4(17).10.1903–26.04.1976
Marshal of the Soviet Union,
Minister of Defense of the USSR
Born in the village of Golodaevka near Rostov in the family of a Ukrainian peasant. In 1919 he joined the Red Army and fought on the fronts. civil war in the ranks of the legendary Budyonny cavalry. In 1926, Grechko graduated from a military school, in 1936 - military academy them. M. V. Frunze, and in 1941 - the Military Academy of the General Staff. Participated in the liberation campaign in Western Belarus (1939).
During the years of the Great Patriotic War(1941–1945) commanded a cavalry division, kav. corps, armies. He distinguished himself in the battle for the Caucasus. Together with other armies in the fall of 1942, his troops stopped the enemy near Novorossiysk and Tuapse. In 1943, the army of General Grechko participated in the breakthrough of the Blue Line, the liberation of the North Caucasus and the Taman Peninsula. He was the deputy of General N.F. Vatutin during the capture of Kyiv (1943), and then Marshal I.S. Konev. In December, he became commander of the 1st Guards Army, which he led until the end of the war. His army fought in the Right-Bank Ukraine (Korsun-Shevchenko operation), in the Lvov-Sandomierz operation, fought in the Carpathians and Czechoslovakia, distinguished themselves in the Uzhgorod, Moravian-Ostrava operations and near Prague. Later, A. A. Grechko - Commander-in-Chief of the Joint Armed Forces of the countries participating in the Warsaw Pact, Minister of Defense of the USSR (1967–1976).
March 11, 1955 A. A. Grechko was awarded the title of Marshal of the Soviet Union. He was a Hero of Czechoslovakia Socialist Republic (1969).
Grechko wrote books: "The Battle for the Caucasus", "Through the Carpathians", "The Years of War 1941-1943", etc.
He was buried on Red Square in Moscow near the Kremlin wall.
The bronze bust was installed at home in the village of Golodaevka.
Marshal A. A. Grechko's awards:
- 2 Gold Stars of the Hero of the Soviet Union (1.02.1958, 16.10.1973),
- 6 orders of Lenin,
- 3 Orders of the Red Banner,
- 2 Orders of Suvorov 1st class and Order of Suvorov 2nd class
- 2 orders of Kutuzov 1st degree,
- 2 orders of Bogdan Khmelnitsky 1st degree,
- - a total of 15 orders and 10 medals;
- Honorary weapon - personalized checker with the golden Emblem of the USSR (1968),
- as well as 10 foreign orders and medals.
V.A. Egorshin, Field Marshals and Marshals. M., 2000
Grechko Andrey Antonovich
Born October 4 (October 17), 1903 in the village of Golodaevka, Rostov Region, from peasants, Ukrainian. In 1918 he graduated from the 2-class school, in 1926 - the Cavalry School, in 1936 - the Military Academy. M. V. Frunze, in 1941 - the Military Academy of the General Staff. In the Soviet Army from December 1919: Red Army soldier (until September 1921), platoon commander (April 1930), squadron commander (until April 1932); on staff work (since November 3, 1937), commander of a cavalry regiment (since May 7, 1938), division chief of staff (since October 6, 1938).
During the Great Patriotic War: commander of a cavalry division (since July 10, 1941), commander of a cavalry corps (since January 15, 1942), army commander (since April 15, 1942), deputy commander of the Voronezh (1st Ukrainian) ) front (since October 16, 1943), commander of the troops of the 1st Guards Army (since December 14, 1943). After the war, commander of the troops of the KVO (since July 9, 1945), Commander-in-Chief of the Group Soviet troops in Germany (since May 26, 1953), First Deputy Minister of Defense of the USSR and Commander-in-Chief of the Ground Forces (since November 12, 1957), First Deputy Minister of Defense of the USSR for General Affairs (since April 7, 1960), Commander-in-Chief of the United Armed Forces member states of the Warsaw Pact (from July 1960), Minister of Defense of the USSR (from April 12, 1967 to April 1976).
A. A. Grechko - twice Hero of the Soviet Union (02/1/1958, 10/16/1973). He was awarded 6 Orders of Lenin (12.1942, 1945, 1.02.1958, 10.1963, 22.02.1968, 16.10.1973), 3 Orders of the Red Banner (1941, 1944, 1950), 2 Orders of Suvorov, 1st class (1944, 1945), 2 Orders of Kutuzov, 1st class (1943, 1944), Order of Bogdan Khmelnitsky, 1st class (01.1944), Order of Suvorov, 2nd class (02.1943), an honorary weapon with a golden image of the State Emblem of the USSR (22.02.1968), as well as 9 medals of the USSR and 10 orders and medals of foreign states.
Military ranks: colonel - awarded July 10, 1941, major general - November 9, 1941, lieutenant general - April 28, 1943, colonel general - October 9, 1943, army general - August 3, 1953. , Marshal of the Soviet Union - March 11, 1955
Member of the CPSU since 1928, member of the Central Committee of the CPSU since 1961, member of the Politburo of the Central Committee of the CPSU since 1973. Deputy of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of the 2nd-9th convocations.
Marshals of the Soviet Union: personal affairs are told. M., 1996
Who now remembers such a Soviet leader - Andrei Antonovich Grechko? Even those who served in the late 60s - early 70s in the Soviet Army can think. Meanwhile, the character we designated at that time was Marshal of the Soviet Union, Minister of Defense of the USSR. He died in this high post. I almost made it to 73. On the one hand, the age is more than respectable. And on the other hand - what is there, the first Kremlin youth ...
Andrei Antonovich and dear Leonid Ilyich. And why should the Marshal be indignant at the fact that his boss would also become a Marshal, would wear the same big beautiful stars on his shoulder straps? Because the boss...
Photo: Google.
Many articles have now been written about Andrey Anatolyich with an obligatory bias into the mystery of Marshal's death. Here is how, for example, one of them begins, published on the Brezhnev News website (author - Sergey Yuferev):
"Marshal of the Soviet Union, head of the Ministry of Defense of the country Andrey Anatolyevich (in the quoted paragraph, for some reason, Marshal's patronymic is indicated that way - Yu.K.) Grechko died suddenly at his dacha on April 26, 1976. Contemporaries of the marshal noted that at the age of 72 he could give odds to many young people. Andrey Grechko continued to actively play sports, and nothing foreshadowed such an unexpected death. In many ways, this circumstance was the reason for the conspiracy theory around the death of Marshal. In addition, shortly before his death, the head of the USSR Ministry of Defense Andrei Grechko dropped the phrase : "Only through my corpse", commenting on the desire of Leonid Ilyich Brezhnev to become a Marshal. 10 days after the death of Andrei Grechko, Leonid Brezhnev nevertheless became a Marshal."
About the circumstances of death in this (and dozens of others) article, the following is reported:
“The Minister of Defense himself loved to play volleyball with everyone, demonstrating by personal example that you should not part with physical training, no matter what age you are. Therefore, it seems strange how a fit, strong, breathing health Marshal so suddenly passed away at the age of 72. According to the memoirs of Yevgeny Rodionov, an officer of the "nine" (guards), who was attached to the marshal, they discovered the corpse of the Minister of Defense on the morning of April 26, 1976. The gathering for the meeting was already coming to an end, but Andrei Antonovich (here already the patronymic is indicated correctly, the author, apparently, that Anatolyevich, that Antonovich - up to one place - Yu.K.) never went to the table, although he always had breakfast before the start of the working day. Concerned about the absence of Marshal, the guard asked his relatives to check what was happening with him. And since the Minister of Defense strictly forbade anyone to enter his room, it was decided to send the great-granddaughter to the wing where Grechko lived. cold great-grandfather: he seemed to fall asleep, sitting in an armchair.
According to some sources, he was sitting in a chair, according to others, he was lying on a bed. Either in an overcoat, or in a marshal's uniform. And what kind of outbuilding is this, where it was strictly forbidden for outsiders to enter? If only today's journalists would take an interest in the details: what and how? No, they are not interested. And the hardened stamps flow smoothly from one article to another: he was in good physical shape, died suddenly, had a sudden heart attack ...
However, it is very likely that the secret of Andrei Antonovich's death has long been no longer a secret. Here's a fellow student Russian President Vladimir Putin at the KGB Institute, Yuriy Shvets, recently giving an interview to one of the Ukrainian TV channels, said, from which Comrade Minister threw back his skates. Moreover, he said this as if by the way, as a fact long known (to a certain circle of people) and firmly driven into history. Let's listen to a retired major of state security:
“I remember there was a precedent. Marshal of the Soviet Union, Minister of Defense [Andrey] Grechko, who said that if we have less than 0.7 vodka per person today, then why drink at all. He died on a 15-year-old girl. Her heart stopped. But it was necessary to combine 0.7 with this."
I nearly choked on my coffee when I read it. Here it is, it turns out, what ... And it immediately becomes even more interesting in terms of conspiracy theories. Was it just a simple combination of age, vodka and, in fact, the process itself? Or did specially selected people plant Viagra (then analogue) to Comrade Marshal of the Soviet Union? How did the girl get into the fligilek and where did she go after? Was she just an amateur or was she already listed in a special file? Curious...
Andrei Antonovich Grechko was born on October 4 (17), 1903 in the Golodaevka settlement of the Don Army Region (now - the village of Kuibyshevo, Kuibyshev District, Rostov Region). The battle path of the future commander began in the formidable 1919. A tall, strong boy who asked for the army was as if created for military service, and he was accepted into the ranks of the Red Army. The 16-year-old cavalryman of the 11th Cavalry Division of the 1st Cavalry Army, having quickly mastered the science of soldiers, courageously fought for Soviet power, along with adults, steadfastly endured all the hardships of military hard times.
His service continued on the Don in the detachment named after M.V. Krivoshlykov, then in the battalion of special forces of Taganrog. As one of the best Red Army soldiers, in 1922 he was sent to study - first to the Crimean cavalry courses named after the All-Russian Central Executive Committee, and then to the Taganrog Cavalry School of the North Caucasian Military District (SKVO). In 1924, he studied again - first as a cadet, then as a foreman of the squadron of the North Caucasian Mountain National Cavalry School of the North Caucasus Military District. Studying at the cavalry school was repeatedly interrupted - A.A. Grechko participated in the fighting against the gangs of Makhno and Marusya in Ukraine, then in Chechnya and Dagestan.
In 1926, after graduating from the cavalry school, he was appointed commander of a platoon, then a machine-gun squadron of the 61st cavalry regiment of the 1st Special Cavalry Brigade named after Comrade I.V. Stalin of the Moscow Military District. In the certification of 1930 for A.A. Grechko regiment commander N.M. Dreyer noted: “He has willpower, knowledge, demanding of his subordinates ... He is interested in business. He is working on himself in ... his military and general education.
The industriousness and diligence of the young commander was noticed, and in 1932 he became a student of the Military Academy named after M.V. Frunze, after which he was appointed to the headquarters of the Special Red Banner Cavalry Division of the Moscow Military District.
During the “cleansing” of military personnel and repressions of 1937-1938, despite the party’s punishment in July 1937 “for dulling political vigilance”, Andrei Antonovich remained in the Red Army. After the removal of the penalty in November 1937 and thanks to the positive party characterization, which noted that “Comrade. A.A. Grechko corrected it with persistent, conscientious and active work, ”experiencing the highest tension in the service and responsibility, A.A. continued further advancement. Buckwheat on the career ladder. In May 1938, he was appointed commander of the 62nd Cavalry Regiment, then assistant chief of staff and, finally, chief of staff of the Special Red Banner Cavalry Division named after comrade. I.V. Stalin of the Belarusian Military District (since July - the Belarusian Special Military District). In 1939 he took part in the campaign of the Red Army in the western regions of Belarus.
A.A. Grechko worked tirelessly, improving the training of the units and units entrusted to him, strengthening discipline, taking care of the physical training of the personnel. In 1939, he became a student of the Military Academy of the General Staff named after K.E. Voroshilov, from which he graduated in 1941.
Andrei Antonovich Grechko enters the Great Patriotic War as a mature, comprehensively trained commander, behind whom there are two academies. In July 1941, he was promoted to the rank of colonel, and he was appointed commander of the 34th cavalry division, which fought in early August as part of the 26th, 38th, then 6th armies with fascist german invaders south of Kyiv. In the heavy battles of 1941, the cavalry units under his command steadfastly held the line, retreated only on orders, and more than once broke through into the enemy rear. In November 1941 A.A. Grechko was promoted to the rank of major general, and in January 1942 he was appointed commander of the 5th cavalry corps, which took part in Barvenkovo-Lozovskaya offensive operation. Corps formations, in cooperation with rifle units, smashed the enemy in the Barvenkovo area and advanced deep into the rear of the Nazi troops. In those battles, the cavalrymen showed examples of selflessness, courage and military art, in which their commander also had a considerable merit.
From March 1942 A.A. Grechko led the operational group of troops, which, as part of the Southern Front, fought stubborn battles with superior enemy forces in the Donbass. Great confidence was given to the young commander by his appointment as commander of the 12th Army, which later actively participated in the unfolding battle for the Caucasus. Since September, A.A. Grechko served as commander of the 47th Army, whose troops prevented the enemy from advancing in Transcaucasia along the Black Sea coast. On October 20, 1942, Andrei Antonovich took command of the 18th Army, which held the defense in the Novorossiysk region. Having stopped the advancing enemy, he part of the forces carried out a successful operation to eliminate the enemy's Semash grouping, which was trying to overcome the Main Caucasian Range.
In January 1943, the troops of the Transcaucasian Front (since January 24 - the North Caucasian Front) launched a general offensive. In the zone of the Black Sea Group of Forces, the main blow was delivered by the 56th Army, which A.A. took command of on January 5. Grechko. During fierce battles in February-March 1943, the 56th Army as part of the North Caucasian Front successfully participated in the Krasnodar offensive operation, during which the city of Krasnodar and hundreds of settlements were liberated.
April 28, 1943 A.A. Grechko was awarded the rank of lieutenant general. In September-October, the 56th Army, in cooperation with the 9th and 18th armies, carried out the Novorossiysk-Taman offensive operation and liberated the Taman Peninsula.
October 9, 1943 A.A. Grechko was awarded the military rank of Colonel General, and on October 16, after the defeat of the Nazi troops in the Kuban, Andrei Antonovich was appointed Deputy Commander of the Voronezh Front (from October 20 - the 1st Ukrainian Front), with whose troops he participated in the liberation of the capital of Ukraine - Kyiv. From December 1943 until the end of the war, A.A. Grechko led the 1st Guards Army. Under his leadership, the army participated in the Zhytomyr-Berdychiv, Proskurov-Chernivtsi, Lvov-Sandomierz, West Carpathian, Moravian-Ostrava and Prague operations. With heavy fighting, she went to Prague, where she completed the defeat of the Nazi troops in the Czech Republic.
Summing up the combat activities of A.A. Grechko during the Great Patriotic War, it is necessary to emphasize the courage of the commander’s operational-tactical plans, initiative, perseverance in solving complex combat missions, flexibility and originality of operational thinking, love for Soviet soldier, all-round concern for his needs. The merits of Colonel General A.A. Grechko during the war years were awarded high awards of the Fatherland - the Order of Lenin, 2 Orders of the Red Banner, Orders of Suvorov 1st and 2nd class, Bogdan Khmelnitsky 1st class, Kutuzov 1st class. These awards were received by those military commanders and commanders who, according to the statute, showed "outstanding success in command and control, excellent organization of military operations and the determination and perseverance shown in their conduct." Marshal of the Soviet Union G.K. Zhukov noted in his memoirs that the Supreme Commander I.V. Stalin considered generals A.A. to be the most talented of the army commanders. Grechko and K.S. Moskalenko.
In July 1945 A.A. Grechko was appointed commander of the Kyiv military district. From the first days of leadership of the district, he was actively involved in the implementation of the decisions of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR on the demobilization of the older ages of the personnel of the active army. Along with the demobilization, major organizational measures were taken in the district to reorganize the troops, political bodies and headquarters in relation to the requirements of peacetime. Units, formations, military educational institutions were transferred to peacetime states, developed taking into account the capabilities of the Soviet economy and the experience of the last war. The places of permanent deployment of troops were determined, a training and material base was created, parks, warehouses, housing for officers were built, classes in combat and political training were organized in units and subunits.
In 1947–1953 under the leadership of A.A. The Grechko troops of the district learned to act in all types of combat, used new weapons, made long marches at a high pace, crossed water barriers, and conducted exercises with live fire. Warriors of the district provided significant assistance in the restoration National economy countries: participated in demining, cleared streets in cities and villages from rubble, restored residential buildings, factories, mines, cultural and community enterprises, provided electricity and water, built bridges.
In 1953 A.A. Grechko was appointed commander-in-chief of the Group of Soviet Forces in Germany, and soon he was awarded the rank of army general. In his activities, he paid the main attention to increasing the combat readiness of troops, training and education of personnel, developing and improving the material and technical base, strengthening combat cooperation with the allied armies of the states that became members of the Warsaw Treaty Organization.
On March 11, 1955, Andrei Antonovich was awarded the title of Marshal of the Soviet Union, and in November 1957 he was appointed First Deputy Minister of Defense of the USSR, Commander-in-Chief of the Ground Forces. In April 1960 he was appointed 1st Deputy Minister of Defense of the USSR for General Affairs, and since July - 1st Deputy Minister of Defense of the USSR and Commander-in-Chief of the Joint Armed Forces of the countries participating in the Warsaw Pact.
During the period of a major reorganization of the Armed Forces, caused by the reduction of the army and navy, their transfer to a more advanced material and technical base and organization, the need to increase the combat readiness of troops in the conditions of the appearance in the United States, and then in other NATO member countries of atomic weapons, A.A. . Grechko proved himself to be a far-sighted political and statesman.
In April 1967 Marshal of the Soviet Union A.A. Grechko was appointed Minister of Defense of the USSR. In this post, he did a lot to strengthen the defense capability of the country and its Armed Forces. He was distinguished by a strong-willed and decisive character, which he demonstrated during the events in Czechoslovakia and the Vietnam War, during the Arab-Israeli war, the Soviet-Chinese armed conflict in Far East and in Kazakhstan. A.A. Grechko, realizing the danger to the country emanating from the aggressive foreign policy United States and NATO member countries, paid special attention to the combat readiness of the Soviet Armed Forces. By the mid-1970s, 100% of the Strategic Missile Forces, 60-70% of the Air Defense Forces (Air Defense), 10-15% of the Air Force were on combat duty in the Armed Forces of the USSR, almost 50% of submarines were on combat duty in the fleets.
Under the leadership of the Minister of Defense, the most important documents on the preparation and conduct of operations were adopted. The minister adopted and implemented a number of significant decisions in military development. An important event was the training of generals and officers of the operational-strategic level at the Higher Academic Courses at the Academy of the General Staff and the Military-Political Academy. Big number reserve officers were regularly called up for 2 years in order to build up the combat potential of personnel. The institute of ensigns was established. The system of training sergeants has radically changed: instead of regimental schools with their disparity in programs, methods and educational and material base, training divisions were established - tank, motorized rifle, artillery, district training centers. In the 1970s, a new generation of military equipment and weapons entered service with the army and navy.
The growth of combat power and the high combat readiness of the Armed Forces of the USSR strengthened the position of our country in the world, strengthened its positions, improved conditions for the implementation of programs domestic policy. The detente of international tension, the signing of agreements in Helsinki (1975), negotiations with the United States on the limitation of nuclear weapons - all this testified to the effectiveness of military construction and the precise implementation of the installations military policy. The military-strategic balance that has developed in the world between opposing social systems, the presence of powerful groupings of troops in Europe and the Far East created Soviet people confidence that the army reliably guarantees the independence and security of the country.
The most important provisions of the theory nuclear war have been explored in numerous strategic exercises and games. Among them, the strategic command and staff exercise "Decisive Strike" held in 1970 by the Minister of Defense, which was attended by the country's top leadership, was of particular importance. The exercise was carried out with real missile launches and with full-scale use of all control systems and all central command posts without exception. The Defense Minister, together with the General Staff, developed and analyzed the methods of conducting operations in theaters of military operations, in strategic and operational areas in the course of operational-strategic exercises and other events. For the Armed Forces, the exercises "Neman", "Spring Thunder", "East", "West", "North", "Ocean" and others were a school for improving the combat skills of military personnel. Under the leadership of the Minister of Defense in the 1970s, strategic exercises of the "Center" type were held - with launches of ground, air and sea-based missiles. For the first time, in a single complex with the deployment of the Armed Forces and their strategic use in war, the issues of transferring the national economy from a peaceful to a war situation, the operation of the economy in a “special period”, assessed the extent of damage, losses, and determined the minimum possible volume of restoration work. A coherent system of operational-strategic exercises (front-line, district, coalition, etc.) was created in theaters of military operations. Since 1971, operational-strategic exercises of the air defense, air force, and navy have been held, during which issues of command and control of the branches of the Armed Forces and branches of service were worked out, the problems of strategic leadership of troops and the conduct of hostilities were studied in detail, questions of organizing strategic intelligence, electronic warfare, strategic camouflage and made valuable conclusions.
With the name of A.A. Grechko is associated with the establishment in 1974 by the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of the Order "For Service to the Motherland in the Armed Forces of the USSR" of three degrees.
It is impossible not to note the merits of A.A. Grechko in theoretical generalization and historical analysis of the Soviet military construction, the functioning of the Soviet Armed Forces. Andrey Antonovich devoted to the army a fundamental scientific and theoretical work "The Armed Forces of the Soviet State". The marshal, who went from an ordinary cavalryman to the Minister of Defense, a man who had two higher military academies and more than one war behind him, described not his life, not his memories (which would also be in the highest degree valuable). He covered this period from the point of view of a military scientist-theorist, military commander-leader. AT last years life of A.A. Grechko wrote and published memoirs “Through the Carpathians”, “Liberation of Kyiv”, “Battle for the Caucasus”, “Years of War. 1941-1943".
The commanders-in-chief of the branches of the Armed Forces, the commanders of the branches of the armed forces and districts appreciated his high professionalism, firmness in defending the interests of the army, adherence to principles and high decency. A.A. Grechko spoke in a calm, quiet voice, in which, however, one could feel the will, determination and purposefulness. Marshal was distinguished by tough, but always considered and serious decisions.
The homeland highly appreciated the military work of Andrei Antonovich. He was twice awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union and was awarded many orders and medals. As a citizen, he did a lot of state and party work, was a delegate to a number of congresses of the CPSU, was elected a member of the Central Committee of the CPSU, a deputy of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR.
Minister of Defense of the USSR Marshal of the Soviet Union A. A. Grechko died on April 26, 1976. He was buried in Moscow on Red Square near the Kremlin wall. Bronze bust of twice Hero of the Soviet Union A.A. Grechko is installed in his homeland. The Naval Academy was named after him. Prospect in Moscow, streets in Kyiv, Slavyansk, Rovenki and other cities and towns are named after him.
The material was prepared by the Research Institute
(military history) of the Military Academy of the General Staff
Twice Hero of the USSR. He was Minister of Defense of the Soviet Union and Commander-in-Chief of the Soviet Forces in Germany. Well-known party and statesman.
A family
Andrei Antonovich Grechko, whose family lived in the Rostov region, in the small village of Golodaevka, was born in 1903, on October 17. Now in this place is the village of Kuibyshevo. His mother, Olga Karpovna, gave birth to fourteen children. Andrei Antonovich was born thirteenth. His father, Anton Vasilyevich, was a simple peasant. But since the family was very large, and there was not enough money, he also worked as a physical education teacher at a local school.
Childhood
Andrei Antonovich Grechko, whose biography began with Golodaevka, often recalled his native village. My playmates, a strict but kind teacher and classmates will forever remain in my memory.
Andrei Antonovich from childhood was very savvy and restless. Fellow villagers recalled that he did not differ in obedience, often acted contrary to the requirements of his parents. Andrei Antonovich has a well-developed imagination since childhood. And the favorite game was "war".
Once Andrei decided to play with weapons without asking. And miraculously survived. The father often told his sons about military service. Andrei listened to him with rapture. Perhaps in the future, these stories also played a role in choosing a life path.
Andrey Antonovich gets into the squadron
In 1919, the Bolsheviks launched an offensive against Rostov. Then Andrei first saw the Red Army soldiers entering the village. Local residents came out to meet them, and he looked with admiration and envy at the Budenovites. Andrei saw that among them there were his sixteen-year-old peers.
The army needed an urgent delivery of ammunition. Therefore, the Red Army borrowed all the horses in the village. Andrey himself carried ammunition to Rostov on his horse. And there he persuaded Stepan Vasilenko, the squadron commander, to take him into service. Thus his dream came true. He received uniforms, weapons and joined the army.
After the liberation of Rostov, Andrei returned to the village to visit his family. He announced to his family that he had become a military man. The father approved his decision.
The beginning of a military career
Throughout the Civil War, the future Marshal Grechko, whose family supported him in his desire to make a military career, fought as an ordinary Red Army soldier. He graduated from the courses of commanders in Krasnodar. And in 1926 he began to study at the cavalry school. He successfully completed it, and he was entrusted with commanding a platoon. A little later - a squadron in the 1st Separate Cavalry Brigade.
In 1938, Andrey Antonovich Grechko became chief of staff of the Special Cavalry Division of the BOVO. And the very next year he defended Western Ukraine and Belarus from the Germans in order to deprive Germany of the chance to gain a foothold in these territories.
The first days of the Great Patriotic War
When the Great Patriotic War began, Andrei Antonovich was still studying at the Academy of the General Staff. Already passing the last exam in June 1941, Grechko understood that the USSR was in serious danger. Three days later, the war broke out. He immediately rushed to the front, into the thick of things, but only a few of his classmates were seconded.
The future Marshal Grechko, whose biography is closely connected with military service, was sent to the General Staff. Andrey Antonovich was in confusion. He understood that this was a responsible assignment, but he really wanted to get on the battlefield. He began to look for an opportunity to fulfill his desire. As a result, he served in the General Staff for only twelve days.
Work in the General Staff
The workers worked day and night. If you managed to sleep, then only at the workplace. At the front, the situation changed rapidly and sometimes it was almost impossible to track the course of the struggle. The information received by the General Staff was often fragmentary and sometimes even contradictory. Grechko kept a summary map of the operational situation.
At first, Andrei Antonovich was angry at staff work, wanting to get into the thick of things - to the front. And only when I got there, I realized how difficult it is for the employees of the General Staff to navigate the situation, and what responsibility falls on their shoulders. It was very difficult to report accurate data. And they still had to be transferred “upstairs”.
WWII: Grechko goes to the front again
Andrei Antonovich, the future Grechko, whose biography is closely connected with military service from his youth, after much deliberation, nevertheless turned to People's Commissar Tymoshenko and asked to go to the front. After a while, the answer came. Grechko was appointed commander of a cavalry division. He was heading to Kharkov, to the Southwestern Front. In Priluki, Grechko was to form the 34th Cavalry Division.
Great Patriotic War: at the front
The first days at the front for Andrei Antonovich were the most difficult. The practice of warfare was very different from the theory taught in peacetime. Grechko had to navigate and adapt to the circumstances immediately on the spot and in the shortest possible time. There was not enough ammunition. There was nothing to stop even the infantry, not to mention the tanks. But the authorities were silent about this and only gave orders to advance and defeat the Germans. Grechko's division, gritting its teeth, fought in these nightmarish conditions.
But already in 1941, the Red Army began to win victories. This year, Grechko already led the 5th Cavalry Corps, which in 1942 liberated Barvenkovo. After many successful battles, a little later, Andrei Antonovich was transferred to the 12th Army, which was defending the Voroshilovograd direction. Then, in the fall of 1942, Grechko took command of the 47th Army. They defended the Black Sea coast. Somewhat later he became the commander of the 18th Army, operating in the direction of Tuapse.
After the victory at Stalingrad in 1943, the future Marshal of the USSR Grechko began to command the 56th Army. On October 9, he was the first to inform the General Staff about the liberation of the Caucasus. Andrei Antonovich proved himself excellently in numerous battles and was appointed deputy commander of the 1st Ukrainian Front. Thanks to Grechko's skillful regrouping of troops, the 3rd Panzer and 38th Army defeated the Germans in Kyiv with a powerful offensive.
Liberation of Europe
In 1943, Andrey Antonovich Grechko (the years of the war brought him invaluable military experience) was already in the rank of colonel general. He was appointed to command the 1st Guards Army, which was then under his command until the end of the war. Grechko's troops participated in the liberation of Zhytomyr, Czechoslovakia, and Poland. Then Grechko's army reached Prague.
Grechko's activities after the war
After the Victory in the Great Patriotic War, the future Marshal Andrei Antonovich Grechko led the troops of the Kyiv district. In 1953 he became Commander-in-Chief of all Soviet military units located in Germany. In June of the same year, he led the suppression of the uprising.
Grechko also visited his native village. She was in a deplorable state, completely destroyed. Andrei Antonovich helped all fellow countrymen "get back on their feet" after the war. Thanks to his support, the village was quickly restored. Helped with technology, labor force. He also took patronage over other villages and entire regions destroyed during the war. New houses, administrative buildings, schools were erected.
At the beginning of 1967, Rodion Malinovsky was in the post of Minister of Defense. But he did not welcome new directions (technology, helicopters, space exploration, etc.). Andrey Grechko, Marshal of the USSR, was doing this. As a result, he was able to gather around him many talented and young personnel who were ready for the further development of the country.
Malinovsky did not finish working until retirement. He fell ill and ended up in the hospital, from which he never left. In his place, Brezhnev appointed Andrey Antonovich Grechko. He worked in this position for 9 years. He proved to be a demanding and principled leader. He did not tolerate people who were "in the wrong place." He selected personnel very carefully, paying attention to the track record.
For example, General Iosif Gusakovsky decided to revise the personnel and rejuvenate him. He put on the list for the dismissal of many high military leaders who had vast experience in order to replace them with younger ones. Grechko brought this document for approval. Andrey Antonovich, having read the list, offered Gusakovsky to head it. Thus, the general lost his post. Grechko highly valued the experience and merits of war veterans.
Marshal Grechko was loved and respected by the Soviet troops. Interested in and supported the development of new technology. Thanks to him, combat helicopters and modified improved tanks appeared in the country. He required the soldiers to constantly engage in sports so that they would be in shape at any moment.
According to his decrees, military camps were built, officers could receive housing from the state. grew up, so they had no problems how to feed their families and send their children to kindergarten. Thanks to Grechko, the country gradually rose from the ruins. New training centers were built, and trainings were constantly held. The rank of an officer was worth its weight in gold.
Rank of Marshal of the USSR
Gradually moving up the military career ladder, since 1955 Andrey Antonovich Grechko - Marshal of the Soviet Union. This is the highest military rank that he achieved, starting his service in the army with a simple Red Army soldier bringing ammunition. Despite his high position, Grechko did not try to interfere in the activities of the KGB. Andrei Antonovich believed that politics and the army are different concepts.
Achievement of military heights
After receiving the rank of Marshal, in 1957, Grechko was appointed Commander-in-Chief of the Ground Forces and at the same time First Deputy Minister of Defense of the USSR. The title of Hero of the Soviet Union Andrei Antonovich was awarded in February 1958 for the heroism and courage shown in the fight against the Nazis.
In 1960, he became head of the United Armed Forces of the states that signed the Warsaw Pact. In 1973 he received a second Gold Star medal.
Advantages and character of Grechko
Many who met Andrei Antonovich remembered him as a man of his word. A smart, educated, experienced secretary of defense. Even in combat conditions, Grechko was always dressed neatly, clean-shaven. His communication was always correct, he knew how to listen to a person, he did not make hasty decisions.
Grechko (Marshal of the USSR) was a devoted fan of CSKA. He did more for the football club than all other ministers. After the war, he even hosted the team when CSKA came to Kyiv. And when Grechko ended up in the capital, he took up the problems of the club more closely. CSKA, thanks to Grechko, acquired not only the stadium and arena, but also a training base in Arkhangelsk and other sports facilities.
Andrei Antonovich Grechko: children, grandchildren, wife
Grechko had a wife (she worked as a teacher) and a daughter, Tatyana. Andrei Antonovich died in 1976. And later, in 1990, Grechko's wife was buried. Andrei Antonovich adopted his granddaughters, the twins Claudia and Irina, who were born to their only daughter. The newly-made "daughters" grew up, got married and gave birth to a girl. And they were also adopted by Andrey Antonovich Grechko. After the death of a parent, his children and granddaughters subsequently received pensions from the state. And from childhood, governesses looked after them.
Death of a Great Commander
When Andropov took the post of Minister of Defense, he tried to increase the influence and growth of the State Security structures. But Grechko, the Marshal of the USSR, had a negative attitude towards this and "slowed down" the General Secretary. Relations between them were tense. Historians believe that Andropov wanted complete power and gradually “removed” those who were objectionable to him on the way to the “state Olympus”.
Very often, prominent figures died somehow very untimely. Most often, a person went to bed absolutely healthy. And in the morning, the guards found a cold corpse in bed. Oddly enough, but the earthly path of Andrei Antonovich ended just like that. In 1976, on April 26, Grechko, Marshal of the USSR, returned from work to his dacha in good health. As always, he went to bed peacefully. In the morning, his body was found in his bed.
Death overtook the marshal suddenly. Grechko died in his sleep. There were no signs of violent death, and the doctors could not establish the cause of Andrey Antonovich's death. On the contrary, they assured that Grechko was in excellent physical shape. Therefore, his death was more than strange. The urn with the ashes of Andrei Antonovich is located on Red Square, in the Kremlin wall.
Grechko Andrei Antonovich (October 4 (17), 1903 - April 26, 1976) - Soviet military leader, statesman and party leader, Marshal of the Soviet Union, twice Hero of the Soviet Union, Hero of Czechoslovakia, Minister of Defense of the USSR.
Born on October 4, 1903 in the village of Golodaevka, Kuibyshev District, Rostov Region.
In the Soviet Army - since 1919. He graduated from the cavalry school (1926), the Military Academy named after M.V. Frunze (1936) and the Military Academy of the General Staff (1941).
In military affairs, you often have to take risks.
Grechko Andrey Antonovich
Member of the Civil War, private. After graduating from the cavalry school, he commanded a platoon, a squadron. From October 1938 - Chief of Staff of the Special Cavalry Division of the VOVO, participated in a campaign in Western Belarus in September 1939.
In the early days of the Great Patriotic War, he worked in the General Staff. From July 1941 he commanded the 34th Cavalry Division, which entered into battle with the Nazi invaders south of Kyiv in the first half of August and until January 1942 fought as part of the 26th Army, the 38th Army, then the 6th Army in Left-Bank Ukraine. Since January 1942 - the commander of the 5th cavalry corps, which took part in the Barvenkovo-Lozovsky offensive operation.
Since March 1942, he headed the operational group of troops, which, as part of the Southern Front, fought stubborn battles with superior enemy forces in the Donbass. From April he commanded the 12th Army, which was defending in the Voroshilovgrad direction, from September - the 47th Army, from October - the 18th Army, which fought in the Tuapse direction. From January 1943, he was commander of the 56th Army, which, during fierce battles, broke through the heavily fortified enemy defenses and reached the approaches to Krasnodar, and in February-April, as part of the North Caucasian Front, participated in the Krasnodar offensive operation.
In September 1943, the troops of the 56th Army, in cooperation with the 9th Army and the 18th Army, liberated the Taman Peninsula during the Novorossiysk-Taman offensive operation. From October 1943 A.A. Grechko - Deputy Commander of the Voronezh (from October 20 - 1st Ukrainian) Front.
From December 1943 - commander of the 1st Guards Army, which participated in the Zhytomyr-Berdychiv, Proskurovo-Chernivtsi, Lvov-Sandomierz, West Carpathian, Moravian-Ostrava and Prague operations.
After the war, from 19455 to 1953, he commanded the troops of the KVO. In 1953 he was appointed Commander-in-Chief of the Group of Soviet Forces in Germany. Since November 1957 - 1st Deputy Minister of Defense of the USSR - Commander-in-Chief of the Ground Forces, since 1960 - 1st Deputy Minister of Defense of the USSR - Commander-in-Chief of the United Armed Forces of the states - participants of the Warsaw Pact.