Do we remember the names of those brave men whowon for us the victory over fascism? The hero of our story is Sokolovsky Vasily Danilovich (1897-1968) - Hero of the Soviet Union. He was one of the leaders of the legendary battle for Moscow. Today, military experts consider him to be the owner of the true talent of a military leader. He is called volitional, decisive, purposeful and courageous, ready to devote himself entirely to the holy cause of defense of the Motherland.
Будущий маршал родился в 1897 году, 21 июля в the small village of Kozlinka, which was located in the Belostok district (now located in Poland), in the family of a poor peasant. His childhood, naturally, was very difficult, half-starved and cold. However, the boy was quite capable and all the time was eager to study in the village school. In a more mature age, he, wanting to become a teacher, spent two years in a special school, and after that he worked as a teacher in a village school. In 1914, he decided to continue his studies at a teacher’s seminary in the city of Nevel (now in the Pskov Region). Here he became involved in the work of the revolutionary student group. The times were pre-revolutionary and the members of this organization were monitored by the employees of the tsarist secret police. Once during a meeting they were attacked, and the leader of the group, the Bolshevik Urban, was arrested. All other members, among whom was Sokolovsky Vasily Danilovich, came under investigation. However, the February Revolution put an end to this matter.
At the beginning of 1918 Vasily Danilovich graduatedSeminary, however, after that he did not have to work as a teacher, and the reason was the October Revolution. It was at this time that the Workers 'and Peasants' Army began to form in Russia, which later became known as the Red Army. So V.D. Sokolovsky expressed a desire to join the ranks of this entity. Since he had experience in teaching, he was not taken as a private, but sent to the First Military Instructor Courses in Moscow, where studies began to take place at an accelerated pace. As a cadet, he was often brought to fight and liquidate gangs - opponents of the revolution. Once he had to take part in a battle with monarchists, which took place at night in a merchant's club, and this operation deeply crashed into his memory.
Unlearning on courses Sokolovsky sent toexpedition group, which was soon forwarded to the Eastern Front, where there was a struggle with the gang Semenov. When approaching Yekaterinburg (at that time the city had not yet been renamed Sverdlovsk), they encountered enemy corps and joined the detachment of the Red Guards of the Urals, began to fight with the rebels. For his valor, V. Sokolovsky was appointed commander of a company of intelligence officers, and then received the post of regiment commander, part of the 2nd division, commanded by R. P. Eideman. It was here that he received his first combat experience.
When the Military Academy was founded in 1918The Red Army (then it was called the Academy of the General Staff), the future Marshal Sokolovsky was among the first listeners. V. Lenin more than once attended this institution of higher education, talked with students. It was here that the first time saw the Soviet leader Vasily Danilovich, and this meeting made an unforgettable impression on him. The students received theoretical knowledge within the walls of the academy, and then they were sent to study to the front. Sokolovsky was sent to the 10th Army, which fought against Denikin, Belozoska Golubintsev, Mamontov and Shkuro. After that, he returned to Moscow and continued his studies at the academy. A few years later he was assigned to the Caucasian Front. The future Marshal Sokolovsky was appointed Chief of Staff of the 32nd Infantry Division, which took part in the establishment of the power of the Soviets in Azerbaijan. They also fought with the Armenian Dashnaktsutyun party.
During the Civil War a meeting took placecommander with his wife, Anna Petrovna Bazhenova. Of course, she did not even suspect that her husband was the future marshal of Sokolovsky. Anna Petrovna worked in the oldtsin district committee of the RCP (b). She, as her future husband had once, joined the Red Army voluntarily, worked as an agitator, then as a hospital commissioner, and then as secretary of the party organizer in Tsaritsino. Then she was transferred to Azerbaijan, the main headquarters to engage in agitatory work. Here she met Vasya (as she affectionately called the combat commander). After registering the marriage, they went to Moscow, where she began her studies at the Military Academy. However, after graduation she was not able to return to the army. But V. Sokolovsky was sent to the Turkestan front, where he was most needed. Anna Petrovna went to Tashkent after her husband. However, there, in a foreign land, their little daughter died from the disease, and it was a big blow for the family. But they did not have time to grieve for a long time because of the heavy loss. Each of them tried to occupy himself completely, to muffle the pain.
For three years, the couple lived in Central Asia.Soon, Sokolvsky was promoted and was appointed commander of a group of troops in the Samarkand and Fergana regions. During this period, he was wounded by a basmach’s bullet, but he did not want to fail. For his courage, courage and resourcefulness, V. D. Sokolovsky was awarded the Order of the Red Banner. In 1924, the Turkestan Republic was proclaimed. After that, their family was again transferred to Moscow.
By early 1942, the future Marshal Sokolovsky alreadyHe was the head of the headquarters of the Western Front, and a year later he was appointed commander of the front on the orders of the supreme commander, and when the Rzhev-Vyazma operation took place in 1943, he was its immediate leader. It was here that for the first time he fully manifested himself and showed everyone what he is capable of. The losses of the Germans were more than 40 thousand people, tanks and other equipment - about 1000. From the middle of 1943, the Western Front participated almost simultaneously in two large-scale offensive operations: Orlovskaya, which was otherwise called Kutuzov and Smolensk, named after the Russian military commander Suvorov. ". In the Smolensk operation, Soviet troops defeated 20 enemy divisions, and 55 were shackled. By the end of this year, the city was completely liberated from the invaders. By the way, during this period not only Russians, but also French and Polish troops fought under the leadership of Sokolovsky. For services to his fatherland, at the end of this operation he was awarded two orders, and also received the rank of General of the Army. In the summer of 1946, Sokolovsky's wit, valor and courage were appreciated and rewarded by the country's leadership. He received the title of hero and Marshal of the USSR.
Vasily Sokolovsky Danilovich - Marshal of the SovietUnion - possessed an outstanding character. He had a powerful analytical mind, he was reasonable and calm, very diplomatic. It is said that when he called a military unit, he necessarily represented, and only then reported on the reason for the call. He loved the Russian classics. Adored Pushkin and Tolstoy. Already as a grandfather, he took his granddaughters on an excursion to Yasnaya Polyana and was very worried that the Germans had harmed the name of his favorite writer. He worked very hard and slept for three hours a day. He liked to go mushrooming, but he was not at all interested in fishing. Sokolovsky did not have close friends, nevertheless he loved communication. He especially liked to spend time with his family - his wife, children and grandchildren.
Vasily Sokolovsky, Marshal of the Soviet Union, died at the age of 70 years. A street in the city of Smolensk is named in his honor. There is a memorial plate on one of the houses of the city.
