Commanders-in-Chief of the Russian Federation. How Stalin became Supreme Commander-in-Chief History of the term
“The key to Moscow has been taken!”
After the first unsuccessful attempts to repel Napoleonic troops that invaded Russia on June 12, 1812, Mikhail Kutuzov was immediately talked about as the only person capable of taking the post of commander in chief. But Alexander I did not like Kutuzov. Only after the election of the commander as the head of the Moscow and St. Petersburg militias and urgent advice from those close to him to rely on an experienced military leader, Emperor Alexander relented. Meanwhile, French troops were already near Smolensk. Appointed commander-in-chief, on the way to the army Kutuzov repeated: “If only I find Smolensk in our hands, then the enemy will not be in Moscow.” Beyond Torzhok he learned that Smolensk had been surrendered. “The key to Moscow has been taken!”- Kutuzov exclaimed in despair. The abandonment of Moscow by Russian troops was predetermined.
“We will not defeat Napoleon. We will deceive him"
The appointment of Kutuzov to replace the foreigner Barclay de Tolly as commander-in-chief of the retreating Russian army was supposed to cause a patriotic upsurge among the troops and people. But the field marshal himself, having lost the Battle of Austerlitz in 1805, was not in the mood for an open and decisive battle against Napoleon. According to eyewitnesses, he expressed himself this way about the methods he would use against the French: “We will not defeat Napoleon. We will deceive him."
Already on August 17, Kutuzov arrived in the army as commander-in-chief. The troops greeted him with general rejoicing, hoping that the end of military failures had come. Officers and soldiers joked: “Kutuzov came to beat the French!” At the review, in order to raise the spirit of his army, the commander-in-chief exclaimed: “With such good fellows - and retreat?”. But these words were only an expression of Kutuzov’s gratitude for the love of the soldiers. The commander again gave the order to retreat - the great superiority of the French forces forced him to do so. The Russian retreat lasted for more than two months and stopped only at Moscow...
“This day will remain an eternal monument to the courage and excellent bravery of Russian soldiers”
The surrender of Moscow was inevitable, but it seemed politically and morally impossible to surrender the ancient Russian capital without a fight. Kutuzov decides to give a general battle to Napoleon. The first and only thing in this war. The Battle of Borodino on August 26, 1812 became one of the bloodiest in the 19th century. On the Borodino field, 46 thousand Russian soldiers and officers died in one day of battle, the French lost about 50 thousand people. Despite the losses, our troops won a moral victory over the enemy, which turned the tide of the war.
“This day will remain an eternal monument to the courage and excellent bravery of Russian soldiers, where all the infantry, cavalry and artillery fought desperately. Everyone’s desire was to die on the spot and not yield to the enemy. The French army did not overcome the fortitude of the Russian soldier, who cheerfully sacrificed his life for his fatherland,” this is how Mikhail Kutuzov reported to Emperor Alexander I about the Battle of Borodino. For the battle of Borodino on August 30, 1812, Kutuzov was promoted to field marshal general by the Russian emperor.
“To save Russia, we must burn Moscow”
After the Battle of Borodino, the balance of power did not shift in favor of the Russian army. Kutuzov spoke in one of his letters about a difficult choice: “The question has not yet been decided: should we lose the army or lose Moscow?” In Fili, it was decided to surrender the ancient capital to the enemy. And although rumor stubbornly attributes the words: “To save Russia, we must burn Moscow,” Kutuzov, the commander did not give the order to burn the city after the retreat.
However, the fire of Moscow, which began on September 2, 1812, during its occupation by the French, was another blow to the enemy and delayed his advance. Meanwhile, Kutuzov's troops undertook the famous Tarutino maneuver, which cut off Napoleon's road to southern Russia on the eve of the coming winter. Realizing the critical situation, Napoleon sent an adjutant to Kutuzov with a proposal for peace negotiations, but the Russian commander replied that “the war is just beginning...”
“The war ended with the complete extermination of the enemy”
Napoleon had no choice but to begin the withdrawal of troops from Moscow on October 7, which then escalated into a stampede. During the retreat, the French emperor lost his army in Russia - more than 500 thousand people killed, wounded and prisoners, almost all the artillery and cavalry. On December 21, Kutuzov, in an army order, congratulated the Russian troops on expelling the enemy from Russia, proclaiming: “The war ended with the complete extermination of the enemy.”
For his skillful leadership of the army in 1812, Mikhail Kutuzov was awarded the title of Prince of Smolensk. He also received the Order of St. George, 1st degree, as a reward, becoming its first full holder in the history of Russia.
The victorious liberation of Europe from the French was led by Emperor Alexander I, who decided to continue the war with Napoleon outside of Russia. With the arrival of the Tsar to the troops, Kutuzov gradually stepped away from command. On April 5, the field marshal came down with a severe cold in the small Prussian town of Bunzlau; there was no hope for the elderly military leader to recover. The Russian Tsar arrived to say goodbye to his commander. Their dialogue was passed on like a legend. “Forgive me, Mikhail Illarionovich!” said Alexander I to the dying Kutuzov. “I forgive, sir, but Russia will never forgive you”, - answered the field marshal.
KUTUZOV Mikhail Illarionovich (1745-1813), His Serene Highness Prince of Smolensk (1812), Russian commander, Field Marshal General (1812), diplomat. Student of A.V. Suvorov. Participant in the Russian-Turkish wars of the 18th century, distinguished himself during the storming of Izmail. During the Russian-Austro-French War of 1805, he commanded Russian troops in Austria and with a skillful maneuver brought them out from the threat of encirclement. During the Russian-Turkish War of 1806-12, commander-in-chief of the Moldavian Army (1811-12), won victories near Rushuk and Slobodzeya, and concluded the Bucharest Peace Treaty. During the Patriotic War of 1812, commander-in-chief of the Russian army (from August), which defeated Napoleon's army. In January 1813, the army under the command of Kutuzov entered Western Europe.
* * *
Youth and beginning of service
He came from an old noble family. His father I.M. Golenishchev-Kutuzov rose to the rank of lieutenant general and the rank of senator. Having received an excellent home education, 12-year-old Mikhail, after passing the exam in 1759, was enrolled as a corporal in the United Artillery and Engineering Noble School; In 1761 he received his first officer rank, and in 1762, with the rank of captain, he was appointed company commander of the Astrakhan Infantry Regiment, headed by Colonel A.V. Suvorov. The rapid career of the young Kutuzov can be explained both by receiving a good education and by the efforts of his father. In 1764-1765, he volunteered to take part in military skirmishes of Russian troops in Poland, and in 1767 he was seconded to the commission for drawing up a new Code created by Catherine II.
Russo-Turkish wars
The school of military skill was his participation in the Russian-Turkish war of 1768-1774, where Kutuzov initially served as a divisional quartermaster in the army of General P. A. Rumyantsev and was in the battles of Ryabaya Mogila, r. Largi, Kagul and during the assault on Bendery. From 1772 he fought in the Crimean Army. On July 24, 1774, during the liquidation of the Turkish landing near Alushta, Kutuzov, commanding a grenadier battalion, was seriously wounded - a bullet exited through his left temple near his right eye. Kutuzov used the vacation he received to complete his treatment to travel abroad; in 1776 he visited Berlin and Vienna, and visited England, Holland, and Italy. Upon returning to duty, he commanded various regiments, and in 1785 he became commander of the Bug Jaeger Corps. From 1777 he was a colonel, from 1784 he was a major general. During the Russian-Turkish War of 1787-1791, during the siege of Ochakov (1788), Kutuzov was again dangerously wounded - the bullet went right through “from temple to temple behind both eyes.” The surgeon who treated him, Massot, commented on the wound as follows: “It must be assumed that fate appoints Kutuzov to something great, for he remained alive after two wounds, fatal according to all the rules of medical science.” At the beginning of 1789, Mikhail Illarionovich took part in the battle of Kaushany and in the capture of the fortresses of Akkerman and Bender. During the storming of Izmail in 1790, Suvorov assigned him to command one of the columns and, without waiting for the capture of the fortress, appointed him first commandant. For this assault, Kutuzov received the rank of lieutenant general; Suvorov commented on the role of his student in the assault: “Kutuzov attacked on the left flank, but was my right hand.”
Diplomat, military man, courtier
At the conclusion of the Peace of Yassy, Kutuzov was unexpectedly appointed envoy to Turkey. When choosing him, the Empress took into account his broad outlook, subtle mind, rare tact, ability to find a common language with different people and innate cunning. In Istanbul, Kutuzov managed to gain the trust of the Sultan and successfully led the activities of a huge embassy of 650 people. Upon returning to Russia in 1794, he was appointed director of the Land Noble Cadet Corps. Under Emperor Paul I, he was appointed to the most important posts (inspector of troops in Finland, commander of an expeditionary force sent to Holland, Lithuanian military governor, commander of the army in Volyn), and was entrusted with important diplomatic missions.
Kutuzov under Alexander I
At the beginning of the reign of Alexander I, Kutuzov took the post of St. Petersburg military governor, but was soon sent on leave. In 1805 he was appointed commander of the troops operating in Austria against Napoleon. He managed to save the army from the threat of encirclement, but Alexander I, who arrived to the troops, under the influence of young advisers, insisted on holding a general battle. Kutuzov objected, but was unable to defend his opinion, and at Austerlitz the Russian-Austrian troops suffered a crushing defeat. The main culprit for this was the emperor, who actually removed Kutuzov from command, but it was on the old commander that Alexander I placed full responsibility for losing the battle. This became the reason for the emperor’s hostile attitude towards Kutuzov, who knew the true background of the events.
Having become the commander-in-chief of the Moldavian army operating against the Turks in 1811, Kutuzov was able to rehabilitate himself - not only defeated the enemy near Rushchuk (now Ruse, Bulgaria), but also, showing extraordinary diplomatic abilities, signed the Bucharest Peace Treaty in 1812, which was beneficial for Russia. The emperor, who did not like the commander, nevertheless awarded him the title of count (1811), and then elevated him to the dignity of His Serene Highness (1812).
Kutuzov as a person
Today, in Russian literature and cinema, an image of Kutuzov has developed that is quite far from the real state of affairs. Documents and memoirs of contemporaries claim that Kutuzov was more lively and controversial than they imagine today. In life, Mikhail Illarionovich was a merry fellow and a zhuir, a lover of good food and a drink on occasion; He was a great flatterer of ladies and a regular at the salon; he enjoyed great success with the ladies thanks to his courtesy, eloquence and sense of humor. Even in his old age, Kutuzov remained a ladies' man; on all campaigns, including the War of 1812, he was always accompanied by a woman dressed in a soldier's uniform. It is also a legend that all Russian military men adored Kutuzov: in many memoirs of officers of the Patriotic War there are rather unpleasant characteristics of the commander, who irritated some military men with his causticity and the fact that he could leave important military affairs for the sake of a good feast or communication with a lady. The opinion that Kutuzov was one-eyed after being wounded also became a general misconception. In fact, the commander’s eye remained in place, it was just that the bullet damaged the temporal nerve, and therefore the eyelid could not open. As a result, Kutuzov looked as if he had winked but never opened his eyes. There was no terrible, gaping wound, and therefore the commander very rarely wore an eye patch - only when going out to see the ladies...
French invasion
At the beginning of the 1812 campaign against the French, Kutuzov was in St. Petersburg in the secondary post of commander of the Narva Corps, and then the St. Petersburg militia. Only when disagreements among the generals reached a critical point was he appointed commander-in-chief of all armies operating against Napoleon (August 8). Despite the public's expectations, Kutuzov, due to the current situation, was forced to continue his retreat strategy. But, yielding to the demands of the army and society, he fought the Battle of Borodino near Moscow, which he considered useless. For Borodino, Kutuzov was promoted to field marshal general. At the military council in Fili, the commander made the difficult decision to leave Moscow. Russian troops under his command, having completed a flank march to the south, stopped at the village of Tarutino. At this time, Kutuzov was sharply criticized by a number of senior military leaders, but the actions he took made it possible to preserve the army and strengthen it with reinforcements and numerous militia. Having waited for the French troops to leave Moscow, Kutuzov accurately determined the direction of their movement and blocked their path at Maloyaroslavets, preventing the French from entering grain-producing Ukraine. The parallel pursuit of the retreating enemy, then organized by Kutuzov, led to the virtual death of the French army, although army critics reproached the commander-in-chief for passivity and the desire to build Napoleon a “golden bridge” to exit Russia. In 1813, Kutuzov led the allied Russian-Prussian troops, but soon the previous strain of strength, a cold and “nervous fever complicated by paralytic phenomena” led to the death of the commander on April 16 (April 28, new style). His embalmed body was transported to St. Petersburg and buried in the Kazan Cathedral, and Kutuzov’s heart was buried near Bunzlau, where he died. This was done according to the will of the commander, who wanted his heart to remain with his soldiers. Contemporaries claim that on the day of Kutuzov’s funeral the weather was rainy, “as if nature itself was crying about the death of the glorious commander,” but at the moment when Kutuzov’s body was lowered into the grave, the rain suddenly stopped, the clouds broke for a moment, and a bright ray of sunlight illuminated the coffin of the deceased hero... The fate of the grave where Kutuzov’s heart lies is also interesting. It still exists, neither time nor the enmity of nations has destroyed it. For 200 years, the Germans regularly brought fresh flowers to the grave of the liberator; this continued even during the Great Patriotic War, despite the irreconcilable struggle between the USSR and Germany (evidence of this was left in his memoirs by the famous Soviet ace A, who visited the grave of Kutuzov’s heart in 1945 . I. Pokryshkin). 
Kutuzov accepts the army
Kutuzov at the Battle of Borodino
Council in Fili. Kutuzov decides to leave Moscow.
Marshals of the Great Patriotic War
Zhukov Georgy Konstantinovich
11/19 (12/1). 1896—06/18/1974Great commander
Marshal of the Soviet Union,
Minister of Defense of the USSR
Born in the village of Strelkovka near Kaluga in a peasant family. Furrier. In the army since 1915. Participated in the First World War, a junior non-commissioned officer in the cavalry. In the battles he was seriously shell-shocked and awarded 2 Crosses of St. George.
Since 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 carried out a successful encirclement operation and defeated a group of Japanese troops under General. 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 Mongolian People's Republic.
During the Great Patriotic War (1941 - 1945) he was a member of the Headquarters, Deputy Supreme Commander-in-Chief, and commanded the fronts (pseudonyms: Konstantinov, Yuryev, Zharov). He was the first to be awarded the title of Marshal of the Soviet Union during the war (01/18/1943). Under the command of G.K. Zhukov, troops of the Leningrad Front, together with the Baltic Fleet, stopped the advance of Army Group North of Field Marshal F.W. von Leeb on Leningrad in September 1941. Under his command, the troops of the Western Front defeated the troops of Army Group Center under Field Marshal F. von Bock 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 and the liberation of Right Bank Ukraine; Operation Bagration (in Belarus), where the Vaterland Line was broken and Army Group Center of Field Marshals E. von Busch and W. von Model was defeated. At the final stage of the war, the 1st Belorussian Front, led by Marshal Zhukov, took Warsaw (01/17/1945), defeated Army Group “A” of General von Harpe and Field Marshal F. Scherner with a dissecting blow in the Vistula-Oder operation and victoriously ended the war with a grandiose Berlin operation. Together with the soldiers, the marshal signed the scorched wall of the Reichstag, over the broken dome of which the Victory banner 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”, the degree of Commander-in-Chief (06/5/1945). Later in Berlin at the Brandenburg Gate, the British Field Marshal Montgomery placed on him the Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath, 1st Class, with star and 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 Kaiden says: “Zhukov was the commander of commanders in the conduct of war by 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 the 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 saber with the golden Coat of Arms 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 to Zhukov was erected 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. Son of a priest. He studied at the Kostroma Theological Seminary. In 1915, he completed courses at the Alexander Military School and, with the rank of ensign, was sent to the front of the First World War (1914-1918). Staff captain of the tsarist army. Having joined the Red Army during the Civil War of 1918-1920, he commanded a company, battalion, and regiment. In 1937 he graduated from the Military Academy of the General Staff. From 1940 he served in the General Staff, where he was caught up in the Great Patriotic War (1941-1945). In June 1942, he became the 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, A. M. Vasilevsky spent 22 directly at the front (pseudonyms: Mikhailov, Alexandrov, Vladimirov). He was wounded and shell-shocked. Over the course of a year and a half, 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, Little Saturn), near Kursk (Operation Commander Rumyantsev), during the liberation of Donbass (Operation Don "), in the Crimea and during the capture of Sevastopol, in the battles in 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 with the famous “star” assault on Koenigsberg.
On the fronts of the Great Patriotic War, Soviet commander A. M. Vasilevsky smashed Nazi field marshals and generals F. von Bock, G. Guderian, F. Paulus, E. Manstein, E. Kleist, Eneke, E. von Busch, W. von Model, F. Scherner, von Weichs, etc.
In June 1945, the marshal was appointed Commander-in-Chief of Soviet troops in the Far East (pseudonym Vasiliev). For the quick defeat of the Kwantung Army of the Japanese under 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 memoir “The Work of a Whole 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 personal weapon - saber with the golden Coat of Arms of the USSR (1968),
- 28 foreign awards (including 18 foreign orders).
Konev Ivan Stepanovich
16(28).12.1897—27.06.1973 Marshal of the Soviet Union
Born in the Vologda region in the village of Lodeyno in a peasant family. In 1916 he was drafted into the army. Upon completion of the training team, junior non-commissioned officer Art. division is sent to the Southwestern Front. Having joined the Red Army in 1918, he took part 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 took part in the storming of Kronstadt. Graduated from the Academy. Frunze (1934), commanded a regiment, division, corps, and the 2nd Separate Red Banner Far Eastern Army (1938-1940).
During the Great Patriotic War he commanded the army and fronts (pseudonyms: Stepin, Kyiv). Participated in the battles of Smolensk and Kalinin (1941), in the battle of Moscow (1941-1942). During the Battle of Kursk, together with the troops of General N.F. Vatutin, he defeated the enemy on the Belgorod-Kharkov bridgehead - a German bastion in Ukraine. On August 5, 1943, Konev’s troops took the city of Belgorod, in honor of which Moscow gave its first fireworks, and on August 24, Kharkov was taken. This was followed by the breakthrough of the “Eastern Wall” on the Dnieper.
In 1944, near Korsun-Shevchenkovsky, the Germans set up “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 the Army Group “Northern Ukraine” of Field Marshal E. von Manstein in the Lvov-Sandomierz operation. The name of Marshal Konev, nicknamed “the forward general,” 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 near 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 ended. The highest orders of the “White Lion” 1st class and the “Czechoslovak War Cross of 1939” were a reward 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 United 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). A bronze bust was installed in his homeland 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 personalized weapon - a saber with the Golden Coat of Arms 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 Elabuga. A student at the Petrograd Polytechnic Institute, L. Govorov, became a cadet at the Konstantinovsky Artillery School in 1916. He began his combat activities in 1918 as an officer in the White Army of Admiral Kolchak.
In 1919, he volunteered to join the Red Army, participated in battles on the Eastern and Southern fronts, commanded an artillery division, and was wounded twice - near Kakhovka and Perekop.
In 1933 he graduated from the Military Academy. Frunze, and then the General Staff Academy (1938). Participated in the war with Finland of 1939-1940.
In the Great Patriotic War (1941-1945), artillery general L.A. Govorov became the commander of the 5th Army, which defended the approaches to Moscow in the central direction. In the spring of 1942, on instructions from I.V. Stalin, he went to 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 counter-attack near Shlisselburg. A year later, they struck again, crushing the Germans' Northern Wall, completely lifting the blockade of Leningrad. The German troops of Field Marshal von Küchler suffered huge losses. In June 1944, 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 Marshal of the Soviet Union (06/18/1944). In the fall of 1944, Govorov’s troops liberated Estonia, breaking into the enemy “Panther” defenses.
While remaining commander of the Leningrad Front, the marshal was also the representative of Headquarters 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 front forces.
Moscow saluted the troops of commander L. A. Govorov 14 times. 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 (01/27/1945), 5 Orders of Lenin,
- Order of 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
9(21).12.1896—3.08.1968 Marshal of the Soviet Union,
Marshal of Poland
Born in Velikiye Luki in the family of a railway driver, a Pole, Xavier Jozef Rokossovsky, who soon moved to live in Warsaw. He began his service in 1914 in the Russian army. Participated in the First World War. He fought in a dragoon regiment, was a non-commissioned officer, was wounded twice in battle, was 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 Jalainor (conflict on the Chinese Eastern Railway). In 1937-1940 was imprisoned as a victim of slander.
During the Great Patriotic War (1941-1945) he commanded a mechanized corps, army, and fronts (Pseudonyms: Kostin, Dontsov, Rumyantsev). He distinguished himself in the Battle of Smolensk (1941). Hero of the Battle of Moscow (September 30, 1941—January 8, 1942). He was seriously wounded near Sukhinichi. During the Battle of Stalingrad (1942-1943), Rokossovsky’s Don Front, together with other fronts, was surrounded by 22 enemy divisions with a total number of 330 thousand people (Operation Uranus). At the beginning of 1943, the Don Front eliminated the encircled group of Germans (Operation “Ring”). Field Marshal F. Paulus was captured (3 days of mourning were 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 fireworks (08/05/1943). In the grandiose Belorussian operation (1944), Rokossovsky’s 1st Belorussian Front defeated Field Marshal von Busch’s Army Group Center and, together with the troops of General I. D. Chernyakhovsky, surrounded up to 30 drag divisions in the “Minsk Cauldron” (Operation Bagration). . On June 29, 1944, Rokossovsky was awarded the title of Marshal of the Soviet Union. The highest military orders “Virtuti Militari” and the “Grunwald” cross, 1st class, were awarded to the marshal for the liberation of Poland.
At the final stage of the war, Rokossovsky's 2nd Belorussian Front 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 of Marshal of Poland (1949). Returning to the Soviet Union, he became the chief inspector of the USSR Ministry of Defense.
Wrote a memoir, A 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 of Victory (30.03.1945),
- 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 - saber with the golden coat of arms of the USSR (1968),
- 13 foreign awards (including 9 foreign orders)
Malinovsky Rodion Yakovlevich
11(23).11.1898—31.03.1967 Marshal of the Soviet Union,
Minister of Defense of the USSR
Born in Odessa, he 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, 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 the French Croix de Guerre. Returning to his homeland, he voluntarily joined the Red Army (1919) and fought against the whites in Siberia. In 1930 he graduated from the Military Academy. M. V. Frunze. In 1937-1938, he volunteered to take part in battles 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, and a front (pseudonyms: Yakovlev, Rodionov, Morozov). He distinguished himself in the Battle of Stalingrad. Malinovsky’s army, in cooperation with other armies, stopped and then defeated Army Group Don of Field Marshal E. von Manstein, which was trying to relieve Paulus’s group encircled at Stalingrad. The troops of General Malinovsky liberated Rostov and Donbass (1943), participated in the cleansing of 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, encircling 22 German divisions and the 3rd Romanian Army in the Iasi-Kishinev operation (08.20-29.1944). 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, Marshal R. Ya. Malinovsky, liberated Romania, Hungary, Austria, and Czechoslovakia. On August 13, 1944, they entered Bucharest, took Budapest by storm (02/13/1945), and liberated Prague (05/9/1945). The marshal was awarded the Order of Victory.
From July 1945, Malinovsky commanded the Transbaikal Front (pseudonym Zakharov), which dealt the main blow to the Japanese Kwantung Army in Manchuria (08/1945). Front troops reached Port Arthur. The marshal received the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.
Moscow saluted the troops of commander Malinovsky 49 times.
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.
The Marshal is the author of the books “Soldiers of Russia”, “The 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 of People's Hero of Yugoslavia.
Tolbukhin Fedor Ivanovich
4(16).6.1894—17.10.1949 Marshal of the Soviet Union
Born in the village of Androniki near Yaroslavl in a peasant family. He worked as an accountant in Petrograd. In 1914 he was a private motorcyclist. Having become an officer, he took part in battles with the Austro-German troops and was awarded the Anna and Stanislav crosses.
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 the chief of staff of the front, commanded the army and the front. He distinguished himself in the Battle of Stalingrad, commanding the 57th Army. In the spring of 1943, Tolbukhin became commander of the Southern Front, and from October - the 4th Ukrainian Front, from May 1944 until the end of the war - the 3rd Ukrainian Front. General Tolbukhin's troops defeated the enemy at Miussa and Molochnaya and liberated Taganrog and Donbass. In the spring of 1944, they invaded Crimea and took Sevastopol by storm on May 9. In August 1944, together with the troops of R. Ya. Malinovsky, they defeated the army group “Southern Ukraine” of 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 marshal's health, undermined by the wars, began to fail, and in 1949 F.I. Tolbukhin died at the age of 56. Three days of mourning were declared in Bulgaria; the city of Dobrich was renamed 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 of Victory (04/26/1945),
- 3 Orders of the Red Banner,
- 2 Orders of Suvorov 1st degree,
- Order of Kutuzov 1st degree,
- Order of the Red Star,
- a total of 10 orders and 9 medals;
- as well as 10 foreign awards (including 5 foreign orders).
Meretskov Kirill Afanasyevich
26.05 (7.06).1897—30.12.1968 Marshal of the Soviet Union
Born in the village of Nazaryevo near Zaraysk, Moscow region, into a peasant family. Before 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. He took part in battles in the ranks of the 1st Cavalry against Pilsudski's Poles. 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 (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 troops in the northern directions (pseudonyms: Afanasyev, Kirillov); was a representative of the Headquarters on the North-Western Front. He commanded the army, the front. In 1941, Meretskov inflicted the first serious defeat of the war on the troops of Field Marshal Leeb near Tikhvin. On January 18, 1943, the troops of generals Govorov and Meretskov, delivering a counter strike near Shlisselburg (Operation Iskra), broke 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 took part in the defeat of the Kwantung Army, breaking into Manchuria from Primorye and liberating areas of China and Korea.
Moscow saluted the troops of 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 of Victory (8.09.1945),
- order of the October Revolution,
- 4 Orders of the Red Banner,
- 2 Orders of Suvorov 1st degree,
- Order of Kutuzov 1st degree,
- 10 medals;
- an honorary weapon - a saber with the Golden Coat of Arms of the USSR, as well as 4 highest foreign orders and 3 medals.
In modern world
supreme commander
, as a rule, the head of state. Therefore, he is simultaneously charged with the responsibility for developing and approving the country’s military doctrine. He also appoints the high command of the regular troops. Of course, this state institution is derived from medieval governors who served under appanage princes. However, monarchical Russia throughout its long history did without the post of supreme commander-in-chief.As a result of such abstinence
position of Supreme Commander-in-Chief
was first introduced in the Russian Empire only at the beginning - on July 20, 1914, by decree of the Senate, it was occupied by cavalry general Grand Duke Nikolai Nikolaevich. In Russia of the 21st century, this position is according toLieutenant General Nikolai Nikolaevich Dukhonin (1876-1917) was the last person to serve as Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Army. He was killed at his post on November 20 (new style - December 3), 1917.
On November 1 (14), by order of Kerensky, who at that time combined the positions of head of the Government and Supreme Commander-in-Chief, Dukhonin was appointed acting Supreme Commander-in-Chief in the ongoing war against Germany and its allies. On the same day, Dukhonin, notifying the Russian armed forces of this order, called on the army to hold the front so as not to allow the enemy, taking advantage of the civil war in Russia, to go even further into its borders.
On November 8 (21), the Council of People's Commissars (SNK) from Petrograd demanded that Dukhonin begin negotiations with the enemy on a truce. The next day, Chairman of the Council of People's Commissars Lenin and People's Commissars Stalin and Krylenko telephoned Headquarters and repeated their ultimatum to Dukhonin. Dukhonin refused, citing the fact that such negotiations are the business of the government, not the military command. He was immediately informed by phone that he had been removed from the post of Commander-in-Chief and declared an “enemy of the people,” but he had to wait for N.E. to come out to arrest him. Krylenko.
Meanwhile, Lenin broadcast a radiogram calling on Russian troops to enter into direct negotiations on a truce with the enemy on the ground. On November 10 (23), representatives of the armies of the Western Allies at Russian Headquarters protested to Dukhonin against these negotiations. Dukhonin immediately sent the texts of these protests to the commanders of the fronts and armies as documents to be followed.
Naturally, Dukhonin and the front command did not intend to implement the Soviet “Decree on Peace.” They did not simply consider the Bolshevik government incompetent to conduct peace negotiations on behalf of Russia. They regarded a call for a truce at such a moment as high treason. In this, representatives of a huge number of social classes in Russia agreed with them. The problem is that their efforts were paralyzed.
The Supreme Command headquarters was located in Mogilev. Nearby, in Bykhov, participants in the so-called “rebellion of General Kornilov” were kept in custody, arrested in early autumn for participating in a military putsch, which aimed to save Russia from the development of the revolution along the path of Bolshevism. The regime of their detention was quite mild.
Dukhonin thought about evacuating the entire Headquarters. And even earlier, he made efforts to ensure that Headquarters turned into the center of organizing resistance to the Bolsheviks who seized power in Petrograd and Moscow. For some time, the leaders of the Socialist Revolutionary Party gathered in Mogilev and tried to recreate the Provisional Government. But they became convinced that they had no support both among the soldiers (most of them supported Lenin’s cause) and the officers (who considered the Socialist Revolutionaries, like the entire fallen Provisional Government, to be too left-wing).
On November 17 (30), having learned about the removal and arrest of the commander of the Northern Front, General V.A., by the Bolsheviks. Cheremisov and about the movement of trains with Kronstadt sailors to Mogilev, Dukhonin entered into negotiations with the Central Rada in Kyiv with a proposal to transfer Headquarters to Kyiv. The Rada, hoping for an agreement with the Bolsheviks, delayed its response. Meanwhile, on November 18-19, Dukhonin released Kornilov and his associates - the future organizers and leaders of the White Volunteer Army. This act increased the hatred of revolutionary-minded soldiers towards Dukhonin. Moreover, on the same days, he ordered parts of the Mogilev garrison opposed to the Bolsheviks to leave. He did this as an ultimatum - he saved them from inevitable reprisals. Thus, Dukhonin was left without any protection before the arrival of revolutionary soldiers and sailors in the city.
Why didn’t he go with the Kornilovites to the Don? As Supreme Commander, he could not leave his post - this would be a violation of the oath. In addition, some of the “counter-revolutionaries” at that time still had the illusion that if they surrendered, they would be allowed to speak in a public trial, where they would be able to expose the criminal intentions of the revolutionaries.
All source evidence restores the same picture of the murder. The “supreme commander-in-chief” appointed by the Bolsheviks, N.V. Krylenko, arriving in Mogilev, where the Supreme Command Headquarters was located, arrested Dukhonin. Upon learning of the arrival of the Soviet commissar, a huge crowd of soldiers from the local garrison gathered to greet him. She surrounded the carriage in which Krylenko was going to send Dukhonin to the “trial of the revolutionary tribunal” in Petrograd, and did not allow him to go. Whether Krylenko was sincere in his intention or it was a staged act is unknown. In vain Krylenko appealed to the soldiers to allow them to bring the general to a public trial. The crowd committed lynching. General Dukhonin, apparently already understanding what awaited him, went out onto the platform of the carriage and tried to address the soldiers with his last speech. He barely opened his mouth when someone stuck a bayonet into him. The brutal crowd rushed to torment the already lifeless body of the general, rob his clothes and belongings, and then put his mangled corpse on public display for the residents of Mogilev.