Choosing the best always has an element of subjectivity and can be disputed. But rarely has anyone, even the best commander in history, avoided failure. And the success of a military leader is not always just victories, it is also a career. The rank of marshal in the Red Army was not given for nothing.
Mikhail Vasilievich Frunze
Of those whom we will describe here, he is the only one who came to military posts not from the tsarist army, but from the revolutionary struggle, from tsarist hard labor. Frunze's organizational abilities were clearly revealed as a military leader. On January 31, 1919, he was appointed commander of the 4th Army, operating against Kolchak's troops in the western Kazakh steppes. In May 1919, Frunze united the command of the Southern Group of the Eastern Front, and under his leadership, Kolchak’s armies advancing on Samara were defeated. This moment marked a radical turning point in the course of the war with Kolchak. Troops under the leadership of Frunze cleared the Southern Urals of the enemy.
In July 1919, Frunze became commander of the Eastern Front, and in August he headed the Turkestan Front. Here he carried out a series of operations, during which he not only restored the connection between Soviet Russia and the Turkestan Soviet Republic, but also completed the conquest of Central Asia, occupying the autonomous Bukhara Emirate in September 1920 and proclaiming a Soviet republic in it. In the autumn of the same year, under the leadership of Frunze, Wrangel's armies in the Crimea were finally defeated.
Frunze did not know defeat as a military leader. A civilian, he not only mastered the practice of war, but also became a prominent Soviet military theorist.
Mikhail Nikolaevich Tukhachevsky
Tukhachevsky, as a front commander, suffered a series of major defeats from the Poles in August-September 1920. Nevertheless, he became one of the most successful military leaders of the civil war. A second lieutenant from the nobility, in six months he earned five awards for bravery; in 1915, seriously wounded, he was taken prisoner by the Germans, from where he managed to escape on the fifth attempt. In June 1918, he was appointed commander of the 1st Army of the Eastern Front.
Tukhachevsky was repeatedly defeated by White, but he also managed to win victories. He developed a good relationship with Trotsky, who always saw Tukhachevsky as his reliable support in the army. In September 1918, Tukhachevsky carried out a successful operation to capture Simbirsk, Lenin’s hometown. Tukhachevsky showed himself best when he commanded the 5th Army on the Eastern Front in the summer of 1919. Under his leadership, the Reds carried out the Zlatoust and Chelyabinsk operations and crossed the Ural ridge.
Tukhachevsky skillfully massed his forces in the direction of the main attack, seeing this as the key to victory. In February-March 1920, with the rank of commander of the Caucasian Front, he completed the defeat of Denikin’s troops in the North Caucasus, and then commanded the Western Front against the Poles, where he first won a decisive victory in Belarus, but was then defeated near Warsaw.
In 1921, he led the suppression of the Kronstadt uprising of sailors and the Tambov uprising of peasants, and personally gave orders for the use of chemical weapons, the burning of villages and the execution of hostages. As one of those who knew him testified, “he was not cruel - he simply had no pity.”
Semyon Mikhailovich Budyonny
He became famous for his command of the famous First Cavalry Army and also did not avoid serious failures. During the First World War, non-commissioned officer Budyonny became a full Knight of St. George. Successively commanded a regiment, brigade and division of the red cavalry on the Don Front. In the summer of 1919, Budyonny’s division was deployed into a corps, of which he became commander. In October 1919, when a threatening situation arose for the Soviet Republic on the Southern Front, Budyonny’s corps played an important role in the defeat of the White Cossack troops of Mamontov and Shkuro near Voronezh.
In November 1919, Budyonny's corps was transformed into the 1st Cavalry Army, which became the main striking force of the Red Army in maneuver warfare. The army won important victories over the Whites, broke into Rostov in January 1920, but was soon defeated by the White cavalry of generals Toporkov and Pavlov. Budyonny suffered another defeat in February in the Battle of Yegorlyk. Nevertheless, they did not prevent the defeat of Denikin’s troops in the North Caucasus, and an aura of legend had already formed around Budyonny. It did not fade even after the First Cavalry suffered a severe defeat from the Poles at Zamosc in August 1920, was surrounded and miraculously escaped.
Vasily Konstantinovich Blucher
Having started serving as a private after mobilization in August 1914 and rising to the rank of junior non-commissioned officer, the namesake of the famous Prussian field marshal was commissioned in 1916 after being wounded and, working at a factory, joined the Bolshevik Party. Such a person was a valuable personnel for the Red Army. Back in the winter of 1917/18, he participated in the suppression of the rebellion of the Cossack ataman Dutov in the Southern Urals. In the summer of 1918, with the intensification of the civil war, Blucher found himself behind enemy lines.
The thousand-mile raid of his partisan detachment along the white rear in the Urals in August-September 1918 brought glory to Blucher. For this campaign, Blucher was the first in the Red Army to receive the Order of the Red Banner. His military talent was revealed as the head of the 51st Infantry Division, at the head of which he fought against Kolchak, going from Tyumen to Baikal. Blucher commanded the same unit during the liquidation of Wrangel’s troops in the Crimea. The 51st Division took Perekop, crossing part of its forces through Sivash, and ensured the success of the entire operation.
Nevertheless, Blücher received an unenviable appointment to a distant outskirts - in June 1921 he became the Minister of War of the buffer Far Eastern Republic. Having successfully carried out the legendary Volochaev operation in February 1922, he was recalled to Moscow.
Vasily Ivanovich Shorin
The colonel of the tsarist army is little known, probably because soon after the end of the civil war he left the ranks of the Red Army due to his age. This, however, did not save him from execution in 1938. After the October Revolution, when the Bolsheviks experimented with the election of military leaders, he became one of those popular officers whom the soldiers elected as their commander. In September 1918, he was appointed commander of the 2nd Army on the Eastern Front after it was completely disorganized by the Izhevsk-Votkinsk uprising in its rear, and in a short time brought it into combat-ready condition.
He unsuccessfully led the army's actions during Kolchak's winter offensive on Perm, but in the spring of 1919, as commander of the Northern Group of Forces of the Eastern Front, he carried out successful offensive operations near Perm and Yekaterinburg, which ended with the defeat of Kolchak's main forces and the occupation of the Urals. In 1921, he led the suppression of peasant uprisings in Western Siberia.
The crowning achievement of his military career was his command of the Turkestan Front in 1922. Under his leadership in the summer of the same year, the main forces of the Basmachi in Eastern Bukhara (Tajikistan) were defeated. During them, the leader of the Basmachi gangs, the former Minister of War of Ottoman Turkey, Enver Pasha, was killed.
All their contemporaries knew their names, and their armies were a terrible scourge for any opponents. Whether they were heroes of antiquity and the Middle Ages or commanders of the Great Patriotic War, every outstanding military leader left a noticeable mark on the history of mankind. The biographies of the best of them are fascinating stories about the talent and heroism of those who chose the army as their life's calling.
Alexander the Great
Alexander the Great (356 - 323 BC) is the greatest commander of antiquity. He was revered by all the military leaders of subsequent centuries from Genghis Khan to Napoleon. At the age of twenty, Alexander became king of the small state of Macedonia, located in northern Greece. As a child, he received a Hellenic education and upbringing. His teacher was the famous philosopher and thinker Aristotle.
The heir's father, Tsar Philip II, taught him the art of war. Alexander first appeared on the battlefield at the age of sixteen, and he won his first independent victory at the head of the Macedonian cavalry in 338 BC. e. at the Battle of Chaeronea against the Thebans. In that war, Philip II sought to conquer key Greek cities. Having conquered Athens and Thebes with his son, he began to plan a campaign in Persia, but was killed by the conspirators.
Alexander continued his father’s work and increased his successes. He made the Macedonian army the most well-equipped and trained in the entire ancient world. The Macedonians were armed with spears, bows and slings; their army included heavily armed cavalry, siege and throwing engines.
In 334 BC. e. the greatest commander of his time began a campaign in Asia Minor. In the first serious battle on the Granik River, he defeated the Persian governors of the satraps. The king, then and later, invariably fought in the thick of the army. Having conquered Asia Minor, he moved to Syria. Near the city of Issa, Alexander's army clashed with the army of the Persian king Darius III. Despite the numerical superiority of the enemy, the Macedonians defeated the enemy.
Later, Alexander annexed all of Mesopotamia, Palestine, Egypt and Persia to his empire. On a campaign to the east, he reached India itself and only then turned back. The Macedonian made Babylon the capital of his empire. He died in this city at the age of 33, struck down by an unknown disease. In a fever, the king did not appoint a legitimate successor. Within just a few years of his death, Alexander's empire was divided among his many companions.
Hannibal
Another famous military leader of antiquity is Hannibal (247 - 183 BC). He was a citizen of Carthage, a city in modern Tunisia, around which a large Mediterranean state had developed at that time. Hannibal's father Hamilcar was a nobleman and military man who commanded troops on the island of Sicily.
In the 3rd century. BC e. Carthage fought with the Roman Republic for leadership in the region. Hannibal was to become a key figure in this conflict. At the age of 22, he became a cavalry commander in the Iberian Peninsula. A little later, he led all the troops of Carthage in Spain.
Wanting to defeat Rome, the greatest commander of antiquity decided on an unexpected daring maneuver. Previous wars between rival states took place in border areas or on isolated islands. Now Hannibal himself invaded exclusively Roman Italy. To do this, his army needed to cross the difficult Alps. A natural barrier protected the republic every time. In Rome, no one expected an enemy invasion from the north. That is why the legionnaires did not believe their eyes when in 218 BC. e. The Carthaginians did the impossible and overcame the mountains. Moreover, they brought with them African elephants, which became their main psychological weapon against the Europeans.
The greatest commander Hannibal waged a successful war with Rome for fifteen years, while being far from his own homeland. He was an outstanding tactician and knew how to make the most of the forces and resources given to him. Hannibal also had diplomatic talent. He enlisted the support of numerous tribes who were also in conflict with Rome. The Gauls became his allies. Hannibal won several victories over the Romans at once, and in the battle on the Ticinus River he defeated his main opponent, commander Scipio.
The main triumph of the hero of Carthage was the Battle of Cannae in 216 BC. e. During the Italian campaign, Hannibal marched through almost the entire Apennine Peninsula. His victories, however, did not break the republic. Carthage stopped sending reinforcements, and the Romans themselves invaded Africa. In 202 BC. e. Hannibal returned to his homeland, but was defeated by Scipio at the Battle of Zama. Carthage asked for a humiliating peace, although the commander himself did not want to stop the war. His own fellow citizens turned their backs on him. Hannibal had to become an outcast. For some time he was sheltered by the Syrian king Antiochus III. In Thebonia, fleeing from Roman agents, Hannibal took poison and of his own free will said goodbye to life.
Charlemagne
In the Middle Ages, all the great commanders of the world sought to revive the once fallen Roman Empire. Every Christian monarch dreamed of restoring a centralized state that would unite all of Europe. The king of the Franks, Charlemagne (742 - 814) from the Carolingian dynasty, succeeded most in implementing this idea.
It was possible to build a new Roman Empire only through force of arms. Karl fought with almost all his neighbors. The first to submit to him were the Lombards who inhabited Italy. In 774, the ruler of the Franks invaded their country, captured the capital of Pavia and captured King Desiderius (his former father-in-law). After annexing Northern Italy, Charlemagne went with the sword against the Bavarians, Saxons in Germany, Avars in Central Europe, Arabs in Spain and neighboring Slavs.
The Frankish king explained the wars against numerous tribes of various ethnic groups as a struggle against the pagans. The names of the great commanders of the Middle Ages were often associated with the defense of the Christian faith. We can say that Charlemagne was the pioneer in this matter. In 800 he arrived in Rome, where the Pope proclaimed him emperor. The monarch made the city of Aachen (in the west of modern Germany) his capital. Throughout the subsequent Middle Ages and Modern times, the great commanders of the world tried to at least somehow resemble Charlemagne.
The Christian state created by the Franks was called the Holy Roman Empire (as a sign of the continuity of the ancient empire). As in the case of Alexander the Great, this power did not long outlive its founder. Charles's grandchildren divided the empire into three parts, which eventually formed modern France, Germany and Italy.
Saladin
In the Middle Ages, not only Christian civilization could boast of talented commanders. An outstanding military leader was the Muslim Saladin (1138 - 1193). He was born several decades after the Crusaders conquered Jerusalem and founded several kingdoms and principalities in formerly Arab Palestine.
Saladin vowed to cleanse the lands taken from Muslims from infidels. In 1164, he, being the right hand of Nur-zh-din, liberated Egypt from the crusaders. Ten years later he carried out a coup d'état. Saladin founded the Ayubit dynasty and proclaimed himself Sultan of Egypt.
What great commanders did not fight against internal enemies no less furiously than against internal ones? Having proven his leadership in the Muslim world, Saladin came into direct conflict with Christians in the Holy Land. In 1187, his army of twenty thousand men invaded Palestine, which was completely surrounded by the Sultan's dominions. Almost half of the army consisted of horse archers, who became the most effective combat unit in the fight against the crusaders (the arrows of their long-range bows pierced even heavy steel armor).
The biography of great commanders is often the biography of reformers of military art. Saladin was just such a leader. Although he always had many people at his disposal, he achieved success not by numbers, but by his intelligence and organizational skills.
On July 4, 1187, Muslims defeated the Crusaders near Lake Tiberias. In Europe, this defeat went down in history as the Massacre of Hatta. The master of the Templars, the king of Jerusalem, was captured by Saladin, and in September Jerusalem itself fell. In the Old World, the Third Crusade was organized against the Sultan. It was led by the King of England, Richard the Lionheart. A new stream of knights and ordinary volunteers poured into the east.
The decisive battle between the armies of the Egyptian Sultan and the English monarch took place near Arsuf on September 7, 1191. The Muslims lost many people and were forced to retreat. Saladin concluded a truce with Richard, giving the crusaders a small coastal strip of land, but retaining Jerusalem. After the war, the commander returned to the Syrian capital Damascus, where he fell ill with a fever and died.
Genghis Khan
The real name of Genghis Khan (1155 - 1227) is Temujin. He was the son of one of the many Mongol princes. His father was killed during a civil war when his son was only nine years old. The child was taken prisoner and a wooden collar was put on him. Temujin fled, returned to his native tribe and grew into a fearless warrior.
Even 100 great commanders of the Middle Ages or any other era could not create such a great power as this steppe dweller built. First, Temujin defeated all the neighboring hostile Mongol hordes and united them into one terrifying force. In 1206, he was proclaimed Genghis Khan - that is, the Great Khan or King of Kings.
For the last twenty years of his life, the ruler of the nomads waged wars with China and the neighboring Central Asian khanates. Genghis Khan's army was built according to the decimal principle: it consisted of tens, hundreds, thousands and tumens (10 thousand). The most severe discipline prevailed in the steppe army. For any violation of generally accepted rules, a warrior would face severe punishment. With such orders, the Mongols became the embodiment of horror for all the sedentary peoples they met along the way.
In China, the steppe people mastered siege weapons. They destroyed the cities that resisted to the ground. Thousands of people fell into slavery. Genghis Khan was the personification of war - it became the only meaning in the life of the king and his people. Temujin and his descendants created an empire from the Black Sea to the Pacific Ocean.
Alexander Nevskiy
Even the great Russian commanders did not become church saints. Alexander Yaroslavovich Nevsky (1220 - 1261) was canonized and during his lifetime acquired a genuine aura of exclusivity. He belonged to the Rurik dynasty and became the prince of Novgorod as a child.
Nevsky was born in fragmented Rus'. She had many problems, but they all faded before the threat of the Tatar-Mongol invasion. Batu's steppe inhabitants swept through many principalities with fire and sword, but fortunately did not touch Novgorod, which was too far to the north for their cavalry.
Nevertheless, Alexander Nevsky faced many trials even without the Mongols. In the west, the Novgorod land was adjacent to Sweden and the Baltic states, which belonged to the German military orders. After Batu’s invasion, the Europeans decided that they could easily defeat Alexander Yaroslavovich. The seizure of Russian lands in the Old World was considered a fight against infidels, since the Russian Church did not submit to Catholic Rome, but depended on Orthodox Constantinople.
The Swedes were the first to organize a crusade against Novgorod. The royal army crossed the Baltic Sea and in 1240 landed at the mouth of the Neva. The local Izhorians have long paid tribute to Mr. Veliky Novgorod. The news of the appearance of the Swedish flotilla did not frighten the seasoned warrior Nevsky. He quickly gathered an army and, without waiting for the blow, went to the Neva. On June 15, the twenty-year-old prince, at the head of a loyal squad, struck the enemy camp. Alexander wounded one of the Swedish jarls in a personal duel. The Scandinavians could not withstand the onslaught and hastily returned to their homeland. It was then that Alexander received the nickname Nevsky.
Meanwhile, the German crusaders were preparing their attack on Novgorod. On April 5, 1242, they were defeated by Nevsky on the frozen Lake Peipus. The battle was dubbed the Battle of the Ice. In 1252, Alexander Yaroslavovich became Prince of Vladimir. Having protected the country from Western invaders, he had to minimize damage from the more dangerous Mongols. The armed struggle against the nomads was still ahead. The restoration of Rus' took too long for one human life. Nevsky died while returning to his homeland from the Horde, where he was conducting regular negotiations with the Golden Horde Khan. He was canonized in 1547.
Alexey Suvorov
All the military leaders of the last two centuries, including the great commanders of the war of 1941 - 1945. bowed and bowed before the figure of Alexander Suvorov (1730 - 1800). He was born into the family of a senator. Suvorov's baptism of fire took place during the Seven Years' War.
Under Catherine II, Suvorov became a key commander of the Russian army. The wars with Turkey brought him the greatest glory. In the second half of the 18th century, the Russian Empire annexed the Black Sea lands. Alexander Suvorov was the main creator of that success. All of Europe repeated his name after the siege of Ochakov (1788) and the capture of Izmail (1790) - operations that had no equal in the history of the then military art.
Under Paul I, Count Suvorov led the Italian campaign against the forces of Napoleon Bonaparte. He won all the battles in the Alps. There were no defeats at all in Suvorov’s life. Shortly. The military leader died surrounded by the international fame of an invincible strategist. According to his will, despite numerous titles and ranks, the laconic phrase “Here lies Suvorov” was left on the commander’s grave.
Napoleon Bonaparte
At the turn of the 18th and 19th centuries. all of Europe plunged into international war. It began with the Great French Revolution. The old monarchical regimes tried to stop this plague of love of freedom. It was at this time that the young military Napoleon Bonaparte (1769 - 1821) became famous.
The future national hero began his service in the artillery. He was a Corsican, but despite his deep provincial origins, he quickly advanced through the ranks thanks to his abilities and courage. After the revolution in France, power changed regularly. Bonaparte joined the political struggle. In 1799, as a result of the coup of the 18th Brumaire, he became the first consul of the republic. Five years later, Napoleon was proclaimed French Emperor.
During numerous campaigns, Bonaparte not only defended the sovereignty of his country, but also conquered neighboring states. He completely subjugated Germany, Italy and the numerous other monarchies of continental Europe. Napoleon had his own brilliant commanders. The Great War could not be avoided with Russia either. In the campaign of 1812, Bonaparte occupied Moscow, but this success did not give him anything.
After the Russian campaign, a crisis began in Napoleon's empire. In the end, the anti-Bonapartist coalition forced the commander to abdicate power. In 1814 he was sent into exile on the Mediterranean island of Elba. The ambitious Napoleon escaped from there and returned to France. After another “Hundred Days” and defeat at Waterloo, the commander was sent into exile on the island of St. Helena (this time in the Atlantic Ocean). There, under the guard of the British, he died.
Alexey Brusilov
The history of Russia has developed in such a way that the great Russian commanders of the First World War were consigned to oblivion after the establishment of Soviet power. Nevertheless, among the people who led the tsarist army in battles against the Germans and Austrians there were many outstanding specialists. One of them is Alexey Brusilov (1853 - 1926).
The cavalry general was a hereditary military man. His first war was the Russian-Turkish War of 1877 - 1878. Brusilov took part in it on the Caucasian front. With the outbreak of the First World War, he found himself on the Southwestern Front. A group of troops commanded by the general defeated the Austrian units and pushed them back to Lemberg (Lvov). The Brusilovites became famous for the capture of Galich and Ternopil.
In 1915, the general led the battles in the Carpathians. He successfully repulsed Austrian attacks and launched counter-offensives. It was Brusilov who took the powerful fortress of Przemysl. However, his successes were reduced to zero due to a breakthrough of the front in a sector for which other generals were responsible.
The war became positional. Month after month dragged on, and victory did not come closer to either side. In 1916, the headquarters, which included Emperor Nicholas II, decided to launch a new general offensive. The most triumphant episode of this operation was the Brusilovsky breakthrough. During the period from May to September, the general's army took control of all of Bukovina and Eastern Galicia. Several decades later, outstanding commanders of the Great Patriotic War tried to repeat Brusilov’s success. His victories were brilliant, but useless due to the actions of the authorities.
Konstantin Rokossovsky
Many dozens of talented military leaders became famous on the fronts of the Great Patriotic War. After the victory over Germany, the great Soviet commanders were awarded the titles of Marshals of the Soviet Union. One of them was Konstantin Rokossovsky (1896 - 1968). He began serving in the army at the very beginning of the First World War, from which he graduated as a junior non-commissioned officer.
Almost all commanders of the Great Patriotic War of 1941 - 1945. Due to their age, they were hardened on the fronts of the imperialist and Civil wars. Rokossovsky in this sense was no different from his colleagues. During civilian life, he commanded a division, a squadron and, finally, a regiment, for which he received two Orders of the Red Banner.
Like some other outstanding commanders of the Great Patriotic War (including Zhukov), Rokossovsky did not have a specialized military education. He rose to the top of the army ladder in the turmoil of battles and many years of fighting thanks to his determination, leadership qualities and the ability to make the right decisions in a critical situation.
Due to Stalin's repressions, Rokossovsky was briefly imprisoned. He was released in 1940 at the request of Zhukov. There is no doubt that the commanders of the Great Patriotic War were always in a vulnerable position.
After the German attack on the Soviet Union, Rokossovsky began to command first the 4th and then the 16th Army. It was regularly moved from place to place depending on operational tasks. In 1942, Rokossovsky was at the head of the Bryansk and Don fronts. When a turning point occurred and the Red Army began to advance, Konstantin Konstantinovich ended up in Belarus.
Rokossovsky reached all the way to Germany. He could have liberated Berlin, but Stalin put Zhukov in charge of this final operation. Great commanders 1941 - 1945 were rewarded in different ways for saving the country. Marshal Rokossovsky was the only one to take part in the climactic Victory Parade a few weeks after the defeat of Germany. He was Polish by origin and with the advent of peace in 1949 - 1956. also served as Minister of Defense of socialist Poland. Rokossovsky is a unique military leader; he was the marshal of two countries at once (USSR and Poland).
Soviet propaganda did its job, and every schoolchild knew the names of these military leaders. And the phrase of Mikhail Ulyanov in the role of Zhukov: “To fight to the death... made me shiver.” However, recently there have been a lot of alternative points of view that cast doubt on the abilities of the commanders of that war, pointing to obvious tactical miscalculations and unjustified sacrifices. Whether this is true or not, I don’t know, but I’m sure that, sitting at a computer with a cup of coffee, it’s very easy to evaluate people’s actions, find mistakes and move entire armies, everything is different in life and understand the motives for actions without having all the data very not easy.
Let's remember the names of these people.
1 . Zhukov (1896-1974)
Georgy Konstantinovich Zhukov is a three-time hero of the Soviet Union, Marshal of the Soviet Union, who has the Order of Suvorov, 1st degree, and two Orders of Victory. Participated in the Leningrad and Moscow, Stalingrad and Kursk battles. In 1944 he was appointed commander of the First Belorussian Front.
2 Voroshilov (1881-1969)
Voroshilov Kliment Efremovich - twice Hero of the Soviet Union, Hero of Socialist Labor, since 1935 - Marshal of the Soviet Union. In 1942-43 he was the commander-in-chief of the partisan movement, and in 1943 he was the coordinator of troops in breaking the siege of Leningrad.
3 Rokossovsky (1896-1968)
Konstantin Konstantinovich Rokossovsky is one of the most titled military leaders of the Great Patriotic War. It was he who was entrusted with commanding the Victory Parade in 1945. Marshal of the Soviet Union and Marshal of Poland, Rokossovsky was awarded the Order of the Red Banner, the Order of Victory, the Order of Suvorov and Kutuzov, 1st degree. Known for his participation in many military operations, including Operation Bagration for the liberation of Belarus. He commanded troops in the Battles of Stalingrad and Leningrad, participated in the Vistula-Oder and Berlin operations.
4 Tolbukhin (1894-1949)
Fyodor Ivanovich Tolbukhin is a man who went through the war from chief of staff (1941) to Marshal of the Soviet Union (1944). His troops took part in the Crimean, Belgrade, Budapest, Vienna and other operations. The title of Hero of the Soviet Union was awarded to Tolbukhin posthumously in 1965.
Ivan Danilovich Chernyakhovsky is the commander of dozens of successful military operations. At the age of 35, he became the commander of a tank division, and from 1944, the commander of the 3rd Belorussian Front. Twice Hero of the Soviet Union, awarded many orders and medals. He died in 1945 from a fatal wound.
6 Govorov (1897-1955)
Leonid Aleksandrovich Govorov - Hero and Marshal of the Soviet Union, commander at different times of the Leningrad and Baltic fronts. He led the defense of Leningrad for 670 of the 900 days of the siege. Participated in the liberation of Borodino. He led the encirclement of the Kurland group of Germans, who capitulated on May 8, 1945.
7 Malinovsky (1898-1967)
Rodion Yakovlevich Malinovsky - twice Hero of the Soviet Union, Marshal of the Soviet Union, holder of the highest Soviet Order of Victory. Participated in the liberation of Rostov and Donbass, led the Zaporozhye and Odessa operations.
8 Konev (1897-1973)
Ivan Stepanovich Konev - commander of the army and fronts, and since 1950 - deputy. Minister of Defense During the Great Patriotic War, he participated in the Battle of Kursk and the Battle of Moscow, in the Berlin, Vistula-Oder and Paris operations.
9 Vasilevsky (1885-1977)
Alexander Mikhailovich Vasilevsky - Hero and Marshal of the Soviet Union, Chief of the General Staff, Commander of the 3rd Belorussian and 1st Baltic Fronts. Participated in operations to liberate Donbass, Crimea, Belarus, Latvia and Lithuania. He led troops in the Far East in the Russo-Japanese War.
10 Tymoshenko (1895-1970)
Semyon Konstantinovich Timoshenko is a holder of the Order of Victory, awarded a personalized saber with the coat of arms of the USSR. He took part in the Leningrad and Moscow battles; in the Iasi-Kishinev and Budapest operations, and also took part in the liberation of Vienna.
As you know, during the entire existence of man, thousands, if not hundreds of thousands of battles, both small and large, took place, in which a lot of people died. Perhaps in the entire history of man there will be only a few years that passed without war at all - imagine, only a few years out of several thousand... Of course, wars are sometimes a necessity, sad truth, but a necessity - and almost always there are winners, and there are defeated. The side that usually wins is the one that has a leader, a military leader capable of extraordinary actions and decisions. Such people are capable of leading their army to victory, even if the enemy’s technical equipment is much better and the number of soldiers is greater. Let's see which of the military leaders of different times and different nations we could call military geniuses.
10. Georgy Zhukov
As you know, Zhukov led the Red Army in the Great Patriotic War. He was a man whose ability to conduct military operations can be called super-outstanding. In fact, this man was a genius in his field, one of those people who ultimately led the USSR to victory. After the fall of Germany, Zhukov led the military forces of the USSR that occupied this country. Thanks to the genius of Zhukov, perhaps you and I have the opportunity to live and rejoice now.
9. Attila
This man led the Hun Empire, which at first was not an empire at all. He was able to conquer a vast territory stretching from Central Asia to modern Germany. Attila was an enemy of both the Western and Eastern Roman Empires. He is known for his brutality and ability to conduct military operations. Few emperors, kings and leaders could boast of capturing such a vast territory in such a short time.
8. Wilgelm the conqueror
Duke of Normandy, who invaded England in 1066 and conquered that country. As you know, the main military event of that time was the Battle of Hastings, which led to the coronation of William himself, who became the sovereign ruler of England. Anglia was conquered by the Normans by 1075, thanks to which feudalism and the military-feudal system appeared in this country. In fact, the state of England itself in its current form is indebted to this man.
7. Adolf Gitler
Actually, this man cannot be called a military genius. Now there is a lot of debate about how a failed artist and corporal could become, albeit for a short time, the ruler of all of Europe. The military claims that the “blitzkrieg” form of warfare was invented by Hitler. Needless to say, the evil genius Adolf Hitler, through whose fault tens of millions of people died, was indeed a very capable military leader (at least until the start of the war with the USSR, when a worthy opponent was found).
6. Genghis Khan
Temujin, or Genghis Khan, was a brilliant military leader who was able to create the enormous Mongol Empire. It is amazing how capable nomads, leading an almost prehistoric lifestyle, were capable of warfare. Genghis Khan first united all the tribes, and then led them to victory - until the end of his life he conquered a huge number of countries and peoples. His empire occupied most of Eurasia.
5. Hannibal
This commander was able to take the Roman Empire by surprise by crossing the Alps. No one expected that such a huge army would actually be able to overcome the mountain range and actually find itself at the gates of the greatest state of that time, considered invincible.
4. Napoleon Bonaparte
Bonaparte's genius manifested itself very early - and therefore it is not surprising that such a purposeful man, with pronounced abilities for conducting military campaigns, became a great conqueror. Luck did not leave him until Bonaparte decided to go to war against Russia. This ended the series of victories, and almost for the first time in his entire military career, Napoleon had to experience the full bitterness of defeat. Despite this, he was and remains one of the most famous military leaders of all times.
3. Gaius Julius Caesar
This man defeated everyone and everything until he himself was defeated. True, not during a battle, not during a fight, but simply stabbed to death in the Senate. The man Caesar considered a friend, Brutus, was the one who inflicted one of the first fatal wounds.
2. Alexander the Great
The ruler of a very small country was able to conquer most of the then known world in a short time. Moreover, he did this before his thirtieth birthday, destroying the armies of the Persians, which significantly outnumbered his troops. Alexander's conquests became one of the main factors that influenced the further history of our civilization. One of the main military discoveries of this military genius was the specific formation of regiments.
1. Cyrus the Great
The reign of Cyrus the Second, or the Great, lasted 29 years - at the beginning of his reign, this outstanding man was able to become the leader of the Persian settled tribes, and formed the basis of the Persian state. In a short time, Cyrus the Great, who had previously been the leader of a small, little-known tribe, was able to found a powerful empire that stretched from the Indus and Jaxartes to the Aegean Sea and the borders of Egypt. The Persian leader was able to found an empire that remained so even after his death, and did not disintegrate, as was the case with most “bubbles” founded by other conquerors (the same Genghis Khan).
Wars march shoulder to shoulder with the civilization of mankind. And wars, as we know, give rise to great warriors. Great commanders can decide the course of a war with their victories.
So we present to your attention the 7 greatest commanders of all times.1) Alexander the Great - Alexander the Great
We gave the first place among the greatest commanders to Alexander the Great. Since childhood, Alexander dreamed of conquering the world and, although he did not have a heroic physique, he preferred to participate in military battles. Thanks to his leadership qualities, he became one of the great commanders of his time. The victories of the army of Alexander the Great are at the pinnacle of the military art of Ancient Greece. Alexander's army did not have numerical superiority, but was still able to win all the battles, spreading his gigantic empire from Greece to India. He trusted his soldiers, and they did not let him down, but faithfully followed him, reciprocating.
2) Genghis Khan - the great Mongol Khan
In 1206, on the Onon River, the leaders of the nomadic tribes proclaimed the mighty Mongol warrior the great khan of all Mongol tribes. And his name is Genghis Khan. The shamans predicted Genghis Khan power over the whole world, and he did not disappoint. Having become the great Mongol emperor, he founded one of the greatest empires and united the scattered Mongol tribes. The Shah's state conquered China, all of Central Asia, as well as the Caucasus and Eastern Europe, Baghdad, Khorezm, as well as some Russian principalities.
3) Tamerlane – “Timur the lame”
He received the nickname “Timur the lame” for a physical disability that he received during skirmishes with the khans, but despite this he became famous as a Central Asian conqueror who played a fairly significant role in the history of Central, South and Western Asia, as well as the Caucasus, Volga region and Rus'. Founded the Timurid empire and dynasty, with its capital in Samarkand. He had no equal in saber and archery skills. However, after his death, the territory under his control, which stretched from Samarkand to the Volga, very quickly disintegrated.
4) Hannibal Barca – “Father of Strategy”
Hannibal is the greatest military strategist of the Ancient world, a Carthaginian commander. This is the "father of strategy." He hated Rome and everything connected with it, and was a sworn enemy of the Roman Republic. He fought the well-known Punic Wars with the Romans. He successfully used the tactics of enveloping enemy troops from the flanks, followed by encirclement. Standing at the head of a 46,000-strong army, which included 37 war elephants, he crossed the Pyrenees and the snow-capped Alps.
5) Suvorov Alexander Vasilievich - national hero of Russia
Suvorov can safely be called a national hero of Russia, a great Russian commander, because he did not suffer a single defeat during his entire military career, which included more than 60 battles. He is the founder of Russian military art, a military thinker who had no equal. Participant in the Russian-Turkish wars, Italian and Swiss campaigns.
6) Napoleon Bonaparte - a brilliant commander
Napoleon Bonaparte French emperor in 1804-1815, a great commander and statesman. It was Napoleon who laid the foundations of the modern French state. While still a lieutenant, he began his military career. And from the very beginning, participating in wars, he was able to establish himself as an intelligent and fearless commander. Having taken the place of the emperor, he unleashed the Napoleonic Wars, but he failed to conquer the whole world. He was defeated at the Battle of Waterloo and spent the rest of his life on the island of St. Helena.
7) Alexander Nevsky
Grand Duke, wise statesman, famous commander. He is called the fearless knight. Alexander devoted his entire life to defending his homeland. Together with his small squad, he defeated the Swedes at the Battle of the Neva in 1240. That's why he got his nickname. He recaptured his hometowns from the Livonian Order at the Battle of the Ice, which took place on Lake Peipsi, thereby stopping the ruthless Catholic expansion in Russian lands coming from the West.
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