Antonov Alexey Innokent'evich

ANTONOV Alexei Innokent'evich - Soviet military figure, army general.

Born into a military family. He received his education at the gymnasium, graduating from 8 classes in 1915. In the same year he entered Petrograd University, but due to difficult financial conditions he interrupted his studies and went to work at a factory. He has been in military service since 1916. He completed an accelerated course at the Pavlovsk Military School and, with the rank of ensign, was sent to the Life Guards. Jaeger Regiment. Member of the First World War, in June 1917, wounded in battle near the city of Stanislav, assistant regimental adjutant. In May 1918 he was transferred to the reserve, worked in the food committee of Petrograd and studied at the Forestry Institute. In April 1919 he was drafted into the Red Army, a participant in the Civil War. He fought as assistant chief of staff of the 1st Moscow Labor Division (Southern Front), chief of staff of the brigade of the 15th Inza (from November 1920 - Sivash) rifle division, which participated in the battles against the troops of General P.N. Wrangel in the Crimea. After the war at the headquarters work. From 1922 to 1937, he went from chief of the operational unit of the headquarters of a rifle division to chief of staff of the Moscow Military District. In 1931 he graduated from the Military Academy. M.V. Frunze, in 1933 - the operational department of the same academy, and in 1937 - the 1st course of the Academy of the General Staff. In 1938-1941. Senior Lecturer and Deputy Head of the Department of General Tactics of the Military Academy of the Red Army. M.V. Frunze. In June 1940, Antonov was awarded the military rank of major general, and on the eve of World War II he was appointed deputy chief of staff of the Kiev Special Military District.

With the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, A.I. Antonov headed the formation group of the Southern Front, and in August 1941 he was appointed chief of staff of this front. Under his leadership, a plan was developed for the counter-offensive of the Soviet troops in the Rostov offensive operation, as a result of which it became possible to prepare a counter-offensive of the Soviet troops in the main Moscow direction. In December 1941, he was awarded the military rank of lieutenant general. Since July 1942 - Chief of Staff of the North Caucasian Front, then the Black Sea Group of Forces of the Transcaucasian Front. In these posts, he showed deep knowledge and organizational skills. The troops of these associations participated in the Barvenkovo-Lozovskaya offensive operation, the Kharkov battle, the Donbass defensive operation, which developed into a strategic North Caucasian defensive operation - the first stage of the battle for the Caucasus. Since December 1942, the head of the Operational Directorate and Deputy Chief of the General Staff, Colonel General (since April 1943). On May 20, 1943, First Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the Red Army. In August of the same year, he was awarded the rank of General of the Army. While working at the General Staff, the military talent of A.I. Antonova. High military-theoretical training, extensive practical experience and operational talent of A.I. Antonov in many respects contributed to the successful activities of the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command.

Developed with the direct participation of A.I. Antonov's plans for strategic operations, such as East Prussian, Vistula-Oder, East Pomeranian, Vienna, Berlin, Prague, serve as an example of a creative approach to solving complex problems of strategic planning and command and control of troops. A.I. Antonov creatively solved the problems of Soviet military art, carefully assessed the strategic situation when developing the concept of the operation, trying to achieve a surprise attack on the enemy. The work of the General Staff was carried out in close cooperation with the front command: the considerations of the front command were evaluated and taken into account in the decisions taken by the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command.

February 17, 1945 Army General A.I. Antonov was appointed Chief of the General Staff. In 1945, Antonov, as a military representative, was a member of the Soviet delegation at the Crimean (February 1945) and Potsdam (July-August 1945) conferences.

After the war (from March 1946) 1st Deputy Chief of the General Staff, then Deputy Chief of the General Staff for the Ground Forces - 1st Deputy Chief of the General Staff. In 1948-1949. 1st Deputy Commander, and in 1950–1954 Commander of the Transcaucasian Military District. From April 1954 - 1st Deputy Chief of the General Staff. Since May 1955, Chief of Staff of the United Armed Forces of the member states of the Warsaw Pact. He was elected a deputy of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of the 2nd-6th convocations. Urn with the ashes of A.I. Antonova is buried in the Kremlin wall on Red Square in Moscow.

He was awarded the highest Soviet military order "Victory". He was awarded the Russian Order of St. Anna 4th class, the USSR - 3 orders of Lenin, 4 orders of the Red Banner, 2 orders of Suvorov 1st class, orders of Kutuzov 1st class. and the Patriotic War of the 1st degree; foreign: MPR - Red Banner of War; Poland - "Virtuti Military" 1st class.