VASILEVSKY ALEXANDER MIKHAILOVICH – OFFICER OF THE RUSSIAN MILITARY SCHOOL
Vasilevsky Alexander Mikhailovich (1895-1977) Marshal of the Soviet Union (1943), twice Hero of the Soviet Union (1944, 1945), twice holder of the Order of Victory. Chief of the General Staff of the Red Army A.M. Vasilevsky went down in the history of the Great Patriotic War as one of the main developers of the main strategic operations of the Red Army.
He is rightfully considered one of the “Marshals of Victory”, he did not suffer a single defeat, did not lose a single
one battle.
Alexander Vasilevsky was born on September 30, 1895 in the village of Novaya Golchikha near Kineshma. In 1909, he graduated from theological school in Kineshma and entered the theological seminary. With the beginning of the Russian-German War, he passed exams for theological school as an external student and volunteered for the army. “In the winter of 1915, Vasilevsky was sent to the Alekseevsky Infantry School, located in Lefortovo” (1) Since September 1915, Vasilevsky has been at the front.
The battle suffering with its hard military labor began. Vasilevsky began to command a half-company, then a company. Acted as battalion commander. (2) Vasilevsky’s unit became the best in the regiment in terms of training, military discipline, and combat effectiveness. He was promoted to staff captain, which, according to modern military ranks, corresponds (roughly) to the rank of senior lieutenant. “Two more years of war, and all yesterday’s warrant officers will become our generals!” - this is what the famous general and count, General F.A. once said. Keller to Lieutenant A.M. Vasilevsky.
Alexander Mikhailovich will write about himself in his memoirs “The Work of My Whole Life” very modestly: “I come from the clergy class. But there were tens of thousands of such people in Russia. I was an officer in the tsarist army” (3). Alexander Mikhailovich's father remained in the rank of priest of the Russian Orthodox Church all his life. But the world war radically changed his fate. After graduating from military school in 1915, Vasilevsky was promoted to warrant officer with the prospect of promotion to second lieutenant after 8 months of combat service at the front, and for military distinction - at any time. For the rest of his life, the simple, clear principles of military and officer service to Russia, which he learned from military school, sank into his consciousness. These principles, formulated by General Mikhail Ivanovich Dragomirov, became Vasilevsky’s imperative. He himself wrote: “I decided to make some of theses (by M.I. Dragomirov) a firm rule for the entire duration of military service:
"a) Worship the banner,
B) Serve the Fatherland,
C) Maintain the honor of the uniform,
D) Communicate closely with subordinates,
D) Put service above personal affairs,
E) Do not be afraid of independence,
G) Act purposefully” (4).
In the spring of 1916, the regiment in which Vasilevsky served as part of the 9th Army took part in the Brusilovsky breakthrough. Then he served on the Romanian front. “After the outbreak of revolutionary unrest and the collapse of the army, Vasilevsky went on vacation and went home. (5)
After the February Revolution, Vasilevsky was elected to the regimental Council of Soldiers' Deputies. “Soon after October, Vasilevsky went on vacation,” wrote Marshal Bagramyan, “but, while at home, he received a notification from the regimental soldiers’ committee that he had been elected commander of the regiment and about the need to return and take office. Since Alexander Mikhailovich was unable to get to the Southern Front, where his regiment was located, he placed himself at the disposal of the local military committee” (6).
Vasilevsky began to serve in the Red Army only after forced mobilization in May 1919 and became a commander. During the Civil War, he commanded a battalion, and then for some time a rifle regiment on the Western Front, although his position was listed as assistant regiment commander. For 10 years, he alternately commanded all regiments of the 48th Infantry Division, which was part of the Moscow Military District. In 1926, Vasilevsky completed a year of training at the shooting and tactical advanced training courses for command staff “Vystrel” near Moscow. In the 30s, Vasilevsky was appointed to the Combat Training Directorate of the Red Army, and then headed the combat training department in the Volga Military District. In 1936, Vasilevsky was awarded the military rank of colonel.
Red officer Vasilevsky had tenacity, phenomenal memory and versatile abilities. Vasilevsky often published articles about current problems in the training and education of troops in the Military Bulletin magazine. The Military Academy of the General Staff, again founded in 1936, Vasilevsky graduated a year later and immediately headed the Department of Logistics at the same Academy. But already in October 1937, he was sent to the General Staff to the post of head of the operational training department for senior command personnel. He took part in leading the troops during the battles on Lake Khasan and at the last stage of the Soviet-Finnish War, A.M. Vasilevsky participated in the development of the military campaign of 1939-1940. 1939-1940. Since May 1940, Vasilevsky became deputy chief of the Operations Directorate of the General Staff. In November 1940, as a military expert, A.M. Vasilevsky traveled to Berlin as part of the USSR delegation headed by V.M. Molotov. In June 1941, A.M. Vasilevsky was awarded the military rank of major general.
The fateful hour of the beginning of the Great Patriotic War was approaching. “On the first night of June 22, 1941, under the leadership of Vasilevsky, a directive was urgently transmitted to the border military districts that a surprise attack by German troops was possible on June 22-23. The directive demanded that all units be put on combat readiness,” recalled Marshal I.Kh. Bagramyan. (7) (It is appropriate to add that the Soviet military and political leadership, figuratively speaking, “slept through the outbreak.” But the General Staff was headed by G.K. Zhukov himself !)
On July 30, 1941, B.M. Shaposhnikov became the Chief of the General Staff, and Vasilevsky was appointed his deputy and head of the Operations Directorate of the General Staff. Vasilevsky took an active part in the development of operational and strategic plans for the country's defense, and especially in the development of plans for the defense of Moscow and the subsequent counter-offensive. During the battle of Moscow, Alexander Mikhailovich Vasilevsky became a lieutenant general, was slightly wounded, and at the most critical moments of the defense of Moscow, he urgently proposed the decision to carry out a counterattack with all the forces of the fronts. On December 1, 1941, the historical order No. 396 was issued on the offensive near Moscow, signed “Headquarters of the Supreme High Command. I. Stalin, A. Vasilevsky"
Vasilevsky himself highly appreciated the role of the Headquarters: “It must be said frankly that despite the difficult, sometimes critical situation during the days of the defense of Moscow, the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command showed great restraint and will, preserving the strategic reserves advanced to the Moscow region for the Red Army to launch a decisive counteroffensive” ( 8)
“The General Staff, with the most active participation of A.M. Vasilevsky, developed in an extremely short time the plans of a whole complex of nine fronts: Demyansk, Toroetsko-Kholmskaya, Rzhevsko-Vyazemskaya, Barvenkovo-Lozovskaya and Kerchin-Feodosia,” wrote I.Kh. Bagramyan about Vasilevsky in book: Sons of the Great Nation."(9)
From June 1942, Vasilevsky was appointed to the post of Chief of the General Staff, and from October 1942, at the same time, Deputy People's Commissar of Defense of the USSR. Vasilevsky was directly involved in the planning and development of the most important operations of the Soviet Armed Forces, in resolving the main issues of providing the fronts with human resources, material and technical means, and in preparing reserves of all types for army operations. During the Battle of Stalingrad 1942-1943. Vasilevsky was one of the authors and implementers of the plan for a major offensive operation involving troops from several fronts. He was not only one of the creators of the Red Army’s counteroffensive in the Stalingrad direction, but also directly led the reflection of the counterattack of the army group “South”, which was trying to relieve the army of F. Paulus encircled at Stalingrad. He then coordinated the actions of the fronts to eliminate this enemy.
As a representative of the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command, A.M. Vasilevsky interacted between the Voronezh and Steppe Fronts in the Battle of Kursk in 1943. In the Battle of Kursk, Hitler’s best strategist, Field Marshal Manstein, fought against Vasilevsky. Under his command were the best SS divisions and the largest number of tanks. But the strength of the Red Army, the skill of its commanders and generals, the heroism of soldiers and officers exceeded the power of the Wehrmacht. Having exhausted and bled the best German units in defensive battles, the Red Army troops launched a counteroffensive without pause. The final turning point took place during the Great Patriotic War.
In 1943, Vasilevsky was awarded the military rank of Marshal of the Soviet Union. For coordinating the actions of two Ukrainian fronts in 1944, Alexander Mikhailovich Vasilevsky was awarded the highest military leadership award - the Order of Victory, and for the Belarusian operation Vasilevsky was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.
Throughout the war, Vasilevsky repeatedly went to the fronts as a representative of the Headquarters, however, Vasilevsky was officially introduced into the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command only in February 1945 (he had actually been a member of it since 1941). At the same time, at the final stage of the war, A.M. Vasilevsky was appointed commander of the 3rd Belorussian Front. At the same time, Vasilevsky asked Stalin to relieve him from the post of Chief of the General Staff, citing the fact that he would be at the front most of the time. Already on April 9, a red flag was raised over the strongest fortress of Königsberg in East Prussia. Over 90 thousand prisoners of war, thousands of guns and mortars were taken from the city. “In East Prussia, Vasilevsky passed the most difficult military leadership exam with honor and demonstrated with all his might both his talent as a large-scale military strategist and his excellent organizational qualities,” pointed out Marshal Bagramyan (10). By the way, it was to Bagramyan that at the final stage of the war Vasilevsky transferred his 3rd Belorussian Front, as he was urgently recalled to Moscow. Vasilevsky was soon to lead the Far Eastern Front.
Since June 1945, Vasilevsky was appointed Commander-in-Chief of the Soviet Army in the Far East. Under his leadership, a major regrouping of troops was carried out, the Manchurian strategic offensive operation was planned, prepared and carried out to defeat the Japanese 600,000-strong Kwantung Army (August 9 - September 2, 1945). The Far Eastern theater of military operations (FE theater of operations) covered the territory of Manchuria, Inner Mongolia, North Korea and the adjacent Pacific Ocean. The area of the land part of the Far Eastern theater of operations was 1.5 million square meters. km, where 70 million people lived. This territory exceeded the size of the territories of Germany, Italy, France and England combined. The total number of divisions of the Soviet army concentrated in the East was estimated at 87. “In the Far Eastern campaign, the leadership talent of Marshal of the Soviet Union Alexander Mikhailovich Vasilevsky was especially clearly demonstrated,” wrote military historians M.L. Titarenko and V.P. Zimonin, “who managed with minimal losses and in the shortest possible time carry out the grandiose Manchurian strategic offensive operation, as well as return South Sakhalin and the Kuril Islands to Russia, liberate Northeast China and North Korea” (11). During the fighting, the losses of the enemy’s Kwantung group amounted to 720 thousand soldiers and officers, including 640 thousand prisoners. (12) “The Armed Forces of the USSR lost 36,456 people killed, wounded and missing in the war with Japan, including 12,031 dead "(13) Truly Marshal A.M. Vasilevsky achieved victory in the Suvorov style, not with numbers, but with skill.
The question inevitably arises: “why in September 1945 was the then unknown General Derevianko, and not Marshal Vasilevsky, instructed to sign the act of unconditional surrender of Japan on behalf of the USSR?” - historian Vladimir Uspensky reasonably asks, and answers - “Stalin was dissatisfied with (US President) Truman, with whom he never agreed on the landing of our troops on Hokaido, and intended to emphasize his dissatisfaction with the low level of our government delegation when signing the act. At first it was planned that the delegation would be headed by one of the military men, Marshal Vasilevsky or Admiral Kuznetsov. But even this seemed too little after it became known that among the allies who would arrive on the Missouri there would be a certain General Sverdlov, aka Peshkov, the brother of Yakov Mikhailovich Sverdlov, whom Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin hated more and more . (...) And here - as if on purpose - the Sverdlovsk brother, an international adventurer, a deserter from Russia, somehow “adopted” by our great writer, about which Peshkov-Gorky himself spoke negatively. Crook!
“Unreputable company,” Stalin spoke contemptuously about this. - Send a mediocre general there. Competent, so that he can sign beautifully...”(14)
A.M. Vasilevsky stood out among military leaders not only for his military leadership, but also for his simple human qualities. Thus, his colleague General Staff General S.M. Shtemenko wrote: “A distinctive feature of Alexander Mikhailovich has always been trust in his subordinates, deep respect for people, and respect for their dignity. He subtly understood how difficult it was to maintain organization and clarity in the critical situation of the unfavorable development for us at the beginning of the war, and tried to unite the team, create a working environment where the pressure of the authorities would not be felt at all, but only the strong shoulder of an older, more experienced comrade, on which you can lean on if necessary.”(15).
At military councils, which Alexander Mikhailovich often held during the war, the success of one or another decision largely depended on the attitude of the marshal. It was expressed in the following: “...their participants should think, first of all, not about subordination, but about the benefits of the cause. So express your thoughts boldly and directly, Vasilevsky demanded, regardless of the fact that they disagree with the opinion of the senior boss or not. (...) ...As soon as the decisions crystallized during our meeting take the form of an order, they must be carried out not out of fear, but out of conscience, regardless of your initial opinion,” Army General S.P. Ivanov recalled Vasilevsky’s installation (16).
After the war, Vasilevsky again became the Chief of the General Staff in March 1946 and almost simultaneously became the 1st Deputy Minister of the Armed Forces of the USSR. In 1949-53, A.M. Vasilevsky became the Minister of the Armed Forces (Minister of War) of the USSR, then he became 1st deputy. Minister of Defense of the USSR (1953-56), Deputy Minister of Defense (1956-57). Since 1959, Vasilevsky joined the Group of Inspectors General of the USSR Ministry of Defense. Among other awards, Alexander Mikhailovich Vasilevsky was awarded two Orders of Victory.
A.M. Vasilevsky died on November 5, 1977. He was buried near the Kremlin wall. According to the resolution of the Moscow City Duma of May 16, 2007, a monument to the famous Marshal and twice Hero of the Soviet Union Alexander Mikhailovich Vasilevsky will finally be erected in the hero city of Moscow! 2007 has been declared the “Year of Memory of Marshal of Victory A.M. Vasilevsky.” In a special booklet of the federal information and analytical magazine “Senator”, entirely dedicated to the famous marshal, it is noted: “The erection of a monument in the capital of Russia to one of the legendary commanders of the Great Patriotic War will be a sign of the deepest gratitude of all the people of our country to the front-line soldiers and their glorious commander, Marshal of Victory A.M. Vasilevsky , for heroism and outstanding services to the Fatherland - for a peaceful sky above your head! This is an eternal reminder to all of us and future generations that “No one is forgotten, nothing is forgotten!” (17)
Some thoughts of the Outstanding commander Alexander Mikhailovich Vasilevsky may be useful to an officer of the Russian Armed Forces.
1. Lubchenkov Yu.N. One hundred great commanders of the Second World War, M., Veche, 2005. P.46.
2. See: Great Patriotic War. Active army - M.-Zhukovsky, “Kuchkovo Field, 2005, P.288.
3. Vasilevsky A.M. - It's a matter of a lifetime. Politlit, M., 1975, P.7.
4. Vasilevsky A, M. - Ibid., S.18.
5. Lubchenkov Yu.N. – Ibid., P.47.
6. Bagramyan.I.Kh. - Sons of the great people. A.M.Vasilevsky. Voenizdat, M., 1984. P.72.
7. Bagramyan.I.Kh. – Ibid., S.45.
8. According to: Bagramyan. THEIR. – Ibid., S.48.
9. Bagramyan.I.Kh. – Ibid., S.49.
10. By: Bagramyan I.Kh. – Ibid., P.77
11. Titarenko M.L., Zimonin V.P. - Victory in the Pacific Ocean.//Attempt on a great victory, M., Algorithm, 2005, P.189.
12. Zimonin V.P. - The last outbreak of the Second World War, M., 2002, P.330.
13. See: Classification of Secrecy has been removed. Losses of the armed forces of the USSR in wars, hostilities and conflicts. Statistical research, M., 1993, P.223.
14. Uspensky V. - Privy Advisor to the Leader,” (specify!)
15. Shtemenko - General Staff during the war years - M., 1981, T.1, P.182.
16. See: Ivanov - S.P. Army headquarters, front-line headquarters M., Voenizdat, 1990, P. 446.
17. Federal information and analytical magazine “Senator”, M., Interpressa. 2007
/from the series “Idols of Youth”/
It was a fortunate coincidence that at the same time as collecting material about Marshal A.M. Vasilevsky, I read K. Simonov’s book “The Living and the Dead.” This true book shows many wonderful people, including an employee of the General Staff - Ivan Alekseevich Polynin, who runs through the entire trilogy. This is a man of remarkable intelligence, exceptional honesty, the same age as Vasilevsky, a man with a similar biography. His name appeared only in the first book of the trilogy. It seems that Simonov does not want the reader to remember this surname. This may mean any general of the General Staff who selflessly served the Motherland. The trilogy contains the following thoughts of Polynin: “It’s difficult to talk to Stalin... We fight as best we can with his pre-prepared decisions, with preconceived opinions, we console ourselves that he listens, but we know for ourselves that he still doesn’t listen enough to advice.” He also thinks that people are afraid to give advice to Stalin. It’s good, “so that people don’t - no matter how high they stand! - were not afraid to give advice, had no need to guess his opinion, so that this need would not gradually become a need that turns even the best people into crappy ones... Of course, this also depends on those who give advice, but much more - on to whom they give. First of all, it depends on him whether they are afraid or not afraid to give him advice...” And before that, it is shown what a depressing impression the conversation with Stalin made on the fearless General Serpilin, who was not broken by either torture or the camp. There is a lot of evidence in the trilogy that proximity to Stalin was the most dangerous. Thus, the entire danger, complexity and importance of the mission carried out by the employees of the General Staff is obvious.
Soviet military leaders such as Alexander Mikhailovich Vasilevsky made an undoubted contribution to the cause of victory. It was their foresight and coherence of action that allowed the Soviet people to win this war, the purpose of which was not only to eliminate the danger looming over our country, but also to help all the peoples of Europe groaning under the yoke of German fascism. All the innumerable hardships and suffering experienced by our people during the war, and their hard work in the rear and at the front, were not in vain and were crowned with complete victory over the enemy. And we, the young, should be grateful to our grandparents, sacredly remember our glorious history, in order to prevent the revival of fascism and new troubles.
Childhood, study at theological seminary
Alexander Mikhailovich Vasilevsky was born in 1895 in the village of Novaya Golchikha, Kineshma district (now Vichugsky district, Ivanovo region). Two years later, his father was transferred as a priest to Novopokrovskoye. The father's meager salary was not enough even for the most urgent needs of a large family, so all the children in the family worked in the garden and in the fields. In winter, their father worked part-time as a carpenter, making school desks, tables, window frames, doors and beehives for apiaries according to orders from the zemstvo. The childhood of Alexander Mikhailovich Vasilevsky was spent in constant need, in labor for a piece of bread.
The father of Alexander Mikhailovich Vasilevsky, Mikhail Alexandrovich, having lost his father at the age of 17, got a job in the choir of the Kostroma Cathedral, as he had a good voice. From Kostroma he returned to his native place and became a church regent (choir conductor) and psalm-reader in the village of Novaya Golchikha. Soon he married Nadezhda Ivanovna Sokolova, the daughter of a psalm-reader in the village of Uglets, in the same district. By 1912, their family already had eight children. Their firstborn died. Their next child, Dmitry, grew up to become a doctor and then an officer in the Red Army. Daughter Ekaterina worked as a rural teacher for several decades and lost her husband and son during the Great Patriotic War. Alexander Mikhailovich, the future Marshal Vasilevsky, was the fourth child in the family. His other brother, Evgeniy, became the chairman of a collective farm and an agronomist in the Vladimir region; Victor - navigator of combat aviation; sisters Elena and Vera - workers in rural schools; Margarita is a laboratory assistant at a research institute.
In the summer of 1909, Alexander Mikhailovich Vasilevsky graduated from the Kineshma Theological School, and in the fall he began studying at the Kostroma Theological Seminary, although it was not easy for the family, since in the spring of 1909 their house and all their property burned to the ground, and the fee for living in the hostel was 75 rubles per month. year. The theological seminary enjoyed considerable popularity among the people. Kostroma residents loved the annual art evenings and concerts organized by the seminarians. In addition, the theological seminary stood out for the rather progressive views of its students, who carried out revolutionary work among the workers of the city and were even arrested for this.
Most seminary students sought to use it as a springboard to enter a secular institution of higher education. The district newspaper “Kineshemets” wrote in July 1914 that out of 16 graduates of the Irkutsk Theological Seminary, only 2 people expressed a desire to remain in the clergy, and the rest intended to move to higher educational institutions; and of the 15 graduates of the Krasnoyarsk Theological Seminary, none took holy orders. Almost all seminarians dreamed of following in the footsteps of such seminarians as Chernyshevsky and Dobrolyubov. They knew that the seminarians were such prominent scientists as academicians I.P. Pavlov, F.I. Uspensky, V.G. Vasilievsky, V.O. Klyuchevsky, and the then rector of Moscow University M.K. Lyubavsky. At one time, professor of medicine V.S. Gruzdev and professor of physics G.A. Lyuboslavsky studied at the Kostroma Theological Seminary.
A new, unexpected stage in life
In July - August 1914, before the last class of the seminary, Vasilevsky spent his holidays, as before, at home, working with other members of his family in the field and vegetable garden. There, on July 20 (old style), they learned about the world war that had begun the day before. Here is how A.M. Vasilevsky himself writes about this in his book “The Work of a Whole Life”:
“Although this war was prepared by the imperialist states for a long time, this was done in deep secrecy from the people. In any case, the declaration of war came as a complete surprise to the people. No one expected that it would drag on for long. As it became known later, even the Russian General Staff, when developing an operational-strategic plan, expected to end the war in 4-5 months, and therefore all reserves of equipment and military equipment for the army were prepared precisely for this period. This partly explained the country’s complete unpreparedness to produce everything necessary in the quantities required for war. Meanwhile, the complex interweaving of the interests of the imperialist powers and the contradictions between them, the involvement of more and more new participants in the struggle for the redivision of the world, gave the war not only a global, but also a long-lasting character.
The war upset all my previous plans and directed my life along a completely different path than previously planned. I dreamed, after graduating from the seminary, to work for three years as a teacher in some rural school and, having saved a small amount of money, then enter either an agronomic educational institution or the Moscow Land Surveying Institute. But now, after the declaration of war, I was overwhelmed with patriotic feelings. Slogans about defending the fatherland captivated me. Therefore, unexpectedly for myself and my family, I became a military man. Returning to Kostroma, several classmates and I asked permission to take final exams as an external student, so that we could then go into the army.
Our request was granted, and in January 1915 we were sent to the disposal of the Kostroma military commander, and in February we were already in Moscow, at the Alekseevsky Military School.
I did not make the decision to become an officer in order to make a career in the military. I still cherished the dream of being an agronomist and working after the war in some corner of the endless Russian expanses. I didn’t even imagine then that everything would turn out differently: Russia would no longer be the same, and I would become completely different...
There were more than ten military schools in Russia. Pavlovskoe was considered the first "in rank", the second - Aleksandrovskoe, the third - Alekseevskoe. Created in 1864, the Alekseevsky School was previously called the Moscow Infantry Junker School, and since 1906, at the behest of Nicholas II, it was given the name Alekseevsky in honor of the heir to the throne who was born. It was noticeably different from the first two, which were staffed by people from the nobility or at least children from wealthy families. The Alekseevsky School recruited mainly children of commoners. The fate of its graduates was different. Usually a “military burden” awaited them in a provincial outback. But this did not stop the Alekseevites from being proud of their military educational institution. Graduates had their own special badge.
The head of the school was General N.A. Khamin, who had the rights of a regimental commander. His assistant in the combat unit was Colonel A.M. Popov, a man of tough character. He was convinced that strict order could only be achieved through disciplinary action. When meeting graduates who froze in front of him “to the front,” he always asked if they were standing under arms. And if he heard the answer “no,” he immediately sent the cadets under arms in full gear, saying: “How will you punish others without experiencing it yourself?”
Vasilevsky, having a height of 178 centimeters, did not get into the first company and was enrolled in the 5th company with a mixed rank, the commander of which was Captain G.R. Tkachuk. By that time he had already been to war, was wounded and wore the Cross of St. George, 3rd degree.
They were trained, almost without taking into account the requirements of the ongoing war, according to outdated programs. They weren’t even introduced to military operations in the conditions of field barriers, to new types of heavy artillery, to various foreign systems of hand grenades (except for the Russian tin “bottle”), and to the elementary basics of using cars and aircraft in war. There was almost no introduction to the principles of interaction between military branches. Not only classroom but also field studies were more theoretical than practical. But a lot of attention was paid to drill drills. They received extremely scant information about the enemy.
After the Russo-Japanese War, foreigners said that “Russians know how to die, but only... stupidly.” On whom did it depend that in the world war the Russian army gained a reputation not only for being brave and resilient, but also for being able to conduct combat operations well? Much depended on the command personnel. The reluctance of the school authorities to take into account the demands of the time was reflected primarily in the training of graduates, who had to learn a lot at the front, in a combat situation, paying with their lives for the frivolity and inertia of their teachers. In the company where Vasilevsky studied, field training, thanks to Captain Tkachuk, was much better than in others. The manuals used by the cadets were outdated. Upon entering the school, they were enrolled as cadets of private rank. Two months later, some were promoted to non-commissioned officers (belt cadets), and four months later, at the end of May 1915, they graduated from an accelerated wartime training course. The tsarist army suffered heavy losses. There was an acute shortage of command personnel, and the military educational department was in a hurry. At the end of the school, Vasilevsky was awarded the rank of ensign with the prospect of promotion to second lieutenant after eight months of service, and for military distinction - at any time... They were issued ... a revolver, a saber, field binoculars, a compass and valid military regulations. “And so,” recalls Vasilevsky, “I am a 20-year-old warrant officer with one star on the shoulder strap. I was supposed to be able to train, educate and lead soldiers, many of whom had already been in battle and were much older than me. What did I take away from the walls of the school? What was my knowledge base? We received the most general knowledge and skills necessary for an officer only at the first level... I then considered the indispensable quality of a good commander to be the ability to lead subordinates, educate and train them, and ensure high discipline and diligence. It cannot be said that the four-month military training was in vain for me. ...I greedily absorbed everything I saw and heard, tried to comprehend military wisdom, I was overcome by doubt: would I make an officer? I had to break myself, developing commander skills. The oral instructions of my teachers gave me something. I gained a lot as a result of reading the works of prominent Russian military leaders and organizers of military affairs and getting to know their biographies.”
Vasilevsky seriously studied the works of A.V. Suvorov, M.I. Kutuzov, D.A. Milyutin, M.D. Skobelev. From these books he firmly grasped the following truths: “Not a story, but a show, complemented by a story”; “Tell me only one thought first, ask for it to be repeated and help you understand, then tell me the next one”; “At first, teach only the essentials”; “Don’t so much order as instruct.” Vasilevsky decided to make some theses a firm rule for the entire duration of military service: “communicate closely with subordinates; put service above personal affairs; do not be afraid of independence; act with purpose." Vasilevsky really wanted to become a good commander, and he took any advice on this matter as a revelation. He had no experience, but life itself gave him. Vasilevsky considered his universities to be: the First World War, the Revolution, the Civil War and service in the Soviet Armed Forces.
FIRST BATTLES
In June 1915, Vasilevsky was sent to a reserve battalion stationed in Rostov, a district city in the Yaroslavl province. The battalion consisted of one marching company of soldiers and numbered about a hundred officers intended to be sent to the front. These were mostly young warrant officers and second lieutenants who had recently graduated from military schools and warrant officer schools. There were several older people, called up from the reserves or returning from hospitals. Ten days later the order came to send this company to the front.
Vasilevsky ended up on the Southwestern Front in the 9th Army, commanded by General P.A. Lechinsky, the only army commander at that time who was not an officer of the General Staff, that is, who did not receive a higher education. But he was a military general: in the Russian-Japanese War he commanded a regiment and was known among the troops as an energetic military leader. The bulk of the infantry were peasants - extremely poorly and hastily trained recruits. The officers here were mainly from reserve warrant officers or the same as Vasilevsky, who graduated from accelerated officer schools and warrant officer schools, as well as from ensigns, sergeant majors and non-commissioned officers. Soldiers who distinguished themselves in battle became non-commissioned officers. The desire to protect the country united all these people, and they quickly gained experience.
The conditions in which we had to live and fight were pitiful. Trenches are ordinary ditches. Instead of parapets, there is earth chaotically scattered on both sides without basic camouflage along it, almost without loopholes or canopies. For housing in the trenches, dugouts were dug with a hole for crawling into, which were covered with a tent panel. There was no shelter from artillery and mortar fire. Artificial obstacles were primitive. Only an overcoat saved her from rain and frost. There were not enough howitzers, heavy guns and artillery shells of all systems.
Vasilevsky almost never had any misunderstandings with his subordinates, which was rare at that time. In the spring of 1916, he was appointed commander of the first company. After some time, his company was recognized as one of the best in the regiment in terms of training, military discipline and combat effectiveness. The success was due to the trust that the soldiers placed in Vasilevsky.
After bloody battles, Vasilevsky found himself at the head of an infantry battalion. One day this battalion was called by General Keller to guard his headquarters. The chief of staff, seeing Vasilevsky, looked at him in surprise for a long time, then asked how old he was (Vasilevsky was then 22 years old), and retired to another room. General Keller came out from there, looked at Vasilevsky with a smile and said that two more years of war, and all yesterday’s warrant officers will become our generals.
The situation in the army deteriorated sharply. Supplies have become poor. Among the Romanians, who were our allies and on whose territory the fighting took place, Germanophile propaganda grew. Therefore, they began to treat Russian troops not very friendly. A number of high-ranking Romanian military personnel defected to the enemy. With the receipt in March 1917 of the news that there was a revolution in Petrograd, that the Tsar had abdicated the throne, a new phase began in the life of the entire army, the Romanian Front and all of Russia. Disunity began among the leadership. Some called for the continuation of the war, others for an end. Then Vasilevsky will write about this in his book: “The army split... I gradually began to condemn the war... We knew that the government of workers and peasants was negotiating peace. Spontaneous demobilization began... There was a time when I led soldiers into battle and believed that I was fulfilling the duty of a Russian patriot. Now it has become clear that the people were deceived, that they need peace.”
HOW A STAFF CAPTAIN OF THE ROYAL ARMY BECOME A RED COMMANDER
At the end of November 1917, staff captain Alexander Mikhailovich Vasilevsky was returning from the front and thought that his military career had come to an end. With a clear conscience he prepared to work on the earth. In December he was already home. At the end of December 1917, the Kineshma district military department sent him a message that the general meeting of the 409th regiment, in accordance with the elective principle then in force in the army, elected A.M. Vasilevsky as regiment commander. Therefore, the soldiers' committee suggested that he immediately return to his military unit and take command. However, the military department recommended that he stay here and appointed him as a general education instructor in the Ugletsky volost of the Kineshma district. On January 15, 1918, a decree was issued on the creation of the Workers' and Peasants' Red Army. All military specialists and career officers were registered. In March, a decision was made to universally train the population in military affairs, so that every worker, worker, peasant and peasant woman could shoot a rifle, revolver or machine gun. The work of an instructor did not bring complete satisfaction to Alexander Mikhailovich. He believed that he could be more useful since he had some combat experience. However, the military department did not involve him in more active work to protect the Motherland. “Apparently, it was reflected ... in distrust of me as a person from a family of clergy, an officer in the tsarist army,” writes A.M. Vasilevsky in his book “The Work of a Whole Life.” He decided that in this case he could be more useful as a primary school teacher; a diploma from a theological seminary gave him this right. As a seminarian, he conducted practical classes in the elementary school that existed at the seminary, and his lessons were considered successful. With the permission of the District Military Commissariat, in September 1918 he began working at the rural elementary school of Novosilsky district. And it seemed to Alexander Mikhailovich that he had found the worldly pier that he had been striving for. But in April 1919, the Novosilsky district military registration and enlistment office called him to serve in the Red Army. In May, Vasilevsky became commander of the Red Army. Soon he had the opportunity to take part in hostilities against the interventionists, then against banditry. When the bands were exterminated or dispersed, the Volga region was gripped by famine. The regiment was involved in the harvest. Due to the illness of the chief of staff of the 142nd brigade, Vasilevsky took over his duties. In 1922, the brigades were transformed into regiments, and Vasilevsky was appointed assistant to the regiment commander, and when the commander left for study, Vasilevsky took temporary command of the regiment.
Subsequently, A.M. Vasilevsky had to alternately command all the regiments of the 48th Infantry Division, and he “gained a fair amount of regimental experience.”
In 1924, A.M. Vasilevsky headed the divisional school for junior command personnel. At this time, he was summoned to the Military Academy of the Red Army to take entrance exams. However, Vasilevsky felt ill-prepared, and he managed to refuse to enter the academy, despite all the persuasion of the deputy chairman of the commission, M.L. Tkachev.
From December 1924, after the liquidation of the divisional school, A.M. Vasilevsky commanded the 143rd Regiment for several years (with a one-year break for study). In 1926, he completed a year of training at the department of commanders of the regimental tactical courses “Vystrel”, where experienced military leaders taught. In August 1926, Vasilevsky returned to his 143rd regiment.
At that time, Boris Mikhailovich Shaposhnikov became the commander of the troops of the Moscow district, with whom Alexander Mikhailovich Vasilevsky would have to work together for many long years. A.M. Vasilevsky noted: “Few people had such a strong influence on me and gave me as much as he did.” Shaposhnikov's life is typical for most servicemen of the old army. As a 19-year-old young man, Shaposhnikov entered the Moscow Military School and successfully graduated from it. After several years of service in Central Asia, he studied at the Academy of the General Staff. Before the revolution, he became a colonel and commanded a cavalry regiment; in December 17th he was elected head of the grenadier division. In May 1918 he joined the Red Army.
THE GREAT PATRIOTIC WAR
“We entered the fight against Germany,” writes A.M. Vasilevsky in his book of memoirs “The Work of a Whole Life,” having behind us the experience of the civil war and the development of military affairs during the years of peaceful construction. It was a solid school of command and control." But the first days of the war showed that this was not enough to defeat the enemy. We need to resolutely rebuild ourselves, learn to defend ourselves, and then conduct powerful offensive actions. The period of defensive battles was the most difficult. The troops were controlled under the strong influence of the enemy. Naturally, not everything worked out the way we would like, and mistakes were made. The focus on conducting not just defensive actions, but active defense, increased the demands on commanders of fronts and armies.
The Great Patriotic War found A.M. Vasilevsky in the service of the General Staff, in the position of deputy head of the operational department, with the rank of major general. On August 1, 1941, Vasilevsky was appointed head of the operational department and deputy chief of the General Staff. From June 1942 to February 1945, Vasilevsky headed the General Staff, being at the same time deputy people's commissar of defense. Subsequently, Vasilevsky was entrusted with the duties of front commander and member of the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command, and then commander-in-chief of the Far East troops. Thus, throughout the Great Patriotic War, A.M. Vasilevsky had a direct, immediate relationship with the leadership of the Armed Forces.
The General Staff, which was rightly called the working body of Headquarters, provided significant assistance to the commanders of the fronts and armies. Headquarters determined the priority of tasks and the plan of the operation. The practical development of operations, all calculations related to this, were carried out at the General Staff, which continuously collected information about the developing situation on all fronts of the war. Employees of the General Staff kept in touch with the fronts day after day, processing information received from them, as well as all intelligence messages. The most important information and general conclusions were reported to the Supreme Commander-in-Chief, and only after that decisions were made. The importance of such work by the General Staff is obvious, since in a war without knowledge of the situation on all fronts on a daily basis, it is impossible to successfully manage combat operations.
The General Staff assisted front and army commanders in planning operations and monitored implementation. Vasilevsky, as the head of the General Staff, did a lot of work to staff the troops of the fronts and armies and prepare them for operations. The General Staff was constantly in the field of view of strategic reserves, as well as the balance of forces on each front and directions, in their preparation for combat operations. The employees of the General Staff had the responsibility to monitor the accuracy of the execution of operational decisions and directives of Headquarters by the command of the fronts and armies. They were aware of the successes and failures of the fronts and armies and knew their needs. Vasilevsky writes in his book: “The most difficult problem for us, the General Staff, was the material support of the fronts.” The General Staff sent requests to the government for the supply of military products to the troops, and the national economy gave the front the maximum of what it could give. G.K. Zhukov spoke positively about A.M. Vasilevsky and the work of the General Staff, which was led by A.M. Vasilevsky. G.K. Zhukov wrote that the General Staff “was at a great height in the art of planning large strategic and offensive operations and companies.”
A.M.Vasilevsky and his immediate assistants S.M.Shtemenko, A.A.Gryzlov, N.A.Lomov, A.I.Antonov, appointed in December 1941 at Vasilevsky’s request as his 1st deputy and head of the Operations Directorate , showed themselves to be true masters and excellent organizers of staff work.
It was about the work of the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command and the General Staff that Marshal A.M. Vasilevsky at the end of his life wrote a large book of memoirs, “The Work of a Whole Life.”
This is how A.M. Vasilevsky motivated the writing of this book: “Every new truthful work about this sacred war for the Soviet people is another evidence of the great feat accomplished by our people in the name of freedom and independence of their Motherland, peace, and progress. In the fire of fierce battles...the multinational state and its Armed Forces passed the test of their strength. The maturity of military art, the quality of our military leadership personnel, who stood face to face with the fascist generals, who were previously considered the most experienced among ... the armies, were tested.”
In his book, Vasilevsky spoke truthfully about the people who taught him and raised him as a warrior and commander. Almost all of them were unjustly convicted and shot in 1937, including: Mikhail Nikolaevich Tukhachevsky (1893-1937, a descendant of Kutuzov), Ieronim Petrovich Uborevich (1896-1937), who commanded armies during the Civil War.
By defending his opinion, any employee of the General Staff and Headquarters risked his freedom and life. Vasilevsky almost always managed to smooth out brewing conflicts. So, A.I. Antonov began “to ask to be returned to the front. The need to weigh every word on the scales of life and death was beyond all strength... I feel: expect trouble.” Vasilevsky persuaded “Stalin to allow Antonov to work directly related to serving the Headquarters in an operational sense.” And Antonov ended up as Vasilevsky’s deputy on the Voronezh front.
Reading Vasilevsky’s book, you understand how difficult it was to serve in the General Staff, and then in the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command. The General Staff and Headquarters must constantly be aware of everything that is happening at the fronts and participate in the development of further activities. Shaposhnikov and Vasilevsky, knowing Stalin’s difficult character and realizing the seriousness of the possible consequences of disagreeing with him, still day after day entered into fundamental disputes with him about methods of warfare and convinced him of the need to take care of the army, thereby restraining his irrepressible desire win at any cost.
For example, Vasilevsky writes in his book that at the beginning of the war, a difficult situation developed on all fronts. The enemy was rapidly advancing, pushing our troops back. Fierce defensive battles took place throughout the Southwestern and Southern fronts. The headquarters of the Supreme High Command was forced almost hourly to deal with the course of hostilities and events on the fronts. It soon became clear that an immediate retreat was necessary in order to preserve the army, and then, grouping, at the first opportunity to repulse the enemy. But Stalin stubbornly did not give the order to retreat. Often the conversation at Headquarters became especially difficult and serious. Vasilevsky and Shaposhnikov tried to convince Stalin of the need for an immediate retreat in order to avoid a monstrous catastrophe. But Stalin reproached Vasilevsky and Shaposhnikov for following the line of least resistance, instead of beating the enemy, trying to get away from him... And even when the situation became the most catastrophic, Stalin made only a half-hearted decision. “At the mere mention of the cruel need to leave Kyiv,” writes A.M. Vasilevsky in his book, “Stalin lost his temper and momentarily lost his composure. “We,” Alexander Mikhailovich reproaches himself, “... lacked the necessary firmness to withstand these outbursts of uncontrollable anger, and a proper understanding of the full extent of our responsibility for the inevitable catastrophe in the South-Western direction.” Often Stalin not only refused to accept, but even seriously consider proposals that came to him from the Commander-in-Chief, from Headquarters member G.K. Zhukov, the Military Council of the Southwestern Front and from the leadership of the General Staff.
A.M. Vasilevsky did not agree with I.V. Stalin when, when commanders were called to Headquarters, members of the military councils, who, along with the commanders, were responsible for implementing the decisions of Headquarters, were not invited along with them. Stalin usually said in such cases that they should not be separated from the leadership of daily party political work. During his long work at the fronts, Vasilevsky was directly convinced of the enormous assistance the members of the military councils provided to the commander when making operational decisions, when developing plans and carrying them out. He believed that the participation of members of military councils, along with front commanders, in the development of a particular operation by Headquarters would be very beneficial.
In the end, Vasilevsky and Shaposhnikov were able to prove their professionalism and foresight to Stalin. He began to trust their experience more and take into account their opinions. The work of the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command and the General Staff has become more visible and successful.
Headquarters, when organizing and conducting large offensive operations by forces of several fronts, sent its representatives, including Vasilevsky, to coordinate their actions, and subsequently to lead them, to assist the fronts. While going to the front, he was repeatedly wounded. For example, in May 1944, a car hit a mine. The driver was wounded in the leg, and Vasilevsky received a head injury, small fragments injured his face. At the insistence of doctors, he was urgently sent by plane to Moscow. But in the summer of this year, Vasilevsky is already back where he is most needed - on the Belarusian front.
Things at the front were finally going well. When Vasilevsky one day arrived from the front at Headquarters, Stalin, satisfied with his work, said: “Comrade Vasilevsky, you lead such a mass of troops, and you do it well, and you yourself probably never hurt a fly.” “It was a joke,” writes Vasilevsky, “but, I’ll tell you frankly, it wasn’t always easy to remain calm and not allow yourself to raise your voice. But... you used to clench your fists until it hurt and remain silent, refraining from swearing and shouting. The ability to behave with dignity towards subordinates is an indispensable quality of a military leader.” Approaching each military leader with knowledge of his individual qualities, Vasilevsky carried out leadership over the command of the fronts not in a formulaic manner, but using the most appropriate forms and methods in each individual case.
Vasilevsky writes that it was gratifying for him to prepare and conduct offensive operations. Front and army commanders now have more ingenuity and initiative. Each of the operations they carried out was distinguished not only by the originality of the plan, but also by the methods of its implementation. Our commanders have learned to determine the direction of the main attack and carry out well the massing of forces and means in decisive directions, organize the interaction of troops, and carry out preparations for operations secretly, in secret from the enemy. They learned to skillfully assign tasks to troops and carry out the necessary operational formation. Our troops have also mastered the most decisive form of offensive – encirclement with the aim of destroying large enemy groups. Such operations as Stalingrad, Kursk, Belorussian, Korsun-Shevchenkovsk, Yassy-Kishinev, Budapest, Berlin, Prague entered the annals of Soviet military art like a golden page.
A.M. Vasilevsky writes that the category of commanders should include those military leaders who most clearly demonstrated their military art and talent, courage and will to win on the battlefields. These are, first of all, commanders of fronts and armies. The greatest responsibility for the successes of the troops fell on their shoulders. Alexander Mikhailovich notes the positive qualities of many of his colleagues. For example, he writes that G.K. Zhukov is one of the most prominent figures among the commanders of the Great Patriotic War. “I.S. Konev had an equally strong character. K.K. Rokosovsky was generously gifted with military leadership talent. He was also distinguished by his special ability to rely on the headquarters when solving operational issues and commanding troops, with whose chief, General M.S. Malinin, he had the warmest relations, businesslike and good friendship. L.A. Govorov was demanding and persistent. Outwardly he seemed dry and even gloomy, but in reality he was the kindest person. One could envy Govorov’s narrow-mindedness. No one sat idle with him. There were many positive things in Sokolovsky’s work, especially with regard to the development of operation plans. Undoubtedly, I.Kh. Bagramyan is also a gifted commander, who had command and staff experience, which helped him successfully find the shortest paths to victory...” Alexander Mikhailovich Vasilevsky pays tribute to everyone with whom he had the opportunity to serve the Motherland.
But A.M. Vasilevsky often criticizes himself and his activities. But this only confirms the opinion of all the people who knew him that A.M. Vasilevsky himself was always a man of exceptional honesty, modesty and decency, and in fact his merits in the successful end of the war are so great that all grateful descendants should know his name.
Http://www.litkonkurs.com/?dr=45&tid=53508&pid=63
Volume: 33956 [characters]
Literature:
Vasilevsky A. M., “The Work of a Whole Life” - 6th ed. - M.: Politizdat, 1989, 320 with ISBN 5-250-00657-4
Simonov K.M. "The Living and the Dead." Trilogy.
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Material from Wikipedia - the free encyclopedia
Alexander Mikhailovich Vasilevsky (September 16 (30), 1895 (18950930) - December 5, 1977) - Soviet military leader, Marshal of the Soviet Union (1943), Chief of the General Staff, member of the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command. During the Great Patriotic War, A. M. Vasilevsky, as Chief of the General Staff (1942-1945), took an active part in the development and implementation of almost all major operations on the Soviet-German front. From February 1945, he commanded the 3rd Belorussian Front and led the assault on Königsberg. In 1945, commander-in-chief of Soviet troops in the Far East in the war with Japan. One of the greatest commanders of the Second World War.
In 1949-1953, Minister of the Armed Forces and Minister of War of the USSR. Twice Hero of the Soviet Union (1944, 1945), holder of two Orders of Victory (1944, 1945).
Childhood and youth
Born, according to the metric book (art. style), on September 16, 1895. A. M. Vasilevsky himself believed that he was born on September 17, on the same day as his mother on the Christian holiday of Faith, Hope, Love, which according to the new style is celebrated on 30 September (this date of birth is “fixed” in Vasilevsky’s memoirs “The Work of a Whole Life”, as well as in the dates of awarding anniversary post-war awards preceding his birthday). Alexander Vasilevsky was born in the village of Novaya Golchikha, Kineshma district (now part of the city of Vichuga, Ivanovo region) in the family of the church regent and psalm-reader (Psalm-reader is the lowest rank of church ministers) of the St. Nicholas Edinoverie Church, Mikhail Alexandrovich Vasilevsky (1866-1953). Mother - Nadezhda Ivanovna Vasilevskaya (30.09.1872 - 7.08.1939), nee Sokolova, daughter of a psalm-reader in the village of Uglets, Kineshma district. Both mother and father were “of the Orthodox religion according to common faith” (as recorded in the registry book of St. Nicholas Church in the village of Novaya Golchikha). Alexander was the fourth oldest of eight siblings.
In 1897, he and his family moved to the village of Novopokrovskoye, where Vasilevsky’s father began to serve as a priest in the newly built (under the tutelage of the Novogolchikha manufacturer D.F. Morokin) stone Ascension Edinoverie Church. Later, Alexander Vasilevsky began studying at the parish school at this temple. In 1909, he graduated from the Kineshma Theological School and entered the Kostroma Theological Seminary, a diploma from which allowed him to continue his education in a secular educational institution. As a result of participating in the same year in the all-Russian strike of seminarians, which was a protest against the ban on entering universities and institutes, Vasilevsky was expelled from Kostroma by the authorities and returned to the seminary only a few months later, after partial satisfaction of the demands of the seminarians.
World War and Civil War
Alexander dreamed of becoming an agronomist or land surveyor, but the outbreak of the First World War changed his plans. Before the last class of the seminary, Vasilevsky and several classmates took external exams, and in February began studying at the Alekseevsky Military School. In May 1915, he completed an accelerated course of training (4 months) and was sent to the front with the rank of ensign. From June to September, he visited a number of reserve units and finally ended up on the Southwestern Front, where he took up the post of half-company commander of the 409th Novokhopyorsky Regiment of the 103rd Infantry Division of the 9th Army. In the spring of 1916, he was appointed commander of a company, which after some time was recognized as one of the best in the regiment. In this position he participated in the famous Brusilov breakthrough in May 1916. As a result of heavy losses among the officers, he ended up as a battalion commander of the same 409th regiment. Received the rank of staff captain. The news of the October Revolution found Vasilevsky near Adjud-Nou, in Romania, where he decided to leave military service and went on leave in November 1917.
While at home, at the end of December 1917, Vasilevsky received news that the soldiers of the 409th regiment had elected him as commander in accordance with the then-current principle of election of commanders. At that time, the 409th Regiment was part of the Romanian Front under the command of General Shcherbachev, who, in turn, was an ally of the Central Rada, which declared the independence of Ukraine from the Soviets. The Kineshma military department recommended that Vasilevsky not go to the regiment. Following the advice, “he remained dependent on his parents until June 1918, engaged in agriculture.” From June to August 1918 he worked as a hundredth instructor of general education at the Ugletsky volost of the Kineshma district of the Kostroma province.
Since September 1918, he worked as a teacher in primary schools in the villages of Verkhovye and Podyakovlevo, Golun volost, Novosilsky district, Tula province.
In April 1919, he was drafted into the Red Army and sent to the 4th reserve battalion, to the position of platoon instructor (assistant platoon commander). A month later, he was sent as the commander of a detachment of 100 people to the Stupino volost of the Efremov district of the Tula province to assist in the implementation of food appropriation and the fight against gangs.
In the summer of 1919, the battalion was transferred to Tula to form the Tula Rifle Division in anticipation of the approach of the Southern Front and the troops of General Denikin. Vasilevsky is appointed first as a company commander, then as a commander of a newly formed battalion. At the beginning of October, he takes command of the 5th Infantry Regiment of the Tula Infantry Division, which occupies a sector of the fortified area southwest of Tula. The regiment did not have the chance to participate in hostilities against Denikin’s troops, since the Southern Front stopped at Orel and Kromy at the end of October.
In December 1919, the Tula Division was intended to be sent to the Western Front to fight the invaders. Vasilevsky, at his own request, was transferred to the position of assistant regiment commander. At the front, as a result of reorganization, Vasilevsky was appointed assistant commander of the 96th regiment of the 32nd brigade of the 11th division. As part of the 15th Army, Vasilevsky fights in the war with Poland.
At the end of July, Vasilevsky was transferred to the 427th Regiment of the 48th (former Tula) Division, where he had previously served. Until mid-August it is in Vilna, where the division carries out garrison service, then conducts military operations against the Poles in the Belovezhskaya Pushcha region. Here Vasilevsky has a conflict with brigade commander O.I. Kalnin. Kalnin orders to take command of the 427th Regiment, which retreated in disarray. No one knows the exact location of the regiment, and the deadlines set by Kalnin seem insufficient to Vasilevsky. Vasilevsky reports that he cannot carry out the order. Kalnin first sends Vasilevsky to court, then halfway returns him and removes him from the post of assistant regiment commander to the post of platoon commander. Subsequently, as a result of the investigation, the head of the 48th division cancels the order of the brigade commander, and Vasilevsky is temporarily appointed commander of a separate battalion in the division.
The period between the wars After the war, Vasilevsky took part in the fight against the Bulak-Balakhovich detachment on the territory of Belarus, and until August 1921 he fought with bandits in the Smolensk province. Over the next 10 years, he commanded all three regiments of the 48th Tver Rifle Division and headed the division school for junior commanders. In 1927 he graduated from rifle and tactical advanced training courses for the command staff of the Red Army named after. III Comintern "Shot". In June 1928, the 143rd Regiment was singled out as an inspection team for exercises. In the fall of 1930, the 144th Regiment, which was considered the most poorly trained in the division before Vasilevsky took command, took first place and received an excellent rating in circumferential maneuvers.
Probably, Vasilevsky’s successes led to his transfer to staff work, which V.K. Triandafillov informed him about immediately after the end of the maneuvers. In order not to once again postpone joining the party due to a change in duty station, Vasilevsky submits an application to the regiment party bureau. The application was granted, and Vasilevsky was accepted as a candidate member of the party. Due to the party purge that took place in 1933-1936, the stay as a candidate was somewhat delayed, and Vasilevsky would be accepted into the party only in 1938, already while serving on the General Staff.
Vasilevsky, in his 1938 autobiography, stated that “personal and written communication with parents has been lost since 1924.” Relations were restored in 1940 at the suggestion of Stalin.
Since the spring of 1931, Vasilevsky worked in the Combat Training Directorate of the Red Army, edited the Combat Training Bulletin published by the department and assisted the editors of the Military Herald magazine. Participated in the creation of the “Instructions for conducting deep combined arms combat”, “Instructions for the interaction of infantry, artillery, tanks and aviation in modern combined arms combat”, as well as the “Manual for the service of military headquarters”.
In 1934-1936 he was the head of the combat training department of the Volga Military District. In 1936, after the introduction of personal military ranks in the Red Army, he was awarded the rank of “Colonel”. In 1937 he graduated from the Military Academy of the General Staff and was unexpectedly appointed head of the academy's logistics department. In October 1937, a new appointment followed - head of the operational training department for command personnel at the General Staff. Since 1939, he has concurrently held the position of Deputy Chief of the Operations Directorate of the General Staff. In this position, he participated in the development of the initial version of the plan for war with Finland, which was later rejected by Stalin. With the beginning of the Winter War, he served as First Deputy Chief of the General Staff Ivan Smorodinov, sent to the front. He participated as one of the representatives of the Soviet Union in the negotiations and signing of a peace treaty with Finland, and took part in the demarcation of the new Soviet-Finnish border.
In the spring of 1940, as a result of reshuffles in the apparatus of the People's Commissariat of Defense and the General Staff, he was appointed first deputy head of the Operations Directorate with the rank of division commander. Since April 1940, he took part in the development of a plan for war with Germany.
On November 9, as part of the Soviet delegation led by Vyacheslav Molotov, he traveled to Berlin for negotiations with Germany.
The Great Patriotic War
The Great Patriotic War found me in the service of the General Staff, as deputy chief of the operational department, with the rank of major general. On August 1, 1941, by decision of the Party Central Committee, I was appointed head of the operational department and deputy chief of the General Staff
http://militera.lib.ru/memo/russian/vasilevsky/pre.html
Participant of the Great Patriotic War from the first day. On August 1, 1941, Major General Vasilevsky was appointed Deputy Chief of the General Staff - Head of the Operations Directorate. During the battle for Moscow from October 5 to 10, he was part of a group of GKO representatives who ensured the speedy dispatch of retreating troops that had escaped encirclement to the Mozhaisk defensive line.
Vasilevsky played one of the key roles in organizing the defense of Moscow and the subsequent counter-offensive. During the most critical days near Moscow, from October 16 to the end of November 1941, when the General Staff was evacuated, he headed an operational group in Moscow (the first echelon of the General Staff) to serve Headquarters. The main responsibilities of the task force, consisting of 10 people, included: “to comprehensively know and correctly assess events at the front; constantly and accurately, but without excessive pettiness, inform Headquarters about them; in connection with changes in the front-line situation, promptly and correctly develop and report to the Supreme High Command your proposals; in accordance with the operational and strategic decisions made by Headquarters, quickly and accurately develop plans and directives; conduct strict and continuous control over the implementation of all decisions of the Headquarters, as well as over the combat readiness and combat effectiveness of the troops, the formation and training of reserves, and the material and combat support of the troops.” On October 28, 1941, the activities of the task force were highly appreciated by Stalin - four were awarded the next rank: Vasilevsky - the rank of lieutenant general, and the other three - the rank of major general. From November 29 to December 10, 1941, due to Shaposhnikov’s illness, Vasilevsky served as chief of the General Staff. The entire burden of preparing a counteroffensive near Moscow fell on the shoulders of A. Vasilevsky. The counteroffensive began by troops of the Kalinin Front on December 5, 1941. Since “the Headquarters was very concerned about ensuring the exact execution of the order” on the counteroffensive from Konev, Vasilevsky arrived at the headquarters of the Kalinin Front on the night of December 5 to “personally convey to the front commander a directive to move to counter-offensive and explain to him all the requirements for it.”
From mid-April to May 8, 1942, as a representative of Headquarters, he was on the North-Western Front, where he assisted in the attempt to liquidate the Demyansk bridgehead. From April 24, due to the illness of B. M. Shaposhnikov, he acted as chief of the General Staff; on April 26, Vasilevsky was awarded the rank of “Colonel General”. On May 9, due to the German breakthrough of the Crimean Front, he was recalled by Headquarters to Moscow. After the 2nd Shock Army of General Vlasov was encircled near Leningrad in June 1942, he was sent together with the commander of the Volkhov Front, Meretskov, to Malaya Vishera to organize the withdrawal of troops from the encirclement.
On June 26, 1942, he was appointed chief of the General Staff, and from October he was simultaneously deputy people's commissar of defense of the USSR. From July 23 to August 26 - representative of the Headquarters on the Stalingrad Front, directed the joint actions of the fronts during the defensive period of the Battle of Stalingrad. He made a great contribution to the development of Soviet military art, planned and prepared the counter-offensive at Stalingrad. A.M. Vasilevsky was entrusted with the coordination of the counteroffensive (Zhukov was sent to the Western Front). As a result of the successful completion of the operation, Vasilevsky until mid-December carried out the liquidation of the enemy group in the Stalingrad pocket, which he did not complete, as he was transferred to the southwest to assist in repelling Manstein’s relief group operating in the Kotelnikov direction. From January 2 on the Voronezh, then on the Bryansk front, he coordinates the offensive of Soviet troops on the Upper Don.
On February 16, A. M. Vasilevsky was awarded the military rank of “Marshal of the Soviet Union,” which was extremely unusual, since just 29 days earlier he was awarded the rank of army general.
On behalf of the Supreme Command Headquarters, Vasilevsky coordinated the actions of the Voronezh and Steppe fronts in the Battle of Kursk. He led the planning and conduct of operations for the liberation of Donbass, the operation for the liberation of right-bank Ukraine and Crimea. On April 10, the day of the liberation of Odessa, he was awarded the Order of Victory. This order was the second in a row since its establishment (the first was with Zhukov). After the capture of Sevastopol, Vasilevsky decided to inspect the liberated city as soon as possible. As a result, his car hit a mine while crossing a German trench. For Vasilevsky, the incident resulted in a head bruise and a face cut by fragments of the windshield. His driver's leg was injured in the explosion. After this, Vasilevsky remained on bed rest for some time at the insistence of doctors.
During the Belarusian operation, Vasilevsky worked on the 1st Baltic and 3rd Belorussian fronts, coordinating their actions. From July 10, the 2nd Baltic Front was added to them. Vasilevsky coordinated the actions of these and other fronts during the liberation of the Baltic states.
From July 29, he carried out not only coordination, but also direct leadership of the offensive in the Baltic states. The title of Hero of the Soviet Union with the Order of Lenin and the Gold Star medal was awarded to Alexander Mikhailovich Vasilevsky on July 29, 1944 for exemplary performance of the tasks of the Supreme Command.
The planning and management of the start of the East Prussian operation was carried out personally by Stalin; Vasilevsky was busy in the Baltic states at that time. However, in connection with the departure of Stalin, as well as Deputy Chief of the General Staff A.I. Antonov, to the Yalta Conference, Vasilevsky returned to fulfill the duties of Chief of the General Staff and Deputy People's Commissar of Defense, leading the East Prussian operation. On the night of February 18, during a conversation with Stalin, who had returned from Yalta, in response to Stalin’s offer to go to East Prussia to help the front commanders, Vasilevsky asked to be relieved of his post as Chief of the General Staff due to the fact that he spends most of his time at the front . And on the afternoon of February 18, news arrived about the death of the commander of the 3rd Belorussian Front, Chernyakhovsky. In this regard, Stalin quickly decided to appoint Vasilevsky as commander of the 3rd Belorussian Front, and in addition, to introduce Vasilevsky to the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command. As a front commander, Vasilevsky led the assault on Königsberg - an operation that became a textbook one.
After the war, the commandant of Königsberg, General Lyash, in his book “So Königsberg Fell” accused Vasilevsky of not complying with the guarantees he gave during the surrender of the fortress.
Back in the summer of 1944, at the end of the Belarusian operation, Stalin informed Vasilevsky about plans to appoint him commander-in-chief of the Soviet troops in the Far East after the end of the war with Germany. Vasilevsky became involved in the development of a plan for war with Japan on April 27, 1945, at the end of the East Prussian operation, although rough sketches of the plan were made in the fall of 1944. Under his leadership, by June 27, a plan for the Manchurian strategic offensive operation was prepared, which was approved by Headquarters and the State Defense Committee. On July 5, 1945, dressed in the uniform of a colonel general, with documents addressed to Vasiliev, Vasilevsky arrived in Chita. On July 30, by directive of the State Defense Committee, he was appointed commander-in-chief of Soviet troops in the Far East.
During the preparation for the offensive, Vasilevsky visited the initial positions of the troops, met the troops of the Transbaikal, 1st and 2nd Far Eastern Fronts, and discussed the situation with the commanders of the armies and corps. At the same time, the deadlines for completing the main tasks, in particular reaching the Machzhur Plain, were clarified and shortened. At dawn on August 9, 1945, with the transition to the offensive, he led the actions of the Soviet troops. It took only 24 days for Soviet and Mongolian troops under the command of A. M. Vasilevsky to defeat the million-strong Kwantung Army of Japan in Manchuria.
Alexander Mikhailovich Vasilevsky was awarded the second Gold Star medal on September 8, 1945 for his skillful leadership of Soviet troops in the Far East during the war with Japan.
Post-war period of life After the end of the war, from March 22, 1946 to November 1948, he was Chief of the General Staff of the USSR Armed Forces and Deputy Minister of the USSR Armed Forces. Since 1948 - First Deputy Minister of the Armed Forces. From March 24, 1949 to February 26, 1950 - Minister of the Armed Forces of the USSR, then - Minister of War of the USSR (until March 16, 1953).
After Stalin's death, A. M. Vasilevsky's military career changed dramatically. For three years (from March 16, 1953 to March 15, 1956) he was the first deputy minister of defense of the USSR, but on March 15, 1956 he was relieved of his post at his personal request, but after 5 months (August 14, 1956) re-appointed Deputy Minister of Defense of the USSR for military science. In December 1957, he was “dismissed due to illness with the right to wear a military uniform,” and in January 1959 he was again returned to the Armed Forces and appointed inspector general of the Group of Inspectors General of the USSR Ministry of Defense (until December 5, 1977).
At the 19th and 20th congresses he was elected a member of the CPSU Central Committee (1952 - 1961). He was elected as a deputy of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of the 2nd-4th convocations (1946 - 1958).
Died December 5, 1977. The urn with the ashes of Alexander Mikhailovich Vasilevsky was walled up in the Kremlin wall on Red Square in Moscow.
Military ranks
Brigade commander - assigned on August 16, 1938,
Divisional Commander - April 5, 1940,
Major General - June 4, 1940,
Lieutenant General - October 28, 1941,
Colonel General - May 21, 1942,
Army General - January 18, 1943,
Marshal of the Soviet Union - February 16, 1943.
Awards
8 Orders of Lenin (May 21, 1942, July 29, 1944, February 21, 1945, September 29, 1945, September 29, 1955, September 29, 1965, September 29, 1970, September 29, 1975),
Order of the October Revolution (February 22, 1968),
2 Orders of Victory (No. 2 and No. 7) (April 10, 1944, April 19, 1945),
2 Orders of the Red Banner (November 3, 1944, June 20, 1949),
Order of Suvorov, 1st class (January 28, 1943),
Order of the Red Star (1939),
Order "For Service to the Motherland in the Armed Forces of the USSR" III degree (April 30, 1975).
“For military valor. In commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the birth of Vladimir Ilyich Lenin"
“XX years of the Red Army” (1938)
"For the defense of Moscow"
"For the defense of Stalingrad"
"For the capture of Koenigsberg"
“For the victory over Germany in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945.”
"For victory over Japan"
“Twenty years of victory in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945.”
“Thirty years of victory in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945.”
"In memory of the 800th anniversary of Moscow"
"30 years of the Soviet Army and Navy"
"40 years of the USSR Armed Forces"
"50 years of the USSR Armed Forces"
Weapon of honor
Honorary weapon with a golden image of the State Emblem of the USSR (1968)
Foreign awards
2 Orders of Sukhbaatar (MPR, 1966, 1971)
Order of the Red Banner of Battle (MPR, 1945)
Order of the People's Republic of Bulgaria, 1st class (NRB, 1974)
Order of Karl Marx (GDR, 1975)
Order of the White Lion, 1st class (Czechoslovakia, 1955)
Order of the White Lion "For Victory" 1st degree (Czechoslovakia, 1945)
Order "Virtuti Miltari" 1st class (Poland, 1946)
Order of the Renaissance of Poland, II and III class (Poland, 1968, 1973)
Order of the Grunwald Cross, 1st class (Poland, 1946)
Grand Officer of the Legion of Honor (France, 1944)
Order of the Legion of Honor, Commander-in-Chief degree (USA, 1944)
honorary Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire (Great Britain, 1943)
Order of the Partisan Star, 1st class (SFRY, 1946)
Order of National Liberation (SFRY, 1946)
Order of the State Banner, 1st class (DPRK, 1948)
Order of the Precious Chalice, 1st class (China, 1946)
Military Cross 1939 (Czechoslovakia, 1943)
Military Cross (France, 1944)
6 medals of the MPR, one medal each of the People's Republic of Belarus, East Germany, Czechoslovakia, North Korea, China
In total, he was awarded 31 foreign state awards.
Monuments and plaques
Bronze bust of twice Hero of the Soviet Union (square named after A. M. Vasilevsky) in the city of Kineshma, Ivanovo region. (1949, sc. Vuchetich);
Monument to Marshal A. M. Vasilevsky in Kaliningrad on the square named after him (2000);
Bust of Marshal A. M. Vasilevsky in his homeland, in the city of Vichuga, Ivanovo region. (Walk of Glory, opened on May 8, 2006, sk. A. A. Smirnov and S. Yu. Bychkov, architect I. A. Vasilevsky).
Memorial plaque at the marshal's birthplace (Vasilevsky St., 13) in Vichuga, Ivanovo region.
Memorial plaque on the former building. Kostroma Theological Seminary (now the building of Kostroma State University named after N. A. Nekrasov at the address: Kostroma, 1 May St., 14)
Memorial plaque (Vasilevsky St., 4) in Ivanovo (2005).
Memorial plaque (Vasilevsky St., 2) in Volgograd (2007 - within the framework of the year of memory of Marshal of Victory A.M. Vasilevsky).
Memorial plaque (Vasilevsky St., 25) in the Sakharovo microdistrict, Tver.
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Alexander Mikhailovich Vasilevsky was born in September 1895 in the Ivanovo region. His father was a priest, while his mother was involved in raising children, of whom there were 8 in the family. At the beginning of 1915, Alexander ended up at the Alekseevsky Military School. Four months later, having completed an accelerated course, I completed my studies.
After graduating from college, he received the rank of ensign and arrived to serve in the Novokhopersky regiment, which was at the forefront at the front. The young officer immediately fell into the heat of the First World War and spent two years on the front line. Without rest, in battles and hardships, the personality of the future great commander was formed.
By the time of the revolutionary events, Vasilevsky was already a staff captain and led a battalion of soldiers. In 1919 he began serving in the Red Army. He was an assistant platoon commander in a reserve regiment. Soon he began to command a company, then a battalion, and went to the front - he fought with the Poles. For twelve years he served in the 48th Infantry Division, alternately leading the regiments that were part of this formation.
In May 1931, he was transferred to the Combat Training Directorate of the Red Army, participating in the organization of exercises and the development of combat instructions. Working at the UPB, with the masters of military affairs Lapins and Sidyakin, enriched Vasilevsky with knowledge. In those same days, he met Georgy Konstantinovich Zhukov.
Soon Alexander Mikhailovich was transferred to the apparatus of the People's Commissariat, then went through the staff service school at the People's Commissariat of Defense, as well as at the headquarters of the Volga Military District. In 1936, the colonel went to the General Staff Academy, graduated from it, and, under the patronage of Shaposhnikov, entered the General Staff.
By May 1940, Alexander Mikhailovich became deputy head of the Operations Directorate. Shaposhnikov was fired, but Vasilevsky remained in his place. The talent of the future marshal was fully appreciated by Stalin himself - he was included in the government delegation to Berlin as a military expert.
The beginning strengthened Vasilevsky’s character; he was in the ranks of those military men whom Stalin directly trusted. And Stalin’s trust was worth a lot during the war years. In , he was wounded, joint work to defend the city brought him closer to Zhukov.
Soon Vasilevsky had a very hard time. Shaposhnikov, who returned to the army at the beginning of the war, resigned from his post for health reasons. And now, Vasilevsky became the temporary chief of the General Staff. Alexander Mikhailovich was alone with Stalin, who issued short-sighted and unprofessional orders. Vasilevsky had to challenge them as much as possible, and also defend the generals who fell out of favor with Stalin.
In the summer of 42, he was appointed full-fledged chief of the General Staff. Now his talent as a commander was revealed, he was involved in planning operations, supplying the fronts with food and weapons, carried out practical work, and trained reserves. He is getting closer and closer to Zhukov. Afterwards, communication between the two great commanders will develop into friendship. In 1943, Vasilevsky received the title of Marshal of the Soviet Union. Now he is the second military man after Zhukov to receive such a military rank.
In the summer of 1943, they were waiting for Vasilevsky. Having shared responsibility for the operation with Zhukov, having once again dissuaded Stalin from his plan, the marshals faced heavy fighting. Having bled and exhausted the Germans in defensive battles, the Red Army went on the offensive without respite. From that moment on, the expulsion of the Germans from Russian soil began. The operation on the Kursk Bulge was brilliantly carried out by the wonderful marshals of the Soviet army.
He was less and less involved in the affairs of the General Staff. Working with Vasilevsky, Stalin learned to perceive the situation more competently. The great strategist turns his attention to the front, where he conducts several successful operations. The liberation of Donbass, Odessa, Crimea - these are all well-planned operations, behind which there was a lot of work by Marshal Vasilevsky. In the battles for Sevastopol, the marshal was wounded. His car hit a mine. He was on vacation for some time, spending time with his family in Moscow.
Soon he already drew up a plan for the liberation of Belarus. After consultations with Stalin, the plan was approved. The operation was called “Bagration”, and was one of the most brilliant of the entire Second World War. Alexander Mikhailovich, when developing the plan, used all his military knowledge, it was all there: creativity, tactics and theory, which was perfectly reproduced in practice. For the liberation of Belarus he was awarded the title.
In February 1945, Vasilevsky, after the death of Chernyakhovsky, was appointed commander of the third Belorussian Front. Under the command of the marshal, the troops completed the defeat of the Germans in East Prussia. After the surrender of Germany, he carried out a brilliant operation in the Far East and quickly defeated the Japanese army. For this campaign he was awarded the second star of the Hero of the Soviet Union.
Marshal Vasilevsky - who wrote his name in golden letters in the history of our Motherland. Alexander Vasilyevich is the winner of many awards of the Soviet Union, but the main award for the marshal is, of course, the people's love, which he earned by sacrificing himself for the good of the country. Died on December 5, 1977.
The Great Patriotic War found Major General Vasilevsky at the General Staff, in the position of Deputy Chief of Operations. Less than two months later he was appointed chief of the operational department and deputy chief of the General Staff. The Chief of the General Staff was, as you know, Shaposhnikov.
Together with Shaposhnikov, Vasilevsky participates in Headquarters meetings in the Kremlin. And in December 1941, during Shaposhnikov’s illness, Vasilevsky served as chief of the General Staff.
A. M. Vasilevsky played a key role in organizing the defense of Moscow and the counter-offensive, which began at the end of 1941. During these tragic days, when the fate of Moscow was being decided, from October 16 to the end of November, he headed the operational group to serve Headquarters. The group’s responsibilities included recognizing and correctly assessing events at the front, constantly informing Headquarters about them, reporting their proposals to the Supreme High Command in connection with changes in the front-line situation, and quickly and accurately developing plans and directives. The task force, as can be seen from this list of responsibilities, was the brain and heart of the grandiose military operation that became known as the Battle of Moscow.
In April 1942, Vasilevsky was awarded the rank of Colonel General, and in June of the same year he took the post of Chief of the General Staff.
Throughout the Battle of Stalingrad, Vasilevsky, as a representative of the Headquarters, was in Stalingrad, coordinating the interaction of the fronts. He played a decisive role in repelling the Manstein group. In January 1943, Vasilevsky was awarded the rank of Army General and was awarded the Order of Suvorov, 1st degree. And less than a month later, which is extremely unusual, he became Marshal of the Soviet Union.
It was Vasilevsky who came up with the idea of conducting a defensive operation, followed by a counteroffensive during the Battle of Kursk. It was he who convinced Stalin and other representatives of the General Staff to do just that. At the height of the Battle of Kursk, he coordinated the actions of the Voronezh and Steppe fronts. Vasilevsky personally observed the tank battle near Prokhorovka from the position of his command post.
Vasilevsky planned and led operations to liberate Donbass, Crimea and southern Ukraine. On the day of the capture of Odessa in April 1944, Vasilevsky was awarded the Order of Victory. He became the second holder of this order. The first was Zhukov.
When Sevastopol was liberated, in early May 1944, Vasilevsky was personally driving around the city, and his car came across a mine. The marshal was wounded. The wound was minor, but he had to undergo treatment in Moscow for some time.
However, already at the end of May, Marshal Vasilevsky was leaving for the front to command the actions of the 1st Baltic and 3rd Belorussian fronts during Operation Bagration. For the liberation of the Baltic states and Belarus, on July 29, 1944, Vasilevsky was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union with the Order of Lenin and the Gold Star medal.
In February 1945, the commander of the 3rd Belorussian Front, Chernyakhovsky, died. Vasilevsky was appointed in his place. In this position, he led the assault on Konigsberg - an operation included in all military textbooks.
VASILEVSKY Alexander Mikhailovich, Soviet statesman and military leader, commander. Marshal of the Soviet Union (1943). Twice Hero of the Soviet Union (1944, 1945).
Born into the family of a clergyman. After graduating from the Kostroma Theological Seminary in 1915, he entered military service. After graduating from accelerated courses at the Alekseevsky Military School in June 1915, he served in the reserve battalion in Zhitomir, second lieutenant. Member of the First World War. He fought on the Southwestern and Romanian fronts: junior officer of the company of the 409th Novokhopersky Infantry Regiment of the 103rd Infantry Division, then commanded the company, staff captain. In June 1918, he was discharged from the army and went to the Ugletsky volost executive committee of the Kineshma district of the Ivanovo-Voznesensk province, where he was the hundredth instructor of Vsevobuch at the Ugletsky volost, and later worked as a teacher in the Novosilsky district of the Tula province.
In April 1919 he was drafted into the Red Army. He began his service as an assistant platoon commander in a reserve battalion, then commanded a platoon, company, and detachment that fought against banditry. In October 1919, he was appointed battalion commander, then temporarily commanded the 5th Infantry Regiment of the 2nd Tula Infantry Division. As an assistant commander of the 96th Infantry Regiment of the 11th Petrograd Division, he participated in the Soviet-Polish War of 1920. From May 1920, he served in the 48th Infantry Division: assistant regiment commander, head of the division school, then successively commanded the division's rifle regiments .
As one of the best unit commanders in February 1931, he was appointed to the Combat Training Directorate of the Red Army, assistant to the head of the 2nd department. He took part in the preparation and conduct of military exercises, in the development of the Manual for Staff Service and the Instructions for Conducting Deep Combat. From December 1934 - head of the combat training department of the headquarters of the Volga Military District. After graduating from the Military Academy of the General Staff in 1937, he became head of the operational training department for command personnel of the General Staff of the Red Army. In August 1938, he was awarded the military rank of brigade commander. Since May 1940, Deputy Chief of the Operations Directorate of the General Staff; participated in work on the operational part of the plan for the strategic deployment of the Red Army in the northwestern and western directions. In June 1940, he was awarded the military rank of major general.
With the beginning of the Great Patriotic War A.M. Vasilevsky in his previous position. From August 1941 - Deputy Chief of the General Staff - Head of the Operations Directorate. In October 1941, he was awarded the military rank of lieutenant general, and in April 1942, he was appointed to the post of 1st Deputy Chief of the General Staff.
In June 1942, Colonel General (military rank awarded in May 1942) A.M. Vasilevsky was appointed chief of the General Staff of the Red Army, and on October 14, deputy people's commissar of defense of the USSR. In January 1943, he was awarded the military rank of army general. As Chief of the General Staff, Vasilevsky headed the planning and development of the most important operations of the Soviet Armed Forces, resolved issues of providing the fronts with personnel, material and technical means, and preparing reserves for the front. As a member and representative of the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command (SHC), he was on the fronts of the Great Patriotic War, mainly where the most difficult situation developed. His military leadership was clearly demonstrated in the Battle of Stalingrad in 1942-1943. Vasilevsky was not only one of the authors of the plan for the counteroffensive at Stalingrad, but also directly led the reflection of the counterattack of the army group "Goth", which was trying to relieve the encircled army of F. Paulus. The name of Vasilevsky is associated with the implementation of the Ostrogozh-Rossoshan offensive operation in 1943 on the Upper Don to encircle and destroy 15 German, Hungarian and Italian divisions. In January-February 1943, he planned and carried out the Voronezh-Kastornensk operation of the Voronezh Front.
In February 1943 A.M. Vasilevsky was awarded the military rank of Marshal of the Soviet Union. He was directly involved in the development of offensive strategic operations for the summer campaign of 1943. On behalf of the Supreme Command Headquarters in 1943-1944. he coordinated the actions of the Voronezh and Steppe fronts in the Battle of Kursk in 1943, the Southwestern and Southern during the liberation of Donbass in the summer of 1943; 4th Ukrainian Front and the Black Sea Fleet during the liberation of Crimea in the spring of 1944. During the Crimean operation, Vasilevsky was shell-shocked. After recovery, he took part in the planning of the strategic operation “Bagration” to liberate Belarus and during the operation, as a representative of the Supreme Command Headquarters, he coordinated the actions of the 3rd Belorussian and 1st Baltic fronts.
In February 1945, he was appointed commander of the 3rd Belorussian Front. Under his leadership, the 3rd Belorussian Front captured the city of Koenigsberg. At the end of the East Prussian operation, Vasilevsky was recalled from the front. Under his leadership, in 1945, the General Staff developed a plan for a campaign in the Far East against Japan, and on June 1, 1945, Vasilevsky was appointed commander-in-chief of Soviet troops in the Far East. As a result of the successful actions of the Soviet troops, the Japanese Kwantung Army was defeated.
After the war with Japan from March 1946 to November 1948, A.M. Vasilevsky was again the Chief of the General Staff and Deputy Minister of the USSR Armed Forces, and from March 6, 1947 - 1st Deputy Minister of the USSR Armed Forces - Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces. During this period, his activities were aimed at transferring the Armed Forces to a peaceful position. At the same time, the General Staff, under his leadership, took all measures to preserve the combat power of the Armed Forces of the state, and they were in full combat readiness. The Chief of the General Staff did a lot of work to generalize the experience of the Great Patriotic War and introduce it to the troops. He systematically engaged in operational-strategic training of headquarters, preparing them for successful command and control of troops.
In March 1949 A.M. Vasilevsky was appointed Minister of the Armed Forces of the USSR, and in February 1950 - Minister of War of the USSR. In March 1953, he was appointed First Deputy Minister of Defense. March 15, 1956 A.M. Vasilevsky was released “from his position at his personal request,” but in August 1956 he was again appointed Deputy Minister of Defense for Military Science. In 1956-1957 Chairman of the Soviet War Veterans Committee. In December 1957, he was “dismissed due to illness with the right to wear a military uniform.” In January 1959, he was again returned to the ranks of the USSR Armed Forces and appointed inspector general in the Group of Inspectors General of the USSR Ministry of Defense. He was a deputy of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of the 2nd–4th convocations. Author of the memoirs “The Work of a Lifetime.” Urn with the ashes of A.M. Vasilevsky is buried in the Kremlin wall on Red Square in Moscow.
Twice awarded the highest Soviet military order "Victory". Awarded: 8 Orders of Lenin, Order of the October Revolution, 2 Orders of the Red Banner, Order of Suvorov 1st class, Order of the Red Star and “For Service to the Motherland in the Armed Forces of the USSR” 3rd class; foreign orders: NRB - “People's Republic of Bulgaria”, 1st class; Great Britain - British Empire 1st Art.; DPRK - State Banner, 1st class; PRC - Precious Cup, 1st class; MPR - 2 Sukhbaatar and the Red Banner of Battle; Poland - “Virtuti Military” 1st class, “Renaissance of Poland” 2nd and 3rd classes, Grunwald Cross 1st class; USA - “Legion of Honor” 1st class; France: Legion of Honor 2nd Art. and the Military Cross; Czechoslovakia - White Lion 1st class, White Lion “For Victory” 1st class. and Military Cross 1939; SFRY - Partisan Star 1st Art. and "National Liberation"; An honorary weapon with the image of the State Emblem of the USSR, many Soviet and foreign medals.