The article provides a biography and major victories of the outstanding Soviet commander - Marshal Meretskov Kirill Afanasyevich.
In people
The biography of our hero takes its beginning in the Russian outback. On June 7, 1897, the future great commander Meretskov Kirill Afanasyevich was born in the family of ordinary peasants Meretskov from the village of Nazarevo, which was located in the then Ryazan province. This snub-nosed, grey-eyed, strong man, like most of his peers, learned early on the price of a penny and the hard everyday life of a peasant life. There was one outlet - the zemstvo school. The boy greedily yearned for knowledge, but four winters at the desk passed unnoticed. The boy was 12 years old, and it was decided to send him to his paternal uncle. Ahead was a big world and the prospect of mastering the craft of a locksmith. Even in Moscow, it was possible to continue their studies, which the inquisitive boy took advantage of. The seething whirlpool of a new city life captured Kirill: he studied at evening courses for workers, and sometimes his uncle took him to the theater.
Young years and the formation of Meretskov
In 1915, the young man was released from conscription into the tsarist army, where he himself did not rush. And it wasn't all about fear. The proletariat is growingembraced revolutionary ideas. Russia waged a difficult war with Kaiser's Germany, which the revolutionaries considered unfair. The standard of living fell markedly, and society was torn apart by numerous contradictions.
Working at a factory that fulfilled military orders not only freed the future Marshal Meretskov from being sent to the front, but also brought him together with Lev Karpov, a chemical engineer by profession and a Bolshevik by political views. He also sent him to Sudogda. There, in the Vladimir province, Cyril met the abdication of the king from power. Here he did not waste time in vain and created a cell of the RSDLP, and at the end of 1917, when the need arose to create self-defense forces in the city, he took a position in the military department.
First steps in the military field
The civil war was gaining momentum, taking off its bountiful and bloody harvest. The turning point in the biography of Kirill Afanasyevich Meretskov is the dispatch to Kazan. Fierce battles with disciplined units of the Whites, as well as Czech legionnaires, tempered the future great commander. In one of the battles, the young commissar of the detachment, thanks to his example of personal courage, dragged the fighters along with him and snatched victory, but he himself was seriously wounded. The leadership drew attention to the promising commissar and sent him to officer courses. Three years of training were not serene: twice he got to different sectors of the front, where he received several wounds.
After graduation until 1931, he served in Moscow. He was transferred to the service in Belarus in 1932. Under the command of Jerome Petrovich Uborevich, the future marshalMeretskov honed his skills in operational-tactical art. The commander of the 1st rank was a demanding and outstanding military man, therefore, the training in the units took place at the proper level, given the reality of the war of that time. In 1935, the hero of our article was sent to the Far East.
Fire bullfight over Spain
In 1936, in the colonies of Spain (from Morocco to the Spanish Sahara), a military mutiny broke out, holding far-right views, extremely dissatisfied with the results of the elections, in which the Popular Front Party won by a narrow margin. The rebels received all-round assistance from Italy and Germany, while France only shamefacedly turned away, saying that it did not intend to get into the internal conflict of Spain. The USSR supported the government against the junta by sending advisers and weapons. Meretskov faced several difficult tasks: to keep Madrid, to prepare resistance, to establish and coordinate the work of the General Staff.
The tasks were not easy: although the local population fought fiercely, they understood little about the war. Lacked experience, weapons. The Spanish patriots did not even want to dig in, considering it the occupation of cowards. Meretskov correctly assessed the importance of the Guadalajara direction on the outskirts of Madrid, but this did not make it any easier: a serious battle was ahead with the Italian corps, formed from regular military personnel and equipped with armored vehicles.
Brilliant actions of aviation and armoredunits, as well as competent coordination of all branches of the military, helped inflict a stunning defeat on the Italians. The government of the USSR highly appreciated Meretskov Kirill Afanasyevich, awarding him the orders of Lenin and the Red Banner.
Mannerheim Line
The reasons for the Soviet attack on the Finnish Democratic Republic are still fiercely debated among historians. Two reasons are usually cited: ensuring the security of Leningrad and the transformation of an independent democratic state into another Soviet republic. Nevertheless, after the Mainilsky incident, the Soviet leadership in an ultimatum demanded that the leadership of the neighboring state withdraw Finnish troops deep into its territory. Naturally, the Finns could not agree to such humiliating conditions. The war began, revealing the weaknesses of the Soviet military machine. Meretskov K. A. was urgently sent to the North-Western Front to command the 7th Army.
Soviet troops had a threefold advantage in infantry, fourfold in artillery and an absolute advantage in the air, as well as in tanks. Despite this, the losses on the Soviet side were enormous. Poor training, poor supply and illiterate coordination of actions affected. The Finns courageously defended their country, but the only thing they hoped for was the help of the allies, which was minimal.
The Seventh Army was assigned the role of a shock group, which was supposed to open the enemy's defenses from the right flank. For the first time, with the support of infantry and tanks, the tactics of a barrage were used. This tactic paid off: the Mannerheim line fell. Moreone brilliant victory in the biography of Marshal Meretskov, which not only brought him the title of Hero of the Soviet Union, but also laid the foundation for future victories in the upcoming war, which was already just around the corner.
In the tenacious paws of the NKVD
Kirill Afanasyevich Meretskov is remembered by history as a brilliant, scrupulous and very cautious strategist, able to think outside the box and quickly adapt to the rapidly changing conditions of the theater of operations. On the one hand, any military man could envy his career, and on the other hand, Marshal Meretskov constantly teetered over the abyss, like most of the military of that period. The worst thing was to get on suspicion into the casemates of the NKVD, which happened to the commander. He was accused of military conspiracy and isolated for 74 days. They could have been shot, but it didn’t happen: perhaps due to a lack of experienced personnel, or maybe Stalin still believed his “cunning Yaroslavl”. There are many versions, but the military himself never talked about it.
Fiery warpaths
After returning from disgrace, Meretskov leads the 4th separate army. He managed to pretty much beat up the enemy troops. When the Volkhov Front was created, Kirill Afanasyevich was appointed commander. The result of the Sinyavskaya and Luban operations was a catastrophe: huge losses of Soviet troops, the destruction of the second army and the capture of General Vlasov. But the plans of the enemy failed. According to the memoirs of Vasilevsky A. M., who observed the commander of the Volga Front inthe most difficult and critical moments, Meretskov was not a petty tyrant, but he showed himself to be a cautious strategist, requiring his subordinates to solve combat missions with little bloodshed.
The result of Operation Iskra was the breaking of the blockade of Leningrad. With the abolition of Volkhovsky, the Karelian Front was formed, which launched a successful offensive, the result of which was the liberation of the north of Norway. October 26, 1944 Kirill Afanasyevich received the title of Marshal of the Soviet Union. Then he is transferred to the Far East. When defeating the Kwantuk Army, Marshal Meretskov used the same blitzkrieg tactics used by the Nazi troops in the first months of the war. Air and sea landings were widely used. The prevention of the use of bacteriological weapons by the Japanese troops should be considered a special merit of the Soviet paratroopers.
Post-war years
In the post-war years he continued to serve in the armed forces. He passed away on December 30, 1968. Buried in the Kremlin wall. The awards of Marshal Meretskov should be mentioned separately. The Hero of the Soviet Union was repeatedly awarded the Orders of the Red Banner and Lenin, had the highest awards of foreign states, was awarded the Orders of Suvorov and Kutuzov, as well as the Order of the October Revolution and Victory.
Marshal Meretskov in the hearts of many people will remain a winner, a skilled military leader and a courageous defender of his native land.
