Leonid speaks. The Great Patriotic War

Govorov Leonid Alexandrovich
10(22).02.1897–19.03.1955

Years of life: 10(22).02.1897-19.03.1955

He was 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 Yelabuga. He studied at the Petrograd Polytechnic Institute. L. Govorov in 1916 became a cadet at the Konstantinovsky Artillery School. He began his combat career in 1918 as an officer in the army of Admiral Kolchak. In 1919, he was accepted as a volunteer into the Red Army, took part in battles on the Southern and Eastern fronts, exercised command of an artillery division, and was wounded twice - near Kakhovka and Perekop. In 1933 he graduated from the Military Academy. Frunze, after which the General Staff Academy in 1938. He took part in the war with Finland of 1939-1940. During the Great Patriotic War, General L.A. Govorov led the 5th Army, which defended the approaches to Moscow. By order of I.V. Stalin, in the spring of 1942, he went to besieged Leningrad, where he led the front. He acted under the pseudonyms Leonidov, Leonov, Gavrilov. On January 18, 1943, he broke through the blockade of Leningrad - the operation was called “Iskra”, carrying out a counter attack near Shlisselburg. A year later, Govorov managed to deliver another blow, which destroyed the German Northern Wall, thereby lifting the complete blockade of Leningrad.

The German army, led by Field Marshal von Küchler, suffered irreparable losses. In the early summer of 1944, troops of the Leningrad Front carried out the Vyborg operation, thereby breaking through the “Mannerheim Line” and taking control of the city of Vyborg. Govorov was awarded the title of Marshal of the Soviet Union on June 18, 1944, and in the fall of 1944 Govorov managed to liberate Estonia, thereby breaking the enemy’s Panther defenses.

While occupying the position of commander of the Leningrad Front, Govorov also represented Headquarters in the Baltic states. He was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. In May 1945, the entire German army group “Courland” surrendered to troops led by Govorov.

In Moscow, fireworks were given 14 times in honor of victories led by Govorov. In the post-war period, Govorov was the first Commander-in-Chief of the Soviet Union's air defense. This great commander died in 1955 at the age of 59. He was buried in Moscow on Red Square near the Kremlin wall.

Marshal L.A. Govorov had:

Gold Star of the Hero of the Soviet Union (01/27/1945), 5 Orders of Lenin,

Order of Victory (05/31/1945),

3 Orders of the Red Banner,

2 Orders of Suvorov 1st degree,

Order of Kutuzov 1st degree,

Order of the Red Star - a total of 13 orders and 7 medals,

Tuvan "Order of the Republic",

3 foreign orders.

V.A. Egorshin, “Field Marshals and Marshals.” M., 2000

Govorov Leonid Alexandrovich

Born February 10 (February 22), 1897 in the village. Butyrki today is in the Bogorodsky district of the Kirov region, in a peasant family, Russian by nationality. In 1916 he graduated from 7 classes of a real school, after which he studied at the Polytechnic Institute for a year, then 7 months at the Artillery School in Petrograd. In 1926 he graduated from the Artillery Advanced Courses for Command Staff, in 1930 he graduated from the Higher Academic Courses at the Military Academy. M.V. Frunze, and in 1933 he completed his studies at the correspondence course at the Military Academy. M. V. Frunze, in the same year he graduated from the operational department of the Military Academy. M. V. Frunze, in 1938 - Military Academy of the General Staff of the Red Army.

He began his military career at the end of 1916 in the tsarist army as a cadet, then became a junior battery officer, and then a junior battery officer of the 8th division of the 2nd Ufa corps of Kolchak’s army.

From January 1920 to December 1922, he served as a division commander, was an assistant chief of division artillery, then chief of division artillery, after which he commanded an artillery regiment until December 1929.

During his certification, it was noted that his political preparation was average. He is prone to making decisions without permission, without fear of responsibility. From the end of 1929, Govorov took the position of chief of artillery of the rifle corps and he held it until May 1931, was the chief of artillery of the fortified area, then the chief of artillery of the corps, after which he assumed the post of head of the department in the artillery department of the KVO, after which he became a senior teacher at the department tactics of the Artillery Academy of the Red Army named after. F.E. Dzerzhinsky, then became Deputy Inspector General of Artillery of the GAU of the Red Army and worked in this position until May 1941.

During the Great Patriotic War, from May to June 1941, Govorov served as head of the Red Army Artillery Academy named after. F.E. Dzerzhinsky, after which until August 1941 he was the chief of artillery in the Western direction. He commanded the Reserve Front, after which he served as commander of the 5th Army of the Western Front, and he remained in this position until April 1942.

The commander of the Western Front, Army General Zhukov, wrote in January 1942 in a combat description of Govorov that he was a man of strong will, energetic, brave, and demanding, capable of effectively commanding armies.

From April to August 1942, Govorov served as commander of a group of troops, and then commander of the armies of the Leningrad Front.

At the end of the war, he became commander of the Leningrad Military District and remained in this position until April 1946, then became the chief inspector of the Ground Forces, after which he served as chief inspector of the USSR Armed Forces, then became deputy minister of the Armed Forces of the Soviet Union, and was commander of the Soviet Air Defense Union while simultaneously holding the position of chief inspector of the USSR Armed Forces. Govorov was also the Deputy Minister of War of the USSR for combat training of the Soviet Army, a position he held until April 1953.

Govorov had the following military ranks: brigade commander he received it in 1936, major general of artillery was awarded to Govorov on June 4, 1940, lieutenant general of artillery on November 9, 1941, colonel general - on January 15, 1943, army general - November 17, 1943, Marshal of the Soviet Union - June 18, 1944

He was a member of the CPSU, starting in 1942, and was a deputy of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of the 2nd-4th convocations.

L.A. passed away Govorov on March 19, 1955. He was buried in Moscow on Red Square near the Kremlin wall.

		Stove on Red Square in Moscow
		Annotation board in St. Petersburg
		Monument in St. Petersburg
		Monument in St. Petersburg (view 2)
		Memorial plaque in St. Petersburg
		Memorial plaque in Kharkov
		Memorial sign in St. Petersburg
		Annotation board in Odintsovo
		Memorial plaque in Moscow

G Leonid Aleksandrovich ovrov - commander of the troops of the Leningrad Front, Marshal of the Soviet Union.

Born on February 10 (22), 1897 in the village of Butyrki, Yaransky district, Vyatka province, now Sovetsky district, Kirov region, into a peasant family. Russian. He graduated from a real school in the city of Elabuga (Republic of Tatarstan), and entered the shipbuilding department of the Petrograd Polytechnic Institute.

In December 1916, he was mobilized into the army and sent to study at the Konstantinovsky Artillery School. In June 1917, upon completion of his studies, he was promoted to second lieutenant and appointed junior officer of a mortar battery as part of one of the units of the Tomsk garrison. In March 1918, he was demobilized and returned to his parents in Yelabuga, where he got a job in a cooperative.

In October 1918, L.A. Govorov, with the rank of second lieutenant, was mobilized into the White Army and enlisted in the battery of the 8th Kama Rifle Division of the 2nd Ufa Army Corps, which had been part of the Western Army since March 1919. Participated in the spring offensive of the armies of Admiral A.V. Kolchak. In November 1919, he left the unit and, in hiding, fled to Tomsk, where, as part of a military squad, he took part in the uprising against the white authorities.

In January 1920, he voluntarily joined the Red Army, commander of the artillery battalion of the 51st Infantry Division. As part of the Perekop strike group of the 6th Army, he took part in battles against the army of General P.N. Wrangel. In 1920 he was wounded twice. For participation in the Perekop-Chongar operation in 1921 he was awarded the Order of the Red Banner.

He received a military education: in 1926 he graduated from the Artillery Advanced Courses for Command Staff of the Red Army, in 1930 - Higher Academic Courses, in 1933 - the M.V. Frunze Military Academy and in 1938 - the Academy of the General Staff.

He served as acting assistant chief of artillery, from October 1924 - assistant commander of a light artillery regiment, from July 1925 - commander of a light artillery regiment. Since March 1931 - teacher of artillery courses for command personnel. From July 1934 - chief of artillery of the Rybitsk fortified area, then chief of artillery of the 15th Rifle Corps. Since February 1936 - head of a department at the artillery headquarters of the Kyiv Military District. Since February 1938, he has been a senior lecturer at the Department of Tactics and Fire Training at the F.E. Dzerzhinsky Artillery Academy, and since August of the same year, he has been an Associate Professor at the Department of Tactics there.

Participant in the Soviet-Finnish war of 1939-1940 - chief of staff of the artillery of the 7th Army. Since August 1940 - Deputy Inspector General of Artillery of the Red Army. In May-July 1941 - head of the Artillery Academy named after F.E. Dzerzhinsky.

During the Great Patriotic War, from July 22, 1941, he was the chief of artillery in the Western direction, then the Reserve Front. Since November 18, 1941, Major General of Artillery L.A. Govorov was the commander of the 5th Army, which participated in the battle of Moscow.

From April 25, 1942, Lieutenant General of Artillery L.A. Govorov commanded the Leningrad Group of Forces, and from June 8, 1942 to July 1945, the troops of the Leningrad Front (from February 9 to March 31, 1945, he was simultaneously commander of the 2nd Baltic Front). Of the 900 days of the siege of Leningrad, 670 days occurred during the period when L.A. Govorov led the heroic defense of the city. He developed methods and principles for the use of artillery in the operation to break the Leningrad blockade - “Iskra”.

The leadership skill of L.A. Govorov was clearly demonstrated in the offensive operations: Mginskaya, Krasnoselsko-Ropshinskaya, Novgorod-Luga, Vyborg, Narva, Tallinn and Moonsund landing operations. From the end of 1944, he led the military operations to blockade the enemy’s Courland group.

"Z and exemplary performance of combat missions of the Supreme High Command to direct the operations of the troops of the Leningrad Front against the German invaders and the successes achieved as a result of these operations” by decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of January 27, 1945 to the Marshal of the Soviet Union Govorov Leonid Alexandrovich awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union with the Order of Lenin and the Gold Star medal.

From July 9, 1945 - Commander of the Leningrad Military District, from April 1946 - Chief Inspector of the Ground Forces, from July 1948 - Commander of the country's Air Defense Forces and Deputy Minister of Defense of the USSR. Since April 1953 - Chief Inspector of the USSR Ministry of Defense. Since May 1954 - Commander-in-Chief of the country's air defense forces and Deputy Minister of Defense of the USSR. Candidate member of the CPSU Central Committee since 1952. Deputy of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of the 2nd-4th convocations (since 1946).

Military ranks:
brigade commander - 02/05/1936
Major General of Artillery - 06/04/1940
Lieutenant General of Artillery - 11/09/1941
Colonel General - 01/15/1943
General of the Army - 11/17/1943
Marshal of the Soviet Union - 06/18/1944.

Died on March 19, 1955 in Moscow. The urn with the ashes is buried in the Kremlin wall on Red Square in Moscow.

Awarded the Order of Victory (05/31/1945 - No. 10), five Orders of Lenin (11/10/1941; 01/2/1942; 01/27/1945; 02/21/1945; 02/21/1947), three Orders of the Red Banner (1921; 11/3/1944; 11/15/1950), two orders of Suvorov 1st degree (01/28/1943; 02/21/1944), orders of Kutuzov 1st degree (07/29/1944), Red Star (01/15/1940), medals “For the Defense of Moscow”, “ For the Defense of Leningrad", other medals, foreign orders: the Order of the Republic (Tuva Arat Republic, 03/03/1942), the Order of the Legion of Honor (France, 1945), the Military Cross 1939-1945 (France, 1945), the Order of the Legion of Honor degree " Commander-in-Chief" (USA, 1945).

In the city of St. Petersburg, a monument and a memorial plaque were erected to the Hero (on the house in which he lived), a street and a square were named after him. A bust and a memorial plaque were unveiled in the city of Yelabuga (on the building of the former real school where he studied). In many cities of Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Kazakhstan, streets are named after the Hero.

In 1955-1992, the name of L.A. Govorov was borne by the Military Engineering Radio Engineering Academy of Air Defense (until 1968 - the Artillery Radio Engineering Academy of the Soviet Army) in the city of Kharkov (Ukraine).

Composition:
In the battles for the city of Lenin. Articles. 1941-45. - L., 1945.

Govorov Leonid Alexandrovich born on February 22, 1897 in the village of Butyrki, Yaransky district, Vyatka province (now the territory of the Sovetsky district of the Kirov region). His father, Alexander Grigorievich Govorov, in order to feed his family, had to first become a peasant and then work as a sailor on the ships of a private shipping company. Later, having mastered reading and writing and naturally possessing excellent handwriting, Alexander Grigorievich got a job as a clerk at a real school in the city of Elabuga. This gave him the right to educate his children in this educational institution for free.

In the family, Leonid was the eldest of four sons. After graduating from a 4-year vocational school in Yaransk, Leonid Govorov entered the Yelabuga real school. During all seven years of his studies at the school, Leonid was the first student in his class (his brother Nikolai was second in academic performance). I studied purposefully and systematically, and read a lot. He was interested in mathematics and physics.

In December 1916, he was mobilized into the army and was sent to study at the Konstantinovsky Artillery School, after which in June 1917, Leonid Aleksandrovich Govorov was promoted to second lieutenant and was appointed junior officer of a mortar battery as part of one of the units of the Tomsk garrison.

In March 1918, Leonid and his brother returned to their native Elabuga, where they went to work as clerks in the local Consumer Cooperation, helping their parents and younger brothers with a small salary. Leonid did not even consider military service as a profession at that time. But life decreed otherwise.

In 1918, Civil War broke out in Russia. In October of the same year, the city of Elabuga was captured by the White Guards - troops of the army of Admiral A.V. Kolchak. Leonid Govorov and his brother Nikolai, as former tsarist officers, were forcibly mobilized into the artillery battery of the 8th division of the 2nd Ufa Corps, which was part of the Western Army from March 1919. Second lieutenants Govorov participate in the spring offensive of Kolchak’s troops, in the Chelyabinsk and Ufa operations, in the battles against the Red Army near Zlatoust and on Tobol.

In November 1919, Govorov, along with several soldiers from his battery, left the unit and headed to Tomsk, where, as part of a fighting squad, he took part in the uprising against the white authorities.

On December 22, 1919, Tomsk came under the control of the Red Army and in January 1920, Govorov joined the 51st Rifle Division under the command of V.K. Blucher as a volunteer, where he took the position of commander of an artillery division.

As part of the Perekop strike group of the 6th Army under the command of A.I. Kork, the division took part in the battles against the army of General Wrangel. In 1920, Govorov was wounded twice: in August, near the village of Serogozy, during defensive battles in the Kakhovka region, he received a shrapnel wound in the leg, and also in September, in a battle near Antonovka, he received a bullet wound in the arm.

For the great courage and bravery shown in the battles against the “Russian Army” during the Perekop-Chongar operation in 1921, Leonid Aleksandrovich Govorov was awarded the Order of the Red Banner.

In October 1923, L. A. Govorov was appointed chief of artillery of the 51st (since September 14, 1921) Perekop Rifle Division. By the beginning of 1925, he held the post of commander of an artillery regiment. Subsequently, in the period until 1936, he held the positions of chief of artillery of a fortified area, chief of artillery of the 14th and 15th rifle corps, and head of a department in the artillery department of the Kyiv Military District.

Leonid Govorov is actively involved in his education, and in 1926 he graduated from the Artillery Advanced Courses for Command Staff. In 1930 he took higher academic courses at the Military Academy named after. Frunze, and in 1933 he completed the full course of this academy in absentia and studied at its operational department. Having studied German on his own, he passed the exam to become a military translator. On February 5, 1936, L. A. Govorov was awarded the military rank of brigade commander. Also in 1936, he became part of the first intake of students at the Academy of the General Staff. In 1938, six months before graduation, he was appointed teacher of tactics at the Artillery Academy named after. Dzerzhinsky [source not specified 546 days]. In 1939 he completed his first scientific work on the topic “Attack and breakthrough of a fortified area.”

In 1940, he was appointed chief of staff of the artillery of the 7th Army, which participated in the war with Finland on the territory of the Karelian Isthmus. For his work in preparing and providing artillery support for the breakthrough of a section of the Mannerheim Line, L. A. Govorov was awarded the Order of the Red Star and was given the rank of division commander ahead of schedule. In the summer of the same year, during recertification, he was awarded the rank of major general of artillery (06/04/1940), he was appointed to the post of deputy inspector general of artillery of the GAU RKKA.

The Great Patriotic War.

In May 1941 Govorov L.A. becomes head of the Artillery Academy of the Red Army named after F.E. Dzerzhinsky. But Govorov did not have to command the academy for long.

The Great Patriotic War began, and already at the end of July 1941 he was appointed to the post of chief of artillery in the Western direction, commanded by Army General G.K. Zhukov. Soon the Reserve Front was also created under the command of G.K. Zhukova, and L.A. Govorov is appointed chief of artillery there.

Leonid Aleksandrovich immediately got down to business. Under his leadership, an artillery anti-tank defense system is being quickly created. This soon led to a significant increase in losses among the Nazis rushing to Moscow. Such an episode is known. Once G.K. Zhukov interrogated a prisoner from the Deutschland regiment of the SS division. He said: “The Germans are afraid of artillery fire.” Georgy Konstantinovich turned to the chief of artillery: “Did you hear, Comrade Govorov? The Germans are afraid of our artillery. So work out your plans in every detail.”

L. A. Govorov thought out in every detail the artillery support of our troops, which made it possible to achieve success in one of the first offensive operations of the Red Army - the Elninsky operation of 1941. On his initiative, a strong artillery group was created, the number of guns was more than one and a half times superior to the German one. Artillery reconnaissance was established. The offensive of our troops began on August 30 at 8.00 am after a crushing artillery barrage. More than 800 guns, mortars and rocket launchers rained down on German positions. For the first time in the Great Patriotic War, Soviet artillery proved itself to be a powerful offensive force. As a result of fierce battles on September 6, 1941, our troops liberated Yelnya, and by the end of September 8, the Yelnya ledge was eliminated.

On April 21, due to the failure of the Lyuban operation, the Volkhov Front was disbanded. On its basis, the Volkhov Group of Forces of the Leningrad Front was formed. On April 25, L. A. Govorov took command of the Leningrad group of forces of this front (23rd, 42nd and 55th armies, Primorsky and Nevsky operational groups). Since taking office, he has been actively involved in increasing the effectiveness of counter-battery warfare: he is creating the Leningrad Artillery Corps of Counter-Battery Combat (including, among other things, the artillery of the Baltic Fleet), and is seeking from the Supreme High Command Headquarters a decision to allocate two aviation correction squadrons to Leningrad. He is actively working on the task of strengthening the external defensive perimeter: he is creating five field fortified areas on the near approaches to the city and placing separate artillery and machine-gun battalions in them, introducing a system of continuous trenches. Creates a front reserve.

In May, without undergoing candidate experience, he was accepted as a member of the All-Union Communist Party (Bolsheviks). On June 8, after the notorious defeat of the 2nd Shock Army, the Volkhov Front was recreated, M. S. Khozin was removed from his post as commander of the Leningrad Front, the leadership of which passed to L. A. Govorov. In June-August, he trains front forces (Neva Operational Group, 55th Army) to participate in the Sinyavin offensive operation. The purpose of the operation was to relieve the blockade of Leningrad from land and disrupt the Northern Lights (Nordlicht) operation being prepared by Army Group North. By the end of September, it became obvious that the front forces were unable to cope with the task of breaking the blockade. On October 1, the command of the Leningrad Front received an order from the Supreme High Command Headquarters to retreat to their original positions (the Nevsky operational group retained the Nevsky patch).

At the end of October, Govorov begins developing a new operation. On November 25, front units began preparing for the upcoming hostilities. On December 2, the plan for the operation, called “Iskra,” was approved by the Supreme Command headquarters. The goal of the operation was to use counter strikes from the Leningrad and Volkhov fronts to cut through the enemy grouping in the area of ​​the Sinyavinsky salient, unite south of Lake Ladoga and break the blockade of Leningrad.

On January 12, 1943, the offensive operation of the troops of the Leningrad and Volkhov fronts began, and on January 18, Soviet units formed a connection, the blockade was broken. On January 15, L. A. Govorov was awarded the rank of “Colonel General”. On February 27, the offensive was stopped, and the front command began drawing up plans for a new offensive operation. For the operation to break the blockade of Leningrad on January 28, Govorov was awarded the Order of Suvorov, 1st degree. In July-August, the 67th Army of the Leningrad Front takes part in the Mginsk operation. The purpose of this operation was to disrupt the plans of the command of Army Group North to restore the blockade ring. In September, a plan for the Leningrad-Novgorod strategic operation, developed with the active participation of L. A. Govorov, was presented to the Supreme Command Headquarters. According to the plan of this operation, the troops of the Leningrad Front were supposed to completely lift the blockade and liberate the territory of the Leningrad region from enemy units. On November 17, in the midst of preparations for the operation, Govorov was awarded the rank of “army general.”

On January 14, 1944, the troops of the Leningrad Front began the Leningrad-Novgorod operation. During the offensive, the front broke through the enemy's deeply echeloned defenses, defeating the Peterhof-Strelna group. By January 27, enemy troops were driven back 65-100 km from the city. On January 27, a fireworks display took place in Leningrad to commemorate the final lifting of the blockade, and the order for the fireworks was given by Leonid Aleksandrovich Govorov on behalf of Stalin.

Developing the offensive, the troops of the Leningrad Front under the command of Army General Govorov marched about 100-120 km, reaching the Narva River and seizing a bridgehead on the western bank of the river. For the success in carrying out the operation to lift the siege of Leningrad, Govorov was awarded the second Order of Suvorov, 1st degree, on February 21.

By March 1, the troops of the Leningrad Front during the offensive marched to the west about 220-280 km. During the offensive, three and 23 enemy divisions were destroyed and the Leningrad region and part of the Kalinin region were almost completely liberated.

On June 10, the Leningrad Front, along with the Karelian Front, the Baltic Fleet, the Ladoga and Onega flotillas, launched the Vyborg-Petrozavodsk operation with the goal of withdrawing Finland from the war.

The operation was started by troops of the Leningrad Front (21st and 23rd armies - over 150,000 people), then (in July 1944) the Karelian Front (32nd and 7th armies) went on the offensive. In advance, Govorov carried out a major diversionary maneuver with a demonstration of the impending attack on Narva. Meanwhile, the Red Banner Baltic Fleet secretly transferred units of the 21st Army from the Oranienbaum area to the Karelian Isthmus. This created an effect of surprise for the enemy. The offensive was immediately preceded by air strikes and a 10-hour artillery barrage. 500 guns were used along 1 km of front. The Finns were taken by surprise. During ten days of fighting, the troops of the Leningrad Front broke through 3 defense lines (on June 11, 17 and 19, respectively) “restored” by the Finns in 1941-1944. "Mannerheim Lines". The rate of advance was very high and amounted to 10-12 km per day. In a directive dated June 11, 1944, the Supreme High Command Headquarters noted the successful progress of the offensive and ordered the troops of the Leningrad Front to capture Vyborg on June 18-20. For his achievements on June 18, L. A. Govorov was awarded title of "Marshal of the Soviet Union", and on June 20, the 21st Army of the Leningrad Front, during stubborn battles, captured the southern suburb and center of Viipuri (Vyborg).

On September 4, the Finnish government reached an agreement with the Soviet government to end hostilities. In turn, from 8.00 on September 5, the Leningrad and Karelian fronts, by order of the Supreme High Command Headquarters, ceased military operations against Finnish troops.

From July 24 to November 24, units of the Leningrad Front, carrying out the Narva, Tallinn offensive and Moonsund landing operations developed under the leadership of Govorov, defeated the German task force “Narva” and drove the enemy out of Estonia. Starting from October 1, by order of the Supreme High Command Headquarters, simultaneously with the command of its front, it carries out the task of coordinating the actions of the 2nd and 3rd Baltic fronts in the Riga operation. After the liberation of Riga on October 16, the 3rd Baltic Front was disbanded, and the 1st and 2nd Baltic Fronts began blockading the group of German troops in Courland.

Post-war period

By decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR dated May 31, 1945, Leonid Aleksandrovich Govorov was awarded the Order of Victory for the defeat of German troops near Leningrad and in the Baltic states.

On July 9, he was appointed commander of the troops of the Leningrad Military District, formed on the basis of the Leningrad Front. Since April 1946 - Chief Inspector of the Ground Forces. Since January 1947, he has held the post of chief inspector of the USSR Armed Forces, and since July 7, 1948, he has combined this position with the post of commander of the country's air defense. Under his leadership, a structural reorganization of the command and control of air defense forces is being carried out in the USSR; anti-aircraft missile systems, jet fighters, and the latest radar stations are being adopted in air defense units.

In January 1948, he headed the “court of honor”, ​​which convicted four admirals - N. G. Kuznetsov, L. M. Galler, V. A. Alafuzov, G. A. Stepanov - all rehabilitated in 1953.

Since April 1953, he was appointed to the post of chief inspector of the USSR Ministry of Defense. In May 1954, he became the first Commander-in-Chief of the USSR Air Defense Forces and was appointed Deputy Minister of Defense of the country.

By that time, Govorov was seriously ill with hypertension, which was aggravated by frequent stress. In the summer he had his first stroke. He died on the night of March 19, 1955 in the Barvikha sanatorium near Moscow. After his death, he was cremated, and the urn with his ashes was buried in the Kremlin wall on Red Square in Moscow.

Memory of Govorov

Streets and alleys in many cities of Russia and Ukraine are named in honor of Leonid Aleksandrovich Govorov, including Moscow (Govorova Street), Kyiv, St. Petersburg, Odessa, Kirov, Yelabuga, Donetsk, Kremenchug, Krasnoyarsk, Irkutsk, Tomsk and many others. Also, the name of Govorov was assigned to the Military Order of the October Revolution and the Patriotic War Engineering Radio Engineering Academy of Air Defense (formerly the Artillery Radio Engineering Academy of the Patriotic War Academy of the Soviet Army) - Kharkov.

A postage stamp was issued in 1977. USSR stamp from the issue “Soviet Military Figures” (1977, Fig., DFA No. 4679)

In St. Petersburg installed:

• Monument on Stachek Square (installed in 1999);
• Two memorial plaques (Kronverkskaya street, building No. 29; Marshal Govorova street, building No. 2);

Also, the square at the intersection of Moskovsky Prospekt and the embankment of the Fontanka River in St. Petersburg bears the name of Govorov. A memorial sign “Marshal L.A. Govorov’s Square” would be installed near the square.

In Yelabuga, a monument-bust was installed on Memory Square (opened in 2000) and a memorial plaque on the building of the former real school (Naberezhnaya St., building No. 19).

Govorov Leonid Alexandrovich
10(22).02.1897–19.03.1955

Marshal of the Soviet Union

Born in the village of Butyrki near Vyatka in the family of a peasant, who later became an employee in the city of Elabuga. A student at the Petrograd Polytechnic Institute, L. Govorov, became a cadet at the Konstantinovsky Artillery School in 1916. He began his combat activities in 1918 as an officer in the White Army of Admiral Kolchak.

In 1919, he volunteered to join the Red Army, participated in battles on the Eastern and Southern fronts, commanded an artillery division, and was wounded twice - near Kakhovka and Perekop.

In 1933 he graduated from the Military Academy. Frunze, and then the General Staff Academy (1938). Participated in the war with Finland of 1939–1940.

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

While remaining commander of the Leningrad Front, the marshal was also the representative of Headquarters in the Baltic States. He was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. In May 1945, the German army group Kurland surrendered to the front forces.

Moscow saluted the troops of commander L. A. Govorov 14 times. In the post-war period, the marshal became the first Commander-in-Chief of the country's air defense. He died in 1955 at the age of 59.

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

Marshal L.A. Govorov had:

• Gold Star of the Hero of the Soviet Union (01/27/1945), 5 Orders of Lenin,
• Order of Victory (05/31/1945),
• 3 Orders of the Red Banner,
• 2 Orders of Suvorov 1st degree,
• Order of Kutuzov 1st degree,
• Order of the Red Star - a total of 13 orders and 7 medals,
• Tuvan "Order of the Republic",
• 3 foreign orders.

V.A. Egorshin, “Field Marshals and Marshals.” M., 2000

Govorov Leonid Alexandrovich

Born February 10 (February 22), 1897 in the village. Butyrki (now Bogorodsky district) Kirov region, from peasants, Russian. In 1916 he graduated from 7 classes of a real school, then studied for a year at the Polytechnic Institute, 7 months at the Artillery School (Petrograd, 1917). In 1926 he graduated from the Artillery Advanced Courses for Command Staff, in 1930 - Higher Academic Courses at the Military Academy named after. M. V. Frunze, in 1933 - correspondence course at the Military Academy named after. M.V. Frunze, in the same year - the operational department of the Military Academy. M. V. Frunze, in 1938 - Military Academy of the General Staff of the Red Army.

He began his military service in December 1916 in the tsarist army: cadet (until July 1917), junior battery officer (until March 1918), junior battery officer of the 8th division of the 2nd Ufa corps of Kolchak’s army (September-October 1919).

In the Armed Forces from January 1920: division commander (until December 1922), assistant division artillery chief (until October 1923), division artillery chief (until November 1924), artillery regiment commander (until December 1929 .).

His certification notes: “Political preparation is average. I am inclined to make independent decisions without fear of responsibility...” From December 1929 L. A. Govorov - chief of artillery of the rifle corps (until May 1931), chief of artillery of the fortified area (until July 1934), chief of artillery of the corps (until February 1936), head of a department in the artillery department KVO (until October 1936), senior lecturer at the Department of Tactics of the Artillery Academy of the Red Army named after. F. E. Dzerzhinsky (March-August 1940), Deputy Inspector General of Artillery of the GAU of the Red Army (until May 1941).

During the Great Patriotic War - head of the Artillery Academy of the Red Army named after. F. E. Dzerzhinsky (May-July 1941), chief of artillery of the Western direction (until August 1941), Reserve Front (November 1941), commander of the 5th Army of the Western Front (until April 1942) .

The commander of the troops of the Western Front, Army General G. K. Zhukov, noted on January 28, 1942 in a combat description: “Comrade. Govorov is a strong-willed, demanding, energetic, brave and organized commander of the army..."

From April to August 1942 - commander of a group of troops, then commander of the troops of the Leningrad Front (until July 1945).

After the war - Commander of the Leningrad Military District (until April 1946), Chief Inspector of the Ground Forces (until January 1947), Chief Inspector of the USSR Armed Forces (until October 1947), Deputy Minister of the USSR Armed Forces - Chief Inspector ( until July 1948), commander of the country's Air Defense Forces "reserving for him the post of chief inspector of the USSR Armed Forces" (until March 1950). commander of the country's Air Defense Forces and Deputy Minister of Defense of the USSR (until July 1952), Deputy Military Minister of the USSR for combat training of the Soviet Army (until April 1953), chief inspector of the USSR Ministry of Defense (until May 1954). Commander-in-Chief of the country's Air Defense Forces and Deputy Minister of Defense of the USSR (until March 1955).

For services to the Motherland, L. A. Govorov was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union on January 27, 1945. He was awarded 5 Orders of Lenin (11/10/1941, 01/2/1942, 01/27/1945, 02/21/1945). , 02/21/1947), 3 Orders of the Red Banner (1921, 11/3/1944, 11/15/1950), 2 Order of Suvorov, 1st degree (01/28/1943, 02/21/1944), Order of Kutuzov, 1st degree (07/29/1944), Red Star (01/15/1940). the Order of Victory (05/31/1945), the Tuvan Order of the Republic (03/03/1942), 7 medals and 2 orders of foreign states.

Military ranks: brigade commander - awarded in 1936, major general of artillery - June 4, 1940, lieutenant general of artillery - November 9, 1941, colonel general - January 15, 1943, army general - November 17, 1943 ., Marshal of the Soviet Union - June 18, 1944

Member of the CPSU since 1942, candidate member of the CPSU Central Committee since 1952, deputy of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of the 2nd–4th convocations.

Marshals of the Soviet Union: personal stories tell. M., 1996

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On October 18, 1924, in Odessa, a son, Vladimir, was born into the family of Leonid Alexandrovich and Lydia Ivanovna Govorov. In 1936 L.A. Govorov enters the Military Academy of the General Staff and the family moves to Moscow.

Vladimir's childhood memories are connected with his father, who devoted all his free time to his upbringing. Vladimir Leonidovich recalled that both in 1939, when the Soviet-Finnish war was going on, and in 1941, at an extremely difficult time for our country, the father from the front continued to dialogue with his son in letters on a variety of issues, sometimes even advising him in mathematics, constantly reminding him of the need to help his mother.

In 1938, when Vladimir was 14 years old, an episode happened to him that remained forever in his memory. There was a war going on in Spain, and in Moscow one could often meet evacuated Spanish children. The spirit of the Spanish war, which permeated both adults and children in those years, did not escape Volodya. Together with his friend Sergei Kushchev, he decided to try his luck and go to Spain to the front to help the Republicans. They were detained already on the open sea. A week later, Vladimir appeared before his parents. Father and mother silently listened to their son's story. His father never interrupted him, only then saying: “I didn’t expect this from you.” After this episode, he began to talk to his son more often about duty and a sense of responsibility.

From birth, Vladimir strove to be like his father and took his example in everything. For him there was never a question of who he wanted to be.

When the Great Patriotic War began, Vladimir studied at the Moscow Special Artillery School. After graduating in June 1942, he entered the Ryazan Artillery School, then completed accelerated courses at the Military Artillery Academy named after. F.E. Dzerzhinsky. In October 1943, he was sent to the Leningrad Front, which at that time was commanded by his father, Colonel General L.A. Govorov. But Leonid Aleksandrovich does not hide his son behind his back and does not assign him to headquarters. Vladimir Govorov assumes the position of fire platoon commander. His battery is located on one of the most dangerous sectors of the front. Vladimir takes part in the operation to completely lift the siege of Leningrad. As a battery commander, he took part in the battles to liberate the Baltic states from the Nazis and ended the war in Courland. Vladimir was wounded and awarded an order.

After the war, in 1946 he graduated from the Higher Officer Artillery School, and in 1949 from the M.V. Frunze Military Academy. Serves in units of the Baltic Military District. He goes from deputy regiment commander to tank division commander.

In 1963 he graduated from the Military Academy of the General Staff with a gold medal. Serves in the Group of Soviet Forces in Germany as chief of staff, first deputy commander, and since 1967 - commander of the 2nd Guards Tank Army. Two years later V.L. Govorov becomes First Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Group of Soviet Forces in Germany.

In 1971, Colonel General V.L. Govorov was appointed commander of the troops of the Baltic Military District, and in July 1972 - commander of the troops of the Moscow Military District. Immediately after his appointment, he is faced with an unusual task for a commander - putting out forest and peat fires. For the first time he uses pipeline troops for this.

From 1972 to 1980 V.L. Govorov commands 9 parades on Red Square.

Since December 1980, V.L. Govorov - Commander-in-Chief of the Far East. The troops of the Far East were then stationed on an area of ​​11 million square meters. kilometers and included the Transbaikal and Far Eastern military districts, the Pacific Fleet, as well as Soviet troops in Mongolia. Army General Govorov coordinated the interaction of the Soviet group with the armies of Vietnam, Kampuchea, Laos and Mongolia. At this time, V.L. Govorov carried out a great deal of socio-political work and was closely associated with local Soviet and party bodies. V.L. Govorov enjoyed enormous authority; he was awarded the title of Honorary Citizen of Ulan-Ude.

In 1984, Army General V.L. Govorov becomes Deputy Minister of Defense of the USSR - Chief Inspector of the Ministry of Defense of the USSR.

In April 1986, a terrible catastrophe occurs - the accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant. Our country was not ready for it. V.L. Govorov is assigned to head the Civil Defense of the USSR while retaining his post as Deputy Minister of Defense of the USSR. Army General V.L. Govorov leads the liquidation of the consequences of the accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant and all the major disasters that occurred in the USSR. Thanks to V.L. Govorov began a large-scale restructuring of the Civil Defense of the USSR, the purpose of which was to reorient it to emergency situations occurring in peacetime. The country's civil defense became the basis of the subsequently created Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations.

On August 15, 1991 (a few days before the State Emergency Committee), Govorov submitted a report for dismissal from the ranks of the USSR Armed Forces. He has been retired since 1992. Thus, the armies of V.L. Govorov gave 50 years of his life.

Since July 1994, V.L. Govorov is the Chairman of the Committee of the All-Russian public organization of war veterans. Since 2001 - Chairman of the Russian Committee of War and Military Service Veterans (RKVV). In a short time V.L. Govorov managed to unite numerous regional veteran organizations and turn the RKVV into a strong public structure capable of defending the interests of veterans of all wars at the highest levels of government, as well as intensifying work on military-patriotic education of youth. RKVV remained as such until the departure of V.L. Govorova from life.

V. L. Govorov was a member of the Public Chamber of the Russian Federation. V.L. Govorov took an active part in international activities. He was rightfully considered one of the leaders of the international veterans' movement, as evidenced by his election as vice-president of the World Federation of War Veterans. He was one of the organizers of the International Conference of Veterans' Organizations of Central and Eastern European Countries, held in Moscow in 1997, where he spoke and made specific proposals on the further development of the global veterans' movement. Under his leadership, close ties were established with national veteran organizations in more than 40 countries.

He led the preparations for the celebration of the 55th anniversary of the Great Victory. On May 9, 1995, he commanded the anniversary parade of veterans on Red Square in Moscow.

Unfortunately, on August 13, 2006 V.L. Govorov passed away. An outstanding military leader, a true citizen and patriot - the son of his father - has passed away. Vladimir Leonidovich was buried with due military honors at the Novodevichy cemetery, on the central alley.

Awards of Army General V.L. Govorova:

• Gold Star of Hero of the Soviet Union (1984)
• Two Orders of Lenin (1980, 1984)
• Two Orders of the Red Banner (1967, 1972)
• Order of the Patriotic War, 1st and 2nd degrees (1985, 1944)
• Order "For Service to the Motherland in the Armed Forces of the USSR" 2nd and 3rd degrees (1983, 1975)
• Orders of the GDR, Czechoslovakia, Mongolia, Vietnam
• Order of Merit for the Fatherland, III degree (1999)
• Order of Friendship (1995)
• USSR medals