On Tuesday, August 16, Major General Yevgeny Nikiforov took office as commander of the 20th Army stationed in Voronezh. Nikiforov's predecessor, Major General Sergei Kuzovlev, was transferred to the post of commander of the 58th Army, part of the Southern Military District.
Official sources report that in the 58th Army, Yevgeny Nikiforov served as deputy commander. It was this army that took part in military clashes with the Georgian armed forces in August 2008. According to some reports, Yevgeny Nikiforov was involved in the armed conflict in southeastern Ukraine.
However, little is officially reported about the new commander: he graduated from Kolomenskoye in 1991 artillery school, and in the spring of 2005 he became the commander of a separate airborne brigade. He received the ranks of major and lieutenant colonel ahead of schedule. The latter circumstance characterizes him as an officer with direct combat experience.
In fact, he demonstrated this experience almost immediately, declaring during the ceremony of assuming the post of commander of the 20th Army:
We have a very serious task ahead of us: forming two divisions. I'm sure that in deadlines we will complete these tasks on time, without undermining combat readiness and without reducing the level of combat training.
Let us recall that the 20th Army was redeployed to Voronezh from Germany in the early 1990s. The army headquarters functioned in our city for 16 years, after which, in 2010, this unit was transferred to the village of Mulino, Nizhny Novgorod region.
It is curious that it was in this village that alumni gatherings were held military department Voronezh State University.
The decision to return the 20th Army to Voronezh was made last spring. Against the backdrop of the flaring military confrontation in Ukraine, the state is preoccupied with strengthening the border military infrastructure.
In April 2015, the commander of the Western Military District, Colonel General Anatoly Sidorov, met with the Voronezh governor Alexei Gordeev. After this meeting, the head of the region announced the “importance for Voronezh region the return of the 20th Army here."
We are happy about the redeployment. At one time, the army was seen off with sadness, because it was always very prestigious for us that it was stationed here,” Alexey Gordeev said then.
The return of the army implied the creation of new infrastructure in the region. According to federal press reports, General Sidorov told Governor Gordeev that the Ministry of Defense plans to build a new military camp in the area of the Baltimore airfield.
There was also talk about expanding the test site located in the Bogucharsky district. As noted, for final decision this issue The Ministry of Defense needs to further explore the issue with the government bordering the region Rostov region, which is part of the Southern Military District.
In fact, the 20th Army returned to Voronezh in July last year, but for the time being there were no structural changes in its staff. Construction of a military camp did not begin in the area of the Baltimore airfield.
As for Boguchar, the Ministry of Defense eventually announced its intention to create there military base by 5.2 thousand people. According to the calculations of the military department, the construction of this base will cost 2.17 billion rubles.
The statement by the new commander of the 20th Army, General Yevgeny Nikiforov, about the immediate start of the formation of two new divisions, obviously means that after some calm in the Voronezh region they will again begin the costly business of military construction.
The staff strength of one ground division ranges from 12 thousand people to 24 thousand people. It seems that many young Voronezh residents will soon have a chance to prove themselves in military service.
The transfer of the commander of the 2nd Shock Army A. A. Vlasov to the service of the Germans was, of course, one of the most unpleasant episodes of the war for our country. There were other Red Army officers who became traitors, but Vlasov was the highest-ranking and most famous.
To say that Vlasov’s colleagues who wrote memoirs after the war were put in an awkward position is to say nothing. If you write about a former commander, they’ll say, “How come you didn’t see that bastard?” If you write badly, they will say: “Why didn’t you ring the bells? Why didn’t you report and tell where it should go?”
In the simplest case, they preferred to simply not mention Vlasov’s last name. For example, one of the officers of the 32nd Panzer Division of the 4th Mechanized Corps describes his meeting with him as follows: “ Leaning out of the cockpit, I noticed that the regiment commander was talking to high general spectacled. I recognized him immediately. This is the commander of our 4th mechanized corps. I approached them and introduced myself to the corps commander."(Egorov A.V. With faith in victory (Notes of the commander tank regiment). M.: Voenizdat, 1974, P.16). The surname “Vlasov” is not mentioned at all throughout the entire narrative of the battles in Ukraine in June 1941. In the case of the 4th Mechanized Corps, the taboo imposed on the name of the traitor general rather played into the hands of Soviet historiography. By the beginning of the war, the 4th Mechanized Corps had assembled 52 KVs and 180 T-34s, and it was not easy to explain where they went against the backdrop of stories about their “invulnerability.”
Silence was widespread. M.E. Katukov also simply chose not to mention that his brigade was subordinate to the army commanded by A.A. Vlasov. One might assume that the brigade commander did not encounter the army commander, but photographs of A. A. Vlasov’s visit to the 1st Guards remained. tank brigade. The army commander then congratulated the Katukovites on yet another success.
However, even if Katukov wrote about this visit of Vlasov, it is unlikely that the mention corresponded to the actual impression of December 1941. If the surname “Vlasov” was mentioned in the memoirs, then, most likely, with a minus sign. For example, cavalryman Stuchenko writes:
« Suddenly, three hundred to four hundred meters from the front line, the figure of army commander Vlasov in an astrakhan gray hat with ear flaps and the same pince-nez appears from behind a bush; behind him is an adjutant with a machine gun. My irritation boiled over:
- Why are you walking here? Nothing to see here. People are dying in vain here. Is this how they organize a fight? Is this how they use cavalry?
I thought: now he will remove me from office. But Vlasov, feeling unwell under fire, did not quite in a confident voice asked:
- Well, how should we attack, in your opinion?"(Stuchenko A.T. Our enviable fate. M.: Voenizdat, 1968, P.136-137).
Meretskov spoke in approximately the same spirit, retelling the words of the chief of communications of the 2nd Shock Army, General Afanasyev: “ It is characteristic that commander-2 Vlasov did not take any part in the discussion of the planned actions of the group. He was completely indifferent to all changes in the movement of the group"(Meretskov K.A. In the service of the people. M.: Politizdat, 1968, P.296). To believe or not to believe this image is a personal matter for the reader. It is possible, by the way, that it was Afanasyev who witnessed the breakdown of Vlasov’s personality, which led to betrayal. The commander of the 2nd strike was captured literally a few days after “discussing the planned actions.” So this description may be relatively accurate and objective.
Against this background, when Vlasov was either not mentioned at all, or was definitely mentioned with a minus sign, something had to be done with the period when he commanded the 20th Army. This army attacked quite successfully, and on important direction. If Katukov could remain silent on the pages of his memoirs, then in more general descriptions It was no longer possible to ignore the role of the 20th Army and its commander. Therefore, a version was put forward that Vlasov, being formally the commander of the army, did not take real part in the hostilities due to illness.
In the photo: The commander of the 20th Army, Lieutenant General Vlasov, and the divisional commissar Lobachev present awards to the tankmen of the 1st Guards Tank Brigade who distinguished themselves in battle. Western Front, January 1942. After Vlasov's betrayal, his face was painted over with mascara. Source: Frontline Illustration 2007–04. "1st Guards tank brigade in the battles for Moscow."
Actually, the first version was that A.A. Vlasov was ill during the December counteroffensive Soviet troops near Moscow he did not command the 20th Army, voiced by L. M. Sandalov. At that time he himself was the chief of staff of the 20th Army. In a collection of articles and memoirs published on the anniversary of the Battle of Moscow, Sandalov wrote:
« - Who has been appointed commander of the army? - I asked.
- One of the army commanders who recently emerged from encirclement Southwestern Front, General Vlasov,” answered Shaposhnikov. - But keep in mind that he is sick now. In the near future you will have to do without it. You no longer have time to go to front headquarters. In addition, I have a fear that the troops of your army may be distributed to new operational groups. The commanders of these groups have neither headquarters, nor communications to control the battle, nor rear support. As a result, such improvised task forces become incapable of combat after a few days in combat.
“There was no need to disband the corps control,” I noted.
“My parting advice to you is this,” Shaposhnikov interrupted me, “to quickly form an army command and deploy the army.” Not a step back and prepare to attack"(Battle for Moscow. M.: Moskovsky Rabochiy, 1966).
Accordingly, Sandalov dates the appearance of A. A. Vlasov on December 19: “ At noon on December 19, an army command post began to set up in the village of Chismene. When I and a member of the Military Council Kulikov were checking the position of the troops at the communications center, the adjutant of the army commander came in and reported to us about his arrival. Through the window you could see someone getting out of a car that had stopped near the house. tall general in dark glasses. He was wearing a fur cap with a raised collar. It was General Vlasov"(Ibid.). One cannot help but think that in this description one can see the gloomy future of the “man in a bekesh” - dark glasses, a raised collar.
Former boss The headquarters of the 20th Army does not stop there and shifts the time of transfer of command to the “man in bekesh” to December 20–21, 1941: “ Silently, frowning, Vlasov listened to all this. He asked us again several times, citing that due to ear disease he had difficulty hearing. Then, with a gloomy look, he muttered to us that he was feeling better and in a day or two he would take control of the army completely into his own hands.».
If we call a spade a spade, then Vlasov, in the memoirs of his chief of staff, takes up his duties at the moment the front is stabilized. Most major achievements were left behind, and persistent and slow gnawing began German front near Volokolamsk and on the Lama River.
The practice of silence has become a system. In 1967, the book “Moscow Battle in Figures” in the “Index command staff fronts, armies and corps that participated in the battle of Moscow,” Major General A.I. Lizyukov was named as commander of the 20th Army instead of Vlasov. There is a double mistake here: at the beginning of the battle A.I. Lizyukov was a colonel and received a major general only in January 1942. Sandalov in this regard, as a person well acquainted with the realities of the war, is more consistent. Lizyukov is mentioned in his memoirs as a colonel and is the commander of the operational group. A colonel as an army commander is absurd even by the standards of 1941.
Lieutenant General A.A. Vlasov (right) presents the Order of Lenin to the commander of the 1st Guards Tank Brigade, Major General tank troops M.E. Katukov. Western Front, January 1942.Source: Frontline Illustration 2007–04. "1st Guards Tank Brigade in the battles for Moscow."
Nowadays, in an article in the Military Historical Journal (2002. No. 12; 2003. No. 1), dedicated to L. M. Sandalov, his version regarding the time frame of A. A. Vlasov’s absence was outlined. The authors of the article, generals V.N. Maganov, V.T. Iminov, made Sandalov the person who actually served as army commander. They wrote: " Lieutenant General A.A. Vlasov, who was appointed commander of the army, was ill and was in Moscow until December 19, so the entire burden of work on forming the army, and subsequently on managing its combat operations, fell on the shoulders of the chief of staff L.M. Sandalov».
However, if in the 1960s, when access to WWII documents was practically closed to independent researchers, it was not forbidden to write about sore ears and arrival at the command post on December 19, then today this is no longer convincing. Each army commander left behind a trail of orders with his signature, which can be used to track the periods of active command and the date of assumption of office.
Among the orders of the 20th Army in the Central Military District of the Russian Federation, the author managed to find only one, signed by A.I. Lizyukov. It is dated November 1941 and Lizyukov is designated in it as the commander of the operational group. After this come the December orders, in which Major General A. A. Vlasov is named as the commander of the army.
(TsAMO RF, form 20A, op. 6631, d. 1, l. 6)
The most surprising thing is that one of the first combat orders of the 20th Army was not signed by Sandalov. A certain Colonel Loskan appears as the chief of staff. The surname “Sandalov” appears on orders starting from December 3, 1941. However, with the advent of Sandalov, army orders begin to be typed.
(TsAMO RF, form 20A, op. 6631, d. 1, l. 20)
As we can see, there are two signatures on the document - the army commander and his chief of staff. The signature of a member of the Military Council appears a little later. A situation similar to some orders of the 4th Army in the summer of 1941, when orders were signed by one chief of staff, is not observed. Then, despite the presence of a commander (General Korobkov), some of the orders remained only with Sandalov’s signature. Here we have a situation that is strikingly different from that described in the memoirs. “The man in the bekesh” was not a guest, but a host at the headquarters of the 20th Army by the time L. M. Sandalov arrived there.
Maybe A.A. Vlasov was listed as the commander of the 20th Army, and a completely different person signed the orders? For comparison, let's take a document that was guaranteed to be signed by Vlasov - the report of the 4th Mechanized Corps to the commander of the 6th Army (July 1941).
(TsAMO RF, f.334, op.5307, d.11, l.358)
If you take the signature of the commander of the 4th mechanized corps and the signature taken at random on the order of the 20th army and with the help graphic editor putting them side by side we will see that they are similar:
The characteristic features of the two signatures are visible to the naked eye: the beginning of the painting, similar to “H”, and clearly visible “l” and “a”. We can conclude that A. A. Vlasov signed orders for the 20th Army starting at least from December 1, 1941. If he was sick during this period, then the headquarters location was on long time didn't leave. The style of the orders is approximately the same, corresponding to the then accepted norms and rules for writing orders. First, information about the enemy is given, then the position of the neighbors, then the task of the army troops. Characteristic feature Orders 20 A, which somewhat distinguishes them from similar documents of other armies, is the entry of the start time of the attack into the finished document.
Attempts to erase from the history of the war the activities of A. A. Vlasov as a corps commander and army commander are understandable, but useless. Especially in the current conditions. At the end of 1941 and at the beginning of 1942, Andrei Andreevich Vlasov was on in good standing. This is historical fact. Suffice it to say that following the results of the offensive near Moscow, A. A. Vlasov was given the following description by G. K. Zhukov: “ Lieutenant General Vlasov has commanded the troops of the 20th Army since November 20, 1941. He led the operations of the 20th Army: a counterattack on the city of Solnechnogorsk, an offensive of army troops in the Volokolamsk direction and a breakthrough of the defensive line on the Lama River. All tasks assigned to the army troops, comrade. Vlasov are carried out in good faith. Personally, Lieutenant General Vlasov is well prepared operationally and has organizational skills. He copes well with commanding army troops. The position of commander of army troops is quite suitable" As we see, Zhukov directly indicates that in the first half of December 1941, the leadership of the 20th Army was carried out by Vlasov. The fighting near Solnechnogorsk and the outbreak of battles near Volokolamsk took place precisely at this time.
Story Soviet general A. A. Vlasova, who brought him to the well-deserved scaffold, remains one of the mysteries of the Second World War. Author open letter“Why did I take the path of fighting Bolshevism” for a long time was a completely ordinary person who did not stand out in any way. Attempts to simply erase his activities from the history of the war rather prevented the identification of the reasons for the breakdown that so miserably broke the personality of General Vlasov.
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20th Army I Formation created in June 1941 in the Oryol Military District. The army included the 61st, 69th Rifle and 7th Mechanized Corps, the 18th Rifle Division, and a number of artillery and other units. On June 26, the army was included in the army group of the Headquarters of the High Command.
On July 2, the army was transferred to the Western Front and led defensive battles in Belarus. Its mechanized corps took part in a frontal counterattack north of Orsha on July 6. Until mid-July, army troops held defensive lines in the areas of the cities of Orsha and Rudnya and pinned down large enemy forces advancing on Smolensk. In July - September the army took part in the Battle of Smolensk. During the attack on Smolensk at the end of July, she was surrounded. After its breakthrough, the army troops united with the main forces of the front. Then its formations fought stubborn defensive battles south of Yartsevo, covering the Dorogobuzh direction. In October the army took part in the Vyazemskaya defensive operation, during which it was surrounded by the enemy in the area west of Vyazma. Part of her troops broke out of the encirclement and reached the Mozhaisk defense line.
On October 20, 1941, the field administration of the army was disbanded, and the troops were transferred to other formations of the front.
20th Army II Formation created on November 30, 1941 on the basis of a directive from the Supreme Command Headquarters dated November 29, 1941 on the basis of the operational group of Colonel A. I. Lizyukov. The army was subordinate to the Western Front. It included the 331st and 352nd rifle divisions, 28, 35 and 64th rifle brigades, 134th and 135th separate tank battalions, artillery and other units. As part of the troops of the right wing of the front, she participated in the Klin-Solnechnogorsk offensive operation, during which, in cooperation with the 16th, 30th and 1st shock armies, she defeated the main forces of the enemy’s 3rd and 4th tank groups, throwing them back to the border of the Lama and Ruza rivers and liberating a number of settlements, including Volokolamsk (December 20). During the Rzhev-Vyazemskaya strategic operation 1942 The army broke through the enemy’s defenses at the turn of the river. Lama and, pursuing him, by the end of January reached the area northeast of Gzhatsk. In August 1942, as part of the Rzhev-Sychevsk offensive operation, the army carried out the Pogorelo-Gorodishchensk operation. Subsequently, until March 1943, in cooperation with other troops, it defended the Rzhev-Vyazma line. In March, its troops took part in the Rzhev-Vyazemsk offensive operation. Then, until mid-July, the army, being in the second echelon of the front, occupied a defensive line to the west and southwest of Vyazma.
On August 10 it was included in the Kalinin Front, and on September 1 it was again transferred to the reserve of the Supreme Command Headquarters.
On October 15, it was included in the Baltic Front (from October 20, the 2nd Baltic Front), on November 5 it was transferred to the reserve of the Supreme Command Headquarters, on April 10, 1944 it was included in the troops of the Leningrad Front.
Based on the directive of the Supreme Command Headquarters of April 18, 1944, on April 21, 1944, the 20th Army was disbanded, its field control was turned to the formation of the field control of the 3rd Baltic Front.
20th Army 1st Formation formed in June 1941 in the Oryol Military District. The army included the 61st, 69th Rifle Corps and 7th Mechanized Corps, 18th Rifle Division, artillery and other units.
On June 26, 1941, the army was included in the army group of the Headquarters of the High Command.
On July 2, 1941, the army was transferred to the Western Front and fought defensive battles in Belarus. Its mechanized corps took part in a frontal counterattack north of Orsha on July 6. Until mid-July, army troops held defensive lines in the areas of the cities of Orsha and Rudnya and pinned down large enemy forces advancing on Smolensk.
In July - September 1941, the army took part in the Battle of Smolensk (July 10 - September 10). During the enemy's offensive on Smolensk at the end of July, the army found itself surrounded. After breaking through the encirclement, the army troops united with the main forces of the front. Then its formations fought stubborn defensive battles south of Yartsevo, covering the Dorogobuzh direction.
In October 1941, army troops took part in the Vyazma defensive operation (October 2-13), during which they were surrounded by the enemy in the area west of Vyazma. Part of her troops broke out of the encirclement and reached the Mozhaisk defense line.
On October 20, 1941, the field administration of the army was disbanded, and the troops were transferred to other formations of the front.
Army commanders: Lieutenant General Remezov F.N. (June - July 1941); Lieutenant General P.A. Kurochkin (July - August 1941); Lieutenant General Lukin M.F. (August - September 1941); Lieutenant General Ershakov F.A. (September - October 1941)
Member of the Military Council of the Army - Corps Commissar F. A. Semenovsky (June - October 1941)
Chief of Army Staff - Major General N.V. Korneev (June - October 1941)
20th Army 2nd Formation formed on November 30, 1941 on the basis of a directive from the Supreme Command Headquarters of November 29, 1941 on the basis of the operational group of Colonel A. I. Lizyukov. It included the 331st and 352nd rifle divisions, the 28th, 35th and 64th rifle brigades, the 134th and 135th separate tank battalions, artillery and other units.
The army was subordinate to the Western Front. As part of the troops of the right flank of the front on December 6-25, 1941, she participated in the Klin-Solnechnogorsk offensive operation. During the operation, its troops, in cooperation with the troops of the 16th, 30th and 1st shock armies defeated the main forces of the enemy's 3rd and 4th tank groups, drove them back to the Lama River - Ruza River line and liberated several settlements, including Volokolamsk (December 20).
During the Rzhev-Vyazemsk strategic operation (January 8 - April 20, 1942), army troops broke through the enemy’s defenses at the Lama line and, pursuing him, by the end of January they reached the area northeast of Gzhatsk.
In August 1942, as part of the Rzhev-Sychevsk offensive operation (July 30 - August 23), the army carried out the Pogorelo-Gorodishchensk operation. Subsequently, until March 1943, in cooperation with other troops it defended the Rzhev-Vyazma line.
In March 1943, its troops took part in the Rzhev-Vyazemsk offensive operation (March 2-31). Then, until mid-July, the army, being in the second echelon of the front, occupied a defensive line to the west and southwest of Vyazma.
Since July 23, 1943 - in the reserve of the Supreme Command Headquarters.
On August 10, 1943, the army was included in the Kalinin Front, and on September 1, it was again withdrawn to the reserve of the Supreme High Command Headquarters.
On October 15, 1943, the army became part of the Baltic Front (from October 20 - the 2nd Baltic Front), on November 5 - it was withdrawn to the reserve of the Supreme Command Headquarters, on April 10, 1944 - it was included in the Leningrad Front.
The army was disbanded on April 21, 1944 based on the directive of the Supreme Command Headquarters of April 18, 1944; its field control was turned to the formation of the field control of the 3rd Baltic Front.
Army commanders: Lieutenant General Vlasov A.A. (November 1941 - March 1942); Lieutenant General Reiter M.A. (March - September 1942); Major General Kiryukhin N.I. (October - December 1942); Lieutenant General M. S. Khozin (December 1942 - January 1943); Major General, from April 28, 1943 - Lieutenant General N. E. Berzarin (January - March and August - September 1943); Major General Ermakov A. N. (March - August and September 1943); Lieutenant General Lopatin A.I. (September - October 1943); Lieutenant General Gusev N.I. (November 1943 - April 1944)
Members of the Army Military Council: divisional commissar P. N. Kulikov (November 1941 - December 1942); divisional commissar, from December 1942 - Major General A. A. Lobachev (November 1941 - April 1944)
Chiefs of Army Staff - Colonel, from December 1941 - Major General L. M. Sandalov (November 1941 - September 1942); Major General, from February 1944 - Lieutenant General V. R. Vashkevich (September 1942 - April 1944)