Faithful son of the Fatherland - Marshal Semyon Mikhailovich Budyonny. Semyon Mikhailovich Budyonny

April 25, 1883 in a poor peasant familyon the farm Kozyurin (now the Proletarsky district of the Rostov region)born Semyon Mikhailovich Budyonny, future Soviet military leader, hero of the Civil War, commander of the 1st Cavalry Army, one of the first Marshals of the Soviet Union.

Hero of the Revolution, Thrice Hero of the Soviet Union, the legendary Marshal Budyonny managed not only to win great military glory, but also to become a real people's favorite. Enemies feared him, his comrades-in-arms bowed before him, ill-wishers envied him, women adored him.

Semyon Budyonny, who is used to be considered a symbol of Cossack prowess, was not really a Cossack. His grandfather, a serf from near Voronezh, released by decree of the liberator Tsar Alexander II, moved to the Don with his family in search of a better life. It was there, not far from the village of Platovskaya, on April 25, 1883, the future marshal, the idol of several generations, Semyon Budyonny, was born.

The pre-revolutionary biography of Budyonny was not advertised too much. Semyon Mikhailovich did not participate in any peasant unrest and anti-government speeches. He lived like most Cossacks, worked as a hammerman in a forge, was known as the best rider in the district, and from his youth dreamed of becoming a horse breeder - Budyonny had a passion for horses from childhood.

In 1903, at the age of 20, Semyon Budyonny got married. Nadezhda Ivanovna Budyonnaya, a Cossack woman from a neighboring farm, was considered one of the first beauties. But Budyonny did not have to enjoy family comfort for a long time. The wedding was played in the winter, and the very next autumn Semyon Mikhailovich went to the army. Budyonny's military career advanced rapidly. The best rider of the regiment quickly won the respect of his colleagues and superiors, earned an officer rank. During World War I, Budyonny received four St. George's Crosses.

But they really started talking about Budyonny during the Civil War. In 1917, having learned about the abdication of the throne of Tsar Nicholas II, Semyon Mikhailovich went over to the side of the Bolsheviks. “I decided that it was better to be a marshal in the Red Army than an officer in the white,” Budyonny later joked. Well, he did not fail. The capture of the Cossack capital of Novocherkassk and Rostov-on-Don, the defeat of the detachment of General Kornilov - all this provided Semyon Mikhailovich with simply fabulous fame.

In the war with Poland, Budyonny's army as part of the Southwestern Front acted on the southern flank and was quite successful. Budyonny broke through the defensive positions of the Polish troops and cut off the supply lines of the Kyiv group of Poles, launching an offensive against Lvov.

In this war, the legend of the "invincible" strategist Tukhachevsky was destroyed. Tukhachevsky did not critically perceive the reports received by the headquarters of the Western Front that the Poles were completely defeated and were fleeing in panic. Budyonny, on the other hand, more reasonably assessed the state of affairs, as evidenced by the lines from his memoirs: “From the operational reports of the Western Front, we saw that the Polish troops, retreating, did not suffer heavy losses, it seemed that the enemy was retreating in front of the armies of the Western Front, saving forces for decisive battles ...”.

In mid-August, the Polish army attacked the Red Army troops that were bypassing Warsaw from the north. The right flank of Tukhachevsky was defeated. Tukhachevsky demands to withdraw Budyonny's army from the battle and prepare it for a strike on Lublin. At this time, the 1st Cavalry Army was fighting on the Bug River and could not simply withdraw from the battle. As Budyonny wrote: “It was physically impossible to withdraw from the battle within one day and make a hundred-kilometer march in order to concentrate in the indicated area on August 20. And if this impossible had happened, then with access to Vladimir-Volynskoye, the Cavalry would still not be able to take part in the operation against the enemy’s Lublin grouping, which operated in the Brest region.

The war was lost, but Budyonny personally did everything to win, the troops entrusted to him acted quite successfully.

From 1937 to 1939, Budyonny was appointed commander of the troops of the Moscow Military District, since 1939 - a member of the Main Military Council of the NPO of the USSR, deputy people's commissar, from August 1940 - first deputy people's commissar of defense of the USSR. Budyonny noted the important role of cavalry in maneuver warfare, at the same time advocating the technical re-equipment of the army, initiated the formation of cavalry-mechanized formations.

He correctly identified the role of the cavalry in a future war: “The reasons for the rise or decline of the cavalry should be sought in relation to the basic properties of this type of troops to the basic data of the situation of a certain historical period. In all cases, when the war acquired a maneuverable character, and the operational situation required the presence of mobile troops and decisive actions, the horse masses became one of the decisive elements of the armed force. This is manifested by a well-known pattern throughout the history of cavalry; as soon as the possibility of a maneuver war developed, the role of the cavalry immediately increased, and certain operations were completed with its blows ... We are stubbornly fighting for the preservation of a powerful independent red cavalry and for its further strengthening solely because a sober, real assessment of the situation convinces us of the undoubted need to have such cavalry in the system of our Armed Forces".

Unfortunately, Budyonny's opinion on the need to maintain a strong cavalry was not fully appreciated by the country's leadership. At the end of the 1930s, the reduction of cavalry units began, 4 corps and 13 cavalry divisions remained for the war. The Great War confirmed his correctness - the mechanized corps turned out to be less stable than the cavalry units. Cavalry divisions did not depend on roads and fuel, like mechanized units. They were more mobile and maneuverable than motorized rifle divisions. They successfully operated against the enemy in wooded and mountainous areas, successfully carried out raids behind enemy lines, in combination with tank units developed a breakthrough of enemy positions, developed an offensive and coverage of Nazi units.

By the way, the Wehrmacht also appreciated the importance of the caval parts and quite seriously increased their numbers in the war. The Red Cavalry went through the entire war and ended it on the banks of the Oder. The cavalry commanders Belov, Oslikovsky, Dovator entered the elite of the Soviet commanders.

During the Great Patriotic War, Budyonny was part of the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command. He was appointed commander of the Stavka reserve army group (June 1941), then commander-in-chief of the troops of the South-Western direction (July 10 - September 1941).

The southwestern direction quite successfully held back the onslaught of the Nazi troops, counterattacked. In the North, in the Baltic, troops also operated under the general command of Voroshilov. As a result, Berlin realized that the troops of Army Group Center were under great threat - it became possible to strike from the flanks, from the North and from the South. The blitzkrieg failed, Hitler was forced to throw Guderian's 2nd tank group south in order to reach the flank and rear of the Soviet group defending Kyiv.

On September 11, towards Guderian from the Kremenchug bridgehead, the division of the 1st Panzer Group Kleist launched an offensive. Both tank groups connected on September 16, closing the ring around Kyiv - the troops of the Southwestern Front were in the boiler, the Red Army suffered heavy losses. But, having tied significant enemy forces with heavy battles, she won time to strengthen the defense in the central strategic direction.

Marshal S. M. Budyonny warned the Headquarters about the danger threatening the troops of the Southwestern Front, recommended leaving Kyiv and withdrawing the armies, that is, he proposed to wage not a positional war, but a maneuver one. So, when Guderian's tanks broke into Romny, General Kirponos turned to the Chief of the General Staff, Marshal B.M. Shaposhnikov, with a request to allow the evacuation of Kyiv and the withdrawal of troops, however, he was refused. Budyonny supported his subordinate and, in turn, telegraphed to Headquarters: “For my part, I believe that by this time the enemy’s plan to encircle and encircle the South-Western Front from the Novgorod-Seversky and Kremenchug directions was completely outlined. To counter this plan, it is necessary to create a strong group of troops. The Southwestern Front is not in a position to do this. If the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command, in turn, does not have the ability to concentrate such a strong group at the moment, then the withdrawal for the Southwestern Front is quite overdue ... Delay in the withdrawal of the Southwestern Front can lead to the loss of troops and a huge amount of materiel ".

Unfortunately, in Moscow the situation was seen differently, and even such a talented General Staff officer as B. M. Shaposhnikov did not see the impending danger in time. It can be added that Budyonny had great courage to defend his point of view, because the marshal knew about Stalin's desire to defend Kyiv at all costs. A day after this telegram, he was removed from this position, a few days later the troops of the front fell into the encirclement.

In September-October 1941, Budyonny was appointed commander of the Reserve Front. On September 30, the Wehrmacht launched Operation Typhoon, the Wehrmacht broke through the defenses of the Soviet troops, and the troops of the Western (Konev) and Reserve Fronts were surrounded in the Vyazma region. It was a disaster, but Budyonny cannot be blamed for this. Firstly, the reconnaissance of the General Staff was unable to reveal the concentration areas of the Wehrmacht's strike groups, so the available troops were stretched along the entire front and could not withstand a blow of such power when the defending division had 3-4 enemy divisions (on the main directions of strikes). Secondly, Budyonny could not use his favorite tactics of maneuver, it was impossible to retreat. It is stupid to accuse him of military mediocrity, Konev became one of the most famous heroes of the war, but he could not do anything either.

In fact, only in the North Caucasus was he appointed commander-in-chief of the troops of the North Caucasian direction (April - May 1942) and commander of the North Caucasian Front (May - August 1942), he was able to show his skill. When the Wehrmacht reached the Caucasus in July 1942, Budyonny proposed to withdraw troops to the borders of the Main Caucasian Range and the Terek, reducing the overextended front, and also to form two reserve armies in the Grozny region. Stalin considered these proposals rational and approved them. The troops retreated to the line planned by Budyonny in August 1942 and, as a result of fierce fighting, stopped the enemy.

In January 1943, Budyonny became commander-in-chief of the cavalry, apparently Stalin decided that it was time to show his skills to the young. The merit of Budyonny is that he helped the Red Army survive and learn how to fight.

The most objective assessment of the activities of Marshal Budyonny in the Great Patriotic War can be called the words of the Chief of Staff of the South-Western Direction, General Pokrovsky: “He himself did not propose solutions, he himself did not understand the situation in such a way as to offer a solution, but when they reported to him, offered certain decisions, a program, this or that, of actions, he, firstly, quickly grasped the situation and, secondly, second, as a rule, supported the most rational decisions. And he did it with sufficient determination.”.

The son of the Russian peasantry did not let his homeland down. He honestly served the Russian Empire on the fields of the Russian-Japanese, the First World War, his courage and skill earned him awards. He supported the construction of a new state and honestly served him.

After the war, he was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union by decrees of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of February 1, 1958, April 24, 1963 and February 22, 1968 and became the Hero of the USSR Three times. He well deserved it.

Of the personal qualities of this worthy Man, personal courage and courage can be noted (for example: in July 1916, Budyonny received the St. George Cross of the 1st degree for bringing 7 Turkish soldiers from a sortie behind enemy lines with four comrades). There is a legend that once the Chekists decided to “feel” the marshal. The marshal met the armed night guests with a saber unsheathed and shouting "Who is first!!!" rushed at the guests (according to another version, he put a machine gun out the window). They hurried back. The next morning, Lavrenty Pavlovich reported to Stalin about the need to arrest Budyonny (and described the event in colors). Comrade Stalin replied: "Well done, Simon! That's how they should be!" Budyonny was no longer disturbed. According to another version, having shot the Chekists who came after him, Budyonny rushed to call Stalin: “Joseph, counter-revolution! They came to arrest me! I won't give up alive!" After that, Stalin gave the command to leave Budyonny alone. Most likely, this is a historical anecdote, but even he characterizes Budyonny as a very brave person.

Budyonny virtuoso played the button accordion, danced well - during the reception of the Soviet delegation in Turkey, the Turks performed folk dances, and then invited the Russians to respond in kind. And Budyonny, despite his age, danced, puffing for everyone. After this incident, Voroshilov ordered the introduction of dance lessons in all military universities. He spoke three languages, read a lot, collected a large library. He did not tolerate drunkenness. In food he was unpretentious.

Semyon Mikhalovich Budyonny was buried in Moscow, near the Kremlin wall.



Place of Birth:	Khutor Kozyurin, the village of Platovskaya, Salsky District, Don Cossack Region, Russian Empire
A place of death:	Moscow, USSR
Accessory:
Type of army:	Cavalry
Years of service:
	Marshal of the Soviet Union
Commanded:	Districts and fronts, the First Cavalry Army, the cavalry of the Soviet Army
Battles / wars:	Russo-Japanese War, World War I, Russian Civil War, Great Patriotic War
	Awards of the Russian Empire: Soldier's Cross of St. George 1st class Soldier's St. George's Cross 2nd class Soldier's St. George's Cross 3rd class Soldier's St. George's Cross, 4th class Foreign awards:

Civil War

The Great Patriotic War

Post-war activities

Opinions of contemporaries

perpetuation of memory

monuments

Awards and commemorative signs

Awards of the Russian Empire

USSR awards

Interesting Facts

Compositions

Movie incarnations

(April 13 (April 25) 1883 - October 26, 1973) - Soviet military leader, participant in the Civil War, commander of the First Cavalry Army, one of the first Marshals of the Soviet Union, three times Hero of the Soviet Union.

Born on the farm Kozyurin (now the Proletarsky district of the Rostov region) Platovskaya village (now Budyonnovskaya) in a poor peasant family of Mikhail Ivanovich Budyonny. Russian. Member of the RCP(b)/VKP(b)/CPSU since 1919.

Service in the Imperial Army

In 1903 he was drafted into the army. He served military service in the Far East in the Primorsky Dragoon Regiment, where he also remained on extra duty. Participated in the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905 as part of the 26th Don Cossack Regiment.

In 1907, as the best rider of the regiment, he was sent to St. Petersburg, to the Officer Cavalry School for rider courses for the lower ranks, which he completed in 1908. Until 1914 he served in the Primorsky Dragoon Regiment. Participated in the First World War as a senior non-commissioned officer of the 18th Seversky Dragoon Regiment on the German, Austrian and Caucasian fronts, was awarded for bravery with St. George's crosses (soldier's "Egoriy") of four degrees ("full bow") and four St. George's medals.

By order of the division, he was deprived of his first St. George Cross of the 4th degree, which he received on the German front, for assaulting a senior in rank - the sergeant-major, who had insulted and hit Budyonny in the face. Again he received a cross of the 4th degree on the Turkish front, at the end of 1914. Cross of the 3rd degree received in January 1916 for participation in the attacks near Mendelidzh. In March 1916, Budyonny was awarded the 2nd degree cross. In July 1916, Budyonny received the St. George Cross of the 1st degree, for bringing 7 Turkish soldiers from a sortie behind enemy lines with four comrades.

In the summer of 1917, together with the Caucasian Cavalry Division, he arrived in the city of Minsk, where he was elected chairman of the regimental committee and deputy chairman of the divisional committee. In August 1917, together with M.V. Frunze, he led the disarmament of the echelons of the Kornilov troops in Orsha. After the October Revolution, he returned to the Don, to the village of Platovskaya, where he was elected a member of the executive committee of the Salsky District Council and appointed head of the district land department.

Civil War

In February 1918, Budyonny created a revolutionary cavalry detachment that operated against the White Guards on the Don, which grew into a regiment, brigade, and then a cavalry division, which successfully operated near Tsaritsyn in 1918 - early 1919.

In the second half of June 1919, the first large cavalry unit was created in the young Red Army - the Horse Corps, which participated in August 1919 in the upper reaches of the Don in stubborn battles with the Caucasian army of General P. N. Wrangel, which reached Tsaritsyn and was transferred to Voronezh, in The Voronezh-Kastornenskaya operation of 1919, together with the divisions of the 8th Army, utterly defeated the Cossack corps of Generals Mamontov and Shkuro. Parts of the corps occupied the city of Voronezh, closing a 100-kilometer gap in the positions of the Red Army troops in the Moscow direction. The victories of the Cavalry Corps of Budyonny over the troops of General Denikin near Voronezh and Kastorna accelerated the defeat of the enemy on the Don.

On November 19, 1919, the command of the Southern Front, based on the decision of the Revolutionary Military Council of the Republic, signed an order to rename the Cavalry Corps into the First Cavalry Army. Budyonny was appointed commander of this army. The First Cavalry Army, which he led until October 1923, played an important role in a number of major operations of the Civil War to defeat the troops of Denikin and Wrangel in Northern Tavria and the Crimea. The First Cavalry Army under the command of Budyonny twice suffered a heavy defeat from the whites in the oncoming equestrian battles on the Don: on January 6 (19), 1920 near Rostov from General Toporkov and 10 days later from the cavalry of General Pavlov in battles on the Manych River on January 16 (29) - January 20 (February 2), 1920, when Budyonny lost 3 thousand sabers and was forced to abandon all his artillery. In the Soviet-Polish war, in battles with the army of Pilsudski, he was also ultimately defeated, but inflicting heavy losses on it, in particular, having carried out the Zhytomyr breakthrough.

Service in the Red Army after the end of the Civil War

In 1921-23, Budyonny was a member of the Revolutionary Military Council, and then deputy commander of the North Caucasian Military District. He did a lot of work on the organization and management of stud farms, which, as a result of many years of work, brought out new breeds of horses - Budyonnovskaya and Terek.

In 1923, Budyonny became the "godfather" of the Chechen Autonomous Region: wearing the hat of the Emir of Bukhara, with a red ribbon over his shoulder, he arrived in Urus-Martan and, by decree of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee, declared Chechnya an autonomous region.

In 1923, Budyonny was appointed assistant to the commander-in-chief of the Red Army for cavalry and a member of the Revolutionary Military Council of the USSR. In 1924-37 he was an inspector of the cavalry of the Red Army. In 1932 he graduated from the Military Academy. M. V. Frunze. At the same time, as part of the study of new modern methods of fighting the enemy, in 1931 he makes his first parachute jump from an airplane.

On September 22, 1935, the "Regulations on the service of the command and command staff of the Red Army" introduced personal military ranks. In November 1935, the Central Executive Committee and the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR awarded the new military rank of "Marshal of the Soviet Union" to the five largest Soviet commanders. Among them was Budyonny.

At the February-March (1937) plenum of the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks, when discussing the issue of N.I. Bukharin and A.I. the party of M. N. Tukhachevsky and Ya. E. Rudzutak wrote: “Of course, for. These bastards need to be executed." He became a member of the Special Judicial Presence of the Supreme Court of the USSR, which on June 11, 1937, considered the case of the so-called "military fascist conspiracy" (the case of M. N. Tukhachevsky and others) and sentenced the military leaders to death.

From 1937 to 1939, Budyonny commanded the troops of the Moscow Military District, from 1939 he was a member of the Main Military Council of the NPO of the USSR, deputy people's commissar, from August 1940 he was first deputy people's commissar of defense of the USSR. Budyonny noted the important role of cavalry in maneuver warfare, at the same time advocating the technical re-equipment of the army, initiated the formation of cavalry-mechanized formations. The prevailing opinion in the prewar years was that cavalry could not seriously compete with tank and motorized formations on the battlefield. As a result, out of the 32 cavalry divisions and 7 corps directorates available in the USSR by 1938, 13 cavalry divisions and 4 corps remained by the beginning of the war. However, according to a number of historians, the experience of the war showed that the reduction of the cavalry was hasty.

The Great Patriotic War

During the Great Patriotic War, he was a member of the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command, participated in the defense of Moscow, commanded a group of troops of the Stavka reserve army (June 1941), then commander-in-chief of the troops of the South-Western direction (July 10 - September 1941), commander of the Reserve Front ( September - October 1941), commander-in-chief of the troops of the North Caucasian direction (April - May 1942), commander of the North Caucasian Front (May - August 1942).

On the recommendation of Budyonny, the Soviet command in the summer of 1941 began to form new cavalry divisions, by the end of the year over 80 light cavalry divisions were additionally deployed (according to other sources, this was done on the initiative of G. Zhukov). In July-September 1941, Budyonny was the commander-in-chief of the troops of the South-Western direction (South-Western and Southern fronts), standing in the way of the German invasion of Ukraine.

In August, on the orders of Marshal Budyonny in Zaporozhye, sappers of the 157th regiment of the NKVD blew up the Dneproges. Soldiers of both the German and Soviet armies perished in the streams of the surging wave. In addition to troops and refugees, many people who worked there, the local civilian population, hundreds of thousands of livestock died in the floodplains and the coastal zone. An avalanche of water quickly flooded the vast expanses of the Dnieper floodplain. In one hour, the entire lower part of Zaporozhye was demolished with huge stocks of industrial equipment. In September, Budyonny sent a telegram to Headquarters with a proposal to withdraw troops from the threat of encirclement, for which he was removed from the post of commander-in-chief of the South-Western direction by Stalin and replaced by S. K. Timoshenko.

Then - commander of the Reserve Front (September-October 1941), commander-in-chief of the North Caucasian direction (April - May 1942), commander of the North Caucasian Front (May - August 1942). Since January 1943 - Commander-in-Chief of the Cavalry of the Soviet Army, and in 1947-1953 at the same time - Deputy Minister of Agriculture of the USSR for horse breeding.

Post-war activities

From May 1953 to September 1954 cavalry inspector. Since 1954 - Deputy for Special Assignments under the Minister of Defense of the USSR, member of the Presidium of the Central Committee of DOSAAF, chairman of its award commission. He was chairman of the Soviet-Mongolian Friendship Society.

By decrees of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of February 1, 1958, April 24, 1963 and February 22, 1968, he was awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union.

Member of the Central Committee of the CPSU in 1939-52 (candidate in 1934-39 and 1952-73). Member of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee and the Central Executive Committee of the USSR. Member of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of the 1st-8th convocations, since 1938 a member of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR.

He died at the age of 91, October 26, 1973 in Moscow from a cerebral hemorrhage. He was buried on Red Square in Moscow near the Kremlin wall. There is a monument on the grave. Budyonny's widow Maria Vasilievna, who was 33 years younger than him, died in 2006 at the ninety-first year of her life. She was buried at the Novodevichy cemetery.

Opinions of contemporaries

From a conversation between Konstantin Simonov and the former Chief of Staff of the South-Western Direction, Colonel-General A.P. Pokrovsky.

Budyonny is a very peculiar person. This is a real nugget, a man with a people's mind, with common sense. He had the ability to quickly grasp the situation. He himself did not propose solutions, he himself did not understand the situation in such a way as to offer a solution, but when they reported to him, offered these or those decisions, a program, this or that, of actions, he, firstly, quickly grasped the situation and, secondly, , as a rule, supported the most rational decisions. And he did it with sufficient determination.

In particular, we must give him his due that when he was informed of the situation that had developed in the Kiev bag, and when he figured it out, assessed it, the proposal that was made to him by the headquarters in order to raise the question before the Headquarters about withdrawing from the Kyiv bag, he accepted immediately and wrote a corresponding telegram to Stalin. He did it resolutely, although the consequences of such an act could be dangerous and formidable for him.

And so it happened. It was for this telegram that he was removed from the commander of the South-Western direction, and Timoshenko was appointed instead of him.

perpetuation of memory

A bronze bust was erected in the city of Rostov-on-Don, where the avenue (former Taganrogsky) was named after the legendary commander.
The city of the Holy Cross (since 1920, Prikumsk, Stavropol Territory) was renamed Budyonnovsk in 1935, which it bore until 1957. The second time it was named after the marshal in 1973, after his death. In Budyonnovsk, the avenue where the bust is installed is also named after him. On the facade of the city station, facing the city, there is a bas-relief in the form of the face of Budyonny.
In 1919, the city of Biryuch was renamed Budyonny and bore this name from 1919 to 1958.
The village of Budyonnovskaya in the Rostov region.
The village of Budyonovka in Khakassia.
The name of the marshal is Budyonny Street in Lipetsk, Krasnodar, Tver, Brest, Nikolaev, Belgorod, Simferopol and Minsk, Budyonny Avenue in Moscow, Tolyatti, Novocherkassk, Budyonnovsky Prospekt in Rostov-on-Don.
The name of the Marshal is the Military Academy of Communications in St. Petersburg (for 2010), Tikhoretsky Prospekt, Building 3, next to the Politekhnicheskaya metro station, opposite the Polytechnic University.
Honorary citizen of the city of Serpukhov since 1973
One of the districts of the city of Donetsk bears his name
A street in Dnepropetrovsk on the West is named after Budyonny.
The microdistrict in the city of Stary Oskol, Belgorod Region, is named after Marshal
In one of the districts of Voronezh there is a cemetery named in memory of the hero

monuments

On the grave near the Kremlin wall
Bronze bust and monument in Rostov-on-Don
On Budyonny Square in Donetsk
Bust in the center of Velikomikhailovka village (Belgorod region)

Awards and commemorative signs

Awards of the Russian Empire

Full Cavalier of the Badge of Distinction of the Military Order of St. George

USSR awards

Medal "Gold Star" of the Hero of the Soviet Union No. 4
Medal "Gold Star" Twice Hero of the Soviet Union No. 45
Medal "Gold Star" Three times Hero of the Soviet Union No. 10827
8 orders of Lenin:

February 23, 1935 No. 881
November 17, 1939 No. 2376
April 24, 1943 No. 13136
February 21, 1945 No. 24441
April 24, 1953 No. 257292
February 1, 1958 No. 348750
April 24, 1958 No. 371649
April 24, 1973

6 Orders of the Red Banner (No. 34, No. 390/2, No. 100/3, No. 42/4, No. 2/5, No. 299579)

Order of Suvorov, 1st class (No. 123)

Order of the Red Banner of the Azerbaijan SSR

Order of the Red Banner of Labor of the Uzbek SSR

Honorary Revolutionary Weapon (three times):

golden military weapon with the Order of the Red Banner on it
honorary revolutionary firearms with the Order of the Red Banner on it
honorary weapon - a checker with the image of the State Emblem of the USSR

Soviet medals

Other

Orders and medals of foreign countries
Honorary citizen of the cities of Rostov-on-Don, Volgograd, Serpukhov.

Name S. M. Budyonny the breed of horses "Budyonnovskaya" is named.
On May 7, 1918, a competition was announced in the RSFSR to develop new uniforms for the soldiers of the Red Army, in which famous Russian artists V. M. Vasnetsov, B. M. Kustodiev, M. D. Ezuchevsky, S. Arkadievsky and others took part. December 18 In 1918, on the basis of the works submitted for the competition, the RVSR approved a new type of winter headdress made of uniform cloth. For its epic appearance in the first period of its existence, the Red Army helmet was called the “bogatyrka”, later it was called by the names of the military leaders, in part of which the first to receive new uniforms were M. V. Frunze and S. M. Budyonny: “Frunzevka” and “Budyonovka” ". The last name took root and entered the dictionaries of the Russian language. There is an alternative opinion that a headdress of this form was developed before the revolution and began to be produced during the First World War, but was stored in warehouses and did not enter the troops, and then was used to equip the Red Army.

Budyonny was married three times. Relations with the first and second wife did not develop on the basis of adultery and in connection with the wild life that high-ranking wives led. Budyonny's first wife died in 1924, according to the official version, as a result of an accident, however, despite the fact that everything happened in front of witnesses, rumors were widespread that Budyonny shot her out of jealousy. According to some sources, he remarried on the second day after her death, and according to other sources, less than a year later. Budyonny's second wife was an opera singer, 20 years younger than him, and led the same turbulent life as his first wife, with numerous novels and visits to foreign embassies, which attracted the close attention of the NKVD. She was arrested in 1937 on charges of espionage and in an attempt to poison the marshal, during the investigation she gave numerous testimonies against her husband, in her own words she was subjected to numerous abuses and violence, was sentenced first to camps, and then to exile, and was released only in 1956 with the active assistance of Budyonny himself. Nevertheless, during the life of Stalin, Budyonny made no attempt to alleviate her fate, although he repeatedly stood up for the unjustly convicted directors of his stud farms, since he was told that she died in prison. Soon he married a third time - to the cousin of his arrested second wife, with the help of his own mother-in-law, who remained to live with them. The third marriage turned out to be happy and large, unlike previous childless marriages. After the release of his second wife, Budyonny moved her to Moscow, supported her, and she even came to visit his new family.

The museum of the First Cavalry Army keeps the headpiece of S. M. Budyonny, donated to the museum in 1979.

There is a legend in various variations, according to which one night a "black funnel" came to Budyonny. The marshal met the armed night guests with a saber unsheathed, and with a cry of "Who is the first !!!" rushed at the guests (according to another version, he put a machine gun out the window). They hurried back. The next morning, Lavrenty Pavlovich reported to Stalin about the need to arrest Budyonny (and described the event in colors). Comrade Stalin replied: “Well done, Semyon! That's how they should be!" Budyonny was no longer disturbed. According to another version, having shot the Chekists who came after him, Budyonny rushed to call Stalin: “Joseph, counter-revolution! They came to arrest me! I won't give up alive!" After that, Stalin gave the command to leave Budyonny alone: "This old fool is not dangerous."

Budyonny's favorite horse, nicknamed Sophist, is immortalized in the monument to M. I. Kutuzov by the sculptor N. V. Tomsky, installed in Moscow in front of the Battle of Borodino panorama museum.
He played the accordion virtuoso. Possessing a good ear, he often played "Lady" to Stalin himself. There are rare records where you can hear the button accordion in the hands of Budyonny.
In the summer of 1929, a new brick building of the Voronezh Circus for 30,000 seats was built in Plekhanovskaya Street in Voronezh. The circus was named after S. M. Budyonny.

Compositions

Cavalry in the World War. - Military Bulletin, 1924, No. 28. Pp. 53-57.
Fundamentals of cavalry tactics. - M., 1938. - 41 p.
The first horse on the Don. - Rostov n / D, 1969. - 168 p.
Distance traveled. - M., 1959-1973. Book. 1-3.
Meeting with Ilyich. 2nd ed. - M., 1972. - 286 p.
Book about the horse: In 5 vols. (Editor.) M., 1952-1959.

Movie incarnations

Konstantin Davidovsky (The Red Devils, 1923)
Alexander Khvylya (First Cavalry, 1941, Defense of Tsaritsyn, 1942, Oath, 1946)
Lev Sverdlin (Oleko Dundich, 1958, Elusive Avengers, 1966)
Vadim Spiridonov (First Cavalry, 1984)
Pyotr Glebov (Battle for Moscow, 1985)
Alexey Buldakov (Burnt by the Sun 2, 2010)

The image of S. M. Budyonny in fiction

A. Tolstoy "Walking through the torments." Book 3 "Gloomy Morning"
I. Babel "Cavalry"
A. Bondar "Black Avengers"
P. Blyakhin "Red Devils"

		Bust in Budyonnovsk
		Memorial plaque in Moscow (on the house where he lived)
		tombstone
		Bust in the village of Velikomikhailovka
		Bronze bust in Rostov-on-Don
		Bronze bust in Rostov-on-Don (detail)
		A sign on the building of the academy in St. Petersburg
		Memorial plaque in Valuyki
		Memorial plaque in Berdichev
		Monument in Donetsk
		Memorial plaque in Moscow (at the headquarters where he served)
		Prospect in Moscow

B Udyonny Semyon Mikhailovich - Soviet military leader, hero of the Civil War, commander of the 1st Cavalry Army, one of the first Marshals of the Soviet Union.
Born on April 13 (25), 1883 on the farm Kozyurin (now the Proletarsky district of the Rostov region) in a poor peasant family. Russian.
Since 1903, in the Russian army, an ordinary dragoon regiment in the city of Biryuch, Voronezh province. In 1904-1905 he participated in the Russo-Japanese War as part of the 46th Don Cossack Regiment. In 1906-1914 he served in the Primorsky Dragoon Regiment near Vladivostok. In 1908 he graduated from the St. Petersburg school of riders at the Higher Cavalry School.
He participated in the 1st World War as a senior non-commissioned officer of the 18th Seversky Dragoon Regiment on the Western and Caucasian fronts, a participant in the campaign of the Russian Expeditionary Force to Persia in 1916. He was awarded for bravery 4th St. George's crosses and 4th medals.
In the summer of 1917, together with the Caucasian division, he arrived in the city of Minsk, where he was elected chairman of the regimental committee and deputy chairman of the divisional committee. In August 1917, he took part in directing the disarmament of the echelons of the Kornilov troops in Orsha. After the Great October Socialist Revolution, he returned to the Don, to the village of Platovskaya, where he was elected a member of the executive committee of the Salsk District Council and appointed head of the district land department.
In February 1918, S.M. Budyonny created the Platovsky revolutionary cavalry detachment, which acted against the White Guards on the Don. Since June 1918 - assistant commander of the 1st Socialist Peasant Cavalry Regiment. Since September 1918 - assistant commander of the 1st Don Soviet Cavalry Brigade. Since December 1918 - Assistant Chief of the 1st Consolidated Cavalry Division. From January 1919 - commander of the 1st Cavalry Brigade of the 1st Consolidated Cavalry Division. He successfully operated on the Don near Tsaritsyn in 1918 - early 1919. Member of the CPSU (b) / CPSU since 1919.
Since March 1919 - the head of the 4th Cavalry Division. When in June 1919 the first large cavalry unit, the Cavalry Corps, was created in the Red Army, he became its first commander (until August 1919 he combined this post with the post of head of the 4th division). Corps under the command of S.M. Budyonny played in August 1919 a decisive role in the defeat of the main forces of the Caucasian army of General Wrangel in the upper reaches of the Don. In the Voronezh-Kastornensk operation of 1919, together with the divisions of the 8th Army, he utterly defeated the Cossack corps of Generals Mamontov and Shkuro. Parts of the corps occupied the city of Voronezh, closing a 100-kilometer gap in the positions of the Red Army troops in the Moscow direction. Victory Cavalry Corps S.M. Budyonny over the troops of General Denikin near Voronezh and Kastorna accelerated the defeat of the enemy on the Don.
On November 19, 1919, the command of the Southern Front, on the basis of the decision of the Revolutionary Military Council of the Republic, whose meeting was held in the village of Velikomikhailovka, now the Novooskolsky district of the Belgorod region (Stalin, Budyonny, Shchadenko and others were present), signed an order to rename the Cavalry Corps into the 1st Cavalry Army. S.M. was appointed commander of this army. Budyonny. The legendary 1st Cavalry Commander Budyonny, which he led until October 1923, played an important role in a number of major operations of the Civil War to defeat the troops of Denikin, the armies of Pilsudski in Ukraine and Wrangel in Northern Tavria and Crimea.
In 1921-1923 S.M. Budyonny, along with the command of the 1st Cavalry Army, is a member of the Revolutionary Military Council and deputy commander of the North Caucasian Military District. He did a lot of work on the organization and management of stud farms, which, as a result of many years of work, brought out new breeds of horses - Budyonnovskaya and Terek.
In 1923 S.M. Budyonny is appointed assistant to the commander-in-chief of the Red Army for cavalry and a member of the Revolutionary Military Council of the USSR. In 1924-1937 he was an inspector of the cavalry of the Red Army. In 1932 he graduated from the Military Academy of the Red Army named after M.V. Frunze.
On September 22, 1935, the "Regulations on the service of the command and command staff of the Red Army" introduced personal military ranks. In November 1935, the Central Executive Committee and the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR awarded the new military rank of "Marshal of the Soviet Union" to the five largest Soviet commanders. Among them was Semyon Mikhailovich Budyonny.
Since 1937 Marshal of the Soviet Union S.M. Budyonny - Commander of the Moscow Military District. Since 1939, along with the command of the district troops, he was a member of the Main Military Council of the NPO of the USSR and Deputy People's Commissar of Defense of the USSR. From August 1940 - First Deputy People's Commissar of Defense of the USSR. After the Civil War, participating in solving the issues of building the Armed Forces of the USSR, their technical reconstruction, he was guided by her experience, exaggerated the role of the cavalry in a future war and underestimated the technical re-equipment of the army, did not approve of the formation of tank formations.
During the Great Patriotic War from June 1941 to January 1945 - a member of the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command, as well as the commander of the Army Group of the Headquarters reserve (June 1941), the commander-in-chief of the troops of the South-Western direction (July - September 1941), the commander of the Reserve Front (September - October 1941), commander-in-chief of the North Caucasian direction (April - May 1942), commander of the North Caucasian Front (May - August 1942).
Member of the Kyiv defensive operation, the defense of Moscow, the defense of the Caucasus. In the difficult conditions of the operational-strategic situation of 1941-1942, Marshal of the Soviet Union Budyonny S.M., unfortunately, did not sufficiently demonstrate the qualities necessary for the commander of large operational-strategic formations and failed to ensure firm and continuous command and control of troops in a rapidly changing environment.
Since January 1943 he was the commander of the cavalry of the Soviet Army, and in 1947-1953 at the same time - the deputy minister of agriculture of the USSR for horse breeding. From May 1953 to September 1954 - inspector of the cavalry of the Soviet Army. Since 1954 - at the disposal of the Minister of Defense of the USSR.
"Z and outstanding merits in the creation of the Armed Forces of the USSR and the defense of the Soviet state from the enemies of our Motherland and the heroism shown at the same time "by the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of February 1, 1958 to the Marshal of the Soviet Union Semyon Mikhailovich Budyonny was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union with the Order of Lenin and the Gold Star medal.
"Z and outstanding merits in the creation of the Armed Forces of the USSR and the defense of the Soviet state from the enemies of our Motherland and in connection with the eightieth anniversary of the birth "Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of April 24, 1963 Marshal of the Soviet Union Semyon Mikhailovich Budyonny was awarded the second Gold Star medal.
"Z and outstanding merits in the creation of the Armed Forces of the USSR, courage and courage shown in the battles to defend the Soviet state and in connection with the fiftieth anniversary of the Soviet Army and Navy "by Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of February 22, 1968 to the Marshal of the Soviet Union Semyon Mikhailovich Budyonny was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union three times with the third Gold Star medal.
Member of the CPSU in 1939-52 (candidate in 1934-39 and 1952-73). Member of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee and the Central Executive Committee of the USSR. Member of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of the 1st-8th convocations (1937-1973), since 1938 a member of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR. He was a member of the Presidium of the Central Committee of DOSAAF and the chairman of its award commission; chairman of the Soviet-Mongolian Friendship Society.
He died at the age of 91, on October 26, 1973. He was buried in Moscow on Red Square near the Kremlin wall. There is a monument on the grave.
He was awarded 8 Orders of Lenin (02/23/1935, 11/17/1939, 04/24/1943, 02/21/1945, 04/24/1953, 02/01/1958, 04/24/1958, 04/24/1973), 6 Orders of the Red Banner (03/29/1919, 1923/1919). , 22.2.1930, 8.1.1941, 3.11.1944, 24.6.1948), Order of Suvorov 1st degree (22.2.1944); orders of the Red Banner of the Azerbaijan SSR (29.11.1929), the Order of the Red Banner of Labor of the Uzbek SSR (19.1.1930); medals "For the Defense of Moscow", "For the Defense of Odessa", "For the Defense of Sevastopol", "For the Defense of the Caucasus", "For the Victory over Germany in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945", "For the Victory over Japan", "Twenty years of victory in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945", "For military prowess. In commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the birth of Vladimir Ilyich Lenin", "XX years of the Red Army", "30 years of the Soviet Army and Navy", "40 years of the Armed Forces of the USSR", "50 years of the Armed Forces of the USSR", "In memory of the 800th anniversary of Moscow", "In memory of the 250th anniversary of Leningrad", foreign awards of the Mongolian People's Republic - the Order of the Red Banner of the 1st degree (Mongolian People's Republic, 1936 ), two orders of Sukhbaatar (Mongolian People's Republic, 1961, 1973), three medals of Mongolia. He was awarded the Honorary Revolutionary Weapon three times (11/20/1919, 1921, 02/22/1968).
Honorary citizen of Rostov-on-Don, the hero city of Volgograd, Serpukhov.
A bronze bust was installed in the city of Rostov-on-Don, where the avenue was named after the legendary commander. The monument was erected on Budyonny Square in the city of Donetsk. The bust of S.M. Budyonny was installed in the homeland of the 1st Cavalry Army - in the village of Velikomikhailovka, Novooskolsky district, Belgorod region. The city of Prikumsk in the Stavropol Territory was renamed Budyonnovsk in 1973. Since 1933, the Military Academy of Communications has been named after him (in 1933-1941 - the Military Electrotechnical Academy of the Red Army, in 1941-1946 - the Military Electrotechnical Academy of Communications). Avenues, streets, squares, squares and parks in many cities and villages of Russia and the states of the former USSR are named after the Hero; warships and civil ships; industrial and agricultural enterprises; educational establishments; horse breed.
Compositions:
Fundamentals of cavalry tactics. M., 1938;
The first horse on the Don. Rostov n/a, 1969;
Distance traveled. M., 1959-1973. Book. 1-3;
Meeting with Ilyich. 2nd ed. M., 1972.

On April 25, 1883, on the farm Kozyurin (now the Proletarsky district of the Rostov region), a Soviet military leader, a hero of the Civil War, commander of the 1st Cavalry Army, one of the first Marshals of the Soviet Union, was born into a peasant family Se Myon Mikhailovich Budyonny .
Semyon Budyonny began serving in the army in 1903. At the beginning, he served in the 46th Don Cossack Regiment, participated in the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905. In 1908 he graduated from the St. Petersburg school of equestrians. Until 1914, Budyonny served in the Primorsky Dragoon Regiment. He participated in the 1st World War as a senior non-commissioned officer of the 18th Seversky Dragoon Regiment on the German, Austrian and Caucasian fronts, was awarded four St. George's crosses and medals for bravery.

Non-commissioned officer Budyonny received the first cross of the 4th degree for the capture of a German convoy and prisoners of war on November 8, 1914. By order of the squadron commander, captain Krym-Shamkhalov-Sokolov, Budyonny was to lead a reconnaissance platoon of 33 people, with the task of conducting reconnaissance in the direction of the town Brzezins. Soon the platoon discovered a large convoy column of German troops moving along the highway. In response to repeated reports to the captain about the discovery of enemy convoys, a categorical order was received to continue to conduct covert surveillance. After several hours of aimless observation of the unpunished movement of the enemy, Budyonny decides to attack one of the convoys. With a surprise attack from the forest, the platoon attacked an escort company armed with two heavy machine guns and disarmed it. Two officers who resisted were hacked to death. In total, about two hundred prisoners were captured, including two officers, a wagon with revolvers of various systems, a wagon with surgical instruments, and thirty-five wagons with warm winter uniforms. The platoon lost two men killed. However, by this time the division had managed to retreat far, and the platoon with the convoy caught up with its unit only on the third day.

For this feat, the entire platoon was awarded St. George's crosses and medals. Received the St. George Cross and captain Krym-Shamkhalov-Sokolov, who did not take part in the sortie. The royal military press, covering the events on Western front, wrote that the valiant Caucasian cavalry division defeated the Germans with a dashing attack near Brzezin, capturing large trophies.

After the redeployment of the division to Caucasian Front, by order of the division, he was deprived of his first St. George Cross of the 4th degree, which he received on the German front, for assaulting a senior in rank - sergeant-major Khestanov, who before that insulted and hit Budyonny in the face. Again he received a cross of the 4th degree on the Turkish front, at the end of 1914. In the battle for the city Van, being in reconnaissance with his platoon, penetrated into the rear of the enemy’s location, and at the decisive moment of the battle attacked and captured his battery of three guns. Cross of the 3rd degree received in January 1916 for participation in attacks under Mendelage. In March 1916, Budyonny was awarded the 2nd degree cross. In July 1916, Budyonny received the St. George Cross of the 1st degree, for bringing 7 Turkish soldiers from a sortie behind enemy lines with four comrades.

In the summer of 1917, together with the Caucasian division, he arrived in the city of Minsk, where he was elected chairman of the regimental committee and deputy chairman of the divisional committee. In August 1917, together with M.V. Frunze, he led the disarmament of the echelons of the Kornilov troops in Orsha. After the October Revolution, he returned to the Don, to the village of Platovskaya, where he was elected a member of the executive committee of the Salsky District Council and appointed head of the district land department.

stanitsa Platovskaya

In February 1918, S.M. Budyonny created a revolutionary cavalry detachment that operated against the White Guards on the Don, which grew into a regiment, brigade, and then a cavalry division, which successfully operated near Tsaritsyn in 1918 - early 1919.

In the second half of June 1919, the first large cavalry unit was created in the young Red Army - the Cavalry Corps under the command of S.M. Budyonny, who in August 1919 played a decisive role in the defeat of the main forces of the Caucasian army of General Wrangel in the upper Don, in the Voronezh-Kastornensky operation of 1919, together with the divisions of the 8th Army, utterly defeated the Cossack corps of Generals Mamontov and Shkuro.

K.K. Mamontov A.G. Shkuro

liberation of the railway castor

Parts of the corps occupied the city of Voronezh, closing a 100-kilometer gap in the positions of the Red Army troops in the Moscow direction. Victory Cavalry Corps S.M. Budyonny over the troops of General Denikin near Voronezh and Kastorna accelerated the defeat of the enemy on the Don.
On November 19, 1919, the command of the Southern Front, on the basis of the decision of the Revolutionary Military Council of the Republic, whose meeting was held in the village of Velikomikhailovka, now Novooskolsky District, Belgorod Region, signed an order to rename the Cavalry Corps into the 1st Cavalry Army. S.M. was appointed commander of this army. Budyonny.

The legendary 1st Cavalry Commander Budyonny, which he led until October 1923, played an important role in a number of major operations of the Civil War to defeat the troops of Denikin, the armies of Pilsudski in Ukraine and Wrangel in Northern Tavria and Crimea.

CM. Budyonny, M.V. Frunze, K.E. Voroshilov

K.E. Voroshilov, S.M. Budyonny

P.N. Wrangel

Trumpeters of the 1st Cavalry Army

carts of the 1st Cavalry Army

during the Civil War

The name of Budyonny was so popular. that the cloth helmet of the Red Army, originally called the hero, was first nicknamed, and then officially named Budenovka .

monument to the 1st Cavalry Army

In 1921-1923, Budyonny was a member of the Revolutionary Military Council, and then deputy commander of the North Caucasian Military District. During these years, he did a great job of organizing and managing stud farms, which, as a result of many years of work, bred new breeds of horses - Budyonnovskaya and Terek.

In 1923, Budyonny was appointed assistant to the commander-in-chief of the Red Army for cavalry and a member of the Revolutionary Military Council of the USSR. In 1924-1937 he was an inspector of the cavalry of the Red Army. In 1932 he graduated from the Military Academy. M.V. Frunze.
On September 22, 1935, the "Regulations on the service of the command and command staff of the Red Army" introduced personal military ranks. In November 1935, the Central Executive Committee and the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR awarded the new military rank of "Marshal of the Soviet Union" to the five largest Soviet commanders. Among them was Semyon Mikhailovich Budyonny.

Sitting: Tukhachevsky, Voroshilov, Egorov standing: Budyonny, Blucher

In the prewar years, Marshal of the Soviet Union S.M. Budyonny from 1937 to 1939 commanded the troops of the Moscow Military District, from 1939 he served as a member of the Main Military Council of the NPO of the USSR, Deputy People's Commissar and from August 1940 1st Deputy People's Commissar of Defense of the USSR.

After the Civil War, participating in solving the issues of building the Armed Forces of the USSR, their technical reconstruction, he was guided by her experience, exaggerating the role of the cavalry in a future war and underestimating the technical re-equipment of the army, did not approve of the formation of tank formations.
During the Great Patriotic War, he was a member of the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command, participated in the defense of Moscow, commanded a group of troops of the Stavka reserve army (June 1941), then commander-in-chief of the troops of the South-Western direction (July - September 1941), commander of the Reserve Front (September - October 1941), commander-in-chief of the troops of the North Caucasian direction (April - May 1942), commander of the North Caucasian Front (May - August 1942).

at the forefront

From January 1943 he was the commander of the cavalry of the Soviet Army, and in 1947-53 at the same time he was the deputy minister of agriculture of the USSR for horse breeding. From May 1953 to September 1954 cavalry inspector. Since 1954, at the disposal of the Minister of Defense of the USSR.

What kind of person was the legendary Marshal?

The surname Budyonny is associated with the magnificent mustache of the main cavalryman of the Soviet Union. Until his death, Budyonny's mustache was an integral part of his image. He was very jealous of them. During the Civil War, Semyon's brother also served in the First Cavalry Army, who grew the same mustache. Budyonny didn't like it very much. Once, having invited him to visit him, he contrived and cut off the ends of his mustache, saying: "Budyonny should be alone." Already being a marshal, Semyon Mikhailovich ordered to paint his portrait to the artist Nikolai Meshkov. Naturally, the portrait painter painted Budyonny at his home. The picture was close to completion, when Semyon Mikhailovich, looking at her, came to the conclusion that his mustache looked unnatural - it sticks out like a cat's, and the clasp on his uniform is above the prescribed level. Without thinking twice, Budyonny took a brush and corrected the portrait as he wanted. In general, the artist and the marshal quarreled. But both soon cooled off. Meshkov depicted the mustache as Budyonny wanted.
While studying at the Academy. Frunze Semyon Mikhailovich became addicted to reading books. His pre-war library was considered unique. It collected more than ten thousand volumes. Even after graduating from the academy, Budyonny not only engaged in self-education, but did not hesitate to take lessons from Andrei Snesarev, an associate professor at Moscow University, by the way, a general of the tsarist army, one of the leading teachers of its General Staff. And this was far from safe for an officer of the highest command of the Red Army. Budyonny was very proud of his marshal rank. This was especially true in clothing. At home and in the country, on holidays and weekdays, Semyon Mikhailovich always wore marshal's trousers. He could wear any top: at home - pajamas or a shirt, in the country a jacket or jacket. Budyonny had few civilian clothes. According to his wife Maria Vasilievna, he had only two civilian suits.

in the family

With the filing of Budyonny, a course of modern and folk dances was introduced in Soviet military educational institutions. The fact is that in 1938 the Soviet military delegation visited Turkey. The hosts arranged a chic reception, prepared a concert program. And then they invited the guests to present something from Russian dance creativity. It turned out that neither old nor young Soviet officers were trained in this art. Then the head of the delegation, Kliment Voroshilov, asked for help. Semyon Mikhailovich, despite his already considerable age, danced so that he caused a storm of delight and applause among the Turks.
The marshal was indifferent to alcohol: a couple of glasses of cognac and that's it. He didn't like it when others got drunk. Being a favorite of Stalin, Budyonny could not drink at his dinners - he was allowed to. The marshal did not smoke much, but he always had a couple of packs of Kazbek cigarettes for guests at hand.

In food, Budyonny was very unpretentious and did not perceive any frills. He loved simple folk cuisine, especially kander. This is a half-soup-half-porridge: the broth is boiled in old lard, and then it is seasoned with boiled millet and fried onions.

Semyon Mikhailovich had two hobbies: horses and billiards. Being "legendary", he accepted as a gift horses, which were brought to him from all republics. He handed over gifts to horse-breeding collective farms. Marshal was simply obsessed with horse breeding. He dreamed of breeding a new, Budenov breed, which would take at least 20 years of selection. And with the help of scientists, he achieved his goal: Budennovsky horses had good agility, endurance, and most importantly, they were suitable for both cavalry and agriculture.
Semyon Mikhailovich enjoyed the sincere love and respect of the people. Moving away from military affairs, he received hundreds of letters. Reading them, he said to his wife: “How much did a person have to endure in order to decide to write to Budyonny himself ?!” Yes, and the star of the Hero of the Soviet Union, Budyonny was awarded on the initiative of the people, more precisely, the inhabitants of the Kherson region. This is how the people of Kherson appreciated the merits of Budyonny in the liberation of the region from the German occupiers. His horse-mechanized group in the fall of 1943 through Serogozy, Askania-Nova, Chaplinka, having reached Perekop, cut the German group into two parts. The second cavalry-mechanized military unit, together with the 4th mechanized corps, through Rubanovka-Kakhovka went to the Hola Pristan, liberated it, thereby cutting off the German withdrawal through the crossings on the Dnieper near Kakhovka and Kherson. It was not difficult for Budyonny to carry out reconnaissance on the territory of our region, since he remembered these places from the time of the civil war.
Semyon Mikhailovich lived with dignity: ascended to the Soviet "Olympus", he did not tarnish either the officer's uniform or his conscience.

at the Mausoleum: S.M. Budyonny, I.V. Stalin, G.K. Zhukov

His signature is not on any execution protocol or repressive act against colleagues or party comrades. Until his death, Budyonny remained the chief cavalryman of the USSR, although this branch of service was canceled long ago. The last time Semyon Mikhailovich put his foot in the stirrups was when he was 84 years old. He carried his love of horses throughout his life. A year before his death, Budyonny, saying goodbye to his last horse, which he decided to give to the stud farm, said: “Well, old man, goodbye! It is not known who will outlive whom, because you and I are both old men.
Budyonny died at the age of 91, on October 26, 1973. He was buried in Moscow on Red Square near the Kremlin wall.
By decrees of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of February 1, 1958, April 24, 1963 and February 22, 1968, the People's Hero of the Land of Soviets, the legendary commander of the 1st Cavalry, one of the first Marshals of the Soviet Union, Semyon Mikhailovich Budyonny was awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union three times.

He was awarded seven Orders of Lenin, six Orders of the Red Banner, the Order of Suvorov 1st degree, the Order of the Red Banner of the Azerbaijan SSR, the Order of the Red Banner of Labor of the Uzbek SSR; medals "For the Defense of Moscow", "For the Defense of Odessa", "For the Defense of Sevastopol", "For the Defense of the Caucasus", "For the Victory over Germany in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945", "For the Victory over Japan", "Twenty years of victory in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945", "For military prowess. In commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the birth of Vladimir Ilyich Lenin", "XX years of the Red Army", "30 years of the Soviet Army and Navy", "40 years of the Armed Forces of the USSR", "50 years of the Armed Forces of the USSR", "In memory of the 800th anniversary of Moscow", "In memory of the 250th anniversary of Leningrad", as well as awards of the Mongolian People's Republic - the Order of the Red Banner of the 1st degree, two orders of Sukhe- Bator. He was awarded the Honorary Revolutionary Arms three times.

City Prikumsk Stavropol Territory in 1973 was renamed Budyonnovsk. Since 1933, the name of the legendary Marshal has been borne by the Military Academy of Communications (in 1933-1941 - the Military Electrotechnical Academy of the Red Army, in 1941-1946 - the Military Electrotechnical Academy of Communications).

grave of S.M. Budyonny near the Kremlin wall

Three times Hero of the Soviet Union, Marshal of the Soviet Union Semyon Mikhailovich Budyonny

Semyon Mikhailovich Budyonny was born on April 13 (25), 1883 on the farm Kozyurin of the Platovskaya village of the Salsky district of the Don Army Region (now the Proletarsky district of the Rostov region) in the family of a farm laborer. He was the second child in a large family - he had three sisters and four brothers. From childhood, Semyon knew the hard work of a farm laborer - he worked for hire from kulaks and landowners, as a blacksmith's assistant, as an oiler and stoker, as a driver at a locomobile thresher. Overwork made him strong and enduring, and children's fun and games allowed him to ride a horse and wield cold weapons no worse than any Cossack, for which he earned a silver ruble from the Minister of War when he visited the village of Platovskaya in the summer of 1900, where in honor the distinguished guest held a trick ride.

On September 15, 1903, Semyon Budyonny was called up for military service, which he began as an ordinary soldier of the 5th border hundred in Harbin.

In 1905 he was transferred to the 48th Don Cossack Regiment, with which he participated in the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905.

The young dragoon studied military affairs and fought excellently. Even before arriving in Manchuria, he wrote to his father: “I learn the service with sweat and blood, but I don’t lose heart, because I understand my business ... When I gain experience, the service will go more fun. I firmly decided to become a military man ... I will serve my own and stay on extra duty ... They will assign me to a school, and then I will become a non-commissioned officer.

After the end of the war, he was transferred to the Primorsky Dragoon Regiment of the Ussuri Cavalry Brigade in the village. Razdolnoye, Primorsky region.

On January 16, 1907, Semyon Mikhailovich was sent to the St. Petersburg equestrian school, created to train equestrian instructors at the Higher Cavalry Officer School. Upon his return to the regiment, he received the rank of junior non-commissioned officer. Having served urgent, S.M. Budyonny remained in the Primorsky Dragoon Regiment for extra duty, where he served as a regimental rider until November 1913. During his active service he was promoted to senior non-commissioned officer.

Leaving his extended service in November 1913, he returned to his relatives in the village of Platovskaya and again began working for the landowners.

In August 1914, with the outbreak of World War I, he was mobilized and sent to the Western Front in the 18th Seversky Dragoon Regiment of the Caucasian Cavalry Division as a platoon non-commissioned officer of the 5th squadron. Since December 1914, the division fought on the Caucasian front. In the First World War, when the cavalry played a fairly prominent role, S.M. Budyonny in battle became famous for his courage and was awarded four St. George's Crosses - the highest military award for soldiers.

Non-commissioned officer S.M. Budyonny was respected by the soldiers. In March 1917, he was elected chairman of the squadron and a member of the regimental soldiers' committees, in July, in connection with the re-elections, he became chairman of the regimental committee of his division, met with, in August, in the Minsk region, he participated in the disarmament of the Kornilov units moving to Petrograd to suppress the Soviets and revolution. Thanks to the meeting with M.V. Frunze S.M. Budyonny was on the side of the Bolsheviks. “Working under the leadership of Frunze and Myasnikov was my first real Bolshevik school, although at that time I was non-partisan,” he later recalled.

In December 1917 S.M. Budyonny returned to the Don, together with other front-line soldiers established Soviet power in the village of Platovskaya, and in February 1918 he was elected a member of the Salsk district executive committee and head of the district land department.

At the end of February 1918, Semyon Mikhailovich organized a partisan cavalry detachment to combat counter-revolution in the North Caucasus, which he commanded until June 1918. Then he was appointed assistant commander of a cavalry division, regiment, separate cavalry brigade, and finally - chief of staff of a separate cavalry division of Tsaritsynsky front. For distinction in the battles for Tsaritsyn (now Volgograd) he was awarded the Order of the Red Banner. From March 1919, Semyon Mikhailovich was commander of the 4th Cavalry Division of the Southern Front, in June he was appointed commander of the 1st Cavalry Corps of the 10th Army of the Southern Front. In August 1919, in the upper reaches of the Don, the cavalry corps, in cooperation with other formations, defeated the main forces of the Caucasian army of General P.N. Wrangel, and in the Voronezh-Kastornoe operation of 1919, together with the divisions of the 8th Army, he defeated the Cossack corps of Generals K.K. Mamontov and A.G. Shkuro. The victories of the cavalry corps under the command of S.M. Budyonny over the troops of General A.I. Denikin near Voronezh and Kastorna accelerated the defeat of the White Army on the Don. For successful actions against the Whites S.M. Budyonny was awarded the Honorary Revolutionary Melee Weapon.

November 19, 1919 Corps S.M. Budyonny was deployed to the 1st Cavalry Army, which played an important role on the fronts of the Civil War. At the end of 1919 - the first half of January 1920. it successfully operated in the direction of the main attack of the Southern Front: having captured the Donbass, Taganrog and Rostov-on-Don, the army reached the Sea of Azov; thus, the Armed Forces of the South of Russia were divided into two parts.

Southern front. M.V. Frunze, K.E. Voroshilov, S.M. Budyonny. 1920

Then the 1st Cavalry Army as part of the Caucasian Front took an active part in the North Caucasian operation of 1920, destroyed the main forces of the White Army, forcing the enemy to retreat to Novorossiysk.

In connection with the attack of Poland on Ukraine, the 1st Cavalry Army was transferred from the North Caucasus to the Right-Bank Ukraine. Having made a 53-day march on horseback from the Maykop region to the Uman region (over 1000 km), the army became part of the Southwestern Front. During the Kyiv operation of 1920, striking at the Poles in the Zhytomyr-Berdychiv direction, the cavalry successfully broke through the enemy defenses, went to the rear of the 3rd Polish army, forcing it to leave Kyiv on June 11, and thereby ensured a general turning point in the strategic situation. Subsequently, the 1st Cavalry Army, under the leadership of Budyonny, fought fierce battles near Rivne, Lvov, left the encirclement in the Zamosc region and inflicted serious losses on the enemy in 4 months of continuous battles. During the battles, cavalrymen showed examples of courage, heroism, and devotion to the Motherland.

Commander of the First Cavalry Army S.M. Budyonny

Despite the failure of the Red Army in the Soviet-Polish war of 1920, V.I. Lenin highly appreciated S.M. Budyonny: “Our Budyonny now, probably, should be considered the most brilliant cavalry commander in the world ... He has a wonderful strategic instinct. He is brave to the point of folly, to insane audacity. He shares with his cavalry all the cruelest deprivations and the most severe dangers. For him, they are ready to let themselves be cut into pieces. He alone will replace entire squadrons for us. However, all these advantages of Budyonny and other revolutionary military leaders could not balance our shortcomings in military and technical terms.

In October 1920, the 1st Cavalry Army was transferred to the Southern Front for military operations against the troops of General P.N. Wrangel, occupied Simferopol, then Sevastopol. During the liberation of the Crimea, Semyon Mikhailovich creatively approached the organization of the battle, sought the interaction of the cavalry with the infantry, armored forces and aviation, skillfully using fire weapons, surprise and decisiveness.

Until May 1921, the 1st Cavalry Army took part in the defeat of N.I. Makhno in the Left-bank Ukraine. Then it was transferred to the North Caucasus. Participated in the suppression of anti-Bolshevik uprisings in the Don and Kuban.

At this time, in the certification of S.M. Budyonny was given the following description: “A born cavalry commander. Possesses operational-combat intuition. Cavalry loves and knows well. The missing general educational baggage is intensively and thoroughly replenished and continues self-education. With subordinates, he is gentle and courteous ... In the position of commander of the Cavalry, he is indispensable. Among the Red Army and, especially, the population of the South-East of Russia, it enjoys exceptional popularity.

In January 1922 S.M. Budyonny was appointed assistant commander of the North Caucasian Military District, from May - deputy commander, while remaining commander of the 1st Cavalry Army and a member of its Revolutionary Military Council.

Former cavalryman, Marshal K.S. Moskalenko, spoke of his commander S.M. Budyonny: “All of us, Budennovites, loved our commander for his sharp natural mind, boundless courage and bravery, courage and strong-willed character, for the simplicity and cordiality of his communication with the soldiers. We aspired to be like him, imitated him, learned courage and courage from him.

During the Civil War, he earned the fame of a dashing cavalry slasher. The word "Budyonnovets" was a kind of synonym for courage.
The headdress of the Red Army, sewn from cloth in the form of a helmet of an ancient Russian warrior (the official name is the Red Army helmet), was called "Budyonovka".

For services in the Civil War, Semyon Mikhailovich was awarded the Honorary Revolutionary Firearms with the Order of the Red Banner.

September 5, 1923 S.M. Budyonny was appointed assistant to the commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of the Republic for cavalry, in April 1924 - inspector of the cavalry of the Red Army and a member of the Revolutionary Military Council of the Republic, and in this position at the beginning of 1926 he was sent to Central Asia to fight the Basmachi.

From the certification for the inspector of the Red Army cavalry S.M. Budyonny: “In combat practice, he showed himself to be a talented nugget. Peaceful work confirmed the same qualities.

CM. Budyonny on Red Square. 1927

In 1932 S.M. Budyonny graduated from the Military Academy named after M.V. Frunze and one of the first (together with V.K. Blucher) in 1935 received the title of Marshal of the Soviet Union, and in 1937 he was appointed commander of the Moscow Military District.

Semyon Mikhailovich was infinitely devoted to the Soviet government and enjoyed the confidence of I.V. Stalin. He was a member of the commission of the Plenum of the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks on the case of N.I. Bukharin and A.I. Rykov, was a member of the court that sentenced Marshal M.N. Tukhachevsky and other military leaders.

Repressions did not pass and S.M. Budyonny. In August 1937, his wife, opera singer of the Bolshoi Theater Olga Stefanovna Budyonnaya, was convicted of espionage for a long time.

In 1939 S.M. Budyonny was appointed Deputy People's Commissar of Defense of the USSR, and from August 1940 - 1st Deputy People's Commissar.

Being a talented cavalryman, S.M. Budyonny unwittingly resisted the reduction in the role of cavalry in the Red Army, the transfer of experienced cavalrymen to armored forces and aviation. At the same time, he was not a retrograde, he advocated the mechanization and motorization of cavalry formations. In those published in 1938 by S.M. Budyonny "Basics of the tactics of cavalry formations" Semyon Mikhailovich wrote that the cavalry and motorized units from the auxiliary means of the First World War are turning into "decisive combat and operational means." The marshal divided the ground forces into two parts - "mobile" and "line", and attributed the cavalry and mechanized formations to the first. Having studied the development of the cavalry of the armies of European countries and the USA in the period from 1914 to 1936, S.M. Budyonny pointed out that the main trend is the creation of "strong cavalry-mechanized masses", in which infantry, mechanized units and artillery from support forces become the main elements of the combat force.

The marshal attributed aviation, engineering and chemical means to important factors in ensuring freedom of maneuver and stability of the cavalry in defense. The outbreak of World War II in Europe seemed to disprove his conclusions. The number of Soviet cavalry by June 1941 in comparison with 1938 was reduced by 3 times. At the same time, the Great Patriotic War showed that it is too early to write off the cavalry. She participated in most of the major operations of the Red Army. During the war years, the Budennov idea of creating cavalry-mechanized groups was embodied, which proved themselves well in developing success after breaking through the enemy’s defenses.

Commander of the military parade S.M. Budyonny. Moscow Red Square. November 7, 1941

In March 1942 S.M. Budyonny was appointed chairman of the Central Commission for the collection of captured weapons and property, in April - commander-in-chief of the North Caucasian direction, and then commander of the North Caucasian Front. He was subordinate to the troops of several armies defending the eastern shore of the Sea of Azov, the Kerch Strait and the Black Sea coast, operationally - the Black Sea Fleet and the Azov Flotilla.

In September 1942, the North Caucasian Front was transformed into the Black Sea Group of Forces of the Transcaucasian Front, and S.M. Budyonny was relieved of the post of 1st Deputy People's Commissar of Defense of the USSR and front commander - he was appointed Deputy People's Commissar of Defense of the USSR. From January 1943 S.M. Budyonny - commander of the Red Army cavalry, and in 1947-1953. at the same time Deputy Minister of Agriculture for Horse Breeding. From May 1953 to September 1954, Marshal - Cavalry Inspector of the Main Inspectorate of the USSR Ministry of Defense, then worked in the Group of General Inspectors of the USSR Ministry of Defense. CM. Budyonny was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union three times: February 1, 1958, April 24, 1963, February 22, 1968. In addition, the marshal was awarded 8 orders of Lenin, 6 of the Red Banner, the Order of Suvorov 1st degree, and other orders and medals, including foreign countries.

The life of Semyon Mikhailovich was filled with great party, state and social activities, he devoted a lot of time to the military-patriotic education of youth. He was a frequent guest in labor and military collectives: he spoke at meetings, rallies, meetings in front of workers, employees, collective farmers and military personnel; being a deputy of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, he promptly responded to the requests of the workers and resolved many issues of the country's citizens.

Marshal of the Soviet Union Semyon Mikhailovich Budyonny handing over his combat saber to Komsomol members at the 16th Congress of the Komsomol. Russia Moscow. May 30, 1970

CM. Budyonny managed to pay attention to his children - sons Sergei and Mikhail and daughter Nina. He instilled in them a love for sports: Sergey was the champion of Moscow in fencing among young men, Nina played tennis, Mikhail received the title of master of sports in shooting. In adulthood, Sergei Semyonovich became an officer, Nina Semyonovna became a journalist, Mikhail Semyonovich became an economist who inherited a luxurious mustache from his father.

In the postwar period, S.M. Budyonny wrote and published the memoirs “The Path Traveled”, “The First Cavalry Army”, dedicated to his army life path, “Meetings with Ilyich” and “A Word to a Young Warrior”.

Semyon Mikhailovich had a good ear for music. Marshal's daughter Nina Semyonovna recalled: “Whatever you put into his hands, he plays everything. And on the button accordion, and on the accordion, and on the harmonica of the German system, and this is a very complex instrument. In the fifties, even records were sold: dad and his friend from Rostov play, which were called "Duet of accordion players" ”. This friend was a former horseman who became a professional bayan player, Grigory Alekseevich Zaitsev. On the surviving recordings, even today you can listen to the polka and Krakowiak in the solo performance of the marshal.

S.M. died. Budyonny October 26, 1973, buried on Red Square near the Kremlin wall. The result of the life of the legendary commander of the 1st Cavalry Army can be summed up in his own words: “I am happy that I devoted my whole life to the cause of the revolution, to the Soviet Motherland, to my people.”

Even before the Great Patriotic War, the name of S.M. Budyonny was immortalized in poems, songs, books, names of Soviet streets, cities, villages and villages. The city of Prikumsk and the village of Platovskaya were renamed. In 1957, the practice of such lifetime exaltation was recognized as a distortion of the cult of personality, so the streets and other objects were given back their former names. After the death of the marshal, the name was changed again. In modern Russia, in addition to the city, village, villages, avenues and streets, the name of S.M. Budyonny is worn by the Military Academy of Communications located in St. Petersburg, the cape on Pioneer Island in the Severnaya Zemlya archipelago and the ship of the Volga Shipping Company. In Moscow, at house number 3 on Granovsky Street, in which S.M. Budyonny, and memorial plaques were installed in the building of the former headquarters of the Moscow Military District. In equestrian sports, the Budennovskaya breed of horses is very popular.

S.I. Migulin, Candidate of Historical Sciences,
Senior Researcher at the Research Institute (Military History) of the Military Academy of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation