hero of the Soviet Union (08/29/1939, 07/29/1944, 06/1/1945, 12/1/1956),
- 6 orders of Lenin,
- 2 orders of "Victory" (including No. 1 - 04/11/1944, 03/30/1945),
- order October revolution,
- 3 Orders of the Red Banner,
- 2 orders of Suvorov 1st degree (including No. 1), a total of 14 orders and 16 medals;
- honorary weapon - a personalized sword with the golden Emblem of the USSR (1968);
- Hero of the Mongolian People's Republic(1969); order of the Tuva Republic;
- 17 foreign orders and 10 medals, etc.
In 1995, a monument was erected to Zhukov on Manezhnaya Square in Moscow.
Vasilevsky Alexander Mikhailovich
18(30).09.1895-5.12.1977 Marshal of the Soviet Union,
Minister of the Armed Forces of the USSR
Born in the village of Novaya Golchikha near Kineshma on the Volga. The son of a priest. He studied at the Kostroma Theological Seminary. In 1915 he completed courses at the Alexander Military School and, with the rank of ensign, was sent to the front of the First World War (1914-1918). Staff Captain tsarist army. Having joined the Red Army during the Civil War of 1918-1920, he commanded a company, battalion, regiment. In 1937 he graduated from the Military Academy of the General Staff. Since 1940, he served in the General Staff, where he was caught by the Great Patriotic War (1941-1945). In June 1942, he became chief of the General Staff, replacing Marshal B. M. Shaposhnikov in this post due to illness. Of the 34 months of his tenure as Chief of the General Staff, AM Vasilevsky spent 22 directly at the front (pseudonyms: Mikhailov, Alexandrov, Vladimirov). He was wounded and shell-shocked. In a year and a half of the war, he rose from Major General to Marshal of the Soviet Union (02/19/1943) and, together with Mr. K. Zhukov, became the first holder of the Order of Victory. Under his leadership, the largest operations of the Soviet Armed Forces were developed. A. M. Vasilevsky coordinated the actions of the fronts: in the Battle of Stalingrad (Operation Uranus, Small Saturn), near Kursk (Operation Commander Rumyantsev), during the liberation of Donbass (Operation Don ”), in the Crimea and during the capture of Sevastopol, in battles in the Right-Bank Ukraine; in the Belarusian operation "Bagration".
After the death of General I. D. Chernyakhovsky, he commanded the 3rd Belorussian Front in the East Prussian operation, which ended in the famous "star" assault on Koenigsberg.
On the fronts of the Great Patriotic War, the Soviet commander A. M. Vasilevsky smashed Hitler's field marshals and generals F. von Bock, G. Guderian, F. Paulus, E. Manstein, E. Kleist, Eneke, E. von Busch, V. von Model, F. Scherner, von Weichs and others.
In June 1945, the marshal was appointed Commander-in-Chief of the Soviet Forces in the Far East (pseudonym Vasiliev). For a quick break Kwantung Army Japanese General O. Yamada in Manchuria, the commander received a second Gold Star. After the war, from 1946 - Chief of the General Staff; in 1949-1953 - Minister of the Armed Forces of the USSR.
A. M. Vasilevsky is the author of the memoirs “The Work of All Life”.
Marshal A. M. Vasilevsky had:
- 2 Gold Stars of the Hero of the Soviet Union (07/29/1944, 09/08/1945),
- 8 orders of Lenin,
- 2 orders of "Victory" (including No. 2 - 01/10/1944, 04/19/1945),
- order of the October Revolution,
- 2 orders of the Red Banner,
- Order of Suvorov 1st degree,
- order Red Star,
- Order "For Service to the Motherland in the Armed Forces of the USSR" 3rd degree,
- a total of 16 orders and 14 medals;
- honorary nominal weapon - a checker with the golden Emblem of the USSR (1968),
- 28 foreign awards (including 18 foreign orders).
Konev Ivan Stepanovich
December 16(28), 1897—June 27, 1973 Marshal of the Soviet Union
Was born in Vologda region in the village of Lodeino in a peasant family. In 1916 he was drafted into the army. At the end of the training team, junior non-commissioned officer art. division sent to the South-Western Front. Having joined the Red Army in 1918, he participated in battles against the troops of Admiral Kolchak, Ataman Semenov, and the Japanese. Commissioner of the armored train "Grozny", then brigades, divisions. In 1921 he participated in the storming of Kronstadt. Graduated from the Academy. Frunze (1934), commanded a regiment, division, corps, 2nd Separate Red Banner Far Eastern Army (1938-1940).
During the Great Patriotic War, he commanded the army, fronts (pseudonyms: Stepin, Kyiv). Participated in the battles near Smolensk and Kalinin (1941), in the battle near Moscow (1941-1942). During the Battle of Kursk, together with the troops of General N.F. Vatutin, he defeated the enemy at the Belgorod-Kharkov bridgehead - the bastion of Germany in Ukraine. On August 5, 1943, Konev's troops took the city of Belgorod, in honor of which Moscow gave its first salute, and on August 24, Kharkov was taken. Next came the breakthrough Eastern shaft» on the Dnieper.
In 1944, near Korsun-Shevchenkovsky, the Germans arranged a “New (small) Stalingrad” - 10 divisions and 1 brigade of General V. Stemmeran, who fell on the battlefield, were surrounded and destroyed. I. S. Konev was awarded the title of Marshal of the Soviet Union (02/20/1944), and on March 26, 1944, the troops of the 1st Ukrainian Front were the first to reach state border. In July-August, they defeated Field Marshal E. von Manstein's Northern Ukraine Army Group in the Lvov-Sandomierz operation. The name of Marshal Konev, nicknamed the "general forward", is associated with brilliant victories at the final stage of the war - in the Vistula-Oder, Berlin and Prague operations. During the Berlin operation, his troops reached the river. Elbe at Torgau and met with the American troops of General O. Bradley (04/25/1945). On May 9, the defeat of Field Marshal Scherner near Prague was completed. Higher Orders The "White Lion" 1st class and the "Czechoslovak Military Cross of 1939" were an award to the marshal for the liberation of the Czech capital. Moscow saluted the troops of I. S. Konev 57 times.
In the post-war period, the marshal was Commander-in-Chief of the Ground Forces (1946-1950; 1955-1956), the first Commander-in-Chief of the Joint Armed Forces of the participating states Warsaw Pact(1956-1960).
Marshal I. S. Konev - twice Hero of the Soviet Union, Hero of the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic (1970), Hero of the Mongolian People's Republic (1971). The bronze bust was installed at home in the village of Lodeyno.
He wrote memoirs: "Forty-fifth" and "Notes of the front commander."
Marshal I.S. Konev had:
- two Gold Stars of the Hero of the Soviet Union (07/29/1944, 06/1/1945),
- 7 orders of Lenin,
- order of the October Revolution,
- 3 Orders of the Red Banner,
- 2 orders of Kutuzov 1st degree,
- order of the Red Star,
- a total of 17 orders and 10 medals;
- honorary nominal weapon - a sword with the Golden Emblem of the USSR (1968),
- 24 foreign awards (including 13 foreign orders).
Govorov Leonid Alexandrovich
10(22).02.1897-19.03.1955 Marshal of the Soviet Union
Born in the village of Butyrki near Vyatka in the family of a peasant who later became an employee in the city of Yelabuga. A student of the Petrograd Polytechnic Institute L. Govorov in 1916 became a cadet of the Konstantinovsky Artillery School. Combat activity began in 1918 as an officer of the White Army of Admiral Kolchak.
In 1919, he volunteered for the Red Army, participated in the battles in the Eastern and southern fronts, commanded an artillery division, was wounded twice - near Kakhovka and Perekop.
In 1933 he graduated from the Military Academy. Frunze, and then the Academy of the General Staff (1938). Participated in the war with Finland in 1939-1940.
In the Great Patriotic War (1941-1945), artillery general L. A. Govorov became commander of the 5th Army, which defended the approaches to Moscow in the central direction. In the spring of 1942, on the instructions of I.V. Stalin, he went to the besieged Leningrad, where he soon led the front (pseudonyms: Leonidov, Leonov, Gavrilov). On January 18, 1943, the troops of Generals Govorov and Meretskov broke through the blockade of Leningrad (Operation Iskra), delivering a counterattack near Shlisselburg. A year later, they struck a new blow, crushing the "Northern Wall" of the Germans, completely lifting the blockade of Leningrad. The German troops of Field Marshal von Küchler suffered huge losses. In June 1944, the troops of the Leningrad Front carried out the Vyborg operation, broke through the "Mannerheim Line" and took the city of Vyborg. L. A. Govorov became the Marshal of the Soviet Union (06/18/1944). In the fall of 1944, Govorov's troops liberated Estonia by breaking into the Panther enemy defenses.
While remaining commander of the Leningrad Front, the marshal was at the same time the representative of the Stavka in the Baltic states. He was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. In May 1945, the German Army Group "Kurland" surrendered to the troops of the front.
Moscow saluted 14 times to the troops of commander L. A. Govorov. In the post-war period, the marshal became the first Commander-in-Chief of the country's air defense.
Marshal L. A. Govorov had:
- Gold Star of the Hero of the Soviet Union (27.01.1945), 5 Orders of Lenin,
- Order "Victory" (05/31/1945),
- 3 Orders of the Red Banner,
- 2 orders of Suvorov 1st degree,
- Order of Kutuzov 1st degree,
- Order of the Red Star - a total of 13 orders and 7 medals,
- Tuvan "Order of the Republic",
- 3 foreign orders.
Rokossovsky Konstantin Konstantinovich
December 9(21), 1896—August 3, 1968 Marshal of the Soviet Union,
Marshal of Poland
Born in Velikie Luki in the family of a railway engineer, Pole Xavier Jozef Rokossovsky, who soon moved to live in Warsaw. Service began in 1914 in the Russian army. Participated in the First World War. He fought in a dragoon regiment, was a non-commissioned officer, twice wounded in battle, awarded the St. George Cross and 2 medals. Red Guard (1917). During the Civil War, he was again wounded 2 times, fought on Eastern Front against the troops of Admiral Kolchak and in Transbaikalia against Baron Ungern; commanded a squadron, division, cavalry regiment; awarded 2 orders of the Red Banner. In 1929 he fought against the Chinese at Jalaynor (conflict on the CER). In 1937-1940. was imprisoned, being the victim of slander.
During the Great Patriotic War (1941-1945) he commanded a mechanized corps, army, fronts (Pseudonyms: Kostin, Dontsov, Rumyantsev). He distinguished himself in the battle of Smolensk (1941). Hero of the Battle of Moscow (09/30/1941-01/08/1942). He was seriously wounded near Sukhinichi. During the Battle of Stalingrad (1942-1943), the Don Front of Rokossovsky, together with other fronts, surrounded 22 enemy divisions with a total number of 330 thousand people (Operation Uranus). At the beginning of 1943, the Don Front liquidated the encircled group of Germans (Operation "Ring"). Field Marshal F. Paulus was taken prisoner (3-day mourning was declared in Germany). In the Battle of Kursk (1943) Rokossovsky's Central Front defeated German troops General Model (Operation Kutuzov) near Orel, in honor of which Moscow gave its first salute (08/05/1943). In the grandiose Belorussian operation (1944), Rokossovsky’s 1st Belorussian Front defeated Field Marshal von Bush’s Army Group Center and, together with the troops of General I. D. Chernyakhovsky, surrounded up to 30 dredge divisions in the Minsk Cauldron (Operation Bagration) . June 29, 1944 Rokossovsky was awarded the title of Marshal of the Soviet Union. The highest military orders "Virtuti Military" and the cross of "Grunwald" 1st class became the award to the marshal for the liberation of Poland.
At the final stage of the war, the 2nd Belorussian Front of Rokossovsky participated in the East Prussian, Pomeranian and Berlin operations. Moscow saluted the troops of commander Rokossovsky 63 times. On June 24, 1945, twice Hero of the Soviet Union, holder of the Order of Victory, Marshal K.K. Rokossovsky commanded the Victory Parade on Red Square in Moscow. In 1949-1956, K.K. Rokossovsky was the Minister of National Defense of the Polish People's Republic. He was awarded the title Marshal of Poland (1949). Returning to the Soviet Union, he became the chief inspector of the USSR Ministry of Defense.
Wrote memoirs "Soldier's Duty".
Marshal K.K. Rokossovsky had:
- 2 Gold Stars of the Hero of the Soviet Union (07/29/1944, 06/1/1945),
- 7 orders of Lenin,
- Order "Victory" (03/30/1945),
- order of the October Revolution,
- 6 Orders of the Red Banner,
- Order of Suvorov 1st degree,
- Order of Kutuzov 1st degree,
- a total of 17 orders and 11 medals;
- honorary weapon - a checker with the golden Emblem of the USSR (1968),
- 13 foreign awards (including 9 foreign orders)
Malinovsky Rodion Yakovlevich
11(23).11.1898-31.03.1967 Marshal of the Soviet Union,
Minister of Defense of the USSR
Born in Odessa, grew up without a father. In 1914, he volunteered for the front of the 1st World War, where he was seriously wounded and awarded the St. George Cross of the 4th degree (1915). In February 1916 he was sent to France as part of the Russian Expeditionary Force. There he was again wounded and received a French military cross. Returning to his homeland, he voluntarily joined the Red Army (1919), fought against the Whites in Siberia. In 1930 he graduated from the Military Academy. M. V. Frunze. In 1937-1938, he volunteered to fight in Spain (under the pseudonym "Malino") on the side of the republican government, for which he received the Order of the Red Banner.
In the Great Patriotic War (1941-1945) he commanded a corps, an army, a front (pseudonyms: Yakovlev, Rodionov, Morozov). Distinguished himself in the Battle of Stalingrad. Malinovsky's army, in cooperation with other armies, stopped and then defeated Field Marshal E. von Manstein's Army Group Don, which was trying to release the Paulus group surrounded by Stalingrad. The troops of General Malinovsky liberated Rostov and Donbass (1943), participated in the cleansing of the Right-Bank Ukraine from the enemy; having defeated the troops of E. von Kleist, they took Odessa on April 10, 1944; together with the troops of General Tolbukhin, they defeated the southern wing of the enemy front, surrounding 22 German divisions and the 3rd Romanian army in the Iasi-Kishinev operation (20-29.08.1944). During the fighting, Malinovsky was slightly wounded; On September 10, 1944, he was awarded the title of Marshal of the Soviet Union. The troops of the 2nd Ukrainian Front of Marshal R. Ya. Malinovsky liberated Romania, Hungary, Austria, and Czechoslovakia. On August 13, 1944, they entered Bucharest, took Budapest by storm (02/13/1945), liberated Prague (05/09/1945). Marshal was awarded the Order of Victory.
Since July 1945, Malinovsky commanded the Trans-Baikal Front (pseudonym Zakharov), which dealt the main blow to the Japanese Kwantung Army in Manchuria (08.1945). The troops of the front reached Port Arthur. Marshal received the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.
49 times Moscow saluted the troops of the commander Malinovsky.
On October 15, 1957, Marshal R. Ya. Malinovsky was appointed Minister of Defense of the USSR. He remained in this position until the end of his life.
Marshal's Peru owns the books "Soldiers of Russia", "Angry whirlwinds of Spain"; under his leadership, "Iasi-Chisinau "Cannes"", "Budapest - Vienna - Prague", "Final" and other works were written.
Marshal R. Ya. Malinovsky had:
- 2 Gold Stars of the Hero of the Soviet Union (09/08/1945, 11/22/1958),
- 5 orders of Lenin,
- 3 Orders of the Red Banner,
- 2 orders of Suvorov 1st degree,
- Order of Kutuzov 1st degree,
- a total of 12 orders and 9 medals;
- as well as 24 foreign awards (including 15 orders of foreign states). In 1964 he was awarded the title Folk Hero Yugoslavia.
Tolbukhin Fedor Ivanovich
4(16).6.1894-10.17.1949 Marshal of the Soviet Union
Born in the village of Androniki near Yaroslavl in a peasant family. Worked as an accountant in Petrograd. In 1914 he was an ordinary motorcyclist. Becoming an officer, he participated in battles with the Austro-German troops, was awarded the crosses of Anna and Stanislav.
In the Red Army since 1918; fought on the fronts of the Civil War against the troops of General N. N. Yudenich, Poles and Finns. He was awarded the Order of the Red Banner.
In the post-war period, Tolbukhin worked in staff positions. In 1934 he graduated from the Military Academy. M. V. Frunze. In 1940 he became a general.
During the Great Patriotic War (1941-1945) he was chief of staff of the front, commanded the army, the front. He distinguished himself in the Battle of Stalingrad, commanding the 57th Army. In the spring of 1943, Tolbukhin became the commander of the Southern, and from October - the 4th Ukrainian, from May 1944 until the end of the war - the 3rd Ukrainian front. The troops of General Tolbukhin defeated the enemy on Miussa and Molochnaya, liberated Taganrog and Donbass. In the spring of 1944 they invaded the Crimea and on May 9 they took Sevastopol by storm. In August 1944, together with the troops of R. Ya. Malinovsky, they defeated the army group "Southern Ukraine" of the city of Frizner in the Iasi-Kishinev operation. On September 12, 1944, F.I. Tolbukhin was awarded the title of Marshal of the Soviet Union.
Tolbukhin's troops liberated Romania, Bulgaria, Yugoslavia, Hungary and Austria. Moscow saluted Tolbukhin's troops 34 times. At the Victory Parade on June 24, 1945, the marshal led the column of the 3rd Ukrainian Front.
The health of the marshal, undermined by wars, began to fail, and in 1949 F.I. Tolbukhin died at the age of 56. Three days of mourning was declared in Bulgaria; the city of Dobrich was renamed to the city of Tolbukhin.
In 1965, Marshal F.I. Tolbukhin was posthumously awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.
People's Hero of Yugoslavia (1944) and "Hero of the People's Republic of Bulgaria" (1979).
Marshal F.I. Tolbukhin had:
- 2 orders of Lenin,
- Order "Victory" (04/26/1945),
- 3 Orders of the Red Banner,
- 2 orders of Suvorov 1st degree,
- Order of Kutuzov 1st degree,
- order of the Red Star,
- a total of 10 orders and 9 medals;
- as well as 10 foreign awards (including 5 foreign orders).
Meretskov Kirill Afanasyevich
May 26 (June 7), 1897—December 30, 1968 Marshal of the Soviet Union
Born in the village of Nazaryevo near Zaraysk, Moscow Region, in a peasant family. Prior to serving in the army, he worked as a mechanic. In the Red Army since 1918. During the Civil War he fought on the Eastern and Southern fronts. Participated in battles in the ranks of the 1st Cavalry against the Poles of Pilsudski. He was awarded the Order of the Red Banner.
In 1921 he graduated from the Military Academy of the Red Army. In 1936-1937, under the pseudonym "Petrovich" fought in Spain ( awarded with orders Lenin and the Red Banner). During the Soviet-Finnish war (December 1939 - March 1940) he commanded the army that broke through the "Manerheim Line" and took Vyborg, for which he was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union (1940).
During the Great Patriotic War, he commanded the troops of the northern directions (pseudonyms: Afanasiev, Kirillov); was the representative of the Headquarters on the North-Western Front. He commanded the army, the front. In 1941, Meretskov inflicted the first serious defeat in the war on the troops of Field Marshal Leeb near Tikhvin. On January 18, 1943, the troops of Generals Govorov and Meretskov, inflicting a counterattack near Shlisselburg (Operation Iskra), broke through the blockade of Leningrad. On January 20, Novgorod was taken. In February 1944 he became commander of the Karelian Front. In June 1944, Meretskov and Govorov defeated Marshal K. Mannerheim in Karelia. In October 1944, Meretskov's troops defeated the enemy in the Arctic near Pechenga (Petsamo). On October 26, 1944, K. A. Meretskov received the title of Marshal of the Soviet Union, and from the Norwegian King Haakon VII, the Grand Cross of St. Olaf.
In the spring of 1945, the “cunning Yaroslavets” (as Stalin called him) under the name of “General Maksimov” was sent to Far East. In August-September 1945, his troops participated in the defeat of the Kwantung Army, breaking into Manchuria from Primorye and liberating areas of China and Korea.
Moscow saluted the troops of the commander Meretskov 10 times.
Marshal K. A. Meretskov had:
- Gold Star of the Hero of the Soviet Union (03/21/1940), 7 Orders of Lenin,
- Order "Victory" (09/08/1945),
- order of the October Revolution,
- 4 orders of the Red Banner,
- 2 orders of Suvorov 1st degree,
- Order of Kutuzov 1st degree,
- 10 medals;
- honorary weapons - a sword with the Golden Emblem of the USSR, as well as 4 higher foreign orders and 3 medals.
