30.9.1895 - 5.12.1977

Alexander Vasilevsky was Chief of General Staff of the Red Army, Deputy Commissar of Defense of the USSR, a member of the STAVKA, Chief of Soviet Forces in the Far East, Marshal of the Soviet Union.

He was born on September 30, 1895 in New (Novaya) Golchikha in Vichuga district of Ivanovo region in a priest’s family. Russian. A member of the CPSU (B) / Communist Party from 1938.In 1897 he moved in Novopokrovskoe village, today Kineshma district of Ivanovo region. In 1909 he graduated from Kineshma seminary and enrolled in Kostroma seminary. The diploma allowed continuing education in a secular institution. Alexander wanted to be an agronomist or a surveyor, but the outbreak of the First World War changed his plans. In May 1915 he graduated from the crash course (4 months) of Alexeev Military School in Moscow, and in the rank of warrant officer was sent to the South-Western Front. Commanded a company of the 409^th Novokhopersk Regiment (the 103^rd Infantry Division, the 9^th Army), then the battalion. In May 1916, he took part in the famous Brusilov breakthrough. He received the rank of captain.

After the October Revolution in December 1917, the soldiers chose him as commander of the 409th Regiment. In early 1918, while on vacation in his homeland, he was appointed an instructor in Kineshma county of Kostroma Province. In autumn 1918, he worked as a teacher in primary schools in Verkhovie and Podyakovlevo of Tula province (today Orel region). In April 1919, he was drafted into the Red Army. After a training month in the 4^th reserve battalion, he got to the front. In a short time he rose from platoon instructor (assistant platoon commander) to the assistant commander of the 429^th Infantry Regiment. He fought against the gangs in the Tula and Samara provinces, armies of Denikin, troops of Bulak-Balakhovich, participated in the Polish company. After the war he commanded the 142^nd and 143^rd regiments of the 48^th Infantry Division in Tver, headed divisional school of junior commanders. In 1927, he graduated from the infantry tactical training, “The Shot” In autumn 1930, the regiment under the command of Vasilevsky won the first place in the division and received an excellent evaluation in the circular maneuvers.

Since 1931, he served in the Office of the combat training of the Red Army. In 1934-1936 he was chief of the combat training of the Volga Military District. In 1937, he graduated from the Military Academy of the General Staff and unexpectedly appointed Head of the Academy Department of Logistics (former Head, I. Trutko was arrested at that time). In October 1937, followed a new appointment - Assistant Chief of General Staff. Since May 1940, he was Deputy Chief of Operations of the General Staff.

A member of the Great Patriotic War from the very first day. In August 1941, Major General A. Vasilevsky was appointed Deputy Chief of General Staff - Chief of Operations. In June 1942, he was appointed Chief of General Staff, and from October was also Deputy Commissar of Defense, a member of the Supreme Command Headquarters. Contributed greatly to the development of the Soviet military art, he took part in the development and implementation of the offensive plan at Stalingrad. By order of the Supreme Command, he coordinated the Voronezh and Steppe Fronts in the Battle of Kursk. In 1943, he was promoted to the rank of Marshal of the Soviet Union. He led the planning and conduct of operations for the liberation of the Donets Basin, Northern Tavria, Krivoy Rog, Nikopol operations, the operation to free the Crimea, the Belorussian operation.

The title of Hero of the Soviet Union, the Order of Lenin and the Gold Star medal (№ 2856) Alexander Vasilevsky was awarded on July 29, 1944 for exemplary task implementation.

Since February 1945, he commanded the 3^rd Belorussian Front. Led storming of Konigsberg.

In the autumn of 1944, A. Vasilevsky was instructed to calculate the necessary forces and material resources for the war against imperial Japan. In 1945, under his guidance, was prepared the plan of Manchurian Strategic Offensive Operation, which was approved by the STAVKA and the State Defence Committee. In July 1945, A. Vasilevsky was appointed Commander of the Soviet forces in the Far East.

On the eve of offensive, Marshal Vasilevsky visited the starting positions of the troops, acquainted with the parts, and discussed the situation with commanders of the armies and corps. At the same time the main tasks were refined and shortened, in particular, entering the Manchurian plain. At dawn, on August 9, troops of the Trans-Baikal, the 1^st and 2^nd Far Eastern Fronts, the Pacific Fleet, the Amur Flotilla and the People's Revolutionary Army of the MPR crossed the border and launched an offensive deep into the enemy territory. It took the Soviet and Mongolian troops only 24 days to defeat the Kwantung Army in Manchuria.

The second Gold Star medal (№ 78), Alexander Vasilevsky was awarded on September 8, 1945 for his leadership of the Soviet troops in the Far East during the war with Japan.

In 1946-1949 he was Chief of General Staff, Deputy and First Deputy Minister of the Armed Forces of the USSR. In 1949-1953, he was a minister of the Armed Forces (Military Minister) of the USSR; in 1953-1956 - First Deputy Minister of Defense; in 1956-1957 - Deputy Secretary of Defense for military science. Since 1959, was in the Group of Inspectors General of the USSR. Was elected a member of the CPSU Central Committee. Was also elected Deputy of the Supreme Soviet of the 2^nd - 4^th convocations. Died on December 5, 1977. He was buried on Red Square near the Kremlin wall.

He was awarded eight Orders of Lenin, the Order of the October Revolution, two Orders of the Victory (one of them number 2), two Orders of the Red Banner, the 1^st Class Order of Suvorov, the Order of the Red Star, the 3^rd Class Order “For the Service to the Motherland in the Armed Forces of the USSR”; medals, weapons of honor, foreign orders.

A bronze bust was installed in Kineshma, in the same place a memorial plaque was installed on the wall of a former religious school. Bust in Vichuga (2005) and a monument in Kaliningrad. Streets in Moscow, Ivanovo, Kineshma, Chelyabinsk, Engels of Saratov region, Krasnodon of Voroshilovgrad (Luhansk) region, and a square inKaliningrad are named after him. The peak in the Pamirs and the variety of lilac, an ocean tanker and a large anti-submarine ship are also named after him. The Military Academy of Army Air Defence in Kiev (in 1986-1991 it was called the Military Academy of Air Defense of Ground Forces) bore his name in 1977-1991.