The names of some are still honored, the names of others are consigned to oblivion. But they are all united by their leadership talent.

USSR

Zhukov Georgy Konstantinovich (1896–1974)

Marshal of the Soviet Union.

Zhukov had the opportunity to take part in serious hostilities shortly before the start of World War II. In the summer of 1939, Soviet-Mongolian troops under his command defeated the Japanese group on the Khalkhin Gol River.

By the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, Zhukov headed the General Staff, but was soon sent to the active army. In 1941, he was assigned to the most critical sectors of the front. Restoring order in the retreating army with the most stringent measures, he managed to prevent the Germans from capturing Leningrad, and to stop the Nazis in the Mozhaisk direction on the outskirts of Moscow. And already at the end of 1941 - beginning of 1942, Zhukov led a counter-offensive near Moscow, pushing the Germans back from the capital.

In 1942-43, Zhukov did not command individual fronts, but coordinated their actions as a representative of the Supreme High Command at Stalingrad, on the Kursk Bulge, and during the breaking of the siege of Leningrad.

At the beginning of 1944, Zhukov took command of the 1st Ukrainian Front instead of the seriously wounded General Vatutin and led the Proskurov-Chernovtsy offensive operation he planned. As a result, Soviet troops liberated most of Right Bank Ukraine and reached the state border.

At the end of 1944, Zhukov led the 1st Belorussian Front and led an attack on Berlin. In May 1945, Zhukov accepted the unconditional surrender of Nazi Germany, and then two Victory Parades, in Moscow and Berlin.

After the war, Zhukov found himself in a supporting role, commanding various military districts. After Khrushchev came to power, he became deputy minister and then headed the Ministry of Defense. But in 1957 he finally fell into disgrace and was removed from all posts.

Rokossovsky Konstantin Konstantinovich (1896–1968)

Marshal of the Soviet Union.

Shortly before the start of the war, in 1937, Rokossovsky was repressed, but in 1940, at the request of Marshal Timoshenko, he was released and reinstated in his former position as corps commander. In the first days of the Great Patriotic War, units under the command of Rokossovsky were one of the few that were able to provide worthy resistance to the advancing German troops. In the battle of Moscow, Rokossovsky’s army defended one of the most difficult directions, Volokolamsk.

Returning to duty after being seriously wounded in 1942, Rokossovsky took command of the Don Front, which completed the defeat of the Germans at Stalingrad.

On the eve of the Battle of Kursk, Rokossovsky, contrary to the position of most military leaders, managed to convince Stalin that it was better not to launch an offensive ourselves, but to provoke the enemy into active action. Having precisely determined the direction of the main attack of the Germans, Rokossovsky, just before their offensive, undertook a massive artillery barrage that bled the enemy’s strike forces dry.

His most famous achievement as a commander, included in the annals of military art, was the operation to liberate Belarus, codenamed “Bagration,” which virtually destroyed the German Army Group Center.

Shortly before the decisive offensive on Berlin, command of the 1st Belorussian Front, to Rokossovsky's disappointment, was transferred to Zhukov. He was also entrusted with commanding the troops of the 2nd Belorussian Front in East Prussia.

Rokossovsky had outstanding personal qualities and, of all Soviet military leaders, was the most popular in the army. After the war, Rokossovsky, a Pole by birth, headed the Polish Ministry of Defense for a long time, and then served as Deputy Minister of Defense of the USSR and Chief Military Inspector. The day before his death, he finished writing his memoirs, entitled A Soldier's Duty.

Konev Ivan Stepanovich (1897–1973)

Marshal of the Soviet Union.

In the fall of 1941, Konev was appointed commander of the Western Front. In this position he suffered one of the biggest failures of the beginning of the war. Konev failed to obtain permission to withdraw troops in time, and, as a result, about 600,000 Soviet soldiers and officers were surrounded near Bryansk and Yelnya. Zhukov saved the commander from the tribunal.

In 1943, troops of the Steppe (later 2nd Ukrainian) Front under the command of Konev liberated Belgorod, Kharkov, Poltava, Kremenchug and crossed the Dnieper. But most of all, Konev was glorified by the Korsun-Shevchen operation, as a result of which a large group of German troops was surrounded.

In 1944, already as commander of the 1st Ukrainian Front, Konev led the Lviv-Sandomierz operation in western Ukraine and southeastern Poland, which opened the way for a further offensive against Germany. The troops under the command of Konev distinguished themselves in the Vistula-Oder operation and in the battle for Berlin. During the latter, rivalry between Konev and Zhukov emerged - each wanted to occupy the German capital first. Tensions between the marshals remained until the end of their lives. In May 1945, Konev led the liquidation of the last major center of fascist resistance in Prague.

After the war, Konev was the commander-in-chief of the ground forces and the first commander of the combined forces of the Warsaw Pact countries, and commanded troops in Hungary during the events of 1956.

Vasilevsky Alexander Mikhailovich (1895–1977)

Marshal of the Soviet Union, Chief of the General Staff.

As Chief of the General Staff, which he held since 1942, Vasilevsky coordinated the actions of the Red Army fronts and participated in the development of all major operations of the Great Patriotic War. In particular, he played a key role in planning the operation to encircle German troops at Stalingrad.

At the end of the war, after the death of General Chernyakhovsky, Vasilevsky asked to be relieved of his post as Chief of the General Staff, took the place of the deceased and led the assault on Koenigsberg. In the summer of 1945, Vasilevsky was transferred to the Far East and commanded the defeat of the Kwatuna Army of Japan.

After the war, Vasilevsky headed the General Staff and then was the Minister of Defense of the USSR, but after Stalin’s death he went into the shadows and held lower positions.

Tolbukhin Fedor Ivanovich (1894–1949)

Marshal of the Soviet Union.

Before the start of the Great Patriotic War, Tolbukhin served as chief of staff of the Transcaucasian District, and with its beginning - of the Transcaucasian Front. Under his leadership, a surprise operation was developed to introduce Soviet troops into the northern part of Iran. Tolbukhin also developed the Kerch landing operation, the result of which was to be the liberation of Crimea. However, after its successful start, our troops were unable to build on their success, suffered heavy losses, and Tolbukhin was removed from office.

Having distinguished himself as commander of the 57th Army in the Battle of Stalingrad, Tolbukhin was appointed commander of the Southern (later 4th Ukrainian) Front. Under his command, a significant part of Ukraine and the Crimean Peninsula were liberated. In 1944-45, when Tolbukhin already commanded the 3rd Ukrainian Front, he led troops during the liberation of Moldova, Romania, Yugoslavia, Hungary, and ended the war in Austria. The Iasi-Kishinev operation, planned by Tolbukhin and leading to the encirclement of a two-hundred-thousand-strong group of German-Romanian troops, entered the annals of military art (sometimes it is called “Iasi-Kishinev Cannes”).

After the war, Tolbukhin commanded the Southern Group of Forces in Romania and Bulgaria, and then the Transcaucasian Military District.

Vatutin Nikolai Fedorovich (1901–1944)

Soviet army general.

In pre-war times, Vatutin served as Deputy Chief of the General Staff, and with the beginning of the Great Patriotic War he was sent to the North-Western Front. In the Novgorod area, under his leadership, several counterattacks were carried out, slowing down the advance of Manstein's tank corps.

In 1942, Vatutin, who then headed the Southwestern Front, commanded Operation Little Saturn, the purpose of which was to prevent German-Italian-Romanian troops from helping Paulus’ army encircled at Stalingrad.

In 1943, Vatutin headed the Voronezh (later 1st Ukrainian) Front. He played a very important role in the Battle of Kursk and the liberation of Kharkov and Belgorod. But Vatutin’s most famous military operation was the crossing of the Dnieper and the liberation of Kyiv and Zhitomir, and then Rivne. Together with Konev’s 2nd Ukrainian Front, Vatutin’s 1st Ukrainian Front also carried out the Korsun-Shevchenko operation.

At the end of February 1944, Vatutin’s car came under fire from Ukrainian nationalists, and a month and a half later the commander died from his wounds.

Great Britain

Montgomery Bernard Law (1887–1976)

British Field Marshal.

Before the outbreak of World War II, Montgomery was considered one of the bravest and most talented British military leaders, but his career advancement was hampered by his harsh, difficult character. Montgomery, himself distinguished by physical endurance, paid great attention to the daily hard training of the troops entrusted to him.

At the beginning of World War II, when the Germans defeated France, Montgomery's units covered the evacuation of Allied forces. In 1942, Montgomery became the commander of British troops in North Africa, and achieved a turning point in this part of the war, defeating the German-Italian group of troops in Egypt at the Battle of El Alamein. Its significance was summed up by Winston Churchill: “Before the Battle of Alamein we knew no victories. After it we didn’t know defeat.” For this battle, Montgomery received the title Viscount of Alamein. True, Montgomery’s opponent, German Field Marshal Rommel, said that, having such resources as the British military leader, he would have conquered the entire Middle East in a month.

After this, Montgomery was transferred to Europe, where he had to operate in close contact with the Americans. This was where his quarrelsome character took its toll: he came into conflict with the American commander Eisenhower, which had a bad effect on the interaction of troops and led to a number of relative military failures. Towards the end of the war, Montgomery successfully resisted the German counter-offensive in the Ardennes, and then carried out several military operations in Northern Europe.

After the war, Montgomery served as Chief of the British General Staff and subsequently as Deputy Supreme Allied Commander Europe.

Alexander Harold Rupert Leofric George (1891–1969)

British Field Marshal.

At the beginning of the Second World War, Alexander led the evacuation of British troops after the Germans captured France. Most of the personnel were taken out, but almost all the military equipment went to the enemy.

At the end of 1940, Alexander was assigned to Southeast Asia. He failed to defend Burma, but he managed to block the Japanese from entering India.

In 1943, Alexander was appointed Commander-in-Chief of Allied ground forces in North Africa. Under his leadership, a large German-Italian group in Tunisia was defeated, and this, by and large, ended the campaign in North Africa and opened the way to Italy. Alexander commanded the landing of allied troops on Sicily, and then on the mainland. At the end of the war, he served as Supreme Commander of the Allied Forces in the Mediterranean.

After the war, Alexander received the title of Count of Tunis, for some time he was Governor General of Canada, and then British Minister of Defense.

USA

Eisenhower Dwight David (1890–1969)

US Army General.

His childhood was spent in a family whose members were pacifists for religious reasons, but Eisenhower chose a military career.

Eisenhower met the beginning of World War II with the rather modest rank of colonel. But his abilities were noticed by the Chief of the American General Staff, George Marshall, and soon Eisenhower became head of the Operational Planning Department.

In 1942, Eisenhower led Operation Torch, the Allied landings in North Africa. In early 1943, he was defeated by Rommel in the Battle of Kasserine Pass, but subsequently superior Anglo-American forces brought a turning point in the North African campaign.

In 1944, Eisenhower oversaw the Allied landings in Normandy and the subsequent offensive against Germany. At the end of the war, Eisenhower became the creator of the notorious camps for “disarming enemy forces”, which were not subject to the Geneva Convention on the Rights of Prisoners of War, which effectively became death camps for the German soldiers who ended up there.

After the war, Eisenhower was commander of NATO forces and then twice elected president of the United States.

MacArthur Douglas (1880–1964)

US Army General.

In his youth, MacArthur was not accepted into the West Point military academy for health reasons, but he achieved his goal and, upon graduating from the academy, was recognized as its best graduate in history. He received the rank of general back in the First World War.

In 1941-42, MacArthur led the defense of the Philippines against Japanese forces. The enemy managed to take American units by surprise and gain a great advantage at the very beginning of the campaign. After the loss of the Philippines, he uttered the now famous phrase: “I did what I could, but I will come back.”

After being appointed commander of forces in the southwest Pacific, MacArthur resisted Japanese plans to invade Australia and then led successful offensive operations in New Guinea and the Philippines.

On September 2, 1945, MacArthur, already in command of all U.S. forces in the Pacific, accepted the Japanese surrender aboard the battleship Missouri, ending World War II.

After World War II, MacArthur commanded occupation forces in Japan and later led American forces in the Korean War. The American landing at Inchon, which he developed, became a classic of military art. He called for the nuclear bombing of China and the invasion of that country, after which he was dismissed.

Nimitz Chester William (1885–1966)

US Navy Admiral.

Before World War II, Nimitz was involved in the design and combat training of the American submarine fleet and headed the Bureau of Navigation. At the beginning of the war, after the disaster at Pearl Harbor, Nimitz was appointed commander of the US Pacific Fleet. His task was to confront the Japanese in close contact with General MacArthur.

In 1942, the American fleet under the command of Nimitz managed to inflict the first serious defeat on the Japanese at Midway Atoll. And then, in 1943, to win the fight for the strategically important island of Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands archipelago. In 1944-45, the fleet led by Nimitz played a decisive role in the liberation of other Pacific archipelagos, and at the end of the war carried out a landing in Japan. During the fighting, Nimitz used a tactic of sudden rapid movement from island to island, called the “frog jump”.

Nimitz's homecoming was celebrated as a national holiday and was called "Nimitz Day." After the war, he oversaw the demobilization of troops and then oversaw the creation of a nuclear submarine fleet. At the Nuremberg trials, he defended his German colleague, Admiral Dennitz, saying that he himself used the same methods of submarine warfare, thanks to which Dennitz avoided a death sentence.

Germany

Von Bock Theodor (1880–1945)

German Field Marshal.

Even before the outbreak of World War II, von Bock led the troops that carried out the Anschluss of Austria and invaded the Sudetenland of Czechoslovakia. At the outbreak of war, he commanded Army Group North during the war with Poland. In 1940, von Bock led the conquest of Belgium and the Netherlands and the defeat of French troops at Dunkirk. It was he who hosted the parade of German troops in occupied Paris.

Von Bock objected to an attack on the USSR, but when the decision was made, he led Army Group Center, which carried out an attack on the main direction. After the failure of the attack on Moscow, he was considered one of the main people responsible for this failure of the German army. In 1942, he led Army Group South and for a long time successfully held back the advance of Soviet troops on Kharkov.

Von Bock had an extremely independent character, repeatedly clashed with Hitler and pointedly stayed away from politics. After in the summer of 1942, von Bock opposed the Fuhrer’s decision to divide Army Group South into two directions, the Caucasus and Stalingrad, during the planned offensive, he was removed from command and sent to reserve. A few days before the end of the war, von Bock was killed during an air raid.

Von Rundstedt Karl Rudolf Gerd (1875–1953)

German Field Marshal.

By the beginning of the Second World War, von Rundstedt, who held important command positions back in the First World War, had already retired. But in 1939, Hitler returned him to the army. Von Rundstedt became the main planner of the attack on Poland, code-named Weiss, and commanded Army Group South during its implementation. He then led Army Group A, which played a key role in the capture of France, and also developed the unrealized Sea Lion attack plan on England.

Von Rundstedt objected to the Barbarossa plan, but after the decision was made to attack the USSR, he led Army Group South, which captured Kyiv and other major cities in the south of the country. After von Rundstedt, in order to avoid encirclement, violated the Fuhrer's order and withdrew troops from Rostov-on-Don, he was dismissed.

However, the following year he was again drafted into the army to become commander-in-chief of the German armed forces in the West. His main task was to counter a possible Allied landing. Having familiarized himself with the situation, von Rundstedt warned Hitler that a long-term defense with the existing forces would be impossible. At the decisive moment of the Normandy landings, June 6, 1944, Hitler canceled von Rundstedt's order to transfer troops, thereby wasting time and giving the enemy the opportunity to develop an offensive. Already at the end of the war, von Rundstedt successfully resisted the Allied landings in Holland.

After the war, von Rundstedt, thanks to the intercession of the British, managed to avoid the Nuremberg Tribunal, and participated in it only as a witness.

Von Manstein Erich (1887–1973)

German Field Marshal.

Manstein was considered one of the strongest strategists of the Wehrmacht. In 1939, as Chief of Staff of Army Group A, he played a key role in developing the successful plan for the invasion of France.

In 1941, Manstein was part of Army Group North, which captured the Baltic states, and was preparing to attack Leningrad, but was soon transferred to the south. In 1941-42, the 11th Army under his command captured the Crimean Peninsula, and for the capture of Sevastopol, Manstein received the rank of Field Marshal.

Manstein then commanded Army Group Don and tried unsuccessfully to rescue Paulus's army from the Stalingrad pocket. Since 1943, he led Army Group South and inflicted a sensitive defeat on Soviet troops near Kharkov, and then tried to prevent the crossing of the Dnieper. When retreating, Manstein's troops used scorched earth tactics.

Having been defeated in the Battle of Korsun-Shevchen, Manstein retreated, violating Hitler's orders. Thus, he saved part of the army from encirclement, but after that he was forced to resign.

After the war, he was sentenced to 18 years by a British tribunal for war crimes, but was released in 1953, worked as a military adviser to the German government and wrote a memoir, “Lost Victories.”

Guderian Heinz Wilhelm (1888–1954)

German Colonel General, commander of armored forces.

Guderian is one of the main theorists and practitioners of “blitzkrieg” - lightning war. He assigned a key role in it to tank units, which were supposed to break through behind enemy lines and disable command posts and communications. Such tactics were considered effective, but risky, creating the danger of being cut off from the main forces.

In 1939-40, in the military campaigns against Poland and France, the blitzkrieg tactics fully justified themselves. Guderian was at the height of his glory: he received the rank of Colonel General and high awards. However, in 1941, in the war against the Soviet Union, this tactic failed. The reason for this was both the vast Russian spaces and the cold climate, in which equipment often refused to work, and the readiness of the Red Army units to resist this method of warfare. Guderian's tank troops suffered heavy losses near Moscow and were forced to retreat. After this, he was sent to the reserve, and subsequently served as inspector general of tank forces.

After the war, Guderian, who was not charged with war crimes, was quickly released and lived out his life writing his memoirs.

Rommel Erwin Johann Eugen (1891–1944)

German field marshal general, nicknamed "Desert Fox". He was distinguished by great independence and a penchant for risky attacking actions, even without the sanction of the command.

At the beginning of World War II, Rommel took part in the Polish and French campaigns, but his main successes were associated with military operations in North Africa. Rommel headed the Afrika Korps, which was initially assigned to help Italian troops who were defeated by the British. Instead of strengthening the defenses, as the order prescribed, Rommel went on the offensive with small forces and won important victories. He acted in a similar manner in the future. Like Manstein, Rommel assigned the main role to rapid breakthroughs and maneuvering of tank forces. And only towards the end of 1942, when the British and Americans in North Africa had a great advantage in manpower and equipment, Rommel’s troops began to suffer defeats. Subsequently, he fought in Italy and tried, together with von Rundstedt, with whom he had serious disagreements affecting the combat effectiveness of the troops, to stop the Allied landing in Normandy.

In the pre-war period, Yamamoto paid great attention to the construction of aircraft carriers and the creation of naval aviation, thanks to which the Japanese fleet became one of the strongest in the world. For a long time, Yamamoto lived in the USA and had the opportunity to thoroughly study the army of the future enemy. On the eve of the start of the war, he warned the country's leadership: “In the first six to twelve months of the war, I will demonstrate an unbroken chain of victories. But if the confrontation lasts two or three years, I have no confidence in the final victory.”

Yamamoto planned and personally led the Pearl Harbor operation. On December 7, 1941, Japanese planes taking off from aircraft carriers destroyed the American naval base at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii and caused enormous damage to the US fleet and air force. After this, Yamamoto won a number of victories in the central and southern parts of the Pacific Ocean. But on June 4, 1942, he suffered a serious defeat from the Allies at Midway Atoll. This happened largely due to the fact that the Americans managed to decipher the codes of the Japanese Navy and obtain all the information about the upcoming operation. After this, the war, as Yamamoto feared, became protracted.

Unlike many other Japanese generals, Yamashita did not commit suicide after the surrender of Japan, but surrendered. In 1946 he was executed on charges of war crimes. His case became a legal precedent, called the “Yamashita Rule”: according to it, the commander is responsible for not stopping the war crimes of his subordinates.

Other countries

Von Mannerheim Carl Gustav Emil (1867–1951)

Finnish marshal.

Before the revolution of 1917, when Finland was part of the Russian Empire, Mannerheim was an officer in the Russian army and rose to the rank of lieutenant general. On the eve of the Second World War, he, as chairman of the Finnish Defense Council, was engaged in strengthening the Finnish army. According to his plan, in particular, powerful defensive fortifications were erected on the Karelian Isthmus, which went down in history as the “Mannerheim Line”.

When the Soviet-Finnish war began at the end of 1939, 72-year-old Mannerheim led the country's army. Under his command, Finnish troops for a long time held back the advance of Soviet units significantly superior in number. As a result, Finland retained its independence, although the peace conditions were very difficult for it.

During the Second World War, when Finland was an ally of Hitler's Germany, Mannerheim showed the art of political maneuver, avoiding active hostilities with all his might. And in 1944, Finland broke the pact with Germany, and at the end of the war it was already fighting against the Germans, coordinating actions with the Red Army.

At the end of the war, Mannerheim was elected president of Finland, but already in 1946 he left this post for health reasons.

Tito Josip Broz (1892–1980)

Marshal of Yugoslavia.

Before the outbreak of World War II, Tito was a figure in the Yugoslav communist movement. After the German attack on Yugoslavia, he began organizing partisan detachments. At first, the Titoites acted together with the remnants of the tsarist army and the monarchists, who were called “Chetniks.” However, differences with the latter eventually became so strong that it came to military clashes.

Tito managed to organize scattered partisan detachments into a powerful partisan army of a quarter of a million fighters under the leadership of the General Headquarters of the People's Liberation Partisan Detachments of Yugoslavia. She used not only traditional partisan methods of war, but also entered into open battles with fascist divisions. At the end of 1943, Tito was officially recognized by the Allies as the leader of Yugoslavia. During the liberation of the country, Tito's army acted together with Soviet troops.

Shortly after the war, Tito led Yugoslavia and remained in power until his death. Despite his socialist orientation, he pursued a fairly independent policy.

Marshal of the Soviet Union, four times Hero of the Soviet Union, awarded two Orders of Victory. A participant in the civil war, he participated in the defeat of the kulak-SR rebellion in the Tambov province as commander of a cavalry squadron. Participant in battles in the Mongolian People's Republic on the river. Khalkhin Gol in 1939 as commander of a Soviet army group of forces that defeated Japanese troops invading the territory of the Mongolian People's Republic. He was the commander of the Kyiv Special Military District. He began the Great Patriotic War with the rank of army general as chief of the General Staff. He was a member of the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command.

From August 1941, he commanded the troops of the Reserve, Leningrad, and Western Fronts. In 1942, he was appointed Deputy Supreme Commander-in-Chief and 1st Deputy People's Commissar of Defense. In 1944-1945 he commanded the 1st Ukrainian and 1st Belorussian fronts. On behalf of the Supreme Commander, he signed the Act of Unconditional Surrender of Germany. Hosted the Victory Parade in Moscow on June 24, 1945. He made a huge contribution to the organization and conduct of a number of outstanding battles and operations of the Great Patriotic War.

After the war, Marshal of the Soviet Union G.K. Zhukov was the commander-in-chief of the Group of Soviet Forces in Germany. Since March 1946 - Commander-in-Chief of the Ground Forces and Deputy Minister of the Armed Forces of the USSR. From August 1946 until March 1953, he commanded the troops of the Odessa and Ural military districts. From March 1953 - 1st Deputy Minister of Defense of the USSR, and from February 1955 - Minister of Defense of the USSR until October 1957.

Awards: Hero of the Mongolian People's Republic, 6 Orders of Lenin, Order of the October Revolution, 3 Orders of the Red Banner, 2 Orders of Suvorov 1st degree, Order of the Tuvan Republic, many medals of the Soviet Union, orders of foreign countries. Awarded the Arms of Honor. A monument to the great commander was erected in the city of Moscow.

Vasilevsky Alexander Mikhailovich (1895 - 1977)

Marshal of the Soviet Union, twice Hero of the Soviet Union, awarded two Orders of Victory. Participant in the Civil War as an assistant regiment commander. He graduated from the Military Academy of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the USSR in 1937. Since May 1940 - Deputy Chief of the Main Operations Directorate of the General Staff of the Red Army.

In June 1941 - major general. Since August 1941 - Deputy Chief of the General Staff and Head of the Operations Directorate of the General Staff. Since June 1942 - Chief of the General Staff of the Soviet Armed Forces. At the same time, from October 1942 - Deputy People's Commissar of Defense.
He was directly involved in the planning and conduct of a number of outstanding battles and operations of the Great Patriotic War (Battle of Stalingrad, Battle of Kursk, operations to liberate Donbass, Crimea, Belarus). Since February 1945 - commander of the 3rd Belorussian Front and member of the Supreme Command Headquarters. Since June 1945, he was appointed commander-in-chief of Soviet troops in the Far East. Under his leadership, the Manchurian strategic offensive operation to defeat the Kwantung Army was planned and successfully carried out (August 9 - September 2, 1945).

After the war - Chief of the General Staff and First Deputy Minister of the Armed Forces of the USSR. In 1949-1953 - Minister of the Armed Forces of the USSR. Since March 1953 - 1st Deputy Minister of Defense of the USSR. Since 1959 - in the Group of Inspectors General of the USSR Ministry of Defense. He was a deputy of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR (Council of Nationalities) from 1946 to 1958 in the Voronezh electoral district, which included the city of Tambov and the region. Came to Tambov to meet with voters.

Awards: 8 Orders of Lenin, Order of the October Revolution, 2 Orders of the Red Banner, Order of Suvorov 1st degree, Order of the Red Star, Order "For Service to the Motherland in the Armed Forces", many medals of the Soviet Union, orders of foreign countries. Awarded the Arms of Honor.

Konev Ivan Stepanovich (1897 - 1973)

Marshal of the Soviet Union, twice Hero of the Soviet Union, Hero of the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic and the Mongolian People's Republic, awarded the Order of Victory. A participant in the Civil War, he was a commissar of a brigade, division, and headquarters of the People's Revolutionary Army of the Far Eastern Republic. Graduated from the Military Academy. M.V. Frunze. Commanded a number of military districts.

He began the Great Patriotic War with the rank of lieutenant general as commander of the 19th Army. Commanded the troops of the Western, Kalinin, North-Western, Steppe, 2nd and 1st Ukrainian Fronts. Troops under the command of Konev successfully operated in the Battle of Smolensk, the Battle of Moscow and Kursk, in the crossing of the Dnieper, and distinguished themselves in the Kirovograd, Korsun-Shevchenko, Uman-Batashan, Lvov-Sandomierz, Vistula-Oder, Berlin and Prague operations. Participant in the Victory Parade in Moscow on June 24, 1945.

After the war - Commander-in-Chief of the Central Group of Forces, from 1946 to 1950 - Commander-in-Chief of the Ground Forces and Deputy Minister of the USSR Armed Forces. From 1950 to 1951 - chief inspector of the Soviet Army and deputy minister of defense. From 1951 to 1955 - commander of the troops of the Carpathian Military District. From 1955 to 1956 - 1st Deputy Minister of Defense and Commander-in-Chief of the Ground Forces. From 1956 to 1960 - Deputy Minister of Defense and at the same time from 1955 - Commander-in-Chief of the United Armed Forces of the Warsaw Pact states, from 1961 to 1962 - Commander-in-Chief of the Group of Soviet Forces in Germany. Since April 1962 - in the Group of Inspectors General of the USSR Ministry of Defense.

Awards: 7 Orders of Lenin, Order of the October Revolution, 3 Orders of the Red Banner, 2 Orders of Suvorov 1st degree, Order of the Red Star, many medals of the Soviet Union, orders of foreign states.

Rokossovsky Konstantin Konstantinovich (1896 - 1968)

Marshal of the Soviet Union, twice Hero of the Soviet Union. Awarded the Order of Victory, commanded the Victory Parade in Moscow on June 24, 1945. Participant in the Civil War. He commanded a squadron, division and regiment. For courage and courage shown in battles, he was awarded two Orders of the Red Banner. After the war, he was the commander of the 5th Cavalry Brigade, which took part in battles with the White Chinese on the Chinese Eastern Railway in 1929. For these battles he was awarded the third Order of the Red Banner. Since 1930 he commanded cavalry divisions and corps.

K.K. Rokossovsky met the Great Patriotic War with the rank of major general as commander of the 9th mechanized corps on the Southwestern Front. From mid-July 1941 he commanded the 16th Army of the Western Front, from July 1942 - the troops of the Bryansk Front, and from September 1942 - the troops of the Don Front. From February 1943 he commanded the troops of the Central Front, and from October - the Belorussian Front. From February 1944 - by the troops of the 1st, and from November - by the 2nd Belorussian Fronts.

Troops under the command of K.K. Rokossovsky distinguished himself in the Battle of Smolensk, in the Battle of Moscow, in the Battles of Stalingrad and Kursk, in the Belarusian, East Prussian, East Pomeranian and Berlin operations. In all these battles, K.K. Rokossovsky showed a bright, original talent as a commander. His operation during the liberation of Belarus (code name “Bagration”) was especially original.

After the Great Patriotic War, Marshal of the Soviet Union K.K. Rokossovsky commanded the Northern Group of Soviet Forces. In October 1949, at the request of the Polish People's Government, he was appointed Minister of National Defense of the People's Republic of Poland. He was awarded the title of Marshal of Poland. In 1956, after returning to the USSR, he was appointed Deputy Minister of Defense of the USSR. Since 1957 - Chief Inspector, Deputy Minister of Defense. Since October 1957, Rokossovsky has been the commander of the troops of the Transcaucasian Military District. From 1958 to 1962 - Deputy Minister and Chief Inspector of the USSR Ministry of Defense. Since April 1962 - Inspector General of the USSR Ministry of Defense.

Awards: 7 Orders of Lenin, Order of the October Revolution, 6 Orders of the Red Banner, Orders of Suvorov and Kutuzov 1st degree, many medals of the Soviet Union, orders of foreign states. Awarded the Arms of Honor.

Meretskov Kirill Afanasvich (1897 - 1968)

Marshal of the Soviet Union, Hero of the Soviet Union, awarded the Order of Victory. Civil War participant, assistant division chief of staff. Graduated from the Academy of the Red Army in 1921. In May 1937 - Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the Red Army. Since September 1938 - Commander of the Volga Military District. Since 1939 - Commander of the Leningrad Military District. He was a Soviet internationalist volunteer in Spain. Participant in the fighting on the Karelian Isthmus during the military conflict with the White Finns. Since August 1940 - Chief of the General Staff. From January to September 1941 - Deputy People's Commissar of Defense of the USSR.

At the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, with the rank of army general, he was a representative of the Headquarters of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief on the North-Western and Karelian fronts. From September 1941 he commanded the troops of the 7th and from November 1941 - the 4th armies. From December 1941 he commanded the troops of the Volkhov Front. From May 1942 he commanded the troops of the 33rd Army, from June 1942 - again the troops of the Volkhov Front, and from February 1944 - the Karelian Front.

Since the spring of 1945 - commander of the Primorsky Group of Forces in the Far East, in August-September 1945 - troops of the 1st Far Eastern Front. Troops under the command of K.A. Meretskov successfully acted, defending Leningrad, liberating Karelia and the Arctic, and successfully carried out an offensive operation in the Far East, Eastern Manchuria and North Korea. After the war, he commanded the troops of the Primorsky, Moscow, White Sea and Northern military districts. From 1955 to 1964 - Assistant Secretary of Defense for Higher Military Educational Institutions. Since 1964, he was a member of the Group of Inspectors General of the USSR Ministry of Defense.

Awards: 7 Orders of Lenin, Order of the October Revolution, 4 Orders of the Red Banner, 2 Orders of Suvorov 1st degree, Order of Kutuzov 1st degree, many medals of the Soviet Union.

Govorov Leonid Alexandrovich (1897 - 1955)

Marshal of the Soviet Union, Hero of the Soviet Union, awarded the Order of Victory. Participant in the Civil War. Graduated from the Military Academy. M.V. Frunze, and in 1938 - the Military Academy of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the USSR. Participated in the battles with the White Finns from 1939 to 1940 as chief of staff of the artillery of the 7th Army. In 1940 he was appointed Deputy Inspector General of Artillery of the Red Army. In May 1941, he was appointed head of the Military Artillery Academy.

In 1941, he was appointed chief of artillery of the Western direction, then chief of artillery of the Reserve Front, chief of artillery of the Western Front. From October 18, 1941, he commanded the troops of the 5th Army, which held the defense on the near approaches to Moscow in the Mozhaisk direction. Skillfully controlled army troops during the period of defense and counter-offensive. He established himself as a strong-willed commander with a deep understanding of combined arms combat tactics.

In April 1942, he was appointed commander of a group of troops of the Leningrad Front, and in June - commander of the troops of the Leningrad Front. Troops under the command of L.A. Govorova successfully participated in defensive battles and in breaking the siege of Leningrad. After the blockade of Leningrad was lifted, front troops carried out a number of successful offensive operations: Vyborg, Tallinn, Moonsund landing and others. Remaining the commander of the troops of his front, he successfully coordinated the combat operations of the troops of the 2nd and 3rd Baltic fronts.

After the war, Marshal of the Soviet Union L.A. Govorov commanded the troops of the Leningrad Military District, was the chief inspector of the ground forces, and the chief inspector of the USSR Armed Forces. From 1948 to 1952 he commanded the country's air defense forces, and since 1950 he was simultaneously the deputy minister of defense. Awards: 5 Orders of Lenin, 3 Orders of the Red Banner, 2 Orders of Suvorov 1st degree, Order of Kutuzov 1st degree, Order of the Red Star and many medals of the Soviet Union.

Malinovsky Rodion Yakovlevich (1898 - 1967)

Marshal of the Soviet Union, twice Hero of the Soviet Union, awarded the Order of Victory, People's Hero of Yugoslavia. Participant of the 1st World War. He was in France as part of the Russian expeditionary force. Participant in the Civil War. He was a machine gunner in the 27th Infantry Division. After graduating from the junior military school, he commanded a machine gun crew of a regiment and was a battalion commander. Since 1930 - chief of staff of a cavalry regiment, then served in the headquarters of the North Caucasus and Belarusian military districts. From 1937 to 1938, a Soviet internationalist volunteer participated in the Spanish Civil War. For his distinction in these battles he was awarded the Orders of Lenin and the Red Banner. Since 1939 - teacher at the Military Academy. M.V. Frunze. Since March 1941 - commander of the 48th Rifle Corps in the south of the country (Moldavian SSR).

He began the Great Patriotic War on the border along the Prut River, where his corps held back attempts by Romanian and German units to cross to our side. In August 1941 - commander of the 6th Army. From December 1941 he commanded the troops of the Southern Front. From August to October 1942 - by troops of the 66th Army, which fought north of Stalingrad. In October-November - Deputy Commander of the Voronezh Front. From November 1942, he commanded the 2nd Guards Army, which was formed in the Tambov region. In December 1942, this army stopped and defeated the fascist strike force that was going to release the Stalingrad group of Field Marshal Paulus (Army Group DON of Field Marshal Manstein).

Since February 1943, R.Ya. Malinovsky commanded the troops of the Southern, and from March of the same year - the Southwestern Front. Front troops under his command liberated Donbass and Right Bank Ukraine. In the spring of 1944, troops under the command of R.Ya. Malinovsky was liberated by the cities of Nikolaev and Odessa. Since May 1944 RL. Malinovsky commanded the troops of the 2nd Ukrainian Front. At the end of August, the troops of the 2nd Ukrainian Front, together with the troops of the 3rd Ukrainian Front, carried out an important strategic operation - Iasi-Kishinev. This is one of the outstanding operations of the Great Patriotic War. In the autumn of 1944 - spring of 1945, troops of the 2nd Ukrainian Front carried out the Debrecen, Budapest and Vienna operations, defeating fascist troops in Hungary, Austria and Czechoslovakia. Since July 1945, R.Ya. Malinovsky commanded the troops of the Transbaikal District and participated in the defeat of the Japanese Kwantung Army. After the Great Patriotic War from 1945 to 1947, Marshal of the Soviet Union R.Ya. Malinovsky commanded the troops of the Transbaikal-Amur Military District. From 1947 to 1953 - commander of the Far East troops, from 1953 to 1956 - commander of the Far Eastern Military District.

In March 1956, he was appointed 1st Deputy Minister of Defense and Commander of the USSR Ground Forces. From 1957 to 1967 R.Ya. Malinovsky served as Minister of Defense of the USSR. Awards: 5 Orders of Lenin, 3 Orders of the Red Banner, 2 Orders of Suvorov 1st degree, Order of Kutuzov 1st degree and many medals of the Soviet Union.

Tolbukhin Fedor Ivanovich (1894 - 1949)

Marshal of the Soviet Union, Hero of the Soviet Union. Awarded the Order of Victory, Hero of the People's Republic of Bulgaria. Participant in the Civil War. He was the chief of staff of the division and the chief of the operations department of the army headquarters. After the Civil War - chief of staff of a rifle division and corps. In 1934 he graduated from the Military Academy. M.V. Frunze. Since 1937 - commander of a rifle division. From July 1938 to August 1941 - chief of staff of the Transcaucasian Military District.

During the Great Patriotic War - chief of staff of the Transcaucasian, Caucasian and Crimean fronts. In May - July 1942 - Deputy Commander of the Stalingrad Military District. Since July 1942 - commander of the 57th Army of the Stalingrad Front. Since February 1943 - commander of the 68th Army on the North-Western Front. Since March 1943, F.I. Tolbukhin was appointed commander of the troops of the Southern Front, renamed on October 20, 1943 into the 4th Ukrainian Front. From May 1944 until the end of the war, he commanded the troops of the 3rd Ukrainian Front. Commanding the troops, he showed brilliant leadership talent and organizational skills. The troops under his command successfully operated in the operations to liberate Donbass and Crimea. In August 1944, the troops of the 3rd Ukrainian Front, together with the troops of the 2nd Ukrainian Front, brilliantly carried out the Iasi-Kishinev operation.

Front troops under the command of F.I. Tolbukhin participated in the Belgrade, Budapest, Balaton and Vienna operations. F.I. Tolbukhin skillfully organized the interaction of Soviet troops with the troops of the Bulgarian and Yugoslav armies. Since September 1944, Marshal F.I. Tolbukhin was the chairman of the Allied Control Commission in Bulgaria.

After the Great Patriotic War, from July 1945 to January 1947, F.I. Tolbukhin - Commander-in-Chief of the Southern Group of Soviet Forces. Since 1947 - Commander of the Transcaucasian Military District. Awards: 2 Orders of Lenin, 3 Orders of the Red Banner, 2 Orders of Suvorov 1st degree, Order of Kutuzov 1st degree, Order of the Red Star, many foreign orders and medals of the Soviet Union. Marshal of the Soviet Union F.I. A monument to Tolbukhin was erected in Moscow. The city of Dobrich in Bulgaria was renamed the city of Tolbukhin.

Timoshenko Semyon Konstantinovich (1895 - 1970)

Participant in the Civil War. He commanded a platoon, squadron, regiment, separate cavalry brigade, 6th cavalry and 4th cavalry divisions. For courage and valor in the battles of the Civil War, he was awarded two Orders of the Red Banner. After the Civil War, he commanded a cavalry corps, and from August 1933 he was deputy commander of the Belarusian Military District. From July 1937 - commander of the troops of the North Caucasus, from September - of the Kharkov, and from February 1938 - of the Kyiv special military district.

In September 1939, troops of the Ukrainian district made a liberation campaign in Western Ukraine. During the Soviet-Finnish War of 1939-1940, he commanded the troops of the North-Western Front. He led the breakthrough of the Finnish defensive line of Mannerheim. Awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. In May 1940, he was appointed People's Commissar of Defense of the USSR. At the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, he was the People's Commissar of Defense and a representative of the Headquarters of the High Command. Since July 1941 - Commander-in-Chief of the Western Direction. Member of the SVG, Deputy People's Commissar of Defense. From September 1941 to June 1942 - Commander-in-Chief of the South-Western direction. At the same time, in July - September 1941, he was commander of the Western Front. In September-December 1941 and in April-July 1942, he commanded the troops of the Southwestern Front. In July 1942 - by the troops of the Stalingrad Front, and from October 1942 to March 1943 - by the troops of the North-Western Front. Since March 1943, as a representative of the SVG, he coordinated military actions on a number of fronts. After the Great Patriotic War, Marshal of the Soviet Union S.K. Timoshenko commanded the troops of the Baranovichi, South Ural and Belarusian military districts.

Since April 1960 - Inspector General of the USSR Ministry of Defense. Since 1961 - Chairman of the Soviet War Veterans Committee. Awards: 5 Orders of Lenin, Order of the October Revolution, 5 Orders of the Red Banner, 3 Orders of Suvorov 1st degree, foreign orders and many medals of the Soviet Union. Awarded the Arms of Honor.

Antonov Alexey Innokentievich (1896 - 1962)

Army General, awarded the Order of Victory. Participant in the Civil War. He took part in the defeat of the Kornilov rebellion and in battles on the Southern Front as assistant chief of staff of the 1st Moscow Workers' Division. Then he was the chief of staff of the rifle brigade, crossed the Sivash, and participated in the defeat of the Wrangel troops in the Crimea. Graduated from the Military Academy. M.V. Frunze in 1931 and the Military Academy of the General Staff in 1937. He worked his way up from the head of the operational department of the division headquarters to the chief of staff of the Moscow Military District. He proved himself to be a major operational staff worker with a broad political and military outlook. In 1938-1940 he worked as head of the department of general tactics of the Military Academy named after. M.V. Frunze.

The Great Patriotic War found A.I. Antonov as deputy chief of staff of the Kyiv Special Military District. Soon A.I. Antonov headed the group for forming the control of the Southern Front. In August 1941, A.I. Antonov was appointed chief of staff of the Southern Front. In July - November 1942 A.I. Antonov is the chief of staff of the North Caucasus Front, and then of the Black Sea Group of Forces and the Transcaucasian Front. In these posts he showed deep military knowledge and demonstrated outstanding organizational skills.

In December 1942, the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command appointed A.I. Antonov as first deputy chief of the General Staff and head of the operational department. In May 1943, he was focused on fulfilling the duties of 1st Deputy Chief of the General Staff. Army General A.I. Antonov participated in the development of many operations of the Great Patriotic War. Since February 1945, A.I. Antonov - Chief of the General Staff of the USSR Armed Forces. He was part of the SVGK. In 1945 A.I. Antonov was part of the Soviet delegation at the Crimean and Potsdam conferences. After the Great Patriotic War, Army General A.I. Antonov was the first deputy chief of the General Staff of the Soviet Armed Forces from 1946 to 1948.

From 1948 - deputy, and from 1950 to 1954 - commander of the Transcaucasian Military District. In April 1954, he returned to work at the General Staff as First Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the Soviet Armed Forces. Elected a member of the board of the Ministry of Defense. In 1955, he was appointed chief of staff of the armies of the Warsaw Pact member states. He worked in this position until the end of his life. Awards: 3 Orders of Lenin, 4 Orders of the Red Banner, 2 Orders of Suvorov 1st degree, Order of Kutuzov 1st degree, Order of the Patriotic War 1st degree, many medals of the Soviet Union, 14 foreign orders.

The fate of millions of people depended on their decisions! This is not the entire list of our great commanders of the Second World War!

Zhukov Georgy Konstantinovich (1896-1974) Marshal of the Soviet Union Georgy Konstantinovich Zhukov was born on November 1, 1896 in the Kaluga region, into a peasant family. During the First World War, he was drafted into the army and enrolled in a regiment stationed in the Kharkov province. In the spring of 1916, he was enrolled in a group sent to officer courses. After studying, Zhukov became a non-commissioned officer and joined a dragoon regiment, with which he participated in the battles of the Great War. Soon he received a concussion from a mine explosion and was sent to the hospital. He managed to prove himself, and for capturing a German officer he was awarded the Cross of St. George.

After the civil war, he completed the courses for Red commanders. He commanded a cavalry regiment, then a brigade. He was an assistant inspector of the Red Army cavalry.

In January 1941, shortly before the German invasion of the USSR, Zhukov was appointed chief of the General Staff and deputy people's commissar of defense.

Commanded the troops of the Reserve, Leningrad, Western, 1st Belorussian fronts, coordinated the actions of a number of fronts, made a great contribution to achieving victory in the battle of Moscow, in the Battles of Stalingrad, Kursk, in the Belarusian, Vistula-Oder and Berlin operations. Four times Hero of the Soviet Union , holder of two Orders of Victory, many other Soviet and foreign orders and medals.

Vasilevsky Alexander Mikhailovich (1895-1977) - Marshal of the Soviet Union.

Born on September 16 (September 30), 1895 in the village. Novaya Golchikha, Kineshma district, Ivanovo region, in the family of a priest, Russian. In February 1915, after graduating from the Kostroma Theological Seminary, he entered the Alekseevsky Military School (Moscow) and graduated from it in 4 months (in June 1915).
During the Great Patriotic War, as Chief of the General Staff (1942-1945), he took an active part in the development and implementation of almost all major operations on the Soviet-German front. From February 1945, he commanded the 3rd Belorussian Front and led the assault on Königsberg. In 1945, commander-in-chief of Soviet troops in the Far East in the war with Japan.
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Rokossovsky Konstantin Konstantinovich (1896-1968) - Marshal of the Soviet Union, Marshal of Poland.

Born on December 21, 1896 in the small Russian town of Velikiye Luki (formerly Pskov province), in the family of a Pole railway driver, Xavier-Józef Rokossovsky and his Russian wife Antonina. After the birth of Konstantin, the Rokossovsky family moved to Warsaw. At less than 6 years old, Kostya was orphaned: his father was in a train accident and died in 1902 after a long illness. In 1911, his mother also died. With the outbreak of World War I, Rokossovsky asked to join one of the Russian regiments heading west through Warsaw.

With the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, he commanded the 9th Mechanized Corps. In the summer of 1941 he was appointed commander of the 4th Army. He managed to somewhat hold back the advance of the German armies on the western front. In the summer of 1942 he became commander of the Bryansk Front. The Germans managed to approach the Don and, from advantageous positions, create threats to capture Stalingrad and break through to the North Caucasus. With a blow from his army, he prevented the Germans from trying to break through to the north, towards the city of Yelets. Rokossovsky took part in the counter-offensive of Soviet troops near Stalingrad. His ability to conduct combat operations played a big role in the success of the operation. In 1943, he led the central front, which, under his command, began the defensive battle on the Kursk Bulge. A little later, he organized an offensive and liberated significant territories from the Germans. He also led the liberation of Belarus, implementing the Stavka plan - “Bagration”
Twice Hero of the Soviet Union

Konev Ivan Stepanovich (1897-1973) - Marshal of the Soviet Union.

Born in December 1897 in one of the villages of the Vologda province. His family was peasant. In 1916, the future commander was drafted into the tsarist army. He participates in the First World War as a non-commissioned officer.

At the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, Konev commanded the 19th Army, which took part in battles with the Germans and closed the capital from the enemy. For successful leadership of the army's actions, he receives the rank of colonel general.

During the Great Patriotic War, Ivan Stepanovich managed to be the commander of several fronts: Kalinin, Western, Northwestern, Steppe, Second Ukrainian and First Ukrainian. In January 1945, the First Ukrainian Front, together with the First Belorussian Front, launched the offensive Vistula-Oder operation. The troops managed to occupy several cities of strategic importance, and even liberate Krakow from the Germans. At the end of January, the Auschwitz camp was liberated from the Nazis. In April, two fronts launched an offensive in the Berlin direction. Soon Berlin was taken, and Konev took direct part in the assault on the city.

Twice Hero of the Soviet Union

Vatutin Nikolai Fedorovich (1901-1944) - army general.

Born on December 16, 1901 in the village of Chepukhino, Kursk province, into a large peasant family. He graduated from four classes of the zemstvo school, where he was considered the first student.

In the first days of the Great Patriotic War, Vatutin visited the most critical sectors of the front. The staff worker turned into a brilliant combat commander.

On February 21, Headquarters instructed Vatutin to prepare an attack on Dubno and further on Chernivtsi. On February 29, the general was heading to the headquarters of the 60th Army. On the way, his car was fired upon by a detachment of Ukrainian Bandera partisans. The wounded Vatutin died on the night of April 15 in a Kiev military hospital.
In 1965, Vatutin was posthumously awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.

Katukov Mikhail Efimovich (1900-1976) - Marshal of the armored forces. One of the founders of the Tank Guard.

Born on September 4 (17), 1900 in the village of Bolshoye Uvarovo, then Kolomna district, Moscow province, into a large peasant family (his father had seven children from two marriages). He graduated with a diploma of commendation from an elementary rural school, during which he was the first student in the class and schools.
In the Soviet Army - since 1919.

At the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, he took part in defensive operations in the area of ​​the cities of Lutsk, Dubno, Korosten, showing himself to be a skillful, proactive organizer of a tank battle with superior enemy forces. These qualities were brilliantly demonstrated in the Battle of Moscow, when he commanded the 4th Tank Brigade. In the first half of October 1941, near Mtsensk, on a number of defensive lines, the brigade steadfastly held back the advance of enemy tanks and infantry and inflicted enormous damage on them. Having completed a 360-km march to the Istra orientation, the M.E. brigade. Katukova, as part of the 16th Army of the Western Front, heroically fought in the Volokolamsk direction and participated in the counter-offensive near Moscow. On November 11, 1941, for brave and skillful military actions, the brigade was the first in the tank forces to receive the rank of guards. In 1942, M.E. Katukov commanded the 1st Tank Corps, which repelled the onslaught of enemy troops in the Kursk-Voronezh direction, from September 1942 - the 3rd Mechanized Corps. In January 1943, he was appointed commander of the 1st Tank Army, which was part of the Voronezh, and later the 1st The Ukrainian Front distinguished itself in the Battle of Kursk and during the liberation of Ukraine. In April 1944, the armed forces were transformed into the 1st Guards Tank Army, which, under the command of M.E. Katukova participated in the Lviv-Sandomierz, Vistula-Oder, East Pomeranian and Berlin operations, crossed the Vistula and Oder rivers.

Rotmistrov Pavel Alekseevich (1901-1982) - chief marshal of the armored forces.

Born in the village of Skovorovo, now Selizharovsky district, Tver region, into a large peasant family (he had 8 brothers and sisters)... In 1916 he graduated from higher primary school

In the Soviet Army from April 1919 (he was enlisted in the Samara Workers' Regiment), a participant in the Civil War.

During the Great Patriotic War P.A. Rotmistrov fought on the Western, Northwestern, Kalinin, Stalingrad, Voronezh, Steppe, Southwestern, 2nd Ukrainian and 3rd Belorussian fronts. He commanded the 5th Guards Tank Army, which distinguished itself in the Battle of Kursk. In the summer of 1944, P.A. Rotmistrov and his army took part in the Belarusian offensive operation, the liberation of the cities of Borisov, Minsk, and Vilnius. Since August 1944, he was appointed deputy commander of the armored and mechanized forces of the Soviet Army.

Kravchenko Andrey Grigorievich (1899-1963) - Colonel General of tank forces.
Born on November 30, 1899 on the Sulimin farm, now the village of Sulimovka, Yagotinsky district, Kyiv region of Ukraine, in a peasant family. Ukrainian. Member of the All-Union Communist Party (Bolsheviks) since 1925. Participant in the Civil War. He graduated from the Poltava Military Infantry School in 1923, the Military Academy named after M.V. Frunze in 1928.
From June 1940 to the end of February 1941 A.G. Kravchenko - chief of staff of the 16th tank division, and from March to September 1941 - chief of staff of the 18th mechanized corps.
On the fronts of the Great Patriotic War since September 1941. Commander of the 31st Tank Brigade (09/09/1941 - 01/10/1942). Since February 1942, deputy commander of the 61st Army for tank forces. Chief of Staff of the 1st Tank Corps (03/31/1942 - 07/30/1942). Commanded the 2nd (07/2/1942 - 09/13/1942) and 4th (from 02/7/43 - 5th Guards; from 09/18/1942 to 01/24/1944) tank corps.
In November 1942, the 4th Corps took part in the encirclement of the 6th German Army at Stalingrad, in July 1943 - in the tank battle near Prokhorovka, in October of the same year - in the Battle of the Dnieper.

Novikov Alexander Alexandrovich (1900-1976) - chief marshal of aviation.
Born on November 19, 1900 in the village of Kryukovo, Nerekhta district, Kostroma region. He received his education at the teachers' seminary in 1918.
In the Soviet Army since 1919
In aviation since 1933. Participant of the Great Patriotic War from the first day. He was the commander of the Northern Air Force, then the Leningrad Front. From April 1942 until the end of the war, he was the commander of the Red Army Air Force. In March 1946, he was illegally repressed (together with A.I. Shakhurin), rehabilitated in 1953.

Kuznetsov Nikolai Gerasimovich (1902-1974) - Admiral of the Fleet of the Soviet Union. People's Commissar of the Navy.
Born on July 11 (24), 1904 in the family of Gerasim Fedorovich Kuznetsov (1861-1915), a peasant in the village of Medvedki, Veliko-Ustyug district, Vologda province (now in the Kotlas district of the Arkhangelsk region).
In 1919, at the age of 15, he joined the Severodvinsk flotilla, giving himself two years to be accepted (the erroneous birth year of 1902 is still found in some reference books). In 1921-1922 he was a combatant in the Arkhangelsk naval crew.
During the Great Patriotic War, N. G. Kuznetsov was the chairman of the Main Military Council of the Navy and the commander-in-chief of the Navy. He promptly and energetically led the fleet, coordinating its actions with the operations of other armed forces. The admiral was a member of the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command and constantly traveled to ships and fronts. The fleet prevented an invasion of the Caucasus from the sea. In 1944, N. G. Kuznetsov was awarded the military rank of fleet admiral. On May 25, 1945, this rank was equated to the rank of Marshal of the Soviet Union and marshal-type shoulder straps were introduced.

Hero of the Soviet Union,Chernyakhovsky Ivan Danilovich (1906-1945) - army general.
Born in the city of Uman. His father was a railway worker, so it is not surprising that in 1915 his son followed in his father’s footsteps and entered a railway school. In 1919, a real tragedy occurred in the family: his parents died due to typhus, so the boy was forced to leave school and take up farming. He worked as a shepherd, driving cattle into the field in the morning, and sat down to his textbooks every free minute. Immediately after dinner, I ran to the teacher for clarification of the material.
During the Second World War, he was one of those young military leaders who, by their example, motivated the soldiers, gave them confidence and gave them faith in a bright future.

Battle of Stalingrad. Our troops number more than a million. There are more than a million enemies. By April 16, 1945, two and a half million of our soldiers were operating in the Berlin direction. They were opposed by a group of more than a million fascists. And in addition, there is “inanimate force”: huge concentrations of tanks and artillery, giant flocks of aircraft.

And with such “density of fire” the battles lasted a long time. Counteroffensive at Stalingrad - 75 days. And “Mamaevo’s Massacre” took three hours. And the Battle of Poltava lasted almost as long.

But, when comparing, we will not argue that the great battles of past centuries are just “battles of local significance” if we measure them by the standards already known to us. The great future has never diminished the great past.

We are talking about something else - about commanders.

Napoleon said that many of the questions facing a commander were a mathematical problem worthy of the efforts of Newton and. He meant his time. But what can we say about our commanders? How to measure the complexity of the tasks facing them?

Zhukov, Vasilevsky, Rokossovsky, Konev, Vatutin, Tolbukhin, Chernyakhovsky, Meretskov, Bagramyan. The names speak for themselves. They say a lot to many people. Moreover, the series can be continued further; even its length is amazing.

Georgy Konstantinovich Zhukov

General G.K. Zhukov, a platoon and squadron commander in the civil war, the hero of Khalkhin Gol, became the chief of the General Staff back in January 1941, at the age of forty-four. He held the position until July 30, that is, a little more than six months. The Great Patriotic War, as we see, accounts for a month and a little more than a week of this period. Then, in civilian terms, he was transferred to another job. This happened in the bitter days of our failures.

Very little time will pass, and Georgy Konstantinovich Zhukov will become Deputy Supreme Commander-in-Chief. But it will be so. Very soon and very soon. The hours and years count on the clock of war.

The first thing Zhukov will do in his new capacity as commander of the Reserve Front will be Yelnya, where he will go to organize a counterattack.

He will understand a lot very quickly, that our units are firing artillery not at actual enemy firing points, but at supposed ones.

He will understand that, while delaying decisive action, he must constantly keep the enemy in suspense, exhaust him, and even mislead him with his activity.

Let us remember: Zhukov replaced the former commander of the Leningrad Front when Army Group North, having captured Shlisselburg, surrounded Leningrad. The enemy tried with all his might to turn the blockade ring into a suffocating noose thrown around the neck of the tormented city.

Zhukov stayed in Leningrad for less than a month and was urgently recalled - now Moscow was in mortal danger. Fulfilling his longed-for dream - to capture the Soviet capital in order to thereby surpass Napoleon (at that time Moscow was not the first city of Russia), Hitler sent almost half of all the troops that operated on the Soviet-German front to the operation, including two-thirds of all tank and motorized divisions. He remembered the experiences of Paris, Oslo, Copenhagen, Belgrade.

The same person goes precisely to the “boiling points”. According to Vasilevsky, Zhukov was the most noticeable in the main cohort of Soviet commanders, and turns out to be where he should be every time. And this despite his “hotness”, his independent character. But he will not change - he will remain the same. But the attitude towards such people will become different (“Gradually, under the pressure of the circumstances of the course of the war,” Vasilevsky would later write). To those who know their business perfectly, for whom the interests of the cause, the interests of Victory are above all.

Rokossovsky Konstantin Konstantinovich

We often hear and repeat these words: time dictates, time demands. That's when - during the war - it became absolutely clear that these were not just words. That's when it became absolutely obvious that the principles of personnel selection are vitally important. Wartime complicated many things, but it also unexpectedly simplified many things - for example, the view of who was considered a promising person worthy of nomination.

Rokossovsky started the war not as a 44-year-old general, but as a very young man. In civilian life he made a daring raid on the White headquarters train, took part in the defeat and capture of Baron Ungern, and was awarded the Order of the Red Banner.

In fact, in nine months, minus the time spent in the hospital after being wounded, Konstantin Konstantinovich Rokossovsky went from corps commander to front commander. Rapid growth, instant assessment of merit. Instant, but not hasty.

If you think about it, Rokossovsky’s “official” growth was facilitated by his enemies - they gave him commendable characteristics. How? At least this: in January 42, the Sixteenth Army was transferred to the Sukhinichi area, and an incident occurred there that at first seemed inexplicable.

The Nazi units opposing our troops suddenly abandoned their positions and retreated seven to eight kilometers. Without a fight, without any coercion on our part.

It later became clear what prompted them to act this way - they heard a rumor about the arrival of the Sixteenth Army. The enemy already knew the name of its commander well, and therefore decided, without tempting fate, to withdraw the troops to more prepared positions.

During the war, responsibility for decisions made sharply increased. The need for these decisions to be error-free has become more acute than ever: the cost of every mistake, especially in decisions of a military nature, has never been higher.

By accepting them, they risked not their position, not their reputation, they not only put themselves at risk, but so many others, their lives - the lives of tens, hundreds, thousands.

Chernyakhovsky Ivan Danilovich

The war answered all questions incomparably quickly. A decision was made - and everything became clear tomorrow, or even today - an hour later.

When in one of the battles the artillery fell behind, changing firing positions - and every minute was valuable, otherwise the offensive would bog down, Ivan Danilovich Chernyakhovsky - and this was, it seems, for the first time in the history of the Great Patriotic War - was removed from firing positions and moved to the front line to fight by the ground enemy the main group of the army's anti-aircraft artillery.

The anti-aircraft guns did not hit planes, but tanks and fortified enemy positions. This was a big risk, but Chernyakhovsky, having made such a decision, hoped to break the enemy’s resistance in an hour or two. And he turned out to be right.

In another battle, again remembering Suvorov’s order: one minute decides the outcome of battles, one hour - the success of the campaign, one day - the fate of the country, not allowing the enemy to gain a foothold on advantageous lines, and therefore, avoiding unjustified losses, Chernyakhovsky orders the troops to force the Dnieper.

Without pulling up the pontoon-bridge parks, without ensuring the simultaneous crossing of infantry, tanks and artillery, cross on rafts and fishing boats. The plan was for surprise. And to German loyalty to the letter of the charter.

The general knew that in all the instructions of the German army, crossing such large rivers was allowed only if engineering crossing facilities were available. He knew that the Germans would not dare to allow, even if this was happening before their eyes, that someone was doing something they themselves would never do. And again I was right.

And when, under fierce enemy fire, our advanced units reached the opposite bank and entered into an unequal battle, Chernyakhovsky conveyed to the advanced units: “I am sending reinforcements, I will support you with fire. Order: expand the bridgehead. I’ll go to you myself!”

The bridgehead was not only maintained, but also expanded.

They were like-minded people, our outstanding military leaders. Everyone thought and fought outside the box, faithful to the rule that Chernyakhovsky formulated as follows: a commander in battle should not do what the enemy is looking for and expecting from him.

Everyone understood that the true commander of a war for those who expect to win it must be a thought - new, deep, unexpected.

At the age of 37, Ivan Danilovich Chernyakhovsky was already commanding the front. Now, knowing how he fought, it’s not easy to even imagine that someone could have thought at one time: isn’t it too early for him to take such a post? For him, commanding an army is an achievement beyond his age?

Nikolai Fedorovich Vatutin, who was the front commander at that time, suggested that Chernyakhovsky take command of the army. He was only five years older, but managed to test himself in battles with the Makhnovists, and by the beginning of the war, at thirty-nine years old, he already held the high post of First Deputy Chief of the General Staff.

The offer to take command of the army took Chernyakhovsky by surprise:

It's only been a month since I commanded the corps.

A month in war is a very long time.

There are other generals, more experienced, deserved, my appointment will hurt their pride.

Well, here’s the thing,” Vatutin said almost sternly, “now is not the time to talk about someone’s pride.” The enemy put us in harsh conditions. And we cannot ignore this.

A man of position, with past merits, he seemed much older than the youngest of the front commanders. By the way, other major military leaders also had past achievements.

Konev Ivan Stepanovich and Tolbukhin Fedor Ivanovich

Konev became the head of the front at the age of 43, and first announced himself in the years of his combat youth - the red commissar of armored train No. 102 “Grozny”, division commissar, participant in the suppression of the counter-revolutionary rebellion in Kronstadt.

Tolbukhin, who in those years seemed to himself an elderly man, although he was only two years older than Zhukov and Rokossovsky, three years older than Konev, fought against Yudenich and the White Poles, was awarded the Order of the Red Banner for personal bravery, was awarded three times with a personalized silver watch with the inscription "To the honest warrior of the workers and peasants."

But even with regard to past merits, time has spoken quite clearly - a real war cannot be won by past victories, or even by the methods by which they were achieved. The path to victories in a modern war must be new, modern. Different times, different battles. And the commanders are different.

"Can not". Even if they wanted to. It is not man who dictates, it is time. Although someone, some person, much less impartial than time, could say: really, what’s the rush? Let the young general get used to his previous position. He will gain experience in leadership work... He still has everything ahead...

The military leader was required to constantly comprehend the situation, sometimes instantly solve complex problems, while minimizing possible mistakes. The work of a commander, ideally, is unmistakable creativity. But is it possible to create with the guarantee that you will avoid mistakes? Is one compatible with the other? But the fact of the matter is that someone managed to get closer to the ideal. It was then that time “interceded” for such people, demanding immediate recognition, immediate promotion. For the ability to fight, how to do one’s military work, such “trifles” as a complex character, like youth were forgiven... The most promising, in any case, turned out to be precisely those personnel changes that were made “in the spirit of the times,” not pre-war or post-war - military .

Govorov Leonid Alexandrovich

With the name of Leonid Aleksandrovich Govorov - he commanded the Leningrad Front - the heroic epic of the great city, the breakthrough of the Leningrad blockade, went down in history forever. Little talkative, dry, even somewhat gloomy in appearance, he could not or did not want to make an impression that was advantageous to himself.

However, this quality of nature is not the only thing that could prevent the future marshal from making a worthy contribution to the defeat of fascism and demonstrating his abilities as a strategist. In his early youth, due to difficult circumstances, he found himself in the Kolchak army, and although he quickly parted with it, and subsequently fought with, he was wounded twice in battles for Soviet power, awarded the Order of the Red Banner, who could guarantee that not a single personnel officer would ever be glance sideways at the “dark page” of his biography. But, as we already know, nothing stopped it. And Zhukov “looked after” him, seeing a major military talent in Govorov.

Vasilevsky Alexander Mikhailovich

Preparing a counteroffensive near Stalingrad, the Soviet Supreme High Command sent its representatives to the fronts. Chief of the General Staff Alexander Mikhailovich Vasilevsky arrived at the Stalingrad Front. The operation was scheduled to begin on October 20, 1942. But it started a month later. What happened? Who delayed the day that was so longed for? By what right and for what reasons?

Vasilevsky “dragged” with the start of the counteroffensive.

Arriving at the front, I became convinced that the day it began, judging by the state of the enemy, was chosen extremely well. The enemy could no longer attack, and did not have time to properly organize the defense. But such a “one-sided view” did not suit him. It was also necessary to take into account the fact that our fronts, in turn, had not yet had time to raise troops or concentrate material resources.

There are examples in the history of war when commanders with a “convenient character” hastened to console the Supreme High Command with optimistic assurances that in no way stemmed from a sober analysis of the situation. The arrogance of the leaders was paid for with the blood of the soldiers.

Facts of this kind explain not only what kind of Chief of the General Staff A. M. Vasilevsky was, but also why he became one, for what merits, why he grew up.

Results of the leadership of the generals

As we see, having an inconvenient character is the “privilege” of not only Zhukov, but also other commanders. They knew how to firmly stand their ground. Yes, not on “ours” - on the common one, needed by the people, the country. Having been promoted to high positions by deeds, they proved by deeds that they occupied them by right.

Still, this ancient and solemn word “commander” sounds strange when talking about our contemporaries, including those who quite recently came to meetings with us, so to speak, according to Moscow time, and not thanks to a fabulous time machine, came not from legends, but from his apartments.

Did he himself, Ivan Chernyakhovsky, a thirteen-year-old orphan shepherd boy, who disappeared in the meadows with his flock from morning to evening, ever think that someday this “commander” would also refer to him? And Konstantin Rokossovsky is also an orphan from the age of fourteen? And the cook’s son Rodion Malinovsky? And Nikolai Voronov, our first marshal of artillery, when he was left without a mother as a child - did she commit suicide, tormented by hopeless poverty? And Georgy Zhukov, whose brother died of hunger, living in his Strelkovka in a house with a roof that had collapsed from disrepair? The same Zhukov, who would grow into the most prominent commander of his time, on behalf of the army and the people, will accept the surrender of Nazi Germany in Karlshorst, and then, riding a white horse, will host the Victory Parade on Red Square?

I believed that while in power, a person has no idea how damn difficult the situation of ordinary ordinary people can be. Whether this is true or not depends, probably, on many things.

Let us remember and compare: born in 1887, the one whose armies attacked Leningrad and then unsuccessfully tried to relieve the Nazi troops encircled at Stalingrad, was no longer a first-generation general, he represented the dynasty of the Prussian military aristocracy. And how many of them were there besides him in the avalanche that was rolling towards us - hereditary generals who were allegedly haunted by the “genes” of aggression and hatred that had settled in them from past centuries. Generals are from some families, soldiers are from others. It's like from another world.

This is a symbol. They were one family, our commanders and our soldiers.

During the confrontation with Germany and its allies (1941-1945), the Soviet leadership approved the deployment of more than a dozen fronts of the armed forces. Each of the operational-strategic formations was led by the highest military leaders of the Soviet Union. The commanders of the Great Patriotic War will be discussed in our article.

Ground Forces Commanders

Let's briefly talk about the most outstanding:

• Semyon Mikhailovich Budyonny (1883-1973): Marshal, three times Hero. One of the organizers and commander of the First Cavalry Army (since 1918). On his initiative, new cavalry divisions were created in 1941. Commander-in-Chief in the southwestern direction. The troops of the North Caucasus Front operated under his leadership (1942). Commanded cavalry (since 1943);
• Kliment Efremovich Voroshilov (1988-1969): Marshal, statesman, twice Hero. Participated in the Civil War. Commander-in-Chief in the northwestern direction (1941). Commanded the Leningrad Front. Personally led the attacks of the Marines (1941). Commander-in-Chief of the partisan movement (1942-1943). In 1943 he became chairman of the Armistice Commission. Participated in the Tehran Conference;
• Georgy Konstantinovich Zhukov (1896-1974): Marshal, four times Hero. Fought in the First World War. Commanded a special corps in Mongolia (1939), the Kyiv special district (1940); Chief of the General Staff (1941); Deputy Supreme Commander-in-Chief (since 1942). In 1942 he led offensive operations: Moscow, Rzhevsko-Vyazemsk, two Rzhevsko-Sychevsk. Developed operations to break the Leningrad blockade and liberate the region (1943). He regulated the actions of several fronts in the Battle of Kursk, at the first stage of the battle for the Dnieper. In 1944 he headed the First Ukrainian Front, which carried out a successful operation to separate enemy forces in the Carpathian region. He led the First Belarusian Front (1944-1945), which participated in the liberation of Warsaw and the capture of Berlin.

Rice. 1. Semyon Mikhailovich Budyonny.

The first to receive the special personal title of Marshal of the Soviet Union, even before the start of the Great Patriotic War, were military commanders Semyon Budyonny and Kliment Voroshilov (in 1935). During the war, Georgy Zhukov was the first to receive the title for outstanding services.

• Pavel Artemyevich Artemyev (1897-1979): Colonel General, Head of the Operational Troops Directorate of the NKVD (since 1941), Commander of the Moscow Defense Zone. He gained military experience in the First World War as a miner-demolitionist. As a detachment commander, he participated in the Soviet-Finnish war. It was he who organized the reliable defense of Moscow;
• Mikhail Grigorievich Efremov (1987-1942): Lieutenant General, posthumously Hero of the Russian Federation. He gained command experience during the Civil War. He commanded the 21st Army on the Western Front, which delayed the advance of enemy troops to the Dnieper (1941). Commander of the Central Front (August 1941), deputy commander of the Bryansk Front. The army under his leadership eliminated the enemy breakthrough in the area of ​​the Nara River (Moscow region). He died during the Rzhev-Vyazemsk operation.

Many Soviet officers and soldiers were distinguished by their high tenacity, never stopping fighting to the last. Instead of surrendering, they preferred death. So Mikhail Efremov, when a plane was sent for him (he sent the wounded on it), found himself leaving the remaining units of his army. A little later, having received a serious wound, he shot himself.

Rice. 2. Mikhail Grigorievich Efremov.

Commanders of air defense forces

The air defense fronts, among others, were commanded by generals:

• Mikhail Stepanovich Gromadin (1899-1962): Colonel General. He served in the air defense forces since 1935. Participated in the development of Moscow air defense. Commander of the air defense fronts: Western (1943), Northern (1944), Central (1945);
• Gavriil Savelyevich Zashikhin (1898-1950): Colonel General, Head of Air Defense of the Baltic Fleet (since 1940). Commanded the air defense fronts: Southern, Eastern.