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Alexander Margelov
Vasily Margelov
Vasily Margelov. Trooper No. 1
In memory of the Man of Honor - Hero Soviet Union army general
MARGELOV Vasily Filippovich,
our father, with gratitude and Best wishes veterans of all wars, today and future defenders of our Fatherland.
Margelovs A.V. and V.V.
From the authors
Zolotov Semyon Mitrofanovich, Kukushkin Alexey Vasilievich, Kraev Vladimir Stepanovich, Gudzya Pavel Danilovich, Bardeev Igor Alexandrovich, Shcherbakov Leonid Ivanovich, Orlov Georgy Alexandrovich, Borisov Mikhail Ivanovich, Kostin Boris Akimovich, Dvugroshev Yuri Ivanovich, Dragun Boris Antonovich, Volgar Vladimir Ivanovich, Shevchenko Nikolai Arsentievich, Kurteev Alexey Semenovich, Molchanov Nikolay Pavlovich, Markelov Vladimir Andreevich, Lushnikov Alexey Petrovich, Zhukov Boris Georgievich, Minigulov Sharip Khabeevich, Ryabov Gennady Vasilievich, Paramonov Vladimir Denisovich, Anpilogov Vladimir Yakovlevich, M Elkov Gennady Trofimovich, Dyachenko Alexey Alexandrovich, Burov Valentin Ivanovich, Palanikov Alexander Samoilovich, Gnilenko Valery Pavlovich, Ponizovsky Vladimir Semenovich, Ismailov Agamekhti Mammad Ogly (Mikhail Mikhailovich), Tamindarova Khusnutdin Shaykhutdinovich, Kostenko Yuri Petrovich, Skrynnikov Mikhail Fedorovich, whose materials and memoirs were used in the book and those who helped in them, and who helped them in their bin also to those who assisted the authors in preparing this book to the publication - first of all, to Yuri Ivanovich Igrinev, Sergei Vasilievich Dronov and Valery Nikolaevich Zakharenkov. Special thanks to the grandson of Army General Margelov, reserve officer Alexander Alexandrovich, an excellent computer scientist, without whose help the book would have appeared much later.
We bow our heads to fond memory Pavlenko Pavel Fedoseevich, Lisov Ivan Ivanovich, Kulishev Oleg Fedorovich, Shubin Valery Fedorovich, Davydov Ivan Nikolaevich, Doronin Vladimir Dmitrievich, Mikhalev Nikolai Sergeevich.
Their memories of Vasily Filippovich Margelov are a tribute to an outstanding military leader and parting words to the current defenders of the Fatherland.
After the publication of the book “Army General V.F. Margelov” (Publishing house "Poligrafresursy", Moscow, 1998) many readers asked to write a book about the service of Vasily Filippovich Margelov in the Airborne Forces of the USSR - from his first steps as an airborne paratrooper to the Commander of the Airborne Forces.
The first written request of this kind was a letter from Igor Nikolaevich Sheptukhin from the city of Odintsovo, Moscow region, which the authors took the liberty of reproducing in full:
“Dear Alexander Vasilyevich, hello!
I read your book “Army General Margelov”. Thank you very much for it. People like your father, Vasily Filippovich, are the golden fund of our country, its pride, honor, glory! The memory of General Margelov will live forever! In our difficult times, Vasily Filippovich serves as an example of a true Russian officer not only for the Airborne Forces, but also for our entire long-suffering Army. Our growing youth, who seem to have other guidelines, should also know about such people. These are the kind of books she should be raised on!
Unfortunately, I did not have to throw in my lot with the Airborne Forces, but my dad served for 8 years, first in the 114th Vienna Airborne Division, and then in the 103rd Vitebsk Airborne Division. It was thanks to his stories about the Airborne Forces that my love for these troops came to me. Your book has become a real gift for me.
With your permission, I have a request to ask you. You should definitely write another book to cover all the years of Vasily Filippovich’s work in the Airborne Forces in more detail. The book “Army General Margelov” is wonderful, but there is too little about the paratrooper Margelov.
That's all I wanted to write. Again Thanks a lot To you for your book. Please accept the poem about “Trooper No. 1” as a sign of respect; believe me, it was written with all my heart!
Goodbye, best regards,
Sheptukhin Igor Nikolaevich."
Naturally, with deep gratitude from the entire Margelov family, as well as from many other people, completely different in relation to military service, age and education, the authors present this wonderful poem.
V.F. Margelov
In the history of the glorious landing
There are many brave commanders,
But the first one on the list is legendary
Vasil Filippovich Margelov!
Wedded to glory forever,
Having walked the path of hard times,He is a Patriot, Soldier, Scientist,
Trooper number one!
Great Son of your country,
He served as an example for the soldiers.
He carried the roads of war
The rank of officer is worthy.
Suvorov traditions banner
He held it in his calloused hands.
Taught the soldiers - Victory is with us!
And where it was difficult, he won.
The soldiers loved the commander,
Always noticed everywhere.
For intelligence, courage, prowess, strength
They called Batya lovingly.“Margelovets” – there is no higher rank!
And they were proud of this title:
They went on a mission with him,
We fought hand-to-hand with him,
Always fought bravely, deftly,
Courage is the key to success.
And Nevskaya Dubrovka remembers
Bayonets of Margelov's Marines!
And in difficult times near Stalingrad
They did a righteous deed.
He did not lead the guards for awards,
For the Motherland, dashing Margelov!
After drinking Dnieper water
And swam across the Dnieper rapids,
They began to fight even more bravely
With the enemy in that terrible time.
Fought in trenches and trenches
Margelovites for holy ground,
Bravely drove the Germans to the neck
Regiments of the native forty-ninth!
Kherson, Odessa, Nikolaev -
Victories mark the path.
And among the barking of cannons
The guards cannot be turned back!
And they know Budapest and Vienna
As they walked, striking a menacing step,
How they broke through enemy walls
Throwing Margelov attacks.
And Red Square will remember
Victory Parade in forty-fifth,
The paving stones will long be remembered
How Margelov's soldiers marched!After the war the task arose
fasten landing troops…
And strengthened the defense
Margelov's hand again.
He created a nugget, an ingot,
Those who are stronger and braver,
Soviet army elite -
Her country is rich!
Those who are first in battle, in training,
In attacks and, of course, in sports,
Who tore their veins and nerves
In the winged valiant cohort.
Who is there where the path is always dangerous,
Those from the sky go into battle by parachute.
To the airborne troops "Uncle Vasya"
Any routes you can handle.
They save the country from grief,
They are her protection, her color;
Its reliable strong root
And a strong backbone.As a sergeant, as a private, as a battalion commander -
Margelov's spirit lives on!
And in everyone who is ready to serve, -
Live eternal memory about Bath!
There were many other reviews: written, at meetings, by telephone... Veterans of the Great Patriotic War and other wars, veterans military service, purely civilian people sent and conveyed their memories, comments, and suggestions for the new edition of the book. The authors are very grateful to all such readers. Even to someone who, after reading the book, somehow warily asked if it was a political worker who wrote the book. The authors were not political workers, so they were surprised to ask what led him to such thoughts. It turns out that he did not like the frequent mention in the text of the glorious military deeds of soldiers - political workers, communists and Komsomol members. It was necessary to recall that during the Great War, soldiers considered it an honor to bear these high ranks, and political workers often became yesterday’s soldiers and combatant commanders, the most competent and conscientious. They had one task - to convey to every warrior political goals liberation war against the arrogant invader, and these goals, fortunately, coincided with the goals of the leading party led by the great Stalin. By the way, the enemy also “valued” them highly - when captured, they were threatened with being shot out of turn, without talking... These were the advantages that political workers, communists and Komsomol members had at the front. And their exploits, described in the book, are mainly taken from the memories of the war by soldiers, sergeants and junior commanders (combatants!). So you shouldn’t confuse these guys, ready for self-sacrifice, with today’s changelings - the Gorbachevs, Yeltsins and the like, who betrayed themselves first of all, betrayed their interests working people. Even the word political worker itself has disappeared; now in the army there are educators, as if we live outside of politics. Absurd! The Armed Forces of the country are created to protect it from external enemies. And war, as every more or less literate person should know well, is a continuation of politics by other means.
The new edition, corrected and expanded, is published in two parts under the general title “Through the Hurricanes of Five Wars.” This is exactly what my father wanted to call his memoirs..., but he did not leave any memoirs, although many asked him to do so.
Even during the life of Army General V.F. Margelov, they called him “Legend Man”, “Paratrooper No. 1”. The people who served under his command called themselves “Margelovites,” and the abbreviation of the Airborne Forces was Airborne Forces, and to this day stands for " IN oiska D eat IN asi."
A patriot, a brave, daring, direct, caring commander, a talented military leader, capable of acting on the basis of honor, always ready for self-sacrifice... It is to him that the honor and glory of creating unsurpassed Airborne Forces belongs. A participant in five wars, as he himself said, Vasily Filippovich hated war with all his soul and spoke about it rarely and sparingly. But he loved films about the war - sitting in front of the TV screen, he admitted: “I love watching war in movies!”
The first part, “The Song Praises the Falcon,” describes in detail his combat biography until the end of the Great Patriotic War. In the second part, “Paratrooper Number One,” his military labor in the Airborne Forces. The book was written, first of all, based on his own memories, on the memories of veterans of the Great Patriotic War and military service who went through combat with him, as well as on the memories of his friends and people close to him.
“In the image and likeness of Suvorov”
The military chronicle of Russia is rich in glorious names that Russian hearts can rightfully be proud of. Let us remember the inspired words of Supreme Commander-in-Chief I.V. Stalin, spoken by him at a military parade unprecedented in history on Red Square in Moscow on November 7, 1941: “Let the courageous image of our great ancestors - Alexander Nevsky, Dmitry Donskoy, Kuzma Minin, Dmitry Pozharsky, Alexander Suvorov, Mikhail Kutuzov - inspire you in this war ..."
Let's dwell on one of these glorious names... Alexander Vasilyevich Suvorov! A commander who had no equal not only in Russian but also in world history. Very few generals can be compared to him. In the 19th century, only three were awarded this honor...
The Georgian prince and Great Russian Peter Ivanovich Bagration was one of them. Suvorov himself loved and appreciated him. He was called “a general in the image and likeness of Suvorov.”
Stepan Aleksandrovich Khrulev, hero of Sevastopol (1854–1856), favorite of the defenders of the Black Sea stronghold. In the poem dedicated to him by the Russian poet Apollo Maykov, fiery lines burn:
This is the secret of the Russian forces, accessible to few:
To a feat of valor both in peace and in war
There is no need to call Russian teams in a stern word,
But everyone will stand up to the click “Dear ones, come to me!”
Mikhail Dmitrievich Skobelev... The legendary Skobelev, who glorified his name with brilliant campaigns in Central Asia and unsurpassed victories in the Balkans in 1877-1878 in the war for freedom and independence of the Slavic brothers. It was his troops, who crushed the Turks, who were stopped by diplomats one march from Ottoman capital, it was he, the Great Russian, who brought the once proud Turkey to its knees.
Comparisons with the great Suvorov were made not by the number of battles won, not by the number of operations carried out, not by the ranks achieved. Another criterion was taken - selfless courage, characteristic only of the great Russians, contempt for danger when it came to the fate of Russia, unshakable steadfastness and unparalleled audacity in battle, the ability with a handful of forces to achieve successes worthy of entire armies. And most importantly - greatness of soul, mercy, kind-hearted and fatherly attitude towards the soldier, modesty and crystal honesty...
If we take these criteria as a basis - all at once, then in the twentieth century the Hero of the Soviet Union, Army General Vasily Filippovich Margelov, can easily be considered among the generals “in the image and likeness of Suvorov”.
It was he, like Suvorov, who, with a handful of fighters, was able to solve problems that were feasible for regiments and divisions; it was he who boldly went to death and emerged victorious, as the reader will be convinced of this after reading the book. It was he who loved and took care of the soldier to the point of heartache and shared the last piece of bread with him. It was he who was crystal honest when acquisitiveness became the norm of life of the highest command staff. It was his subordinates who idolized and adored him, ready to cover him with their breasts in moments of danger. It was his name that front-line soldiers were proud of, ending up in units and formations subordinate to him, and paratroopers when Vasily Filippovich headed this heroic branch of the military. To this day, the Airborne Forces are considered “Uncle Vasya’s troops,” and, speaking this way, the sons of these troops put into their words the extraordinary power of love for “Uncle Vasya,” respect for him, pride in their belonging to the heroic...
It was he, one of the very few generals, who could sacrifice everything most precious when it came to the power of the Fatherland. It was he who accomplished a feat unsurpassed in our time and unparalleled, equal to the feat of Nikolai Raevsky. Raevsky in 1812, near Saltanovka, at a critical moment, came out with his sons under grapeshot in front of the trembling battalions and with this feat decided the outcome of the battle in his favor. He saved Bagration's army and thwarted Napoleon's plan to dismember and destroy the Russian troops. He saved Russia.
When it was necessary to carry out the necessary, but extremely dangerous tests of new methods and means of landing the BMD-1 airborne combat vehicle on parachute systems, which, if successful, would make it possible to raise the combat effectiveness of the Airborne Forces, and therefore the defensive power of the state, to immeasurable heights, Margelov sent his son on them.
Paratrooper officer Alexander Vasilyevich Margelov, named after the great Suvorov, by order of his father and at the behest of his brave Russian heart, made the first experimental jump in history inside a combat vehicle using a serial parachute system... Then there were two more similar experiments on other new and more complex systems landing...
They say that for the first experiment, Vasily Filippovich took a pistol loaded with one live cartridge... For himself...
All tests were successful... Particularly memorable was the last landing on a parachute-jet system for Colonel Alexander Margelov and his comrade in two experiments, Lieutenant General Leonid Shcherbakov, for which they were awarded high rank Hero of Russia.
Catherine the Great loved to repeat: “God gave the Russians a special property!” This special property possessed by her great associates - the best of the “flock of glorious Catherine’s eagles” - Alexey Grigorievich Orlov, who deprived Turkey of her fleet at Chesma, Pyotr Aleksandrovich Rumyantsev, famous for the unprecedented Kagul victory, Potemkin, “whose genius reigned over all parts of Russian politics,” and, of course same, invincible Suvorov. They were the pride of Russians. And also the great commanders of the past. Russia is now proud of the general “in the image and likeness of Suvorov” Vasily Filippovich Margelov.
In the second half of the 18th century, the Prussian envoy Solms reported to Frederick II: “All of Catherine’s wars are waged by the Russian mind.” He saw this as the reason for the brilliant victories in all theaters of military operations, for, in the words of Catherine, “Russian weapons only do not gain glory there, where they do not raise their hands.”
In the second half of the 20th century, the Russian mind of the Great Russian General Margelov created unsurpassed Airborne troops, troops of a truly Russian spirit, troops “in the image and likeness of Suvorov’s miracle heroes. And the miracle heroes of Margelov inherited the audacity and courage of the miracle heroes of Suvorov.
In the glorious age of Catherine the Great, who became truly a Great Russian and the pride of Russia, “not a single cannon in Europe,” as Russian diplomat Alexander Andreevich Bezborodko noted, “dared to fire without the knowledge of the empress.”
Would anyone dare to speak to our country in high tones when “Uncle Vasya’s troops,” the daring and lightning-fast, powerful and brave miracle heroes of Margelov, stood guard over its dignity and honor!
In difficult days for Russia, we involuntarily turn to the great past of our state, draw strength from its glorious history, and look especially closely at the images of our great compatriots, who are the pride of the nation.
Russian philosopher Alexander Nikolaevich Berdyaev wrote: “A nation includes not only human generations, but also the stones of churches, palaces and estates, gravestones, old manuscripts and books, and in order to understand the will of the nation, you need to hear these stones, read the decayed pages... In The will of the nation is spoken not only by the living, but also by the dead, speaking of the great past and the still mysterious future...”
The will of Russia! What else can nourish it now if not the memory of great ancestors, if not books about those who gave their lives for the power of Russia. The will of the nation is expressed by the fighting spirit of Alexander Nevsky and Dmitry Donskoy, Rumyantsev and Potemkin, Suvorov and Bagration, Khrulev and Skobelev.
In the will of the Russians will live the fighting spirit of the glorious General Margelov, who created troops that, in their combat effectiveness, surpassed entire armies of other states at the time when he, the Great Russian, commanded them.
And let this spirit, this pride for great Russia be strengthened by a book about our wonderful compatriot, written by his son Alexander, Hero of Russia, a book worthy of the memory of the Great Russian - Vasily Filippovich Margelov.
Colonel Nikolai Shakhmagonov,
member of the Russian Writers' Union.
Part I
"The song praises the falcon"
Chapter 1
Origins of fame
In my native Yekaterinoslav region. Childhood. Working youth. At the Belarusian United Military School. Ski crossing. Pilots... Becoming a commander.
The beautiful Dnieper is unique and majestic, glorified by the brilliant master of the pen Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol, and a native of Little Russia, Taras Grigorievich Shevchenko.
And how much is connected with this river!
Rus' was born on its banks. Our ancestors lived here - the Dnieper people, here, on a tributary of the Dnieper, the Ros River, lived the Russian (Russian) tribe of Slavs.
In the middle reaches of the Dnieper, the beautiful city of Dnepropetrovsk, formerly Ekaterinoslav, founded by the great Potemkin, is located on the picturesque banks, immersed in the greenery of gardens and parks. “Made-built Ekaterinoslav,” he called him in his letter last hetman Ukraine Kirill Razumovsky.
Here, in this city, the headquarters of the brilliant Russian commander, Field Marshal General Prince Potemkin, was located - here was a kind of headquarters for the liberation from the Turks and the development of the Northern Black Sea region (New Russia). From here Suvorov left in 1787 for Kinburn, where he won a brilliant victory. From here Potemkin himself led his victorious Yekaterinoslav army to the impregnable Ochakov.
The land, imbued with the spirit of heroism, the spirit of great Russian courage, could not help but give birth to heroes.
There are quite a few names in the military chronicle of Ekaterinoslav that the country is proud of... A prominent place in this list is occupied by the name of Vasily Filippovich Margelov.
Let us remember - Potemkin, inferior to the enemy in the number of troops, took Ochakov, killing 8,700 Turks and capturing 4,000 against his own 936 people. Suvorov destroyed 5,000 Turks out of 5,300 in the Battle of Kinburn, losing just over 300 people.
Few generals and military leaders could fight with such a ratio of losses... General Margelov is one of them...
And it was here, in this glorious city, at the turn of two revolutions, that he was born into the family of a metallurgist on December 27, 1908 (according to the new style - January 9, 1909), looked at blue sky, his captive and his ruler, the future creator of the “winged infantry”, boldly rushing into battle from the skies, the famous military leader, Hero of the Soviet Union, Army General Vasily Filippovich Margelov. A small clarification should be made here... When my father received his party card, the party official wrote his last name with the letter “r”, which remained for the rest of his life.
The family was large: three sons - Ivan, Vasily, Nikolai and daughter Maria, sometimes they were very poor, and therefore his father, Philip Ivanovich Markelov, had to bend his back on the capitalist from dawn to dusk. Only thanks to his heroic strength and enormous endurance was he able to work in a hot foundry face to face with the sizzling fire of molten metal for 16 hours a day, until he was kicked out of the plant for “political unreliability.” For a long time, the owners wanted to get rid of the inconvenient leader of the workers. And then a reason presented itself: he stood up for his neighbor’s grandmother Matryona. It happened like this - three drunken hooligans clung to her, saying, pay three kopecks for the right to sell seeds, and we won’t take them. And where does she, the unfortunate thing, get that kind of money? And they stuck to her like a bath leaf to her body:
- Give it, give it!
The old woman is in tears, but they don’t care, they just laugh. At this time, Philip Ivanovich passed by. Well, he hit them hard. Spitting out their teeth, they ran away like hares - try to answer the same to the hefty metallurgist. And then they complained to the policeman, saying they were beaten by a drunken thug for no reason whatsoever. This is how grandfather Philip lost his job - they removed him away from the group of restless workers. With difficulty, he managed to get a job as a mining worker, but in a job where the working conditions were even more unbearable and where he quickly gained authority among the miners.
But not only molten steel bubbled in the fire-breathing furnaces of the factory open-hearth furnaces. The hearts of metallurgical workers and miners burned hotter than fire, who labored day and night for the capitalists and received for their Slave work pittance.
More than once Philip Ivanovich had to think about the eternal question for Russia - why Russian people are always like strangers in their Fatherland, why are they like stepsons in it, and why is it so ugly and meager, and not on time, that such payments are paid? hard labour those who mine the “black gold” that the country needs so much. He did not understand then all the subtleties of the Bolshevik plans, did not understand the true plans of those who trampled the state, deliberately turning the lives of Russians into slavery and slowing down progress.
More than once, at the head of workers' demonstrations, with his powerful shoulders straightened, the forgeman Philip Markelov came out with long strides, although he was never either a Bolshevik or a communist. He believed in the bright future of his people and fought for it as best he could.
In 1914, grandfather Philip was called up to military service, and he went to the German war to defend the Fatherland. Two "George" testify to his courage and bravery. In one of the battles during the offensive, the hero-hero personally stabbed a dozen Germans with a bayonet. But he was not given the third “George” because he once spoke out against injustice and for the rights of soldiers. In 1917 he was elected a member of the regimental committee. Then there were the turbulent years of the Civil War. Philip Ivanovich picked up a rifle and went to the front to protect the young Soviet republic, firmly believing that he is fighting for better life namely the working people. He served first in the Red Guard, and then in the Red Army.
When the volleys of the Civil War died down, Philip Ivanovich Markelov returned home in 1920, where he first worked on his land, leaving in the winter for side jobs, and in 1931 he joined the collective farm. Paris Commune", and later moved to a sawmill, and since 1936 he worked at Lespromkhoz.
The family finally returned to the city of Kostyukovichi, in the Mogilev district in Belarus, where the Markelovs lived and worked in summer time. There were also numerous relatives here. Although the relatives themselves lived poorly, they always helped each other. In 1921, Philip Ivanovich’s second son Vasily graduated from school. The son grew up like his father and was tall beyond his years, strong guy. In those days, many teenagers began their working lives at that age. This cup did not pass over the son of the Ekaterinoslav proletarian.
Even at an early age, Vasily and his brothers helped his mother Agafya Stepanovna at home with housework and small earnings: he carried mail, he worked as a loader, or as a carpenter. In a word, he completed all the work when he was still little, - this is how grandmother Agafya, the mother of the military guard major general, recalled with pride and delight after the war...
And at the age of thirteen he was already working as an apprentice in a leather workshop. The matter was resolved in the strong hands of the teenager. Less than three months had passed when the master began to give Vasily independent tasks, and he carried them out diligently and efficiently. He soon became an assistant foreman, but he didn’t like working in a private workshop, and in 1923 he became a laborer at the local Khlebobrodukt. Here, in the work team, his talent as a leader manifested itself; he was respected for his honesty and hard work.
He became a famous person, even his elders addressed him by his first name and patronymic. The secretary of the Komsomol cell invited Vasily to join the Komsomol. Having carefully studied the Charter and being quite nervous, he came to the Komsomol meeting at the appointed time. Everything was going fine until the deputy secretary of the Komsomol organization Izya, whom Vasily could not stand for his arrogance and superficiality, asked: “How do you, Comrade Markelov, feel about “ Jewish question? Well, Vasily explained what he thinks about those leaders and ideological inspirers who themselves do not know what work is, but try to teach others. He meant precisely this Izya, without going deeply into the tricky meaning of the question. He returned home upset - at Izy’s suggestion, they refused to trust him.
- What, my Vasenka was not accepted into the Komsomol? – the deeply devout Agafya Stepanovna was indignant. And they said that only the best are accepted there.
Cousin Ivan, secretary of the party organization of the institute, asked:
- What's the matter, Vasya?
“I don’t know,” Vasily admitted honestly, he answered all the questions, they praised my work, but they called Izka lazy and a loudmouth, they suggested that I come next time, better prepared, and also called me some kind of “anti-Semite.”
“Don’t worry, brother, I’ll talk to whoever I need to talk to.”
A few days later the same Izya, smiling ingratiatingly, invited him:
– Vas’ka, why don’t you come to the Komsomol? Come. No offense.
He was soon accepted into the Komsomol, but bad aftertaste stayed for a long time. The year was 1924...
And no one then could have imagined that ten years later the party scoundrel Izya would be repressed, but in response dark forces the server was also repressed big hopes mathematician Ivan Filippovich Markelov. His family was told that he died in the mine.
The country needed fuel. Coal in the distant twenties was an acute shortage. By Komsomol voucher Sixteen-year-old Vasily Margelov was sent to Yekaterinoslav to the mine named after M.I. Kalinin works as a laborer, then he becomes a horse-driver. His independent working life began.
The first descent into the mine remained in his memory indelible impression. In those days, the main tools of a slaughterer’s labor were a pick and a shovel. Only the physically strong and resilient were capable of this incredibly hard work.
One day, when the team that included Vasily was digging a new drift, a blockage occurred. The slaughterers found themselves cut off from outside world thick layer of earth. Some lost heart, some were already praying to God. But Vasily Margelov and several of his comrades stubbornly dug out the rubble. For more than three days they fought the elements without food and water, and it retreated. On the fourth day after hitting the “wall” of the rubble with a pick, the miners saw the light and, helping each other, got out to freedom.
However, those days and nights spent in the dark mine without fresh air, water and food were not in vain. Vasily, due to health reasons, could no longer work at the mine, and he was sent as a forester to Lespromkhoz, in his native Belarus.
The forest lands that the young forester had to inspect every day stretched over many hundreds of kilometers. In the summer - on horseback, and in winter - only on skis, without them you can’t drive or walk. Well, how can you not become a real skier! But sometimes an 18-year-old guy had to chase poachers on skis, and no one could escape the tall, broad-shouldered forester. While searching for poachers, a young forester learned to read the “forest book.” He knew how to find barely noticeable traces in the forest, camouflage himself, and wait patiently in ambush, not knowing, of course, how these qualities would be useful to him in the future, when he would lead his soldiers behind enemy lines. Siberian trackers recognized him as one of their own, and the Cossacks, seeing how he skillfully controlled a horse in battle, considered him to be of the Cossack family. Some time passed, and no one encroached on his plot. They knew that he would catch up anyway, take the gun, and punishment would not be avoided.
At the beginning of 1927, Vasily Filippovich became the chairman of the working committee of Lespromkhoz - SKhLR, where he worked until September 1928. He was soon elected a member local council and chairman of the tax commission, appointed commissioner for Komsomol line on work among farm laborers and on military work. Immediately in Kostyukovichi he became a candidate member of the party.
In 1928, Vasily Filippovich Margelov was drafted into the Workers' and Peasants' Red Army and, on a Komsomol ticket, was sent to study to become a Red commander. He wanted to become a tank driver - he was too big for those tanks, and, taking into account his physical characteristics, Vasily was sent to the United Belarusian military school named after the Central Executive Committee of the BSSR in the city of Minsk.
Thanks to his natural craving for military knowledge and extraordinary physical training From the first months of his studies, cadet Margelov became one of the excellent students in fire, tactical and, of course, physical training. No one could compare with him in shooting accuracy from a Nagan revolver, a three-line rifle, or a Maxim machine gun. For these successes, he was enrolled in a sniper group and received a personal TK pistol (Tulsky, S.A. Korovin system, 6.35 mm caliber). In the early 30s, this small pistol was very loved by the commanders of the Red Army, and my father, taking out his TK, repeatedly noted the admiring and sometimes envious glances of his comrades.
Cadet Vasily Margelov enjoyed well-deserved authority among his school comrades; he was distinguished by his zeal for learning, while showing great ability to win, and therefore, from his second year, he was appointed sergeant major of a machine gun company. This is where Vasily Margelov’s abilities in military affairs truly manifested themselves for the first time. He not only showed his fellow service members an example of a conscientious attitude to mastering the difficult science of winning, but also, like a commander, demanded of them to achieve high results in combat training. Much attention The company sergeant-major devoted himself to the physical training of the cadets and, in particular, to cross-country skiing. It is not surprising that after some time his company became one of the leading ones both in combat training and physical training. And in cross-country skiing, the machine gun company had no equal in the entire school.
In rare family newsreels, Vasily Margelov, to whom two German tank corps surrendered without a fight in 1945, does not at all look like a formidable military leader. Belomor Canal cigarettes, vest, riding breeches...
In rare family newsreels, Vasily Margelov, to whom two German tank corps surrendered without a fight in 1945, does not at all look like a formidable military leader. Belomor-Canal cigarettes, vest, riding breeches - everything is the same ordinary people. Next to him is his wife Anna Alexandrovna, whom he met in 1941 at Leningrad Front, and five sons. The last two - Alexander and Vasily - are twins, who later wrote about their legendary father book “Paratrooper No. 1, Army General Margelov.”
Two St. George's crosses from Father Margelov
Born into an ordinary family of a metallurgist who returned home with two St. George's crosses on his chest and was able to hug his three sons and daughter to himself, Vasily’s father became an unconditional example of courage and deliberation. His father taught Vasily that the one who can think and fight wins. These postulates of his father became the main ones for Vasily, he did not leave the enemy a single chance, except one - to surrender in order to continue living.
Mines, forest, ski run to Moscow
But his father’s first commandment - not to lose heart - came in handy for Vasily when he fell into a blockage in the mine where he worked and with his comrades dug out heavy stones. After this, he received a lung disease and was sent as a forester, which also came in handy in his camouflage and shooting skills, which he showed “excellent” after being drafted into the Red Army. He was sent to a military school in Belarus to study to become a Red commander, where he organized a ski run to Moscow. On the way, they lost one cadet and returned, although they had walked several kilometers. Apparently, a strong wind knocked the cadet off his feet, he fell, was immediately covered in snow, and could not get out. After this incident, Margelov walked the rest of the way at the rear, and not first, as was before. Thus, Margelov gradually developed the talent of a military teacher - one must always take care of others more than oneself.
"Great, pincers!"
In 1941, Vasily Margelov faced the most difficult test, as he himself wrote: he had to sign several hundred funeral documents at one time. Then he was appointed commander of the first special regiment of sailors Baltic Fleet. Margelov already had a significant military burden behind him: Finnish war, where he became famous by capturing several generals from the enemy General Staff, command of a disciplinary battalion. However, sailors are a special kind of people: they received the land major gloomily. When Vasily saw the frowning faces, he said, not according to the regulations: “Great, claws!” That's all. Of course, they started smiling. He had to become close to his brothers and accept, perhaps, the most main fight In my life. This happened at the end of November 1941. Soviet command made another attempt to break the blockade of Leningrad: Margelov’s regiment was ordered to attack German positions in the area Lake Ladoga. An infantry division was also supposed to support the attack of the sailors, but for unknown reasons it did not reach the initial lines in time. In such a difficult situation, Margelov refused to throw his people into battle without support, realizing that they could all die there to no avail, in vain. Boss special department then he said to him: “Either Major Margelov will advance, or he will be shot according to the laws of war.” Then Margelov gathered all his commanders and told them that he would not force them into battle, it would be better if they shot him.
Vest - in memory of sailors
Both in peacetime and in wartime, those commanders who take care of their guys and do not hide behind their backs are always respected. The sailors, realizing that the situation was extremely difficult, volunteered to go with their commanders into a deadly attack. On the night of November 27, 1941, they captured the first line German defense, at a price huge losses They stayed there for several hours until the command ordered them to retreat to their previous positions. Later, the division command that gave the criminal order was shot. And Margelov personally testified against the division commanders during the trial of the case by the military tribunal. But it was impossible to return the dead. And Vasily understood this, again experiencing and remembering that terrible night when the sailors went after him. In 1968, in memory of his brothers, Vasily Margelov insisted that a vest be mandatory included in the uniform of paratroopers. And although this caused a certain amount of jealousy on the part of representatives navy, Vasily was able to convince the Minister of Defense and his deputies that the paratroopers are the continuers of the traditions of the fleet and recognize his, “elder brother’s” primacy in this type of clothing. But gradually these adjustments faded away and for decades paratroopers lovingly wore naked vests, this warm and comfortable clothing for everyday wear.
Margelov always treated his subordinates with care and real respect; he delved into all the details of the soldiers’ life. When in 1942 Lieutenant Colonel Margelov took command of the 13th rifle regiment, then first of all he went to the canteen, where he discovered that the soldier’s ration was not so rich and ordered to give his additional ration to the canteen. Other officers followed this example. It is not surprising that for such care the soldiers sincerely loved their commander, who led them into battle on the Mius Front: they were able to break through the deeply echeloned German defenses in the Saur-Mogila area.
Troops need armor
Vasily Margelov, who returned from the front with the Gold Star of the Hero for the capture of Kherson and the formation of the Dnieper and walked in the Victory Parade along Red Square, graduated in 1948 military academy and began the main idea of his life - a radical change in the structure of the airborne troops. He was literally obsessed with the idea of protecting his paratroopers with armor because these troops were usually sent into the thick of things so that, having landed, they would steadfastly hold the defense while awaiting the arrival of the main forces. And if the landing force could not hold out for several precious hours, then this meant one thing - death behind enemy lines. Margelov’s students needed reliable protection: in modern conditions in the conduct of combat operations there were no longer enough feats based on skillfully throwing several people into the rear who were able to run, crawl and neutralize the enemy. Of course, physical and moral qualities were one of the main conditions for survival during complex operations, but it was necessary to fight in such a way as to avoid as much as possible human losses. And therefore, Margelov harshly raised the question to the Minister of Defense about the need to equip the airborne troops with armored vehicles, artillery, and aviation.
In the 50s years of the Airborne Forces in the army it also stood for “you’re unlikely to return home.” Margelov walked around many corridors in military departments. He stood his ground: the troops needed a light armored vehicle, equipped with the most modern weapons, that could be parachuted from an airplane. And such a machine was finally created: in military newsreels you can see how a car falls out of the belly of an An-12 aircraft at an altitude of 800 meters at a flight speed of 300-350 kilometers per hour, the canopy of the parachute opens and it lands successfully, next to In theory, paratroopers were also supposed to land there. But in reality, the two crew members landed at a significant distance from each other, and the location of the vehicle was determined by special signals: a special transceiver device was mounted inside the vehicle and on the chest of the paratroopers. At first glance this seemed like a great success.
Zolotov Semyon Mitrofanovich, Kukushkin Alexey Vasilievich, Kraev Vladimir Stepanovich, Gudzya Pavel Danilovich, Bardeev Igor Alexandrovich, Shcherbakov Leonid Ivanovich, Orlov Georgy Alexandrovich, Borisov Mikhail Ivanovich, Kostin Boris Akimovich, Dvugroshev Yuri Ivanovich, Dragun Boris Antonovich, Volgar Vladimir Ivanovich, Shevchenko Nikolai Arsentievich, Kurteev Alexey Semenovich, Molchanov Nikolay Pavlovich, Markelov Vladimir Andreevich, Lushnikov Alexey Petrovich, Zhukov Boris Georgievich, Minigulov Sharip Khabeevich, Ryabov Gennady Vasilievich, Paramonov Vladimir Denisovich, Anpilogov Vladimir Yakovlevich, M Elkov Gennady Trofimovich, Dyachenko Alexey Alexandrovich, Burov Valentin Ivanovich, Palanikov Alexander Samoilovich, Gnilenko Valery Pavlovich, Ponizovsky Vladimir Semenovich, Ismailov Agamekhti Mammad Ogly (Mikhail Mikhailovich), Tamindarova Khusnutdin Shaykhutdinovich, Kostenko Yuri Petrovich, Skrynnikov Mikhail Fedorovich, whose materials and memoirs were used in the book and those who helped in them, and who helped them in their bin also to those who assisted the authors in preparing this book for publication - first of all, Yuri Ivanovich Igrinev, Sergei Vasilievich Dronov and Valery Nikolaevich Zakharenkov. Special thanks to the grandson of Army General Margelov, reserve officer Alexander Alexandrovich, an excellent computer scientist, without whose help the book would have appeared much later.
We bow our heads to the blessed memory of Pavel Fedoseevich Pavlenko, Ivan Ivanovich Lisov, Oleg Fedorovich Kulishev, Valery Fedorovich Shubin, Ivan Nikolaevich Davydov, Vladimir Dmitrievich Doronin, Nikolai Sergeevich Mikhalev.
Their memories of Vasily Filippovich Margelov are a tribute to the outstanding military leader and parting words to the current defenders of the Fatherland.
After the publication of the book “Army General V.F. Margelov” (Publishing house "Polygrafresursy", Moscow, 1998) many readers asked to write a book about the service of Vasily Filippovich Margelov in the Airborne Forces of the USSR - from his first steps as an airborne paratrooper to the Commander of the Airborne Forces.
The first written request of this kind was a letter from Igor Nikolaevich Sheptukhin from the city of Odintsovo, Moscow region, which the authors took the liberty of reproducing in full:
“Dear Alexander Vasilyevich, hello!
I read your book “Army General Margelov”. Thank you very much for it. People like your father, Vasily Filippovich, are the golden fund of our country, its pride, honor, glory! The memory of General Margelov will live forever! In our difficult times, Vasily Filippovich serves as an example of a true Russian officer not only for the Airborne Forces, but also for our entire long-suffering Army. Our growing youth, who seem to have other guidelines, should also know about such people. These are the kind of books she should be raised on!
Unfortunately, I did not have to throw in my lot with the Airborne Forces, but my dad served for 8 years, first in the 114th Vienna Airborne Division, and then in the 103rd Vitebsk Airborne Division. It was thanks to his stories about the Airborne Forces that my love for these troops came to me. Your book has become a real gift for me.
With your permission, I have a request to ask you. You should definitely write another book to cover all the years of Vasily Filippovich’s work in the Airborne Forces in more detail. The book “Army General Margelov” is wonderful, but there is too little about the paratrooper Margelov.
That's all I wanted to write. Once again thank you very much for your book. Please accept the poem about “Trooper No. 1” as a sign of respect; believe me, it was written with all my heart!
Goodbye, best regards,
Sheptukhin Igor Nikolaevich."
Naturally, with deep gratitude from the entire Margelov family, as well as from many other people, completely different in relation to military service, age and education, the authors present this wonderful poem.
In the history of the glorious landing There are many brave commanders, But the first one on the list is legendary Vasil Filippovich Margelov! Wedded to glory forever, Having walked the path of hard times, He is a Patriot, Soldier, Scientist, Trooper number one! Great Son of his country, He served as an example for the soldiers. He carried the roads of war The rank of officer is worthy. Suvorov traditions banner He held it in his calloused hands. Taught the soldiers - Victory is with us! And where it was difficult, he won. The soldiers loved the commander, Always noticed everywhere. For intelligence, courage, prowess, strength They called Batya lovingly. “Margelovets” - there is no higher rank! And they were proud of this title: They went on a mission with him, We fought hand-to-hand with him, Always fought bravely, deftly, Courage is the key to success. And Nevskaya Dubrovka remembers Bayonets of Margelov's Marines! And in difficult times near Stalingrad They did a righteous deed. He did not lead the guards for awards, For the Motherland, dashing Margelov! After drinking Dnieper water And swam across the Dnieper rapids, They began to fight even more bravely With the enemy in that terrible time. Fought in trenches and trenches Margelovites are holy for the land, Bravely drove the Germans to the neck Regiments of the native forty-ninth! Kherson, Odessa, Nikolaev - Victories mark the path. And among the barking of cannons The guards cannot be turned back! And they know Budapest and Vienna As they walked, striking a menacing step, How they broke through enemy walls Throwing Margelov attacks. And Red Square will remember Victory Parade in '45, The paving stones will long be remembered How Margelov's soldiers marched! After the war the task arose Strengthen the landing troops... And strengthened the defense Margelov's hand again. He created a nugget, an ingot, Those who are stronger and braver, Soviet Army elite - Her country is rich! Those who are first in battle, in training, In attacks and, of course, in sports, Who tore their veins and nerves In the winged valiant cohort. Who is there where the path is always dangerous, Those from the sky go into battle by parachute. To the airborne troops "Uncle Vasya" Any routes you can handle. They save the country from grief, They are her protection, her color; Its reliable strong root And a strong backbone. As a sergeant, as a private, as a battalion commander - Margelov's spirit lives on! And in everyone who is ready to serve, - Live the eternal memory of Bath!
There were many other reviews: written, at meetings, by telephone... Veterans of the Great Patriotic War and other wars, veterans of military service, purely civilian people sent and conveyed their memories, comments, and suggestions for the new edition of the book. The authors are very grateful to all such readers. Even to someone who, after reading the book, somehow warily asked if it was a political worker who wrote the book. The authors were not political workers, so they were surprised to ask what led him to such thoughts. It turns out that he did not like the frequent mention in the text of the glorious military deeds of soldiers - political workers, communists and Komsomol members. It was necessary to recall that during the Great War, soldiers considered it an honor to bear these high ranks, and political workers often became yesterday’s soldiers and combatant commanders, the most competent and conscientious. They had one task - to convey to every soldier the political goals of the liberation war against the arrogant invader, and these goals, fortunately, coincided with the goals of the leading party led by the great Stalin. By the way, the enemy also “valued” them highly - when captured, they were threatened with being shot out of turn, without talking... These were the advantages that political workers, communists and Komsomol members had at the front. And their exploits, described in the book, are mainly taken from the memories of the war by soldiers, sergeants and junior commanders (combatants!). So one should not confuse these guys, ready for self-sacrifice, with today’s changelings - the Gorbachevs, Yeltsins and the like, who betrayed themselves, first of all, and betrayed the interests of the working people. Even the word political worker itself has disappeared; now in the army there are educators, as if we live outside of politics. Absurd! The Armed Forces of the country are created to protect it from external enemies. And war, as every more or less literate person should know well, is a continuation of politics by other means.
The new edition, corrected and expanded, is published in two parts under the general title “Through the Hurricanes of Five Wars.” This is exactly what my father wanted to call his memoirs..., but he did not leave any memoirs, although many asked him to do so.
Even during the life of Army General V.F. Margelov, they called him “Legend Man”, “Paratrooper No. 1”. The people who served under his command called themselves “Margelovites,” and the abbreviation of the Airborne Forces is VDV, and to this day stands for “Uncle Vasya’s Troops.”
A patriot, a brave, daring, direct, caring commander, a talented military leader, capable of acting on the basis of honor, always ready for self-sacrifice... It is to him that the honor and glory of creating unsurpassed Airborne Forces belongs. A participant in five wars, as he himself said, Vasily Filippovich hated war with all his soul and spoke about it rarely and sparingly. But he loved films about the war - sitting in front of the TV screen, he admitted: “I love watching war in movies!”
The first part, “The Song Glorifies Falcon,” describes in detail his military biography before the end of the Great Patriotic War. In the second part, “Paratrooper Number One,” is his military work in the Airborne Forces. The book was written, first of all, based on his own memories, on the memories of veterans of the Great Patriotic War and military service who went through combat with him, as well as on the memories of his friends and people close to him.
“In the image and likeness of Suvorov”
The military chronicle of Russia is rich in glorious names that Russian hearts can rightfully be proud of. Let us remember the inspired words of Supreme Commander-in-Chief I.V. Stalin, spoken by him at a military parade unprecedented in history on Red Square in Moscow on November 7, 1941: “Let the courageous image of our great ancestors - Alexander Nevsky, Dmitry Donskoy, Kuzma Minin, Dmitry Pozharsky, Alexander Suvorov, Mikhail Kutuzov - inspire you in this war ..."
Let's dwell on one of these glorious names... Alexander Vasilyevich Suvorov! A commander who had no equal not only in Russian but also in world history. Very few generals can be compared to him. In the 19th century, only three were awarded this honor...
The Georgian prince and Great Russian Peter Ivanovich Bagration was one of them. Suvorov himself loved and appreciated him. He was called “a general in the image and likeness of Suvorov.”
Stepan Aleksandrovich Khrulev, hero of Sevastopol (1854–1856), favorite of the defenders of the Black Sea stronghold. In the poem dedicated to him by the Russian poet Apollo Maykov, fiery lines burn:
This is the secret of the Russian forces, accessible to few: To a feat of valor both in peace and in war There is no need to call Russian teams with a stern word, But everyone will stand up to the click “Dear ones, come to me!”
Mikhail Dmitrievich Skobelev... The legendary Skobelev, who glorified his name with brilliant campaigns in Central Asia and unsurpassed victories in the Balkans in 1877-1878 in the war for freedom and independence of the Slavic brothers. It was his troops, who crushed the Turks, who were stopped by diplomats one march from the Ottoman capital; it was he, the Great Russian, who brought the once proud Turkey to its knees.
Comparisons with the great Suvorov were made not by the number of battles won, not by the number of operations carried out, not by the ranks achieved. Another criterion was taken - selfless courage, characteristic only of the great Russians, contempt for danger when it came to the fate of Russia, unshakable steadfastness and unparalleled audacity in battle, the ability with a handful of forces to achieve successes worthy of entire armies. And most importantly - greatness of soul, mercy, kind-hearted and fatherly attitude towards the soldier, modesty and crystal honesty...
If we take these criteria as a basis - all at once, then in the twentieth century the Hero of the Soviet Union, Army General Vasily Filippovich Margelov, can easily be considered among the generals “in the image and likeness of Suvorov”.
It was he, like Suvorov, who, with a handful of fighters, was able to solve problems that were feasible for regiments and divisions; it was he who boldly went to death and emerged victorious, as the reader will be convinced of this after reading the book. It was he who loved and took care of the soldier to the point of heartache and shared the last piece of bread with him. It was he who was crystal honest when money-grubbing became the norm of life for the senior command staff. It was his subordinates who idolized and adored him, ready to cover him with their breasts in moments of danger. It was his name that front-line soldiers were proud of, ending up in units and formations subordinate to him, and paratroopers when Vasily Filippovich headed this heroic branch of the military. To this day, the Airborne Forces are considered “Uncle Vasya’s troops,” and, speaking this way, the sons of these troops put into their words the extraordinary power of love for “Uncle Vasya,” respect for him, pride in their belonging to the heroic...
It was he, one of the very few generals, who could sacrifice everything most precious when it came to the power of the Fatherland. It was he who accomplished a feat unsurpassed in our time and unparalleled, equal to the feat of Nikolai Raevsky. Raevsky in 1812, near Saltanovka, at a critical moment, came out with his sons under grapeshot in front of the trembling battalions and with this feat decided the outcome of the battle in his favor. He saved Bagration's army and thwarted Napoleon's plan to dismember and destroy the Russian troops. He saved Russia.
When it was necessary to carry out the necessary, but extremely dangerous tests of new methods and means of landing the BMD-1 airborne combat vehicle on parachute systems, which, if successful, would make it possible to raise the combat effectiveness of the Airborne Forces, and therefore the defensive power of the state, to immeasurable heights, Margelov sent his son on them.
Paratrooper officer Alexander Vasilyevich Margelov, named after the great Suvorov, by order of his father and at the behest of his brave Russian heart, made the first experimental jump in history inside a combat vehicle using a serial parachute system... Then there were two more similar experiments on other new and more complex ones landing systems...
They say that for the first experiment, Vasily Filippovich took a pistol loaded with one live cartridge... For himself...
All tests were successful... Particularly memorable was the last landing on a parachute-jet system for Colonel Alexander Margelov and his comrade in two experiments, Lieutenant General Leonid Shcherbakov, for which they were awarded the high title of Hero of Russia.
Catherine the Great loved to repeat: “God gave the Russians a special property!” This special quality was possessed by her great associates - the best of the “flock of glorious Catherine’s eagles” - Alexey Grigorievich Orlov, who deprived Turkey of her fleet at Chesma, Pyotr Aleksandrovich Rumyantsev, famous for the unprecedented Kagul victory, Potemkin, “whose genius reigned over all parts of Russian politics,” and, of course, the invincible Suvorov. They were the pride of Russians. And also the great commanders of the past. Russia is now proud of the general “in the image and likeness of Suvorov” Vasily Filippovich Margelov.
In the second half of the 18th century, the Prussian envoy Solms reported to Frederick II: “All of Catherine’s wars are waged by the Russian mind.” He saw this as the reason for the brilliant victories in all theaters of military operations, for, in the words of Catherine, “Russian weapons only do not gain glory there, where they do not raise their hands.”
In the second half of the 20th century, the Russian mind of the Great Russian General Margelov created unsurpassed Airborne troops, troops of a truly Russian spirit, troops “in the image and likeness of Suvorov’s miracle heroes. And the miracle heroes of Margelov inherited the audacity and courage of the miracle heroes of Suvorov.
In the glorious age of Catherine the Great, who became truly a Great Russian and the pride of Russia, “not a single cannon in Europe,” as Russian diplomat Alexander Andreevich Bezborodko noted, “dared to fire without the knowledge of the empress.”
Would anyone dare to speak to our country in high tones when “Uncle Vasya’s troops,” the daring and lightning-fast, powerful and brave miracle heroes of Margelov, stood guard over its dignity and honor!
In difficult days for Russia, we involuntarily turn to the great past of our state, draw strength from its glorious history, and look especially closely at the images of our great compatriots, who are the pride of the nation.
Russian philosopher Alexander Nikolaevich Berdyaev wrote: “A nation includes not only human generations, but also the stones of churches, palaces and estates, gravestones, old manuscripts and books, and in order to understand the will of the nation, you need to hear these stones, read the decayed pages... In The will of the nation is spoken not only by the living, but also by the dead, speaking of the great past and the still mysterious future...”
The will of Russia! What else can nourish it now if not the memory of great ancestors, if not books about those who gave their lives for the power of Russia. The will of the nation is expressed by the fighting spirit of Alexander Nevsky and Dmitry Donskoy, Rumyantsev and Potemkin, Suvorov and Bagration, Khrulev and Skobelev.
In the will of the Russians will live the fighting spirit of the glorious General Margelov, who created troops that, in their combat effectiveness, surpassed entire armies of other states at the time when he, the Great Russian, commanded them.
And may this spirit, this pride for great Russia be strengthened by a book about our wonderful compatriot, written by his son Alexander, Hero of Russia, a book worthy of the memory of the Great Russian - Vasily Filippovich Margelov.
Colonel Nikolai Shakhmagonov,
member of the Russian Writers' Union.
On August 2, blue water will splash across Russian cities, as well as water from park fountains. The most connected branch of the military will celebrate the holiday. “Defend Russia” remembers the legendary “Uncle Vasya” - the same one who created the Airborne Forces in their modern form.
There are as many myths and tales as there are about “Uncle Vasya’s troops” about any other unit of the Russian army. It seems that strategic aviation flies the farthest presidential regiment steps like robots, space forces can look beyond the horizon, GRU special forces are the most terrible, underwater strategic missile carriers are capable of destroying entire cities. But “there are no impossible tasks - there are landing troops.”
There were many commanders of the Airborne Forces, but they had one most important commander.
Vasily Margelov was born in 1908. Until Ekaterinoslav became Dnepropetrovsk, Margelov worked at a mine, a stud farm, a forestry enterprise and a local deputy council. Only at the age of 20 did he join the army. Measuring career steps and kilometers on the march, he participated in the Polish campaign of the Red Army and the Soviet-Finnish War.
In July 1941, the future “Uncle Vasya” became regimental commander in the division people's militia, and 4 months later, from a veryfar - on skis - he began the creation of the Airborne Forces.
As the commander of a special ski regiment of the Marines of the Baltic Fleet, Margelov ensured that Marine Corps Vests went to the “winged” one. Already division commander Margelov in 1944 became a hero of the Soviet Union for the liberation of Kherson. At the Victory Parade on June 24, 1945, the Major General printed a step in the columns of the 2nd Ukrainian Front.
Margelov took charge of the Airborne Forces in the year following Stalin's death. Resigned from office three years before Brezhnev’s death - amazing example team longevity.
It was with his command that not only the main milestones of the formation were associated airborne troops, but also the creation of their image as the most combat-ready troops in the entire huge Soviet army.
Margelov was technically paratrooper number one not during his entire service. His history of relationships with the post of commander, and with the country and its regime, is similar to the career path of the commander-in-chief of the Soviet fleet, Nikolai Kuznetsov. He also commanded with a short break: Kuznetsov had four years, Margelov two (1959-1961). True, unlike the admiral, who survived two disgraces, lost and received ranks again, Margelov did not lose, but only gained them, becoming an army general in 1967.
During the Great Patriotic War airborne war were more tied to the land. The infantry became winged precisely under the command of Margelov.
Firstly, “Uncle Vasya” jumped himself. During his service he made more than 60 jumps - last time at 65 years old.
Margelov significantly increased the mobility of the Airborne Forces (in Ukraine, for example, they are called airmobile troops). Actively working with the military-industrial complex, the commander achieved the introduction of aircraft and the An-76 into service, which even today release parachute dandelions into the sky. New parachute and rifle systems were developed for paratroopers - the mass-produced AK-74 was “cut down” to .
They began to land not only people, but also military equipment - due to the enormous weight, parachute systems were developed from several domes with the placement of jet thrust engines, which worked for a short period of time when approaching the ground, thus extinguishing the landing speed.
In 1969, the first of the domestic airborne combat vehicles was put into service. The floating tracked BMD-1 was intended for landing - including using parachutes - from An-12 and Il-76. In 1973, the world's first landing using the BMD-1 parachute system took place near Tula. The crew commander was Margelov’s son Alexander, who in the 90s received the title of Hero of Russia for a similar landing in 1976.
By influence on the perception of the subordinate structure mass consciousness Vasily Margelov can be compared to Yuri Andropov.
If the term “public relations” existed in the Soviet Union, the commander of the Airborne Forces and the chairman of the KGB would probably be considered classy “signalmen.”
Andropov clearly understood the need to improve the image of the department, which inherited the people's memory of the Stalinist repressive machine. Margelov had no time for image, but it was with him that those who created them came out positive image. It was the commander who insisted that “In the zone of special attention” the soldiers of Captain Tarasov’s group, as part of the exercises conducting reconnaissance behind the enemy lines, wear blue berets - a symbol of paratroopers, which obviously unmasks the scouts, but creates an image.
Vasily Margelov died at the age of 81, several months before the collapse of the USSR. Four of Margelov’s five sons connected their lives with the army.
The paratroopers called him “Uncle Vasya.” Thanks to him, airborne divisions turned into elite troops, capable of “redrawing” the map of Europe overnight.
First successes
Vasily Filippovich Margelov was drafted into the Red Army in 1928. Even before the start of World War II, he distinguished himself during Polish campaign, Soviet-Finnish war. But, perhaps, it was during the Great Patriotic War that he revealed himself as an outstanding commander. What is the cost of one division without a fight to the “Soviet Skorzeny” (as the Germans called him) tank corps SS "Death's Head" and " Greater Germany"May 12, 1945, which were ordered not to allow Americans into the area of responsibility. An enemy driven into a corner is capable of much - there is nothing left to lose. For the SS men, retribution for the atrocities was inevitable, and new victims were inevitable. And the order was clear - capture or destroy.
Margelov took a decisive step. With a group of officers armed with machine guns and grenades, the division commander, accompanied by a battery of 57-mm cannons in his Jeep, arrived at the group’s headquarters. Having ordered the battalion commander to set up guns with direct fire at the enemy headquarters and shoot if he does not return in ten minutes.
Margelov presented an ultimatum to the Germans: Either they surrender and their lives are spared, or complete destruction using all fire weapons of the division: “by 4.00 am - front to the east. Light weapons: machine guns, machine guns, rifles - in stacks, ammunition - nearby. Second line - Combat vehicles, guns and mortars - with their muzzles down. Soldiers and officers - formation to the west." Time to think is only a few minutes: “while his cigarette burns out.” The Germans' nerves were the first to crack. The picture of the SS surrender was stunning. An accurate count of trophies showed the following figures: 2 generals, 806 officers, 31,258 non-commissioned officers, 77 tanks and self-propelled guns, 5,847 trucks, 493 trucks, 46 mortars, 120 guns, 16 locomotives, 397 carriages. For this military feat, at the Victory Parade, Margelov was entrusted with commanding the combined regiment of the 2nd Ukrainian Front.
“You’re unlikely to return home”
In 1950, Margelov took command of the Far Eastern Special Airborne Corps. At that time, airborne troops were not very popular. They were compared to penalty prisoners, and the abbreviation itself was deciphered: “You’re unlikely to return home.” It’s impossible to believe, but after a few months the Airborne Forces became the best part ground forces.
Subsequently, the primitive equipment was replenished with a Kalashnikov assault rifle with a special folding butt so that it would not interfere with the opening of the parachute, lightweight aluminum armor, an RPG-16 anti-tank grenade launcher, and Centaur platforms for landing people in combat vehicles. And the fatalistic name was replaced in the 70s by “Uncle Vasya’s Troops,” as the Airborne Forces themselves called themselves, emphasizing the special warmth of feelings for their commander.
An indicative result of Margelov’s Airborne Forces reforms, in particular, is that in matters of landing our “winged guard” in the 90s, even the vaunted American “devil’s regiment” - the 82nd - could not compete airborne division USA. At the demonstration performances of its soldiers in 1991, where the Minister of Defense of the USSR, Marshal of the Soviet Union D.T. Yazov, was present, almost half of the paratroopers received serious injuries and injuries, and combat vehicles, after the “soft landing” they no longer moved.
First jump
During the training of paratroopers, Margelov paid special attention to parachute jumping. He himself first found himself under the dome only in 1948, already with the rank of general: “Until the age of 40, I vaguely understood what a parachute was; I never even dreamed of jumping. It happened on its own, or rather, as it should be in the army, by order. I am a military man, if necessary, I am ready to take the devil in my teeth. That’s how I had to, already being a general, make my first parachute jump. The impression, I tell you, is incomparable.”
In the 1960s, after Yuri Gagarin's first flight into space and his parachute landing as a result of a malfunction during landing, the way was opened for Margelov and his winged guard to conduct incredible aerial experiments. Soviet parachutists set absolute records: jumping from the stratosphere from a height of 23 km with immediate opening of the parachute, landing on the Caucasus and Pamir mountains.
Vasily Margelov himself once said: “He who has never left a plane in his life, from where cities and villages seem like toys, who has never experienced joy and fear free fall, a whistle in his ears, a stream of wind beating his chest, he will never understand the honor and pride of a paratrooper." He himself made about 60 jumps, the last at the age of 65.
30 minutes decides everything
During the Czechoslovak crisis in 1968, still during the preparation of Operation Danube, the 7th and 103rd guards divisions The Airborne Forces were fully mobilized and ready to land on the territory of Czechoslovakia at any moment. When on August 18, 1968, at a meeting of the Politburo of the CPSU Central Committee, the decision was finally made to send troops. It was not coordinated with the highest party and government authorities in Czechoslovakia. Therefore, the Airborne Forces commander was given absolute freedom actions.
The entire operation to seize airfields, secure the runway and set up take-off and landing equipment took 30 minutes. Subsequently, during his report to the USSR Minister of Defense, Margelov noted: “When the paratroopers broke into the building of the Zapototsky Academy, the officers of the Czechoslovak people's army sat over maps and plotted the position of our troops who had crossed the border. They were expected to arrive in Brno in the middle of the day.”