Tolbukhin Fedor Ivanovich in historiography. Who is Fedor Ivanovich Tolbukhin? Meeting interesting people

Tolbukhin

Fedor Ivanovich

Battles and victories

If we were looking for a person symbolizing the dramatic path of the Russian army in the past century, its path "from the double-headed eagle to the red banner", its best traditions, hard days and great victories, one of the main personalities would be Fedor Ivanovich Tolbukhin - the son of the Fatherland, the hero First and Second World Wars.

Forgotten Marshal

An outstanding Soviet military leader, Marshal of the Soviet Union, Hero of the Soviet Union (posthumously), People's Hero of Yugoslavia, Hero of the People's Republic of Bulgaria (posthumously), Commander of the Order of Victory. To these titles, unfortunately, one more can be added: “forgotten marshal”.

During the Second World War, the Red Army took / liberated 7 capitals of independent states: Berlin, Vienna, Prague, Budapest, Bucharest, Warsaw, Belgrade and Sofia. The troops of the 3rd Ukrainian Front under the command of Fyodor Ivanovich Tolbukhin liberated three of them - the capitals of Romania, Bulgaria and Yugoslavia, together with the troops of the 2nd Ukrainian Front, participated in the liberation of two more - the capitals of Austria and Hungary. The marshal who died in 1949 is well known to military historians, but for the broad masses of the people, the marshal who did not have time to leave his memoirs, who did not make a career on the post-war laurels of the winner, remains not so famous.

Fedor Tolbukhin was born into a large peasant family in the village of Androniki, Yaroslavl Province, on June 3 (June 16), 1894. In the parish register of the Resurrection Church, p. Davydkovo, Romanovo-Borisoglebsky district, Yaroslavl province, the date of his baptism and birth coincide, which is why we can assert that the real date of his birth is unknown, and the date of baptism was considered his birthday. The parents of the future marshal were “reserve private Ivan Fedorov (ich) Tolbukhin and his legal wife Anna Grigoriev (n) a, both of the Orthodox confession”, and the godfather was his uncle, Alexander Fedorovich Tolbukhin. Fedor graduated from a parochial school in his native village, and after that - a zemstvo school in Davydkovo (now Tolbukhino). In 1907, his father died, leaving his wife with five children. Uncle Alexander helped his brother's family as much as he could. He lived in the capital Petersburg, he traded oats and hay there. He also took Fedor into his care, helped him move to his city and graduate from a three-year trading school. After graduating from a trading school, the future commander began working as an accountant in 1911. However, the desire to learn did not leave F.I. Tolbukhin - in 1912, he passed the exam for the full course of the St. Petersburg Commercial School as an external student. At this time, the peaceful life of F.I. Tolbukhin ended, both for subjective reasons, in 1913 his uncle who patronized him died, and his aunt sold her trading business and left for the province, and for objective reasons - the world was on the verge of the First World War.

Becoming an officer

F.I. Tolbukhin began his military service in 1915 as a volunteer, having completed a course of study at the driver's school at the Petrograd Automobile Training Company. After a short service as a motorcyclist at the headquarters of the 6th Infantry Division of the Northwestern Front, in April-July 1915 he completed an accelerated course at the Oranienbaum officer school and received the rank of ensign. On the fronts of the First World War, the educated officers who survived the battles were rapidly moving up the career ladder. By the autumn of 1915, Tolbukhin was temporarily acting commander of the 11th company of the 2nd Zaamursky regiment of the 1st Zaamursky infantry division, which operated as part of the 9th Army on the Southwestern Front. In the summer of 1916, Lieutenant Tolbukhin had a chance to participate in the famous Brusilov breakthrough, which Lieutenant General M.R. Galaktionov, in his preface to Brusilov's memoirs, published in 1946, called "the forerunner of the remarkable breakthroughs made by the Red Army in the Great Patriotic War." For the personal courage shown in battles and the responsible fulfillment of the assigned combat missions in the Tsarist Russian army, Tolbukhin also managed to receive the rank of lieutenant, was awarded the orders of St. Anna and St. Stanislav.

The war machine required new soldiers, and on January 28, 1917, Lieutenant F.I. Tolbukhin was sent to form the 13th regiment of the 4th Zaamur Infantry Division, where the February Revolution caught the young officer. As a battalion commander, Tolbukhin in June 1917 also took part in the last Russian offensive during the First World War, which brought defeat to the Russian army, and the young officer received the rank of staff captain and a heavy shell shock. After the October Revolution in December 1917, Tolbukhin took a two-month sick leave, and in March 1918 he was completely demobilized, returning to his native Yaroslavl region.

There was no place for the peaceful profession of an accountant in war-torn Russia, and F.I. Tolbukhin got a job in the network of commissariats for military affairs created, according to the Decree of the Council of People's Commissars, heading the volost military registration and enlistment office, which was engaged in registration, training and conscription of those liable for military service. In 1919 he graduated from the staff service school. On staff work as part of the 56th Infantry Division, Tolbukhin had to take part in the Civil War. First, he fought in the region of Belarus on the Polish front, receiving in August 1920 “for distinction in battles against the enemies of the socialist Fatherland” the Order of the Red Banner, and the second (and last) combat episode of the Civil War for him was the struggle against the White Finns for Soviet Karelia. For selfless work in the position of head of the operational department of the headquarters of the Karelian region F.I. Tolbukhin was also awarded a diploma, a badge of the "Honest Warrior of the Karelian Front" and valuable gifts. During the period of peaceful construction of the army, F. I. Tolbukhin slowly continued his promotion through the ranks - in 1926 he graduated from the Higher Academic Courses at the Military Academy. Frunze, in 1930 - advanced training courses for commanding staff, and in 1934 - the operational faculty of the Military Academy named after M.V. Frunze. After a decade as chief of staff of a rifle division, in November 1930 he became chief of staff of a rifle corps. In 1938, brigade commander Tolbukhin became chief of staff of the Transcaucasian Military District. From then until his death, the fate of F.I. Tolbukhin was closely intertwined with the southern borders of our Motherland.

The chief of staff of the front, commanded by F.I. Tolbukhin, and later - the commander of the 37th Army as part of the same front, S.S. Biryuzov wrote:

Fedor Ivanovich Tolbukhin, according to my then ideas, was already elderly, that is, at the age of about 50 years. Tall, corpulent, with large but pleasant features, he gave the impression of a very kind person. Subsequently, I had the opportunity to finally be convinced of this, as well as of another quality that was very characteristic of Tolbukhin - his outward equanimity and calmness. I don't remember a single time when he flared up. And it is not surprising, therefore, that Fyodor Ivanovich frankly expressed his antipathy towards excessively ardent people.

Southern frontiers during the Great Patriotic War

With the outbreak of World War II, the USSR began to prepare for active defense in all sectors of its long borders. According to the memoirs of S. M. Shtemenko, who then served in the General Staff, “... the autumn of 1940 and the winter of 1941 had to be spent on a thorough study and military geographical description of the Middle East theater. Since March, they began to develop command and staff exercises in the Transcaucasian and Central Asian military districts, scheduled for May ... The front was commanded by the deputy commander of the district, Lieutenant General P.I. Batov. The duties of the chief of staff of the front were performed by Major General F.I. Tolbukhin.

The results of these exercises were used the following year during the joint Anglo-Soviet operation to occupy Iran from August 25, 1941 to September 17, 1941. From the Soviet side, Lieutenant General D.T. Kozlov - commander of the Transcaucasian Front, F.I. was the chief of staff. Tolbukhin. The 44th, 45th, 46th, 47th combined-arms armies of the Transfrontal Front took part in the operation, and the 53rd combined-arms army from the Central Asian military district and the Caspian military flotilla were attached to the front for the duration of the operation. While the 45th and 46th armies covered the borders with Turkey, and the 44th and 53rd armies covered the Soviet-Iranian border. The first blow was delivered by the 47th Army, the success of which was developed by the 44th and 53rd armies. From the British side, the invasion involved: the 1st tank brigade, 3 infantry divisions and 1 infantry brigade. The Iranians were able to oppose the allies with 3 divisions in the north and 2 in the south. The ships of the Caspian flotilla supported the troops operating along the coast, and on August 26 they carried out a landing operation, during which 2,500 people from the 105th Mountain Rifle Regiment were landed near the village of Khevi, south of the city of Astara.

Despite convenient defensive positions, Iranian troops offered little resistance. Shortly after the start of the entry of allied troops into Iran, there was a change in the cabinet of ministers of the Iranian government. The new Prime Minister of Iran issued an order to end the resistance, and the next day this order was approved by the Iranian parliament. Already on August 29, 1941, the armed forces of Iran laid down their arms in front of the British, and on August 30 - in front of the Red Army. On September 8, 1941, an agreement was signed that determined the location of the allied forces on the territory of Iran. The agreement entered into force on September 9, 1941. In fact, Iran was divided into two occupation zones, the British - southern, and the Soviet - northern. Tehran has lost political and economic control over the country. During the Second World War, the USSR actively used the received food supplies and oil fields, as well as the emerging Soviet-British border to receive Lend-Lease supplies.

This operation was carried out surgically precisely, in the first days of the military fever, when the Germans in the west were irresistibly rushing forward ... And here, in the territory of the Transcaucasus, the military machine worked smoothly, the units that were framed in peacetime were clearly deployed, adequately equipped and flawlessly performed combat missions. In a matter of hours, the USSR was able, together with Britain, to divide and occupy a vast state, and to do this near by no means friendly Turkey. The success of this lightning-fast and precise work of the military mechanism of the Transcaucasian Front was to a large extent ensured by the talent and work of the Chief of Staff F. I. Tolbukhin.

In the future, F. I. Tolbukhin remained in the post of chief of staff of the Transcaucasian Front, which was transformed in December 1941 into the Caucasian Front, and in January-March the Crimean Front separated from the Caucasian Front. The troops of the front, in cooperation with the Black Sea Fleet and the Azov Flotilla, from December 25, 1941 to January 2, 1942, carried out a major landing operation in order to capture the Kerch Peninsula and create conditions for the liberation of Crimea. The concept of the operation provided for the simultaneous landing of troops in the areas of Kerch and Feodosia, the encirclement and destruction of the enemy grouping. Tolbukhin made a great contribution to the planning, organization and support of this most complex operation, to the implementation of interaction with the forces of the fleet and aviation, to command and control of troops during the operation. By the end of January 2, 1942, the troops of the Caucasian Front had cleared the Kerch Peninsula of the enemy. This made it possible to divert part of the enemy forces from Sevastopol, prevent the invasion of the Nazi troops into the Caucasus through the Taman Peninsula, and seize an important operational foothold in the Crimea. According to one of the leading military theorists of modern Russia, General of the Army M.A. Gareev, “due to the lack of firmness of the front commander D.T. Kozlov, arbitrariness and incompetent interference by the representative of the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command L.Z. Mehlis, command and control of the front troops was disorganized. Mekhlis, scolding the command and headquarters of the front, turned to Stalin with a request to send one of the generals like Hindenburg to the Crimea, not realizing that Hindenburg or Zhukov, having arrived at this front, would first of all demand to remove all kinds of mehlis. Tolbukhin's attempts to give at least some planning and organization to the work of the command and staff of the front led to an aggravation of relations with the wayward Mehlis. As a result, Tolbukhin was removed from his post in March 1942 and appointed deputy commander of the Stalingrad Military District. As expected, the violation of unity of command and a number of other operational errors led the troops of the Crimean Front to a terrible disaster in May 1942.

From May 1942 to February 1943, F. I. Tolbukhin participated in the Stalingrad epic - in the spring of 1942 as deputy commander of the troops of the Stalingrad military district, and from July 1942 as commander of the 57th Army, which stopped in the southern approaches to Stalingrad, the 4th Panzer Army of the Wehrmacht, turned by the Germans from the Caucasus to the Stalingrad direction. Providing a deep operational formation of troops with high anti-tank stability, F.I. Despite the acute shortage of forces and means, Tolbukhin strove to have strong reserves in depth, equipped with anti-tank weapons, in order to quickly eliminate possible enemy breakthroughs. After the most difficult defensive battles, the forces of the army were retained, and with the start of the general counteroffensive near Stalingrad, the 57th Army successfully completed the tasks of encircling, dismembering and destroying the enemy grouping. The ability to critically evaluate their own decisions and actions, analyze the experience gained and the desire to improve their military leadership and combat skills of subordinate commanders did not let Tolbukhin down this time either. I.V. Stalin highly appreciated the talents of an experienced military leader: in January 1943, F.I. Tolbukhin was promoted to the rank of lieutenant general, and by September of the same year he had already become an army general.

The best characteristic of a commander is the words spoken about him by his former subordinates many years after his death. The commander of the 444th Rifle Division, which fought as part of the 57th Army, which was under the command of F.I. Tolbukhin, General I.K. Morozov wrote:

From the very beginning of its actions to cover Stalingrad from the south and until the transition to the offensive on November 20, 1942, the 57th Army conducted defensive and private offensive battles and operations without noise, haste, thoughtfully and in an organized manner. We called it an army of order and organization and loved its command for its exceptionally attentive and thrifty attitude towards people, towards soldiers, no matter what rank they were.

From March 1943, F. I. Tolbukhin took command of the troops of the Southern Front (transformed from October 1943 into the 4th Ukrainian Front, from May 1944 into the 3rd Ukrainian). In this post, on September 12, 1944, Tolbukhin received a marshal's star. Under his command, the troops of the front, independently or in military cooperation, carried out a number of offensive operations. Only in the first of them (Miusskaya in July - August 1943) it was not possible to break through the front, but at the same time an auxiliary task was solved - to tie up enemy troops in the Mius region and pull them away from the Battle of Kursk region. In August - September 1943, during the Donbass operation, the troops of the front, together with the Southwestern Front, broke through 300 kilometers deep into the enemy's defenses, completely liberating the Donbass. In September-November 1943, in the Melitopol operation, the troops of the front broke through the German line of defense along the Molochnaya River, traveled 320 kilometers and cut off the enemy troops in the Crimea. In April - May 1944, during the Crimean operation, the troops of the front broke into the Crimea from the north, together with the Separate Primorsky Army, defeated the 17th army of the enemy and liberated the Crimea. In August 1944, during the brilliant Iasi-Kishinev operation, the troops of the front, together with the troops of the 2nd Ukrainian Front, defeated the Southern Ukraine Army Group, effectively liquidating the southern flank of the Soviet-German front for some time. The development of this operation in September 1944 was the Bucharest-Arad operation, during which the remnants of the Southern Ukraine Army Group were completely destroyed. As a result of these two lightning-fast operations, which combined strategic art with diplomatic maneuvering, Romania and Bulgaria went over to the side of the anti-Hitler coalition.

There were also conditions for the liberation of the eastern part of Yugoslavia and its capital Belgrade, which was carried out in October 1944 by the forces of the 3rd Ukrainian Front together with units of the Yugoslav and Bulgarian armies. During the Apatin-Kaposvar operation in November-December 1944, troops under the command of Tolbukhin crossed the Danube in battle, defeated the units of the German, Hungarian and Croatian armies opposing them and entered the Pannonian Plain, creating conditions for the encirclement of Budapest. During the next two operations - Budapest (December 1944 - February 1945) and Balaton - the troops of the 3rd Ukrainian Front, together with the troops of the 2nd Ukrainian Front, blocked the enemy grouping in Budapest, repelled the last major offensive of the Wehrmacht in World War II and took the capital Germany's last European ally is the city of Budapest. Finally, during the Vienna operation in March-April 1945, again in cooperation with the troops of the 2nd Ukrainian Front, they defeated the German Army Group South, freeing the territory of Hungary and the eastern regions of Austria from the Nazis. In Vienna, the brilliant military path of the commander F.I. Tolbukhin was completed.

After the end of the Great Patriotic War on June 15, 1945, from the formations and units of the Soviet Army that were by that time on the territory of Bulgaria and Romania, on the basis of the administration of the 3rd Ukrainian Front, the administration of the Southern Group of Forces was formed, which was also headed by Tolbukhin, who remained on this post until January 1947. He combined this position with the position of chairman of the Allied Control Commissions in Bulgaria and Romania.

In the days when the Fulton speech was being prepared and delivered, when British and American troops were concentrating in Greece and Turkey, and yesterday's allies were choosing targets on the territory of the USSR suitable for nuclear strikes, F.I. Tolbukhin was expected by one more, last task on the southern borders of the Soviet Empire, built contrary to the plans of Nazi Europe. It was about the possible reflection of provocations from the Turkish and Greek military, behind which were the troops of England and the United States. During the retaliatory counteroffensive, it was planned to strike in the direction of Istanbul (Tsargrad), the Dardanelles, Komotini and Thessaloniki.

The Cold War and the danger of nuclear fire hampered the plans of the military in post-war Europe, and hostilities left its expanses for a long time. In January 1947, F. I. Tolbukhin left his post and left for his homeland, and in February 1947 the Southern Group of Forces was disbanded. Tolbukhin was appointed commander of the Transcaucasian Military District. In 1946 - 1949 was elected to the Supreme Soviet of the USSR. In 1949, the vitality left the marshal, and on October 17, 1949, Fedor Ivanovich Tolbukhin died, his ashes were buried in the Kremlin wall on Red Square. By a decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR dated May 7, 1965, F.I. Tolbukhin was posthumously awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. The city of Dobrich in Bulgaria until 1991 bore the name Tolbukhin.

Assessing Tolbukhin as a hero and commander, it is necessary to quote the words of Marshal A. M. Vasilevsky:

During the war years, Tolbukhin's qualities such as impeccable performance of duty, personal courage, military leadership talent, sincere attitude towards subordinates were especially clearly revealed ... After the war, F.I. Tolbukhin, holding responsible positions and being very ill, continued to successfully fulfill his duties. I will never forget how Fedor, lying in a hospital bed, literally a few minutes before his death, assured that he would go to work tomorrow.

It was a marshal who fought not only for victory, but also for the lives of his soldiers. In sleepless staff work, in the exact calculation and assessment of the enemy's forces, and in the preparation of his own troops, Tolbukhin did not spare himself. He literally burned with his work, and therefore passed away in the first post-war years, having lived only 55 years. Under his command, the troops of our country went from the trenches of Stalingrad to the far borders of Europe, freeing Romania, Bulgaria, Yugoslavia, Hungary and Austria from Nazi oppression. In just six months of the war, not a single commander of World War II went through such a number of European countries with victorious troops, except for the former St. Petersburg accountant, peasant son and Russian officer - Fyodor Ivanovich Tolbukhin.

B. A. Slutsky, who served under the command of F.I. Tolbukhin as part of the 57th Army, and later the 37th Army, poetically sharp in his memoirs, painted the commander even more clearly:

Leadership of regiments is not a craft

considered Tolbukhin, and exact science,

The meaning of the western with the estimate of the east

having soldered, he took by skill, not by number.

The soldier took pity and told us to take care of it.

I was looking for minds and squeamish screamers,

And smart bossy speech

scattered like a net in front of us.

In ranks, in illnesses, in wounds and in years,

with a cheerful bang over a gloomy forehead,

he thought for a long time, thought, thought, thought,

until he orders: do so.

He loved order, did not like emergency work,

considered death and wounds a flaw,

and all the capitals - what they order - took,

liberated everything - that they order - countries

Timofeev A.Yu., Ph.D., University of Belgrade (Serbia)

Literature

Morozov I.K. The regiments fought like guards. Notes of the division commander. Volgograd, 1962

Biryuzov S.S. Harsh years, 1941-1945. M., 1966

Kuznetsov P.G. Marshal Tolbukhin. 1894-1949. M., 1966

Shtemenko S.M. General Staff during the war, M., 1981

Folk Heroes of Yugoslavia, Belgrade-Titograd-Kubzhana, 1982

Heroes of the Soviet Union: A Brief Biographical Dictionary. T.2., M., 1988

Khrapchenkov V.K. Soldier of the Motherland in marshal's shoulder straps. Yaroslavl, 2005

Internet

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The greatest Russian commander! He has over 60 wins and no losses. Thanks to his talent to win, the whole world learned the power of Russian weapons.

Duke of Württemberg Eugene

Infantry general, cousin of the Emperors Alexander I and Nicholas I. Served in the Russian Army since 1797 (enlisted as a colonel in the Life Guards Cavalry Regiment by the Decree of Emperor Paul I). Participated in military campaigns against Napoleon in 1806-1807. For participation in the battle near Pultusk in 1806 he was awarded the Order of St. George the Victorious 4th degree, for the campaign of 1807 he received a golden weapon "For Courage", distinguished himself in the campaign of 1812 (personally led the 4th Jaeger Regiment into battle in the battle of Smolensk), for participation in the Battle of Borodino he was awarded the Order of St. George the Victorious, 3rd degree. Since November 1812, the commander of the 2nd infantry corps in the army of Kutuzov. He took an active part in the foreign campaigns of the Russian army in 1813-1814, the units under his command especially distinguished themselves in the battle of Kulm in August 1813, and in the "battle of the peoples" at Leipzig. For courage at Leipzig, Duke Eugene was awarded the Order of St. George, 2nd degree. Parts of his corps were the first to enter the defeated Paris on April 30, 1814, for which Eugene of Württemberg received the rank of general of infantry. From 1818 to 1821 was the commander of the 1st Army Infantry Corps. Contemporaries considered Prince Eugene of Württemberg one of the best Russian infantry commanders during the Napoleonic Wars. On December 21, 1825, Nicholas I was appointed chief of the Tauride Grenadier Regiment, which became known as the Grenadier Regiment of His Royal Highness Prince Eugene of Württemberg. On August 22, 1826, he was awarded the Order of St. Apostle Andrew the First-Called. Participated in the Russian-Turkish war of 1827-1828. as commander of the 7th Infantry Corps. On October 3, he defeated a large Turkish detachment on the Kamchik River.

Stalin Joseph Vissarionovich

Victory in the Great Patriotic War, saving the entire planet from absolute evil, and our country from extinction.
Stalin from the first hours of the war exercised control over the country, front and rear. On land, at sea and in the air.
His merit is not one or even ten battles or campaigns, his merit is the Victory, made up of hundreds of battles of the Great Patriotic War: the battle of Moscow, the battles in the North Caucasus, the Battle of Stalingrad, the battle of Kursk, the battle of Leningrad and many others before the capture Berlin, success in which was achieved thanks to the monotonous inhuman work of the genius of the Supreme Commander.

Khvorostinin Dmitry Ivanovich

Outstanding commander of the second half of the XVI century. Oprichnik.
Genus. OK. 1520, died on August 7 (17), 1591. At the voivodship posts since 1560. Participated in almost all military enterprises during the independent reign of Ivan IV and the reign of Fyodor Ioannovich. He has won several field battles (including: the defeat of the Tatars near Zaraisk (1570), the Battle of Molodin (during the decisive battle he led the Russian detachments in Gulyai-gorod), the defeat of the Swedes at Lyamits (1582) and not far from Narva ( 1590)). He led the suppression of the Cheremis uprising in 1583-1584, for which he received the boyar rank.
According to the totality of the merits of D.I. Khvorostinin is much higher than M.I. Vorotynsky. Vorotynsky was more noble and therefore he was more often entrusted with the general leadership of the regiments. But, according to the commander's talents, he was far from Khvorostinin.

Suvorov Alexander Vasilievich

Well, who else if not him - the only Russian commander who did not lose, who did not lose more than one battle !!!

Kazarsky Alexander Ivanovich

Captain Lieutenant. Member of the Russian-Turkish war of 1828-29. He distinguished himself in the capture of Anapa, then Varna, commanding the Rival transport. After that, he was promoted to lieutenant commander and appointed captain of the Mercury brig. On May 14, 1829, the 18-gun brig "Mercury" was overtaken by two Turkish battleships "Selimiye" and "Real Bey". Having accepted an unequal battle, the brig was able to immobilize both Turkish flagships, one of which was the commander of the Ottoman fleet himself. Subsequently, an officer from Real Bey wrote: “In the continuation of the battle, the commander of the Russian frigate (the infamous Raphael, which surrendered without a fight a few days earlier) told me that the captain of this brig would not give up, and if he lost hope, then he would blow up the brig If in the great deeds of ancient and our times there are feats of courage, then this act should overshadow all of them, and the name of this hero is worthy to be inscribed in gold letters on the temple of Glory: he is called Lieutenant Commander Kazarsky, and the brig is "Mercury"

Shein Mikhail

Hero of the Smolensk Defense 1609-11
He led the Smolensk fortress in the siege for almost 2 years, it was one of the longest siege campaigns in Russian history, which predetermined the defeat of the Poles during the Time of Troubles

Golovanov Alexander Evgenievich

He is the creator of the Soviet long-range aviation (ADD).
Units under the command of Golovanov bombed Berlin, Koenigsberg, Danzig and other cities in Germany, attacked important strategic targets behind enemy lines.

Pokryshkin Alexander Ivanovich

Air Marshal of the USSR, the first three times Hero of the Soviet Union, a symbol of victory over the Nazi Wehrmacht in the air, one of the most successful fighter pilots of the Great Patriotic War (WWII).

Participating in air battles of the Great Patriotic War, he developed and "tested" in battles a new tactic of air combat, which made it possible to seize the initiative in the air and eventually defeat the fascist Luftwaffe. In fact, he created a whole school of aces of the Second World War. Commanding the 9th Guards Air Division, he continued to personally participate in air battles, scoring 65 air victories over the entire period of the war.

Kappel Vladimir Oskarovich

Perhaps the most talented commander of the entire Civil War, even if compared with the commanders of all its sides. A man of powerful military talent, fighting spirit and Christian noble qualities is a real White Knight. Kappel's talent and personal qualities were noticed and respected even by his opponents. The author of many military operations and exploits - including the capture of Kazan, the Great Siberian Ice Campaign, etc. Many of his calculations, which were not evaluated in time and missed through no fault of his own, later turned out to be the most correct, which was shown by the course of the Civil War.

Kovpak Sidor Artemevich

Member of the First World War (he served in the 186th Aslanduz Infantry Regiment) and the Civil War. During the First World War, he fought on the Southwestern Front, a member of the Brusilov breakthrough. In April 1915, as part of the guard of honor, he was personally awarded the St. George Cross by Nicholas II. In total, he was awarded St. George's crosses III and IV degrees and medals "For Courage" ("George" medals) III and IV degrees.

During the Civil War, he led a local partisan detachment that fought in Ukraine against the German invaders together with the detachments of A. Ya. .Denikin and Wrangel on the Southern Front.

In 1941-1942, Kovpak's formation carried out raids behind enemy lines in the Sumy, Kursk, Oryol and Bryansk regions, in 1942-1943 - a raid from the Bryansk forests on the Right-Bank Ukraine in the Gomel, Pinsk, Volyn, Rivne, Zhytomyr and Kyiv regions; in 1943 - the Carpathian raid. The Sumy partisan formation under the command of Kovpak fought over 10 thousand kilometers in the rear of the Nazi troops, defeated the enemy garrisons in 39 settlements. Kovpak's raids played a big role in the deployment of the partisan movement against the German occupiers.

Twice Hero of the Soviet Union:
By decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of May 18, 1942, for the exemplary performance of combat missions behind enemy lines, the courage and heroism shown in their performance, Kovpak Sidor Artemyevich was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union with the Order of Lenin and the Gold Star medal (No. 708)
The second medal "Gold Star" (No.) Major General Kovpak Sidor Artemyevich was awarded by the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of January 4, 1944 for the successful conduct of the Carpathian raid
four Orders of Lenin (18.5.1942, 4.1.1944, 23.1.1948, 25.5.1967)
Order of the Red Banner (24.12.1942)
Order of Bogdan Khmelnitsky, 1st class. (7.8.1944)
Order of Suvorov, 1st class (2 May 1945)
medals
foreign orders and medals (Poland, Hungary, Czechoslovakia)

Denikin Anton Ivanovich

The commander, under whose leadership the white army with smaller forces for 1.5 years won victories over the red army and captured the North Caucasus, Crimea, Novorossia, Donbass, Ukraine, the Don, part of the Volga region and the central black earth provinces of Russia. He retained the dignity of the Russian name during the Second World War, refusing to cooperate with the Nazis, despite his uncompromisingly anti-Soviet position

Kutuzov Mikhail Illarionovich

After Zhukov, who took Berlin, the brilliant strategist Kutuzov, who drove the French out of Russia, should be second.

Prophetic Oleg

Your shield is on the gates of Tsaregrad.
A.S. Pushkin.

Prince Monomakh Vladimir Vsevolodovich

The most remarkable of the Russian princes of the pre-Tatar period of our history, who left behind great fame and a good memory.

Suvorov, Count Rymniksky, Prince of Italy Alexander Vasilyevich

The greatest commander, a genius strategist, tactician and military theorist. Author of the book "The Science of Victory", Generalissimo of the Russian Army. The only one in the history of Russia that did not suffer a single defeat.

Margelov Vasily Filippovich

Romanov Petr Alekseevich

Behind the endless discussions about Peter I as a politician and reformer, it is unfairly forgotten that he was the greatest commander of his time. He was not only an excellent rear organizer. In the two most important battles of the Northern War (the battles of Lesnaya and Poltava), he not only developed battle plans himself, but also personally led the troops, being in the most important, responsible areas.
The only commander I know of was equally talented in both land and sea battles.
The main thing is that Peter I created a national military school. If all the great commanders of Russia are the heirs of Suvorov, then Suvorov himself is the heir of Peter.
The Battle of Poltava was one of the greatest (if not the greatest) victory in Russian history. In all other great predatory invasions of Russia, the general battle did not have a decisive outcome, and the struggle dragged on, went to exhaustion. And only in the Northern War did the general battle radically change the state of affairs, and from the attacking side the Swedes became the defender, decisively losing the initiative.
I think that Peter I deserves to be in the top three in the list of the best commanders of Russia.

Kappel Vladimir Oskarovich

Without exaggeration - the best commander of the army of Admiral Kolchak. Under his command, in 1918, Russia's gold reserves were captured in Kazan. At the age of 36 - lieutenant general, commander of the Eastern Front. The Siberian Ice Campaign is associated with this name. In January 1920, he led 30,000 "Kappelevites" to Irkutsk to capture Irkutsk and release the Supreme Ruler of Russia, Admiral Kolchak, from captivity. The death of the general from pneumonia largely determined the tragic outcome of this campaign and the death of the Admiral ...

Belov Pavel Alekseevich

He led the cavalry corps during the Second World War. It proved to be excellent during the Battle of Moscow, especially in defensive battles near Tula. He especially distinguished himself in the Rzhev-Vyazemsky operation, where he left the encirclement after 5 months of stubborn fighting.

Grand Duke of Russia Mikhail Nikolaevich

Feldzeugmeister General (Commander-in-Chief of the Artillery of the Russian Army), the youngest son of Emperor Nicholas I, Viceroy in the Caucasus since 1864. Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Army in the Caucasus in the Russo-Turkish War of 1877-1878 Under his command, the fortresses of Kars, Ardagan, and Bayazet were taken.

Slashchev-Krymsky Yakov Alexandrovich

Defense of the Crimea in 1919-20 “The Reds are my enemies, but they did the main thing - my business: they revived great Russia!” (General Slashchev-Krymsky).

Kutuzov Mikhail Illarionovich

Certainly worthy, explanations and proofs, in my opinion, are not required. It's amazing that his name isn't on the list. was the list prepared by representatives of the USE generation?

Momyshuly Bauyrzhan

Fidel Castro called him a hero of World War II.
He brilliantly put into practice the tactics developed by Major General I.V. Panfilov of fighting with small forces against an enemy many times superior in strength, which later received the name "Momyshuly's spiral".

Drozdovsky Mikhail Gordeevich

He managed to bring his subordinate troops to the Don in full force, fought extremely effectively in the conditions of the civil war.

Slashchev Yakov Alexandrovich

Kosich Andrey Ivanovich

1. During his long life (1833 - 1917) A. I. Kosich went from non-commissioned officer to general, commander of one of the largest military districts of the Russian Empire. He took an active part in almost all military campaigns from the Crimean to the Russian-Japanese. He was distinguished by personal courage and bravery.
2. According to many, "one of the most educated generals of the Russian army." He left many literary and scientific works and memoirs. He patronized the sciences and education. He has established himself as a talented administrator.
3. His example served the development of many Russian military leaders, in particular, Gen. A. I. Denikin.
4. He was a resolute opponent of the use of the army against his people, in which he disagreed with P. A. Stolypin. "The army should shoot at the enemy, not at its own people."

Drozdovsky Mikhail Gordeevich

Batitsky

I served in the air defense and therefore I know this surname - Batitsky. Do you know? By the way, the father of air defense!

Suvorov Alexander Vasilievich

according to the only criterion - invincibility.

Vatutin Nikolai Fyodorovich

Operations "Uranus", "Little Saturn", "Jump", etc. etc.
A true war worker

Ushakov Fedor Fedorovich

During the Russian-Turkish war of 1787-1791, F.F. Ushakov made a serious contribution to the development of the tactics of the sailing fleet. Based on the totality of the principles of training the forces of the fleet and military art, having absorbed all the accumulated tactical experience, F. F. Ushakov acted creatively, based on the specific situation and common sense. His actions were distinguished by decisiveness and extraordinary courage. He did not hesitate to reorganize the fleet into battle formation already at a close approach to the enemy, minimizing the time of tactical deployment. Despite the established tactical rule of finding the commander in the middle of the battle formation, Ushakov, implementing the principle of concentration of forces, boldly put his ship in the forefront and at the same time occupied the most dangerous positions, encouraging his commanders with his own courage. He was distinguished by a quick assessment of the situation, an accurate calculation of all success factors and a decisive attack aimed at achieving complete victory over the enemy. In this regard, Admiral F.F. Ushakov can rightfully be considered the founder of the Russian tactical school in naval art.

Margelov Vasily Filippovich

Creator of the modern Airborne Forces. When for the first time the BMD parachuted with the crew, the commander in it was his son. In my opinion, this fact speaks of such a remarkable person as V.F. Margelov, everyone. About his devotion to the Airborne Forces!

Yudenich Nikolai Nikolaevich

One of the most successful Russian generals during the First World War. The Erzerum and Sarakamysh operations carried out by him on the Caucasian front, carried out in extremely unfavorable conditions for the Russian troops, and ending in victories, I believe, deserve to be included in a row with the brightest victories of Russian weapons. In addition, Nikolai Nikolayevich, distinguished by modesty and decency, lived and died an honest Russian officer, remained faithful to the oath to the end.

Suvorov Alexander Vasilievich

If someone has not heard, write to no avail

Ushakov Fedor Fedorovich

The great Russian naval commander, who won victories at Fedonisi, Kaliakria, at Cape Tendra and during the liberation of the islands of Malta (Ioanian Islands) and Corfu. He discovered and introduced a new tactic of naval combat, with the rejection of the linear formation of ships and showed the tactics of "alluvial formation" with an attack on the flagship of the enemy fleet. One of the founders of the Black Sea Fleet and its commander in 1790-1792

Stalin Joseph Vissarionovich

Chairman of the GKO, Supreme Commander of the USSR Armed Forces during the Great Patriotic War.
What other questions might there be?

Field Marshal Ivan Gudovich

The assault on the Turkish fortress of Anapa on June 22, 1791. In terms of complexity and importance, it is only inferior to the assault on Izmail by A.V. Suvorov.
A 7,000-strong Russian detachment stormed Anapa, which was defended by a 25,000-strong Turkish garrison. At the same time, shortly after the start of the assault, 8,000 mounted mountaineers and Turks attacked the Russian detachment from the mountains, who attacked the Russian camp, but could not break into it, were repulsed in a fierce battle and pursued by Russian cavalry.
The fierce battle for the fortress lasted over 5 hours. Of the Anapa garrison, about 8,000 people died, 13,532 defenders were taken prisoner, led by the commandant and Sheikh Mansur. A small part (about 150 people) escaped on ships. Almost all artillery was captured or destroyed (83 cannons and 12 mortars), 130 banners were taken. To the nearby fortress of Sudzhuk-Kale (on the site of modern Novorossiysk), Gudovich sent a separate detachment from Anapa, but when he approached, the garrison burned the fortress and fled to the mountains, leaving 25 guns.
The losses of the Russian detachment were very high - 23 officers and 1,215 privates were killed, 71 officers and 2,401 privates were wounded (slightly lower data are indicated in Sytin's Military Encyclopedia - 940 killed and 1,995 wounded). Gudovich was awarded the Order of St. George of the 2nd degree, all the officers of his detachment were awarded, a special medal was established for the lower ranks.

Dovator Lev Mikhailovich

Soviet military leader, major general, Hero of the Soviet Union. Known for successful operations to destroy German troops during the Great Patriotic War. The German command appointed a large reward for the head of Dovator.
Together with the 8th Guards Division named after Major General I.V. Panfilov, the 1st Guards Tank Brigade of General M.E. Katukov and other troops of the 16th Army, his corps defended the approaches to Moscow in the Volokolamsk direction.

Baklanov Yakov Petrovich

The Cossack general, the "thunderstorm of the Caucasus", Yakov Petrovich Baklanov, one of the most colorful heroes of the endless Caucasian war of the century before last, fits perfectly into the image of Russia familiar to the West. A gloomy two-meter hero, a tireless persecutor of mountaineers and Poles, an enemy of political correctness and democracy in all their manifestations. But it was precisely such people who obtained the most difficult victory for the empire in a long-term confrontation with the inhabitants of the North Caucasus and the unkind local nature.

Successfully commanded the Soviet troops during the Great Patriotic War. Among other things, he stopped the Germans near Moscow, took Berlin.

Grachev Pavel Sergeevich

The hero of the USSR. May 5, 1988 "for the performance of combat missions with minimal casualties and for the professional command of a controlled formation and the successful actions of the 103rd Airborne Division, in particular, to occupy the strategically important pass Satukandav (Khost province) during the military operation" Highway " "Received the Gold Star medal No. 11573. Commander of the Airborne Forces of the USSR. In total, during his military service, he made 647 parachute jumps, some of them while testing new equipment.
He was shell-shocked 8 times, received several wounds. Suppressed the armed coup in Moscow and thereby saved the system of democracy. As Minister of Defense, he made great efforts to preserve the remnants of the army - a task that few people had in the history of Russia. Only because of the collapse of the army and a decrease in the number of military equipment in the Armed Forces, he could not end the Chechen war victoriously.

Yaroslav the Wise

Rokossovsky Konstantin Konstantinovich

Soldier, several wars (including World War I and World War II). passed the way to Marshal of the USSR and Poland. Military intellectual. not resorting to "obscene leadership." he knew tactics in military affairs to the subtleties. practice, strategy and operational art.

Shein Mikhail Borisovich

He led the Smolensk defense against the Polish-Lithuanian troops, which lasted 20 months. Under the command of Shein, repeated attacks were repulsed, despite the explosion and a breach in the wall. He held and bled the main forces of the Poles at the decisive moment of the Time of Troubles, preventing them from moving to Moscow to support their garrison, creating an opportunity to assemble an all-Russian militia to liberate the capital. Only with the help of a defector, the troops of the Commonwealth managed to take Smolensk on June 3, 1611. The wounded Shein was taken prisoner and was taken away with his family for 8 years in Poland. After returning to Russia, he commanded an army that tried to return Smolensk in 1632-1634. Executed on boyar slander. Undeservedly forgotten.

Romodanovsky Grigory Grigorievich

An outstanding military leader of the 17th century, prince and governor. In 1655, he won his first victory over the Polish hetman S. Pototsky near Gorodok in Galicia. Later, being the commander of the army of the Belgorod category (military administrative district), he played a major role in organizing the defense of the southern border of Russia. In 1662, he won the biggest victory in the Russian-Polish war for Ukraine in the battle of Kanev, defeating the traitorous hetman Y. Khmelnitsky and the Poles who helped him. In 1664, near Voronezh, he forced the famous Polish commander Stefan Czarnecki to flee, forcing the army of King Jan Casimir to retreat. Repeatedly beat the Crimean Tatars. In 1677 he defeated the 100,000th Turkish army of Ibrahim Pasha near Buzhin, in 1678 he defeated the Turkish corps of Kaplan Pasha near Chigirin. Thanks to his military talents, Ukraine did not become another Ottoman province and the Turks did not take Kyiv.

Vasilevsky Alexander Mikhailovich

The greatest commander of the Second World War. Two people in history were awarded the Order of Victory twice: Vasilevsky and Zhukov, but after the Second World War, it was Vasilevsky who became the Minister of Defense of the USSR. His military genius is unsurpassed by ANY military leader in the world.

Voronov Nikolai Nikolaevich

N.N. Voronov - commander of the artillery of the Armed Forces of the USSR. For outstanding services to the Motherland Voronov N.N. the first in the Soviet Union were awarded the military ranks of "Marshal of Artillery" (1943) and "Chief Marshal of Artillery" (1944).
... carried out the general leadership of the liquidation of the Nazi group surrounded near Stalingrad.

Minikh Khristofor Antonovich

Due to the ambiguous attitude to the period of the reign of Anna Ioannovna, the largely underestimated commander, who was the commander-in-chief of the Russian troops throughout her reign.

Commander of the Russian troops during the War of the Polish Succession and architect of the victory of Russian arms in the Russo-Turkish War of 1735-1739.

Monomakh Vladimir Vsevolodovich

Denikin Anton Ivanovich

One of the most talented and successful commanders of the First World War. A native of a poor family, he made a brilliant military career, relying solely on his own virtues. Member of the REV, WWI, graduate of the Nikolaev Academy of the General Staff. He fully realized his talent commanding the legendary "Iron" brigade, then deployed into a division. Participant and one of the main characters of the Brusilov breakthrough. He remained a man of honor even after the collapse of the army, a prisoner of Bykhov. Member of the ice campaign and commander of the All-Russian Union of Youth. For more than a year and a half, having very modest resources and far inferior in number to the Bolsheviks, he won victory after victory, freeing a huge territory.
Also, do not forget that Anton Ivanovich is a wonderful and very successful publicist, and his books are still very popular. An extraordinary, talented commander, an honest Russian man in a difficult time for the Motherland, who was not afraid to light a torch of hope.

Izylmetiev Ivan Nikolaevich

Commanded the frigate "Aurora". He made the transition from St. Petersburg to Kamchatka in a record time for those times in 66 days. In the bay, Callao eluded the Anglo-French squadron. Arriving in Petropavlovsk, together with the governor of the Kamchatka Territory, Zavoyko V. organized the defense of the city, during which the sailors from the Aurora, together with the locals, threw into the sea an outnumbering Anglo-French landing force. Then he took the Aurora to the Amur Estuary, hiding it there .After these events, the British public demanded trial of the admirals who lost the Russian frigate.

Markov Sergey Leonidovich

One of the main characters of the early stage of the Russian-Soviet war.
Veteran of Russian-Japanese, World War I and Civil War. Cavalier of the Order of St. George 4th class, Orders of St. Vladimir 3rd class and 4th class with swords and bow, Orders of St. Anna 2nd, 3rd and 4th class, Orders of St. Stanislaus 2nd and 3rd th degrees. The owner of the St. George's weapon. Outstanding military theorist. Member of the Ice Campaign. Son of an officer. Hereditary nobleman of the Moscow province. He graduated from the Academy of the General Staff, served in the Life Guards of the 2nd Artillery Brigade. One of the commanders of the Volunteer Army at the first stage. Died a heroic death.

Stalin (Dzhugashvili) Joseph Vissarionovich

Baklanov Yakov Petrovich

An outstanding strategist and a mighty warrior, he earned respect and fear of his name from the invincible highlanders who forgot the iron grip of the "Thunderstorm of the Caucasus". At the moment - Yakov Petrovich, a model of the spiritual strength of a Russian soldier in front of the proud Caucasus. His talent crushed the enemy and minimized the time frame of the Caucasian War, for which he received the nickname "Boklu" akin to the devil for his fearlessness.

Stalin Joseph Vissarionovich

The largest figure in world history, whose life and state activity left the deepest mark not only in the fate of the Soviet people, but also of all mankind, will be the subject of careful study of historians for more than one century. The historical and biographical feature of this personality is that it will never be forgotten.
During Stalin's tenure as Supreme Commander-in-Chief and Chairman of the State Defense Committee, our country was marked by victory in the Great Patriotic War, massive labor and front-line heroism, the transformation of the USSR into a superpower with significant scientific, military and industrial potential, and the strengthening of our country's geopolitical influence in the world.
Ten Stalinist strikes - the common name for a number of major offensive strategic operations in the Great Patriotic War, carried out in 1944 by the armed forces of the USSR. Along with other offensive operations, they made a decisive contribution to the victory of the countries of the Anti-Hitler coalition over Nazi Germany and its allies in World War II.

Brusilov Alexey Alekseevich

One of the best Russian generals of the First World War. In June 1916, the troops of the Southwestern Front under the command of Adjutant General Brusilov A.A., simultaneously striking in several directions, broke through the enemy’s defense in depth and advanced 65 km. In military history, this operation was called the Brusilovsky breakthrough.

Commandant of Port Arthur during his heroic defense. The unprecedented ratio of losses of Russian and Japanese troops before the surrender of the fortress is 1:10.

Platov Matvei Ivanovich

Military ataman of the Don Cossack army. He began active military service at the age of 13. A member of several military companies, he is best known as the commander of the Cossack troops during the Patriotic War of 1812 and during the subsequent Foreign Campaign of the Russian Army. Thanks to the successful actions of the Cossacks under his command, Napoleon's saying went down in history:
- Happy is the commander who has Cossacks. If I had an army of Cossacks alone, then I would conquer all of Europe.

Bobrok-Volynsky Dmitry Mikhailovich

Boyar and governor of the Grand Duke Dmitry Ivanovich Donskoy. "Developer" of the tactics of the Battle of Kulikovo.

Rurikovich Svyatoslav Igorevich

The great commander of the ancient Russian period. The first Kyiv prince known to us, having a Slavic name. The last pagan ruler of the Old Russian state. He glorified Rus' as a great military power in the campaigns of 965-971. Karamzin called him "Alexander (Macedonian) of our ancient history." The prince freed the Slavic tribes from vassalage from the Khazars, defeating the Khazar Khaganate in 965. According to the Tale of Bygone Years, in 970, during the Russian-Byzantine war, Svyatoslav managed to win the battle of Arcadiopol, having 10,000 soldiers under his command, against 100,000 Greeks. But at the same time, Svyatoslav led the life of a simple warrior: “On campaigns, he didn’t carry carts or cauldrons behind him, he didn’t cook meat, but, thinly slicing horse meat, or beast, or beef and roasting it on coals, he ate like that; he didn’t have a tent , but slept, spreading a sweatshirt with a saddle in their heads - the same were all the rest of his warriors... And sent to other lands [envoys, as a rule, before declaring war] with the words: "I'm going to you!" (According to PVL)

Ridiger Fedor Vasilievich

Adjutant general, cavalry general, adjutant general... He had three Golden sabers with the inscription: "For courage"... In 1849, Ridiger participated in a campaign in Hungary to suppress the unrest that arose there, being appointed head of the right column. On May 9, Russian troops entered the borders of the Austrian Empire. He pursued the rebel army until August 1, forcing them to lay down their arms in front of the Russian troops near Vilyaghosh. On August 5, the troops entrusted to him occupied the fortress of Arad. During the trip of Field Marshal Ivan Fedorovich Paskevich to Warsaw, Count Ridiger commanded the troops stationed in Hungary and Transylvania ... On February 21, 1854, during the absence of Field Marshal Prince Paskevich in the Kingdom of Poland, Count Ridiger commanded all the troops located in the area of ​​​​the active army - as a commander separate corps and at the same time served as head of the Kingdom of Poland. After the return of Field Marshal Prince Paskevich to Warsaw, from August 3, 1854, he served as the Warsaw military governor.

G.K. Zhukov showed the ability to manage large military formations numbering 800 thousand - 1 million people. At the same time, the specific losses suffered by his troops (that is, correlated with the number) turned out to be lower over and over again than those of his neighbors.
Also G.K. Zhukov demonstrated remarkable knowledge of the properties of military equipment in service with the Red Army - knowledge that is very necessary for the commander of industrial wars.

Bagramyan Ivan Khristoforovich

Marshal of the Soviet Union. Chief of Staff of the Southwestern Front, then at the same time the headquarters of the troops of the Southwestern direction, commander of the 16th (11th Guards Army). From 1943 he commanded the troops of the 1st Baltic and 3rd Belorussian fronts. He showed military leadership talent and especially distinguished himself during the Belarusian and East Prussian operations. He stood out for his ability to prudently and flexibly respond to imminent changes in the situation.

Fyodor Fyodorovich Ushakov

A great naval commander who did not suffer a single defeat and did not lose a single ship during his combat activities. The talent of this military leader manifested itself during the Russian-Turkish wars, where, thanks to his victories (as a rule, over the superior naval forces of the Ottoman Empire), Russia was realized as a maritime power in the Mediterranean and Black Seas.

Officer of the Russian Empire, Marshal of the Soviet Union, participant in the First World, Civil and Great Patriotic Wars. He liberated Romania, Bulgaria, Yugoslavia, Hungary, Austria from the enemy. He was posthumously awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union.

Royal officer

Fedor Ivanovich Tobukhin was born on June 16, 1894 in a peasant family with many children in a village located in the Danilovsky district of the Yaroslavl province. At first, Fedor studied at a parochial school, in 1907 he graduated from a zemstvo school in the village of Davydkovo (now this village bears the name). After Fedor's father died, the elder brother took him to his house to make life easier for the family. In St. Petersburg, the boy continued to study. In 1910 he graduated from a trading school. Then he studied at the St. Petersburg Commercial School, which he graduated as an external student in 1912. At the same time, Fedor began working as an accountant in the Mariinsky partnership "Kolchakov and K". But commerce did not particularly appeal to him.

The First World War began, and in December 1914 Tolbukhin was drafted into the army. As having a fairly high education, he was sent to the ranks of a new - technical kind of troops: Private Tolbukhin became a motorcyclist. After the first months of military life, spent in the autorot as part of the North-Western Front, a capable soldier received a promotion. After training at the city's officer school, Fedor Ivanovich was awarded the rank of ensign. Later Tolbukhin participated in the fighting on the Southwestern Front. During the war, he commanded a company, later - a battalion. He was wounded twice and shell-shocked the same number of times. Received the rank of staff captain. For participation in hostilities, Tolbukhin received two officer orders - Anna and Stanislav.

In 1917, after the February Revolution, Captain Tolbukhin, who was highly respected by the soldiers, headed the regimental committee. After the end of hostilities, he led the demobilization of his unit, demobilized himself. But the peaceful period in his life did not last long.

Soviet commander

In 1918, the Civil War broke out in the country. Military specialist Tolbukhin opens a military commissariat in his native places in August of this year and leads the process of recruiting people into the emerging Red Army. The following year, he graduated from the headquarters school and fought on the Northern, and then the Western Fronts of the Civil War. The peak of his career during this period was the position of deputy chief of staff for operational work in a rifle division. For the fighting near Warsaw, Fedor Ivanovich received his first Soviet order - the Order of the Red Banner. In 1921, Fedor Tolbukhin participated in the suppression of the Kronstadt rebellion. Later, he fought with the Finns for. In September 1921, Tolbukhin was sent to the 56th Rifle Division to act as chief of staff.

Twice, in 1927 and 1930, Tolbukhin took refresher courses for senior military personnel. In November 1930, Fedor Ivanovich was appointed to the post of chief of staff in the 1st Rifle Corps. In 1934 he graduated from the Military Academy named after . Since October 1937, Tolbukhin has been commander of the 72nd Rifle Division. But in July 1938 he received a new appointment - now he is the chief of staff of the troops of the Transcaucasian Military District. Two years later, in June 1940, after the return of general ranks to the Red Army, Fedor Ivanovich received the rank of major general.

When the top leaders of the Soviet Union decided on the appointment of Tolbukhin to the post of chief of staff of the ZakVO, he received him personally and asked about his military career in Soviet and tsarist times. Married to a countess, the former tsarist officer Tolbukhin had every reason to fear the worst. However, shortly after this conversation, Fedor Ivanovich received another award - the Order of the Red Star.

The Great Patriotic War began. Tolbukhin continued to remain in his former position for a long time - the chief of staff of the Transcaucasian Military District. During this period, as during the beginning of the civil war, he led the mobilization into the Red Army, but now on a much larger scale. In August 1941, the district forces were transformed into the Transcaucasian Front, which took part in the occupation of Iran by Soviet and British troops. The troops of the front coped with the task quickly, with a minimum of incidents. And this was a considerable merit of Tolbukhin - the chief of staff of the formations of the Caucasian Front.

In the period from December 1941 to February 1942, being the chief of staff, Tolbukhin was developing the Kerch-Feodosiya operation, which had as its goal the landing of Soviet troops in the Crimea. Launched on January 2, 1942, the operation was quite successful. After the liberation of the Kerch Peninsula, a new Crimean Front was formed, and Tolbukhin, according to the already established tradition, took the post of chief of staff of the new front. However, attempts to further develop the operation were unsuccessful. To deal with the situation, a representative of the Headquarters, Lev Zakharovich Mekhlis, was sent to the Crimea. Arriving, he almost immediately demanded to remove Tolbukhin from his post. In historiography, it is customary to criticize him for this act, although the well-known historian A.V. Isaev believes that General P.P. Vechny, who was appointed to replace Tolbukhin, surpassed him as a staff officer. In any case, Fyodor Ivanovich will still have many opportunities to distinguish himself, this time not as a staff officer, but independently commanding troops.

After being removed from his post as chief of staff of the Crimean Front, Tolbukhin helped the commander of the formations of the Stalingrad district for some time. And in July 1942, when the front was already approaching, Tolbukhin was appointed to command the 57th Army. Three months of fierce defensive battles south of the city, and then participation in the encirclement and destruction of a large grouping (6th infantry and 4th tank armies) of German troops. Not surprisingly, in January 1943, Tolbukhin was awarded the newly created Order of Alexander Vasilyevich Suvorov, 1st degree, simultaneously with the assignment of the rank of lieutenant general to him. This was the start of his meteoric rise in ranks (3 promotions this year and one more next year).

In February-March 1943, Tolbukhin fought in the sectors of the North-Western Front. For some time he was the commander of the 68th Army and took part in the final stage of the most successful Velikoluki operation up to this point for this front. As a result of this operation, a grouping of German troops in was surrounded and destroyed.
In March 1943, Tolbukhin became commander of the Southern Front, and in April he became a colonel general. The most glorious and victorious stage of Tolbukhin's career in the Great Patriotic War begins - the command of the fronts on the southern flank of the Soviet-German front.

Hero of the southern flank

The first strategic offensive operation carried out by Tolbukhin as a front commander turned out to be the least successful. As a result of the offensive launched on July 17, 1943 on the Mius River, it was not possible to break through the German front. However, the operation cannot be called completely unsuccessful, since as a result of it a significant number of formations of the Nazi troops were shackled, which helped the Soviet army under.

As a result of the next - the Donbass operation, the formations of the Southern Front, acting jointly with the forces of the South-Western Front, advanced 300 kilometers. They liberated the Donbass, defeated the opposing troops, and by September 21 reached the Molochnaya River - part of the German "Eastern Wall". At the same time, Tolbukhin was awarded the rank of army general.

The new Melitopol operation followed almost without interruption, already on September 26th. In a little more than a month, Soviet troops again defeated the enemy, captured Melitopol, cut off the Crimea and created bridgeheads for its subsequent assault. However, before the storming of the Crimea, the troops of the Southern and Southwestern fronts destroyed the enemy's Nikopol bridgehead and liberated Nikopol. In April-May 1944, Tolbukhin and his front (now bearing the name of the 4th Ukrainian), together with the troops of the Primorsky Army, liberated the Crimea. Sevastopol was taken by storm in three days, a few days later the remnants of German troops in the Crimea capitulated at Chersonese. In May, Tolbukhin was transferred to a new duty station for the last time during the war. Now Fedor Ivanovich was appointed to command the forces of the 3rd Ukrainian Front.

The pinnacle of Tolbukhin's military talent is considered by many researchers to be the Iasi-Kishinev operation that began on August 20, 1944. He managed to mislead the enemy. The enemy was expecting an offensive near Chisinau, and Tolbukhin attacked from the extremely inconvenient Kitskansky bridgehead on the Dniester. Together with the Danube Flotilla, the Black Sea Fleet and the forces of the 2nd Ukrainian Front, Tolbukhin defeated the opposing troops. This had far-reaching political consequences: it served as an impetus for the arrest of the Romanian dictator Antonescu and the transition of Romania to the side of the anti-Hitler coalition. After that, Tolbukhin drove the German troops out of southern Romania. The speed with which Fedor Ivanovich managed to establish interaction with his recent adversary, the Romanian army, is indicative. Already on September 8, the troops of the front, led by Tolbukhin, entered Bulgaria. It was a unique operation during the Great Patriotic War, during which no blood was shed. The Bulgarians met the enemy not with shots, but with flowers. Already on September 12, Tolbukhin was awarded the next rank - Marshal of the Soviet Union.

Liberation of Europe

Further brilliant successes continued. Tolbukhin in the period from September 28 to October 20, the Belgrade operation was carried out, in which he commanded not only the Soviet, but also the Bulgarian and Yugoslav troops. This operation (carried out in cooperation with formations of not one, but two allied formations) also had no analogues in the entire history of the Great Patriotic War. Having successfully liberated most of Yugoslavia, Tolbukhin quickly invaded Hungary, defeated the formations of the 2nd Hungarian army and created the prerequisites for an attack on Budapest. During the storming of Budapest, as later in the subsequent storming of Vienna, the use of heavy artillery was forbidden in order to reduce damage to the city. This further complicated the operation, which, nevertheless, was carried out successfully.

During this period of the war, Tolbukhin distinguished himself in three outstanding operations - the Budapest offensive, the Balaton defensive and the Vienna offensive, each of which belongs to the masterpieces of military art. During the Budapest offensive operation, Tolbukhin with tremendous efforts held the bridgehead across the Danube (he even had to move the headquarters almost to the front line), preventing the counterattacking German troops from releasing Budapest. Hitler considered it very important to keep Hungary by sending troops there from Poland and transferring German units from the Western Front. During the Balaton operation, which was defensive in nature, Tolbukhin led the troops of his front with such skill that units of the elite 6th SS Panzer Army faltered and retreated. At the same time, he retained enough strength to carry out the Vienna offensive operation. The troops of the 2nd and 3rd Ukrainian fronts, according to Tolbukhin's plans, attacked with simultaneous strikes from three different directions - the so-called compressive maneuver. They liberated Hungary, Vienna and most of Austria, still occupied by the Germans. Tolbukhin and his front hold the record for the number of capitals liberated during the Great Patriotic War. As a result of the Vienna offensive operation on April 26, 1945, Tolbukhin received another award - the Order of Victory. Fedor Ivanovich rightfully participated in the post-war Victory Parade with the consolidated continent of the 3rd Ukrainian Front.

The fate of Tolbukhin turned out to be connected with the fate of two prominent Europeans. The first - Theodor Kellner, a retired Austrian general, appointed by him as temporary burgomaster of Vienna, soon became the first president of liberated Austria. The second was the Romanian King Mihai, to whom it was he who presented the Order of Victory. But Mihai was soon expected to lose the throne and be expelled from the country.

After the war, in 1945-1947, Tolbukhin was the commander of the Southern Group of Forces, and in 1947-1949 - the Transcaucasian Military District.

MARSHAL TOLBUKHIN

An associate in front-line affairs, Lieutenant General Subbotin, wrote: “As a military leader, Fedor Ivanovich Tolbukhin had two features characteristic of him. He, like no one, took care of the personnel of the army-front, always sought to win a victory with little bloodshed. And secondly, he had an exceptional capacity for work, during periods of intense operations for 3-5 days he did not tear himself away from the map and phones, depriving himself of even a short rest. Personal for him did not exist, he burned at work, gave himself to the cause without a trace.

Fedor was born in a small village, lost in the forests of Yaroslavl. Childhood was bleak. There is one breadwinner in the house - the father, and there are seven children, little by little less. Every year, after the summer suffering, my father went to work in St. Petersburg or Yaroslavl.

At the age of eight, Fedya was sent to a parochial school. The boy was surprisingly quick-witted, grasping the teacher's explanations on the fly. “He definitely needs to continue to study,” the school teachers advised, and the boy was sent to the zemstvo school.

But trouble came: the father died. The orphaned Fedya was taken in by an uncle who lived in St. Petersburg. There, in the capital, Fedor graduated from a trade school, and then a commercial school.

However, he did not have to work: the World War began. Fedor was drafted into the army as a volunteer. Soon they were sent to an officer's school.

Then there was the front and the first battle in which he commanded an infantry company. With the rank of lieutenant, he participated in the famous Brusilovsky breakthrough on the Southwestern Front. There were wounds, concussion ...

The revolution found staff captain Tolbukhin in Siberia, where he got from the hospital. With the order of the military commissar, he was sent to the 56th Infantry Division, which was leaving for the Western Front, to Tukhachevsky.

At the headquarters, he managed to prove himself, he was entrusted with responsible tasks, and he himself was eager for hot business. For the rescue of the encircled detachment, he was awarded a high award - the Order of the Red Banner.

Later, in 1922, during the liberation of Karelia from the interventionists, Tolbukhin again distinguished himself. And then he was appointed chief of staff of his own rifle division.

In the certification of that time, it is written about him: “During his service at the headquarters of the division, he showed himself from the best side. He honestly and conscientiously fulfilled the duties assigned to him, working not out of fear, but out of conscience. Hardworking, never considered time. Politically, a completely reliable comrade ... "

In July 1938, a telegram was received from Moscow about the immediate arrival of brigade commander Tolbukhin at the People's Commissariat of Defense. Quite recently, in September last year, having handed over the command of the Moscow Rifle Division, he took over another division in Kyiv. And here it is again!

They are calling for negotiations, - they tried to calm him down at the district headquarters. Looks like they're offering a promotion.

However, this message did not remove the alarm. Recently, there have been many such calls, they left and did not return. They passed away with the stigma of an enemy of the people. This began last year after the trial of Tukhachevsky, Yakir, Uborevich and has continued to this day.

In Moscow, Tolbukhin was ordered to be with the Chief of the General Staff in the evening.

Fyodor Ivanovich met with Army Commander Shaposhnikov more than once when he commanded the Leningrad Military District. And Shaposhnikov remembered the business division commander.

He took it minute by minute: the tsarist colonel's habit of valuing other people's time was evident. After listening to the report, he sat down next to him.

Glad to see you, my dear, in perfect health. Tell me how the service, what difficulties. - "Darling" was a favorite appeal to a subordinate.

Thin and tall, Shaposhnikov looked unhealthy. Intense night work, frequent calls to Stalin exhausted him. In addition, a sword of constant anxiety for his fate hung over his head. Last year, at the Tukhachevsky trial, he was among the eight assessors. And just recently, six assessors were shot. Budyonny and he remained intact. He knew that the internal affairs bodies of People's Commissar Yezhov had filed a case against him, and waited from day to day for his arrest.

Aren't you tired, my dear, of commanding a division? There is a vacancy for a major position. Your candidacy is the most suitable. How many years have you been pulling the strap of the chief of staff of the corps?

Six, comrade commander.

The term is solid. We propose to head the headquarters of the Transcaucasian Military District. The work is big and responsible. I have already reported you to Comrade Stalin.

Comrade Stalin? - came out by itself.

Yes. He wanted to get to know you. Now let's go to him.

Stalin was alone in the office. After saying hello, he glanced at the large and overweight figure of the brigade commander with a single rhombus in his buttonhole, peered appraisingly into the broad-fronted, prominently large face.

Boris Mikhailovich reported to me about you. And I got acquainted with your personal file. - On the table lay a green folder with ribbons. These are stored in the safes of the personnel departments. - Your staff service is rich. This is good. How old are you?

Forty-four, Comrade Stalin.

Also good.

Walking along the carpet path from corner to corner of the large office, Stalin came close.

Give me an answer, comrade Tolbukhin, to one question. You are a red commander, you fought against the Whites. In the past, you are a royal officer. Your wife is a countess. They themselves were awarded the Soviet order, - drilling the leader's gaze, he finished: - Whom did you fight for?

The question was unexpected. Fedor Ivanovich was taken aback, but he came up with an answer:

Fought for Russia, Comrade Stalin!

Something like a smile slipped on the pockmarked face of the owner of the office ...

Tolbukhin went into the waiting room, feeling agitated. “Will Stalin agree to confirm him in office? Or maybe a refusal will follow and you will have to go back to Kyiv ... And everything is known about his wife ... "

He met his future wife Tamara Evgenievna in Novgorod. The twenty-year-old girl immediately won the heart of the red commander. She had an old surname: Bobyleva, the townspeople ranked her as a count.

Finally Shaposhnikov left, silently nodded in the direction of the exit. From the Kremlin to the Arbat, where the General Staff was located, he did not utter a word. As soon as he entered his office, he could not help but smile:

Congratulations, dove! Comrade Stalin liked you. And the answer came right! In a word, hurry to hand over the command of the division and straight to Tbilisi. Commander Tyulenev called yesterday, asking you to expedite your arrival.

Having assumed a responsible position, Fedor Ivanovich showed the remarkable abilities of a talented staff chief. He was truly the right hand of the commander of the troops, General of the Army Tyulenev.

When the war began and the development and implementation of the Kerch-Feodosievskaya operation in Crimea was assigned to the Transcaucasian Front, Major General Tolbukhin led all the preparations and became the chief of staff of the Crimean Front. On New Year's Eve in 1942, the troops of the 51st Army landed from the ships captured Kerch, and the 44th Army captured Feodosia. Soon, the entire Kerch Peninsula was in the hands of the landing troops.

It was a significant victory for the troops of the Crimean Front. As a result, the German command was forced to withdraw part of the reserves from the Sevastopol direction, which significantly strengthened the position of Sevastopol. At the same time, the threat of active offensive operations by the Nazi troops from the Kerch Peninsula against the regions of the North Caucasus was eliminated for a long time.

Soon, army commissar 1st rank Mekhlis arrived in Crimea. Before his departure from Moscow, Stalin ordered:

Sort things out there, study the situation, find out what the troops need. And help to restore order and strict discipline there. You can.

The Supreme knew the difficult and intractable nature of his recent assistant.

I will do everything as you order, he promised.

Upon arrival at the place, Mekhlis, remembering Stalin's instructions, made a trip to the troops in order to see everything and understand what needs to be done to improve things.

Driving along the muddy roads, he visited Feodosia, looked into the trenches of the front line, where the infantry was located, drove into the firing positions of artillerymen and mortarmen, and did not miss the rear with their warehouses and field hospitals. From there he went to the Arbat Spit, where units of the 44th Army were defending.

Do the Red Army have everything? - he asked the commanders. - How about food? And with the smoke?.. Are you ready to attack?

The thought of the offensive did not leave Mehlis. And when I saw how the infantrymen and gunners were digging the ground, settling down, I became furious. “What are you? Are you hoping to sit? We need to prepare for the offensive, ”he scolded the commanders.

In one of the headquarters he fell upon the division commander:

By whose order is this happening? Who gave the order?

That is the directive of the front. It was signed by the chief of staff, General Tolbukhin.

Tolbukhin? Well, let's talk to him...

Upon returning to the village of Leninsk, where the headquarters of the Crimean Front was located, Mekhlis held a meeting. There was commander Kozlov, a member of the Military Council Shamanin, chief of staff of the front Tolbukhin. There was also General Eternal from the General Staff.

Why are the troops busy with defense matters? Why aren't they preparing to attack? Mekhlis demanded an answer from Tolbukhin.

Massive Tolbukhin got up. Suppressing his excitement, he replied:

Preparations for the attack are underway. And the fact that the troops strengthen the conquered positions and carry out the necessary work on them is part of the preparation for the offensive. It is impossible to advance without securing a securely occupied bridgehead. The other day the Germans succeeded in pushing our units on the Akmonai line, they achieved success where our defense was weak.

You, Tolbukhin, are a defender, even more than that: you are a defeatist. You doom the upcoming attack to failure in advance.

The general, tempted in the service, did not allow himself to object to the Deputy People's Commissar of Defense, remained silent ...

On the same night, Mekhlis' cipher flew to Moscow about the unfavorable state of affairs at the headquarters of the Crimean Front, about his inability to lead the troops and about taking over as chief of staff of General Eternal.

Upon learning of Tolbukhin's removal from office, Stalin told the Chief of the General Staff, Marshal Shaposhnikov:

Find out, Boris Mikhailovich, what is happening at the headquarters of the Crimean Front. Is Tolbukhin so incapable? - Stalin called only Marshal Shaposhnikov by name and patronymic. Even his closest associates were not honored with such an honor.

On the evening of May 8, Mekhlis sent a telegram to Headquarters, this time demanding the removal of the front commander, General Kozlov.

From the Headquarters, signed by the Supreme Commander-in-Chief, the answer followed:

“You hold on to the strange position of an outside observer who is not responsible for the affairs of the Crimean Front. This position is very convenient, but it is rotten through and through. On the Crimean front, you are not an outside observer, but a responsible representative of the Headquarters, responsible for all the successes and failures of the front and obliged to correct the mistakes of the command on the spot. You, together with the command, are responsible for the fact that the left flank of the front turned out to be extremely weak. If "the whole situation showed that the enemy would attack in the morning", and you did not take all measures to organize a rebuff, limiting yourself to passive criticism, then so much the worse for you. So, you have not yet understood that you were sent to the Crimean Front not as a State Control, but as a responsible representative of the Headquarters ... "

On May 16, the Germans managed to break into Kerch. Our rearguard units fought fierce battles to enable the main forces of the front to cross the strait to Taman. But all their attempts to contain the enemy were unsuccessful.

Part of these forces will take refuge in the Adzhimushkay catacombs and take on many months of testing the defense of the dungeon.

Manstein, summing up the results of the operation carried out in the Crimea, wrote: “According to available data, we captured about 170,000 prisoners, 1,133 guns and 258 tanks ... Only an insignificant number of enemy troops managed to escape through the strait to the Taman Peninsula.”

Shaposhnikov's conversation with Tolbukhin in Moscow was long and unhurried. A smart, insightful marshal understood his subordinate from a half-word, guessed about the unsaid. He also knew Mehlis well.

Lev Zakharovich has a cool character, - Shaposhnikov spoke carefully, - one must be careful with him. Comrade Mekhlis does not like being contradicted. Of course, you, my dear, will not return to the Crimea. Drive to Stalingrad.

And Tolbukhin went to the Volga.

In Stalingrad, Fedor Ivanovich assumed the post of deputy commander of the troops of the Stalingrad military district. The district was commanded by General Gerasimenko. In July, a new appointment followed - the commander of the 57th Army, which became part of the Stalingrad Front. The army received the task of covering Stalingrad from the south. On August 6, she entered into heavy defensive battles with German troops, during which she inflicted heavy damage on them and thwarted all attempts to break through to Stalingrad from the south.

In November-December, the army, as part of the shock group of the Stalingrad, and later the Don Front, participated in the encirclement, blocking and defeat of the enemy troops of the 6th German army of General Paulus.

Upon completion of the elimination of the enemy grouping, the troops of the 57th Army were transferred to other armies, and the field administration was renamed the field administration of the 68th Army ...

For the combat successes achieved, Fedor Ivanovich Tolbukhin was awarded the high government award of the Order of Suvorov, 1st degree, and the next military rank of lieutenant general.

Taking into account all the successes, the Headquarters decided to send his 68th Army to the North-Western Front in a special group of troops, Colonel General Khozin. This group, which also included the 1st Panzer Army of General Katukov, was to be introduced into the breakthrough to develop an offensive in the rear of the 18th German Army operating in the Leningrad direction.

By the end of February 28, the troops of the front reached the Lavat River, and then went deeper, where the situation stabilized. The spring thaw hampered the actions of mobile troops.

And then Tolbukhin received a call to Moscow. At Headquarters they told him:

A decision has been made to appoint you commander of the troops of the Southern Front.

Already in April, he was in the small Donetsk town of Novoshakhtinsk. The predecessor, Colonel General Malinovsky, was appointed commander of the Southwestern Front, Fedor Ivanovich took his place.

In front of the Southern Front stretched a well-fortified area with heights beyond the small steppe river Mius. The enemy defense reached a depth of up to 70 kilometers and consisted of three fortified zones, saturated with troops, fire weapons, engineering structures, obstacles against tanks and infantry.

The depth of the first strip is ten kilometers, its front trench stretched near the river. Here were located the main forces of the infantry, a lot of machine guns. Behind the first trench, two more, and in some places three trenches were laid, interconnected by communication passages. There were doses and bunkers at the forefront and in depth through two or three hundred meters.

In front of the main strip and within it - anti-personnel and anti-tank minefields, wire fences in two or three, and in some areas - ten rows of stakes. The depth of minefields is up to two hundred meters. Almost two thousand mines are hidden in the ground on every kilometer of the front. In addition, anti-tank ditches and traps against tanks were dug on the strip.

And there was a second line of defense. And the third...

The Miussky line covered the approaches to the Donbass, which was of significant importance in the operational plans of the German command. The coal and metal of the Donbass were very important for the production of tanks and ammunition.

One of the generals smugly reported to Hitler that the Mius Front (as the fortifications on the river were dubbed) was impregnable for the Russians, that storming it was tantamount to trying to break through a granite wall with their heads. The most combat-ready German troops were transferred here from Belgium, Holland, France, and from the Balkans. Ninety thousand soldiers and officers were concentrated on a 120-kilometer section.

More than once, Soviet troops tried to break through this fortified line, but all attempts ended in failure. And in July 1943, when a fierce battle took place on the Kursk Bulge, the Stavka entrusted the troops of the Southern Front with the task of crushing the accursed Mius Front.

The enemy defense was almost broken through, but the approaching motorized and tank German divisions threw our troops back to their original positions. But it wasn't a defeat. The southern front drew back the enemy forces intended for the battle on the Kursk salient.

The victory here triumphed on August 30, when the troops of the Southern Front liberated Taganrog and rushed deep into the Donbass.

“The troops of the Southern Front,” the order said, “after fierce fighting defeated the Taganrog group of Germans and today, August 30, captured the city of Taganrog. This victory, won by our troops in the south, was achieved by a bold maneuver of cavalry and mechanized formations that broke through to the rear of the enemy troops. As a result of the operation, our troops completely liberated the Rostov region from the German invaders.

And a week later, on September 8, another order was issued, which reported that the troops of the Southern and Southwestern Fronts had won a major victory in the Donets Basin. Having broken the resistance of the enemy, the troops captured the regional center of Donbass - the city of Stalino and many other cities.

September 17, 1943 Tolbukhin was awarded the Order of Kutuzov 1st degree, and soon he was awarded the military rank of army general.

A special place in the military activity of Fedor Ivanovich is occupied by the operation to liberate the Crimea. The first attempt to break into its territory was made by the troops led by Tolbukhin in November 1943 after the completion of the Melitopol operation. Parts of the 4th Kuban cavalry and 19th tank corps broke through the enemy defenses on the move, made their way through the Turkish Wall and rushed in the direction of fortified Armyansk. However, it was not possible to develop the offensive. It was decided to postpone the action to the spring of 1944.

Marshal Koshevoy (in April 1944 - lieutenant general, corps commander) recalled about the Crimean operation: “The commander of the 4th Ukrainian Front, General of the Army Tolbukhin, approached the map.

- We have no doubt that the enemy is waiting for our main blow precisely on the Perekop Isthmus ... According to the scientific concepts of the Prussian military school, it would be considered correct to strike the main blow only on Perekop. We will do this ... We will strike the main blow at Sivash. The enemy is not expecting action by the main forces of our front across the bay and therefore, we hope, will not be fully prepared. Here, the saturation of the enemy’s battle formations with the main means is not so dense, the depth of defense is not so great: it is easier to break through two defensive lines than three ...

General Tolbukhin's idea was simple and clear. However, one unclear question still remained: how did the commander think to prevent the enemy if he transferred forces from the Perekop direction to Sivash and thus impeded the development of the operation in the main direction?

But Fyodor Ivanovich foresaw this as well. He said that the enemy's defenses would break through at the same time on Perekop and Sivash.

The Crimean operation lasted from April 8 to May 12. Having broken through the defenses at Sivash, our troops reached Sevastopol on the fifth day of the offensive. On May 9 the city fell.

If in 1941-1942 it took the Nazi troops 250 days to capture Sevastopol, the Soviet Army liberated it in five days after the assault.

The ensuing Iasi-Kishinev operation, carried out at the end of August by the troops of the 2nd and 3rd Ukrainian fronts, is one of the largest and most outstanding operations of the Soviet Armed Forces in terms of its strategic and military-political significance.

The troops led by Tolbukhin and Malinovsky in a short time completely defeated the Army Group "Southern Ukraine", destroyed 22 German and almost all Romanian divisions. The operation eliminated the German defenses on the southern wing of the Soviet-German front and changed the entire military-political situation in the Balkans.

After its completion, the troops of the Tolbukhin front participated in the Belgorod and Budapest operations. Then, during the preparation of the Vienna operation, the glow of a new battle, Balaton, arose.

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Tolbukhin Fedor Ivanovich

Battles and victories

If we were looking for a person symbolizing the dramatic path of the Russian army in the past century, its path "from the double-headed eagle to the red banner", its best traditions, hard days and great victories, one of the main personalities would be Fedor Ivanovich Tolbukhin - the son of the Fatherland, the hero First and Second World Wars.

Forgotten Marshal

An outstanding Soviet military leader, Marshal of the Soviet Union, Hero of the Soviet Union (posthumously), People's Hero of Yugoslavia, Hero of the People's Republic of Bulgaria (posthumously), Commander of the Order of Victory. To these titles, unfortunately, one more can be added: “forgotten marshal”.

During the Second World War, the Red Army took / liberated 7 capitals of independent states: Berlin, Vienna, Prague, Budapest, Bucharest, Warsaw, Belgrade and Sofia. The troops of the 3rd Ukrainian Front under the command of Fyodor Ivanovich Tolbukhin liberated three of them - the capitals of Romania, Bulgaria and Yugoslavia, together with the troops of the 2nd Ukrainian Front, participated in the liberation of two more - the capitals of Austria and Hungary. The marshal who died in 1949 is well known to military historians, but for the broad masses of the people, the marshal who did not have time to leave his memoirs, who did not make a career on the post-war laurels of the winner, remains not so famous.

Fedor Tolbukhin was born into a large peasant family in the village of Androniki, Yaroslavl Province, on June 3 (June 16), 1894. In the parish register of the Resurrection Church, p. Davydkovo, Romanovo-Borisoglebsky district, Yaroslavl province, the date of his baptism and birth coincide, which is why we can assert that the real date of his birth is unknown, and the date of baptism was considered his birthday. The parents of the future marshal were "reserve private Ivan Fedorov (ich) Tolbukhin and his legal wife Anna Grigoriev (n), both of the Orthodox confession," and his uncle, Alexander Fedorovich Tolbukhin, was the godfather. Fedor graduated from a parochial school in his native village, and after that - a zemstvo school in Davydkovo (now Tolbukhino). In 1907, his father died, leaving his wife with five children. Uncle Alexander helped his brother's family as much as he could. He lived in the capital Petersburg, he traded oats and hay there. He also took Fedor into his care, helped him move to his city and graduate from a three-year trading school. After graduating from a trading school, the future commander began working as an accountant in 1911. However, the desire to learn did not leave F.I. Tolbukhin - in 1912 he passed the exam for the full course of the St. Petersburg Commercial School as an external student. At this time, the peaceful life of F.I. Tolbukhin ended, both for subjective reasons, in 1913 his uncle who patronized him died, and his aunt sold her trading business and left for the province, and for objective reasons - the world was on the verge of the First World War.

Becoming an officer

F.I. Tolbukhin began his military service in 1915 as a volunteer, having completed a course of study at the driver's school at the Petrograd Automobile Training Company. After a short service as a motorcyclist at the headquarters of the 6th Infantry Division of the Northwestern Front, in April-July 1915 he completed an accelerated course at the Oranienbaum officer school and received the rank of ensign. On the fronts of the First World War, the educated officers who survived the battles were rapidly moving up the career ladder. By the autumn of 1915, Tolbukhin was temporarily acting commander of the 11th company of the 2nd Zaamursky regiment of the 1st Zaamursky infantry division, which operated as part of the 9th Army on the Southwestern Front. In the summer of 1916, Lieutenant Tolbukhin had a chance to participate in the famous Brusilov breakthrough, which Lieutenant General M.R. Galaktionov, in his preface to Brusilov's memoirs, published in 1946, called "the forerunner of the remarkable breakthroughs made by the Red Army in the Great Patriotic War." For the personal courage shown in battles and the responsible fulfillment of the assigned combat missions in the Tsarist Russian army, Tolbukhin also managed to receive the rank of lieutenant, was awarded the orders of St. Anna and St. Stanislav.

The war machine required new soldiers, and on January 28, 1917, Lieutenant F.I. Tolbukhin was sent to form the 13th regiment of the 4th Zaamur Infantry Division, where the February Revolution caught the young officer. As a battalion commander, Tolbukhin in June 1917 also took part in the last Russian offensive during the First World War, which brought defeat to the Russian army, and the young officer - the rank of captain and a heavy shell shock. After the October Revolution in December 1917, Tolbukhin took a two-month sick leave, and in March 1918 he was completely demobilized, returning to his native Yaroslavl region.

There was no place for the peaceful profession of an accountant in war-torn Russia, and F.I. Tolbukhin got a job in the network of commissariats for military affairs created, according to the Decree of the Council of People's Commissars, heading the volost military registration and enlistment office, which was engaged in registration, training and conscription of those liable for military service. In 1919 he graduated from the staff service school. On staff work as part of the 56th Infantry Division, Tolbukhin had to take part in the Civil War. First, he fought in the region of Belarus on the Polish front, receiving in August 1920 “for distinction in battles against the enemies of the socialist Fatherland” the Order of the Red Banner, and the second (and last) combat episode of the Civil War for him was the struggle against the White Finns for Soviet Karelia. For selfless work in the position of head of the operational department of the headquarters of the Karelian region F.I. Tolbukhin was also awarded a diploma, a badge of the "Honest Warrior of the Karelian Front" and valuable gifts. During the period of peaceful construction of the army, F. I. Tolbukhin slowly continued his promotion through the ranks - in 1926 he graduated from the Higher Academic Courses at the Military Academy. Frunze, in 1930 - advanced training courses for commanding staff, and in 1934 - the operational faculty of the Military Academy named after M.V. Frunze. After a decade as chief of staff of a rifle division, in November 1930 he became chief of staff of a rifle corps. In 1938, brigade commander Tolbukhin became chief of staff of the Transcaucasian Military District. From then until his death, the fate of F.I. Tolbukhin was closely intertwined with the southern borders of our Motherland.

The chief of staff of the front, commanded by F.I. Tolbukhin, and later - the commander of the 37th Army as part of the same front, S.S. Biryuzov wrote:

Fedor Ivanovich Tolbukhin, according to my then ideas, was already elderly, that is, at the age of about 50 years. Tall, corpulent, with large but pleasant features, he gave the impression of a very kind person. Subsequently, I had the opportunity to finally convince myself of this, as well as of another quality that was very characteristic of Tolbukhin - his outward equanimity and calmness. I don't remember a single time when he flared up. And it is not surprising, therefore, that Fyodor Ivanovich frankly expressed his antipathy towards excessively ardent people.

Southern frontiers during the Great Patriotic War

With the outbreak of World War II, the USSR began to prepare for active defense in all sectors of its long borders. According to the memoirs of S. M. Shtemenko, who then served in the General Staff, “... the autumn of 1940 and the winter of 1941 had to be spent on a thorough study and military geographical description of the Middle East theater. Since March, they began to develop command and staff exercises in the Transcaucasian and Central Asian military districts, scheduled for May ... The front was commanded by the deputy commander of the district, Lieutenant General P.I. Batov. The duties of the chief of staff of the front were performed by Major General F.I. Tolbukhin.

The results of these exercises were used the following year during the joint Anglo-Soviet operation to occupy Iran from August 25, 1941 to September 17, 1941. From the Soviet side, Lieutenant General D.T. Kozlov - commander of the Transcaucasian Front, F.I. was the chief of staff. Tolbukhin. The 44th, 45th, 46th, 47th combined-arms armies of the Transfrontal Front took part in the operation, and the 53rd combined-arms army from the Central Asian military district and the Caspian military flotilla were attached to the front for the duration of the operation. While the 45th and 46th armies covered the borders with Turkey, and the 44th and 53rd armies covered the Soviet-Iranian border. The first blow was delivered by the 47th Army, the success of which was developed by the 44th and 53rd armies. From the British side, the invasion involved: the 1st tank brigade, 3 infantry divisions and 1 infantry brigade. The Iranians were able to oppose the allies with 3 divisions in the north and 2 in the south. The ships of the Caspian flotilla supported the troops operating along the coast, and on August 26 they carried out a landing operation, during which 2,500 people from the 105th Mountain Rifle Regiment were landed near the village of Khevi, south of the city of Astara.

Despite convenient defensive positions, Iranian troops offered little resistance. Shortly after the start of the entry of allied troops into Iran, there was a change in the cabinet of ministers of the Iranian government. The new Prime Minister of Iran issued an order to end the resistance, and the next day this order was approved by the Iranian parliament. Already on August 29, 1941, the armed forces of Iran laid down their arms in front of the British, and on August 30 - in front of the Red Army. On September 8, 1941, an agreement was signed that determined the location of the allied forces on the territory of Iran. The agreement entered into force on September 9, 1941. In fact, Iran was divided into two occupation zones, the British - southern, and the Soviet - northern. Tehran has lost political and economic control over the country. During the Second World War, the USSR actively used the received food supplies and oil fields, as well as the emerging Soviet-British border to receive Lend-Lease supplies.

This operation was carried out surgically precisely, in the first days of the military fever, when the Germans in the west were irresistibly rushing forward ... And here, in the territory of the Transcaucasus, the military machine worked smoothly, the units that were framed in peacetime were clearly deployed, adequately equipped and flawlessly performed combat missions. In a matter of hours, the USSR was able, together with Britain, to divide and occupy a vast state, and to do this near by no means friendly Turkey. The success of this lightning-fast and precise work of the military mechanism of the Transcaucasian Front was to a large extent ensured by the talent and work of the Chief of Staff F. I. Tolbukhin.

In the future, F. I. Tolbukhin remained in the post of chief of staff of the Transcaucasian Front, which was transformed in December 1941 into the Caucasian Front, and in January-March the Crimean Front separated from the Caucasian Front. The troops of the front, in cooperation with the Black Sea Fleet and the Azov Flotilla, from December 25, 1941 to January 2, 1942, carried out a major landing operation in order to capture the Kerch Peninsula and create conditions for the liberation of Crimea. The concept of the operation provided for the simultaneous landing of troops in the areas of Kerch and Feodosia, the encirclement and destruction of the enemy grouping. Tolbukhin made a great contribution to the planning, organization and support of this most complex operation, to the implementation of interaction with the forces of the fleet and aviation, to command and control of troops during the operation. By the end of January 2, 1942, the troops of the Caucasian Front had cleared the Kerch Peninsula of the enemy. This made it possible to divert part of the enemy forces from Sevastopol, prevent the invasion of the Nazi troops into the Caucasus through the Taman Peninsula, and seize an important operational foothold in the Crimea. According to one of the leading military theorists of modern Russia, General of the Army M.A. Gareev, “due to the lack of firmness of the front commander D.T. Kozlov, arbitrariness and incompetent interference by the representative of the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command L.Z. Mehlis, command and control of the front troops was disorganized. Mekhlis, scolding the command and headquarters of the front, turned to Stalin with a request to send one of the generals like Hindenburg to the Crimea, not realizing that Hindenburg or Zhukov, having arrived at this front, would first of all demand to remove all kinds of mehlis. Tolbukhin's attempts to give at least some planning and organization to the work of the command and staff of the front led to an aggravation of relations with the wayward Mehlis. As a result, Tolbukhin was removed from his post in March 1942 and appointed deputy commander of the Stalingrad Military District. As expected, the violation of unity of command and a number of other operational errors led the troops of the Crimean Front to a terrible disaster in May 1942.

From May 1942 to February 1943, F. I. Tolbukhin participated in the Stalingrad epic - in the spring of 1942 as deputy commander of the troops of the Stalingrad military district, and from July 1942 as commander of the 57th Army, which stopped in the southern approaches to Stalingrad, the 4th Panzer Army of the Wehrmacht, turned by the Germans from the Caucasus to the Stalingrad direction. Providing a deep operational formation of troops with high anti-tank stability, F.I. Despite the acute shortage of forces and means, Tolbukhin strove to have strong reserves in depth, equipped with anti-tank weapons, in order to quickly eliminate possible enemy breakthroughs. After the most difficult defensive battles, the forces of the army were retained, and with the start of the general counteroffensive near Stalingrad, the 57th Army successfully completed the tasks of encircling, dismembering and destroying the enemy grouping. The ability to critically evaluate their own decisions and actions, analyze the experience gained and the desire to improve their military leadership and combat skills of subordinate commanders did not let Tolbukhin down this time either. I.V. Stalin highly appreciated the talents of an experienced military leader: in January 1943, F.I. Tolbukhin was promoted to the rank of lieutenant general, and by September of the same year he had already become an army general.

The best characteristic of a commander is the words spoken about him by his former subordinates many years after his death. The commander of the 444th Rifle Division, which fought as part of the 57th Army, which was under the command of F.I. Tolbukhin, General I.K. Morozov wrote:

From the very beginning of its actions to cover Stalingrad from the south and until the transition to the offensive on November 20, 1942, the 57th Army conducted defensive and private offensive battles and operations without noise, haste, thoughtfully and in an organized manner. We called it an army of order and organization and loved its command for its exceptionally attentive and thrifty attitude towards people, towards soldiers, no matter what rank they were.

From March 1943, F. I. Tolbukhin took command of the troops of the Southern Front (transformed from October 1943 into the 4th Ukrainian Front, from May 1944 into the 3rd Ukrainian). In this post, on September 12, 1944, Tolbukhin received a marshal's star. Under his command, the troops of the front, independently or in military cooperation, carried out a number of offensive operations. Only in the first of them (Miusskaya in July - August 1943) it was not possible to break through the front, but at the same time an auxiliary task was solved - to tie up enemy troops in the Mius region and pull them away from the Battle of Kursk region. In August - September 1943, during the Donbass operation, the troops of the front, together with the Southwestern Front, broke through 300 kilometers deep into the enemy's defenses, completely liberating the Donbass. In September-November 1943, in the Melitopol operation, the troops of the front broke through the German line of defense along the Molochnaya River, traveled 320 kilometers and cut off the enemy troops in the Crimea. In April - May 1944, during the Crimean operation, the troops of the front broke into the Crimea from the north, together with the Separate Primorsky Army, defeated the 17th army of the enemy and liberated the Crimea. In August 1944, during the brilliant Iasi-Kishinev operation, the troops of the front, together with the troops of the 2nd Ukrainian Front, defeated the Southern Ukraine Army Group, effectively liquidating the southern flank of the Soviet-German front for some time. The development of this operation in September 1944 was the Bucharest-Arad operation, during which the remnants of the Southern Ukraine Army Group were completely destroyed. As a result of these two lightning-fast operations, which combined strategic art with diplomatic maneuvering, Romania and Bulgaria went over to the side of the anti-Hitler coalition.

There were also conditions for the liberation of the eastern part of Yugoslavia and its capital Belgrade, which was carried out in October 1944 by the forces of the 3rd Ukrainian Front together with units of the Yugoslav and Bulgarian armies. During the Apatin-Kaposvar operation in November-December 1944, troops under the command of Tolbukhin crossed the Danube in battle, defeated the units of the German, Hungarian and Croatian armies opposing them and entered the Pannonian Plain, creating conditions for the encirclement of Budapest. During the next two operations - Budapest (December 1944 - February 1945) and Balaton - the troops of the 3rd Ukrainian Front, together with the troops of the 2nd Ukrainian Front, blocked the enemy grouping in Budapest, repelled the last major offensive of the Wehrmacht in World War II and took the capital the last European ally of Germany - the city of Budapest. Finally, during the Vienna operation in March-April 1945, again in cooperation with the troops of the 2nd Ukrainian Front, they defeated the German Army Group South, freeing the territory of Hungary and the eastern regions of Austria from the Nazis. In Vienna, the brilliant military path of the commander F.I. Tolbukhin was completed.

After the end of the Great Patriotic War on June 15, 1945, from the formations and units of the Soviet Army that were by that time on the territory of Bulgaria and Romania, on the basis of the administration of the 3rd Ukrainian Front, the administration of the Southern Group of Forces was formed, which was also headed by Tolbukhin, who remained on this post until January 1947. He combined this position with the position of chairman of the Allied Control Commissions in Bulgaria and Romania.

In the days when the Fulton speech was being prepared and delivered, when British and American troops were concentrating in Greece and Turkey, and yesterday's allies were choosing targets on the territory of the USSR suitable for nuclear strikes, F.I. Tolbukhin was expected by one more, last task on the southern borders of the Soviet Empire, built contrary to the plans of Nazi Europe. It was about the possible reflection of provocations from the Turkish and Greek military, behind which were the troops of England and the United States. During the retaliatory counteroffensive, it was planned to strike in the direction of Istanbul (Tsargrad), the Dardanelles, Komotini and Thessaloniki.

The Cold War and the danger of nuclear fire hampered the plans of the military in post-war Europe, and hostilities left its expanses for a long time. In January 1947, F. I. Tolbukhin left his post and left for his homeland, and in February 1947 the Southern Group of Forces was disbanded. Tolbukhin was appointed commander of the Transcaucasian Military District. In 1946 - 1949 was elected to the Supreme Soviet of the USSR. In 1949, the vitality left the marshal, and on October 17, 1949, Fedor Ivanovich Tolbukhin died, his ashes were buried in the Kremlin wall on Red Square. By a decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR dated May 7, 1965, F.I. Tolbukhin was posthumously awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. The city of Dobrich in Bulgaria until 1991 bore the name Tolbukhin.

Assessing Tolbukhin as a hero and commander, it is necessary to quote the words of Marshal A. M. Vasilevsky:

During the war years, Tolbukhin's qualities such as impeccable performance of duty, personal courage, military leadership talent, sincere attitude towards subordinates were especially clearly revealed ... After the war, F.I. Tolbukhin, holding responsible positions and being very ill, continued to successfully fulfill his duties. I will never forget how Fedor, lying in a hospital bed, literally a few minutes before his death, assured that he would go to work tomorrow.

It was a marshal who fought not only for victory, but also for the lives of his soldiers. In sleepless staff work, in the exact calculation and assessment of the enemy's forces, and in the preparation of his own troops, Tolbukhin did not spare himself. He literally burned with his work, and therefore passed away in the first post-war years, having lived only 55 years. Under his command, the troops of our country went from the trenches of Stalingrad to the far borders of Europe, freeing Romania, Bulgaria, Yugoslavia, Hungary and Austria from Nazi oppression. In just six months of the war, not a single commander of World War II went through such a number of European countries with victorious troops, except for the former St. Petersburg accountant, peasant son and Russian officer - Fyodor Ivanovich Tolbukhin.

B. A. Slutsky, who served under the command of F.I. Tolbukhin as part of the 57th Army, and later the 37th Army, poetically sharp in his memoirs, painted the commander even more clearly:

Leadership of regiments is not a craft

considered Tolbukhin, and exact science,

The meaning of the western with the estimate of the east

having soldered, he took by skill, not by number.

The soldier took pity and told us to take care of it.

I was looking for minds and squeamish screamers,

And smart bossy speech

scattered like a net in front of us.

In ranks, in illnesses, in wounds and in years,

with a cheerful bang over a gloomy forehead,

he thought for a long time, thought, thought, thought,

until he orders: do so.

He loved order, did not like emergency work,

considered death and wounds a flaw,

and all the capitals - what they order - took,

liberated everything - that they order - countries

Timofeev A.Yu., Ph.D., University of Belgrade (Serbia)

Literature

Morozov I.K. The regiments fought like guards. Notes of the division commander. Volgograd, 1962

Biryuzov S.S. Harsh years, 1941-1945. M., 1966

Kuznetsov P.G. Marshal Tolbukhin. 1894-1949. M., 1966

Shtemenko S.M. General Staff during the war, M., 1981

Folk Heroes of Yugoslavia, Belgrade-Titograd-Kubzhana, 1982

Heroes of the Soviet Union: A Brief Biographical Dictionary. T.2., M., 1988

Khrapchenkov V.K. Soldier of the Motherland in marshal's shoulder straps. Yaroslavl, 2005

Biography

Tolbukhin Fedor Ivanovich, in the track record of the Red Army, 16/6/1894 is listed in the new style. In addition, in the Code of Criminal Procedure on June 3, the old style was corrected in red pencil to 4), der. Androniki Romanovo-Borisoglebsky district of the Yaroslavl province., - 10/17/1949, Moscow], Soviet commander, Marshal of the Soviet Union (1944). Hero of the Soviet Union (05/07/1965, posthumously). People's Hero of Yugoslavia (05/31/1945), Hero of the People's Republic of Bulgaria (01/09/1979, posthumously).

Born into a peasant family. He graduated from the parochial school in the village. Davydkovo, a trading school in St. Petersburg, in 1912 he passed the exams externally for 6 classes of a commercial school. In December 1914 he was called up for military service: a motorcyclist and a driver at the headquarters of the 6th Infantry Division and in the 22nd Infantry Regiment on the North-Western Front. In 1915 he graduated from the Oranienbaum ensign school and was sent to the disposal of the 22nd marching reserve brigade in the city of Zhytomyr, an ensign. Since September 1915, he participated in the battles on the Southwestern Front: company commander of the 2nd Zaamursky border regiment, then battalion commander, staff captain. After the February Revolution of 1917 he was elected secretary, then chairman of the regimental committee. In March 1918 he was demobilized, at home he worked as a timekeeper in the 7th military road detachment. In August 1918, during the formation of volost military commissariats, by the general meeting of citizens of the Sandyrevskaya volost, he was elected military leader, formed a commissariat and supervised general education there. In the Red Army since October 1918.

Since January 1919 - the military head of the Shagotsky volost commissariat of the Yaroslavl province. Since July 1919 at the disposal of the Chief of Staff of the Western Front and the 16th Army. After graduating in December 1919 from the Smolensk School of Staff Service at the RVS of the Western Front, he served in the 56th Infantry Division of the 7th Army in the positions of junior assistant and senior assistant for operations to the chief of staff of the division. As part of the division, he took part in battles with the troops of General N.N. Yudenich. Member of the Soviet-Polish war of 1920, fought with the White Poles on the rivers Berezina and Narew, near Lepel, Lida and Grodno. In December 1920 he was appointed chief of staff of the 56th Moscow Rifle Division. In March 1921 he took part in the suppression of the Kronstadt rebellion. December 1921 - March 1922. chief of the operational department of the headquarters of the troops of the Karelian region, then returned to the 56th Moscow Rifle Division: chief of staff and commander of the division.

From October 1926 to August 1927, and from November 1929 to January 1930, he attended advanced training courses for senior officers at the Military Academy of the Red Army. M.V. Frunze. In November 1930 he was appointed chief of staff of the 1st Rifle Corps of the Leningrad Military District (LVO). In June 1934 he graduated from the operational department of the Military Academy of the Red Army named after. M.V. Frunze. From August 1934 he temporarily commanded this corps, and in January 1935 he was appointed chief of staff of the 19th Rifle Corps of the LVO. In November 1935 he was awarded the rank of brigade commander. From September 1937 he commanded the 72nd Infantry Division of the LVO, and in July 1938 he was awarded the rank of division commander and he was appointed chief of staff of the Transcaucasian Military District. In June 1940, he was recertified as a major general.

During the Great Patriotic War, F.I. Tolbukhin from August 1941 was the chief of staff of the Transcaucasian, from December - the Caucasian, and from January 1942 - the Crimean fronts. In May - July 1942, he served as deputy commander of the troops of the Stalingrad military district. Then he commanded the 57th Army, whose formations as part of the South-Eastern, and from September 30, the Stalingrad Fronts fought heavy defensive battles near Stalingrad, thwarted all enemy attempts to break through to the city from the south, and later participated in the encirclement, blocking and defeat of the enemy. From February 1943, Lieutenant General Tolbukhin commanded the 68th Army of the North-Western Front, and in March he was appointed commander of the Southern (from October 16 - 4th Ukrainian) Front. In April 1943, he was promoted to the rank of Colonel General, and in September, General of the Army. From May 14, 1944 until the end of the war, he led the troops of the 3rd Ukrainian Front.

The troops under his command successfully fought on the Mius and Molochnaya rivers, during the liberation of Donbass and Crimea. In August 1944, the troops of the 3rd Ukrainian Front, together with the 2nd Ukrainian Front, prepared and successfully carried out the Iasi-Kishinev strategic offensive operation, as a result of which the main forces of the German Army Group South Ukraine were surrounded and destroyed. After the completion of the operation, the troops of the 3rd Ukrainian Front participated in the Belgrade, Budapest, Balaton and Vienna operations, during which Tolbukhin skillfully organized interaction with the Bulgarian and Yugoslav armies. In September 1944 he was awarded the title of Marshal of the Soviet Union and was appointed chairman of the Allied Control Commission in Bulgaria.

After the war, Marshal of the Soviet Union F.I. Tolbukhin from July 1945 was the commander-in-chief of the Southern Group of Forces. In December 1946, as part of the Soviet delegation, he participated in the Slavic Congress. From January 1947 he commanded the troops of the Transcaucasian Military District. Deputy of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of the 3rd convocation. Died after a serious illness. Urn with the ashes of F.I. Tolbukhina is buried in the Kremlin wall on Red Square in Moscow.

He was awarded the highest military order "Victory". Awarded with orders: Russia - St. Anne 3rd class. with swords and St. Stanislaus 3rd Art. with swords; USSR - 2 orders of Lenin, 3 orders of the Red Banner, 2 orders of Suvorov 1st class, orders of Kutuzov 1st class, Red Star; foreign: NRB - Georgy Dimitrov (posthumously) and "For Courage" 1st class; Hungarian People's Republic - 1st Art. and Hungarian freedom 1st class, China - "Shining Banner" 1st class, SRR - "Defence of the Fatherland" 1st and 2nd class, USA - "Legion of Honor" 1st class; France - Legion of Honor 2nd class. and Military Cross; many Soviet and foreign medals.