Russian commanders of the Second World War. Great Generals of the Great Patriotic War

Soviet propaganda did its job, and every schoolboy knew the names of these military leaders. And the phrase of Mikhail Ulyanov in the role of Zhukov: - To stand to the death ... threw me a shiver. However, recently there have been a lot of alternative points of view that cast doubt on the abilities of the commanders of that war, pointing to obvious tactical miscalculations and unjustified sacrifices. Whether this is true or not, I don’t know, but I’m sure that, sitting at a computer with a cup of coffee, it’s very easy to evaluate people’s actions, find mistakes and move entire armies, everything is different in life and understand the motives for actions without having all the data. not so easy.
Let's remember the names of these people.

one . Zhukov (1896-1974)

Georgy Konstantinovich Zhukov - three times Hero of the Soviet Union, Marshal of the Soviet Union, who has the Order of Suvorov 1st degree and two Orders of Victory. Participated in the Leningrad and Moscow, Stalingrad and Kursk battles. In 1944 he was appointed commander of the First Belorussian Front.

2 Voroshilov (1881-1969)

Voroshilov Kliment Efremovich - twice Hero of the Soviet Union, Hero of Socialist Labor, since 1935 - Marshal of the Soviet Union. In 1942-43 he was the commander-in-chief of the partisan movement, and in 1943 he was the coordinator of the troops during the breakthrough of the blockade of Leningrad.

3 Rokossovsky (1896-1968)

Konstantin Konstantinovich Rokossovsky is one of the most titled military leaders of the Great Patriotic War. It was he who was entrusted with commanding the Victory Parade in 1945. Marshal of the Soviet Union and Marshal of Poland, Rokossovsky was awarded the Order of the Red Banner, the Order of Victory, the Order of Suvorov and Kutuzov, 1st degree. Known for his participation in many military operations, including Operation Bagration to liberate Belarus. He commanded troops in the battles of Stalingrad and Leningrad, participated in the Vistula-Oder and Berlin operations.

4 Tolbukhin (1894-1949)

Fedor Ivanovich Tolbukhin is a man who went through the war from chief of staff (1941) to Marshal of the Soviet Union (1944). His troops participated in the Crimean, Belgrade, Budapest, Vienna and other operations. The title of Hero of the Soviet Union was awarded to Tolbukhin in 1965 posthumously.

5 Chernyakhovsky (1906-1945)

Ivan Danilovich Chernyakhovsky is the commander of dozens of successful military operations. At the age of 35, he became the commander of a tank division, and since 1944 - the commander of the 3rd Belorussian Front. Twice Hero of the Soviet Union, awarded many orders and medals. He died in 1945 from a mortal wound.

6 Speakers (1897-1955)

Leonid Alexandrovich Govorov - Hero and Marshal of the Soviet Union, commander at various times of the Leningrad and Baltic fronts. Led the defense of Leningrad 670 out of 900 blockade days. Participated in the liberation of Borodino. He led the encirclement of the Courland group of Germans, who capitulated on May 8, 1945.

7 Malinovsky (1898-1967)

Rodion Yakovlevich Malinovsky - twice Hero of the Soviet Union, Marshal of the Soviet Union, holder of the highest Soviet Order of Victory. Participated in the liberation of Rostov and Donbass, led the Zaporozhye and Odessa operations.

8 Konev (1897-1973)

Ivan Stepanovich Konev - commander of the army and fronts, and since 1950 - deputy. defense minister. During the Great Patriotic War, he participated in the Battle of Kursk and the Battle of Moscow, in the Berlin, Vistula-Oder and Paris operations.

9 Vasilevsky (1885-1977)

Alexander Mikhailovich Vasilevsky - Hero and Marshal of the Soviet Union, Chief of the General Staff, Commander of the 3rd Belorussian and 1st Baltic Fronts. Participated in operations to liberate Donbass, Crimea, Belarus, Latvia and Lithuania. He led troops in the Far East in the Russo-Japanese War.

10 Timoshenko (1895-1970)

Semyon Konstantinovich Timoshenko - holder of the Order of Victory, awarded with a nominal saber with the coat of arms of the USSR. He participated in the Leningrad and Moscow battles; in the Iasi-Chisinau and Budapest operations, and also took part in the liberation of Vienna.

The names of some are still honored, the names of others are consigned to oblivion. But all of them are united by military leadership talent.

the USSR

Zhukov Georgy Konstantinovich (1896–1974)

Marshal of the Soviet Union.

Zhukov had a chance to take part in serious hostilities shortly before the start of the Second World War. In the summer of 1939, the Soviet-Mongolian troops under his command defeated the Japanese grouping on the Khalkhin Gol River.

By the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, Zhukov headed the General Staff, but was soon sent to the army. In 1941, he was assigned to the most critical sections of the front. Putting order in the retreating army with the most severe measures, he managed to prevent the capture of Leningrad by the Germans, and stop the Nazis in the Mozhaisk direction on the outskirts of Moscow. And already in late 1941 - early 1942, Zhukov led a counteroffensive near Moscow, pushing the Germans back from the capital.

In 1942-43, Zhukov did not command individual fronts, but coordinated their actions as a representative of the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command near Stalingrad, and on the Kursk Bulge, and during the breaking of the blockade of Leningrad.

In early 1944, Zhukov took command of the 1st Ukrainian Front instead of the seriously wounded General Vatutin and led the Proskurov-Chernivtsi offensive operation he planned. As a result, Soviet troops liberated most of the Right-Bank Ukraine and reached the state border.

At the end of 1944, Zhukov led the 1st Belorussian Front and launched an offensive against Berlin. In May 1945, Zhukov accepted the unconditional surrender of Nazi Germany, and then two Victory Parades, in Moscow and Berlin.

After the war, Zhukov found himself on the sidelines, commanding various military districts. After Khrushchev came to power, he became deputy minister, and then headed the Ministry of Defense. But in 1957 he finally fell into disgrace and was removed from all posts.

Rokossovsky Konstantin Konstantinovich (1896–1968)

Marshal of the Soviet Union.

Shortly before the start of the war, in 1937, Rokossovsky was repressed, but in 1940, at the request of Marshal Timoshenko, he was released and reinstated in his former position as corps commander. In the early days of the Great Patriotic War, the units under the command of Rokossovsky were among the few who managed to provide worthy resistance to the advancing German troops. In the battle near Moscow, Rokossovsky's army defended one of the most difficult areas, Volokolamsk.

Returning to service after being seriously wounded in 1942, Rokossovsky took command of the Don Front, which completed the defeat of the Germans near Stalingrad.

On the eve of the Battle of Kursk, Rokossovsky, contrary to the position of the majority of military leaders, managed to convince Stalin that it was better not to launch an offensive on his own, but to provoke the enemy into active actions. Having accurately determined the direction of the main attack of the Germans, Rokossovsky, just before their offensive, undertook a massive artillery preparation, which bled the enemy's strike forces.

His most famous military achievement, which entered the annals of military art, was the operation to liberate Belarus, code-named "Bagration", which actually destroyed the German army group "Center".

Shortly before the decisive attack on Berlin, the command of the 1st Belorussian Front, to the disappointment of Rokossovsky, was transferred to Zhukov. He was also instructed to command the troops of the 2nd Belorussian Front in East Prussia.

Rokossovsky had outstanding personal qualities and of all Soviet military leaders he was the most popular in the army. After the war, Rokossovsky, a Pole by origin, headed the Polish Ministry of Defense for a long time, and then held the positions of Deputy Minister of Defense of the USSR and Chief Military Inspector. The day before his death, he finished writing his memoirs, called Soldier's Duty.

Konev Ivan Stepanovich (1897–1973)

Marshal of the Soviet Union.

In the fall of 1941, Konev was appointed commander of the Western Front. In this position, he suffered one of the biggest setbacks of the beginning of the war. Konev failed to get permission to withdraw the troops in time, and, as a result, about 600,000 Soviet soldiers and officers were surrounded near Bryansk and Yelnya. Zhukov saved the commander from the tribunal.

In 1943, the troops of the Steppe (later the 2nd Ukrainian) Front under the command of Konev liberated Belgorod, Kharkov, Poltava, Kremenchug and crossed the Dnieper. But most of all Konev was glorified by the Korsun-Shevchenskaya operation, as a result of which a large group of German troops was surrounded.

In 1944, already as commander of the 1st Ukrainian Front, Konev led the Lvov-Sandomierz operation in western Ukraine and southeastern Poland, which opened the way for a further offensive against Germany. Distinguished troops under the command of Konev and the Vistula-Oder operation, and in the battle for Berlin. During the latter, the rivalry between Konev and Zhukov manifested itself - each wanted to take the German capital first. Tensions between the marshals persisted until the end of their lives. In May 1945, Konev led the liquidation of the last major center of Nazi resistance in Prague.

After the war, Konev was the commander-in-chief of the ground forces and the first commander of the combined forces of the Warsaw Pact countries, he commanded troops in Hungary during the events of 1956.

Vasilevsky Alexander Mikhailovich (1895–1977)

Marshal of the Soviet Union, Chief of the General Staff.

In the position of Chief of the General Staff, which he held since 1942, Vasilevsky coordinated the actions of the fronts of the Red Army and participated in the development of all major operations of the Great Patriotic War. He, in particular, plays a key role in planning the operation to encircle the German troops near Stalingrad.

At the end of the war, after the death of General Chernyakhovsky, Vasilevsky asked to be relieved of his post as Chief of the General Staff, took the place of the deceased and led the assault on Koenigsberg. In the summer of 1945, Vasilevsky was transferred to the Far East and commanded the defeat of the Kwatun Army of Japan.

After the war, Vasilevsky headed the General Staff, and then was the Minister of Defense of the USSR, but after Stalin's death he went into the shadows and held less senior positions.

Tolbukhin Fedor Ivanovich (1894–1949)

Marshal of the Soviet Union.

Before the start of the Great Patriotic War, Tolbukhin served as chief of staff of the Transcaucasian District, and with its onset, the Transcaucasian Front. Under his leadership, a sudden operation was developed to bring Soviet troops into the northern part of Iran. Tolbukhin also developed the operation to land the Kerch landing, the result of which was to be the liberation of the Crimea. However, after its successful start, our troops were unable to develop success, suffered heavy losses, and Tolbukhin was removed from his post.

Having distinguished himself as commander of the 57th Army in the Battle of Stalingrad, Tolbukhin was appointed commander of the Southern (later 4th Ukrainian) Front. Under his command, a significant part of Ukraine and the Crimean peninsula were liberated. In 1944-45, when Tolbukhin was already in command of the 3rd Ukrainian Front, he led the troops during the liberation of Moldova, Romania, Yugoslavia, Hungary, and ended the war in Austria. The Iasi-Kishinev operation, planned by Tolbukhin and leading to the encirclement of a two hundred thousandth group of German-Romanian troops, entered the annals of military art (sometimes it is called the "Iasi-Kishinev Cannes").

After the war, Tolbukhin commanded the Southern Group of Forces in Romania and Bulgaria, and then the Transcaucasian Military District.

Vatutin Nikolai Fedorovich (1901–1944)

Soviet general of the army.

Before the war, Vatutin served as Deputy Chief of the General Staff, and with the outbreak of World War II, he was sent to the North-Western Front. In the region of Novgorod, under his leadership, several counterattacks were carried out, which slowed down the advance of Manstein's tank corps.

In 1942, Vatutin, who then headed the Southwestern Front, commanded Operation Little Saturn, the purpose of which was to prevent the German-Italian-Romanian troops from helping the Paulus army encircled near Stalingrad.

In 1943, Vatutin headed the Voronezh (later the 1st Ukrainian) Front. He played a very important role in the Battle of Kursk and the liberation of Kharkov and Belgorod. But Vatutin's most famous military operation was the crossing of the Dnieper and the liberation of Kyiv and Zhytomyr, and then Rovno. Together with the 2nd Ukrainian Front of Konev, the 1st Ukrainian Front of Vatutin also carried out the Korsun-Shevchenko operation.

At the end of February 1944, Vatutin's car came under fire from Ukrainian nationalists, and a month and a half later, the commander died of his wounds.

United Kingdom

Montgomery Bernard Low (1887–1976)

British field marshal.

Prior to the outbreak of World War II, Montgomery was considered one of the bravest and most talented British military leaders, but his harsh, difficult character hampered his promotion. Montgomery, himself distinguished by physical endurance, paid great attention to the daily hard training of the troops entrusted to him.

At the beginning of World War II, when the Germans defeated France, parts of Montgomery covered the evacuation of the Allied forces. In 1942, Montgomery became commander of the British forces in North Africa, and achieved a turning point in this sector of the war, defeating the German-Italian grouping of troops in Egypt, at the Battle of El Alamein. Its significance was summarized by Winston Churchill: “Before the battle of Alamein, we did not know victories. We didn't know defeat after that." For this battle, Montgomery received the title of Viscount of Alamein. True, Montgomery's opponent, German Field Marshal Rommel, said that, having such resources as a British commander, he would have conquered the entire Middle East in a month.

After that, Montgomery was transferred to Europe, where he was supposed to act in close contact with the Americans. Here his quarrelsome character affected: he came into conflict with the American commander Eisenhower, which had a bad effect on the interaction of troops and led to a number of relative military failures. Toward the end of the war, Montgomery successfully resisted the German counter-offensive in the Ardennes, and then conducted several military operations in Northern Europe.

After the war, Montgomery served as Chief of the British General Staff and subsequently as First Deputy Commander in Chief Allied Forces Europe.

Alexander Harold Rupert Leofric George (1891–1969)

British field marshal.

At the start of World War II, Alexander supervised the evacuation of British troops after the German takeover of France. Most of the personnel managed to be taken out, but almost all military equipment went to the enemy.

At the end of 1940, Alexander was assigned to Southeast Asia. He failed to defend Burma, but he managed to block the Japanese way to India.

In 1943, Alexander was appointed Commander-in-Chief of the Allied Land Forces in North Africa. Under his leadership, a large German-Italian grouping in Tunisia was defeated, and this, by and large, completed the campaign in North Africa and opened the way to Italy. Alexander commanded the landing of allied troops in Sicily, and then on the mainland. At the end of the war, he served as Supreme Allied Commander in the Mediterranean.

After the war, Alexander received the title of Earl of Tunisia, for some time he was the Governor General of Canada, and then the British Minister of Defense.

USA

Eisenhower Dwight David (1890–1969)

General of the US Army.

He spent his childhood in a family whose members were pacifists for religious reasons, but Eisenhower chose a military career.

Eisenhower met the beginning of the Second World War in a rather modest rank of colonel. But his abilities were noticed by the chief of the American General Staff, George Marshall, and soon Eisenhower became head of the operational planning department.

In 1942, Eisenhower led Operation Torch, the Allied landings in North Africa. In early 1943, he was defeated by Rommel in the Battle of the Kasserine Pass, but later the superior Anglo-American forces made a turning point in the North African campaign.

In 1944, Eisenhower oversaw the landing of the Allied forces in Normandy and the subsequent attack on Germany. At the end of the war, Eisenhower became the creator of the infamous camps for "disarmed enemy forces" that did not fall under the Geneva Convention on the Rights of Prisoners of War, which actually became death camps for German soldiers who got there.

After the war, Eisenhower was the commander of NATO forces, and then was elected twice as president of the United States.

MacArthur Douglas (1880–1964)

General of the US Army.

In his youth, MacArthur was not wanted to be admitted to the West Point Military Academy for health reasons, but he achieved his goal and, after graduating from the academy, was recognized as its best graduate in history. He received the rank of general in the First World War.

In 1941-42, MacArthur led the defense of the Philippines from Japanese troops. The enemy managed to take the American units by surprise and gain a great advantage at the very beginning of the campaign. After the loss of the Philippines, he uttered the famous phrase: "I did what I could, but I'll be back."

After being appointed commander of the Southwest Pacific, MacArthur countered Japanese plans to invade Australia and then led successful offensives in New Guinea and the Philippines.

On September 2, 1945, MacArthur, already with all the US military forces in the Pacific, accepted the Japanese surrender aboard the battleship Missouri, ending World War II.

After World War II, MacArthur commanded the occupying forces in Japan and later led American forces in the Korean War. The landing of American troops in Inchon, which he developed, became a classic of military art. He called for the nuclear bombing of China and the invasion of this country, after which he was dismissed.

Nimitz Chester William (1885–1966)

US Fleet Admiral.

Prior to World War II, Nimitz was engaged in the design and combat training of the American submarine fleet and headed the Bureau of Navigation. At the beginning of the war, after the disaster at Pearl Harbor, Nimitz was appointed commander of the US Pacific Fleet. His mission was to confront the Japanese in close contact with General MacArthur.

In 1942, the American fleet under the command of Nimitz managed to inflict the first serious defeat on the Japanese at Midway Atoll. And then, in 1943, win the fight for the strategically important island of Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands archipelago. In 1944-45, the fleet led by Nimitz played a decisive role in the liberation of other Pacific archipelagos, and at the end of the war carried out an amphibious landing in Japan. During the fighting, Nimitz used the tactic of sudden rapid movement from island to island, called the "frog jump".

Nimitz's return to his homeland was celebrated as a national holiday and was called "Nimitz Day". After the war, he led the demobilization of troops, and then oversaw the creation of a nuclear submarine fleet. At the Nuremberg Trials, he defended his German colleague, Admiral Dennitsa, stating that he himself used the same methods of submarine warfare, thanks to which Dennitz escaped the death penalty.

Germany

Von Bock Theodor (1880–1945)

German Field Marshal.

Even before the outbreak of World War II, von Bock led the troops that carried out the Anschluss of Austria and invaded the Sudetenland of Czechoslovakia. With the outbreak of war, he commanded Army Group North during the war with Poland. In 1940, von Bock led the capture of Belgium and the Netherlands and the defeat of the French troops at Dunkirk. It was he who took the parade of German troops in occupied Paris.

Von Bock objected to an attack on the USSR, but when the decision was made, he led the Army Group Center, which carried out a strike in the main direction. After the failure of the attack on Moscow, he was considered one of the main responsible for this failure of the German army. In 1942, he led the Army Group "South" and for a long time successfully held back the offensive of Soviet troops on Kharkov.

Von Bock was distinguished by an extremely independent character, repeatedly clashed with Hitler and defiantly kept aloof from politics. After in the summer of 1942, von Bock opposed the Fuhrer's decision to divide Army Group South into 2 directions, Caucasian and Stalingrad, during the planned offensive, he was removed from command and sent to the reserve. A few days before the end of the war, von Bock died during an air raid.

Von Rundstedt Karl Rudolf Gerd (1875–1953)

German Field Marshal.

By the beginning of the Second World War, von Rundstedt, who had held important command positions back in the First World War, had already managed to retire. But in 1939, Hitler returned him to the army. Von Rundstedt became the main planner of the attack on Poland, codenamed "Weiss", and during its implementation he commanded Army Group South. He then led Army Group A, which played a key role in the capture of France, and also developed the failed Sea Lion plan to attack England.

Von Rundstedt objected to the Barbarossa plan, but after the decision was made to attack the USSR, he led Army Group South, which captured Kyiv and other major cities in the south of the country. After von Rundstedt, in order to avoid encirclement, violated the Fuhrer's order and withdrew troops from Rostov-on-Don, he was dismissed.

However, the very next year he was again drafted into the army to become commander-in-chief of the German armed forces in the West. His main task was to counter a possible Allied landing. After reviewing the situation, von Rundstedt warned Hitler that a long-term defense with the available forces would be impossible. At the decisive moment of the landings in Normandy, June 6, 1944, Hitler canceled von Rundstedt's order to transfer troops, thereby wasting time and giving the enemy an opportunity to develop the offensive. Already at the end of the war, von Rundstedt successfully resisted the Allied landing in Holland.

After the war, von Rundstedt, thanks to the intercession of the British, managed to avoid the Nuremberg Tribunal, and participated in it only as a witness.

Von Manstein Erich (1887–1973)

German Field Marshal.

Manstein was considered one of the strongest strategists of the Wehrmacht. In 1939, as Chief of Staff of Army Group A, he played a key role in developing a successful plan for the invasion of France.

In 1941, Manstein was part of Army Group North, which captured the Baltic states, and was preparing to attack Leningrad, but was soon transferred to the south. In 1941-42, the 11th Army under his command captured the Crimean Peninsula, and for the capture of Sevastopol, Manstein received the rank of Field Marshal.

Then Manstein commanded the Don Army Group and unsuccessfully tried to rescue the Paulus army from the Stalingrad cauldron. Since 1943, he led the Army Group "South" and inflicted a sensitive defeat on the Soviet troops near Kharkov, and then tried to prevent the crossing of the Dnieper. During the retreat, Manstein's troops used the tactics of "scorched earth".

Having suffered a defeat in the Battle of Korsun-Shevchensk, Manstein retreated, violating Hitler's order. Thus, he saved part of the army from encirclement, but after that he was forced to retire.

After the war, he was convicted by a British tribunal for war crimes for 18 years, but already in 1953 he was released, worked as a military adviser to the government of Germany and wrote his memoirs Lost Victories.

Guderian Heinz Wilhelm (1888–1954)

German colonel general, commander of the armored forces.

Guderian is one of the main theorists and practitioners of "blitzkrieg" - lightning war. He assigned a key role in it to tank units, which were supposed to break through behind enemy lines and disable command posts and communications. Such tactics were considered effective, but risky, creating the danger of being cut off from the main forces.

In 1939-40, in military campaigns against Poland and France, the blitzkrieg tactics fully justified itself. Guderian was at the pinnacle of fame: he received the rank of colonel general and high awards. However, in 1941, in the war against the Soviet Union, this tactic failed. The reason for this was both the vast Russian expanses and the cold climate in which equipment often refused to work, and the readiness of the Red Army units to resist this method of warfare. Guderian's tank troops suffered heavy losses near Moscow and were forced to retreat. After that, he was sent to the reserve, and subsequently served as inspector general of tank troops.

After the war, Guderian, who was not charged with war crimes, was quickly released and lived out his life writing his memoirs.

Rommel Erwin Johann Eugen (1891–1944)

German Field Marshal, nicknamed "Desert Fox". He was distinguished by great independence and a penchant for risky attacking actions, even without the sanction of the command.

At the beginning of World War II, Rommel participated in the Polish and French campaigns, but his main successes were associated with military operations in North Africa. Rommel led the Afrika Korps, which was originally attached to help the Italian troops, who were defeated by the British. Instead of strengthening the defenses, as ordered by the order, Rommel went on the offensive with small forces and won important victories. He acted in the same way in the future. Like Manstein, Rommel assigned the main role to rapid breakthroughs and maneuvering of tank forces. And only towards the end of 1942, when the British and Americans in North Africa had a great advantage in manpower and equipment, Rommel's troops began to suffer defeat. Subsequently, he fought in Italy and tried, together with von Rundstedt, with whom he had serious disagreements that affected the combat capability of the troops, to stop the Allied landings in Normandy.

In the pre-war period, Yamamoto paid great attention to the construction of aircraft carriers and the creation of naval aviation, thanks to which the Japanese fleet became one of the strongest in the world. For a long time, Yamamoto lived in the United States and had the opportunity to study the army of the future enemy well. On the eve of the start of the war, he warned the country's leadership: “In the first six to twelve months of the war, I will demonstrate an uninterrupted chain of victories. But if the confrontation lasts two or three years, I have no confidence in the final victory.

Yamamoto planned and personally led the Pearl Harbor operation. On December 7, 1941, Japanese planes taking off from aircraft carriers defeated the American naval base at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii and inflicted enormous damage on the US Navy and Air Force. After that, Yamamoto won a number of victories in the central and southern parts of the Pacific. But on June 4, 1942, he suffered a serious defeat from the Allies at Midway Atoll. This happened largely due to the fact that the Americans managed to decipher the codes of the Japanese Navy and get all the information about the upcoming operation. After that, the war, as Yamamoto feared, took on a protracted character.

Unlike many other Japanese generals, Yamashita did not commit suicide after the surrender of Japan, but surrendered. In 1946 he was executed on charges of war crimes. His case set a legal precedent, dubbed the "Yamashita Rule": according to it, the commander is responsible for not suppressing the war crimes of his subordinates.

Other countries

Von Mannerheim Carl Gustav Emil (1867–1951)

Finnish marshal.

Before the 1917 revolution, when Finland was part of the Russian Empire, Mannerheim was an officer in the Russian army and rose to the rank of lieutenant general. On the eve of World War II, he, as chairman of the Finnish Defense Council, was engaged in strengthening the Finnish army. According to his plan, in particular, powerful defensive fortifications were erected on the Karelian Isthmus, which went down in history as the "Mannerheim Line".

When the Soviet-Finnish war began at the end of 1939, the 72-year-old Mannerheim led the country's army. Under his command, the Finnish troops for a long time held back the offensive of the Soviet units, which significantly outnumbered them. As a result, Finland retained its independence, although the terms of the peace were very difficult for it.

During the Second World War, when Finland was an ally of Hitler's Germany, Mannerheim showed the art of political maneuvering, avoiding active hostilities with all his might. And in 1944, Finland broke the pact with Germany, and at the end of the war it was already fighting against the Germans, coordinating actions with the Red Army.

At the end of the war, Mannerheim was elected President of Finland, but already in 1946 he left this post for health reasons.

Tito Josip Broz (1892–1980)

Marshal of Yugoslavia.

Before the outbreak of World War II, Tito was a figure in the Yugoslav communist movement. After the German attack on Yugoslavia, he began organizing partisan detachments. At first, the Titoites acted together with the remnants of the tsarist army and the monarchists, who were called "Chetniks". However, the differences with the latter eventually became so strong that it came to military clashes.

Tito managed to organize scattered partisan detachments into a powerful partisan army numbering a quarter of a million fighters under the leadership of the General Staff of the People's Liberation Partisan Detachments of Yugoslavia. She used not only the methods of war traditional for partisans, but also entered into open battles with fascist divisions. At the end of 1943, Tito was officially recognized by the Allies as the leader of Yugoslavia. During the liberation of the country, Tito's army acted jointly with the Soviet troops.

Shortly after the war, Tito took over Yugoslavia and remained in power until his death. Despite the socialist orientation, he pursued a fairly independent policy.

Stalingrad battle. Our troops are over a million. Enemy - more than a million. By April 16, 1945, two and a half million of our soldiers were operating in the Berlin direction. They were opposed by more than a million fascist groups. And in addition, "inanimate force": huge accumulations of tanks and artillery, giant flocks of aircraft.

And with such a “density of fire”, the battles lasted a long time. Counteroffensive near Stalingrad - 75 days. And the “Mamaev Battle” was completed in three hours. And the Battle of Poltava lasted almost the same.

But, comparing, we will not argue that the great battles of past centuries are just “battles of local significance”, if we measure them by the standards already known to us. A great future has never belittled a great past.

It's about something else - about the commanders.

Napoleon said that many of the questions facing the commander were a mathematical problem worthy of Newton's efforts and. He meant his time. But what about our commanders? How to measure the complexity of the tasks facing them?

Zhukov, Vasilevsky, Rokossovsky, Konev, Vatutin, Tolbukhin, Chernyakhovsky, Meretskov, Bagramyan. The names speak for themselves. They say a lot and a lot. Moreover, the series can be continued further, even its length is amazing.

Georgy Konstantinovich Zhukov

General G.K. Zhukov, in the Civil War - the commander of a platoon and squadron, the hero of Khalkhin Gol, back in January 1941, at the age of forty-four, became the chief of the General Staff. He held the position until July 30, that is, a little more than six months. On the Great Patriotic War, as we see, from this period there is a month and a little more than a week. Then, speaking in civil language, he was transferred to another job. It happened in the bitter days of our failures.

Quite a bit of time will pass, and Georgy Konstantinovich Zhukov will become Deputy Supreme Commander-in-Chief. But it will be. Very soon and very soon. On the clock of the war, your account of hours and years.

The first thing that Zhukov will do in his new capacity as commander of the Reserve Front will be Yelnya, where he will go to organize a counterattack.

He will understand a lot very quickly that our units are firing artillery not at real enemy firing points, but at supposed ones.

He will understand that, delaying decisive actions, he must constantly keep the enemy in suspense, exhaust him, and even mislead him with his activity.

Recall: Zhukov replaced the former commander of the Leningrad Front, when Army Group North, having captured Shlisselburg, surrounded Leningrad. The enemy did his best to turn the blockade ring into a suffocating noose thrown around the neck of the tormented city.

Zhukov spent less than a month in Leningrad and was urgently recalled - now Moscow was in mortal danger. Fulfilling his longed-for dream - to capture the Soviet capital, in order to thereby surpass Napoleon (then Moscow was not the first city in Russia), Hitler sent almost half of all troops that operated on the Soviet-German front, including two-thirds of all tank and motorized divisions. He remembered the experience of Paris, Oslo, Copenhagen, Belgrade.

One and the same person goes exactly to the “boiling points”. According to Vasilevsky, Zhukov was the most prominent in the main cohort of Soviet commanders, every time he turns out to be where he should be. And this despite his "ardor", his independent disposition. But he will not change - he will remain the same. But another (“Gradually, under the pressure of the circumstances of the course of the war,” Vasilevsky would write later) will be the attitude towards such people. To those who know their business perfectly, for whom the interests of the cause, the interests of the Victory are above all.

Rokossovsky Konstantin Konstantinovich

We often hear and repeat these words: time dictates, time demands. That's when - during the war - it became quite clear that these were not just words. That's when it became quite obvious that the principles of recruitment are vital. Wartime complicated many things, but it also unexpectedly simplified many things - for example, a look at who should be considered a promising person worthy of promotion.

Rokossovsky started the war not as a 44-year-old general, but as a very young one. In civilian life, he made a daring raid on the White headquarters train, participated in the defeat and capture of Baron Ungern, and was awarded the Order of the Red Banner.

In fact, in nine months, minus the time spent in the hospital after being wounded, Konstantin Konstantinovich Rokossovsky went from corps commander to front commander. Rapid growth, instant appreciation of merit. Instant, but not hasty.

If you think about it, Rokossovsky was assisted in his “official” growth by enemies - it was they who gave him commendable characteristics. In what way? At least this way: in January 1942, the Sixteenth Army was transferred to the Sukhinichi region, and there an incident occurred that at first seemed inexplicable.

The Nazi units opposing our troops suddenly left their positions and retreated seven to eight kilometers. Without a fight, without any coercion on our part.

Later it turned out what prompted them to act this way - they heard a rumor about the arrival of the Sixteenth Army. The enemy already knew the name of its commander well, and therefore decided, without tempting fate, to withdraw the troops to more prepared positions.

Under the conditions of war, the responsibility for the decisions taken has sharply increased. As never before, the need for these decisions to be infallible became acute: the price of each mistake, especially in decisions of a military nature, was higher than ever.

By accepting them, they risked not their position, not their reputation, they not only put themselves in jeopardy, how many others, their lives - the lives of tens, hundreds, thousands.

Chernyakhovsky Ivan Danilovich

War incomparably quickly answered all questions. A decision was made - and everything became clear tomorrow, and even today - an hour later.

When in one of the battles artillery lagged behind, changing firing positions - and every minute was precious, otherwise the offensive would be bogged down, Ivan Danilovich Chernyakhovsky - and this was, it seems, for the first time in the history of the Great Patriotic War - removed from firing positions and advanced to the front line to fight ground enemy main group of anti-aircraft artillery of the army.

Anti-aircraft guns hit not on planes, but on tanks, on the fortified positions of the enemy. It was a big risk, but Chernyakhovsky, having made such a decision, counted on breaking the enemy's resistance in an hour or two. And he turned out to be right.

In another battle, again remembering the Suvorov order: one minute decides the outcome of the battles, one hour - the success of the campaign, one day - the fate of the country, preventing the enemy from gaining a foothold on advantageous lines, and therefore, avoiding unjustified losses, Chernyakhovsky orders the troops to force Dnieper.

Without pulling up the pontoon-bridge parks, without ensuring the simultaneous crossing of infantry, tanks and artillery, to cross on rafts and fishing boats. The calculation was for surprise. And on German fidelity to the letter of the charter.

The general knew that in all the instructions of the German army, forcing such large rivers is allowed only if engineering crossing facilities are available. He knew that the Germans would not dare to allow, even if it happened in front of them, that someone was doing something that they would never have done themselves. And again he was right.

And when, under fierce enemy fire, our advanced units reached the opposite shore and entered into an unequal battle, Chernyakhovsky told the advanced units: “I am sending reinforcements, I will support with fire. Order: expand the bridgehead. I'm on my way to you!"

The bridgehead was not only kept, but also expanded.

They were like-minded, our outstanding military leaders. Everyone thought and fought outside the box, true to the rule that Chernyakhovsky formulated as follows: a commander in battle should not do what the enemy is looking for and expects from him.

Everyone understood that the true commander of the war for those who expect to win it should be a thought - a new, deep, unexpected one.

At 37, Ivan Danilovich Chernyakhovsky is already in command of the front. Now, knowing how he fought, it is not easy to even imagine that someone could have thought at one time: is it not too early for such a post? That for him to command an army is an achievement beyond his age?

Nikolai Fyodorovich Vatutin, who at that time commanded the front, suggested that Chernyakhovsky take command of the army. He was only five years older, but he managed to test himself in battles with the Makhnovists, and by the beginning of the war, at thirty-nine, he already held the high post of First Deputy Chief of the General Staff.

The offer to take command of the army took Chernyakhovsky by surprise:

Just a month, as I command the corps.

A month in the war is a lot.

There are other generals, more experienced, well-deserved, my appointment will hurt their pride.

Well, that's what, - Vatutin said almost sternly, - now is not the time to talk about someone's pride. The enemy has put us in harsh conditions. And we cannot ignore this.

A man of position, with past merits, he seemed much older than the youngest of the front commanders. By the way, other major military leaders also had past merits.

Konev Ivan Stepanovich and Tolbukhin Fedor Ivanovich

Konev stood at the head of the front at the age of 43, and for the first time declared himself in the years of combat youth - the Red Commissar of the armored train No.

Tolbukhin, who in those years seemed to himself an elderly man, although he was only two years older than Zhukov and Rokossovsky, three years older than Konev, fought against Yudenich and the White Poles, was awarded the Order of the Red Banner for personal courage, was awarded three times with a nominal silver watch with the inscription "To the honest warrior of the worker-peasant".

But even as regards past merits, time spoke quite definitely - a real war cannot be won by past victories, and even by the methods by which they were achieved. The path to victories in modern war must be new, modern. Another time, another battle. And commanders are different.

"Can not". Even if they wanted to. Not a man dictates - time. Although someone, some person, much less impartial than time, could say: but in fact, where is the hurry? Let the young general get used to his former position. He will gain experience in leadership work ... He still has everything ahead ...

The commander was required to constantly comprehend the situation, sometimes instantly solve the most complex tasks, while minimizing possible errors. The work of a general is ideally an unmistakable creativity. But is it possible to create with a guarantee that you will avoid miscalculations? Is one compatible with the other? But the fact of the matter is that someone managed to get closer to the ideal. It was then that the time “interceded” for such people, demanding immediate recognition, immediate promotion. For the ability to fight, how one should do one’s military business, such “trifles” as a complex character, as youth were forgiven ... The most promising, in any case, were precisely those personnel changes that were made “in the spirit of the time”, not pre-war or post-war - military .

Govorov Leonid Alexandrovich

With the name of Leonid Alexandrovich Govorov - he commanded the Leningrad Front - the heroic epic of the great city, the breakthrough of the Leningrad blockade, entered the history forever. Little talkative, rather dry, even somewhat gloomy in appearance, he did not know how or did not want to make an sometimes favorable impression for himself.

However, this property of nature is not the only thing that could prevent the future marshal from making a worthy contribution to the defeat of fascism, from demonstrating his abilities as a strategist. In early youth, due to difficult circumstances, he ended up in the Kolchak army, and although he quickly parted with it, and subsequently fought with, he was wounded twice in battles for Soviet power, awarded the Order of the Red Banner, who could vouch that not a single personnel officer would ever be look askance at the "dark page" of his biography. But, as we already know, nothing prevented. And Zhukov “looked after” him, who saw in Govorov a major military talent.

Vasilevsky Alexander Mikhailovich

Preparing a counteroffensive near Stalingrad, the Soviet Supreme High Command sent its representatives to the fronts. Chief of the General Staff Alexander Mikhailovich Vasilevsky arrived at the Stalingrad Front. It was planned to start the operation on October 20, 1942. But it started a month later. What happened? Who delayed the day you've been waiting for? By what right and for what reasons?

Vasilevsky "pulled" with the beginning of the counteroffensive.

Arriving at the front, I was convinced that the day it began, judging by the state of the enemy, was chosen extremely well. The enemy could no longer attack, but he did not have time to organize the defense properly. But such a "one-sided view" did not suit him. It was also necessary to take into account the fact that our fronts, in turn, had not yet had time to bring up troops and concentrate materiel.

There are examples in the history of the war when commanders with a "comfortable character" hurried to console the Supreme High Command with optimistic assurances that did not follow from a sober analysis of the situation. The swagger of the leaders was paid for with the blood of the soldiers.

Facts of this kind explain not only what kind of chief of the General Staff A.M. Vasilevsky was, but also why he became one, for what virtues, why he grew up.

The results of the leadership of the generals

As you can see, having an uncomfortable character is a “privilege” not only for Zhukov, but also for other commanders. They knew how to stand their ground. Yes, not on "one's own" - on a common, necessary people, country. Having advanced to high positions by deed, they proved by deed that they occupy them by right.

Still, this old and solemn word “commander” sounds strange when it comes to our contemporaries, including those who quite recently came to meet with us, so to speak, according to Moscow time, and not thanks to a fabulous time machine, he came not from legends, but from his apartments.

Did he himself, Ivan Chernyakhovsky, a thirteen-year-old orphan shepherd boy, who disappeared from morning to evening in the meadows with his flock, ever think that someday this “commander” would also refer to him? And Konstantin Rokossovsky - also an orphan from the age of fourteen? And the cook's son, Rodion Malinovsky? And Nikolai Voronov, our first marshal of artillery, when he was left without a mother as a child - did she commit suicide, tortured by hopeless need? And Georgy Zhukov, whose brother died of starvation, who lived in his Strelkovka in a house with a roof that had collapsed from dilapidation? The same Zhukov, who will grow into the most prominent commander of his time, on behalf of the army and the people will accept the surrender of fascist Germany in Karlshorst, and then, riding a white horse, take the Victory Parade on Red Square?

He believed that, being in power, a person has no idea how damn difficult the situation of ordinary ordinary people can be. Like it or not, it probably depends on many things.

Recall and compare: , born in 1887, the one whose armies advanced on Leningrad, and then unsuccessfully tried to release the Nazi troops surrounded at Stalingrad, was a general no longer in the first generation, he represented the dynasty of the Prussian military aristocracy. And how many of them were there besides him in the avalanche that rolled down on us - hereditary generals, who were supposedly haunted by the "genes" of aggression and hatred that had settled in them since the past centuries. Generals - from some families, soldiers - from others. As if from another world.

This is a symbol. They were one family, our commanders and our soldiers.

Iosif Vissarionovich Stalin (Dzhugashvili, 6 (18) 12/1878, according to the official date 9 (21) 12 1879 - 5.03 1953) -

Soviet state, political and military figure. General Secretary of the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party (Bolsheviks) since 1922, head of the Soviet Government (Chairman of the Council of People's Commissars since 1941, Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the USSR since 1946), Generalissimo of the Soviet Union (1945).

During the Great Patriotic War (1941 - 1945) - Chairman of the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR, Chairman of the State Defense Committee, Chairman of the Supreme Command Headquarters, People's Commissar of Defense of the USSR, Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces of the USSR. Headed by him, the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command with its governing body - the General Staff - carried out direct control of military operations, planning campaigns and strategic operations. Headed by Stalin, the State Defense Committee and other supreme state and political bodies did a great job of mobilizing all the forces of the country to repel the aggressor and achieve victory. As head of the Soviet government, Stalin participated in the Tehran (1943), Crimean (1945) and Potsdam (1945) conferences of the leaders of the three powers - the USSR, the USA and Great Britain.

Ministry of Education of the Republic of Belarus

Belarusian State University

Faculty of Humanities

Essay on the Great Patriotic War

on the topic “Commanders of the Great Patriotic War”

Performed :

1st year student, group 3

offices communicative design

Trusevich Anna

1. Zhukov Georgy Konstantinovich

2. Rokossovsky Konstantin Konstantinovich

3. Vasilevsky Alexander Mikhailovich

4. Timoshenko Semyon Konstantinovich

5. Tolbukhin Fedor Ivanovich

6. Meretskov Kirill Afanasyevich

7. Malinovsky Rodion Yakovlevich

8. Konev Ivan Stepanovich

9. Kuznetsov Nikolai Gerasimovich

Zhukov Georgy Konstantinovich

Four times Hero of the Soviet Union, Marshal of the Soviet Union

Born on November 19 (December 1), 1896 in the village of Strelkovka, Ugodsko-Zavodskaya volost, Maloyaroslavetsky district, Kaluga region (now Zhukovsky district, Kaluga region), in the family of peasants Konstantin Artemyevich and Ustinya Artemievna Zhukov.

In early May 1940, G.K. Zhukov was received by I.V. Stalin. This was followed by his appointment as commander of the Kyiv Special Military District. In the same year, a decision was made to award general ranks to the highest command staff of the Red Army. G.K. Zhukov was awarded the rank of army general.

In December 1940, a meeting was held at the General Staff with the participation of district and army commanders, members of the Military Councils and chiefs of staff. General of the Army G.K. Zhukov also made a report there. He emphasized that an attack on the USSR by fascist Germany was inevitable. The Red Army will have to deal with the most powerful army in the West. Proceeding from this, Georgy Konstantinovich put forward as the most important task of accelerating the formation of tank and mechanized formations, strengthening the Air Force and air defense.

At the end of January 1941, G.K. Zhukov was appointed Chief of the General Staff - Deputy People's Commissar of Defense of the USSR. Relying on his closest assistants, he quickly got used to this multifaceted and very responsible position. The General Staff performed a great deal of operational, organizational and mobilization work. But G.K. Zhukov immediately caught significant shortcomings in his activities, as well as in the work of the People's Commissar of Defense and the commanders of the armed forces. In particular, in case of war, no measures were taken to prepare command posts from which it would be possible to control all the Armed Forces, quickly transmit the directives of the Headquarters to the troops, and receive and process reports from the troops.

The activities of the General Staff under the leadership of G.K. Zhukov significantly intensified. First of all, it was directed to the successful preparation of our army for war in a short time. But time has already been lost. On June 22, 1941, Nazi German troops attacked the USSR. The Great Patriotic War began.

In August-September 1941, G.K. Zhukov, commanding the troops of the Reserve Front, successfully carried out the first offensive operation in the history of the Great Patriotic War. Then, near Yelnya, an extremely dangerous situation developed. A ledge was formed there, from which the German tank and motorized divisions of Army Group Center, led by Field Marshal von Bock, were preparing to fall on our troops, crush them, and inflict a mortal blow on them. But Georgy Konstantinovich figured out this plan in time. He threw the main artillery forces of the Reserve Front against tank and motorized divisions. Seeing dozens of tanks and vehicles on fire, the field marshal ordered the withdrawal of armored forces, replacing them with infantry. But that didn't help either. Under a powerful fire impact, the Nazis were forced to retreat. The dangerous ledge was eliminated. In the battles near Yelnya, the Soviet guard was born.

When an extremely critical situation developed near Leningrad and the question arose of whether or not to be this glorious city on the Neva, Georgy Konstantinovich Zhukov was appointed commander of the Leningrad Front on September 11, 1941. At the cost of incredible efforts, he manages to mobilize all the reserves, to raise to fight everyone who was able to contribute to the defense of the city.

Since August 1942, G.K. Zhukov was the First Deputy People's Commissar of Defense of the USSR and Deputy Supreme Commander-in-Chief. He coordinated the actions of the fronts near Stalingrad, in the days of breaking the blockade of Leningrad, in the battle of Kursk, in the battles for the Dnieper. The troops under his command in April 1944 liberated many cities and railway junctions, reached the foothills of the Carpathians. For especially outstanding services to the Motherland, Marshal of the Soviet Union G.K. Zhukov was awarded the highest military award - the Order of Victory No. 1.

In the summer of 1944, G.K. Zhukov coordinated the actions of the 1st and 2nd Belorussian fronts in the Belorussian strategic operation. Well-planned and well-logisticated, the operation was a success. Was liberated from the enemy destroyed Minsk, many cities and villages of Belarus.

On August 22, 1944, G.K. Zhukov was summoned to Moscow and received a special assignment from the State Defense Committee: to prepare the troops of the 3rd Ukrainian Front for the war with Bulgaria, whose government continued to cooperate with Nazi Germany. On September 5, 1944, the Soviet government declared war on Bulgaria. However, on the territory of Bulgaria, Soviet troops were met by Bulgarian military units with red banners and no weapons. And crowds of people met Russian soldiers with flowers. G.K. Zhukov reported this to I.V. Stalin and was instructed not to disarm the Bulgarian garrisons. Soon they opposed the fascist troops.

In April-May 1945, the troops of the front under the command of Marshal of the Soviet Union G.K. Zhukov, in cooperation with the troops of the 1st Ukrainian and 2nd Belorussian fronts, successfully carried out the Berlin offensive operation. Having defeated the largest grouping of Nazi troops, they captured Berlin. On May 8, 1945, G.K. Zhukov, on behalf of the Soviet Supreme High Command, accepted the surrender of Nazi Germany in Karlshorst. This is the brightest and most brilliant page in the biography of the outstanding commander Georgy Konstantinovich Zhukov. The second outstanding event in his life is the Victory Parade on Red Square. He, the commander, who made a huge contribution to the defeat of fascism, had the honor of hosting this historic parade.

While in retirement, Georgy Konstantinovich accomplished his last feat. Despite poor health (heart attack, stroke, inflammation of the trigeminal nerve), he did a truly gigantic job, personally writing a true book about the Great Patriotic War - "Memoirs and Reflections." The book began with the words: “I dedicate to the Soviet Soldier. G. Zhukov. June 18, 1974 at 14.30 Georgy Konstantinovich died.

Rokossovsky Konstantin Konstantinovich

Twice Hero of the Soviet Union, Marshal of the Soviet Union

Born on December 21, 1896 in the small Russian town of Velikiye Luki (former Pskov province), in the family of a Pole railway engineer Xavier-Josef Rokossovsky and his Russian wife Antonina.

With the outbreak of World War I, Rokossovsky asked to join one of the Russian regiments heading west through Warsaw.

After the October armed uprising, he served in the Red Army as an assistant to the head of the detachment, commander of a cavalry squadron and a separate cavalry division. For the battle against Kolchak, he was awarded the Order of the Red Banner. Then Rokossovsky commanded cavalry regiments, brigade, division, corps. On the Eastern Front, he participated in battles against the White Czechs, Admiral Kolchak, the bands of Semenov, Baron Ungern. For the last operation he was awarded the second Order of the Red Banner.

In August 1937, he became a victim of slander: he was arrested and accused of having links with foreign intelligence services. He held on courageously, pleaded not guilty to anything, and in March 1940 he was released and fully restored to civil rights.

From July to November 1940, K.K. Rokossovsky commanded the cavalry, and from the beginning of World War II, the 9th mechanized corps. In July 1941 he was appointed commander of the 4th Army and transferred to the Western Front (Smolensk direction). The Yartsevo group of troops, led by Rokossovsky, stops the powerful pressure of the Nazis.

During the German offensive on Moscow, Rokossovsky commanded the troops of the 16th Army, led the defense of the Yakhroma, Solnechnogorsk and Volokolamsk directions. On the decisive days of the battle for the capital, he organizes a successful counteroffensive of the troops of the 16th Army in the Solnechnogorsk and Istra directions. In the course of a daring operation, the enemy strike groups were defeated, trying to bypass Moscow from the north and south. The enemy was pushed back 100-250 km from Moscow. The Wehrmacht suffered its first major defeat in the war, dispelling the myth of its invincibility.

In July 1942, during the German breakthrough to Voronezh, K.K. Rokossovsky was appointed commander of the Bryansk Front. In those days, the enemy managed to reach the big bend of the Don and create a direct threat to Stalingrad and the North Caucasus. The troops of the front covered the Tula direction with their right wing, and the Voronezh direction with their left, having the task of holding the occupied line (north-west of Voronezh) and stopping the advance of the enemy inland. With a counterattack by the troops of the front, Rokossovsky thwarted an attempt by the Germans to expand the breakthrough to the north towards Yelets.

In 1943, the Central Front, led by Rokossovsky, first successfully fought a defensive battle on the Kursk Bulge, and then, having organized a counteroffensive west of Kursk, defeated the fascist troops here, liberated the entire territory east of the Sozh and Dnieper rivers from Gomel to Kyiv from the invaders, capturing a number of bridgeheads on western bank of the Dnieper.