According to the official biography, Konstantin Rokossovsky was born on December 21, 1896 in the city of Velikiye Luki, Pskov province.
However, some historians dispute both the date and place of birth of the future commander.
The alternative year of birth of Rokossovsky is sometimes called 1894, and the place is Warsaw or the village of Telekhany (nowadays - the territory of Belarus).
Rokossovsky came from an old gentry family that lost its noble status in the 19th century.
Rokossovsky's father worked on the railway, according to one version as an auditor, according to another - as a locomotive driver.
Mother was an employee of a hosiery factory.
Konstantin lost his parents early, and as a teenager was forced to earn his living as a factory worker and a stone cutter's assistant.
In this regard, as the biographers of Rokossovsky write, the young man became interested in leftist ideas early on.
Military career
In August 1914, Konstantin Rokossovsky volunteered for the 5th Dragoon Kargopol regiment. According to historians, during the First World War, he repeatedly showed himself as a good front-line intelligence officer. And for his participation in the capture of the trench of the German regimental guard he was awarded the St. George Medal of the 4th degree. According to experts, the specifics of service in the dragoon regiment allowed Rokossovsky to acquire versatile military skills. He had an excellent command of a pike, saber and firearms, fought both on foot and on horseback.
After the October Revolution of 1917, Konstantin Rokossovsky supported the Bolsheviks and joined the Red Guard.
He took part in the fight against banditry and anarchist demonstrations in Vologda and other cities of Russia.
Later he was sent to the Urals, where he fought with the White Guards and with parts of the Czechoslovak corps.
He was soon appointed squadron commander.
During the Civil War, Rokossovsky quickly rose to the position of the commander of a cavalry regiment.
He successfully participated in the fight against the Kolchakites and units of Baron von Ungern, was seriously wounded and awarded the Order of the Red Banner.
There are at least two known cases when Rokossovsky on the battlefield personally entered into confrontation with the commanders of enemy formations.
One he hacked to death, while receiving a bullet wound.
"Rokossovsky proved himself in the Civil War as a convinced Bolshevik and a brave soldier, he earned himself a reputation as a person you can rely on," military historian Sergei Perelygin told RT.
In the 1920s-1930s, Rokossovsky served in command positions in various cavalry units, trained the Mongolian military, distinguished himself during the conflict on the Chinese-Eastern Railway, and also studied at the Cavalry advanced training courses for command personnel and at the M. V. Frunze.
Ml.
non-commissioned officer K. Rokossovsky.
1917 year
© Wikimedia Commons / Public Domain / V. Kardashov
According to the specialist-historian of the Victory Museum Alexander Mikhailov, for some time Rokossovsky commanded the 7th Samara Cavalry Division.
One of his subordinates at this time was Georgy Zhukov.
“Rokossovsky was a very good boss.
He knew military affairs brilliantly, clearly set tasks, cleverly and tactfully checked the execution of his orders.
He showed constant attention to his subordinates and, perhaps, as no one else knew how to evaluate and develop the initiative of the commanders subordinate to him, ”Zhukov recalled in his memoirs.
Conflict on the Chinese Eastern Railway
© Wikimedia Commons
In 1935, Rokossovsky was awarded the rank of division commander, and a year later he became the commander of the 5th Cavalry Corps in Pskov.
From 1937 to 1940, Rokossovsky was under investigation in the NKVD (according to some sources - because of charges of working for the Polish and Japanese intelligence), but was fully acquitted.
After his release from investigation, Rokossovsky was sent to the disposal of his former subordinate - the commander of the Kiev Special Military District Georgy Zhukov.
He participated in the Prut campaign of the Red Army, and then was appointed commander of the 9th Mechanized Corps.
As historians note, although Rokossovsky served in the cavalry for decades, he was aware of the growing importance of military equipment and embraced the new appointment with enthusiasm.
On the fronts of the Great Patriotic War
“From the first days of the Great Patriotic War, Rokossovsky found himself in the midst of confrontation with the Nazis.
His corps wore down the enemy, restraining the Wehrmacht offensive in the northwestern regions of Ukraine and retreating only by order of the command, "said Alexander Mikhailov.
In July 1941, Rokossovsky was transferred to the Western Front.
Officially, he was appointed commander of the 4th Army, but in practice he led a group, to which the remnants of several armies closed up, and held the defense in the area of the city of Yartsevo, Smolensk region.
Later, Rokossovsky led the 16th Army, formed on the basis of the Yartsevsky group of forces.
In September he was promoted to the rank of lieutenant general.
In the future, Rokossovsky was instructed to cover the Volokolamsk direction during the Battle of Moscow.
At his disposal were units that later became legendary, in particular the 316th Infantry Division of Major General Ivan Panfilov.
According to historians, the fierce resistance that the units subordinate to Rokossovsky showed to the enemy contributed to the failure of the Hitlerite offensive on Moscow.
In March 1942, Rokossovsky was seriously wounded by a shell fragment.
After surgery and treatment in the hospital, he again took command of the 16th Army, but in July he was appointed commander of the Bryansk Front, and in September - the Don Front.
As historians note, Rokossovsky developed a plan to encircle and defeat the Nazi group that was advancing on Stalingrad, and personally took part in its implementation.
It was the servicemen of the Don Front that captured Field Marshal Friedrich Paulus.
Captured Field Marshal Paulus and his adjutant are escorted to the 64th Army headquarters.
January 31, 1943.
© Wikimedia Commons
In 1943, Rokossovsky was appointed commander of the Central Front.
According to historians, he insisted that the Soviet troops, before the Battle of Kursk, go over to a stable defense, literally burying themselves in the ground.
In addition, he accurately predicted the direction of the main attack of the Nazis and prepared for it.
As an innovative solution of Rokossovsky, experts note the artillery counter-training carried out before the Nazi offensive.
Thus, according to Alexander Mikhailov, the troops under the command of Rokossovsky made a significant contribution to the defeat of the Nazis at the Kursk Bulge.
"In the military career of Rokossovsky, one should especially highlight Operation Bagration, during which Soviet troops liberated Belarus from the Nazis in 1944," military historian Grigory Popov said in a commentary on RT.
Konstantin Rokossovsky during the Battle of Kursk
globallookpress.com
© Mary Evans Picture Library
Rokossovsky suggested starting an offensive, inflicting not one, but two simultaneous attacks at once, which made it possible to deprive the enemy of the opportunity to maneuver.
This decision was contrary to established practice, and Joseph Stalin, when discussing the plan, several times asked Rokossovsky whether this would lead to a dispersion of forces.
However, Rokossovsky insisted on his own.
According to historians, the success of the operation exceeded all the expectations of the command.
Soviet troops almost completely liberated Belarus, the Baltic States and the eastern regions of Poland.
This was one of the largest defeats of the Wehrmacht during the war.
In 1944, Rokossovsky was promoted to Marshal of the Soviet Union and awarded the Gold Star of the Hero of the Soviet Union.
Preparation of Operation Bagration.
From left to right: Lieutenant General I. S. Varennikov, Marshal of the Soviet Union G. K. Zhukov, Colonel General V. I. Kazakov, Marshal of the Soviet Union K. K. Rokossovsky.
April 1944
© Ministry of Defense of Russia
Rokossovsky participated in the defeat of Nazi groups in East Prussia and Pomerania.
And during the Berlin offensive operation, the troops of the 2nd Belorussian Front under his command fettered the forces of the 3rd German Tank Army, depriving them of the opportunity to participate in battles in the capital of the Reich.
On June 24, 1945, Rokossovsky commanded the Victory Parade in Moscow.
After the end of the war, he led the Soviet troops stationed in Poland.
Subsequently, at the request of the official Warsaw, he was placed at the head of the Polish Ministry of National Defense and promoted to Marshal of Poland.
Konstantin Rokossovsky as Minister of National Defense of Poland
© Wikimedia Commons
Upon his return to the Soviet Union in 1956, Rokossovsky was appointed Deputy Minister of Defense of the USSR and remained in this post for more than five years (with a short break in the leadership of the Transcaucasian Military District against the background of the aggravation of the situation in the Middle East).
The dismissal from the post of deputy minister, according to some testimonies, was due to the fact that Rokossovsky, in response to Khrushchev's proposal to write an accusatory article about the "cult of personality", replied: "Nikita Sergeevich, Comrade Stalin is a saint to me!"
Since April 1962, Rokossovsky was transferred to the group of inspectors general of the USSR Ministry of Defense.
Marshal died on August 3, 1968 in Moscow.
Monument to the twice Hero of the Soviet Union Marshal Konstantin Konstantinovich Rokossovsky by sculptors Vladimir and Danila Surovtsevs, installed in Volgograd.
RIA News
© Kirill Braga
“Rokossovsky is an iconic figure in the history of the Russian armed forces, a bright representative of the galaxy of commanders of the Great Patriotic War, who are usually called the Marshals of Victory.
His personal contribution to the victory over the formidable enemy who threatened the very existence of our Motherland is very significant, ”summed up Alexander Mikhailov.