AA Grechko, Marshal of the Soviet Union: biography and photos

Andrei Antonovich Grechko - Marshal of the Soviet Union, twice Hero of the USSR. He was Minister of Defense of the Soviet Union and Commander-in-Chief of Soviet troops in Germany. A famous party and statesman.

A family

Andrey Antonovich Grechko, family Who lived in the Rostov region, in a small village Golodayevka, was born in 1903, on October 17. Now in this place is the village of Kuibyshevo. His mother, Olga Karpovna, gave birth to fourteen children. Andrei Antonovich was born on the thirteenth. His father, Anton Vasilievich, was a simple peasant. But since the family was very large, and there was not enough money, he was still working as a physical education teacher at a local school.

Childhood

Andrei Antonovich Grechko, whose biography began with Golodayevka, often recalled his native village. In memory, comrades in games, strict, but a good teacher and classmates, always remained.

Andrei Antonovich since childhood was very smart and restless. Villagers remembered that he did not differ in his obedience, he often acted contrary to the requirements of his parents. From the childhood Andrei Antonovich has a good imagination. And my favorite game was "war."

Once Andrei decided to play without a weapon. And miraculously survived. Father often told his sons about military service. Andrei listened to him with ecstasy. Perhaps later these stories also played a role in choosing the life path.

Andrei Antonovich enters the squadron

In 1919, the Bolsheviks launched an offensive against Rostov. Then Andrei first saw the Red Army men who entered the village. The local people came out to meet them, and he looked with admiration and envy at the Budyonovs. Andrei saw that among them there were also his sixteen-year-old peers.

The army needed urgent delivery of ammunition. Therefore, the Red Army men borrowed all the horses in the village. Andrey drove ammunition to Rostov on his horse. And there he persuaded Stepan Vasilenko, the commander of the squadron, to take him to the service. So fulfilled his dream. He received uniforms, weapons and joined the army.

After the liberation of Rostov Andrew returned to the village to visit his family. He announced to his family that he had become a military man. His father approved of his decision.

The beginning of military career

Throughout the Civil War, the future Marshal Grechko, whose family supported him in his desire to make a military career, fought like an ordinary Red Army man. He graduated from the courses in Krasnodar. And in 1926 he began to study in a cavalry school. Successfully graduated from it, and he was entrusted to command a platoon. A little later - a squadron in the 1 st Separate Cavalry Brigade.

In 1938 Andrei Antonovich Grechko became the chief of staff of the Special Cavalry Division of the BOVO. And the next year he defended Western Ukraine and Belarus from the Germans in order to deprive Germany of a chance to gain a foothold in these territories.

The first days of the Great Patriotic War

When the Great Patriotic War began, Andrei Antonovich still studied at the Academy of the General Staff. Already taking the last exam in June 1941, Grechko understood that the USSR was in serious danger. Three days later, the war broke out. He immediately wanted to go to the front, into the thick of events, but only a few of his fellow students were sent to study.

The future Marshal Grechko, whose biography is closely connected with military service, was sent to the headquarters of the General Staff. Andrei Antonovich was confused. He understood that this was a responsible appointment, but he really wanted to get to the battlefield. He began to look for an opportunity to realize his desire. As a result, he served in the General Staff only twelve days.

Work in the General Staff

Workers of the General Staff worked for days and nights. If you could sleep, then only in the workplace. At the front, the situation changed rapidly, and sometimes it was almost impossible to track the course of the struggle. Information coming to the General Staff was often sketchy and sometimes even contradictory. Grechko led a summary map of the operational situation.

At first Andrei Antonovich was angry at the staff work, wishing to get into the thick of events - to the front. And only when I got there, I realized how difficult it is to orient myself in the situation of the staff of the General Staff, and what responsibility falls on their shoulders. It was very difficult to report accurate data. And they still had to be transferred "upstairs".

Grekovko again gets to the front

Andrei Antonovich, the future Marshal of the USSR Grechko, whose biography is closely connected with the military service from the youth, after long meditations he nevertheless turned to the Tymoshenko's commissar and was asked to go to the front. After a while the answer came. Grechko was appointed commander of a cavalry division. He was on his way to Kharkov, to the South-Western Front. In Priluki, Grechko was to form the 34th Cavalry Division.

The Great Patriotic War: at the front

The first days at the front for Andrei Antonovich were the heaviest. The practice of military operations was very different from the theory that was taught in peacetime. Grechko had to navigate and adjust to the circumstances immediately on the spot and in the shortest possible time. There was not enough ammunition. There was nothing to stop even the infantry, not speaking about the tanks. And the authorities about this were silent and only gave orders to advance and smash the Germans. Grechko's division, clenched teeth, fought in these nightmarish conditions.

But already in 1941 the Red Army began to win. This year, Grechko was already in charge of the 5th Cavalry Corps, which in 1942 freed Barvenkovo. After many successful battles, a little later, Andrei Antonovich was handed over to the 12th army, defending the Voroshilovgrad direction. Then, in the fall of 1942, Grechko began to command the 47th Army. They defended the Black Sea coast. Later he became commander of the 18th Army, operating in the direction of Tuapse.

After the victory at Stalingrad in 1943, the future Marshal of the USSR Grechko began to command the 56th Army. On October 9, he was the first to report to the General Staff about the liberation of the Caucasus. Andrei Antonovich has proved himself well in numerous battles and was appointed deputy commander of the First Ukrainian Front. Thanks to the skillful regrouping of troops, which Grechko spent, the 3rd Tank Army and the 38th Army defeated the Germans in Kiev in a powerful attack.

The liberation of Europe

In 1943 Grechko Andrei Antonovich (the war years brought him an invaluable military experience) was already in the rank of colonel general. He was appointed to command the 1st Guards Army, which was then subordinated to him until the end of the war. Troops Grechko participated in the liberation of Zhitomir, Czechoslovakia, Poland. Then the Grechko army reached Prague.

Grechko's activities after the war

After the victory in the Great Patriotic War, the future Marshal Grechko Andrei Antonovich led the troops of the Kiev district. In 1953 he became Commander-in-Chief of all Soviet military units in Germany. In June of the same year he directed the suppression of the uprising.

Grechko also visited his native village. She was in a sorry state, completely destroyed. Andrei Antonovich helped all the fellow countrymen to "get back on their feet" after the war. Thanks to his support, the village was quickly restored. I helped with equipment and labor. He also took patronage over other villages and whole districts destroyed during the war. New houses, administrative buildings, schools were built.

In early 1967, Rodion Malinovsky was in the post of Minister of Defense. But he did not welcome new directions (technology, helicopters, space exploration, etc.). This was the work of Andrei Grechko, Marshal of the USSR. As a result, he was able to collect near him many talented and young personnel, ready for further development of the country.

Malinovsky did not finish his pension. He fell ill and was in hospital, from which he no longer left. In his place Brezhnev appointed Grechko Andrei Antonovich. In the post of Minister of Defense of the USSR, he worked for 9 years. He showed himself as a demanding and principled leader. I could not stand people who turned out to be "out of place". Very carefully selected the staff, drawing attention to the track record.

For example, General Iosif Gusakovsky decided to reconsider the staff and rejuvenate him. He listed on the dismissal of many high military leaders who had vast experience to replace them with younger ones. He brought this document for approval Grechko. Andrei Antonovich, after reading the list, offered to head him to Gusakovsky. Thus, the general lost his post. Grechko highly valued the experience and merits of war veterans.

Marshal Grechko was loved and respected by Soviet troops. I was interested in and supported the development of new technology. Thanks to him in the country appeared in service with combat helicopters and modified improved tanks. He demanded from the soldiers to constantly engage in sports, so that they were in shape at any time.

According to his decrees, military towns were built, officers could receive housing from the state. Salaries of the military grew, so they had no problems how to feed the family and send the children to the kindergarten. Thanks Grechko the country gradually rose from the ruins. New training centers were built, military exercises and trainings were constantly held. The rank of an officer was valued "in weight of gold."

The title of Marshal of the USSR

Gradually moving along the military career ladder, since 1955 Andrei Antonovich Grechko - Marshal of the Soviet Union. This is the highest military rank he achieved, starting his service in the army with a simple Red Army man carrying ammunition. Despite the high position, Grechko did not try to interfere in the activities of the KGB. Andrei Antonovich believed that politics and the army are different concepts.

Achievement of military heights

After receiving the rank of marshal, in 1957, Grechko was appointed commander-in-chief of land forces and at the same time the first deputy minister of defense of the USSR. The title of Hero of the Soviet Union Andrei Antonovich was awarded in February 1958 for heroism and courage shown in the fight against the fascists.

In 1960, he became head of the United armed forces of the states that concluded the Warsaw Pact. In 1973 he received the second medal "Golden Star".

Merits and character Grechko

Many who met with Andrei Antonovich remembered him as a man of his word. Intelligent, educated, experienced defense minister. Even in combat conditions Grechko was always dressed neatly, clean-shaven. His communication was always correct, he knew how to listen to a person, did not make hasty decisions.

Grechko (Marshal of the USSR) was a devoted fan of CSKA. He did for the football club more than all the other ministers. After the war, he even hosted the team when CSKA came to Kiev. And when Grechko was in the capital, he tackled the problems of the club more closely. CSKA, thanks to Grechko, has acquired not only a stadium and an arena, but also a training base in Arkhangelsk and other sports facilities.

Andrei Antonovich Grechko: children, grandchildren, wife

Grechko had a wife (worked as a teacher) and daughter Tatyana. Andrei Antonovich died in 1976. And later, in 1990, Grechko's wife was buried. Andrei Antonovich adopted his granddaughters, twins Claudia and Irina, who were born with a single daughter. Newly-made "daughters" grew up, got married and gave birth to a girl. And they too were adopted by Andrei Antonovich Grechko. His children and granddaughters after the death of their parents subsequently received pensions from the state. And from childhood they were looked after by governesses.

Death of the great commander

When Andropov occupied the post of Minister of Defense, he tried to strengthen the influence and growth of the structures of the State Security. But Grechko, Marshal of the USSR, was negative about this and "hampered" the Secretary General. The relationship between them was tense. Historians believe that Andropov wanted complete power and gradually "cleaned" those unwanted on his way to the "state Olympus".

Very often prominent figures died somehow very un-time. Most often a person went to sleep absolutely healthy. In the morning, the guards found a cold corpse in bed. Strangely enough, but the earthly path of Andrei Antonovich ended this way. In 1976, on April 26, Grechko, Marshal of the USSR, returned from work to his dacha that belonged to him in good health. As always, I went to bed peacefully. And in the morning in the bed found his corpse.

Death suddenly overtook the marshal. Grechko died in a dream. Traces of violent death were not, and doctors could not establish the cause of the death of Andrei Antonovich. On the contrary, they assured me that Grechko was in good physical shape. Therefore, his death was more than strange. The urn with the ashes of Andrei Antonovich is located on the Red Square, in the Kremlin wall.