Semyon Budyonny: biography of the commander and interesting facts

Semyon Mikhailovich Budyonny - one of the most famous characters in Soviet history. During the Soviet times he was admired, he was praised, and the awards he received hardly fit on his chest. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, he was accused of all mortal sins, to challenge his generalship talent, to look for flaws in his personal life. The truth, as always, is located in the middle. Marshal was not a standard hero, but his talent and achievements are undeniable. For what was Semyon Budyonny awarded for the glory and honor? Biography, interesting facts will be presented to your attention in the article.

Voronezh on the Don

The dashing cavalryman Budyonny seems to all to be a Cossack, since he was born (on April 25 (13), 1883) on the Don, in the Kozyurin farm, near Platov's village. But his parents were newcomers from the Voronezh province, and had no Cossack rights (on the Don they were called nonresident).

The family was poor and with many children (8 children), but friendly and respected. Semyon (the second son) had to go to work at the age of 8 at the merchant Yatskin. He served with him until 1903 (first he performed small assignments, then worked in the smithy, later became a machinist), and during this time managed to learn to read and write with the help of a clerk.

Not being a Cossack, Semyon Budyonny, whose brief biography is interesting to all connoisseurs of history, well mastered the Cossack military wisdom and his ability to chop the vine (an illustrative exercise for the cavalryman) managed to surprise even the military minister Kuropatkin.

Two wars and George's bow

In 1903, Semyon Budyonny (by that time already married) was drafted into the army. He started the service in the Far East, was a participant in the war with Japan in 1904-1905.

After the emergency service, Budyonny remained in the army and in 1907 was sent to the officer's school for courses for the lower ranks (as the best soldier of the regiment). As a result, he was already a non-commissioned officer in the First World War, he fought against the Germans and the Turks.

Budyonny fought so well that he became the owner of the "full bow" - St. George crosses of all degrees and St. George medals, also of all degrees. Strictly speaking, he had five crosses. The first fourth degree was taken away after Budenny gave a sergeant to the teeth. He himself was to blame - dirty scolded the non-commissioner and the first one hit him. But he was the senior in rank, and the prize was taken from Budyonny.

After the fall of tsardom, Budyonny became chairman of the regimental committee. He happened to take part in the suppression of the Kornilov insurrection.

A lot of us at Budyonny

Biography Budyonny Semyon Mikhailovich says that after October he returned home, to the Don, and there he created a revolutionary cavalry detachment. Thus began the legendary First Horse ...

At first his squad joined the regiment of P. Dumenko. Then a regiment was formed from the regiment, later a division that distinguished itself in battles near Tsaritsyn.

In the summer of 1919 it was decided to create in the Red Army a large cavalry unit - the First Corps. At its head stood Budenny. In the autumn of the same year the corps was transformed into the First Cavalry Army. She became the most famous red military unit. The civil war has not yet ended, but legends have already begun to tell about Budyonnovists. The army and its commander enjoyed immense popularity in Soviet art, they were written about instructive stories for children, mentioned in programmatic Soviet songs; "Budenovtsy" became heroes of such writers as I. Babel, A. Tolstoy, M. Sholokhov. It was in this army that "elusive avengers" - young heroes of the cult revolutionary adventure film - began to serve. The handsome Budyonovka (a cloth helmet used by cavalrymen as a uniform headdress) became one of the symbols of the USSR (although there is a version that was invented in tsarist times): "How does the Motherland begin? .. With the old father's boudinovka, that somewhere In the closet we found ... ".

The first cavalry fought against Denikin, Mamontov, Shkuro, Wrangel, participated in the Soviet-Polish War of 1920-1921. Most of her operations were successful, which proves the commander's undoubted talent. Naturally, there were sensitive lesions; In particular, the war with Poland ended unsuccessfully.

Her commander joined the party in 1919.

Marshal-stud dog

The first horse Budyonny commanded until 1923. Then he became deputy commander in chief (for cavalry), a year later became an inspector of cavalry troops, and in this post he remained until 1937.

At the same time, Budyonny upgraded his qualifications - in 1932 he graduated from the Military Academy named after M.Sh. Frunze. In 1935 he was awarded the rank of marshal (one of the first five).

From 1937 until the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, Budyonny was commander of the Moscow Military District, was a member of the Main Military Council, was a deputy, and later the first deputy of the People's Commissar of Defense.

During this time, Semyon Mikhailovich did much for the domestic horse breeding. He is even reproached for this, claiming that the love of horses made him an enemy of modern military equipment. Indeed, the marshal did not like tanks. However, the cavalry units created with his light hand showed themselves perfectly well in the war against the fascists. And Budyonny himself military courage bravely tolerated, and even made a jump in 1931 with a parachute (this is in 48 years!).

Also, the marshal is accused of participating in repressions against prominent Soviet military figures. Yes, he sharply spoke against Tomsky, Rykov, Uborevich, Tukhachevsky. He did not intercede for his own second wife, arrested in 1937. But at the same time for the leadership of his stud farms he acted in the strongest possible way and his wife on the Lubyanka certainly did not give up. And according to legend, and personally proved that a decisive person to repress is not so easy. Allegedly, when he saw a NKVD car near his house one night, Budyonnyi threatened them with a machine gun, and then he also pressed on them Stalin, calling it "counterrevolutionaries." Stalin supposedly after that ordered the marshal to leave alone, realizing that he would not fight for power.

Get up, the country is huge ...

During the Great Patriotic War, Semyon Mikhailovich did not play such a prominent role as in the Civil War, his time had already passed. But he was part of the Stavka, was one of the leaders of the defense of Moscow, commanded the front in the Caucasus. He initiated the increase in the number of cavalry units in the army (some believe that this was the idea of Zhukov), and the plan justified itself.

In addition, it is Budyonny, whose biography is full of interesting facts, ordered the explosion of the Dnieper Hydroelectric Dam. Today, many call this order criminal, because he-de led to the death of many retreating Red Army men, as well as civilians. But most historians claim that the number of victims (they certainly were) was greatly exaggerated, and the decision was made correctly. In addition, during the fighting for Ukraine Budyonny repeatedly offered a retreat as a means of retaining personnel.

Peaceful life

At the end of the war, commander Budyonny, whose biography was rich and interesting, was a cavalry inspector, a member of the group of inspectors general of the Ministry of Defense, and also (from 1947 to 1953) - Deputy Minister of Agriculture (horse breeding nobody canceled!). He was a member of the country's top leadership (CEC, Presidium of the Supreme Council).

The marshal lived a long life (he died on the 91st year of life, without long illnesses, from a stroke), and was noted for his great strength, endurance, good health. As already mentioned, at 48 he jumped with a parachute, and children (three!) He was born when he was well over 50. Budyonny himself, whose biography became the subject of our review, claimed that in 50 years he could come down with The second floor of the house is in the courtyard. At the age of 84, he struck with his cheerful kind of journalists from Voronezh, whom he met on the occasion of the anniversary of the liberation of the city in the Civil War.

Died Marshal October 26, 1973, buried in Red Square. But, like all great people, he was destined to live after death, and until now legends tell about him.

Family Troubles

Biography Budyonny's seeds in terms of relations with women did not develop in the best possible way. Some family troubles are connected with the attitude of the marshal to women. There are many "black" detectives. They say that Semyon Mikhaylovich shot his first wife and handed over to the NKVD the second.

Nadezhda, the first wife of Budyonny, was in charge of the First Cavalry. The quarrels between the spouses really were - the wife did not differ in fidelity, and Budyonny happened to "go left." In 1924, Nadezhda died from a pistol shot, which gave rise to rumors. In fact, the incident was witnessed - there was an accident.

Olga Stefanovna, the second wife, was younger than her husband for 20 years. Opera singer, she led a very rambling life, "twisted romance" with a tenor, often visited foreign embassies and refused to have children (for the sake of figure!). She was arrested for "visits" to the embassies. Budyonny did not really stand up for her, but there is a version that he believed she was dead. In any case, he married for the third time, and Maria was Olga's cousin. Olga Stefanovna was released in 1956, and the ex-husband helped her to move to Moscow and supported financially.

Grandpa's friend

The third marriage was successful, it gave birth to two sons and a daughter. Both the wife and children the marshal loved and spoiled.

Budyonny's daughter, Nina, was the wife of the famous actor Mikhail Derzhavin, and he perfectly got on with his father-in-law and noted his affection for his grandchildren. He also told how his grandson, seeing a portrait of Stalin, told a foreign journalist: "This is my grandfather's friend."

Extensive iconostasis

It is also accepted to make fun of Budyonny's love for rewards. Yes, he received three stars of the Hero of the Soviet Union after the end of the Great Patriotic War. He also had 7 Orders of Lenin and 6 - the Red Banner. But the full St. George's bow, unambiguously, proves that it's not just a high position ...

An armored train, a ship, a district ...

The name of Budyonny is immortalized not only in the Budyonovka, but there is also a breed of racehorses - Budennovskaya. I carried this name and armored train, which fought in the Great Patriotic War, and a large passenger steamer, and a district in the city of Donetsk.

The district was called so twice - until 1958 and then since 1980. Until now, there are people in the city who lived "twice in the Budennovskiy district". And they are not going to change the name!

And it is not necessary to measure the outstanding people of the past with modern standards. They lived at another time.