As you know, people make history. Not every one of us is given the opportunity to make any significant contribution to the development of science, technology, sports, culture and other areas of life. However, there are individuals whose life path is worth considering in detail and in detail. And one of these heroes of our time is Vasily Margelov.
Major milestones in the life of a commander
The Father of the Airborne Troops was born on December 27, 1908. Vasily Margelov is a native of Ukraine, because his hometown is the current Dnepropetrovsk (at that time Yekaterinoslav). He came from a simple working-class family. Vasily's father was a metallurgist. In addition to the future military leader, the family had three more sons and one daughter. Naturally, they lived quite poorly. The head of the family was forced to work day and night in the foundry. All children were active housekeepers. Vasily Margelov was accustomed to work from a very early age and went to work early. His first profession was leatherworking, and a little later, work in a mine, where he pushed trolleys filled with coal. In 1921 a young manGraduated from a parochial school. And in 1923 he became a member of the Komsomol.
In 1925 he was assigned to Belarus as a forester. He treated this work extremely responsibly, daily examining the multi-kilometer area of land, both in winter and in summer. Thanks to his zeal and dedication, poaching in his area has completely disappeared.
The year 1927 was marked for the young man by his election to the post of chairman of the working committee of the timber industry. He is also approved as the head of the tax commission and a candidate for party membership.
Begin military service
Vasily Margelov was drafted into the Red Army in 1928. He was enrolled in the United Belarusian Military School, located in Minsk. At the beginning, the young fighter was trained in a group of snipers, and already from the second year he became a foreman of a machine-gun company. In April 1931, he graduated with honors.
Career advancement
In 1931, Margelov was appointed commander of a platoon of a regimental school. And at the beginning of 1933, he returned to his native educational institution, also to the position of a platoon commander.
Commander of a company of machine gunners Vasily Filippovich Margelov, whose biography is full of various key dates, becomes in May 1936.
Starting from January 25, 1938, he has been the head of all intelligence of the eighth rifle division named after the Dzerzhinsky Special Military District of Belarus.
First War
Short biographyMargelov Vasily Filippovich tells us that he was a participant in the war of the Union with Finland. During this armed conflict, the legendary battalion commander of the reconnaissance ski battalion was able to personally capture the Swedish officers of the General Staff.
On March 21, 1940, he was awarded the military rank of Major.
At the end of the war, Margelov becomes the assistant commander of the 596th regiment for combat duty.
War with Germany
Literally three days before the start of the Great Patriotic War, Vasily Filippovich Margelov (his biography says that his real name is Markelov) receives a new army assignment. He becomes the commander of the regiment of the first motorized rifle division based in Berezovka.
With the start of hostilities against the Nazis, a Soviet officer is appointed to the post of commander of the first special ski regiment of KBF sailors.
In general, Margelov went through the entire war, rising to the rank of major general. Under his leadership were regiments, divisions. His fighters fought on a variety of fronts, and he himself has established himself as an experienced, energetic, fearless and demanding commander, able to show courage by personal example in critical situations.
A brief biography of Vasily Filippovich Margelov tells us that the whole life of this man was full of trials. He had eight wounds, of which two were very serious.
Contribution to the development of the Airborne Troops
After completing the courses of the Military Academy of the General Staffin 1948, Margelov was appointed commander of the 76th Guards Airborne Division, which was located in Pskov. In the same year, for the first time in his life, he jumps from an airplane with a parachute.
Six years later, Vasily Filippovich receives all the airborne troops in his leadership. At first, this large army unit consisted of lightly armed infantry. But Vasily Margelov, whose biography is replete with rationalization proposals, did a tremendous job of modernizing the troops, transferring them to a fundamentally new level, both technically and tactically. Thanks to him, the paratroopers received the most modern weapons and landing equipment. Margelov proved that fighters can operate even in the deepest rear of the enemy, land on the ground at any time of the day or night, while almost immediately switching to active combat operations after landing. This knowledge and skills allowed "Bata" (that was the nickname the general had) to defend his Ph. D. thesis and write a number of scientific papers.
Attitude towards soldiers
Margelov was famous for the fact that he was always very respectful of ordinary fighters. History has preserved many quotes from the combat general. So, he always argued that victory is forged precisely by the rank and file, and not by the generals. The paratroopers loved their commander, because he did not shy away from coming to their barracks, canteen or hospital. In addition, Margelov sought to encourage the soldiers.
By the way, amazing according to oursometimes a fact. Vasily Filippovich made his last parachute jump at the age of sixty-five. In total, he jumped more than sixty times in his life. Here is one of his statements: “He who has never left an airplane in his life, from where cities and villages seem like toys, who has never experienced the joy and fear of free fall, a whistle in his ears, a stream of wind beating in his chest, he never will understand the honor and pride of the paratrooper …"
Recognition by the leadership of the country
During his career, Margelov experienced not only ups and downs, but also downs. Even the Minister of Defense of the USSR, Marshal Grechko, once said in one of his private conversations that it was a mistake to demote Vasily Filippovich. But justice still prevailed. And on October 25, 1967, Markelov was awarded the rank of Army General.
Private life
The first wife of Margelov Vasily Filippovich - Maria. She became his legal wife in 1930. And a year later their son Gennady was born.
Not all the sons of Vasily Margelov, of whom there are five, followed in the footsteps of their father. But none of them dishonored him. In particular, the son of Margelov Vasily Filippovich Alexander was an officer in the Airborne Forces, and in 1996 he became a Hero of Russia. And in 2003, already retired, together with his brother Vitaly, he wrote a book about his dad.
Hero Rewards
General Margelov in his life was awarded a great many awards, which are extremely difficult to list. Among them are not only the regalia of the USSR, but foreignorders and medals. The highest title he has ever been awarded is, of course, Hero of the Soviet Union.
In addition, monuments were erected to Vasily Filippovich in his native Dnepropetrovsk, as well as in Omsk, Tula, Ryazan, St. Petersburg, Ulyanovsk and other cities and villages.
Today, the Defense Department of the Russian Federation has a medal "Army General Margelov".
In February 2010, a bust of the general was erected in Kherson as an eternal tribute to his memory. Also, a memorial plaque has been hung on the house in which he lived for twenty years in the capital of the Union.
The death date of the famous military man is March 4, 1990. They interred him at the Novodevichy cemetery, which is located in Moscow.
