Marshal Konev bronze monument. Marshals of the Great Patriotic War. Konev Ivan Stepanovich
Konev Ivan Stepanovich
16(28).12.1897–27.06.1973
Marshal of the Soviet Union
Born in the Vologda region in the village of Lodeino in a peasant family. In 1916 he was drafted into the army. After graduating from the training team, he served as a junior non-commissioned officer art. division, was sent to the Southwestern Front. He joined the Red Army in 1918, took part in the battles against the troops of Admiral Kolchak, Ataman Semenov, and the Japanese. He was the commissioner of the armored train "Grozny", after which the brigades and divisions. In 1921 he took part in the storming of Kronstadt. In 1934 he graduated from the Academy. Frunze, commanded a regiment, division, corps, 2nd Separate Red Banner Far Eastern Army (1938–1940).
During the Great Patriotic War, under the pseudonyms Stepin and Kyiv, he commanded the fronts and the army. He took part in 1941 in the battles of Smolensk and Kalinin, in the defense of Moscow in 1941-1942. During the Kursk operation, together with the army of General N.F. Vatutin on the Belgorod-Kharkov bridgehead destroyed the enemy. On August 5, 1943, troops led by Konev liberated the city of Belgorod, and in this honor Moscow gave its first salutes in honor of the victories. On August 24, Kharkov was taken by Konev's troops. After that, the breakthrough of the "Eastern Wall" on the Dnieper was realized.
In 1944, near Korsun-Shevchenkovsky, the enemy staged something similar to the "New Stalingrad" - they managed to surround and destroy 10 divisions, as well as 1 brigade of General V. Stemmeran, who was also killed on the battlefield.
On February 20, 1944, Konev received the title of Marshal of the Soviet Union; on March 26, 1944, the army of the 1st Ukrainian Front, having driven out the enemy, was the first to reach the state border.
In July-August, under the command of Konev, they managed to destroy the Northern Ukraine Army Group under the leadership of Field Marshal E. von Manstein during the Lvov-Sandomierz operation. The name of Marshal Konev is directly related to the outstanding victories of the Red Army in the last stages of the war in the Vistula-Oder, Berlin, and Prague operations. During the Berlin operation, Konev's troops reached the river. Elbe at Torgau and met with the American military General O. Bradley. On May 9, 1945, the defeat of Field Marshal Scherner near Prague was completed. The highest orders of the "White Lion" of the 1st class and the "Czechoslovak Military Cross of 1939" were given to Konev for the liberation of Prague as awards. Moscow saluted 57 times in honor of his outstanding victories. At the end of the Great Patriotic War, Konev was appointed Commander-in-Chief of the Ground Forces and the first Commander-in-Chief of the Joint Armed Forces of the Warsaw Pact member states (1956–1960).
Marshal I. S. Konev was twice awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union, he is a hero of Czechoslovakia and the Mongolian People's Republic. His bronze bust is installed in his homeland in the village of Lodeino.
- two 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,
- 3 Orders of the Red Banner,
- 2 orders of Suvorov 1st degree,
- 2 orders of Kutuzov 1st degree,
- order of the Red Star,
- a total of 17 orders and 10 medals;
- honorary nominal weapon - a saber with the Golden Emblem of the USSR (1968),
- 24 foreign awards (including 13 foreign orders).
V.A. Egorshin, Field Marshals and Marshals. M., 2000
Konev Ivan Stepanovich
Born on December 16 (December 28), 1897 in the village of Lodeyno, Podosinovsky District, Kirov Region, in a peasant family, Russian by nationality. In 1912 he graduated from the zemstvo school, in 1926 he took advanced training courses for senior officers at the Military Academy. M.V. Frunze, and in 1934 he graduated from the special faculty of the same academy.He served in the Soviet Army from August 1918 to June 1919 as military commissar of the Nikolsky district military commissariat of the Northern Territory, was a commissar of an armored train, then a brigade commander and a division commander, in November 1922 he became chief of the army headquarters, after which from August 1924 1925, he took the post of corps commander, and from September 1925 he headed a rifle division. During the certification of 1926, it was indicated that Konev showed initiative, was energetic, and also a determined commander. The military, as well as the general outlook, is not very bad.
From July 1926 to March 1930, he served as commander of the military commissar of the regiment, after which, from March 1930 to March 1931, he was assistant and acting commander of a rifle division, then from March 1931 to December 1932. was a division commander. And in December 1934 he served as commander of a rifle division.
In the certification conducted in 1936, it was especially noted that Konev, after graduating from the academy, had a very satisfactory military training, holding the post of division commander, had good skills, as evidenced by the maneuvers of 1936. Character - firm and persistent. From September 1937 to September 1938, Konev served as commander of a special rifle corps, then until June 1940 he commanded an army, after which he led the troops of the Trans-Baikal, then the North Caucasian military districts.
During the Great Patriotic War from June to October 1941 he was commander of the 19th Army, for one month he served as deputy commander of the Western Front. From November 1941 to August 1942 he commanded the troops of the Kalinin Front. In February 1943 he headed the Western Front, from March to June 1943 the North-Western Front, from June 1943 to May 1944 he was the commander of the Steppe Front, as well as the 1st Ukrainian Front from May 1944 to May 1945 At the end of the war from May 1945 to April 1946, I.S. Konev served as Commander-in-Chief of the Central Group of Forces in Austria, then from June 1946 to March 1950 he was First Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Ground Forces - Deputy Minister of Defense for the Ground Forces, after which from March 1950 to November 1951 Konev held post of Chief Inspector of the Soviet Army - Deputy Minister of the Armed Forces of the USSR, from November 1951 to March 1955 Commander of the Carpathian Military District until March 1956 First Deputy Minister of Defense and Commander-in-Chief of the Ground Forces from April 1960 First Deputy Minister of Defense for general issues, until April 1962, Konev was in the position of Commander-in-Chief of the Group of Soviet Forces in Germany, after which, from May 1973, he again became Inspector General of the Ministry of Defense.
Military ranks: commander of the 2nd rank - awarded in March 1939, lieutenant general - June 4, 1940, colonel general - September 19, 1941, army general - August 26, 1943, Marshal of the Soviet Union - February 20, 1944 G.
He was a member of the CPSU since 1918, a member of the Central Committee of the CPSU since 1952, a deputy of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of the 1st-8th convocations. I.S. died. Konev on May 21, 1973. He was buried in Moscow on Red Square near the Kremlin wall.
Konev Ivan Stepanovich16(28).12.1897–27.06.1973
Marshal of the Soviet Union
Born in the 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. Vatutina 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. This was followed by a breakthrough of the "Eastern Wall" on the Dnieper.
In 1944, near Korsun-Shevchenkovsky, a “New (small) Stalingrad” was arranged for the Germans - 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 the 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. The highest orders of the "White Lion" of the 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 Warsaw Pact member states (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."
He was buried on Red Square in Moscow near the Kremlin wall.
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 "Victory" (03/30/1945),
- order of the October Revolution,
- 3 Orders of the Red Banner,
- 2 orders of Suvorov 1st degree,
- 2 orders of Kutuzov 1st degree,
- order of the Red Star,
- a total of 17 orders and 10 medals;
- honorary nominal weapon - a saber with the Golden Emblem of the USSR (1968),
- 24 foreign awards (including 13 foreign orders).
V.A. Egorshin, Field Marshals and Marshals. M., 2000
Konev Ivan Stepanovich
Born on December 16 (December 28), 1897 in the village of Lodeyno, Podosinovsky District, Kirov Region, from peasants, Russian.
In 1912, he graduated from the zemstvo school, in 1926 - advanced training courses for senior officers at the Military Academy. M.V. Frunze, and in 1934 - a special faculty of the same academy.
In the Soviet army since August 1918; to June 1919 - military commissar of the Nikolsky district military commissariat of the Northern Territory; commissar of an armored train (until July 1920); brigade commander (until April 1921), division commander (until October 1921); army chief of staff (November 1922) corps commander (August 1924) and rifle division (September 1925).
In the certification for 1926, it was noted that he was “an enterprising, energetic and decisive commander. General and military outlook is sufficient ... ".
From July 1926 - regiment commander-commissar (until March 1930), assistant and acting commander of a rifle division (March 1930-March 1931), division commander-commissar (March 1931-December 1932) .). From December 1934 - commander of a rifle division.
In the certification for 1936, it was emphasized that his “military training after graduating from the academy is quite satisfactory. Commanding a division, he has great achievements, especially on the maneuvers of 1936. By nature, he is firm and persistent.
From September 1937 - commander of a special rifle corps (until September 1938), army commander (until June 1940), commander of the Trans-Baikal, then North Caucasian military districts (until June 1941).
During the Great Patriotic War - Commander of the 19th Army (June-October 1941), one month - Deputy Commander of the Western Front, Commander of the Kalinin Front (November 1941-August 1942), Western Front (until February 1943), Northwestern Front (March-June 1943), Steppe Front (June 1943-May 1944), 1st Ukrainian Front (May 1944-May 1945).
After the war, I.S. Konev - Commander-in-Chief of the Central Group of Forces in Austria (May 1945-April 1946), First Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Ground Forces - Deputy Minister of Defense for the Ground Forces (June 1946-March 1950), Chief Inspector of the Soviet Army - Deputy Minister of the Armed Forces of the USSR (March 1950-November 1951), Commander of the Carpathian Military District (November 1951-March 1955), First Deputy Minister of Defense and Commander-in-Chief of the Ground Forces (until March 1956), first Deputy Minister of Defense for General Affairs (until April 1960), Inspector General of the Group of Inspectors General of the Ministry of Defense (until August 1961), Commander-in-Chief of the Group of Soviet Forces in Germany (until April 1962) and again Inspector General of the Ministry of Defense (until May 1973).
I.S. Konev - twice Hero of the Soviet Union (07/29/1944 and 06/1/1945) He was awarded 7 Orders of Lenin (07/29/1944, 02/21/1945, 12/27/1947, 12/18/1956, 12/27 .1957, 12/27/1967, 12/27/1972), Order of the October Revolution (02/22/1968), 3 Orders of the Red Banner (02/22/1938, 11/3/1944, 06/20/1949 .), 2 Orders of Suvorov I degree (08/27/1943, 05/17/1944), 2 Orders of Kutuzov I degree (04/09/1943, 07/28/1943), Order of the Red Star (08/16/1936 ), the Order of Victory (March 30, 1945), an honorary weapon with a golden image of the State Emblem of the USSR (February 22, 1968), as well as 10 medals of the USSR and 24 orders and medals of foreign states.
Military ranks: commander of the 2nd rank - awarded in March 1939, lieutenant general - June 4, 1940, colonel general - September 19, 1941, army general - August 26, 1943, Marshal of the Soviet Union - February 20, 1944 G.
Member of the CPSU since 1918, member of the Central Committee of the CPSU since 1952, deputy of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of the 1st-8th convocations.
Marshals of the Soviet Union: personal affairs are told. M., 1996
Date of Birth: |
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Place of Birth: |
Lodeino village, Vologda province, Russian Empire (now - Podosinovsky district, Kirov region) |
Date of death: |
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A place of death: |
Moscow, USSR |
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Years of service: |
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Marshal of the Soviet Union |
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Commanded: |
Command of fronts, military districts |
Battles / wars: |
World War I,
Rzhev battle, Battle of Kursk Battle for the Dnieper Lvov-Sandomierz operation, Vistula-Oder operation, Berlin operation |
Autograph: |
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Foreign awards |
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Interwar period
The Great Patriotic War
post-war period
Military ranks
Monuments
Documentary film
(December 16 (28), 1897 - May 21, 1973) - Soviet commander, Marshal of the Soviet Union (1944), twice Hero of the Soviet Union (1944, 1945).
Early life and civil war
He was born on December 28, 1897 in the village of Lodeyno (now the Podosinovsky district of the Kirov region) into a peasant family. He graduated from the zemstvo school in the neighboring village of Pushma in 1912. From the age of 12 he worked as a timber rafting worker.
Member of the First World War. In the spring of 1916 he was drafted into the army. After a training artillery team, junior non-commissioned officer Konev was sent to the Southwestern Front in 1917. Demobilized in 1918.
In the same 1918 he joined the Bolshevik Party, was elected county military commissar in the city of Nikolsk, Vologda province. After that, he fought in the ranks of the Red Army on the Eastern Front against the troops of A. V. Kolchak and other White Guard formations in Transbaikalia and the Far East. He was commissar of an armored train, commissar of a rifle brigade, division, headquarters of the People's Revolutionary Army of the Far Eastern Republic. Among other delegates to the Xth Congress of the RCP(b), he took part in the suppression of the Kronstadt uprising in 1921.
Interwar period
After the end of the Civil War, he was a military commissar of the 17th Primorsky Rifle Corps. From August 1924 - Commissar and Head of the Political Department of the 17th Nizhny Novgorod Rifle Division. He graduated from the advanced training courses for senior command personnel at the MV Frunze Military Academy in 1926, then was commander and commissar of the 50th Infantry Regiment. Graduated from the Military Academy named after M. V. Frunze in 1934. From December 1934 he commanded the 37th Rifle Division, from March 1937 - the 2nd Rifle Division. In 1935 he received the rank of division commander. In 1938 he was appointed commander of the Special Rifle Corps on the territory of the Mongolian People's Republic, from July 1938 - commander of the 2nd Red Banner Army, stationed in the Far East. From June 1940 he commanded the troops of the Trans-Baikal Military District, from January 1941 - the North Caucasian Military District.
The Great Patriotic War
During the Great Patriotic War, Lieutenant-General I.S. Konev assumed the post of commander of the 19th Army, hastily formed from the troops of the North Caucasian Military District. The army was initially sent to the Southwestern Front, but already in early July, due to the catastrophic development of the situation in the western direction, it was transferred to the Western Front. During the Battle of Smolensk, the army troops suffered heavy losses, but avoided defeat and stubbornly defended themselves. Konev's actions as commander of the army were highly appreciated by IV Stalin.
In early September 1941, Konev was appointed commander of the Western Front, at the same time he was awarded the rank of colonel general. He commanded the troops of the Western Front for a little over a month (September - October 1941), during which time the front under his command suffered one of the worst defeats in the entire war in the Vyazemsky disaster. The losses of the troops of the front amounted, according to various estimates, from 400,000 to 700,000 people killed and captured. To investigate the causes of the catastrophe of the front and punish Konev, a commission of the State Defense Committee headed by V. M. Molotov and K. E. Voroshilov arrived. Konev was saved from trial and possible execution by G.K. Zhukov, who offered to leave him as deputy front commander, and a few days later recommended Konev to the post of commander of the Kalinin Front. Konev commanded this front from October 1941 to August 1942, participated in the battle for Moscow, conducted the Kalinin defensive operation and the Kalinin offensive operation. Since January 1942, the name of Konev has been closely associated with the most difficult and unsuccessful Rzhev battle for the Soviet troops, his troops participated in the Rzhev-Vyazemsky operation of 1942, suffered a new defeat in the Kholm-Zhirkovskaya defensive operation.
From August 1942 to February 1943, Konev again commanded the Western Front and, together with G.K. Zhukov, carried out the First Rzhev-Sychev Operation and Operation Mars, in which the troops of his front, with huge losses, achieved only a slight advance of several tens of kilometers. In February 1943, the Zhizdra operation was also unsuccessful, after which, at the end of February, Konev was removed from his post as commander of the Western Front and appointed to command the much less important Northwestern Front. However, even there he failed to distinguish himself, the troops of this front suffered heavy losses and did not achieve success in the Staraya Russian operation.
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GHQ ORDER No. 0045
Headquarters of the Supreme High Command I. STALIN TsAMO. F. 148a. Op. 3763. D. 142. L. 36. Original. |
In July 1943, Konev was appointed commander of the Steppe Front, at the head of which he managed to achieve success in the Battle of Kursk, in the Belgorod-Kharkov operation and in the battle for the Dnieper. In August 1943, the troops of the Konev Steppe Front liberated Belgorod and Kharkov, in September 1943 - Poltava and Kremenchug, acting during the Poltava-Kremenchug operation. At the end of September 1943, his armies crossed the Dnieper on the move.
In October 1943, the Steppe Front was renamed the 2nd Ukrainian Front, Konev remained its commander, and in October-December 1943 he carried out the Pyatikhat and Znamenskaya operations, and in January 1944, the Kirovograd operation. The grandiose success of Konev as a commander was the Korsun-Shevchenko operation, where for the first time after Stalingrad a large enemy group was surrounded and defeated. For skillful organization and excellent leadership of the troops in this operation, on February 20, 1944, Konev was awarded the military rank of Marshal of the Soviet Union. In March-April 1944, he carried out one of the most successful offensives of the Soviet troops - the Uman-Botoshansky operation, in which, in a month of fighting, his troops marched over 300 kilometers to the west through mud and impassability and on March 26, 1944, they were the first in the Red Army to cross the state border entering the territory of Romania.
From May 1944 until the end of the war he commanded the 1st Ukrainian Front. In July-August 1944, under his command, the troops of the front defeated the army group "Northern Ukraine" of Colonel-General Josef Harpe in the Lvov-Sandomierz operation, captured and held the Sandomierz bridgehead in the subsequent two-month battles, which became one of the springboards for an attack on Nazi Germany. Also, part of the forces of the front took part in the East Carpathian operation.
The title of Hero of the Soviet Union with the award of the Order of Lenin and the Gold Star medal was awarded to Ivan Stepanovich Konev on July 29, 1944 for his skillful leadership of front troops in major operations in which strong enemy groups were defeated, personal courage and heroism.
In January 1945, the troops of the front, as a result of a swift strike and a detour in the Vistula-Oder operation, prevented the retreating enemy from destroying the industry of Silesia, which was of great economic importance for friendly Poland. In February 1945, Konev's troops carried out the Lower Silesian operation, in March - the Upper Silesian operation, achieving significant results in both. His armies performed brilliantly in the Berlin operation and in the Prague operation.
Marshal I. S. Konev was awarded the second Gold Star medal on June 1, 1945 for exemplary leadership of troops in the final operations of the Great Patriotic War.
post-war period
After the war in 1945-1946 - Commander-in-Chief of the Central Group of Forces on the territory of Austria and High Commissioner for Austria. Since 1946 - Commander-in-Chief of the Ground Forces - Deputy Minister of the Armed Forces of the USSR. Since 1950 - chief inspector of the Soviet Army - Deputy Minister of War of the USSR. In 1951-1955 - Commander of the Carpathian Military District. In 1953, he was the chairman of the Special Judicial Presence, which tried L.P. Beria and sentenced him to death.
In 1955-1956 - 1st Deputy Minister of Defense of the USSR and Commander-in-Chief of the Ground Forces. In 1956-1960 he was First Deputy Minister of Defense of the USSR, from 1955 simultaneously Commander-in-Chief of the Joint Armed Forces of the Warsaw Pact countries (in this capacity he led the suppression of the Hungarian uprising of 1956). In 1960-1961 and from April 1962 in the Group of General Inspectors of the USSR Ministry of Defense. In 1961-1962, during the Berlin Crisis, he was Commander-in-Chief of the Group of Soviet Forces in Germany.
Military ranks
- Divisional Commander - from November 26, 1935
- Komkor - from February 22, 1939
- Commander of the 2nd rank - since 1939
- Lieutenant General - from June 4, 1940
- Colonel General - from September 11, 1941
- Army General - from August 26, 1943
- Marshal of the Soviet Union - from February 20, 1944
Awards, memberships in organizations
Memory
- His name was given to the Alma-Ata Higher Combined Arms Command School, the ship MMF
- Streets in Moscow, Donetsk, Slavyansk, Kyiv, Kharkov, Poltava, Cherkassy, Kirovograd, Belgorod, Barnaul, Vologda, Omsk, Irkutsk, Prague, Smolensk, Tver, Beltsy are named after Konev; street and adjoining square in Kirov; neighborhood in Stary Oskol
Monuments
- Memorial complex "Height of Konev" in the Kharkiv region. From there, an order was given to begin the assault on Kharkov for the final liberation of the city from the Nazi invaders.
- The bronze bust was installed at home.
- A granite monument was erected in Kirov on the square of the same name next to the adjoining street of the same name (it was moved in 1991 from Krakow, where it stood earlier).
- A bronze bust was erected in Belgorod on a street named after him.
- Monument in Prague, installed in 1970 on the square of the International Brigade. Sculptor Z. Kribus.
- Memorial plaque on the house number 30 on Bolshaya Pokrovskaya Street in Nizhny Novgorod, which housed the headquarters of the 17th Nizhny Novgorod Rifle Division, which Konev commanded in 1922-1932. Description of the monument- against the background of a five-pointed star - a bronze bust of Konev I.S. Marshal is depicted in dress uniform, on his chest - two Gold Star medals. Below, in bronze letters, is the text: “This building was the headquarters of the 17th Infantry Division, commanded from 1922 to 1932 by the famous commander, Marshal of the Soviet Union Ivan Stepanovich Konev.” The opening of the memorial plaque took place in 1985.
- Memorial plaque in Omsk on house number 12-1 on Konev street. Description of the monument- a bust of Konev I.S. Marshal is depicted in full dress, on the chest of a medal and an order. Installed in 2005 at the initiative of Evgeny Alekseevich, a resident of the Nazarenko house.
- The monument was erected in the city of Vologda, in the square at the intersection of Mozhaisky and Konev streets, on May 7, 2010. Sculptor O. A. Uvarov.
A family
The first wife is Anna Voloshina, she has two children: daughter Maya and son Helium. The second is the orderly Antonina Vasilyevna, from her daughter Natalya.
Documentary film
- "Madonna of Marshal Konev" - Channel One, 2009
- The Tale of Marshal Konev. Documentary. TSSDF (RTSSDF). 1988. 99 minutes.
- Generals. TSSDF (RTSSDF). 1988. 59 minutes.
Ivan Stepanovich Konev was born on December 16 (28), 1897 in the village of Lodeyno, Shchetkinsky volost, Nikolsky district, Vologda province (now Podosinovsky district, Kirov region), in a peasant family. He graduated from a rural school and a zemstvo college. From the age of 12 he worked at a timber rafting and on his father's farm.
In 1916 he was called up for military service: he was a soldier of the 2nd heavy artillery brigade in Moscow, then he graduated from the training team and became a junior fireworker of the 2nd separate artillery division. After demobilization in 1918. joined the ranks of the RCP (b), a member of the Nikolsky district executive committee and the military commissar of the district. During the Civil War, he volunteered for the front, fought against the troops of A.V. Kolchak, G.M. Semenov, and the Japanese invaders. He was the commissar of an armored train, a rifle brigade, a division, and showed military talent and courage. In 1921 r. as a delegate to the Tenth Congress of the RCP(b) he took part in the suppression of the Kronstadt rebellion. In 1921 - 1922. I.S. Konev - commissar of the headquarters of the "People's Revolutionary Army of the Far Eastern Republic", in 1923 - 1924. - 17th Primorsky Rifle Corps, and then - 17th Rifle Division. When in 1924 the division was relocated to the Moscow Military District, its commander K.E. Voroshilov suggested: “You, Comrade Konev, according to our observations, are a commissar with a commanding vein. This is a happy combination. Go to team courses, learn.”
In 1926, Ivan Stepanovich graduated from advanced training courses for senior officers at the Military Academy. M.V. Frunze. And in 1934 he completed his studies at a special faculty of the same academy (“he mastered the academic course perfectly and is worthy of promotion to the position of commander and commissar of the rifle corps”). In 1934 -1941. commanded a division, a corps, a special group of Soviet troops in the MPR, the 2nd separate Red Banner Far Eastern Army, the troops of the Transbaikal and North Caucasian military districts. In July 1938, he was awarded the rank of commander, and in March 1939 - commander of the 2nd rank.
I.S. Konev began World War II as commander of the 19th Army. For successful military operations near Smolensk, Konev was awarded the rank of colonel general.
On September 12, 1941, a high appointment came to the post of commander of the troops of the Western Front (September - October 1941). In the battles near Vyazma, I.S. Konev suffered a severe defeat from the Nazi troops. He was saved from trial and execution by G.K. Zhukov, who, with his characteristic frankness, declared to the Supreme Commander-in-Chief that people who have combat experience should be valued.
In November 1941 I.S. Konev - Commander of the Kalinin Front, Western Front (from August 1942 to February 1943), Northwestern Front (March - June 1943), Steppe Front (June 1943 - May 1944), 1st Ukrainian Front ( May 1944 - May 1945). 
The troops under the command of Ivan Stepanovich Konev inflicted a number of defeats on the German troops during the defense of Moscow, liberated the city of Kalinin, and in January - April 1942 advanced 250 km in the Vitebsk direction. During the battle on the Kursk Bulge, the troops of the Steppe Front took part in the Belgorod-Kharkov direction, liberated the cities of Belgorod and Kharkov. For the successful conduct of the Belgorod-Kharkov offensive operation, Ivan Stepanovich was awarded the rank of army general.
However, of course, especially the talent of I.S. Konev, as an outstanding and experienced commander, manifested itself during the brilliantly carried out Korsun-Shevchenko operation, which was also called "Stalingrad on the Dnieper".
02/20/1944 for the skillful organization and excellent leadership of the troops in the Korsun-Shevchenko operation, during which a large enemy group was surrounded and destroyed, Army General I.S. Konev received the title of Marshal of the Soviet Union.
Brilliant victories at the final stage of the Second World War - in the Vistula-Oder, Berlin and Prague operations are associated with the name of I.S. Konev, who was called the "general forward". 57 times Moscow saluted the troops led by Marshal Konev. 
The combat experience gained during World War II was successfully used by I.S. Konev during the training and education of Soviet soldiers in the post-war period. In peacetime, Ivan Stepanovich was Commander-in-Chief of the Central Group of Forces in Austria (1945 - 1946), Commander-in-Chief of the Ground Forces and Deputy Minister of the Armed Forces of the USSR (1946 - 1950), Chief Inspector of the Soviet Army, Deputy Minister of War of the USSR (1950 - 1951 years), commander of the Carpathian military district (1951 - 1955). In 1956 - 1960. served as 1st Deputy Minister of Defense of the USSR for General Affairs and Commander-in-Chief of the Ground Forces, in May 1955 - June 1960 - Commander-in-Chief of the Joint Armed Forces of the Warsaw Pact member states, and from April 1962 - in the Group of General Inspectors of the Ministry of Defense of the USSR, in 1961 - 1962. - Commander-in-Chief of the Group of Soviet Forces in Germany and again Inspector General of the USSR Ministry of Defense (until May 1973).
From 1931 to 1934 - Member of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee, candidate member of the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks from 1939 to 1952, member of the Central Committee of the CPSU since 1962, deputy of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of the 1st - 8th convocations.
Ivan Stepanovich Konev died on May 21, 1973, he was buried in Moscow on Red Square near the Kremlin wall.
The bronze bust of the great commander is installed in his homeland in the village of Lodeyno. His name was given to the Alma-Ata Higher Combined Arms Command School, a Navy vessel, streets in Moscow, Donetsk, Slavyansk, Kharkov, Cherkassy, Kropyvnytsky were named after Konev.
After himself, I.S. Konev left memoirs: "Forty-fifth" and "Notes of the front commander."
AWARDS OF MARSHAL I.S. KONEV
ORDERS AND MEDALS OF THE USSR FOREIGN AWARDSOrder of the Red Star - 08/16/1936
Order of the Red Banner - 02/22/1938
Order of Kutuzov, 1st class - 04/09/1943
Order of Kutuzov, 1st class - 07/28/1943
Order of Suvorov, 1st class - 27.08.1943
Order of Suvorov, 1st class - 05/17/1944
He was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union with the Order of Lenin and the Gold Star medal - 07/29/1944
Order of the Red Banner - 03 11.1944
Order of Lenin - 02/21/1945
Order "Victory" - 03/30/1945
He was awarded the second medal "Gold Star" - 06/01/1945.
Order of Lenin - 12/27/1947
Order of the Red Banner - 06/20/1949
Order of Lenin - 12/18/1956
Order of Lenin - 12/27/1957
Order of Lenin - 12/27/1967
Order of the October Revolution - 22.02. 1968
Order of Lenin - 28.12.1972
Medal "XX years of the Red Army" - 22.02. 1938
Medal "For the Defense of Moscow" - 05/01/1944
Medal "For the victory over Germany" - 09.05. 1945
Medal "For the Capture of Berlin" - 06/09/1945
Medal "For the Liberation of Prague" - 06/09/1945
Medal "In memory of the 800th anniversary of Moscow" - 09/21/1947
Medal "XXX Years of the Soviet Army and Navy" - 22.02.1948
Medal "40 Years of the Armed USSR" - February 17, 1958
Medal "XX Years of Victory in the Great Patriotic War" - 1965
Jubilee medal "50 years of the Armed Forces of the USSR" - 1968
Medal "For Military Valor" - 04/11/1970
| FOREIGN AWARDS |
| Star and badge of the Virtuti Military Order, 1st class. - Poland Star and badge of the Order of the Rebirth of Poland, 1st class. - Poland Star and Badge of the Order of the Bath - Great Britain "Cross of Grunwald" І class. - Poland Order "Partisan Star" 1st class - SFRY Order "For Merit to the Fatherland" 2nd class - GDR "Gold Star" of the Hero of the MPR - MPR Order of Sukhbaatar (1961) - Mongolian People's Republic Order of Sukhbaatar (1971) - Mongolian People's Republic Order of the Red Banner of War - Mongolian People's Republic French Order of the Legion of Honor 2 class. - France Military Cross - France Order "Legion of Honor" degree Commander - USA Order "People's Republic of Bulgaria" 1st class - NRB "Golden Star" of the Hero of Czechoslovakia - Czechoslovakia Order of "Klement Gottwald" - Czechoslovakia Star and badge of the Order of the White Lion, 1st class. - Czechoslovakia Order of the White Lion "For Victory" 1st class - Czechoslovakia Military Cross 1939 - Czechoslovakia Order "Hungarian Freedom" 1st class - Hungary Order of the Hungarian People's Republic - Hungary Medal "Sino-Soviet Friendship" - PRC |
19.11 (1.12). 1896-18.06.1974
great 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. During the Civil War, he fought against the 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, and was 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 the Baltic Fleet, stopped the offensive of Field Marshal F.V. von Leeb's Army Group North against 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 the invincibility of the Nazi 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. At the 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 a 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 of the 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 Tuvan 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). Head-captain of the 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 the quick defeat of the Kwantung Army of the 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 of the 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
Born in the 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. This was followed by a breakthrough of the "Eastern Wall" 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 the 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. The highest orders of the "White Lion" of the 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 the Commander-in-Chief of the Ground Forces (1946-1950; 1955-1956), the first Commander-in-Chief of the Joint Armed Forces of the States Parties to the 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 battles on 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 the 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 the German troops of 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)
He was buried on Red Square in Moscow near the Kremlin wall. A bronze bust of Rokossovsky was installed in his homeland (Velikiye Luki).
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 People's Hero of 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 Front, 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" gene. Mr. 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).
He was buried on Red Square in Moscow near the Kremlin wall.
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", he fought in Spain (he was awarded the Orders of 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 the 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.