General Antonov Alexey Innokentievich: biography, exploits

During the Great Patriotic War, the Soviet army demonstrated incredible courage. The way our soldiers fought the fascist invaders entered the world history as a model of heroism, realizing the absolute value of their life only in the context of its exceptional usefulness at a particular moment of danger for their homeland. However, in addition to the heroism of the soldiers, the entire military campaign was also marked by talented strategic decisions emanating from the military commanders. To such strategists-professionals, certainly, Antonov Alexey Innokentevich, whose brief biography is stated in this article, also belonged.

Hereditary military

The future general Alexei Antonov was born in Belorussia on September 15, 1896 in a military family, which probably predetermined his fate. His father, Innokenty Alekseevich, was an officer, he served in artillery in the rank of captain. Mother Teresa Ksaverevna led a household and raised children - the eldest daughter of Lyudmila and Alexei's son. She was of Polish descent, her father was deported to Siberia for taking part in the Szlyachet uprising in Poland in 1863-65. Alexei's grandfather Innokentievich was also an officer, a native of Siberia, who graduated from the Alexandrov Military School. Father wanted to study at the Academy of the General Staff, but he was refused admission because of the fact that Teresa's wife was a Catholic. He did not want to force his wife to change her faith in the Orthodox, therefore she went with her family to the Belarusian city of Grodno to serve in the artillery brigade. The future General Antonov, thanks to the mother's origin, spoke excellent not only in Russian, but also in Polish.

The first years of study

When the boy was eight years old, the family moved to Ukraine, where his father received a transfer to the post of battery commander. Here he began studying at the gymnasium. Antonov Alexei Innokentievich, whose biography was probably determined by the military past of his father and grandfather, initially showed no predisposition to a military career. He was an extremely painful, shy and nervous boy. Seeing this, Antonov the elder reconciled with the thought that his son would not follow in his footsteps. He started a lot and actively deal with his son, his physical and intellectual development. Antonov, Jr. was tempered, learned to play chess, ride, later his father instilled in him interest in photography. In addition, when the son became older, he began to take it for the summer in field camps.

Alexei was twelve when his father suddenly died. The family lived on a military pension, the mother worked part-time with lessons. When the First World War began, Antonov's family moved to St. Petersburg. A year later my mother also dies. At the age of 19, the future general Antonov finishes the St. Petersburg gymnasium and passes the tests to the university. His choice fell on the physics and mathematics faculty. However, he will not be able to study there. The lack of means of subsistence makes the young man go to work in the factory.

The beginning of the military field

In connection with the participation of Russia in the First World Antonov in the 20 years are called to the service. In December 1916 he was trained externally at the Pavlov Military School. In the army he was sent in the rank of ensign. Quite quickly, literally at the beginning of next year, the future general Antonov, whose biography had already entered the military rails, received a baptism of fire, was wounded in the head and sent to a hospital. Then he received his first award - the Order of St. Anne.

After his injury, he was sent to the reserve regiment. In August 1917, took part in the suppression of the Kornilov revolt. He was responsible for the formation of summary units and providing them with weapons. In May 1918, his military career seemed to end: he retired to the reserve and entered the training at the Petrograd Forest Institute. But civil life did not last long - as soon as the Civil War began, he entered the Red Army.

Participation in the Civil War

The future General Antonov in April 1919 entered the Southern Front and was sent to fulfill the duties of assistant chief of staff division to Lugansk. In addition, he trained the incoming recruits. Due to the battles and loss of Lugansk, which occupied part of Denikin, Antonov began to temporarily replace the post of chief of staff. In the second half of 1920, as a result of fierce battles with Wrangel's divisions, Antonov's division managed to recapture the territories of Ukraine north of the Crimea.

During the battles for Sevastopol, the future general Antonov Alexey Innokentyevich met with the commander of the front, Mikhail Frunze. A few years later, following the results of the hostilities, he received an award: the Certificate of Honor and the Honored Weapon of the Revolutionary Military Council.

After the Civil

After the military actions were over and the Bolsheviks finally gained the upper hand, the future general Antonov and his division moved to the labor position and took up field work in the south of Ukraine. He decided to continue his military education, beginning to prepare for entering the Academy. Although he was at that time among the few who, having reached the rank of commander, remained without adequate education, many of his colleagues noted outstanding abilities. Meanwhile, he began training at the Frunze Academy only six years later, in 1928, after he joined the Communist Party and his first marriage.

He studied at the command faculty, he studied French and became a military interpreter. According to the testimony of his classmates, he showed serious zeal in his studies, paid special attention to work on staff work and repeatedly passed training in the troops. After graduation in 1931, he returned to Ukraine and headed the headquarters in Korosteni. A year later, the Academy opened a new faculty - for operational work, which future General Antonov Alexei Innokentevich ends with honors.

Staff work

In 1935 he received the post of an operative of the Chief of Staff of the Kharkov Military District. His duties included, in particular, training maneuvers, organizing large-scale military exercises. The maneuvers also involved tank and aviation troops. In 1935, Ukraine conducted the largest tactical exercises, which involved more than sixty thousand people and more than three thousand military equipment. It was here that many new achievements in operational work were being worked out, for which Antonov, in particular, was awarded the People's Commissar of Defense's award.

In 1936, Antonov was invited as a listener to the new Academy of the General Staff of the Red Army. However, he studied there only a year, after which he was sent to the Moscow Military District, where he headed the headquarters. In 1938 he switched to teaching and research activities at the Frunze Academy. In particular, he studied the basic tactical methods of German troops and the expansion of the use of tank units. This was the theme of his scientific work, he repeatedly addressed the military leadership with reports. In February 1940, he received the title of "Associate Professor", and a little later he was awarded the military rank "Major-General."

The German attack

A few months before the war, the future general of the army Antonov - the biography and whim of fate led him to the worst - headed the headquarters of the Kiev military district. By and large, he was preparing personnel for a probable strike, but the units were manned according to peacetime rules - by 65%. As soon as the war began, he became the chief of staff of the Kiev Special Military District. For a fairly fast time - four days - he managed to implement a call in ten jurisdictional areas by 90%, technology - by more than 80%. In addition, in the area of his responsibility was also the evacuation of civilians. Already in August the future general of the army Antonov Alexei Innokentevich was engaged in the formation of the headquarters of the Southern Front, which he himself headed.

On the South-Western front, an extremely difficult situation developed for a long time. Experience, which quickly accumulated in the first months of the war, generalized and systematized Antonov. Compiled on the basis of recommendations on the conduct of combat, disguise, intelligence, and so on, he sent to military headquarters. He was engaged in preparing a counterattack in the Rostov direction in November, for which he received the Order of the Red Banner and an increase in rank - "Lieutenant-General".

In November 1943 he was awarded the title of "Army General". Later, he took part in the development of the Battle of Kursk, where he worked closely with Georgy Zhukov and Alexander Vasilevsky. During the operation, he was twice wounded. In the same composition, the third winter military campaign was developed - cleansing of the fascists of Ukraine, the Crimea, the withdrawal of enemy troops beyond the borders of the country, as well as liberation in the northern direction and lifting of the blockade from Leningrad. The summer campaign of the 44-year was also developed directly by Antonov, the general of the army of the USSR, which he personally reported to Stalin in April.

Participation in the Yalta Conference

The second front, despite all promises, was opened only in June 1944. In this regard, there was another line in the work - coordinating the actions of the Allies. This became the responsibility of Antonov, who met regularly with representatives of the United States and Great Britain. In February 1945, Antonov, the army general, took part in the famous meeting of the leaders of the anti-Hitler coalition in Yalta - he read a detailed report on the state of affairs on the battlefields. Later, he was appointed chief of staff. As historians note, he was more than 280 times in the Kremlin cabinet of Stalin more than anyone else from the military leadership.

Antonov Alexei Innokentievich, whose exploits were more than obvious, personally developed a plan for the seizure of Berlin, later he was assigned to the highest military award - the Order of Victory. It is worth noting that he was the only recipient of 14, who received the order not in the rank of marshal.

At the end of the war

After the end of the war, General Alexei Antonov first dealt with the demobilization and disbandment of troops. Then in 1946 he was elected to the Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union. From 1948 to 54 years he served in Transcaucasia, then returned to Moscow, where he began to work as the first deputy chief of the General Staff, and also joined the board of the Ministry of Defense. In 1955, he headed the Organization of the Warsaw Pact. He died in Moscow at the age of 66 years. The general's ashes are embedded in the Kremlin wall.