- (1891 1973) military leader, army general (1955), Hero of the Soviet Union (1945). At the end of the 30s. was repressed. During the Great Patriotic War he commanded the army from 1943. In 1954 58 commanded the troops of the Baltic Military District... Big Encyclopedic Dictionary
- [R. 9(21).3.1891, village of Pokhotino, now Palekh district, Ivanovo region], Soviet military leader, army general (1955), Hero of the Soviet Union (10.4.1945). Member of the CPSU since 1919. Born into a peasant family. Since 1912 in the army, participated in the 1st... ...
- (1891 1973), army general (1955), Hero of the Soviet Union (1945). At the end of the 30s. was repressed. During the Great Patriotic War he commanded the army from 1943. In 1954 58 commander of the Baltic Military District. * * * GORBATOV Alexander Vasilievich... ... encyclopedic Dictionary
Genus. 1891, d. 1973. Military leader, army commander during the Great Patriotic War. Hero of the Soviet Union (1945), Army General (1955). Commander of the Baltic Military District (1954 58) ... Large biographical encyclopedia
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Surname and toponym. Contents 1 Last name 2 Localities 3 See also... Wikipedia
I Gorbatov Alexander Vasilievich [b. 9(21).3.1891, village of Pokhotino, now Palekh district, Ivanovo region], Soviet military leader, army general (1955), Hero of the Soviet Union (10.4.1945). Member of the CPSU since 1919. Born in a peasant ... ... Great Soviet Encyclopedia
Alexander Vasilyevich Gorbatov was born on March 21, 1891 into a poor peasant family, in the village of Pokhotino, Palekh district, Ivanovo region, not far from Palekh, famous for icon painting. He graduated from the 3rd grade of an elementary rural school, and at the age of 12 Sasha began working: he had to help his family, where, besides him, there were four more brothers and four sisters.
Civil
In 1912, Alexander Gorbatov was drafted into the tsarist army and enlisted in the Chernigov Hussar Regiment. He took part in the First World War, fought bravely, received the rank of non-commissioned officer, two Georges and two medals. In August 1919 he joined the Red Army and fought against Denikin, the Poles, and the Petliurists in the Civil War. For military operations on the Polish front, Alexander Gorbatov was awarded the Order of the Red Banner.
He commanded a platoon, squadron, regiment and separate cavalry brigade. During a risky foray behind Polish lines, he was wounded and survived after a bullet pierced his cheek under the eye and exited behind the ear. After the Civil War, Gorbatov commanded a regiment for seven years, a brigade for five and a half, and a division for the same amount of time. In October 1938, he was arrested and unjustifiably sentenced to fifteen years in prison and a camp, plus five years of loss of rights... In 1941, Gorbatov’s case was reviewed, in March he was released and rehabilitated.
The Great Patriotic War
Alexander Vasilyevich met the Great Patriotic War as deputy commander of the 25th Rifle Corps on the Southwestern Front. The demoralized, poorly trained troops of the 25th Corps were surrounded near Vitebsk, and the officers of the corps headquarters were captured. Gorbatov was wounded in the leg by a German machine gunner and sent to the hospital. The bullet penetrated his leg below the knee without damaging the bone, and two weeks later he was already discharged from the hospital.
From October 1941 to June 1942, Alexander Gorbatov commanded the 226th Infantry Division, which participated in the fighting in Ukraine. The division retreated to Kharkov. Gorbatov, on his own initiative, organized several surprise attacks on the Germans. He himself led these risky forays, well aware that if he was captured, there would be no way back for him, who had recently returned from Kolyma.
In December 1941, Gorbatov was awarded the Order of the Red Banner and given the rank of major general. Here, near Kharkov, Gorbatov, who sought by any means to avoid frontal attacks that were bleeding the regiments, came into sharp conflict with the new army commander Moskalenko, who described the actions of the obstinate division commander as “criminal.” Gorbatov believed that high-ranking generals could not correctly assess the situation without seeing their soldiers, without visiting the very edge. In addition, General Moskalenko based his communication with his subordinates on a combination of insults and hysteria. Alexander Vasilyevich did not give up, he did not allow himself to be insulted by Moskolenko or anyone else. In his assessments, he was always courageous and principled. Stalin once said about him: “Only the grave can correct Gorbatov.”
In June–October 1942, Alexander Vasilyevich was an inspector of the cavalry of the Southwestern, then the Stalingrad fronts. Gorbatov could not understand why he was not given serious, responsible work. In October 1942, he was appointed deputy commander of the 24th Army. In April 1943, Major General Gorbatov was awarded the military rank of lieutenant general. From April to June 1943, he commanded the 20th Guards Rifle Corps.
Battle of Kursk
But the name of Gorbatov became known throughout the country in 1943 after the Battle of Kursk. In June 1943, General Gorbatov was appointed commander of the 3rd Army, with which he fought until the end of the war. He was happy: finally a real military leadership position! Alexander Vasilyevich studied the plan for the attack on Oryol, traveled around the entire front line of his army, visited the bridgehead from which it was supposed to attack, and he did not like everything planned. Especially the bridgehead: it is dangerous, you cannot advance from it under any circumstances - the Germans have an advantageous location, and they will not miss theirs.
Not afraid that they would once again say: “Gorbatov is being clever again,” he expressed his special opinion to the Headquarters representative Georgy Zhukov, who came to check the readiness of the Bryansk Front for an offensive. After listening to Gorbatov, Zhukov was surprised and at first angry. Everything is ready and scheduled, there are only a few days before the onset, and then Gorbatov appears and offers to change a lot. Gorbatov proposed giving the 3rd Army an independent breakthrough section with crossing the Zushi River. And yet, Georgy Konstantinovich agreed and ordered the 63rd Army to transfer one of the three breakthrough artillery divisions to Gorbatov.
In July 1943, in the Oryol offensive operation, Gorbatov carefully planned and organized the army's military operations to break through the enemy's heavily fortified defenses on the Zusha River and the subsequent offensive. As a result, on August 5, army troops, in cooperation with the 63rd Army, liberated the city of Orel. In the offensive operation in the fall of 1943 and winter of 1944, the 3rd Army under the command of Gorbatov successfully crossed large water barriers: the Sozh, Dnieper and other rivers. Successfully participated in the Belarusian operation of 1944.
In June 1944, Alexander Gorbatov was awarded the rank of Colonel General. Guard Colonel General Gorbatov was awarded the Order of Suvorov, 1st degree, for Operation Bagration. In this operation, the 3rd Army captured 27,900 prisoners, who made up a significant part of the column filmed on newsreel, which was soon carried through the center of Moscow. In his memoirs “Memories and Reflections”, Marshal Zhukov highly praised Gorbatov: “And one can say that he could have successfully coped with the command of the front, but the top leadership did not like him for his directness, for the harshness of his judgments. Beria was especially opposed to him, who absolutely undeservedly kept him in prison for several years.”
Commandant of Berlin
In January–February 1945, Gorbatov’s army skillfully acted in breaking through the enemy’s long-term defenses and repelling his counterattacks during the East Prussian operation. At the beginning of February 1945, the 3rd Army was transferred to the 3rd Belorussian Front. It was commanded by Army General Chernyakhovsky. Gorbatov liked that the commander, closely monitoring the plans and actions of his subordinates, did not restrict their independence. The 3rd Army took Melzak, on February 17, 1945, Chernyakhovsky congratulated Gorbatov on his success by telephone, familiarized himself with the situation and made an appointment at one of the forks of the highway beyond Melzak. Alexander Vasilyevich, before reaching the appointed place, saw that the commander’s jeep had driven into a fork, and then a shell exploded near him... And this time fate was on Gorbatov’s side.
The 3rd Army under the command of Gorbatov maneuvered from East Prussia and participated in the Berlin operation as part of the 1st Belorussian Front. On April 10, 1945, Alexander Vasilyevich Gorbatov was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. In defeated Berlin, General Gorbatov is present at the signing of the surrender of Nazi Germany. After the death of Colonel General Berzarin, the first commandant of Berlin, on June 16, 1945, Gorbatov was appointed commander of the 5th Shock Army and commandant of the German capital.
Did not slander either himself or others
In August 1937, corps commander Grigoriev, a hero of the civil war, a hereditary worker, was arrested... At a rally in the division commanded by Gorbatov, the head of the corps' political department announced that the corps commander "turned out to be an enemy of the people." Alexander Vasilyevich spoke out in defense of Grigoriev, for which he paid. A month later, by order of the district commander, Gorbatov was released from command of the division, and soon expelled from the party “for connections with enemies of the people,” and in October 1938 he ended up in prison in Lubyanka. After refusing to testify about his “crimes,” Gorbatov was sent to Lefortovo prison.
But here, too, Gorbatov refused to testify: “I’d rather die,” I said, “than slander myself, much less others.” The court, who did not admit anything, sentenced Gorbatov to fifteen years in prison and a camp plus five years of loss of rights.
Even such good health as Alexander Vasilyevich’s was undermined by hard work in the camp at the Maldyak gold mine in Kolyma. However, strong will and great personal courage helped Gorbatov withstand this test.
In the summer of 1940, a message was received in Kolyma that, by the Resolution of the Plenum of the Supreme Court of the USSR, the verdict against Gorbatov was canceled and the case was sent for further investigation. “I believed that it would help me that I did not slander either myself or others,” recalled Alexander Vasilyevich.
On March 1, 1941, he again found himself in Lubyanka, and already on March 4, the investigation was completed, a resolution was approved to terminate the criminal case on charges of A.V. Gorbatov, due to the lack of corpus delicti in his actions. Alexander Vasilyevich was restored to his military rank - brigade commander.
Not like everyone else
In his memoirs “A Soldier’s Duty,” Marshal Rokossovsky recalled Gorbatov this way: “Alexander Vasilyevich Gorbatov is an interesting person. A brave, thoughtful military leader, a passionate follower of Suvorov, he valued surprise, swiftness, and long-distance throws reaching the enemy’s flank and rear above all else in combat operations. Gorbatov behaved like Suvorov in everyday life - he refused all comforts and ate from a soldier’s cauldron. Suvorov's principles helped him fight. But sometimes Gorbatov understood them too straightforwardly, without taking into account the changed conditions.”
Alexander Vasilyevich will follow the conviction of the need for close contact between the commander and ordinary soldiers throughout his life. During the Great Patriotic War, the Red Army soldiers will call the commander of the 3rd Army, Colonel General Gorbatov, Batya. This must be earned. Gorbatov, without directly imposing his opinion, tried to instill in the young commanders: “On the battlefield, it is very important to always understand what is possible and what is not... And, most importantly, remember: you have people under your command. They must be taught and protected... Whether they are good or bad, cheerful or gloomy, young or old, they are the same defenders of the homeland as you.” Every operation carried out by Gorbatov's army turned out to be stunning for the enemy.
Alexander Vasilyevich studied well the strengths and weaknesses of the Germans, who were afraid of encirclement, outflanking and outflanking. Gorbatov widely used surprise, swiftness, and long-distance throws to the enemy’s flank and rear in combat operations, honing his brilliant military leadership style. Gorbatov also loved to deceive the enemy by installing dummy guns, false movements, the noise of tank engines and other carefully thought-out means of disinformation. Before the breakthrough to the Dnieper, the Germans spent a huge number of shells for ten to twelve days, nervously firing at false targets.
“The ability to fight,” believed Alexander Vasilyevich, “is not to kill the enemy as much as possible, but to take as many prisoners as possible. Then our own people will be safe.” He was proud that by the end of the war his 3rd Army had taken 106 thousand prisoners, while the neighboring armies had taken no more than 50 thousand. “So just think about how many unnecessary losses we suffered because some generals did not know how to fight.” For example, he was against the storming of Berlin. Surround them and they would surrender themselves. To put the countless number of Soviet soldiers who went through the entire war in the very last days is, of course, wrong. The troops, under the command of General Gorbatov, as a rule, reached new frontiers earlier than planned, acted in such a way that the Germans found themselves in a mousetrap and were forced to abandon operationally important points even before the arrival of our main forces. This happened, for example, with Gomel, and then with Bobruisk.
For almost forty years, Alexander Vasilyevich sacredly observed the boyhood oath given in 1907 - to abstain from vodka and tobacco, which neither the ridicule of his comrades nor the “orders” of his superiors could force him to break. In this too he was not like everyone else. Hero of the Soviet Union, Colonel General Gorbatov broke his oath once. “Indeed, on Victory Day, a day of bitter tears and joyful celebration, I drank three glasses of red wine to the applause and joyful cries of my comrades and their wives.” But smoking and swearing remained prohibited.
Despite all the trials of his tragic fate, Gorbatov did not hold a grudge against his Motherland, he remained a true Soviet general - one of those our military leaders who spared nothing for the Victory, for the Fatherland. Yes, repressions in the Red Army affected innocent commanders. But, finding themselves at the front, in the face of the enemy, they managed to suppress personal grievances. They thought, first of all, about the fate of the Motherland, about what would happen to their families if the Nazis managed to enslave our Fatherland. Realizing all this, Soviet soldiers fought the enemy tooth and nail.
| Annotation board in Ivanovo | ||
| Tombstone | ||
| Bust in Orel (view 1) | ||
| Bust in Orel (view 2) | ||
| Bust in Novosil | ||
| Bust in the village of Kletino | ||
| Annotation board in Rogachev | ||
| Memorial plaque in Shuya |
G Orbatov Alexander Vasilievich - commander of the 3rd Army of the 2nd Belorussian Front, Colonel General.
Born on March 9 (21), 1891 in the village of Pakhotino, Vyaznikovsky district, Vladimir province, now part of the Palekh district of the Ivanovo region. From a large (9 children) peasant family. Russian. He graduated from a three-year rural school. At the age of fourteen he went to work in the city of Shuya. He worked in a shoe store.
In October 1912 he was drafted into the Russian Imperial Army. Served in the 17th Chernigov Hussar Regiment (Eagle). Participant of the 1st World War from its first days. He took part in hostilities in Poland, in the Carpathians, on the Stokhod River, was wounded in battle, and rose to the rank of non-commissioned officer. He was awarded two St. George's crosses and two St. George's medals. In 1917 - member of the regimental and divisional soldiers' committees. In March 1918 he was demobilized and returned to his homeland. He was a member of the volost executive committee and a member of the poor peasants committee.
Peaceful life did not last long. In August 1918, Gorbatov volunteered for the Red Army. Red Army soldier of the reserve regiment (Kineshma), from November 1918 - cavalry reconnaissance of the 2nd Kyiv Fortress Infantry Regiment. He took part in battles against Denikin’s troops, showed courage and resourcefulness, and in October 1919 was appointed commander of a cavalry platoon of the cavalry regiment of the 60th Infantry Division. Later he commanded a squadron in this regiment on the Southern Front. From April 1919, on the Southwestern Front against Polish troops, he was deputy commander and acting commander of the 100th Cavalry Regiment of the 17th Cavalry Division. In March 1920 he was wounded in a battle with the Poles; in May 1920 he returned to duty and was appointed commander of the 2nd Don-Kuban Cavalry Regiment of the 25th Infantry Division. From August 1920 he commanded a separate Bashkir cavalry brigade. Member of the RCP(b)/VKP(b)/CPSU since 1919. After the Civil War, his brigade took part in the liquidation of Petliura’s troops and other nationalist and bandit formations in Ukraine. He was awarded the Order of the Red Banner.
After the Civil War he remained in service in the Red Army. From April 1921 - commander of the 1st separate squadron of the Cheka troops (Kamenets-Podolsky), from November 1921 - commander of the 12th Chervono-Cossack regiment of the 2nd division of the Chervonoy Cossacks (Shepetovka), from November 1923 - commander of the 5th 1st cavalry regiment (Starokonstantinov), from October 1927 commanded the 7th Chernigov Chervony Cossacks cavalry regiment of the 2nd cavalry division in the Kharkov Military District. Since October 1928 - commander of the 2nd brigade of the 3rd Bessarabian cavalry division named after G.I. Kotovsky (Berdichev). Since November 1931 - assistant commander of this cavalry division. In 1926 he graduated from cavalry advanced training courses for command personnel (Novocherkassk), and in 1930 he completed advanced training courses for senior command staff of the Red Army in Moscow.
Since January 1933, he commanded the 4th Turkestan Mountain Cavalry Division of the Central Asian Military District in the Turkmen SSR. For excellent military and political training in 1936 he was awarded the Order of the Red Star. Since May 1936 - commander of the 2nd Cavalry Division of the Kyiv Military District.
In July 1937, he was removed from office; in September 1937, “for connections with enemies of the people,” he was expelled from the party, removed from his post and transferred to the disposal of the Directorate for Command and Control of the Red Army. After six months of forced idleness, in March 1938 he was appointed deputy commander of the 6th Cavalry Corps in the Belarusian Military District (Osipovichi). However, in October of the same 1938, he was again removed from his post, summoned to Moscow, and on the very first night of his arrival, October 22, 1938, he was arrested. In prison he was subjected to torture and beatings, but pleaded not guilty. On May 8, 1939, he was sentenced under Article 58 of the Criminal Code of the RSFSR to 15 years in prison followed by 5 years of disqualification. He served his prison term in a camp in Kolyma. Released on March 5, 1941, he was immediately reinstated in the Red Army. In April 1941, he was appointed deputy commander of the 25th Rifle Corps of the Kharkov Military District.
In the battles of the Great Patriotic War, brigade commander A.V. Gorbatov - from June 1941. The corps was hastily transferred to the Western Front and, as part of the 19th Army, took part in heavy defensive battles in the Vitebsk direction, then participated in the Battle of Smolensk. In battle on July 21, 1941, he was seriously wounded.
After recovery, he was enrolled in a group of officers at the headquarters of the Commander-in-Chief of the South-Western Direction, Marshal of the Soviet Union S.K. Timoshenko. In September 1941, he was appointed commander of the 226th Infantry Division of the 21st Army near Kharkov. Participated in defensive battles near Kharkov in October 1941. From the very first days of hostilities, A.V. Gorbatov set a goal for himself and his subordinates: to ensure that each unit, while still on the defensive, took part in a daring sortie. During difficult and largely unsuccessful winter offensive battles on the Southwestern Front, he planned and carried out a number of bold raids behind enemy lines, smashing and routing small garrisons. The division captured large trophies and hundreds of prisoners, for which he was awarded the Order of the Red Banner.
From June 1942 - inspector of the cavalry of the Southwestern Front, from August - of the Stalingrad Front, and from September - of the Don Front. On behalf of the front commander, Eremenko led the fighting on one of the front sectors, repelling an attempt by German troops to capture Stalingrad on the move. From October 1942 - deputy commander of the 24th Army on the Stalingrad and Don fronts, participated in the encirclement and liquidation of the 6th German Army in the Stalingrad ring.
Since April 1943 - commander of the 20th Guards Rifle Corps of the 4th Guards Army. Two months later, in June 1943, he became commander of the 3rd Army (Bryansk, then 2nd Belorussian Fronts).
In July 1943, in the Oryol offensive operation, he skillfully organized the army's military operations to break through the enemy's heavily fortified defenses on the Zusha River and the subsequent offensive as part of the Bryansk Front. On August 5, 1943, troops of the 3rd Army, in cooperation with the 63rd Army, liberated the city of Orel. In offensive operations in the fall of 1943 and winter of 1944, the 3rd Army under the command of A.V. Gorbatov successfully crossed large water obstacles (the Sozh, Dnieper and others rivers), and participated in the Belarusian operation of 1944.
In January-February 1945, General A.V. Gorbatov skillfully commanded army troops in breaking through the enemy’s long-term defenses and repelling his counterattacks during the East Prussian operation (as part of the 2nd Belorussian Front). For skillful leadership of the entrusted army troops during the East Prussian operation and demonstrated personal courage, the commander of the 2nd Belorussian Front, Marshal Rokossovsky, was nominated for the Order of Suvorov, 1st degree, but in Moscow the army commander’s merits were rated higher...
U Kaz of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR dated April 10, 1945 to Colonel General Gorbatov Alexander Vasilievich awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union with the Order of Lenin and the Gold Star medal.
The 3rd Army under the command of A.V. Gorbatov took part in the Berlin operation. On May 7, 1945, army troops reached the Elbe River and met with American troops.
After the war, from June 1945 he commanded the 5th Shock Army and at the same time was the commandant of Berlin. Since October 1946 - commander of the 11th Guards Army. Since March 1950 - commander of the airborne army. Since May 1953 - Commander of the Airborne Forces. Since May 1954 - Commander of the Baltic Military District. Since March 1958 - military inspector-adviser of the Group of Inspectors General of the USSR Ministry of Defense.
In 1952-1961 - candidate member of the CPSU Central Committee. He was elected as a deputy of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR 2-5 convocations (1946-1962).
Lived in the hero city of Moscow. Died December 7, 1973. He was buried at the Novodevichy cemetery in Moscow.
Military ranks:
brigade commander (11/26/1935),
Major General (12/25/1941),
Lieutenant General (04/28/1943),
Colonel General (06/29/1944),
General of the Army (08/08/1955).Awarded 3 Orders of Lenin (3.06.1944; 21.02.1945; 10.04.1945), Order of the October Revolution (25.03.1971), 4 Orders of the Red Banner (1921; 27.03.1942; 3.11.1944; 15.11.1950), 2 Suvorov's money 1st degree (09/22/1943, 05/29/1945), orders of Kutuzov 1st degree (07/23/1944), Suvorov 2nd degree (08/27/1943), Kutuzov 2nd degree (02/8/1943), 2 orders Red Star (08/16/1936; 03/21/1961), medals, Weapons of Honor, a foreign award - the Order of the Legion of Honor, commander's degree (USA, 1945).
Honorary citizen of the cities of Bryansk, Mtsensk (1968), Novosil, Orel (1968).
Busts of the Hero are installed in the cities of Orel and Novosil, Oryol region, which he liberated; the monument is on the collective farm named after him in the Ivanovo region, memorial plaques are in the cities of Mtsensk, Oryol region, and Shuya, Ivanovo region. Streets in the cities of Gomel, Ivanovo, Ufa, Shuya, Rogachev are named after A.V. Gorbatov. The feature film “General” was shot about him.
Essays:
Years and wars. - M.: Voenizdat, 1965.Biography updated by Anton Bocharov
(Koltsovo village, Novosibirsk region)
FROM THE AWARD SHEET
A brief, specific statement of personal combat feat or merit
In preparation for an operation to break through the enemy’s deeply layered defenses on the western bank of the river. Narew at the front: Ponekevka, Duzhe, Dombrovka and the entry of troops into East Prussia by the Guards. Colonel General Gorbatov personally conducted a series of practical training on real terrain and gave instructions to the commanders of corps, divisions, regiments, and in the main direction, battalion commanders, how to methodically break through the enemy’s defenses and how to consistently build up attacks during the offensive.
During the offensive, the troops of Guards. Colonel-General Gorbatov, acting on the right flank of the strike group of front forces, with a swift strike on the first day of the offensive, broke through the enemy’s defenses to the entire tactical depth and advanced 7-10 troops. On the second day of the operation, the enemy, with the forces of the newly introduced tank division "Gross Germany", in cooperation with other units, struck a blow at the group of army troops that had moved forward. At this critical moment, Guards. Colonel General Gorbatov, personally being in the combat formations of units 35 and 42 SK, showing courage and determination, repelled all enemy counterattacks and thereby ensured the development of the success of the main group of front forces.
Troops of the 3rd Army under the command of Guards. Colonel General Gorbatov also broke through the second heavily fortified enemy defensive line on the river. Ozhits and developing the offensive with bold roundabout actions, immediately broke into its intermediate defensive lines and, rapidly pursuing, entered the territory of East Prussia.
During the operation, army troops occupied the cities of Krasnoselts, Ednorozhets, Khozhel, Yanovo, Willenberg, Ortenburg, Jedwabno, Passenhain, Wartenburg, Gutstadt and, in cooperation with the 3rd Guards KK, the city of Allenstein.
From January 14 to February 10 this year. Army troops inflicted the following damage on the enemy in manpower and equipment: destroyed 23918 soldiers and officers, 203 tanks and self-propelled guns, over 300 guns of various calibers, 14 ammunition depots, captured: 2258 soldiers and officers, 79 tanks and self-propelled guns, various guns 198 caliber, 93 different warehouses, 1890 wagons and platforms, 83 steam locomotives, a lot of other military equipment, food and enemy equipment. The army troops marched 163 km with intense battles and cleared an area of 3,600 sq km from enemy troops. Guard Colonel General Gorbatov, throughout the entire offensive period, constantly visited the troops, monitored the implementation of assigned tasks and analyzed the situation, quickly and decisively brought his reserves into action to build up attacks to develop the offensive.
For a well-prepared, skillfully and successfully executed military operation of the Guard, Colonel General Gorbatov is worthy of being awarded the Order of Suvorov, 1st degree.
Commander of the 2nd Belorussian Front, Marshal of the Soviet Union Rokossovsky
Member of the Military Council of the 2nd Belorussian Front, Lieutenant General Subbotin
February 16, 1945
General A.V. Gorbatov: from Kolyma to Berlin
No matter how the fate of a Russian person breaks him, he endures all trials with dignity and honor, maintaining the purity of his soul... This is how I see Army General Alexander Vasilyevich Gorbatov. His complex, eventful life included childhood in the family of a poor peasant, battles on the fields of the First World War and the Civil War, hard labor in the mines of Kolyma and the highest military awards. During the Great Patriotic War, he became one of the most outstanding Soviet commanders. Alexander Vasilyevich also went down in history as the author, I think, of memoirs that are unsurpassed among our generals and marshals in terms of directness and sincerity. The fate of this book also turned out to be very difficult.
"Years and Wars"
At the end of 1963 A.V. Gorbatov brought the manuscript to the New World magazine. In his memoirs “The Open Door” V.Ya. Lakshin writes about the acquaintance of the staff of the New World with Alexander Vasilyevich: “He appeared in the editorial office in a somewhat unusual way for a military man of his rank. It happened that his appearance was preceded by a string of adjutants, guarantors, messengers, handing over a beautifully designed manuscript. And it happened that the author, renowned for his ranks and merits, never crossed the threshold of the editorial office: smart lieutenants or neat majors, saluting, stopped by to pick up the layout, brought it back a day or two later, and when the issue came out, they showed up for the author’s copies. That's all the communication with the authors... With General Gorbatov everything was different. Having telephoned Tvardovsky, he appeared at the editorial office in the middle of the working day... I remember how a tall, red-faced general from the cold, in a long, light overcoat and with large stars on his shoulder straps, entered our twilight hall. While he was talking with Tvardovsky, sitting sideways at the table, the light fell on his face, and I looked with curiosity at our infrequent visitor: an elderly man, but you couldn’t call him an old man - strong, straight back, cavalry posture, weather-beaten face... I it seemed that in profile he looked like Marshal Zhukov: the same sculptural sculpting of a strong-willed face, intent eyes. Only what is expressed with some emphasis in Zhukov’s face - strong brow ridges, a prominent blunt chin, in Gorbatov’s face, perhaps, was softened: there was something of Russian village roundness in him.”
Editor-in-Chief A.T. Tvardovsky was amazed that the military leader wrote his memoirs in pencil and, as a rule, on the back of sheets already filled with typewritten text. “What fate! What a moral person!” - Alexander Trifonovich said enthusiastically.
The manuscript passed the slingshot of military censorship and the memoirs group of GlavPUR with great difficulties, since the facts and assessments did not fit into the accepted cliches or memoirs already published by someone. In 1964, Novy Mir nevertheless published a magazine version of the memoirs, which, thanks to Tvardovsky, received the title “Years and Wars.” A year later, the book of memoirs “Years and Wars” was published by Military Publishing House.
The book was a huge success among readers, but it was republished only in the late 1980s...
Knight of St. George
The future commander was born on March 21, 1891 in a poor peasant family, in the village of Pakhotino, now in the Ivanovo region, not far from Palekh, famous for icon painting. Vasily Alekseevich and Ksenia Akakievna had five sons and four daughters. “My father, pious and hardworking, had strict rules: he did not drink, did not smoke, and did not swear. With his average height, sickness and thinness, he seemed to us children to have great strength, for we often felt the weight of his hand when it fell on us for “training purposes.” He taught us “conscientiously.” Mother, also pious, was a great worker...”
Sanka Gorbatov, who, like everyone else in the village, attended school for only three winters, stood out sharply among his peers. The rare enterprise of a 12-year-old teenager amazed his family and the entire district - he walked seventy miles alone in severe frost along the road that wolves had once crossed before his eyes, through trading villages with a sled loaded with goods - mittens knitted at home. He had a profit of seven or ten rubles, that is, more than his brother at the factory. “... Relatives and neighbors came to look at such a craftsman.” The mother looked at her Sanka with pride and joy with wet eyes. And I? I felt like a hero!”
The road for savvy children from poor villages in Central Russia led to the city, “to the people.” So Sanka ended up for several years as a “boy” in Shuya in the house of a shoe dealer. Student Rubachev, a friend of the owner’s son, who comes on vacation, is surprised by the teenager’s arithmetic abilities, quick and correct solutions to problems that are rarely available to adults. Seeing pictures of drunkenness around him, the student has friendly conversations with Sanka about the dangers of this vice, even bringing a brochure with convincing arguments. Sanka’s decision was extraordinary: “Without hesitation, I answered sincerely, from the bottom of my heart: “I swear, I will never, never drink, swear or smoke!” ...This boyish oath played a great role in my future life, in my entire destiny...
How many people have I met who mocked my abstinence from vodka and tobacco, but the ridicule had no effect. There were even bosses who “ordered” me to drink, but... I continued to be firm.
There have been so many different difficult experiences in life, and the desire to “forget” in vodka never came... And only once did I have the opportunity to break a vow made in my boyhood days. In the second half of the war, when our successes were outlined and realized, I once told those who pestered me that I would break my oath “not to drink,” given in 1907, only on Victory Day. Then I’ll drink in front of all the honest people. Indeed, on Victory Day, a day of bitter tears and joyful celebration, I drank three glasses of red wine to the applause and joyful cries of my comrades and their wives.”
Alexander Vasilyevich Gorbatov always remembered his parents with great warmth. Already at the end of his life, in letters to schoolchildren, at meetings with children, he said: “I would like to ask you to take care of, love your parents and the most precious thing - your mother. Your mother’s tender hands protected you before, and they still protect you from big and small misfortunes... Don’t let your mother do what you can do... A mother is the most precious, the brightest thing for a person. How disgusting it is to listen when a drunk and even a sober one mentions the word mother in abuse. It would be good if each of you made a promise to yourself not to use the word mother in a swear word and try to fulfill it.”
Young Gorbatov’s relationship with his stern father was not so simple. There was even a case when a 12-year-old son, painfully punished for losing a sheepskin in an ice hole while washing and for insolence, went home from the Ryazan village, where they had arrived to earn money. And he walked three hundred miles in winter! The mother, notified of his departure, greeted the boy with sobs. When my father returned, he “not only did not scold me, on the contrary, he came up, affectionately stroked my head and only said reproachfully: “Why did you do this, Sanka?”
Probably, the son hurt his father much more when he returned from the front in 1918, no longer a believer in God, after conversations with a St. Petersburg Bolshevik worker... (In this regard, I recall one of the meetings in the 70s with the Hero of the Soviet Union, Admiral of the Fleet V .A. Kasatonov. In our frequent conversations, he certainly remembered Gorbatov. Once in the 50s, the then Minister of Defense G.K. Zhukov came to the Baltic Military District, which was commanded by A.V. army to “hazing.” Suddenly Alexander Vasilyevich said: “Do you remember, Georgy Konstantinovich, how we were solemnly escorted into the army? How we kissed the cross in front of the banners, while the bells were ringing... How our fathers gave us parting words to serve faithfully for our faith, tsar and fatherland. Not like now...” Zhukov agreed that the problem was important, but he no longer had time for any changes.)
In the First World War, the future army general Gorbatov was drafted as an ordinary soldier. He distinguished himself, received two Georges and two medals.
I knelt down in front of my father, hugged him tightly and kissed him three times. And he, like he did when he was little, stroked my head.”
Live not for yourself, but for others
What did Red Army soldier Alexander Gorbatov believe in, what brought him to the Red Army? He also gives the answer to this in his memoirs: “The slogans of the Communist Party - peace, land and freedom - were intelligible and close to the heart of every worker, peasant, soldier...” The ordinary man, and then the Red commander Gorbatov understood the essence of Soviet power as follows: live not for yourself, but for others.
The book “Years and Wars” contains many descriptions of the battles of the Civil War. The author's sincerity allows us to better understand this tragedy. Gorbatov’s commanding talent, determination, and his excellent knowledge of the cavalry regulations of the Russian army (the alarmed regiment commander even calls him to him: “Listen, you’re not one of these ... not one of the former ...”) quickly push him out of the ranks of the Red Army. Gorbatov finished his civilian life as the commander of the Separate Bashkir Cavalry Brigade. He fights against Denikin, the Poles, and the Petliurists. During a risky foray into the rear of the Poles, he remains alive after a bullet, piercing his cheek under the eye, exits behind the ear. “I chopped confidently, and then almost always retreated last, covering those lagging behind, and with pain in my heart I overtook our last only when a group of enemies jumped up to me.” During one of these rearguard battles, Gorbatov kills three White Guard officers with a revolver...
After the end of the civil war, Gorbatov did not think of remaining in the army. The peasant son was attracted by his native land: “My hands were yearning for the earth. I really wanted to hold the golden grain in my hands and swing my scythe across the dewy hayfield.” But military service was destined for him until the end of his days...
Alexander Vasilyevich commanded a regiment for seven years, a brigade for five and a half, and a division for the same amount of time. “I understood perfectly well that my education was not enough to command a regiment. In those years there was a kind of fever, everyone, including me, was eager to learn... And, perhaps, self-education in short hours of rest, personal time gave us what we could not get in childhood and youth. What could be called “internal culture” or “intelligence” was developed.
The peasant childhood and youth of future marshals and generals, depriving them of universities, gave them, as compensation, colossal health and endurance, common sense and acute sensitivity to knowledge.
Gorbatov sought to take the best from all the commanders with whom he served - both from those who took off on the revolutionary wave (V. Primakov, I. Yakir), and from people of the old school, for example, from the chief of staff of the corps, Lieutenant General of the old army Yu. Scheidemann : “Every meeting with him for me is lessons in military art, lessons in intelligence and observance of military honor.”
In 1928, after large maneuvers in which Gorbatov commanded a separate cavalry regiment, the chief of staff of the Red Army B.M. In his report, Shaposhnikov repeatedly cited as an example the actions of the Gorbatov regiment, tactical skill and firmness in bringing the decision to completion. Brilliant certifications continue to accompany him; Gorbatov serves with passion and zeal. He loves cavalry, although he understands that its significance is becoming a thing of the past. At one exercise, he stands next to a group of invited German observers, assessing the formation of cavalry divisions for the attack: “An unforgettable picture of strength and power. The beauty and swiftness of the masses of cavalry amazed the German military. The head of the German delegation loudly exclaimed: “Romantic, beautiful, romantic, romantic, romantic!”
A.V. Gorbatov shared the ideas of collectivization. But the practical implementation of this “turning point”, the unrest among the Red Army peasants, the pictures of the terrible famine of 1932-1933 evoke the following thoughts in him:
“Collectivization led the peasant masses to depersonalization, deprivation of their independence, and the life of a collective farmer henceforth began to be regulated by orders: “fulfill”, “surrender”... Extraordinary measures of violence, built into the system, led to moral decay, a decline in morality...
Despite everything, I can firmly say that the collective farm peasantry fulfilled its duty to the Motherland, which was especially evident during the Great Patriotic War.”
It was
In August 1937, corps commander P.P. was arrested. Grigoriev, a hero of the civil war, a hereditary worker... At a meeting in the division commanded by Gorbatov, the head of the political department of the corps announced that the corps commander “turned out to be an enemy of the people.” “It turned out” - at that time it was a kind of magic word that seemed to explain everything: he lived, worked and then “turned out”... - writes A.V. Gorbatov. He himself stated before the formation of the division that he had known Grigoriev for 14 years, had not seen “any vacillations in matters of party politics” in him, that Grigoriev was “one of the best commanders in the entire Red Army,” that “if he were alien to our party, it would be noticeable, especially to me,” that “the investigation will sort it out and P.P. Grigoriev’s innocence will be proven.” The speakers who followed spoke only about the shortcomings of the corps commander, his “excessive pickiness.” “My voice seemed to be drowned in this unkind chorus...”
This is how the events began that led to Gorbatov’s arrest in the CDKA hotel in October 1938. Orders were removed from the tunic, insignia were cut off from uniforms. “It’s hard to convey what I experienced when a car was rushing me through the deserted night streets of Moscow.”
And at Lubyanka Gorbatov immediately shows himself. The investigator's threats had no effect, and the arrested man was transferred to Lefortovo. “My neighbors turned out to be brigade commander B. and the head of one of the main committees of the People's Commissariat of Trade K. Both of them had already written nonsense about themselves and others, slipped in by the investigators... Their stories gave me goosebumps. It was hard to believe that something like this could happen...
“I’d rather die,” I said, “than slander myself, much less others.”
Gorbatov was brought in on a stretcher from the next interrogation. Investigator Yakov Stovbunsky was assisted by two hefty bone breakers. Interrogations with beatings until loss of consciousness and sophisticated torture followed one after another.
Looking through the KGB interrogation reports half a century later, I saw brown spots on these sheets - palm and fingerprints. There were many such stains - traces of blood...
In the camp at the Maldyak gold mine in Kolyma there were about 400 convicts under Article 58 and up to 50 seasoned repeat offenders, of whom brigadiers, cooks, orderlies and tent supervisors were appointed. Hard labor was used to extract gold, up to several tens of kilograms per day, from mines in permafrost.
“...My legs began to swell, my teeth began to loosen. My body, which was considered iron, began to give out. If you lie down like a sick person, it’s a disaster: the outcome will be the same... I even began to calmly think about the worst...” writes Alexander Vasilyevich.
Gorbatov was saved from death by a paramedic who drew up a disability report.
Alexander Vasilyevich also found defenders in the wild. Despite the threat of arrest, bullying and mockery, his wife Nina Aleksandrovna, whose father and brother, in addition to her husband, were repressed and died, continued to fight for his release. She stood in line at the information desk of the NKVD, the prosecutor's office, the Supreme Court and the People's Commissariat of Defense, and every step behind her could become the steps of those who came to take her to where women with the same fate were already languishing. For many years I knew this soulful, charming woman of true Russian beauty, with two braids arranged on her head like a crown...
The decisive role, apparently, was played by Marshal of the Soviet Union S.K. Timoshenko, who became People's Commissar of Defense in 1940. I was the first to publish two documents from the Gorbatov case - Tymoshenko’s appeals to higher authorities. Here are the lines from the telegram: “...I have become familiar with Grigoriev’s testimony about the involvement of brigade commander Gorbatov in a military-fascist conspiracy, period I do not allow this thought...” As we see, even the corps commander Grigoriev, whose defense became fatal for Gorbatov, was broken by torture...
In the summer of 1940, a message was received in Kolyma that by the Resolution of the Plenum of the Supreme Court of the USSR dated April 4, 1940, the verdict against A.V. Gorbatov. canceled and the case was sent for further investigation.
Gorbatov, having made a “journey” of several months (from August 20 to December 25) in patched cotton trousers, a sweatshirt shiny with dirt, and a hat with earflaps, galoshes, with the ends of foot wraps sticking out, but not broken morally, arrived in Moscow . On March 1, 1941, he again found himself in Lubyanka. On March 3, 1941, the People's Commissar of Defense approved a resolution to terminate the criminal case against A.V. Gorbatov for the lack of corpus delicti in his actions and restores him to the military rank of brigade commander. In the dead of night on March 5, 1941, in front of A.V. Gorbatov opened the gates of the internal prison of the NKVD... On the same day, Gorbatov was received by S.K. Tymoshenko. The meeting was, as Gorbatov writes, “very warm and cordial. I reported my return from a “long and dangerous” business trip.”
When leaving prison, the brigade commander, with a height of 177 centimeters, weighed 64 kg.
As a relic, he took with him a bag with patches, galoshes and pitch-black lumps of sugar and bagels, which he kept for reinforcement in case of illness on the way (even criminals did not covet them). In conversations with friends, “I could not say even a hundredth part of what I am writing about now: when leaving Lubyanka, I signed a contract of silence.”
After paying salary for 30 months, Alexander Vasilyevich and his wife in April-May 1941 rested in the Arkhangelskoye sanatorium and in Kislovodsk. The strength of the powerful organism was restored. Received an appointment to Ukraine as deputy commander of the 25th Rifle Corps.
“I got acquainted with the divisions. They were staffed, but I didn’t feel any real coherence in them, and their general condition left me with an unimportant impression. The more I delved into the matter, the more convinced I became of the correctness of my initial impressions. There was no necessary order, organization and proper military discipline. The worst thing was that many commanders did not notice these shortcomings.
Returning to the building, I, without exaggeration, but clearly and clearly reported everything I saw to the commander. He agreed with everything. But we no longer had time to eliminate the shortcomings...”
Winner's handwriting
The Great Patriotic War became the main thing in the life of General Gorbatov. Alexander Vasilyevich’s contribution to the victory is great and is still waiting for its researchers. One can only imagine how the general would look into the eyes of the writer Viktor Astafiev with his statement that the Germans were “filled with corpses.”
The name of Gorbatov became known throughout the country in 1943 after the Battle of Kursk. In June 1943, the general was appointed commander of the 3rd Army. The front commander is the talented military leader M.M. Popov introduced Gorbatov to the state of affairs in the army: “It dug into the ground, sat on the defensive, carried out a number of unsuccessful offensive operations in the past... I will not characterize the commanders, so as not to tie your opinion to my own. I will say one thing: there are no hopeless people. We need work and work, both with generals and with soldiers.”
There were two weeks left before the start of the offensive on Oryol. The 3rd Army was assigned a supporting role - to provide the flank of the 63rd Army, which had incomparably more forces and means, advancing in a narrower zone. And then the new army commander amazed everyone - both the Headquarters representative G.K. Zhukov and his headquarters. And, as it soon became clear, the Germans too. Gorbatov proposed giving the 3rd Army an independent breakthrough section with crossing the Zushi River.
“First G.K. Zhukov reacted with distrust to both my fears and my proposals, and regarding the introduction of a tank corps and army into the 3rd Army zone he even remarked with a grin:
You, Comrade Gorbatov, still want to attack the enemy like a cavalry, with a raid and caps.
After thinking a little, he said:
Perhaps this would be nice, but the planning has already been completed, and there is little time left before the offensive, and the third army will not have time to prepare.
I assured that we will make it in time.”
In the shortest possible time, Gorbatov was able to evaluate the soldiers and leadership of his army, in which he did not change anyone and with whom he reached Victory. The army showed what the Russian people are capable of when they receive a worthy leader.
Gorbatov's plan was fully justified. On August 5, Oryol was released. On the same day, in Moscow, for the first time in the history of the Great Patriotic War, a salute was given in honor of the liberation of Orel and Belgorod.
“...Not a single operation was carried out by us “according to a stencil,” writes A.V. Gorbatov. - Each time we tried to make decisions that corresponded specifically to the given case... However, this is not only the case. Even at a time when I was in high command positions, relations with subordinates, despite my exactingness, were not limited to official formality. Maybe the soldiers and young commanders felt that I had to endure a lot of difficult things in my life, I don’t know - in any case, on their part I was mostly greeted with openness and something personal, which coexists quite well with respect for the elders. Memory has preserved many faces and many names.”
But in June-July 1941 the victories of 1943-1945 were still far away. Near Vitebsk, “not reaching three kilometers to the front line of the defense, I saw a general disorderly retreat along the highway of the three thousandth regiment. Confused commanders of various ranks walked in the midst of the soldiers. Individual enemy shells burst onto the field without causing harm.” Between these crowds wandering east, brigade commander Gorbatov rushes about. “In relation to the oldest, I overstepped the boundaries of what was permitted: I scolded myself greatly, felt remorse, but sometimes the kindest words were powerless... To me, who had just returned to the army, it seemed like a bad dream, I couldn’t believe what I saw with my own eyes ; only the unbending fingers of the right hand and the aching hand confirmed the reality.” The demoralized, poorly trained troops of the 25th Corps were surrounded, and Corporal Samokhvalov and his staff officers were captured. Shortly before this, Gorbatov was wounded in the leg by a German machine gunner and sent to the hospital.
In October 1941, Gorbatov was appointed commander of the 226th Infantry Division, which retreated to Kharkov. “I was quite pleased. Firstly, I got an independent job, and secondly, the job that I liked most.” Tactical training with soldiers and commanders was conducted for eight to ten hours, shooting from dawn to dusk, as well as the fight against the widespread opinion that the enemy was invincible.
In order to bring a change in the current state of affairs, Gorbatov, on his own initiative, organizes, one after another, several surprise attacks on the Germans, already self-confident, holed up in the winter in villages and hamlets, between which there were large gaps not occupied by troops. He leads these risky forays himself, well aware that if he is captured, there will be no way back for him, having recently returned from Kolyma.
The number of trophies and prisoners captured by Gorbatov surprised the army command. In December 1941, Army Commander V.N. Gordov presented Gorbatov with the general’s hat and the Order of the Red Banner. A number of innovations introduced by Gorbatov into the methods and methods of combat were then included in the Infantry Combat Manual (BUP - 1942).
Alexander Vasilyevich is convinced that in those cases when a knowledgeable division commander himself determines targets for private operations, forces and time for a surprise attack, “the enemy usually had losses two, three, or even four times more than we did.”
“It’s another thing when they describe everything to you from afar... In these cases, the result was almost always the same: we were not successful and suffered two to three times more losses than the enemy.”
Here, near Kharkov, Gorbatov, who sought by any means to avoid frontal attacks that would bleed the regiments, came into sharp conflict with the new army commander K.S. Moskalenko. In the first edition of the book “Years and Wars,” he was called without a surname, simply “commander,” but it was clear to everyone who he was talking about. But Marshal of the Soviet Union K.S. Moskalenko in 1962 - 1983 served as chief inspector of the USSR Ministry of Defense - Deputy Minister of Defense of the USSR! It must be assumed that Kirill Semenovich had the opportunity to influence the fate of the book “Years and Wars” and its author...
In March 1942, the army commander characterizes the actions of the obstinate division commander as “criminal.” Gorbatov describes the explanation given by the front commander, Marshal Timoshenko: “Brought to the point of white heat by insults, in a temper, I, pointing my hand at the army commander, replied:
This is not an army commander, this is a free supplement to the army, a stringless balalaika.”
In response to the reproach for harshness of expression, Alexander Vasilyevich says: “I said what I think. In five days, our divisions captured hundreds of prisoners, dozens of guns and mortars, and all because they acted on their own initiative, contrary to the orders of the army commander. The entire leadership of the army commander lies in the most shameless attitude towards his subordinates. All we hear is: “You help Hitler, you serve the fascists, you traitor!” I'm tired of listening to the endless abuse. Does the army commander really not admit that by his behavior he does not mobilize his subordinates, but only kills their faith in their own strength? I heard similar insults from the investigator in Lefortovo prison and I don’t want to hear any more. At first I thought that the army commander allowed himself to talk like that only to me, who had recently arrived from Kolyma. But this is a stencil and is applied to each of the subordinates...”
Tymoshenko, as before, is on the side of Gorbatov, who advises him not to get excited. Moskalenko is silent...
Gorbatov was bold and direct in a conversation in November 1942 with a member of the State Defense Committee, Secretary of the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party (Bolsheviks) G.M. Malenkov. “Tell me, Comrade Gorbatov, why did we end up on the Volga?” - he asks Gorbatov, who already had great authority in the army.
At first, the general answers in general phrases, but then gets to the heart of things: “The main reason for the failures is that we do not have enough qualified personnel... Who is in charge of this issue in the Main Personnel Directorate of NGOs?.. Sasha Rumyantsev. In my opinion, General Rumyantsev is more suitable for the role of an investigator than for the role of Deputy Supreme Commander-in-Chief for Personnel... There is a war going on, formations are suffering losses, receiving reinforcements... All of them are capable of dying for our Motherland, but, unfortunately, they cannot to beat the enemy, and in the districts they are not taught this. And all this happens because it is led by Efim Afanasyevich Shchadenko. We need to replace him with a gray-haired and at least armless or legless general who knows a lot about the matter.”
Generals A. Rumyantsev and E. Shchadenko were relieved of their posts.
Gorbatov believed that even high-ranking generals could not correctly assess the situation without seeing their soldiers, without visiting the very edge. He carried out dangerous assignments during the Battle of Stalingrad, when he served as an inspector of the cavalry of the Southwestern and then the Don Front (although he clearly did not like this staff position).
“I had to strictly demand that the commanders be as close to the battle formations as possible. The results were felt immediately: battle management improved, commanders firmly held their units and subunits in their hands,” writes Gorbatov. And he himself is often in the thick of it...
Gorbatov’s fate was also preserved on February 17, 1945, when literally before his eyes a shell exploded at the jeep of front commander I.D. Chernyakhovsky...
Every operation carried out by Gorbatov's army turned out to be stunning for the Germans. His brilliant military style is fully formed. Alexander Vasilyevich studied well the strengths and weaknesses of the Germans, who were very afraid of encirclement, bypassing and covering the flanks.
Gorbatov also loved to deceive the enemy by installing dummy guns, false movements, the noise of tank engines and other carefully thought-out means of disinformation.
Before the breakthrough to the Dnieper, the Germans spent a huge number of shells for ten to twelve days, nervously firing at false targets. “It was clear that he attached great importance to our events. Then the enemy probably realized our deception - he stopped reacting to our inventions. But we didn’t expect more,” the army commander writes with some humor.
Gorbatov, given the lack of his own ammunition, attached particular importance to the skillful use of weapons and ammunition captured from the well-supplied Germans.
Gorbatov demanded from his commanders accurate knowledge about the enemy, about his own neighbors, and proposals for active actions. “I walked around the front line of each division... Only after listening to all the answers to the questions - mine and the generals and officers who arrived with me - did I give instructions. If the answers seemed unsuccessful to me, I helped with leading questions, ensuring that my subordinates themselves came to the right idea.”
Having always studied to the subtleties the situation at the junctions with neighboring armies, Gorbatov either asks Rokossovsky to add additional kilometers to his strip, or to return them back in order to launch a decisive offensive from a small bridgehead to the Dnieper with the liberation of Gomel. The commander of the 1st Belorussian Front supports Gorbatov in these “combinations,” although one can hear “irony and a slight grin” in Rokossovsky’s voice.
“And so, calling the commander, as always at 5 p.m., I reported on the results of the first day. Konstantin Konstantinovich only said:
Is this really true?
Yes, really,” I replied. Then he exclaimed:
So develop, push as hard as you can! This is great - and unexpected...”
As Gorbatov writes, summarizing the lessons of the bold and completed operation: “No matter how great our faith in the combat capability of the army was, reality exceeded expectations. We would consider it a great achievement if we had covered the fifty-kilometer distance to the Dnieper by the end of the fourth day; but the army completed this task a day earlier, in conditions when even cartridges were delivered by U-2 aircraft.”
In February 1944, before crossing the Dnieper, Gorbatov asked to unite the troops of his army with the neighboring army. “Then in less than ten days, I assured, we will drive the enemy on the eastern bank from his bridgehead and seize an even larger bridgehead across the Dnieper... Such an unusual and impudently bold proposal in the practice of relations between army commanders amazed even K. K. Rokossovsky , who deservedly enjoys great authority and is accustomed to a wide variety of plans and plans.
The front commander, addressing the chief of staff, Colonel General M.S. Malinin, said with a grin:
What if you believe Comrade Gorbatov’s promise and agree with his proposal? But then where should the headquarters and commander of the 63rd Army go?”
As a result, Army Commander-63 V.Ya. Kolpakchi (one can imagine with what feelings) was sent to the reserve of Headquarters, and Gorbatov, as promised (naturally, risking his head), crossed the Dnieper and captured a profitable bridgehead.
True, having the order to advance further towards Bobruisk, Gorbatov goes on the defensive. After three tank divisions approached the Germans and another major reinforcement, after the army’s losses had increased by a third in one day, Gorbatov refused to advance, despite the categorical order of the commander, who personally arrived at the command post.
“I understood what it meant to not carry out a combat order and, left alone, I thought about what to do. I decided: instead of killing the army, I would expose my own head...
This was the first time that we disagreed with such an authoritative and endlessly loved and respected military leader, such as Konstantin Konstantinovich Rokossovsky.”
The Supreme Commander-in-Chief supported Gorbatov this time. K.K. himself Rokossovsky wrote in his book “A Soldier’s Duty”: “Alexander Vasilyevich Gorbatov is an interesting person. A brave, thoughtful military leader, a passionate follower of Suvorov, he valued surprise, swiftness, and long-distance throws reaching the enemy’s flank and rear above all else in combat operations. Gorbatov behaved like Suvorov in everyday life - he refused all amenities and ate from a soldier’s cauldron.
Suvorov's principles helped him fight. But sometimes A.V. Gorbatov understood them too straightforwardly, without taking into account the changed conditions...” Recalling the case of disobedience to the order, K.K. Rokossovsky writes: “Alexander Vasilyevich’s act only elevated him in my eyes. “I became convinced that he was truly a respectable, thoughtful military leader, whose soul was rooted in his assigned work.”
War is a difficult matter, and historians will have a long time to sort out many of the complexities in the relationships between our military leaders...
Speaking on June 17, 1944, with a report at the headquarters of the 1st Belorussian Front before the start of Operation Bagration, Gorbatov again proposed his army offensive plan, which differed significantly from the directive. Arriving from Headquarters G.K. Zhukov repeatedly interrupted the report with sharp remarks. He said to the commander of one of the corps: “As I see, you are all looking at Gorbatov’s mouth, but you don’t have your own opinion!” But Rokossovsky approves the decision of Commander-3. Zhukov did not interfere, and later, during the breakthrough of the German defense, he supported Gorbatov and helped him.
In his memoirs “Memories and Reflections” G.K. Zhukov praised Gorbatov: “And one can say that he could have successfully coped with the command of the front, but the top leadership did not like him for his directness, for the harshness of his judgments. Beria was especially opposed to him..."
After Zhukov’s disgrace and deep isolation in 1957, contrary to all “recommendations,” only a few people constantly visited the marshal; among them is A.V. Gorbatov.
Nina Aleksandrovna Gorbatova recalled the disputes between her husband and G.K. Zhukov more than once during the war: “They will arrive from reconnaissance or from some meeting with the commanders, everything seemed to go as expected, calmly... And then they drink They are having tea, discussing an upcoming or past operation, and suddenly their opinions differ, and then they clash so that sparks fly. And then they’ll be silent, snort, and again nothing, as if they weren’t angry.”
The 3rd Army successfully completed its participation in Operation Bagration, capturing 27,900 prisoners, who made up a significant part of the column filmed on newsreels that was soon carried through the center of Moscow.
On February 16, 1945, the commander of the troops of the 2nd Belorussian Front K.K. Rokossovsky and member of the Military Council of the front N.E. Subbotin noted the actions of the troops of the 3rd Army “to break through the enemy’s deeply echeloned defenses on the western bank of the Narew River... and the entry of troops into East Prussia... On the second day of the operation, the enemy with the forces of the newly introduced tank division “Great Germany” in cooperation with others in parts struck at the group of army troops that had moved forward. At this critical moment, Guards. Colonel General Gorbatov, personally being in the combat formations of units 35 and 41 SK, showing courage and determination, repelled all enemy counterattacks and thereby ensured the development of the success of the main group of front forces...
For a well-prepared, skillfully and successfully executed military operation of the Guard, Colonel General Gorbatov is worthy of being awarded the Order of Suvorov, 1st degree.”
By this time A.V. Gorbatov was awarded the Order of Suvorov I and II degrees, Kutuzov I and II degrees. I.V. Stalin revised the performance. A.V. Gorbatov was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.
In his memoirs, Alexander Vasilyevich writes: “Now, many years later, you can’t help but wonder what was the main reason for the successful troops of the 3rd Army. After all, the army was never in the reserve of Headquarters, was not even in the second echelon of the front, had small divisions and at the same time achieved great success with relatively small losses in people, equipment and weapons. What contributed to this? First of all, increased skill, knowledge of one’s craft and understanding of military duty, and most importantly, the valor and heroism of privates, sergeants, officers and generals.”
In Gorbatov's divisions, every interval between battles was used for creatively thought-out exercises. This part of the art of military leadership is given much attention in the book “Years and Wars.”
Alexander Vasilyevich’s economic acumen also attracts attention. On the territory of Poland, while in one of the divisions, Gorbatov heard the story of an officer who received a letter from his father from the Donbass devastated by the Germans. To restore the mines there was an acute shortage of timber. Hearing about this in a dense pine forest, Gorbatov decides to help the miners. But he learns from a member of the Military Council of the Army I.P. Konnova on the ban on exporting timber from Poland. “I was thinking at that time,” recalls Gorbatov. - "What to do? Not taking into account the Resolution of the State Defense Committee is too bad. Denying the miners their request is also not good.” I remembered how much forest was cut down in our country during the war, and here before my eyes were large tracts of timber.
Addressing a member of the Military Council, I said:
Ivan Prokofievich! This is an unusual case. Let’s decide this: we’ll assume that you didn’t tell me anything about this Resolution, and I don’t know about it... And if a misfortune happens, I’ll take all the blame upon myself.”
After sending about 50 thousand cubic meters of timber, a commission arrived from Moscow. In a four-hour conversation, Gorbatov frankly spoke about everything...
“Finally, as agreed earlier, the chairman of the troika called me on the HF phone.
I reported to Stalin, he listened carefully. When I reported that General Konnaye had warned you, he asked who I learned this from. And when I reported that it was from Gorbatov himself, Stalin asked in surprise:
Already being the commandant of Berlin, Gorbatov learned that for formations leaving for the Soviet Union, a limit was set on captured vehicles. The 3rd Army would have to part with thousands of vehicles. Then the head of the army engineering troops, General B.A. Zhilin proposed restoring the pontoon bridges built during the attack on the Oder and transporting vehicles across them, which was done. As Alexander Vasilievich writes:
Alexander Vasilyevich remained true to himself after the war. In 1946, he spoke harshly about the lawlessness of the state security agencies with I. Serov, Beria’s permanent representative in Berlin. He threatens, and “Serov’s attempt to carry out his threat was long and serious, I constantly felt this, especially in 1947-1948. I can’t understand what prevented Serov from doing this.” We can probably assume that the general was again saved by Stalin’s intercession (although they did not have personal meetings). By the way, until the end of his days Gorbatov considered Stalin a worthy Supreme Commander-in-Chief.
In 1950 - 1954 A.V. Gorbatov commanded the airborne troops, and in 1954 - 1958 - the troops of the Baltic Military District. Since 1958 - in the Group of Inspectors General of the USSR Ministry of Defense. Writing memoirs...
Without memory there is no homeland
Alexander Vasilyevich helped many in the last years of his life.
I had the opportunity to communicate with him a lot at the end of his life. Very often I saw him with a book in his hands, Gorbatov collected an excellent library, loved to read and re-read all the classics. His erudition amazed him. There were many bookmarks and notes in the books.
Loved the works of A.S. Pushkin. I remember once taking a volume from the shelf, reading the epigraph to “The Captain’s Daughter”: “Take care of honor from a young age” and saying: “But now our concept of honor is blurred...”
Then we talked about the fact that now every father, if possible, strives to get his son to serve in the capital, closer to home. “But that’s not the case with Pushkin,” Alexander Vasilyevich again opened The Captain’s Daughter. - Petrusha will not go to St. Petersburg... What will he learn while serving in St. Petersburg? Wander and hang out? No, let him serve in the army, let him pull the strap, let him smell gunpowder, let him be a soldier, not a shamaton...”
Gorbatov especially appreciated the poetry of N.A. Nekrasova, her peasant paintings. I read the poem “Who Lives Well in Rus'” by heart. Among the foreign classics he mentioned “David Copperfield” by Charles Dickens, which reminded him of his youth. I often re-read Jack London’s short story cycles “Smoke Bellew” and “Smoke and the Kid” and smiled to myself...
Gorbatov warmly recalled his meetings with writers - L. Leonov, I. Ehrenburg, K. Fedin, K. Paustovsky, F. Panferov, K. Simonov, A. Serafimovich and others. He thanked fate for bringing him together with Alexander Trifonovich Tvardovsky, with whom, in my opinion, he had kindred spirits...
Alexander Vasilyevich and his wife Nina Alexandrovna did not miss premieres at the Bolshoi Theater; they especially loved the Maly Theater and the plays of A.N. Ostrovsky. An excellent chess player, Alexander Vasilyevich loved to gather boys in the yard, passing on his knowledge to them.
It must be said that the image of A.V. Gorbatov was not subjected to a “nihilistic” revision in our journalism under the pen of biased historians and journalists, as happened with G.K. Zhukov, other heroes and events of Soviet history.
But they used different tactics against Gorbatov. We very rarely see his name in print or on television; they don’t remember him.
Time will pass. Russia will stand, I am sure of this, and will not collapse. And it will no longer be adventurers and swindlers who will be the “heroes of our time.” The image of the glorious defender of the Motherland, Alexander Vasilyevich Gorbatov, will be resurrected again. The last words of his book “Years and Wars” are as follows: “I am proud that I was born on Russian soil, that I was given birth to by a Russian mother.
Remembering the past, I think about the future. Without the past there is no memory, without memory there is no Motherland.”
Based on materials from the magazine "Slovo"
As General Gorbatov himself, the future “father” of the Airborne Forces, recalled, for some reason the special officers did not like him. The military general was of a tough disposition and was completely unaccustomed to looking back at authorities. He did what he considered fair and necessary in battle. In 1942, this almost brought Gorbatov to execution.
The general's profile was rather flawed. On the one hand - a hero of the First World War, his entire chest is in St. George. During the Civil War he fought selflessly against Denikin and Petliura.
On the other hand, in 1937 he was arrested for connections with participants in the military conspiracy. He did not admit guilt, but was convicted and sent to camps in Kolyma.
Only in March 1941, just before the war, his case was reviewed. Gorbatov is released, reinstated and sent with his family to a sanatorium to improve his health.
When the Great Patriotic War breaks out, Gorbatov is already deputy commander of the cavalry corps. In the first days of the war, he found himself in the Vitebsk meat grinder and was cut off from his own by the Nazis with a small detachment.
Gorbatov did not give up - he gathered the scattered retreating fighters along the road and carried them into battle by personal example. For four days, with an improvised “battalion,” Gorbatov held off many times superior enemy forces along Smolensk.
There he was seriously wounded in the leg and limped until the end of the war. I didn’t stay in the hospital; I asked to go to the front after my wounds had barely healed.
You won’t find a cane in war, but your leg hurts. So the military general walked around the positions, leaning on a heavy, knotty stick.
The special officers looked at the general with suspicion. He is self-willed, gives orders himself, and actually came from Kolyma. He should also bypass the employees of the special department on the tenth route. But General Gorbatov was not like that.
In 1942, the general was informed that one of the special officers ordered the widow’s village hut to be dismantled into logs. The logs were needed to cover the slopes of the dugout for the special department.
The general did not start making noise. He hobbled over to the special officer and began, without further ado, to hit him wherever he hit with his heavy stick.
The special officer barely escaped with his feet, and the general’s strong, gnarled stick broke. The emergency was immediately reported to the center. The story also reached Comrade Stalin.
They reported, however, in good faith, everything was as it was. And about the general’s broken stick. And about the dismantled widow's hut.
When Beria asked what to do now with the disgraced commander, the leader paused and said:
- What to do, what to do... Send Comrade Gorbatov a good light cane. Otherwise, we won’t have enough special officers for him.
Beria grimaced, but carried out Stalin’s order. Gorbatov, having received the cane, also understood the hint and did not engage in assault anymore.