 |
Vasiliy KuznetsovSoviet military leader, Colonel General
Date of Birth: 15.01.1894
|
Content:
- Early Life and Military Career
- Russian Civil War and Interwar Period
- World War II
- Command of the 1st Shock Army
- Later Military Career
- Post-War Career and Legacy
Early Life and Military Career
Vasily Ivanovich Kuznetsov was born in 1898. In 1915, he joined the Russian army and fought in World War I. In 1916, he graduated from a school for ensigns and became a second lieutenant.
Russian Civil War and Interwar Period
After the Bolshevik Revolution, Kuznetsov joined the Red Army in 1918. During the Russian Civil War, he commanded a company, battalion, and rifle regiment. After the war, he became commander of a regiment, division, corps, and the Vitebsk army group. He also completed courses at the "Vystrel" Command Staff School (1920) and the special faculty of the M. V. Frunze Military Academy (1936).
World War II
In 1939, Kuznetsov commanded the 3rd Army, which participated in the Polish campaign. During the Great Patriotic War, his army was surrounded near Grodno. In July 1941, he managed to break out of encirclement and unite his forces near Mozyr.
In August 1941, he took command of the 21st Army of the Central and later Southwestern fronts. After the defeat of the Southwestern Front in the Battle of Kiev, he led the newly formed 58th Army.
Command of the 1st Shock Army
During the Battle of Moscow, Kuznetsov was called to command the 1st Shock Army. Despite the army's weak composition, he successfully participated in the winter-spring offensive of 1942.
Later Military Career
Kuznetsov went on to lead the 63rd Army in the Battle of Stalingrad, the 1st Guards Army, and the 3rd Shock Army during the Berlin Offensive. His troops raised the Victory Banner over the Reichstag in May 1945.
Post-War Career and Legacy
After the war, Kuznetsov continued to command the 3rd Shock Army. He also served as chairman of the Central Committee of DOSAAF (1948-1953), commander of the Volga Military District (1953-1957), and in the central apparatus of the Ministry of Defense. He died in 1964 and was buried at the Literatorskie Mostki of the Volkovskoye Cemetery in Leningrad.
