5 first marshals of the ussr. Day of Russia: First Marshals of the Soviet Union

02.07.2021 -

On September 22, 1935, the military rank of Marshal of the Soviet Union was established, which 41 people were awarded during its existence. A similar rank (rank) existed and exists in many countries in several versions: marshal, field marshal, field marshal general.

Initially, "marshal" was not a military rank, but a high court position in a number of European states. It is believed that for the first time as a designation of a high military rank it was used in the Teutonic Knights Order. Soon the rank (rank) of marshal began to be assigned to commanders in chief and major military leaders in many countries. This rank also appeared in Russia.

Creating a new army, Tsar Peter I introduced in 1695 the rank for the commander-in-chief (chief governor of the Big Regiment), but in 1699 he replaced it with the rank, which, according to the monarch, “is the commander-in-chief general in the army. His order and orders must be respected by all, since the whole army has been handed over to him by his sovereign. Until 1917, approximately 66 people received the rank of field marshal in Russia. In the sources, you can find slightly different figures, this is due to the fact that the rank, as an honorary one, was also assigned to foreigners who had never served in the Russian army, and some Russian citizens had ranks equated to field marshals, for example, hetman.

In the young Red Army, until the mid-30s, personal military ranks did not exist. Since 1924, 14 so-called service categories were introduced in the Red Army and the RKKF, from the 1st (lowest) to the 14th (highest). The servicemen were addressed by the title of their position, but if they did not know it, then by the main position corresponding to the assigned category - comrade of the regiment commander, comrade commander. As a distinction, metal triangles covered with red enamel (junior command staff), squares (middle command staff), rectangles (senior command staff) and rhombuses (commanding staff, categories 10-14) were used.

The Central Executive Committee and the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR, by their decree of September 22, 1935, introduced personal military ranks for the personnel of the Red Army and the RKKF, corresponding to the main positions - battalion commander, division commander, brigade commissar, etc. Then only military personnel of the highest categories that became marshals of the Soviet Union.

The renaming of categories into ranks was not an automatic act; orders or decrees were issued at all army levels to assign the corresponding personal ranks to military personnel. November 20, 1935 the first five people became marshals of the Soviet Union. These were Kliment Efremovich Voroshilov, Mikhail Nikolaevich Tukhachevsky, Alexander Ilyich Egorov and Vasily Konstantinovich Blucher.

First marshals: Budyonny, Blucher (standing), Tukhachevsky, Voroshilov, Egorov (sitting)

Of the first marshals, the fate of three was tragic. Tukhachevsky and Yegorov during the period of repression were convicted, stripped of their military ranks and shot. In the mid-50s, they were rehabilitated and reinstated in the rank of marshals. Blucher died in prison before the trial and was not deprived of his marshal's rank.

The next relatively massive assignment of marshal ranks occurred in May 1940, when Semyon Konstantinovich Timoshenko, Grigory Ivanovich Kulik (deprived of the title in 1942, posthumously reinstated in 1957) and Boris Mikhailovich Shaposhnikov received them.

Until 1955, the title of Marshal of the Soviet Union was awarded only on an individual basis by special decrees. During the Great Patriotic War, he was the first to receive it in January 1943.

P.D. Korin. Portrait of Marshal of the Soviet Union Georgy Konstantinovich Zhukov

That year, A.M. became marshals. Vasilevsky and I.V. Stalin. The remaining marshals of the war period received the highest military rank in 1944, then it was awarded to I.S. Konev, L.A. Govorov, K.K. Rokossovsky, R.Ya. Malinovsky, F.I. Tolbukhin and K.A. Meretskov.

Marshal of the Soviet Union Alexander Mikhailovich Vasilevsky, awarded two Orders of Victory

In 1945, L.P. became the first post-war marshal. Beria. This happened when the special ranks of state security officers were renamed into general army ones. Beria had the title of General Commissar of State Security, which corresponded in status to the rank of marshal. He was a marshal for about 8 years. Arrested after Stalin's death, he was stripped of his rank in June 1953, and on December 26, 1953 he was shot. Naturally, subsequent rehabilitation was not carried out.

Of the major commanders of the wartime in 1946, V.D. became a marshal. Sokolovsky. The following year, N.A. received the marshal rank. Bulganin, who at that time was the Minister of the Armed Forces of the USSR. This was the last assignment of the marshal rank during Stalin's lifetime. It is curious that in the presence of a significant number of experienced military commanders, a politician who did not have military experience, although he participated in the war in high political positions, became the minister of defense, and then the marshal. In 1958, Bulganin was deprived of this title as a member of the "anti-party group", then transferred to Stavropol as chairman of the economic council, and in 1960 he was retired.

For eight years, marshal ranks were not awarded, but before the 10th anniversary of the Victory in the Great Patriotic War, 6 prominent military commanders immediately became marshals of the Soviet Union: I.Kh. Bagramyan, S.S. Biryuzov, A.A. Grechko, A.I. Eremenko, K.S. Moskalenko, V.I. Chuikov.

I.A. Penzov. Portrait of Marshal of the Soviet Union Ivan Khristoforovich Bagramyan

The next assignment of the marshal rank took place four years later, in 1959 it was received by M.V. Zakharov, who at that time was the commander-in-chief of the Group of Soviet Forces in Germany.

In the 60s, 6 people became marshals of the Soviet Union: F.I. Golikov, who headed the Main Political Directorate of the SA and the Navy, N.I. Krylov, who commanded the troops of the Moscow Military District, I.I. Yakubovsky, who received the title simultaneously with his appointment to the post of First Deputy Minister of Defense, P.F. Batitsky, who headed the country's air defense and P.K. Koshevoy, who commanded the Group of Soviet Forces in Germany.

Until the mid-70s, the assignment of the marshal rank was not carried out. In 1976, the General Secretary of the CPSU Central Committee L.I. Brezhnev and D.F. Ustinov, appointed Minister of Defense of the USSR. Ustinov did not have military experience, but he was closely connected with the army, since from 1941 for 16 years in a row he was first People's Commissar (Minister) of Armaments, and then Minister of Defense Industry of the USSR.

All subsequent marshals had combat experience, but they became military leaders already in the post-war years, this is V.G. Kulikov, N.V. Ogarkov, S.L. Sokolov, S.F. Akhromeev, S.K. Kurkotkin, V.I. Petrov. The last in April 1990 received the title of Marshal of the Soviet Union D.T. Yazov.

Marshal of the Soviet Union Dmitry Timofeevich Yazov

As a member of the State Emergency Committee, he was arrested and was under investigation, but he did not lose his military rank.

After the collapse of the USSR, the military rank of Marshal of the Russian Federation was established, which in 1997 was received by the Minister of Defense I.D. Sergeev. He was the first marshal, although he had passed the main stages of officer and general service, but had no combat experience.

In 1935, when the rank of Marshal of the Soviet Union was introduced, they did not copy the main attribute of distinguishing marshals characteristic of Western armies - a special baton, but limited themselves to a large (5-6 cm) embroidered star on the buttonholes and sleeves. But in 1945, they nevertheless established a special distinctive sign, it became the platinum "Marshal Star", adorned with diamonds, which was worn around the neck.

It is curious that this star existed without changes until the abolition of the marshal rank. By the way, the marshal's shoulder straps, introduced in 1943, also did not change. More precisely, there was a change: initially, only a gold-embroidered star was placed on the shoulder strap, but after 20 days the look of the shoulder strap was changed by adding the coat of arms of the country. It is not known whether any of the five marshals of that time managed to receive shoulder straps of the first sample.

Napoleon liked to say that every soldier in his army carries a marshal's baton in his knapsack. We have our own specifics - instead of a baton, a marshal's star. Curious, who now wears it in his satchel or duffel bag?

19.11 (1.12). 1896-18.06.1974
great commander,
Marshal of the Soviet Union,
Minister of Defense of the USSR

Born in the village of Strelkovka near Kaluga in a peasant family. Furrier. In the army since 1915. Participated in the First World War, junior non-commissioned officer in the cavalry. In battles he was seriously shell-shocked and was awarded 2 St. George's crosses.

From August 1918 in the Red Army. During the Civil War, he fought against the Ural Cossacks near Tsaritsyn, fought with the troops of Denikin and Wrangel, took part in the suppression of the Antonov uprising in the Tambov region, was wounded, and awarded the Order of the Red Banner. After the Civil War, he commanded a regiment, brigade, division, and corps. In the summer of 1939, he conducted a successful encirclement operation and defeated the grouping of Japanese troops by Gen. Kamatsubara on the Khalkhin Gol River. G.K. Zhukov received the title of Hero of the Soviet Union and the Order of the Red Banner of the MPR.

During the Great Patriotic War (1941-1945) he was a member of the Headquarters, Deputy Supreme Commander, commanded the fronts (pseudonyms: Konstantinov, Yuryev, Zharov). He was the first during the war to be awarded the title of Marshal of the Soviet Union (01/18/1943). Under the command of G.K. Zhukov, the troops of the Leningrad Front, together with the Baltic Fleet, stopped the offensive of Field Marshal F.V. von Leeb's Army Group North against Leningrad in September 1941. Under his command, the troops of the Western Front defeated the troops of Field Marshal F. von Bock's Army Group Center near Moscow and dispelled the myth of the invincibility of the Nazi army. Then Zhukov coordinated the actions of the fronts near Stalingrad (Operation Uranus - 1942), in Operation Iskra during the breakthrough of the Leningrad blockade (1943), in the Battle of Kursk (summer 1943), where Hitler's plan was thwarted " Citadel "and the troops of Field Marshals Kluge and Manstein were defeated. The name of Marshal Zhukov is also associated with victories near Korsun-Shevchenkovsky, the liberation of the Right-Bank Ukraine; operation "Bagration" (in Belarus), where the "Line Vaterland" was broken through and the army group "Center" of field marshals E. von Busch and V. von Model was defeated. At the final stage of the war, the 1st Belorussian Front, led by Marshal Zhukov, took Warsaw (01/17/1945), with a cutting blow defeated Army Group A of General von Harpe and Field Marshal F. Scherner in the Vistula-Oder operation and victoriously ended the war with a grandiose Berlin operation. Together with the soldiers, the marshal signed on the scorched wall of the Reichstag, over the broken dome of which the banner of Victory fluttered. On May 8, 1945, in Karlshorst (Berlin), the commander accepted the unconditional surrender of Nazi Germany from Hitler's Field Marshal W. von Keitel. General D. Eisenhower presented G.K. Zhukov with the highest military order of the United States "Legion of Honor" of the degree of commander in chief (06/05/1945). Later, in Berlin, at the Brandenburg Gate, British Field Marshal Montgomery laid on him a large Cross of the Knights of the Order of the Bath, 1st class with a star and a crimson ribbon. On June 24, 1945, Marshal Zhukov hosted the triumphal Victory Parade in Moscow.

In 1955-1957. "Marshal of Victory" was the Minister of Defense of the USSR.

American military historian Martin Cayden says: “Zhukov was the commander of commanders in the conduct of war by the mass armies of the twentieth century. He inflicted more casualties on the Germans than any other military leader. He was a "miracle marshal". Before us is a military genius.

He wrote memoirs "Memories and Reflections".

Marshal G.K. Zhukov had:

4 Gold Stars of the Hero of the Soviet Union (08/29/1939, 07/29/1944, 06/1/1945, 12/1/1956),
6 orders of Lenin,
2 orders of "Victory" (including No. 1 - 04/11/1944, 03/30/1945),
order of the October Revolution,
3 Orders of the Red Banner,
2 orders of Suvorov 1st degree (including No. 1), a total of 14 orders and 16 medals;
honorary weapon - a personalized sword with the golden Emblem of the USSR (1968);
Hero of the Mongolian People's Republic (1969); order of the Tuvan Republic;
17 foreign orders and 10 medals, etc.

A bronze bust and monuments were erected to Zhukov. He was buried in Red Square near the Kremlin wall.
In 1995, a monument was erected to Zhukov on Manezhnaya Square in Moscow.

Vasilevsky Alexander Mikhailovich

18(30).09.1895-5.12.1977
Marshal of the Soviet Union,
Minister of the Armed Forces of the USSR

Born in the village of Novaya Golchikha near Kineshma on the Volga. The son of a priest. He studied at the Kostroma Theological Seminary. In 1915 he completed courses at the Alexander Military School and, with the rank of ensign, was sent to the front of the First World War (1914-1918). Head-captain of the tsarist army. Having joined the Red Army during the Civil War of 1918-1920, he commanded a company, battalion, regiment. In 1937 he graduated from the Military Academy of the General Staff. Since 1940, he served in the General Staff, where he was caught by the Great Patriotic War (1941-1945). In June 1942, he became chief of the General Staff, replacing Marshal B. M. Shaposhnikov in this post due to illness. Of the 34 months of his tenure as Chief of the General Staff, AM Vasilevsky spent 22 directly at the front (pseudonyms: Mikhailov, Alexandrov, Vladimirov). He was wounded and shell-shocked. In a year and a half of the war, he rose from Major General to Marshal of the Soviet Union (02/19/1943) and, together with Mr. K. Zhukov, became the first holder of the Order of Victory. Under his leadership, the largest operations of the Soviet Armed Forces were developed. A. M. Vasilevsky coordinated the actions of the fronts: in the Battle of Stalingrad (Operations 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 battles in the Right-Bank Ukraine; in the Belarusian operation "Bagration".

After the death of General I. D. Chernyakhovsky, he commanded the 3rd Belorussian Front in the East Prussian operation, which ended in the famous "star" assault on Koenigsberg.

On the fronts of the Great Patriotic War, the Soviet commander A. M. Vasilevsky smashed Hitler's field marshals and generals F. von Bock, G. Guderian, F. Paulus, E. Manstein, E. Kleist, Eneke, E. von Busch, V. von Model, F. Scherner, von Weichs and others.

In June 1945, the marshal was appointed Commander-in-Chief of the Soviet Forces in the Far East (pseudonym Vasiliev). For the quick defeat of the Kwantung Army of the Japanese, General O. Yamada in Manchuria, the commander received a second Gold Star. After the war, from 1946 - Chief of the General Staff; in 1949-1953 - Minister of the Armed Forces of the USSR.
A. M. Vasilevsky is the author of the memoirs “The Work of All Life”.

Marshal A. M. Vasilevsky had:

2 Gold Stars of the Hero of the Soviet Union (07/29/1944, 09/08/1945),
8 orders of Lenin,
2 orders of "Victory" (including No. 2 - 01/10/1944, 04/19/1945),
order of the October Revolution,
2 orders of the Red Banner,
Order of Suvorov 1st degree,
order of the Red Star,
Order "For Service to the Motherland in the Armed Forces of the USSR" 3rd degree,
a total of 16 orders and 14 medals;
honorary nominal weapon - a checker with the golden Emblem of the USSR (1968),
28 foreign awards (including 18 foreign orders).

The urn with the ashes of A. M. Vasilevsky was buried on Red Square in Moscow near the Kremlin wall next to the ashes of G. K. Zhukov. A bronze bust of the marshal is installed in Kineshma.

Konev Ivan Stepanovich

December 16(28), 1897—June 27, 1973
Marshal of the Soviet Union

Born in the Vologda region in the village of Lodeino in a peasant family. In 1916 he was drafted into the army. At the end of the training team, junior non-commissioned officer art. division sent to the South-Western Front. Having joined the Red Army in 1918, he participated in battles against the troops of Admiral Kolchak, Ataman Semenov, and the Japanese. Commissioner of the armored train "Grozny", then brigades, divisions. In 1921 he participated in the storming of Kronstadt. Graduated from the Academy. Frunze (1934), commanded a regiment, division, corps, 2nd Separate Red Banner Far Eastern Army (1938-1940).

During the Great Patriotic War, he commanded the army, fronts (pseudonyms: Stepin, Kievsky). Participated in the battles near Smolensk and Kalinin (1941), in the battle near Moscow (1941-1942). During the Battle of Kursk, together with the troops of General N.F. Vatutin, he defeated the enemy at the Belgorod-Kharkov bridgehead - the bastion of Germany in Ukraine. On August 5, 1943, Konev's troops took the city of Belgorod, in honor of which Moscow gave its first salute, and on August 24, Kharkov was taken. This was followed by a breakthrough of the "Eastern Wall" on the Dnieper.

In 1944, near Korsun-Shevchenkovsky, the Germans arranged a “New (small) Stalingrad” - 10 divisions and 1 brigade of General V. Stemmeran, who fell on the battlefield, were surrounded and destroyed. I. S. Konev was awarded the title of Marshal of the Soviet Union (02/20/1944), and on March 26, 1944, the troops of the 1st Ukrainian Front were the first to reach the state border. In July-August, they defeated Field Marshal E. von Manstein's Northern Ukraine Army Group in the Lvov-Sandomierz operation. The name of Marshal Konev, nicknamed the "general forward", is associated with brilliant victories at the final stage of the war - in the Vistula-Oder, Berlin and Prague operations. During the Berlin operation, his troops reached the river. Elbe at Torgau and met with the American troops of General O. Bradley (04/25/1945). On May 9, the defeat of Field Marshal Scherner near Prague was completed. The highest orders of the "White Lion" of the 1st class and the "Czechoslovak Military Cross of 1939" were an award to the marshal for the liberation of the Czech capital. Moscow saluted the troops of I. S. Konev 57 times.

In the post-war period, the marshal was the Commander-in-Chief of the Ground Forces (1946-1950; 1955-1956), the first Commander-in-Chief of the Joint Armed Forces of the States Parties to the Warsaw Pact (1956-1960).

Marshal I. S. Konev - twice Hero of the Soviet Union, Hero of the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic (1970), Hero of the Mongolian People's Republic (1971). The bronze bust was installed at home in the village of Lodeyno.

He wrote memoirs: "Forty-fifth" and "Notes of the front commander."

Marshal I.S. Konev had:

two Gold Stars of the Hero of the Soviet Union (07/29/1944, 06/1/1945),
7 orders of Lenin,
order of the October Revolution,
3 Orders of the Red Banner,
2 orders of Kutuzov 1st degree,
order of the Red Star,
a total of 17 orders and 10 medals;
honorary nominal weapon - a sword with the Golden Emblem of the USSR (1968),
24 foreign awards (including 13 foreign orders).

He was buried on Red Square in Moscow near the Kremlin wall.

Govorov Leonid Alexandrovich

10(22).02.1897-19.03.1955
Marshal of the Soviet Union

Born in the village of Butyrki near Vyatka in the family of a peasant who later became an employee in the city of Yelabuga. A student of the Petrograd Polytechnic Institute L. Govorov in 1916 became a cadet of the Konstantinovsky Artillery School. Combat activity began in 1918 as an officer of the White Army of Admiral Kolchak.

In 1919, he volunteered for the Red Army, participated in battles on the Eastern and Southern fronts, commanded an artillery division, was wounded twice - near Kakhovka and Perekop.
In 1933 he graduated from the Military Academy. Frunze, and then the Academy of the General Staff (1938). Participated in the war with Finland in 1939-1940.

In the Great Patriotic War (1941-1945), artillery general L. A. Govorov became commander of the 5th Army, which defended the approaches to Moscow in the central direction. In the spring of 1942, on the instructions of I.V. Stalin, he went to the besieged Leningrad, where he soon led the front (pseudonyms: Leonidov, Leonov, Gavrilov). On January 18, 1943, the troops of Generals Govorov and Meretskov broke through the blockade of Leningrad (Operation Iskra), delivering a counterattack near Shlisselburg. A year later, they struck a new blow, crushing the "Northern Wall" of the Germans, completely lifting the blockade of Leningrad. The German troops of Field Marshal von Küchler suffered huge losses. In June 1944, the troops of the Leningrad Front carried out the Vyborg operation, broke through the "Mannerheim Line" and took the city of Vyborg. L. A. Govorov became the Marshal of the Soviet Union (06/18/1944). In the fall of 1944, Govorov's troops liberated Estonia by breaking into the Panther enemy defenses.

While remaining commander of the Leningrad Front, the marshal was at the same time the representative of the Stavka in the Baltic states. He was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. In May 1945, the German Army Group "Kurland" surrendered to the troops of the front.

Moscow saluted 14 times to the troops of commander L. A. Govorov. In the post-war period, the marshal became the first Commander-in-Chief of the country's air defense.

Marshal L. A. Govorov had:

Gold Star of the Hero of the Soviet Union (27.01.1945), 5 Orders of Lenin,
Order "Victory" (05/31/1945),
3 Orders of the Red Banner,
2 orders of Suvorov 1st degree,
Order of Kutuzov 1st degree,
Order of the Red Star - a total of 13 orders and 7 medals,
Tuvan "Order of the Republic",
3 foreign orders.

He died in 1955 at the age of 59. He was buried on Red Square in Moscow near the Kremlin wall.

Rokossovsky Konstantin Konstantinovich

December 9(21), 1896—August 3, 1968
Marshal of the Soviet Union,
Marshal of Poland

Born in Velikie Luki in the family of a railway engineer, Pole Xavier Jozef Rokossovsky, who soon moved to live in Warsaw. Service began in 1914 in the Russian army. Participated in the First World War. He fought in a dragoon regiment, was a non-commissioned officer, twice wounded in battle, awarded the St. George Cross and 2 medals. Red Guard (1917). During the Civil War, he was again wounded 2 times, fought on the Eastern Front against the troops of Admiral Kolchak and in Transbaikalia against Baron Ungern; commanded a squadron, division, cavalry regiment; awarded 2 orders of the Red Banner. In 1929 he fought against the Chinese at Jalaynor (conflict on the CER). In 1937-1940. was imprisoned, being the victim of slander.

During the Great Patriotic War (1941-1945) he commanded a mechanized corps, army, fronts (Pseudonyms: Kostin, Dontsov, Rumyantsev). He distinguished himself in the battle of Smolensk (1941). Hero of the Battle of Moscow (09/30/1941-01/08/1942). He was seriously wounded near Sukhinichi. During the Battle of Stalingrad (1942-1943), the Don Front of Rokossovsky, together with other fronts, surrounded 22 enemy divisions with a total number of 330 thousand people (Operation Uranus). At the beginning of 1943, the Don Front liquidated the encircled group of Germans (Operation "Ring"). Field Marshal F. Paulus was taken prisoner (3-day mourning was declared in Germany). In the Battle of Kursk (1943), Rokossovsky's Central Front defeated the German troops of General Model (Operation Kutuzov) near Orel, in honor of which Moscow gave its first salute (08/05/1943). In the grandiose Belorussian operation (1944), Rokossovsky’s 1st Belorussian Front defeated Field Marshal von Bush’s Army Group Center and, together with the troops of General I. D. Chernyakhovsky, surrounded up to 30 dredge divisions in the Minsk Cauldron (Operation Bagration) . June 29, 1944 Rokossovsky was awarded the title of Marshal of the Soviet Union. The highest military orders "Virtuti Military" and the cross of "Grunwald" 1st class became the award to the marshal for the liberation of Poland.

At the final stage of the war, the 2nd Belorussian Front of Rokossovsky participated in the East Prussian, Pomeranian and Berlin operations. Moscow saluted the troops of commander Rokossovsky 63 times. On June 24, 1945, twice Hero of the Soviet Union, holder of the Order of Victory, Marshal K.K. Rokossovsky commanded the Victory Parade on Red Square in Moscow. In 1949-1956, K.K. Rokossovsky was the Minister of National Defense of the Polish People's Republic. He was awarded the title Marshal of Poland (1949). Returning to the Soviet Union, he became the chief inspector of the USSR Ministry of Defense.

Wrote memoirs "Soldier's Duty".

Marshal K.K. Rokossovsky had:

2 Gold Stars of the Hero of the Soviet Union (07/29/1944, 06/1/1945),
7 orders of Lenin,
Order "Victory" (03/30/1945),
order of the October Revolution,
6 Orders of the Red Banner,
Order of Suvorov 1st degree,
Order of Kutuzov 1st degree,
a total of 17 orders and 11 medals;
honorary weapon - a checker with the golden Emblem of the USSR (1968),
13 foreign awards (including 9 foreign orders)

He was buried on Red Square in Moscow near the Kremlin wall. A bronze bust of Rokossovsky was installed in his homeland (Velikiye Luki).

Malinovsky Rodion Yakovlevich

11(23).11.1898-31.03.1967
Marshal of the Soviet Union,
Minister of Defense of the USSR

Born in Odessa, grew up without a father. In 1914, he volunteered for the front of the 1st World War, where he was seriously wounded and awarded the St. George Cross of the 4th degree (1915). In February 1916 he was sent to France as part of the Russian Expeditionary Force. There he was again wounded and received a French military cross. Returning to his homeland, he voluntarily joined the Red Army (1919), fought against the Whites in Siberia. In 1930 he graduated from the Military Academy. M. V. Frunze. In 1937-1938, he volunteered to fight in Spain (under the pseudonym "Malino") on the side of the republican government, for which he received the Order of the Red Banner.

In the Great Patriotic War (1941-1945) he commanded a corps, an army, a front (pseudonyms: Yakovlev, Rodionov, Morozov). Distinguished himself in the Battle of Stalingrad. Malinovsky's army, in cooperation with other armies, stopped and then defeated Field Marshal E. von Manstein's Army Group Don, which was trying to release the Paulus group surrounded by Stalingrad. The troops of General Malinovsky liberated Rostov and Donbass (1943), participated in the cleansing of the Right-Bank Ukraine from the enemy; having defeated the troops of E. von Kleist, they took Odessa on April 10, 1944; together with the troops of General Tolbukhin, they defeated the southern wing of the enemy front, surrounding 22 German divisions and the 3rd Romanian army in the Iasi-Kishinev operation (20-29.08.1944). During the fighting, Malinovsky was slightly wounded; On September 10, 1944, he was awarded the title of Marshal of the Soviet Union. The troops of the 2nd Ukrainian Front of Marshal R. Ya. Malinovsky liberated Romania, Hungary, Austria, and Czechoslovakia. On August 13, 1944, they entered Bucharest, took Budapest by storm (02/13/1945), liberated Prague (05/09/1945). Marshal was awarded the Order of Victory.

Since July 1945, Malinovsky commanded the Trans-Baikal Front (pseudonym Zakharov), which dealt the main blow to the Japanese Kwantung Army in Manchuria (08.1945). The troops of the front reached Port Arthur. Marshal received the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.

49 times Moscow saluted the troops of the commander Malinovsky.

On October 15, 1957, Marshal R. Ya. Malinovsky was appointed Minister of Defense of the USSR. He remained in this position until the end of his life.

Marshal's Peru owns the books "Soldiers of Russia", "Angry whirlwinds of Spain"; under his leadership, "Iasi-Chisinau "Cannes"", "Budapest - Vienna - Prague", "Final" and other works were written.

Marshal R. Ya. Malinovsky had:

2 Gold Stars of the Hero of the Soviet Union (09/08/1945, 11/22/1958),
5 orders of Lenin,
3 Orders of the Red Banner,
2 orders of Suvorov 1st degree,
Order of Kutuzov 1st degree,
a total of 12 orders and 9 medals;
as well as 24 foreign awards (including 15 orders of foreign states). In 1964 he was awarded the title People's Hero of Yugoslavia.

The bronze bust of the marshal is installed in Odessa. He was buried in Red Square near the Kremlin wall.

Tolbukhin Fedor Ivanovich

4(16).6.1894-10.17.1949
Marshal of the Soviet Union

Born in the village of Androniki near Yaroslavl in a peasant family. Worked as an accountant in Petrograd. In 1914 he was an ordinary motorcyclist. Becoming an officer, he participated in battles with the Austro-German troops, was awarded the crosses of Anna and Stanislav.

In the Red Army since 1918; fought on the fronts of the Civil War against the troops of General N. N. Yudenich, Poles and Finns. He was awarded the Order of the Red Banner.

In the post-war period, Tolbukhin worked in staff positions. In 1934 he graduated from the Military Academy. M. V. Frunze. In 1940 he became a general.

During the Great Patriotic War (1941-1945) he was chief of staff of the front, commanded the army, the front. He distinguished himself in the Battle of Stalingrad, commanding the 57th Army. In the spring of 1943, Tolbukhin became the commander of the Southern, and from October - the 4th Ukrainian Front, from May 1944 until the end of the war - the 3rd Ukrainian Front. The troops of General Tolbukhin defeated the enemy on Miussa and Molochnaya, liberated Taganrog and Donbass. In the spring of 1944 they invaded the Crimea and on May 9 they took Sevastopol by storm. In August 1944, together with the troops of R. Ya. Malinovsky, they defeated the army group "Southern Ukraine" gene. Mr. Frizner in the Iasi-Kishinev operation. On September 12, 1944, F.I. Tolbukhin was awarded the title of Marshal of the Soviet Union.

Tolbukhin's troops liberated Romania, Bulgaria, Yugoslavia, Hungary and Austria. Moscow saluted Tolbukhin's troops 34 times. At the Victory Parade on June 24, 1945, the marshal led the column of the 3rd Ukrainian Front.

The health of the marshal, undermined by wars, began to fail, and in 1949 F.I. Tolbukhin died at the age of 56. Three days of mourning was declared in Bulgaria; the city of Dobrich was renamed to the city of Tolbukhin.

In 1965, Marshal F.I. Tolbukhin was posthumously awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.

People's Hero of Yugoslavia (1944) and "Hero of the People's Republic of Bulgaria" (1979).

Marshal F.I. Tolbukhin had:

2 orders of Lenin,
Order "Victory" (04/26/1945),
3 Orders of the Red Banner,
2 orders of Suvorov 1st degree,
Order of Kutuzov 1st degree,
order of the Red Star,
a total of 10 orders and 9 medals;
as well as 10 foreign awards (including 5 foreign orders).

He was buried on Red Square in Moscow near the Kremlin wall.

Meretskov Kirill Afanasyevich

May 26 (June 7), 1897—December 30, 1968
Marshal of the Soviet Union

Born in the village of Nazaryevo near Zaraysk, Moscow Region, in a peasant family. Prior to serving in the army, he worked as a mechanic. In the Red Army since 1918. During the Civil War he fought on the Eastern and Southern fronts. Participated in battles in the ranks of the 1st Cavalry against the Poles of Pilsudski. He was awarded the Order of the Red Banner.

In 1921 he graduated from the Military Academy of the Red Army. In 1936-1937, under the pseudonym "Petrovich", he fought in Spain (he was awarded the Orders of Lenin and the Red Banner). During the Soviet-Finnish War (December 1939 - March 1940) he commanded the army that broke through the "Manerheim Line" and took Vyborg, for which he was awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union (1940).
During the Great Patriotic War, he commanded the troops of the northern directions (pseudonyms: Afanasiev, Kirillov); was the representative of the Headquarters on the North-Western Front. He commanded the army, the front. In 1941, Meretskov inflicted the first serious defeat in the war on the troops of Field Marshal Leeb near Tikhvin. On January 18, 1943, the troops of Generals Govorov and Meretskov, inflicting a counterattack near Shlisselburg (Operation Iskra), broke through the blockade of Leningrad. On January 20, Novgorod was taken. In February 1944 he became commander of the Karelian Front. In June 1944, Meretskov and Govorov defeated Marshal K. Mannerheim in Karelia. In October 1944, Meretskov's troops defeated the enemy in the Arctic near Pechenga (Petsamo). On October 26, 1944, K. A. Meretskov received the title of Marshal of the Soviet Union, and from the Norwegian King Haakon VII, the Grand Cross of St. Olaf.

In the spring of 1945, the “cunning Yaroslavets” (as Stalin called him) under the name of “General Maksimov” was sent to the Far East. In August-September 1945, his troops participated in the defeat of the Kwantung Army, breaking into Manchuria from Primorye and liberating the regions of China and Korea.

Moscow saluted the troops of the commander Meretskov 10 times.

Marshal K. A. Meretskov had:

Gold Star of the Hero of the Soviet Union (03/21/1940), 7 Orders of Lenin,
Order "Victory" (09/08/1945),
order of the October Revolution,
4 orders of the Red Banner,
2 orders of Suvorov 1st degree,
Order of Kutuzov 1st degree,
10 medals;
honorary weapons - a sword with the Golden Emblem of the USSR, as well as 4 higher foreign orders and 3 medals.

Wrote memoirs "In the service of the people." He was buried on Red Square in Moscow near the Kremlin wall.

The USSR was awarded 41 men. In the same year, they were the first five Marshals of the Soviet Union - S.M. Budyonny, K.E. Voroshilov, V.K. Blucher, A.I. Egorov and M.N. Tukhachevsky. The last three were overtaken by repressions, they were shot and tortured to death. Later, they are rehabilitated by returning their titles posthumously.

In the 40s, B.M. Shaposhnikov, S.K. Timoshenko and G.I. Sandpiper. Grigory Ivanovich Kulik was overtaken by the same fate as Yegorov and Tukhachevsky. Later, the title will be assigned to each individually, with the help of special decrees. The reason for this was an emergency.

During the Great Patriotic War, the marshals were: G.K. Zhukov, I.V. Stalin, I.S. Konev, K.A. Meretskov, K.K. Rokossovsky, L.A. Govorov, R.Ya. Malinovsky and F.I. Tolbukhin. In 1945, General Commissar of State Security Lavrenty Beria was also equated with the rank of marshal. With the advent of Khrushchev, he was arrested, stripped of his regalia and shot. This was one of the few cases where the marshal was not rehabilitated. ON THE. Bulganin and V.D. Sokolovsky in 1946-1947, as major military commanders, was also awarded a significant rank - Marshal of the Soviet Union. These were the last "Stalinist" marshals.

It is curious that Sokolovsky was more a politician than a military man, and was in charge of political affairs. Bulganin in the late 50s will be deprived of the title for anti-party activities. By the tenth anniversary of the Victory, 6 military leaders became Marshals of the Soviet Union, including V.I. Chuikov, A.I. Eremenko, A.A. Grechko. In 1959, M.V. also received a marshal appointment. Zakharov. In the 60s and mid-70s, 8 more people were nominated for the title, among them L.I. Brezhnev, N.I. Krylov and P.K. Koshevoy. In 1990, D.T. became the last marshal of the USSR. Yazov. Despite the fact that he was arrested as a member of the State Emergency Committee, he did not lose his rank. The title of marshal was also preserved in the Russian Federation.

Red marshals

Personal in the USSR, liquidated shortly after the October Revolution, returned to the country's Armed Forces only on September 22, 1935. Chief in the Red Army, the Workers 'and Peasants' Red Army, the title of Marshal of the Soviet Union was approved. In total, it was assigned to 41 people. Including 36 military leaders and five political figures, including Lavrenty Beria and Leonid Brezhnev.

Its first owners, two months after the release of the Decree of the Central Executive Committee and the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR, were five famous Soviet army commanders who became famous during the Civil War - Vasily Blucher, Semyon Budyonny, Kliment Voroshilov, Alexander Egorov and Mikhail Tukhachevsky. But before the start of the war, out of five, only Semyon Budyonny and Kliment Voroshilov survived and served, who did not show anything special at the front.

The rest of the military leaders were soon removed from their posts by their comrades in the party and weapons, convicted on false charges and shot as enemies of the people and fascist spies: Mikhail Tukhachevsky in 1937, Vasily Blyukher in 1938, Alexander Yegorov a year later. Moreover, in the heat of pre-war repressions, they even forgot to officially deprive the last two of their marshal ranks. All of them were rehabilitated only after the death of Stalin and Beria.

Fleet flagships

By decree of 1935, the highest naval rank was also introduced - the flagship of the fleet of the first rank. The first such flagships are also the repressed and posthumously rehabilitated Mikhail Viktorov and Vladimir Orlov. In 1940, this title was replaced by another, more familiar to sailors - Admiral of the Fleet, four years later it was assigned to Ivan Isakov and later demoted Nikolai Kuznetsov.

Another reform of the highest military ranks in the Soviet Union happened in the second half of the Great Patriotic War. Then the Chief Marshals of Aviation, Artillery, Armored and Engineering Troops appeared additionally, as well as. And in the table of ranks of the Navy, the rank of Admiral of the Fleet of the Soviet Union was introduced, similar to the Marshal of the Soviet Union. There were only three of them in the USSR - Nikolai Kuznetsov, Ivan Isakov and Sergey Gorshkov.

Generalissimo in the museum

The marshal rank was the highest in the Soviet country until June 26, 1945. Until, at the “request of the public” and a group of Soviet military leaders led by Marshal of the Soviet Union Konstantin Rokossovsky, a Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR appeared on the establishment of the title of Generalissimo that already existed in the Russian Empire.

They, in particular, were an associate of Peter I, Duke Alexander Menshikov and the famous military leader Alexander Suvorov. A day after the release of the document, the Soviet Generalissimo No. 1 himself appeared. This title was awarded to the head of the USSR and the Red Army, Joseph Stalin. By the way, Iosif Vissarionovich never wore a uniform with epaulettes, designed specifically for Stalin, and after his death in March 53, she went to the museum.

However, a similar fate awaited the title itself, nominally preserved in the military hierarchy of the Soviet Union and Russia until 1993. Although some historians argue that in the 60-70s, several attempts were made to assign it to the new leaders of the party and the country - who had front-line merits and military ranks, Lieutenant General Nikita Khrushchev and Major General Leonid Brezhnev.

Minister from the State Emergency Committee

With the end of the Stalin era, the title of Marshal of the Soviet Union again became the main one. The last one to whom it was assigned was Dmitry Yazov, who had passed the path to him from junior lieutenant and commander of a rifle platoon at the front. In 1991, Yazov was dismissed from the post of Minister of Defense of the USSR after the putsch and the overthrow of the so-called GKChP in the country. He did not dare to shoot himself, as Minister of the Interior Boris Pugo did.

In 1993, after the release of the Russian Law on military service, instead of the Marshal of the Soviet Union, a Marshal of the Russian Federation of the same status appeared. But for all 20 plus years of existence

On this topic: Stalin and the conspirators of the forty-first year || Who missed the beginning of the Second World War

Disgraced Marshal
February 18 marked the 120th anniversary of the birth of S.K. Timoshenko / History of WWII: Facts and Interpretations. Mikhail Zakharchuk

During the years of Soviet power, the high military rank of marshal was awarded 41 times. Semyon Konstantinovich Timoshenko(1895-1970) received it in May 1940, becoming the sixth and youngest Marshal of the Soviet Union at that time. In terms of age, no one subsequently surpassed him. Other

Marshal Timoshenko

The future marshal was born in the village of Furmanovka, Odessa region. In the winter of 1914 he was drafted into the army. As a machine gunner, he took part in the battles on the Southwestern and Western fronts. He fought famously - he was awarded three St. George's crosses. But he also had a strong personality.

In 1917, a court-martial brought him to justice for the impudent beating of an officer. Miraculously released from the investigation, Timoshenko participates in the suppression of the speeches of Kornilov and Kaledin. And then decisively goes to the Red Army. He commanded a platoon, a squadron. At the head of a cavalry regiment, he participated in the defense of Tsaritsyn, where, according to some biographers of the military leader, he first came to Stalin's field of vision. At the end of the Civil War, he commanded the 4th Cavalry Division in the famous 1st Cavalry Army. He was wounded five times, awarded three Orders of the Red Banner and Honorary Revolutionary Weapons. Then there were studies and just the same rapid advancement in the military career ladder. In the early thirties, Semyon Konstantinovich was just an assistant to the commander of the troops of the Belarusian Military District for cavalry. And after a few years, he was in turn assigned to command the troops of the North Caucasian, Kharkov, Kiev, Kiev Special Military Districts. During the Polish campaign of 1939, he led the Ukrainian front. In September 1935, Timoshenko became a corps commander, two years later - commander of the 2nd rank, and from February 8, 1939, commander of the 1st rank and holder of the Order of Lenin.

In 1939, the war with Finland began. Stalin's opinion on this matter is known: “Did the Government and the Party act correctly in declaring war on Finland? This question specifically concerns the Red Army. Could the war have been avoided? It seems to me that it was impossible. It was impossible to do without war. The war was necessary, since peace negotiations with Finland did not produce results, and the security of Leningrad had to be ensured unconditionally, because its security is the security of our Fatherland. Not only because Leningrad represents 30-35 percent of the defense industry of our country and, therefore, the fate of our country depends on the integrity and safety of Leningrad, but also because Leningrad is the second capital of our country.

On the eve of hostilities, the leader summoned all the Soviet generals to the Kremlin and posed the question point-blank: "Who is ready to take command?" There was an oppressive silence. And then Timoshenko got up: “I hope I won’t let you down, Comrade Stalin” - “Good, Comrade Timoshenko. So we'll decide."

This situation only at first glance looks simple and unsophisticated. In fact, everything was more than complicated, and even today, burdened with voluminous historical knowledge, it is difficult for us to imagine the full degree of that complexity. At the end of the thirties, the relationship between the leader and that same generals escalated to the point. In those extreme conditions, Tymoshenko not only showed his loyalty to the leader, which in itself is also a lot, given the above, but also fully shared with him the overwhelming burden of responsibility for the course and outcome of the Finnish campaign, which was unprecedented in severity. By the way, it was under the direct supervision of Semyon Konstantinovich that the "Mannerheim Line" was overcome - one of the most complex engineering and fortification structures at that time.

After the Finnish campaign, Timoshenko was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union for "exemplary performance of command assignments and the courage and heroism shown at the same time"; he was appointed People's Commissar of Defense of the USSR, became Marshal of the Soviet Union. The fact that this generosity of Stalin was not just a form of his gratitude, but was dictated by the strategic considerations of the leader, is perfectly evidenced by the following historical document, if not composed by Semyon Konstantinovich, then, of course, verified by him personally to the last point and comma. So, in front of me is the “Act on the reception of the People's Commissariat of Defense of the USSR Comrade. Timoshenko S.K. from comrade Voroshilova K.E.” This highly classified document contains over fifty pages of typewritten text. Here are excerpts from it. “The current regulation on the People's Commissariat of Defense, approved by the Government in 1934, is outdated, does not correspond to the existing structure and does not reflect the modern tasks assigned to the People's Commissariat of Defense. The newly created departments exist according to temporary provisions. The structure of other directorates (General Staff, Art. Directorate, Communications Directorate, Construction and Apartment Directorate, Air Force and Inspection Directorate) is not approved. There are 1,080 operating charters, manuals and manuals in the army, but the charters: field service, combat charters of the armed forces, internal service, disciplinary require a radical revision. Most military units exist in temporary states. 1400 states and tables, according to which the troops live and are supplied, have not been approved by anyone. Questions of the military legislation are not adjusted. The control over the execution of the given orders and decisions of the Government is extremely poorly organized. There is no living, effective leadership in the training of troops. On-site verification, as a system, was not carried out and was replaced by paper reports.

There is no operational plan for the war in the West in connection with the occupation of Western Ukraine and Western Belarus; in Transcaucasia - in connection with a sharp change in the situation; in the Far East and Transbaikalia - due to changes in the composition of the troops. The General Staff does not have accurate data on the state of the state border cover along its entire perimeter.

Management of the operational training of senior officers and staffs was expressed only in planning it and issuing directives. The People's Commissar of Defense and the General Staff did not conduct classes with senior officers. There is no control over operational training in the districts. There are no firmly established views on the use of tanks, aviation and airborne assault forces. The preparation of the theaters of operations for war is in all respects extremely weak. The prefield system has not been finally developed, and in the districts this issue is resolved in different ways. There are no instructions from the NGOs and the General Staff to keep the old fortified areas in combat readiness. The new fortified areas do not have their weapons. The need for troops in the cards is not provided. The People's Commissariat does not have a precisely established number of the Red Army at the time of admission. The plan for the dismissal of assigned staff is in the process of being developed. Organizational events for rifle divisions have not been completed. Divisions do not have new states. The rank and file and junior command staff are weak in their training. Western districts (KOVO, ZapOVO and ODVO) are oversaturated with people who do not know the Russian language. A new provision defining the order of service has not been drawn up.

Mobilization plan violated. The People's Commissariat of Defense has no new plan. The re-registration of the reserve for military service has not been carried out since 1927. The unsatisfactory state of accounting for horses, carts, teams and vehicles. The shortage of vehicles is 108,000 vehicles. Instructions on mobilization work in the troops and military registration and enlistment offices are outdated. The shortage of commanders in the army is 21 percent. to the staffing. The quality of command staff training is low, especially at the platoon-company level, in which up to 68 percent have only a short-term 6-month training course for junior lieutenant. For the complete mobilization of the army in wartime, 290,000 reserve command personnel are missing. There is no plan for the preparation and replenishment of reserve officers.

The orders on the tasks of combat training issued annually by the People's Commissar for a number of years repeated the same tasks, which were never fully carried out, and those who did not comply with the order remained unpunished.

The infantry is weaker than all other branches of the military. The material part of the Red Army Air Force in its development lags behind the aviation of the advanced armies of other countries in terms of speed, engine power, armament and strength of aircraft.

Airborne units did not receive proper development. The presence of the material part of artillery lags behind in large calibers. The supply of 152-mm howitzers and cannons is 78 percent, and 44 percent of 203-mm howitzers. The supply of larger calibers (280 mm and above) is completely insufficient. Meanwhile, the experience of breaking through the Mannerheim Line showed that 203-mm howitzers are not powerful enough to destroy and destroy modern pillboxes. The Red Army turned out to be unprovided with mortars and unprepared for their use. The supply of engineering units with the main types of weapons is only 40 - 60 percent. The latest means of engineering technology: trench diggers, deep drilling tools, new road machines have not been introduced into the arsenal of the engineering troops. The introduction of new means of radio engineering is extremely slow and insufficient. The troops are poorly provided for almost all types of communications equipment. Of the 63 items of chemical weapons, only 21 items have been approved and put into service. The condition and armament of the cavalry are satisfactory (highlighted by me - M.Z.). Questions of intelligence organization are the weakest area in the work of the People's Commissariat of Defense. Proper protection against air attack is not provided. Over the past two years, there has not been a single special rear exercise in the army, there have been no training camps for rear service commanders, although the order of the People's Commissar proposed not to conduct a single exercise without working out rear issues. The charter of the rear is classified and the command staff does not know it. The mobilization security of the army in terms of basic items (headgear, overcoats, summer uniforms, linen and footwear) is extremely low. Mutual stocks for parts, carryover stocks for substores are not created. Fuel reserves are extremely low and provide the army for only 1/2 month of the war.

The sanitary service in the Red Army, as the experience of the war with the White Finns showed, turned out to be insufficiently prepared for a big war, there were not enough medical personnel, especially surgeons, medical equipment and medical transport. The existing network of higher military educational institutions (16 military academies and 9 military faculties) and ground military educational institutions (136 military schools) does not meet the needs of the army in command personnel. The quality of training both in academies and in military schools needs to be improved.

The existing cumbersome organization of the central apparatus, with an insufficiently clear distribution of functions between departments, does not ensure the successful and rapid fulfillment of the tasks assigned to the People's Commissariat of Defense, newly set by modern warfare.

Passed - Voroshilov. Accepted - Tymoshenko. Chairman of the Commission Secretary of the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks - Zhdanov. Secretary of the Central Committee of the CPSU - Malenkov. Members - Voznesensky. TsAMO, f. 32, op. 11309, d. 15, ll. 1-31".

And here are excerpts from Stalin's speech to graduates of military academies on May 5, 1941: “Comrades, you left the army three or four years ago, now you will return to its ranks and you will not recognize the army. The Red Army is no longer what it was a few years ago. What was the Red Army like 3-4 years ago? The main arm of the army was the infantry. She was armed with a rifle, which was reloaded after each shot, light and heavy machine guns, howitzers and a cannon, which had an initial speed of up to 900 meters per second. The planes had a speed of 400 - 500 kilometers per hour. The tanks had thin armor to withstand the 37mm cannon. Our division numbered up to 18,000 men, but this was not yet an indicator of its strength. What has the Red Army become at the present time? We have rebuilt our army, armed it with modern military equipment. Previously, there were 120 divisions in the Red Army. Now we have 300 divisions in the army. Of the 100 divisions, two thirds are armored and one third are mechanized. The army this year will have 50,000 tractors and trucks. Our tanks have changed their appearance. We have tanks of the first line, which will tear the front. There are tanks of the second or third line - these are infantry escort tanks. Increased firepower of tanks. Modern warfare has amended and raised the role of guns. Previously, the speed of aviation was considered ideal 400 - 500 km per hour. Now it is already behind. We have in sufficient quantity and mass-produce aircraft capable of speeds of 600-650 km per hour. These are first line aircraft. In case of war, these aircraft will be used in the first place. They will also clear the way for our relatively obsolete I-15, I-16 and I-153 (Chaika) and SB aircraft. If we had let these cars go first, they would have been beaten. Previously, no attention was paid to such cheap artillery, but to a valuable kind of weapon, like mortars. We neglected them, now we are armed with modern mortars of various calibers. There were no scooter units before, now we have created them - this motorized cavalry, and we have them in sufficient numbers. To manage all this new technology - the new army, command cadres are needed who know modern military art to perfection. These are the changes that have taken place in the organization of the Red Army. When you come to the Red Army units, you will see the changes that have taken place.”

The merit of Tymoshenko in the "changes that have taken place" simply cannot be overestimated. Sometimes you think: why would Hitler attack us when the army was led by Klim Voroshilov, who really cared only about the cavalry?

However, Semyon Konstantinovich had the will, knowledge and skills to radically change the situation in the Red Army.

After all, the cited document not only named shortcomings, but also proposed radical measures to eliminate them. At the same time, the young marshal headed the People's Commissariat of Defense for only 14 months! Of course, in such a short period it was impossible to completely complete the reorganization and technical re-equipment of the troops. But still, how much they did! In September 1940, Timoshenko wrote a memorandum addressed to Stalin and Molotov, in which he amazingly accurately predicted how military operations would develop if Germany attacked us, which he personally did not doubt one iota.

You can write a book about Marshal Tymoshenko's Great Patriotic War. In fact, it has already been written by as many as three authors. Unfortunately, this collective work is sustained in the spirit of agitprop of the fifties, although the voluminous work was published in the so-called post-perestroika period. The main thing - the Kharkov operation of 1942 or the Second Battle of Kharkov - is generally said in an indistinct patter. Meanwhile, this strategic offensive of the Soviet troops eventually ended in the encirclement and almost complete destruction of the advancing forces. Due to the catastrophe near Kharkov, the rapid advance of the Germans with the subsequent exit to Stalingrad became possible. In the “Barvenkovskaya trap” alone, our losses amounted to 270 thousand people, 171 thousand were irretrievable. Lieutenant-General F.Ya., Deputy Commander of the Southwestern Front, died surrounded. Kostenko, commander of the 6th Army, Lieutenant General A.M. Gorodnyansky, commander of the 57th Army, Lieutenant General K.P. Podlas, commander of the army group, Major General L.V. Bobkin and several division generals. The commander-in-chief of the troops of the South-Western direction was Marshal Timoshenko, the chief of staff I.Kh. Bagramyan, member of the Military Council N.S. Khrushchev. Semyon Konstantinovich himself barely escaped captivity and, returning to Headquarters, of course, prepared for the worst. However, Stalin forgave all the surviving military leaders, including Timoshenko. Some of them, like the same Bagramyan, R.Ya. Malinovsky, who commanded the Southern Front, subsequently fully justified the trust of the leader. But Semyon Konstantinovich, after this, had another front-line tragedy.

As part of the strategic offensive plan, code-named "Polar Star", the North-Western Front, commanded by Timoshenko, carried out the Demyansk and Starorusskaya offensive operations. Their plan inspired considerable optimism, and Marshal of Artillery N.N. Voronov: “Near Demyansk, it was necessary to repeat, however, on a more modest scale, what had recently been carried out on the banks of the Volga. But even then, something confused me: the plan of the operation was developed without taking into account the nature of the terrain, the very unimportant road network, and most importantly, without taking into account the approaching spring thaw. The more I delved into the details of the plan, the more I became convinced of the truth of the saying: “It was smooth on paper, but they forgot about the ravines, and walk along them.” It was difficult to choose a more unfortunate direction for the use of artillery, tanks and other military equipment than what was planned in the plan. As a result, the losses of our troops amounted to about 280,000 people killed and wounded, while the army group "North" of the enemy lost only 78,115 people. More Stalin did not instruct Timoshenko to command the fronts.

In fairness, it should be noted that Semyon Konstantinovich never shifted his miscalculations to other military leaders and never cowardly humiliated himself in front of Stalin, as Khrushchev himself did.

He endured the disgrace courageously, stoically, and until the end of the war, being a representative of the Headquarters, he very skillfully, kindly and competently coordinated the actions of a number of fronts, took part in the development and conduct of several operations, such as Iasi-Kishinevskaya. In 1943, he was awarded the Order of Suvorov, 1st class, and, following the results of World War II, the Order of Victory.

As for the business qualities of the marshal, I do not use this for a figure of speech. “He had an unusual capacity for work,” wrote General of the Army A.I. Radzievsky. “He is amazingly hardy,” General I.V. Tyulenev. “Marshal Timoshenko worked 18-19 hours a day, often staying in his office until the morning,” G.K. echoes them. Zhukov. On another occasion, he, a person who was not very generous with praise, admitted: “Tymoshenko is an old and experienced military man, a persistent, strong-willed and educated person both tactically and operationally. In any case, he was a much better People's Commissar than Voroshilov, and in the short period that he was, he managed to turn something in the army for the better. Stalin was angry with him after Kharkov, and in general, and this affected his fate throughout the war. He was a hard man. In fact, he should have been Stalin's deputy, not me. Tymoshenko's special benevolence is noted in his memoirs by such military leaders as I.Kh. Bagramyan, M.F. Lukin, K.S. Moskalenko, V.M. Shatilov, S.M. Shtemenko, A.A. Grechko, A.D. Okorokov, I.S. Konev, V.I. Chuikov, K.A. Meretskov, S.M. Shtemenko. Frankly, a rather rare unanimity of military leaders in the assessment of a colleague.

... In April 1960, Timoshenko, always distinguished by good health, became seriously ill. A heavy smoker, he even gave up his addiction and soon recovered. He was elected chairman of the Soviet Committee of War Veterans. Those duties were not burdensome, so he spent most of his time at the dacha in Arkhangelskoye, next to Konev and Meretskov. I read a lot. In his personal library, there were more than two thousand books. Marshal was often visited by children and grandchildren, relatives. Olga's husband served as a military attaché in France. Konstantin married the daughter of Vasily Ivanovich Chuikov. He named his son Simon.

Timoshenko died in the year of his seventy-fifth birthday. Fate seemed to have saved him from further tragic losses. Grandson Vasily died from drugs. Then another grandson, the full namesake of the marshal, dies. Ninel Chuikova and Konstantin Timoshenko divorced. Yekaterina Timoshenko died tragically and under unclear circumstances in 1988.

The title was introduced along with other personal titles in 1935, before that, after the revolution, there were no proper ranks and titles, the naming was done, as a rule, according to the positions held. A relic of this was the name of the ranks introduced in the 35th: “commanders of the 1st and 2nd ranks”, “corps commander”, “commander of division”, “brigade commander”, “army commissars of the 1st and 2nd ranks”, corps, divisional, brigade , regimental, battalion (after the introduction in the 40th year of the rank of lieutenant colonel - 1st and 2nd ranks) commissars, senior political officers, political officers and ml. political instructors, fleet flagships of the 1st and 2nd ranks and flagships of the 1st and 2nd ranks, etc.

The marshal rank was established only for combined arms commanders and state security (called the "General Commissar of State Security") - for sailors, pilots, etc. analogues appeared much later.

Here is a list with the dates of awarding the title and brief, if possible, comments:

1. Voroshilov (November 20, 1935), wrote about him earlier, as about three times Hero in the "mix"
2. Tukhachevsky, Mikhail Nikolayevich (November 20, 1935, June 11, 1937, stripped of his rank and June 12, 1937 shot, posthumously. During the First World War, he was in captivity in the same cell with de Gaulle. Uncle - chamberlain. Distinguished himself, including suppression Tambov uprising with the use, as they say, of chemical weapons... against their own citizens...
Reinstated and rehabilitated January 31, 1957)
3. Budyonny (November 20, 1935), also three times Hero
4. Egorov, Alexander Ilyich (November 20, 1935) - shot February 23, 1939. March 14, 1956 rehabilitated. He was a member of the Special Judicial Presence, which tried Tukhachevsky, Yakir and others.
5. Blucher, Vasily Konstantinovich (November 20, 1935) - while in the rank of marshal on November 9, 1938, he died during the investigation in Lefortovo prison. Apparently he was beaten to death. The first who was awarded the very first Soviet order - the Red Banner of the RSFSR, the minister of the buffer state - the Far Eastern Republic, and after it became part of the RSFSR - the commander of the Separate Red Banner Far Eastern Army (actually on the rights of the font).

Thus, out of the first 5 Marshals, three were shot or killed.

6. Timoshenko, Semyon Konstantinovich (May 7, 1940). After Voroshilov, he became People's Commissar of Defense, then - his daughter married Vasily Stalin, and he became the only holder of the Order of Victory among the pre-war marshals and "cavalrymen" of the 1st Cavalry.
7. Kulik, Grigory Ivanovich (May 7, 1940, stripped of his rank on February 19, 1942, posthumously reinstated on September 28, 1957). "Cavalryman" of the 1st Cavalry, who, after being appointed head of the Main Artillery Directorate, advocated for "horse-drawn artillery." In fact, prevented the creation of modern artillery. For complete incompetence and unnecessary talk, he was demoted to major general, later promoted to lieutenant general, and then, after the war, arrested for "extra" talk about Stalin and shot.
8. Shaposhnikov, Boris Mikhailovich (May 7, 1940). The only person whom Stalin allowed to smoke in his office. He died shortly before Victory, still a young man. In addition to the famous book on staff work - "The Brain of the Army", - he left wonderful memories ending with the First World War.
9. Zhukov, Georgy Konstantinovich (January 18, 1943), see earlier, as about the four times Hero
10. Vasilevsky, Alexander Mikhailovich (February 16, 1943),. Like Stalin and Zhukov, twice holder of the Order of Victory, after the war he was Minister of the Armed Forces. Being a priest and a graduate of the Kostroma Seminary, he broke with his father and resumed communication after Stalin's personal instructions.
11. Stalin, Iosif Vissarionovich (March 6, 1943), Generalissimo of the Soviet Union (June 27, 1945)
12. Konev, Ivan Stepanovich (February 20, 1944). According to many historians, one of Zhukov's "competitors" as the most prominent marshal of the war. Led the trial of Beria
13. Govorov, Leonid Aleksandrovich (June 18, 1944). The most intelligent person according to the reviews of many memoirists. His son is a Hero and an army general.
14. Rokossovsky, Konstantin Konstantinovich (June 29, 1944; from the 49th Marshal of Poland, Minister of Defense of Poland, When the Poles "asked" him back to the USSR in the 56th, Khrushchev mortally offended him, saying to his face: "And we are to spite you We will appoint the Deputy Minister of Defense of the SSR to the POLES". A huge number of memoirs testify that he fought the least of all marshals with blood. Before the war, he sat, but managed to get out.
15. Malinovsky, Rodion Yakovlevich (September 10, 1944) Future Minister of Defense.
16. Tolbukhin, Fedor Ivanovich (September 12, 1944)
17. Meretskov, Kirill Afanasyevich (October 26, 1944). He also managed to “sit down” before the war, but, thank God, he left.
18. Beria, Lavrenty Pavlovich (July 9, 1945, stripped of his rank on June 26, 1953). On December 26, 1953 he was shot. Nothing to add.
19. Sokolovsky, Vasily Danilovich (July 3, 1946)
20. Bulganin, Nikolai Aleksandrovich (November 3, 1947, demoted to Colonel General on November 26, 1958). Minister of the Armed Forces, and then Chairman of the Council of Ministers. One of the main allies of Khrushchev, who later removed him.
21. Bagramyan, Ivan Khristoforovich (March 11, 1955)
22. Biryuzov, Sergei Semenovich (March 11, 1955)
23. Grechko, Andrei Antonovich (March 11, 1955). Future Minister of Defense.
24. Eremenko, Andrei Ivanovich (March 11, 1955)
25. Moskalenko, Kirill Semenovich (March 11, 1955). Played an important role in the arrest of Beria
26. Chuikov, Vasily Ivanovich (March 11, 1955)
27. Zakharov, Matvey Vasilyevich (May 8, 1959)
28. Golikov, Philip Ivanovich (May 6, 1961). On the eve of the war, he was the head of the Intelligence Agency.
29. Krylov, Nikolai Ivanovich (May 28, 1962)
30. Yakubovsky, Ivan Ignatievich (April 12, 1967)
31. Batitsky, Pavel Fedorovich (April 15, 1968)
32. Koshevoy, Pyotr Kirillovich (April 15, 1968)
33. Brezhnev, Leonid Ilyich (May 7, 1976). See the note about three or more Heroes.
34. Ustinov, Dmitry Fedorovich (July 30, 1976). See the note about three or more Heroes.
35. Kulikov, Victor Georgievich (January 14, 1977). He was the oldest deputy of the III State Duma and opened its first meeting. Oldest living Marshal by the time the rank was awarded.
36. Ogarkov, Nikolai Vasilyevich (January 14, 1977). Chief of the General Staff, allegedly the decline of his career is connected with the downed Korean Boeing.
37. Sokolov, Sergei Leonidovich (February 17, 1978). The Minister of Defense, who did not have time to become a member of the Politburo, was only a candidate member. Fired due to Rust's flight. Hello.
38. Akhromeev, Sergei Fedorovich (March 25, 1983). Gorbachev's adviser, former chief of the General Staff after Ogarkov, committed suicide in his Kremlin office after news of the failure of the State Emergency Committee
39. Kurkotkin, Semyon Konstantinovich (March 25, 1983)
40. Petrov, Vasily Ivanovich (March 25, 1983). hello
41. Yazov, Dmitry Timofeevich (April 28, 1990). The Minister of Defense, who became part of the State Emergency Committee, but after the death of three guys in the tunnel under Novy Arbat, gave up the withdrawal of troops from Moscow. Hello.

Thus, 4 Marshals of the Soviet Union are now alive. The Chief Marshals of the armed forces (I will write about them later) are no longer alive. The only Marshal of the Russian Federation, Minister of Defense, later Advisor to the President, Igor Dmitrievich Sergeev, died in 2006. Tukhachevsky, Blucher, Yegorov, Kulik, Beria were shot or died during the investigation, arrested: Rokossovsky, Meretskov, Yazov, demoted without reinstatement, in addition to those shot, Bulganin, there were cases of demotion to the assignment of a marshal.