KUZNETSOV Nikolay Gerasimovich
Admiral of the Fleet of the Soviet Union, 1944.
Born on July 24 (11), 1904 in the village of Medvedki, Kotlas district, Arkhangelsk region. In the navy from the age of 15, he served on a gunboat in the Severodvinsk military flotilla. With the rank of a Red Navy man, Nikolai Kuznetsov took part in the Civil War. In the fall of 1920, Kuznetsov was transferred to Petrograd and enrolled in the Central Fleet Crew. From December 6, 1920 to May 20, 1922, he studied at the preparatory school at the Naval School (later the M. V. Frunze Naval School), to which he was transferred in September 1922. On October 5, 1926, he graduated from college with honors, receiving the rank of commander of the Red Red Army Fleet, and was enrolled in the middle-ranking command corps of the Red Army Navy. He was given the right to choose a fleet.
Kuznetsov chose the Black Sea Fleet, the cruiser Chervona Ukraine, as his place of future service. He was appointed watch commander of this cruiser, as well as commander of the first pluton and commander of the combat company. From August 1927 to October 1, 1929 - senior watch commander of the cruiser.
From October 1, 1929 to May 4, 1932, Kuznetsov studied at the Naval Academy and graduated with honors. Receives the first award from NAMORSI RKKA - a pistol of the Korovin system. After studying at the academy, Kuznetsov became the senior assistant commander of the cruiser "Red Caucasus". Thanks to his activities, in 1933 the cruiser became part of the combat core of the Black Sea Fleet.
In November 1933, Captain 2nd Rank Kuznetsov was appointed commander of the cruiser Chervona Ukraine. He remained in this position until August 15, 1936.
Since August 1936, he has worked as a naval attaché and chief naval adviser, as well as the leader of Soviet volunteer sailors in Spain.
In July 1937, Kuznetsov returned to his homeland and in August of the same year was appointed deputy commander of the Pacific Fleet, and from January 10, 1938 to March 28, 1939, he was commander of this fleet.
In December 1937, by decree of the Central Executive Committee and the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR, the People's Commissariat of the USSR Navy was created; in March 1938, N. G. Kuznetsov was introduced to the Main Military Council of the Navy under the People's Commissariat of the Navy. On March 28, 1939, N. G. Kuznetsov was appointed Deputy People's Commissar of the Navy, and on April 28, 1939 (at 34 years old) two years and two months before the start of the Great Patriotic War - People's Commissar of the USSR Navy.
At the beginning of 1941, by the decision of the People's Commissar, a boatswain's school was created on the island of Valaam (Lake Ladoga), and later, in 1942, on the Solovetsky Islands - a ship's school, in 1943 - the Nakhimov Naval School in Tbilisi, in 1944 - the Nakhimov Military School -Naval School in Leningrad, in 1945 - Riga Nakhimov School. Preparatory schools were created in Baku (1943), Leningrad, Gorky and Vladivostok to prepare young men entering higher naval educational institutions who did not have a secondary education, which existed until 1948.
In May 1941, on the instructions of N.G. Kuznetsov, the fleets increased the composition of the combat core, strengthened ship patrols and reconnaissance. On June 19, by order of the People's Commissar of the Navy, all fleets switched to operational readiness No. 2, bases and formations were asked to disperse forces and strengthen surveillance of water and air, and prohibit the dismissal of personnel from units and ships. The ships received the necessary supplies, put the material part in order; a certain duty was established. All personnel remained on the ships. Political work among the Red Navy men was intensified in the spirit of constant readiness to repel an enemy attack, despite the TASS report of June 14, refuting rumors of a possible German attack on the USSR. On June 21, 1941, after receiving a warning from the General Staff at 23:00 about a possible attack on the USSR by Nazi Germany, the People's Commissar of the Navy, with his directive No. 3N/87, at 23:50, announced to the fleets: “Immediately switch to operational readiness No. 1.” Even earlier, his verbal order was conveyed to the fleets by telephone. The fleets carried out the order by 00.00 on June 22 and were already in full combat readiness when at 01:12 on June 22, the military councils of the fleets received a second detailed directive from the People's Commissar of the Navy Kuznetsov “on the possibility of a surprise attack by the Germans” No. 3N/88. On June 22, 1941, all fleets and flotillas of the USSR met aggression on combat alert, and on the first day of the war did not suffer losses either in the naval personnel or in the naval air force.
During the war, organizing interaction between the Navy and ground forces in order to defeat the enemy was one of the main directions in the activities of the People's Commissariat and the Main Naval Staff of the Navy. Kuznetsov proved himself to be an outstanding organizer of interaction between naval forces and ground forces. He acted as the People's Commissar of the Navy, a member of the State Defense Committee and a representative of the Supreme High Command Headquarters on the use of naval forces on the fronts (1941-1945), as the Commander-in-Chief of the USSR Navy (from February 1944), as a member of the Supreme High Command Headquarters (from February 1945).
The Supreme Commander-in-Chief J.V. Stalin assessed the activities of the Navy in the war in order No. 371 of July 22, 1945 in connection with Navy Day: “In the Great Patriotic War of the Soviet people against Nazi Germany, the Navy of our state was a faithful assistant Red Army. ...The combat activities of Soviet sailors were distinguished by selfless steadfastness and courage, high combat activity and military skill. ...The fleet fully fulfilled its duty to the Soviet Motherland.”
In 1944, N. G. Kuznetsov was awarded the rank of Admiral of the Fleet (since 1955 - Admiral of the Fleet of the Soviet Union), equivalent to the rank of Marshal of the Soviet Union.
“For skillful and courageous leadership of military operations and the successes achieved in them” during the war, N. G. Kuznetsov was awarded the Order of Lenin, the Red Banner, two Orders of Ushakov, 1st degree, foreign orders, commemorative weapons and the Gold Star medal of the Hero of the Soviet Union . On September 14, 1945, Kuznetsov was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union
A special page in the activities of the People's Commissar of the Navy and Commander-in-Chief of the Navy was his work as a member of the delegation from the Soviet Union as part of diplomatic missions and international conferences. He participated in the negotiations of the military missions of the three powers - the USSR, England and France (1939), the USA and Great Britain (July 1941) - on joint actions in the war against Germany, in the Crimean and Potsdam conferences of the three allied powers (1945).
Under N.G. Kuznetsov, the Navy was developing a balanced ten-year military shipbuilding program, which even included the construction of aircraft carriers. He early realized and highly appreciated the prospects of using nuclear energy in the navy for ships and submarines. He expressed his thoughts about this at meetings in 1946, in a letter and report to Generalissimo I.V. Stalin on September 30, 1946. Kuznetsov’s persistence and activities aimed at implementing this program turned out to be fatal for him. His views came into conflict with the views of the country's top leadership on the development of the Navy, its organization and management, who were irritated by the authority, independence of judgment and independence of the Commander-in-Chief of the Navy. The People's Commissariat of the Navy was abolished "as unnecessary", and Kuznetsov was removed from his post and transferred to head the Directorate of Naval Educational Institutions in Leningrad.
In 1947 he was subjected to the court of honor, and in 1948 to the court of the Supreme Collegium of the Supreme Court of the USSR. By a court verdict dated February 3, 1948, and by CM Resolution No. 1283-114c dated February 10, 1948, he was demoted to rear admiral and removed from work.
From 1948 to 1950, Kuznetsov served in Khabarovsk as deputy commander-in-chief of the Far East forces for naval forces, and in 1950-1951 - commander of the Pacific (5th) Fleet.
In November 1949, he was nominated for the next military rank of vice admiral, which he received on January 27, 1951 (for the second time).
In the summer of 1951, I.V. Stalin returned Kuznetsov to work in Moscow in the newly created Naval Department as Minister of Naval Affairs (Decree of the Presidium of the USSR Armed Forces of July 20, 1951).
By Resolution of the Council of Ministers of the USSR dated May 13, 1953 No. 254-504c, he was restored to his previous rank - Admiral of the Fleet of the Soviet Union, and all charges against him were dropped due to the absence of corpus delicti.
Having again become the Commander-in-Chief of the Navy, Kuznetsov put a lot of effort into adopting a realistic fleet development program that meets the interests of the state. In this he met fierce resistance from incompetent people who were in charge of the country's leadership. On this, in fact, as Kuznetsov put it, “he broke his neck.” In May 1955, he suffered a heart attack and asked to be released during his illness. But his request was left unanswered. The “elders” wanted this, but were waiting for a reason to remove him “for disrespect for elders.” The reason was found six months later, and in December 1955, Kuznetsov, who had not yet recovered from his illness, was removed from the post of commander-in-chief for allegedly “unsatisfactory leadership of the Navy,” although at that time another person was in charge of the fleet.
In February 1956, he was demoted to vice admiral and dismissed from military service.
On July 26, 1988, after a long and shameful red tape, Nikolai Gerasimovich Kuznetsov was restored to the rank of Admiral of the Fleet of the Soviet Union.
The heavy aircraft-carrying cruiser (TAKR) that came into operation was given the name “Admiral of the Fleet of the Soviet Union Kuznetsov” (1989).
The names of some are still honored, the names of others are consigned to oblivion. But they are all united by their leadership talent.
USSR
Zhukov Georgy Konstantinovich (1896–1974)
Marshal of the Soviet Union.
Zhukov had the opportunity to take part in serious hostilities shortly before the start of World War II. In the summer of 1939, Soviet-Mongolian troops under his command defeated the Japanese group on the Khalkhin Gol River.
By the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, Zhukov headed the General Staff, but was soon sent to the active army. In 1941, he was assigned to the most critical sectors of the front. Restoring order in the retreating army with the most stringent measures, he managed to prevent the Germans from capturing Leningrad, and to stop the Nazis in the Mozhaisk direction on the outskirts of Moscow. And already at the end of 1941 - beginning of 1942, Zhukov led a counter-offensive near Moscow, pushing the Germans back from the capital.
In 1942-43, Zhukov did not command individual fronts, but coordinated their actions as a representative of the Supreme High Command at Stalingrad, on the Kursk Bulge, and during the breaking of the siege of Leningrad.
At the beginning of 1944, Zhukov took command of the 1st Ukrainian Front instead of the seriously wounded General Vatutin and led the Proskurov-Chernovtsy offensive operation he planned. As a result, Soviet troops liberated most of Right Bank Ukraine and reached the state border.
At the end of 1944, Zhukov led the 1st Belorussian Front and led an attack on Berlin. In May 1945, Zhukov accepted the unconditional surrender of Nazi Germany, and then two Victory Parades, in Moscow and Berlin.
After the war, Zhukov found himself in a supporting role, commanding various military districts. After Khrushchev came to power, he became deputy minister and then headed the Ministry of Defense. But in 1957 he finally fell into disgrace and was removed from all posts.
Rokossovsky Konstantin Konstantinovich (1896–1968)
Marshal of the Soviet Union.
Shortly before the start of the war, in 1937, Rokossovsky was repressed, but in 1940, at the request of Marshal Timoshenko, he was released and reinstated in his former position as corps commander. In the first days of the Great Patriotic War, units under the command of Rokossovsky were one of the few that were able to provide worthy resistance to the advancing German troops. In the battle of Moscow, Rokossovsky’s army defended one of the most difficult directions, Volokolamsk.
Returning to duty after being seriously wounded in 1942, Rokossovsky took command of the Don Front, which completed the defeat of the Germans at Stalingrad.
On the eve of the Battle of Kursk, Rokossovsky, contrary to the position of most military leaders, managed to convince Stalin that it was better not to launch an offensive ourselves, but to provoke the enemy into active action. Having precisely determined the direction of the main attack of the Germans, Rokossovsky, just before their offensive, undertook a massive artillery barrage that bled the enemy’s strike forces dry.
His most famous achievement as a commander, included in the annals of military art, was the operation to liberate Belarus, codenamed “Bagration,” which virtually destroyed the German Army Group Center.
Shortly before the decisive offensive on Berlin, command of the 1st Belorussian Front, to Rokossovsky's disappointment, was transferred to Zhukov. He was also entrusted with commanding the troops of the 2nd Belorussian Front in East Prussia.
Rokossovsky had outstanding personal qualities and, of all Soviet military leaders, was the most popular in the army. After the war, Rokossovsky, a Pole by birth, headed the Polish Ministry of Defense for a long time, and then served as Deputy Minister of Defense of the USSR and Chief Military Inspector. The day before his death, he finished writing his memoirs, entitled A Soldier's Duty.
Konev Ivan Stepanovich (1897–1973)
Marshal of the Soviet Union.
In the fall of 1941, Konev was appointed commander of the Western Front. In this position he suffered one of the biggest failures of the beginning of the war. Konev failed to obtain permission to withdraw troops in time, and, as a result, about 600,000 Soviet soldiers and officers were surrounded near Bryansk and Yelnya. Zhukov saved the commander from the tribunal.
In 1943, troops of the Steppe (later 2nd Ukrainian) Front under the command of Konev liberated Belgorod, Kharkov, Poltava, Kremenchug and crossed the Dnieper. But most of all, Konev was glorified by the Korsun-Shevchen operation, as a result of which a large group of German troops was surrounded.
In 1944, already as commander of the 1st Ukrainian Front, Konev led the Lviv-Sandomierz operation in western Ukraine and southeastern Poland, which opened the way for a further offensive against Germany. The troops under the command of Konev distinguished themselves in the Vistula-Oder operation and in the battle for Berlin. During the latter, rivalry between Konev and Zhukov emerged - each wanted to occupy the German capital first. Tensions between the marshals remained until the end of their lives. In May 1945, Konev led the liquidation of the last major center of fascist resistance in Prague.
After the war, Konev was the commander-in-chief of the ground forces and the first commander of the combined forces of the Warsaw Pact countries, and commanded troops in Hungary during the events of 1956.
Vasilevsky Alexander Mikhailovich (1895–1977)
Marshal of the Soviet Union, Chief of the General Staff.
As Chief of the General Staff, which he held since 1942, Vasilevsky coordinated the actions of the Red Army fronts and participated in the development of all major operations of the Great Patriotic War. In particular, he played a key role in planning the operation to encircle German troops at Stalingrad.
At the end of the war, after the death of General Chernyakhovsky, Vasilevsky asked to be relieved of his post as Chief of the General Staff, took the place of the deceased and led the assault on Koenigsberg. In the summer of 1945, Vasilevsky was transferred to the Far East and commanded the defeat of the Kwatuna Army of Japan.
After the war, Vasilevsky headed the General Staff and then was the Minister of Defense of the USSR, but after Stalin’s death he went into the shadows and held lower positions.
Tolbukhin Fedor Ivanovich (1894–1949)
Marshal of the Soviet Union.
Before the start of the Great Patriotic War, Tolbukhin served as chief of staff of the Transcaucasian District, and with its beginning - of the Transcaucasian Front. Under his leadership, a surprise operation was developed to introduce Soviet troops into the northern part of Iran. Tolbukhin also developed the Kerch landing operation, which would result in the liberation of Crimea. However, after its successful start, our troops were unable to build on their success, suffered heavy losses, and Tolbukhin was removed from office.
Having distinguished himself as commander of the 57th Army in the Battle of Stalingrad, Tolbukhin was appointed commander of the Southern (later 4th Ukrainian) Front. Under his command, a significant part of Ukraine and the Crimean Peninsula were liberated. In 1944-45, when Tolbukhin already commanded the 3rd Ukrainian Front, he led troops during the liberation of Moldova, Romania, Yugoslavia, Hungary, and ended the war in Austria. The Iasi-Kishinev operation, planned by Tolbukhin and leading to the encirclement of a 200,000-strong group of German-Romanian troops, entered the annals of military art (sometimes it is called “Iasi-Kishinev Cannes”).
After the war, Tolbukhin commanded the Southern Group of Forces in Romania and Bulgaria, and then the Transcaucasian Military District.
Vatutin Nikolai Fedorovich (1901–1944)
Soviet army general.
In pre-war times, Vatutin served as Deputy Chief of the General Staff, and with the beginning of the Great Patriotic War he was sent to the North-Western Front. In the Novgorod area, under his leadership, several counterattacks were carried out, slowing down the advance of Manstein's tank corps.
In 1942, Vatutin, who then headed the Southwestern Front, commanded Operation Little Saturn, the purpose of which was to prevent German-Italian-Romanian troops from helping Paulus’ army encircled at Stalingrad.
In 1943, Vatutin headed the Voronezh (later 1st Ukrainian) Front. He played a very important role in the Battle of Kursk and the liberation of Kharkov and Belgorod. But Vatutin’s most famous military operation was the crossing of the Dnieper and the liberation of Kyiv and Zhitomir, and then Rivne. Together with Konev’s 2nd Ukrainian Front, Vatutin’s 1st Ukrainian Front also carried out the Korsun-Shevchenko operation.
At the end of February 1944, Vatutin’s car came under fire from Ukrainian nationalists, and a month and a half later the commander died from his wounds.
Great Britain
Montgomery Bernard Law (1887–1976)
British Field Marshal.
Before the outbreak of World War II, Montgomery was considered one of the bravest and most talented British military leaders, but his career advancement was hampered by his harsh, difficult character. Montgomery, himself distinguished by physical endurance, paid great attention to the daily hard training of the troops entrusted to him.
At the beginning of World War II, when the Germans defeated France, Montgomery's units covered the evacuation of Allied forces. In 1942, Montgomery became the commander of British troops in North Africa, and achieved a turning point in this part of the war, defeating the German-Italian group of troops in Egypt at the Battle of El Alamein. Its significance was summed up by Winston Churchill: “Before the Battle of Alamein we knew no victories. After it we didn’t know defeat.” For this battle, Montgomery received the title Viscount of Alamein. True, Montgomery’s opponent, German Field Marshal Rommel, said that, having such resources as the British military leader, he would have conquered the entire Middle East in a month.
After this, Montgomery was transferred to Europe, where he had to operate in close contact with the Americans. This was where his quarrelsome character took its toll: he came into conflict with the American commander Eisenhower, which had a bad effect on the interaction of troops and led to a number of relative military failures. Towards the end of the war, Montgomery successfully resisted the German counter-offensive in the Ardennes, and then carried out several military operations in Northern Europe.
After the war, Montgomery served as Chief of the British General Staff and subsequently as Deputy Supreme Allied Commander Europe.
Alexander Harold Rupert Leofric George (1891–1969)
British Field Marshal.
At the beginning of the Second World War, Alexander led the evacuation of British troops after the Germans captured France. Most of the personnel were taken out, but almost all the military equipment went to the enemy.
At the end of 1940, Alexander was assigned to Southeast Asia. He failed to defend Burma, but he managed to block the Japanese from entering India.
In 1943, Alexander was appointed Commander-in-Chief of Allied ground forces in North Africa. Under his leadership, a large German-Italian group in Tunisia was defeated, and this, by and large, ended the campaign in North Africa and opened the way to Italy. Alexander commanded the landing of Allied troops on Sicily, and then on the mainland. At the end of the war he served as Supreme Allied Commander in the Mediterranean.
After the war, Alexander received the title of Count of Tunis, for some time he was Governor General of Canada, and then British Minister of Defense.
USA
Eisenhower Dwight David (1890–1969)
US Army General.
His childhood was spent in a family whose members were pacifists for religious reasons, but Eisenhower chose a military career.
Eisenhower met the beginning of World War II with the rather modest rank of colonel. But his abilities were noticed by the Chief of the American General Staff, George Marshall, and soon Eisenhower became head of the Operational Planning Department.
In 1942, Eisenhower led Operation Torch, the Allied landings in North Africa. In early 1943, he was defeated by Rommel in the Battle of Kasserine Pass, but subsequently superior Anglo-American forces brought a turning point in the North African campaign.
In 1944, Eisenhower oversaw the Allied landings in Normandy and the subsequent offensive against Germany. At the end of the war, Eisenhower became the creator of the notorious camps for “disarming enemy forces”, which were not subject to the Geneva Convention on the Rights of Prisoners of War, which effectively became death camps for the German soldiers who ended up there.
After the war, Eisenhower was commander of NATO forces and then twice elected president of the United States.
MacArthur Douglas (1880–1964)
US Army General.
In his youth, MacArthur was not accepted into the West Point military academy for health reasons, but he achieved his goal and, upon graduating from the academy, was recognized as its best graduate in history. He received the rank of general back in the First World War.
In 1941-42, MacArthur led the defense of the Philippines against Japanese forces. The enemy managed to take American units by surprise and gain a great advantage at the very beginning of the campaign. After the loss of the Philippines, he uttered the now famous phrase: “I did what I could, but I will come back.”
After being appointed commander of forces in the southwest Pacific, MacArthur resisted Japanese plans to invade Australia and then led successful offensive operations in New Guinea and the Philippines.
On September 2, 1945, MacArthur, already in command of all U.S. forces in the Pacific, accepted the Japanese surrender aboard the battleship Missouri, ending World War II.
After World War II, MacArthur commanded occupation forces in Japan and later led American forces in the Korean War. The American landing at Inchon, which he developed, became a classic of military art. He called for the nuclear bombing of China and the invasion of that country, after which he was dismissed.
Nimitz Chester William (1885–1966)
US Navy Admiral.
Before World War II, Nimitz was involved in the design and combat training of the American submarine fleet and headed the Bureau of Navigation. At the beginning of the war, after the disaster at Pearl Harbor, Nimitz was appointed commander of the US Pacific Fleet. His task was to confront the Japanese in close contact with General MacArthur.
In 1942, the American fleet under the command of Nimitz managed to inflict the first serious defeat on the Japanese at Midway Atoll. And then, in 1943, to win the fight for the strategically important island of Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands archipelago. In 1944-45, the fleet led by Nimitz played a decisive role in the liberation of other Pacific archipelagos, and at the end of the war carried out a landing in Japan. During the fighting, Nimitz used a tactic of sudden rapid movement from island to island, called the “frog jump”.
Nimitz's homecoming was celebrated as a national holiday and was called "Nimitz Day." After the war, he oversaw the demobilization of troops and then oversaw the creation of a nuclear submarine fleet. At the Nuremberg trials, he defended his German colleague, Admiral Dennitz, saying that he himself used the same methods of submarine warfare, thanks to which Dennitz avoided a death sentence.
Germany
Von Bock Theodor (1880–1945)
German Field Marshal General.
Even before the outbreak of World War II, von Bock led the troops that carried out the Anschluss of Austria and invaded the Sudetenland of Czechoslovakia. At the outbreak of war, he commanded Army Group North during the war with Poland. In 1940, von Bock led the conquest of Belgium and the Netherlands and the defeat of French troops at Dunkirk. It was he who hosted the parade of German troops in occupied Paris.
Von Bock objected to an attack on the USSR, but when the decision was made, he led Army Group Center, which carried out an attack on the main direction. After the failure of the attack on Moscow, he was considered one of the main people responsible for this failure of the German army. In 1942, he led Army Group South and for a long time successfully held back the advance of Soviet troops on Kharkov.
Von Bock had an extremely independent character, repeatedly clashed with Hitler and pointedly stayed away from politics. After in the summer of 1942, von Bock opposed the Fuhrer’s decision to divide Army Group South into two directions, the Caucasus and Stalingrad, during the planned offensive, he was removed from command and sent to reserve. A few days before the end of the war, von Bock was killed during an air raid.
Von Rundstedt Karl Rudolf Gerd (1875–1953)
German Field Marshal General.
By the beginning of the Second World War, von Rundstedt, who held important command positions back in the First World War, had already retired. But in 1939, Hitler returned him to the army. Von Rundstedt became the main planner of the attack on Poland, code-named Weiss, and commanded Army Group South during its implementation. He then led Army Group A, which played a key role in the capture of France, and also developed the unrealized Sea Lion attack plan on England.
Von Rundstedt objected to the Barbarossa plan, but after the decision was made to attack the USSR, he led Army Group South, which captured Kyiv and other major cities in the south of the country. After von Rundstedt, in order to avoid encirclement, violated the Fuhrer's order and withdrew troops from Rostov-on-Don, he was dismissed.
However, the following year he was again drafted into the army to become commander-in-chief of the German armed forces in the West. His main task was to counter a possible Allied landing. Having familiarized himself with the situation, von Rundstedt warned Hitler that a long-term defense with the existing forces would be impossible. At the decisive moment of the Normandy landings, June 6, 1944, Hitler canceled von Rundstedt's order to transfer troops, thereby wasting time and giving the enemy the opportunity to develop an offensive. Already at the end of the war, von Rundstedt successfully resisted the Allied landings in Holland.
After the war, von Rundstedt, thanks to the intercession of the British, managed to avoid the Nuremberg Tribunal, and participated in it only as a witness.
Von Manstein Erich (1887–1973)
German Field Marshal General.
Manstein was considered one of the strongest strategists of the Wehrmacht. In 1939, as Chief of Staff of Army Group A, he played a key role in developing the successful plan for the invasion of France.
In 1941, Manstein was part of Army Group North, which captured the Baltic states, and was preparing to attack Leningrad, but was soon transferred to the south. In 1941-42, the 11th Army under his command captured the Crimean Peninsula, and for the capture of Sevastopol, Manstein received the rank of Field Marshal.
Manstein then commanded Army Group Don and tried unsuccessfully to rescue Paulus's army from the Stalingrad pocket. Since 1943, he led Army Group South and inflicted a sensitive defeat on Soviet troops near Kharkov, and then tried to prevent the crossing of the Dnieper. When retreating, Manstein's troops used scorched earth tactics.
Having been defeated in the Battle of Korsun-Shevchen, Manstein retreated, violating Hitler's orders. Thus, he saved part of the army from encirclement, but after that he was forced to resign.
After the war, he was sentenced to 18 years by a British tribunal for war crimes, but was released in 1953, worked as a military adviser to the German government and wrote a memoir, “Lost Victories.”
Guderian Heinz Wilhelm (1888–1954)
German Colonel General, commander of armored forces.
Guderian is one of the main theorists and practitioners of “blitzkrieg” - lightning war. He assigned a key role in it to tank units, which were supposed to break through behind enemy lines and disable command posts and communications. Such tactics were considered effective, but risky, creating the danger of being cut off from the main forces.
In 1939-40, in the military campaigns against Poland and France, the blitzkrieg tactics fully justified themselves. Guderian was at the height of his glory: he received the rank of Colonel General and high awards. However, in 1941, in the war against the Soviet Union, this tactic failed. The reason for this was both the vast Russian spaces and the cold climate, in which equipment often refused to work, and the readiness of the Red Army units to resist this method of warfare. Guderian's tank troops suffered heavy losses near Moscow and were forced to retreat. After this, he was sent to the reserve, and subsequently served as inspector general of tank forces.
After the war, Guderian, who was not charged with war crimes, was quickly released and lived out his life writing his memoirs.
Rommel Erwin Johann Eugen (1891–1944)
German field marshal general, nicknamed "Desert Fox". He was distinguished by great independence and a penchant for risky attacking actions, even without the sanction of the command.
At the beginning of World War II, Rommel took part in the Polish and French campaigns, but his main successes were associated with military operations in North Africa. Rommel headed the Afrika Korps, which was initially assigned to help Italian troops who were defeated by the British. Instead of strengthening the defenses, as the order prescribed, Rommel went on the offensive with small forces and won important victories. He acted in a similar manner in the future. Like Manstein, Rommel assigned the main role to rapid breakthroughs and maneuvering of tank forces. And only towards the end of 1942, when the British and Americans in North Africa had a great advantage in manpower and equipment, Rommel’s troops began to suffer defeats. Subsequently, he fought in Italy and tried, together with von Rundstedt, with whom he had serious disagreements affecting the combat effectiveness of the troops, to stop the Allied landing in Normandy.
In the pre-war period, Yamamoto paid great attention to the construction of aircraft carriers and the creation of naval aviation, thanks to which the Japanese fleet became one of the strongest in the world. For a long time, Yamamoto lived in the USA and had the opportunity to thoroughly study the army of the future enemy. On the eve of the start of the war, he warned the country's leadership: “In the first six to twelve months of the war, I will demonstrate an unbroken chain of victories. But if the confrontation lasts two or three years, I have no confidence in the final victory.”
Yamamoto planned and personally led the Pearl Harbor operation. On December 7, 1941, Japanese planes taking off from aircraft carriers destroyed the American naval base at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii and caused enormous damage to the US fleet and air force. After this, Yamamoto won a number of victories in the central and southern parts of the Pacific Ocean. But on June 4, 1942, he suffered a serious defeat from the Allies at Midway Atoll. This happened largely due to the fact that the Americans managed to decipher the codes of the Japanese Navy and obtain all the information about the upcoming operation. After this, the war, as Yamamoto feared, became protracted.
Unlike many other Japanese generals, Yamashita did not commit suicide after the surrender of Japan, but surrendered. In 1946 he was executed on charges of war crimes. His case became a legal precedent, called the “Yamashita Rule”: according to it, the commander is responsible for not stopping the war crimes of his subordinates.
Other countries
Von Mannerheim Carl Gustav Emil (1867–1951)
Finnish marshal.
Before the revolution of 1917, when Finland was part of the Russian Empire, Mannerheim was an officer in the Russian army and rose to the rank of lieutenant general. On the eve of the Second World War, he, as chairman of the Finnish Defense Council, was engaged in strengthening the Finnish army. According to his plan, in particular, powerful defensive fortifications were erected on the Karelian Isthmus, which went down in history as the “Mannerheim Line”.
When the Soviet-Finnish war began at the end of 1939, 72-year-old Mannerheim led the country's army. Under his command, Finnish troops for a long time held back the advance of Soviet units significantly superior in number. As a result, Finland retained its independence, although the peace conditions were very difficult for it.
During the Second World War, when Finland was an ally of Hitler's Germany, Mannerheim showed the art of political maneuver, avoiding active hostilities with all his might. And in 1944, Finland broke the pact with Germany, and at the end of the war it was already fighting against the Germans, coordinating actions with the Red Army.
At the end of the war, Mannerheim was elected president of Finland, but already in 1946 he left this post for health reasons.
Tito Josip Broz (1892–1980)
Marshal of Yugoslavia.
Before the outbreak of World War II, Tito was a figure in the Yugoslav communist movement. After the German attack on Yugoslavia, he began organizing partisan detachments. At first, the Titoites acted together with the remnants of the tsarist army and the monarchists, who were called “Chetniks.” However, differences with the latter eventually became so strong that it came to military clashes.
Tito managed to organize scattered partisan detachments into a powerful partisan army of a quarter of a million fighters under the leadership of the General Headquarters of the People's Liberation Partisan Detachments of Yugoslavia. She used not only traditional partisan methods of war, but also entered into open battles with fascist divisions. At the end of 1943, Tito was officially recognized by the Allies as the leader of Yugoslavia. During the liberation of the country, Tito's army acted together with Soviet troops.
Shortly after the war, Tito led Yugoslavia and remained in power until his death. Despite his socialist orientation, he pursued a fairly independent policy.
Marshal of the Soviet Union, four times Hero of the Soviet Union, awarded two Orders of Victory. He began the Great Patriotic War with the rank of army general as chief of the General Staff. He was a member of the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command.
From August 1941, he commanded the troops of the Reserve, Leningrad, and Western Fronts. In 1942, he was appointed Deputy Supreme Commander-in-Chief and 1st Deputy People's Commissar of Defense. In 1944-1945 he commanded the 1st Ukrainian and 1st Belorussian fronts. On behalf of the Supreme Commander, he signed the Act of Unconditional Surrender of Germany. Hosted the Victory Parade in Moscow on June 24, 1945. He made a huge contribution to the organization and conduct of a number of outstanding battles and operations of the Great Patriotic War.
Vasilevsky Alexander Mikhailovich (1895 - 1977)
Marshal of the Soviet Union, twice Hero of the Soviet Union, awarded two Orders of Victory. Participant in the Civil War as an assistant regiment commander. Graduated from the Military Academy of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the USSR in 1937. Since May 1940 - Deputy Chief of the Main Operations Directorate of the General Staff of the Red Army.
In June 1941 - major general. Since August 1941 - Deputy Chief of the General Staff and Head of the Operations Directorate of the General Staff. Since June 1942 - Chief of the General Staff of the Soviet Armed Forces. At the same time, from October 1942 - Deputy People's Commissar of Defense. He was directly involved in the planning and conduct of a number of outstanding battles and operations of the Great Patriotic War (Battle of Stalingrad, Battle of Kursk, operations to liberate Donbass, Crimea, Belarus). Since February 1945 - commander of the 3rd Belorussian Front and member of the Supreme Command Headquarters. Since June 1945, he was appointed commander-in-chief of Soviet troops in the Far East. Under his leadership, the Manchurian strategic offensive operation to defeat the Kwantung Army was planned and successfully carried out (August 9 - September 2, 1945).
Konev Ivan Stepanovich (1897 - 1973)
Marshal of the Soviet Union, twice Hero of the Soviet Union, Hero of the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic and the Mongolian People's Republic, awarded the Order of Victory. A participant in the Civil War, he was a commissar of a brigade, division, and headquarters of the People's Revolutionary Army of the Far Eastern Republic. Graduated from the Military Academy. M.V. Frunze. He commanded a number of military districts.
He began the Great Patriotic War with the rank of lieutenant general as commander of the 19th Army.
Commanded the troops of the Western, Kalinin, North-Western, Steppe, 2nd and 1st Ukrainian Fronts. Troops under the command of Konev successfully operated in the Battle of Smolensk, the Battle of Moscow and Kursk, in the crossing of the Dnieper, and distinguished themselves in the Kirovograd, Korsun-Shevchenko, Uman-Batashan, Lvov-Sandomierz, Vistula-Oder, Berlin and Prague operations. Participant in the Victory Parade in Moscow on June 24, 1945.
During the confrontation with 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. The commanders of the Great Patriotic War will be discussed in our article.
Ground Forces Commanders
Let's briefly talk about the most outstanding:
- 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 in the southwestern direction. The troops of the North Caucasus Front operated under his leadership (1942). Commanded 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 attacks of the Marines (1941). Commander-in-Chief of the 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 the First World War. Commanded a special corps in Mongolia (1939), the Kyiv special district (1940); Chief of the General Staff (1941); Deputy Supreme Commander-in-Chief (since 1942). In 1942 he led offensive operations: Moscow, Rzhevsko-Vyazemsk, two Rzhevsko-Sychevsk. 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 battle 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 Belarusian Front (1944-1945), which participated in the liberation of Warsaw and the capture of Berlin.
Rice. 1. Semyon Mikhailovich Budyonny.
The first to receive the special personal title of Marshal of the Soviet Union, even before the start of the Great Patriotic War, were military commanders Semyon Budyonny and Kliment Voroshilov (in 1935). During the war, Georgy Zhukov was the first to receive the title for outstanding services.
- Pavel Artemyevich Artemyev (1897-1979): Colonel General, Head of the Operational Troops Directorate of the NKVD (since 1941), Commander of the Moscow Defense Zone. He gained military experience in the First World War as a miner-demolitionist. 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. He gained command experience during the Civil War. He commanded the 21st Army 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 breakthrough in the area of the Nara River (Moscow region). He died during the Rzhev-Vyazemsk operation.
Many Soviet officers and soldiers were distinguished by their high tenacity, never stopping fighting to the last. Instead of surrendering, they preferred death. So Mikhail Efremov, when a plane was sent for him (he sent the wounded on it), found himself leaving the remaining units of his army. A little later, having received a serious wound, he shot himself.
Rice. 2. Mikhail Grigorievich Efremov.
Commanders of air defense forces
The air defense fronts, among others, were commanded by generals:
- Mikhail Stepanovich Gromadin (1899-1962): Colonel General. He served in the air defense forces since 1935. Participated in the development of Moscow air defense. 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). Commanded the air defense fronts: Southern, Eastern.
Marshal of the Soviet Union, four times Hero of the Soviet Union, awarded two Orders of Victory. A participant in the civil war, he participated in the defeat of the kulak-SR rebellion in the Tambov province as commander of a cavalry squadron. Participant in battles in the Mongolian People's Republic on the river. Khalkhin Gol in 1939 as commander of a Soviet army group of forces that defeated Japanese troops invading the territory of the Mongolian People's Republic. He was the commander of the Kyiv Special Military District. He began the Great Patriotic War with the rank of army general as chief of the General Staff. He was a member of the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command.
From August 1941, he commanded the troops of the Reserve, Leningrad, and Western Fronts. In 1942, he was appointed Deputy Supreme Commander-in-Chief and 1st Deputy People's Commissar of Defense. In 1944-1945 he commanded the 1st Ukrainian and 1st Belorussian fronts. On behalf of the Supreme Commander, he signed the Act of Unconditional Surrender of Germany. Hosted the Victory Parade in Moscow on June 24, 1945. He made a huge contribution to the organization and conduct of a number of outstanding battles and operations of the Great Patriotic War.
After the war, Marshal of the Soviet Union G.K. Zhukov was the commander-in-chief of the Group of Soviet Forces in Germany. Since March 1946 - Commander-in-Chief of the Ground Forces and Deputy Minister of the Armed Forces of the USSR. From August 1946 until March 1953, he commanded the troops of the Odessa and Ural military districts. From March 1953 - 1st Deputy Minister of Defense of the USSR, and from February 1955 - Minister of Defense of the USSR until October 1957.
Awards: Hero of the Mongolian People's Republic, 6 Orders of Lenin, Order of the October Revolution, 3 Orders of the Red Banner, 2 Orders of Suvorov 1st degree, Order of the Tuvan Republic, many medals of the Soviet Union, orders of foreign countries. Awarded the Arms of Honor. A monument to the great commander was erected in the city of Moscow.
Vasilevsky Alexander Mikhailovich (1895 - 1977)
Marshal of the Soviet Union, twice Hero of the Soviet Union, awarded two Orders of Victory. Participant in the Civil War as an assistant regiment commander. Graduated from the Military Academy of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the USSR in 1937. Since May 1940 - Deputy Chief of the Main Operations Directorate of the General Staff of the Red Army.In June 1941 - major general. Since August 1941 - Deputy Chief of the General Staff and Head of the Operations Directorate of the General Staff. Since June 1942 - Chief of the General Staff of the Soviet Armed Forces. At the same time, from October 1942 - Deputy People's Commissar of Defense.
He was directly involved in the planning and conduct of a number of outstanding battles and operations of the Great Patriotic War (Battle of Stalingrad, Battle of Kursk, operations to liberate Donbass, Crimea, Belarus). Since February 1945 - commander of the 3rd Belorussian Front and member of the Supreme Command Headquarters. Since June 1945, he was appointed commander-in-chief of Soviet troops in the Far East. Under his leadership, the Manchurian strategic offensive operation to defeat the Kwantung Army was planned and successfully carried out (August 9 - September 2, 1945).
After the war - Chief of the General Staff and First Deputy Minister of the Armed Forces of the USSR. In 1949-1953 - Minister of the Armed Forces of the USSR. Since March 1953 - 1st Deputy Minister of Defense of the USSR. Since 1959 - in the Group of Inspectors General of the USSR Ministry of Defense. He was a deputy of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR (Council of Nationalities) from 1946 to 1958 in the Voronezh electoral district, which included the city of Tambov and the region. Came to Tambov to meet with voters.
Awards: 8 Orders of Lenin, Order of the October Revolution, 2 Orders of the Red Banner, Order of Suvorov 1st degree, Order of the Red Star, Order "For Service to the Motherland in the Armed Forces", many medals of the Soviet Union, orders of foreign countries. Awarded the Arms of Honor.
Konev Ivan Stepanovich (1897 - 1973)
Marshal of the Soviet Union, twice Hero of the Soviet Union, Hero of the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic and the Mongolian People's Republic, awarded the Order of Victory. A participant in the Civil War, he was a commissar of a brigade, division, and headquarters of the People's Revolutionary Army of the Far Eastern Republic. Graduated from the Military Academy. M.V. Frunze. Commanded a number of military districts.
He began the Great Patriotic War with the rank of lieutenant general as commander of the 19th Army. Commanded the troops of the Western, Kalinin, North-Western, Steppe, 2nd and 1st Ukrainian Fronts. Troops under the command of Konev successfully operated in the Battle of Smolensk, the Battle of Moscow and Kursk, in the crossing of the Dnieper, and distinguished themselves in the Kirovograd, Korsun-Shevchenko, Uman-Batashan, Lvov-Sandomierz, Vistula-Oder, Berlin and Prague operations. Participant in the Victory Parade in Moscow on June 24, 1945.
After the war - Commander-in-Chief of the Central Group of Forces, from 1946 to 1950 - Commander-in-Chief of the Ground Forces and Deputy Minister of the Armed Forces of the USSR. From 1950 to 1951 - chief inspector of the Soviet Army and deputy minister of defense. From 1951 to 1955 - commander of the troops of the Carpathian Military District. From 1955 to 1956 - 1st Deputy Minister of Defense and Commander-in-Chief of the Ground Forces. From 1956 to 1960 - Deputy Minister of Defense and at the same time from 1955 - Commander-in-Chief of the United Armed Forces of the Warsaw Pact states, from 1961 to 1962 - Commander-in-Chief of the Group of Soviet Forces in Germany. Since April 1962 - in the Group of Inspectors General of the USSR Ministry of Defense.
Awards: 7 Orders of Lenin, Order of the October Revolution, 3 Orders of the Red Banner, 2 Orders of Suvorov 1st degree, Order of the Red Star, many medals of the Soviet Union, orders of foreign states.
Rokossovsky Konstantin Konstantinovich (1896 - 1968)
Marshal of the Soviet Union, twice Hero of the Soviet Union. Awarded the Order of Victory, commanded the Victory Parade in Moscow on June 24, 1945. Participant in the Civil War. He commanded a squadron, division and regiment. For courage and courage shown in battles, he was awarded two Orders of the Red Banner.
K.K. Rokossovsky met the Great Patriotic War with the rank of major general as commander of the 9th mechanized corps on the Southwestern Front. From mid-July 1941 he commanded the 16th Army of the Western Front, from July 1942 - the troops of the Bryansk Front, and from September 1942 - the troops of the Don Front. From February 1943 he commanded the troops of the Central Front, and from October - the Belorussian Front. From February 1944 - by the troops of the 1st, and from November - by the 2nd Belorussian Fronts.
Troops under the command of K.K. Rokossovsky distinguished themselves in the Battle of Smolensk, in the Battle of Moscow, in the Battles of Stalingrad and Kursk, in the Belarusian, East Prussian, East Pomeranian and Berlin operations. In all these battles, K.K. Rokossovsky showed a bright, original talent as a commander.
His operation during the liberation of Belarus (code name “Bagration”) was especially original.
After the Great Patriotic War, Marshal of the Soviet Union K.K. Rokossovsky commanded the Northern Group of Soviet Forces. In October 1949, at the request of the Polish People's Government, he was appointed Minister of National Defense of the People's Republic of Poland. He was awarded the title of Marshal of Poland. In 1956, after returning to the USSR, he was appointed Deputy Minister of Defense of the USSR. Since 1957 - Chief Inspector, Deputy Minister of Defense. Since October 1957, Rokossovsky has been the commander of the troops of the Transcaucasian Military District. From 1958 to 1962 - Deputy Minister and Chief Inspector of the USSR Ministry of Defense. Since April 1962 - Inspector General of the USSR Ministry of Defense.
Awards: 7 Orders of Lenin, Order of the October Revolution, 6 Orders of the Red Banner, Orders of Suvorov and Kutuzov 1st degree, many medals of the Soviet Union, orders of foreign states. Awarded the Arms of Honor.
Meretskov Kirill Afanasyevich (1897 - 1968)
At the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, with the rank of army general, he was a representative of the Headquarters of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief on the North-Western and Karelian fronts. From September 1941 he commanded the troops of the 7th and from November 1941 - the 4th armies. From December 1941 he commanded the troops of the Volkhov Front. From May 1942 he commanded the troops of the 33rd Army, from June 1942 - again the troops of the Volkhov Front, and from February 1944 - the Karelian Front.
Since the spring of 1945 - commander of the Primorsky Group of Forces in the Far East, in August-September 1945 - troops of the 1st Far Eastern Front. The troops under the command of K. A. Meretskov successfully acted, defending Leningrad, liberating Karelia and the Arctic, and successfully carried out an offensive operation in the Far East, in Eastern Manchuria and North Korea. After the war, he commanded the troops of the Primorsky, Moscow, White Sea and Northern military districts. From 1955 to 1964 - Assistant Secretary of Defense for Higher Military Educational Institutions. Since 1964, he was a member of the Group of Inspectors General of the USSR Ministry of Defense.
Awards: 7 Orders of Lenin, Order of the October Revolution, 4 Orders of the Red Banner, 2 Orders of Suvorov 1st degree, Order of Kutuzov 1st degree, many medals of the Soviet Union.
Govorov Leonid Alexandrovich (1897 - 1955)
Marshal of the Soviet Union, Hero of the Soviet Union, awarded the Order of Victory. Participant in the Civil War. Graduated from the Military Academy. M.V. Frunze, and in 1938 - the Military Academy of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the USSR. Participant in the battles with the White Finns from 1939 to 1940 as chief of staff of the artillery of the 7th Army. In 1940 he was appointed Deputy Inspector General of Artillery of the Red Army. In May 1941, he was appointed head of the Military Artillery Academy.
In 1941, he was appointed chief of artillery of the Western direction, then chief of artillery of the Reserve Front, chief of artillery of the Western Front. From October 18, 1941, he commanded the troops of the 5th Army, which held the defense on the near approaches to Moscow in the Mozhaisk direction. Skillfully controlled army troops during the period of defense and counter-offensive. He established himself as a strong-willed commander with a deep understanding of combined arms combat tactics.
In April 1942, he was appointed commander of a group of troops of the Leningrad Front, and in June - commander of the troops of the Leningrad Front.
Troops under the command of L. A. Govorov successfully participated in defensive battles and in breaking the siege of Leningrad. After the blockade of Leningrad was lifted, front troops carried out a number of successful offensive operations: Vyborg, Tallinn, Moonsund landing and others. Remaining the commander of the troops of his front, he successfully coordinated the combat operations of the troops of the 2nd and 3rd Baltic fronts.
After the war, Marshal of the Soviet Union L.A. Govorov commanded the troops of the Leningrad Military District, was the chief inspector of the ground forces, and the chief inspector of the USSR Armed Forces. From 1948 to 1952 he commanded the country's air defense forces, and since 1950 he was simultaneously the deputy minister of defense. Awards: 5 Orders of Lenin, 3 Orders of the Red Banner, 2 Orders of Suvorov 1st degree, Order of Kutuzov 1st degree, Order of the Red Star and many medals of the Soviet Union.
Malinovsky Rodion Yakovlevich (1898 - 1967)
He began the Great Patriotic War on the border along the Prut River, where his corps held back attempts by Romanian and German units to cross to our side. In August 1941 - commander of the 6th Army. From December 1941 he commanded the troops of the Southern Front. From August to October 1942 - by troops of the 66th Army, which fought north of Stalingrad. In October-November - Deputy Commander of the Voronezh Front. From November 1942, he commanded the 2nd Guards Army, which was formed in the Tambov region. In December 1942, this army stopped and defeated the fascist strike force that was going to release the Stalingrad group of Field Marshal Paulus (Army Group DON of Field Marshal Manstein).
Since February 1943, R. Ya. Malinovsky commanded the troops of the Southern, and since March of the same year - the Southwestern Front. Front troops under his command liberated Donbass and Right Bank Ukraine. In the spring of 1944, troops under the command of R. Ya. Malinovsky liberated the cities of Nikolaev and Odessa. Since May 1944, R. Ya. Malinovsky commanded the troops of the 2nd Ukrainian Front. At the end of August, the troops of the 2nd Ukrainian Front, together with the troops of the 3rd Ukrainian Front, carried out an important strategic operation - Iasi-Kishinev. This is one of the outstanding operations of the Great Patriotic War. In the autumn of 1944 - spring of 1945, troops of the 2nd Ukrainian Front carried out the Debrecen, Budapest and Vienna operations, defeating fascist troops in Hungary, Austria and Czechoslovakia. Since July 1945, R. Ya. Malinovsky commanded the troops of the Transbaikal District and participated in the defeat of the Japanese Kwantung Army. After the Great Patriotic War, from 1945 to 1947, Marshal of the Soviet Union R. Ya. Malinovsky commanded the troops of the Trans-Baikal-Amur Military District. From 1947 to 1953 - commander of the Far East troops, from 1953 to 1956 - commander of the Far Eastern Military District.
In March 1956, he was appointed 1st Deputy Minister of Defense and Commander of the USSR Ground Forces. From 1957 to 1967, R. Ya. Malinovsky served as Minister of Defense of the USSR. Awards: 5 Orders of Lenin, 3 Orders of the Red Banner, 2 Orders of Suvorov 1st degree, Order of Kutuzov 1st degree and many medals of the Soviet Union.
Tolbukhin Fedor Ivanovich (1894 - 1949)
Marshal of the Soviet Union, Hero of the Soviet Union. Awarded the Order of Victory, Hero of the People's Republic of Bulgaria. Participant in the Civil War. He was the chief of staff of the division and the chief of the operations department of the army headquarters. After the Civil War - chief of staff of a rifle division and corps. In 1934 he graduated from the Military Academy. M. V. Frunze. Since 1937 - commander of a rifle division. From July 1938 to August 1941 - chief of staff of the Transcaucasian Military District.
During the Great Patriotic War - chief of staff of the Transcaucasian, Caucasian and Crimean fronts. In May - July 1942 - Deputy Commander of the Stalingrad Military District. Since July 1942 - commander of the 57th Army of the Stalingrad Front. Since February 1943 - commander of the 68th Army on the North-Western Front. Since March 1943, F.I. Tolbukhin was appointed commander of the troops of the Southern Front, renamed on October 20, 1943 into the 4th Ukrainian Front. From May 1944 until the end of the war, he commanded the troops of the 3rd Ukrainian Front. Commanding the troops, he showed brilliant leadership talent and organizational skills. The troops under his command successfully operated in the operations to liberate Donbass and Crimea. In August 1944, the troops of the 3rd Ukrainian Front, together with the troops of the 2nd Ukrainian Front, brilliantly carried out the Iasi-Kishinev operation.
Front troops under the command of F.I. Tolbukhin participated in the Belgrade, Budapest, Balaton and Vienna operations. F.I. Tolbukhin skillfully organized the interaction of Soviet troops with the troops of the Bulgarian and Yugoslav armies. Since September 1944, Marshal F.I. Tolbukhin was the chairman of the Allied Control Commission in Bulgaria.
After the Great Patriotic War, from July 1945 to January 1947, F.I. Tolbukhin - Commander-in-Chief of the Southern Group of Soviet Forces. Since 1947 - Commander of the Transcaucasian Military District. Awards: 2 Orders of Lenin, 3 Orders of the Red Banner, 2 Orders of Suvorov 1st degree, Order of Kutuzov 1st degree, Order of the Red Star, many foreign orders and medals of the Soviet Union. A monument was erected to Marshal of the Soviet Union F.I. Tolbukhin in the city of Moscow. The city of Dobrich in Bulgaria was renamed the city of Tolbukhin.
Timoshenko Semyon Konstantinovich (1895 - 1970)
Participant in the Civil War. He commanded a platoon, squadron, regiment, separate cavalry brigade, 6th cavalry and 4th cavalry divisions. For courage and valor in the battles of the Civil War, he was awarded two Orders of the Red Banner. After the Civil War, he commanded a cavalry corps, and from August 1933 he was deputy commander of the Belarusian Military District. From July 1937 - commander of the troops of the North Caucasus, from September - of the Kharkov, and from February 1938 - of the Kyiv special military district.
In September 1939, troops of the Ukrainian district made a liberation campaign in Western Ukraine. During the Soviet-Finnish War of 1939-1940, he commanded the troops of the North-Western Front. He led the breakthrough of the Finnish defensive line of Mannerheim. Awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. In May 1940, he was appointed People's Commissar of Defense of the USSR. At the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, he was the People's Commissar of Defense and a representative of the Headquarters of the High Command. Since July 1941 - Commander-in-Chief of the Western Direction. Member of the SVG, Deputy People's Commissar of Defense. From September 1941 to June 1942 - Commander-in-Chief of the South-Western direction. At the same time, in July - September 1941, he was commander of the Western Front. In September-December 1941 and in April-July 1942, he commanded the troops of the Southwestern Front. In July 1942 - by the troops of the Stalingrad Front, and from October 1942 to March 1943 - by the troops of the North-Western Front. Since March 1943, as a representative of the SVG, he coordinated military actions on a number of fronts. After the Great Patriotic War, Marshal of the Soviet Union S.K. Timoshenko commanded the troops of the Baranovichi, South Ural and Belarusian military districts.
Since April 1960 - Inspector General of the USSR Ministry of Defense. Since 1961 - Chairman of the Soviet War Veterans Committee.
Awards: 5 Orders of Lenin, Order of the October Revolution, 5 Orders of the Red Banner, 3 Orders of Suvorov 1st degree, foreign orders and many medals of the Soviet Union. Awarded the Arms of Honor.
Army General, awarded the Order of Victory. Participant in the Civil War. He took part in the defeat of the Kornilov rebellion and in battles on the Southern Front as assistant chief of staff of the 1st Moscow Workers' Division. Then he was the chief of staff of the rifle brigade, crossed the Sivash, and participated in the defeat of the Wrangel troops in the Crimea. Graduated from the Military Academy. M.V. Frunze in 1931 and the Military Academy of the General Staff in 1937. He worked his way up from the head of the operational department of the division headquarters to the chief of staff of the Moscow Military District. He proved himself to be a major operational staff worker with a broad political and military outlook.
In 1938-1940 he worked as head of the department of general tactics of the Military Academy named after. M. V. Frunze.
The Great Patriotic War found A.I. Antonov as deputy chief of staff of the Kyiv Special Military District. Soon A.I. Antonov headed the group for forming the control of the Southern Front. In August 1941, A.I. Antonov was appointed chief of staff of the Southern Front. In July - November 1942 A.I. Antonov is the chief of staff of the North Caucasus Front, and then of the Black Sea Group of Forces and the Transcaucasian Front. In these posts he showed deep military knowledge and demonstrated outstanding organizational skills.
From 1948 - deputy, and from 1950 to 1954 - commander of the Transcaucasian Military District. In April 1954, he returned to work at the General Staff as First Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the Soviet Armed Forces. Elected a member of the board of the Ministry of Defense. In 1955, he was appointed chief of staff of the armies of the Warsaw Pact member states. He worked in this position until the end of his life. Awards: 3 Orders of Lenin, 4 Orders of the Red Banner, 2 Orders of Suvorov 1st degree, Order of Kutuzov 1st degree, Order of the Patriotic War 1st degree, many medals of the Soviet Union, 14 foreign orders.