The legendary marshal who made an immeasurable contribution to the victory of the Soviet army over the fascist invaders. The biography of Konstantin Konstantinovich Rokossovsky is studied in schools and universities. In honor of the commander, monuments were erected in the cities of Russia and Poland, memorial plates were placed, streets, squares and avenues were named after him.

Childhood and youth

The beginning of the biography of the great Soviet commander is ambiguous. The date of birth of Konstantin Rokossovsky is known - December 21. But the year of birth is different in different sources. It is officially accepted that a military leader was born in 1896, although some documents contain a reference to the year of birth in 1984.

The same applies to the place of birth. Pole by origin, Rokossovsky was born in the capital of Poland - Warsaw. Until the end of the Great Patriotic War, this city was indicated in the questionnaires of the commander. However, in 1945, Konstantin Konstantinovich was twice awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union, which entailed the need to install a bust in his native city.

It was inconvenient for the authorities to erect a memorial sign in friendly but independent Warsaw, so Velikie Luki, Pskov region, was declared the official birthplace.

The origin of the commander has also been adjusted. The fact is that the future Marshal of the USSR did not have proletarian roots at all. Rokossovsky's ancestors belonged to the Greater Poland nobility, owned the village of Rokossovo, from the name of which the family's surname originated. True, the nobility was lost after the uprising of 1863.

Rokossovsky's father served on the railroad, and his mother worked as a teacher. In addition to Kostya, a sister, Helena Rokossovska, grew up in the family. Parents left their children orphans early - in 1905 the father died, and in 1911 the mother left after him.

After her brother's enlistment in the Red Army and until the end of the war in 1945, Helena did not see the young man and lost contact with him. All this time, the sister of the commander and marshal lived in Warsaw and did not suspect the merits of Konstantin Konstantinovich.

Orphaned, the boy earned his living as an assistant confectioner and dentist, a stonemason. Since education was interrupted due to the death of his father and the lack of the possibility of payment, Kostya, being self-taught, read a lot in Polish and Russian. In 1914, the young man signed up as a volunteer in the cavalry regiment of the Russian Imperial Army.

Military service

As part of a squadron of the Russian army, young Rokossovsky distinguished himself in the battles of the First World War. First, the troops fought near Warsaw, then the division of Konstantin Konstantinovich was transferred to Lithuania. As part of the regiment, the future marshal fought until it was disbanded in 1918.

In 1917, after the abdication of the last Russian emperor, Rokossovsky voluntarily joins the Red Army. In 1919 he received a membership card of the Bolshevik Party. Despite being wounded during the Civil War, Konstantin Konstantinovich successfully continues the military confrontation with the White Guards, growing up the military career ladder, receiving command first of a squadron, and then of a cavalry regiment.

After the victory of the Red Army in the Civil War, Rokossovsky remained in military service. He takes advanced training courses for command personnel, where he meets A. I. Eremenko. He exercises command in Samara (where the future Grand Marshal of Victory Zhukov serves under him), then in Pskov.

Unfortunately, even the commanders of the Red Army are not immune from the millstones of the machine of mass arrests and repressions. In 1937, Rokossovsky was accused of having links with the Polish and Japanese intelligence services. Arrest and imprisonment followed within the walls of the NKVD. According to the great-granddaughter of the warlord, Konstantin Konstantinovich was subjected to severe beatings. The tormentors did not get any confession from Rokossovsky.

In 1940, the future marshal was rehabilitated and released from custody. By the way, there is a version that the military man was not in prison at all, but carried out a reconnaissance mission in Spain. One way or another, immediately after his release and leave with his family in Sochi, Konstantin Konstantinovich received the rank of major general, and then took command of the 9th mechanized corps.

The Great Patriotic War

The perfidious attack of the fascist troops was carried out at a time when Rokossovsky, with a subordinate mechanized corps, was not far from Kyiv. The commander recalls that that morning he invited the division commanders to go fishing. The event had to be cancelled. The military met the beginning of the war on the Southwestern Front. The tactics of exhausting the enemy, despite the technical superiority of the latter, brought victories to the Rokossovsky corps.

In 1941, the commander was sent to Smolensk, where he had to restore chaotically retreating and disbanded detachments. A little later, he took part in the battle of Moscow, where he acquired real military authority and the Order of Lenin.

In March 1942, Konstantin Konstantinovich was seriously wounded, and was treated in a hospital until May. And already in July he takes over command of the troops in the battle of Stalingrad. Field Marshal F. Paulus was captured under the leadership of Rokossovsky.

This was followed by a brilliant victory of the troops on the Kursk Bulge, and then the successfully implemented operation "Bagration" in the summer of 1944, which resulted in the liberation of Belarus, as well as parts of the Baltic states and Poland.

But the honor to take Berlin was awarded to Marshal Zhukov, with whom Rokossovsky had rather complicated personal relations, although the generals never went into open confrontation.

The command of the 1st Belorussian Front was transferred to Georgy Konstantinovich. The reason for this decision remains a mystery to this day. Rokossovsky commanded the 2nd Belorussian Front and provided invaluable support to the main troops.

After the end of World War II, Rokossovsky commanded the Victory Parade, hosted by Marshal Zhukov.

Personal life

The handsome, stately military man, whom we see in family and archival photos, could not help but become the object of female sympathy. Marshal is credited with numerous novels and love affairs. In fact, the commander, according to the memoirs of contemporaries, was distinguished by shyness in communicating with girls.

Konstantin Konstantinovich was married only once to Yulia Petrovna Barmina. The military man met a fragile teacher a year after he saw her in the theater and fell in love. The modest Rokossovsky drove past his beloved's house every day, not daring to go in. The couple is officially introduced to each other during a walk in the park by joint friends.

Yulia's parents categorically opposed relations with the Red Army soldier, but the girl's iron character prevailed over the criticism of her relatives. Rapid love led to marriage in 1923. In 1925, the couple had a daughter, Ariadna. The commander lived with his wife all his life.

Front-line life leaves its mark and specificity on people's lives. While in the hospital in 1942, Konstantin Konstantinovich met Galina Vasilievna Talanova, a military doctor. Young people begin an affair, which leads to the birth of their daughter Nadezhda. The commander of the Red Army recognized the girl, gave his last name, but after parting with Talanova, he did not maintain relations.

The novels attributed to the marshal, including one of the popular rumors about the love of Rokossovsky and the actress, are not confirmed by anything. Although these tales became an occasion for creative inspiration for directors and served as the basis for the plot of films about the marshal.

There was also talk of a myriad of illegitimate children. From time to time, such "sons of the regiment" appeared in the press and declared their relationship with the commander. All these rumors and conjectures offend Rokossovsky's relatives.

Death

As a result of the disease that befell the marshal, the legendary commander died on August 3, 1968. The cause of death was prostate cancer. The urn with ashes rests in the Kremlin wall.

The day before his death, the commander signed for publication a book of memoirs "Soldier's Duty" about the period from the pre-war years to the overthrow of Nazi oppression.

Awards

• St. George's Cross IV degree
• St. George medal IV degree
• St. George medal of the III degree
• St. George medal II degree
• Order "Victory"
• two medals "Gold Star" Hero of the Soviet Union
• seven orders of Lenin
• Order of the October Revolution
• six orders of the Red Banner
• Order of Suvorov, 1st class
• Order of Kutuzov, 1st class
• Medal "For the Defense of Moscow"
• Medal "For the Defense of Stalingrad"
• Medal "For the Defense of Kyiv"
• medal "For the victory over Germany in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945"
• Medal "Twenty Years of Victory in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945"
• medal "For the Capture of Koenigsberg"
• medal "For the liberation of Warsaw"
• medal "XX years of the Workers 'and Peasants' Red Army"
• medal "30 years of the Soviet Army and Navy"
• medal "40 years of the Armed Forces of the USSR"
• medal "50 years of the Armed Forces of the USSR"
• medal "In memory of the 800th anniversary of Moscow"

Born in the city of Velikie Luki in the family of a railway worker (his father is a Pole). During the First World War, he volunteered for the front, served in a dragoon regiment. For bravery he was awarded the St. George medals of the 3rd and 4th degrees and the St. George's Cross of the 4th degree. He became a junior non-commissioned officer. After the revolution he joined the Red Army. During the Civil War, he commanded a squadron, division, regiment. He was twice wounded and twice awarded the Order of the Red Banner. Then he commanded a brigade.

In 1925 he graduated from the Cavalry advanced training courses for command personnel, in 1929 - advanced training courses for senior officers at the Academy. Frunze. Participated in battles on the Chinese Eastern Railway, commanded cavalry divisions and cavalry corps. In August 1937, Rokossovsky was arrested, accused of having links with the Polish and Japanese intelligence services, convicted, but in March 1940, at the request of S.M. Budyonny, S.K. Timoshenko and G.K. Zhukov was released and after a course of treatment returned to the troops. Rokossovsky met the war in the Kiev Special Military District as the commander of the 9th mechanized corps with the rank of major general.

On the morning of June 22, 1941, Rokossovsky raised the corps on alert and, having made a 200-kilometer march, attacked the enemy on the move. It was one of the few successful attacks on that tragic day. At the end of June 1941, the 9th mechanized corps under the command of Rokossovsky took part in the tank battle of 1941 near Dubno, Lutsk and Rivne. Then Rokossovsky commanded the Yartsevo army group near Smolensk. There he was appointed commander of the 16th Army, which especially distinguished itself in the Battle of Moscow. In one of the battles, the commander was seriously wounded.

Shortly after his recovery and return to the 16th Army, Rokossovsky was appointed commander of the Bryansk Front. From that moment until the end of the war, he commanded successively: the Bryansk, Don, Central, Belorussian, 1st and 2nd Belorussian fronts.

In the position of commander of the front, Rokossovsky's military talent was revealed in its entirety. Appointed in September 1942 as commander of the Don Front, together with the commanders of the Southwestern (N.F. Vatutin) and Stalingrad (A.I. Eremenko) fronts, Rokossovsky took a direct part in the preparation and conduct of Operation Uranus, the purpose of which was to encircle and the defeat of the Nazi group near Stalingrad. After the enemy troops were in the “cauldron”, by decision of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief, it was Rokossovsky’s Don Front that was instructed to dismember and capture the encircled group led by Field Marshal F. von Paulus.

Since February 1943, Rokossovsky commanded the troops of the Central Front on the Kursk Bulge and managed to adequately prepare the troops for the upcoming summer offensive of the enemy. July 5, 1943 Rokossovsky, in agreement with the representative of the Stavka G.K. Zhukov, 10 minutes ahead of the enemy in delivering an artillery strike. This came as a surprise to the German command and delayed the start of Operation Citadel. Having repelled the German offensive, the troops of the Central Front launched a counteroffensive, releasing Oryol on August 5.

In the summer of the next 1944, K.K. Rokossovsky, commanding the 1st Belorussian Front, brilliantly proved himself in Operation Bagration, during which the enemy was inflicted a crushing defeat in Belarus. For this operation, he received the title of Hero of the Soviet Union and became Marshal of the Soviet Union. From November 1944 until the end of the war, K.K. Rokossovsky commanded the 2nd Belorussian Front, whose troops, together with other fronts, crushed the enemy in the East Prussian, East Pomeranian and, finally, Berlin strategic operations. May 2, 1945 K.K. Rokossovsky was awarded the title of Hero for the second time. He was awarded the highest military order "Victory". June 24, 1945 K.K. Rokossovsky commanded the historic Victory Parade in Moscow, which was hosted by Marshal G.K. Zhukov.

After the war, Rokossovsky from 1949 to 1956 was the Minister of National Defense of Poland. He was awarded the military rank of Marshal of Poland. Half joking, half serious K.K. Rokossovsky claimed: “I am the most unfortunate Marshal of the Soviet Union. In Russia I was considered a Pole, and in Poland a Russian. I had to take Berlin, I was the closest. But he called and said: "Berlin will take Zhukov." I asked why such disgrace? Stalin replied: "This is not disgrace, this is politics"

In 1956-1957. Rokossovsky - deputy. Minister of Defense of the USSR, in 1957 he was transferred to the commander of the Transcaucasian Military District. In 1958-1962. again - Deputy Minister of Defense and Chief Inspector of the USSR Ministry of Defense. The last years of his life was in the group of inspectors general of the Ministry of Defense. August 3, 1968 K.K. Rokossovsky died of cancer. The urn with the ashes of K.K. Rokossovsky was buried in the Kremlin wall.

In the memory of people who communicated with K.K. Rokossovsky, he remained as a tall, stately, charming man, sincere and intelligent. G.K. Zhukov noted: "It is difficult for me to remember a more thorough, efficient, hardworking and by and large gifted person."

The future Marshal of the Soviet Union Konstantin (Ksaverievich) Konstantinovich Rokossovsky was born in Warsaw on December 21, 1896. Later, after joining the Red Army, he changed his patronymic to “Konstantinovich” in his biography and indicated the city of Velikiye Luki as his place of birth. His father Xavier Yuzefovich was a Pole by origin, worked as an inspector on the railway in Warsaw, his mother was a Russian teacher Antonina Ovsyannikova. Konstantin lost his father early, and when he was 14 years old, his mother also died, leaving Konstantin and his younger sister alone. After graduating from college, Konstantin Rokossovsky worked at a hosiery factory. Since childhood, he was fond of self-education, for which he read many books in Polish and Russian.

In 1914, Konstantin Rokossovsky volunteered for the front, where he was accepted into the Kargopol Dragoon Regiment. A few days later he was awarded the St. George Cross for courage and ingenuity. At the end of the war, the young guy was already a holder of 3 St. George awards, had the rank of non-commissioned officer.

In 1917, Konstantin Rokossovsky went over to the side of the Bolsheviks and joined the Red Army, and in 1919 he was admitted to the party, it was this event that prompted him to correct some of the facts of his biography, including not only the place, but also the year of birth. During the Civil War, Rokossovsky received the title of commander of a separate cavalry regiment, according to the memoirs of his contemporaries, he was distinguished by honesty, modesty, courage and courage. But the military career of Konstantin Rokossovsky at that time advanced slowly, due to his Polish origin.

From 1926 to 1928 he served as an instructor in Mongolia, guarded the CER in the Far East as part of special forces (1931-1936). After that, he took command of the cavalry corps.

In 1937, the wave of repressions that swept through did not spare Rokossovsky either. The commander was accused of spying for Poland and Japan and put in the St. Petersburg prison "Crosses". He endured torture, but was released in 1940 thanks to the intervention of his former commander S.K. Timoshenko, who turned to Stalin himself. The case was closed, Konstantin Rokossovsky was rehabilitated and fully restored in all rights. In the same year he was awarded the rank of major general of the mechanized troops.

Marshal Rokossovsky during the war

After the start of World War II, Konstantin Rokossovsky took command of the ninth mechanized corps. The situation was difficult, there was a catastrophic lack of tanks and transport, but despite this, the ninth corps in June-July 1941 retreated only by order and greatly exhausted the Nazis.

The military talent of K.K. Rokossovsky was fully revealed in the battles near Moscow, when, against the background of the general retreat of our troops, he managed to restore a solid line of defense. For this, Konstantin Rokossovsky was awarded the Order of Lenin. Further, in his glorious combat biography, there were successes in conducting offensive operations near Stalingrad (Operation Uranus), on the Kursk Bulge, where he far-sightedly insisted on a defense strategy, instead of an offensive, in Belarus ("Bagration"), command of a military operation in East Prussia , and, finally, command of the Victory Parade. After the successes on the Kursk Bulge, the glory of Colonel-General Konstantin Rokossovsky thundered not only on the Soviet fronts, but was also known abroad. It was very popular among the soldiers for its simplicity.

On June 29, 1944, for the brilliantly carried out Operation Bagration and the capture of 105 thousand Germans, Konstantin Konstantinovich Rokossovsky was awarded the title of Marshal of the Soviet Union, and on July 30 - the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. He enjoyed the immense respect of I. Stalin, who addressed him exclusively by his first name and patronymic.

After the war, Konstantin Konstantinovich was first commander in chief of the Northern Group of Forces, and then, at the personal request of Polish President B. Bierut, served as Minister of National Defense of the country. At the same time, Marshal Rokossovsky was a member of the Politburo of the Central Committee of the Polish United Workers' Party and was Deputy Chairman of the Council of Ministers of Poland. In 1956 he returned to the USSR to the post of Minister of Defense. He was removed from this position by order of N.S. Khrushchev when he refused to denigrate Stalin in his memoirs.

Marshal Konstantin Konstantinovich Rokossovsky died on August 3, 1968 in Moscow as inspector general of the Group of General Inspectors of the USSR Ministry of Defense.

Marshal Rokossovsky displayed many facts of his biography in his memoirs Soldier's Duty (1968).

9(21).12.1896–3.08.1968

Marshal of the Soviet Union,
Marshal of Poland

Born in Velikie Luki in the family of a railway engineer, Pole Xavier Jozef Rokossovsky, who soon moved to live in Warsaw. Service began in 1914 in the Russian army. Participated in the First World War. He fought in a dragoon regiment, was a non-commissioned officer, twice wounded in battle, awarded the St. George Cross and 2 medals. Red Guard (1917). During the Civil War, he was again wounded 2 times, fought on the Eastern Front against the troops of Admiral Kolchak and in Transbaikalia against Baron Ungern; commanded a squadron, division, cavalry regiment; awarded 2 orders of the Red Banner. In 1929 he fought against the Chinese at Jalaynor (conflict on the Chinese Eastern Railway). In 1937-1940 he was imprisoned, being the victim of slander.

During the Great Patriotic War (1941-1945) he commanded a mechanized corps, army, fronts (Pseudonyms: Kostin, Dontsov, Rumyantsev). He distinguished himself in the battle of Smolensk (1941). Hero of the Battle of Moscow (09/30/1941–01/08/1942). He was seriously wounded near Sukhinichi. During the Battle of Stalingrad (1942-1943), the Don Front of Rokossovsky, together with other fronts, surrounded 22 enemy divisions with a total number of 330 thousand people (Operation Uranus). At the beginning of 1943, the Don Front liquidated the encircled group of Germans (Operation "Ring"). Field Marshal F. Paulus was taken prisoner (3-day mourning was declared in Germany). In the Battle of Kursk (1943), the Central Front of Rokossovsky defeated the German troops of General Model (Operation Kutuzov) near Orel, in honor of which Moscow gave its first salute (08/05/1943). In the grandiose Belarusian operation (1944), Rokossovsky's 1st Belorussian Front defeated Field Marshal von Bush's Army Group Center and, together with the troops of General I. D. Chernyakhovsky, surrounded up to 30 dredge divisions in the Minsk Cauldron (Operation Bagration). June 29, 1944 Rokossovsky was awarded the title of Marshal of the Soviet Union. The highest military orders "Virtuti Military" and the cross of "Grunwald" 1st class became the award to the marshal for the liberation of Poland.

At the final stage of the war, the 2nd Belorussian Front of Rokossovsky participated in the East Prussian, Pomeranian and Berlin operations. Moscow saluted the troops of commander Rokossovsky 63 times. On June 24, 1945, twice Hero of the Soviet Union, holder of the Order of Victory, Marshal K.K. Rokossovsky commanded the Victory Parade on Red Square in Moscow. In 1949-1956, K.K. Rokossovsky was the Minister of National Defense of the Polish People's Republic. He was awarded the title Marshal of Poland (1949). Returning to the Soviet Union, he became the chief inspector of the USSR Ministry of Defense.

Wrote memoirs "Soldier's Duty". A bronze bust of Rokossovsky was installed in his homeland (Velikiye Luki).

He was buried on Red Square in Moscow near the Kremlin wall.

Marshal K.K. Rokossovsky had:

• 2 Gold Stars of the Hero of the Soviet Union (07/29/1944, 06/1/1945),
• 7 orders of Lenin,
• Order "Victory" (03/30/1945),
• order of the October Revolution,
• 6 Orders of the Red Banner,
• Order of Suvorov 1st degree,
• Order of Kutuzov 1st degree,
• a total of 17 orders and 11 medals;
• honorary weapon - a checker with the golden Emblem of the USSR (1968),
• 13 foreign awards (including 9 foreign orders)

V.A. Egorshin, Field Marshals and Marshals. M., 2000

Rokossovsky Konstantin Konstantinovich

Born December 9 (December 21), 1896 in the city of Velikiye Luki, from workers, a Pole. In 1909 he graduated from the 4-class city school in Warsaw, in 1925 - cavalry KUKS in Leningrad, in 1929 - KUVNAS at the Military Academy. M. V. Frunze.

He began his military service in the tsarist army as a private, continued as a junior non-commissioned officer in the Dragoon Regiment (August 1914 - October 1917).

In the Red Army from October 1917 Assistant to the head of the detachment (until August 1918), commander of a cavalry squadron (until May 1919), a separate division (until January 1920), a cavalry regiment (until October 1921), cavalry brigade (until October 1922), commander of a cavalry regiment (until July 1926), instructor of a cavalry division in the Mongolian People's Republic (until July 1928), commander of a cavalry brigade (until January 1930), cavalry division ( February 1936), cavalry corps (until June 1937).

In his attestation, it is emphasized that “... comrade. Rokossovsky is a well-trained commander. He loves military affairs, is interested in it and constantly follows its development. A combat commander, with will and energy... A very valuable and growing commander.”

However, from August 17, 1937 to March 23, 1940, "he was under investigation, released with the termination of the case." From July to November 1940 he was again commander of a cavalry corps.

During the Great Patriotic War, K.K. Rokossovsky - commander of the 9th mechanized corps (until July 1941), commander of the 4th and 16th armies (until July 1942).

The commander of the troops of the Western Front Zhukov G.K. wrote in his combat description: “Comrade. Rokossovsky successfully carried out a defensive operation of the troops of the 16th Army and did not let the enemy pass to Moscow, he also skillfully carried out an offensive operation to defeat the German troops ... Well prepared in operational and tactical terms, personally brave, initiative and energetic. The troops of the army are firmly controlled. In the organization of the operation and the battle, there were cases of superficial attitude, as a result of which parts of the army suffered losses without achieving success.

The position of the commander of the army is quite consistent.

Since July 1942, K.K. Rokossovsky has been in command of the fronts: Bryansk (until September 1942), Don and Central (September 1942 - October 1943), 1st Belorussian (until November 1944) and 2- m Belorussky (until June 1945).

After the war - Commander-in-Chief of the Northern Group of Forces (June 1945 - October 1949), then until November 1956 "consisted of Polish citizenship."

From November 1956 to June 1957 - Deputy Minister of Defense of the USSR, to October 1957 - Chief Inspector of the Ministry of Defense with the retention of the post of Deputy Minister of Defense, then for three months - Commander of the Transcaucasian Military District and again, from January 1958 until April 1962, Deputy Minister and Chief Inspector of the USSR Ministry of Defense, from April 1962 to August 1968 - General Inspector of the Group of General Inspectors of the USSR Ministry of Defense.

K.K. Rokossovsky was twice awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union (07/29/1944, 06/1/1945). He was awarded 7 Orders of Lenin (16.08.1936, 2.01.1942, 29.07.1944, 21.02.1945, 25.12.1946, 20.12.1956, October Revolution (02/22/1968) and the Honorary weapon with the golden image of the State Emblem of the USSR (02/22/1968), 6 orders of the Red Banner (05/23/1920, 06/21/1922, 02/22/1930, 07/22/1930 .1941, 11/3/1944, 11/6/1947), orders of Suvorov I degree (01/28/1943), and Kutuzov I degree (08/27/1943), as well as 11 medals of the USSR and 13 orders and medals of foreign countries. He was awarded the Order of Victory (03/30/1945).

Military ranks: division commander - awarded November 26, 1935, major general - June 4, 1940, lieutenant general - September 11, 1941, colonel general - January 15, 1943, army general - April 28, 1943. , Marshal of the Soviet Union - June 29, 1944

Member of the CPSU since March 1919, member of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee in 1936, candidate member of the Central Committee of the CPSU since 1961, deputy of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of the 2nd, 5th-7th convocations.

Marshals of the Soviet Union: personal affairs are told. M., 1996

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Biography

Konstantin Konstantinovich Rokossoovsky - Soviet and Polish military leader, twice Hero of the Soviet Union (1944, 1945). The only marshal in the history of the USSR of two countries: Marshal of the Soviet Union (1944) and Marshal of Poland (1949). He commanded the Victory Parade on June 24, 1945 on Red Square in Moscow. One of the greatest commanders of World War II.

Origin

According to information provided by B. V. Sokolov, K. K. Rokossovsky was born in 1894, but while in the Red Army (not later than 1919) he began to indicate the year of birth as 1896 and changed his patronymic to Konstantinovich.

After being awarded the title of twice Hero of the Soviet Union, Velikie Luki began to indicate the place of birth, where the bust of Rokossovsky was installed. According to a brief autobiography written on December 27, 1945, he was born in the city of Velikiye Luki (according to a questionnaire dated April 22, 1920 - in the city of Warsaw). Father - Pole Xavier Jozef Rokossovsky (1853-1902), descended from the gentry family of Rokossovskys (coat of arms Glyaubich or Oksha), auditor of the Warsaw Railway. His ancestors lost their nobility after the Polish uprising of 1863. Great-grandfather - Jozef Rokossovsky, second lieutenant of the 2nd lancer regiment of the Duchy of Warsaw, participant in the Russian campaign of 1812. Mother - Belarusian Antonina (Atonida) Ovsyannikova (d. 1911), teacher, originally from Telekhan (Belarus).

Rokossovsky's ancestors were Wielkopolska gentry. They owned a large village of Rokossovo (now in the Ponets commune). The surname of the family originated from the name of the village.

His father sent him to study at Anton Lagun's paid technical school, but died on October 4 (17), 1902 (according to Rokossovsky's questionnaire, he was 6 years old at the time of his father's death). Konstantin worked as an assistant pastry chef, then as a dentist, and in 1909-1914 as a stonemason in the workshop of Stefan Vysotsky, the husband of his aunt Sophia, in Warsaw, and then in the town of Gruets, 35 km southwest of Warsaw. In 1911, his mother died. For self-education Konstantin read many books in Russian and Polish.

World War I

On August 2, 1914, 18-year-old (according to the questionnaire, but in reality - 20-year-old) Konstantin volunteered for the 5th Kargopol Dragoon Regiment of the 5th Cavalry Division of the 12th Army and was enrolled in the 6th Squadron. In April 1920, filling out a candidate card for filling command positions, Rokossovsky indicated that he served as a volunteer in the tsarist army and graduated from 5 classes of a gymnasium. In reality, he served only as a hunter (volunteer) and, therefore, did not have the necessary educational qualification in the 6th grade of the gymnasium in order to serve as volunteers. On August 8, Rokossovsky distinguished himself during equestrian reconnaissance near the village of Yastrzhem, for which he was awarded the St. George Cross of the 4th degree and promoted to corporal. Participated in the battles near Warsaw, learned how to handle a horse, mastered a rifle, sword and pike.

In early April 1915, the division was transferred to Lithuania. In the battle near the city of Ponevezh, Rokossovsky attacked a German artillery battery, for which he was presented to the St. George Cross of the 3rd degree, but did not receive an award. In the battle for the railway station Troshkuny, together with several dragoons, he secretly captured the trench of the German field guard, and on July 20 he was awarded the St. George medal of the 4th degree. The Kargopol regiment waged a trench war on the banks of the Western Dvina. In the winter and spring of 1916, as part of a partisan detachment formed from dragoons, Konstantin repeatedly crossed the river for the purpose of reconnaissance. On May 6, for the attack of the German outpost, he received the St. George medal of the 3rd degree. In the detachment, he met non-commissioned officer Adolf Yushkevich, who had revolutionary views. In June, he returned to the regiment, where he again crossed the river on a reconnaissance search.

At the end of October, he was transferred to the training team of the 1st reserve cavalry regiment. In February 1917, the Kargopol regiment was reorganized, Rokossovsky got into the 4th squadron, along with other fighters, crossed the Dvina on the ice and attacked the German guards. On March 5, the regiment was temporarily in the rear, was convened, and before the horse formation, Colonel Daragan read out the act of Nicholas II's abdication from the throne. On March 11, the regiment swore allegiance to the Provisional Government. Convinced supporters of the Bolsheviks appeared in the regiment, among whom was Ivan Tyulenev, according to Order No. 1 of the Petrograd Soviet, a regimental committee was elected. On March 29, Rokossovsky was promoted to junior non-commissioned officer.

The Germans were advancing on Riga. From August 19, the Kargopol regiment covered the retreat of infantry and convoys in Latvia. On August 23, Rokossovsky, with a group of dragoons, went on reconnaissance near the town of Kronenberg and discovered a German column moving along the Pskov highway. On August 24, 1917, he was presented and on November 21 was awarded the St. George medal of the 2nd degree. The dragoons elected Rokossovsky to the squadron, and then to the regimental committee, which decided the life of the regiment. Cousin - colleague Franz Rokossovsky with a group of Pole dragoons returned to Poland and joined a military organization formed by the leaders of the Polish nationalists. In December 1917, Konstantin Rokossovsky, Adolf Yushkevich and other dragoons joined the Red Guard. At the end of December, the Kargopol regiment was transferred to the rear to the east. On April 7, 1918, at the Dikaya station, west of Vologda, the 5th Kargopol Dragoon Regiment was disbanded.

Civil War

Since October 1917, he voluntarily transferred to the Red Guard (to the Kargopol Red Guard detachment as an ordinary Red Guard), then to the Red Army.

From November 1917 to February 1918, as part of the Kargopol Red Guard Cavalry Detachment, as an assistant to the head of the detachment, Rokossovsky participated in the suppression of counter-revolutionary uprisings in the region of Vologda, Buy, Galich and Soligalich. From February to July 1918, he took part in the suppression of anarchist and Cossack counter-revolutionary actions in the Slobozhanshchina (near Kharkov, Unecha, Mikhailovsky farm) and in the Karachev-Bryansk region. In July 1918, as part of the same detachment, he was transferred to the Eastern Front near Yekaterinburg and participated in battles with the White Guards and Czechoslovaks near the Kuzino station, Yekaterinburg, Shamara and Shalya stations until August 1918. Since August 1918, the detachment was reorganized into the 1st Ural Cavalry Regiment named after Volodarsky, Rokossovsky was appointed commander of the 1st squadron.

In the Civil War - the commander of a squadron, a separate division, a separate cavalry regiment. On November 7, 1919, south of the Mangut station, in a fight with the deputy head of the 15th Omsk Siberian Rifle Division of Kolchak's army, Colonel N. S. Voznesensky (in Rokossovsky's memoirs erroneously "Voskresensky") hacked the latter to death, and he himself was wounded in the shoulder.

“... On November 7, 1919, we raided the rear of the White Guards. A separate Ural cavalry division, which I then commanded, broke through the battle formations of Kolchak at night, obtained information that the headquarters of the Omsk group was located in the village of Karaulnaya, went from the rear, attacked the village and, having crushed the white units, defeated this headquarters, captured prisoners, in their many officers among them.

During an attack during a single combat with the commander of the Omsk group, General Voskresensky, I received a bullet from him in the shoulder, and he received a mortal blow from me with a saber ... "

On January 23, 1920, Rokossovsky was appointed commander of the 30th Cavalry Regiment of the 30th Division of the 5th Army.

In the summer of 1921, commanding the red 35th cavalry regiment, in the battle near Troitskosavsk, he defeated the 2nd brigade of General B.P. Rezukhin from the Asian Cavalry Division of General Baron R.F. von Ungern-Sternberg and was seriously wounded. For this fight, Rokossovsky was awarded the Order of the Red Banner.

In October 1921 he was transferred as commander of the 3rd brigade of the 5th Kuban cavalry division.

In October 1922, in connection with the reorganization of the 5th division into a separate 5th Kuban cavalry brigade, he was appointed commander of the 27th cavalry regiment of the same brigade at his own request.

In 1923-1924, he participated in battles against the White Guard detachments of General Mylnikov, Colonel Derevtsov, Duganov, Gordeev and centurion Shadrin I.S. (headed the Sretensky combat section) that entered the territory of the USSR, in Transbaikalia. On June 9, 1924, during an operational military operation against the detachments of Mylnikov and Derevtsov, Rokossovsky led one of the detachments of the Red Army, walking along a narrow taiga path.

“... Rokossovsky, who was walking ahead, stumbled upon Mylnikov, fired two shots at him from a Mauser. Mylnikov fell. Rokossovsky suggests that Mylnikov was wounded, but due to the impenetrable taiga, apparently, he crawled away under a bush, they could not find him ... "

Mylnikov survived. Soon, the Reds operationally located the wounded General Mylnikov in the house of one of the local residents and arrested him on June 27, 1924. The detachments of Mylnikov and Derevtsov were defeated on the same day.

Interwar period

On April 30, 1923, Rokossovsky married Yulia Petrovna Barmina. On June 17, 1925, their daughter Ariadne was born.

September 1924 - August 1925 - student of the Cavalry advanced training courses for commanders, together with G.K. Zhukov and A.I. Eremenko.

From July 1926 to July 1928, Rokossovsky served in Mongolia as an instructor in a separate Mongolian cavalry division (Ulaanbaatar).

From January to April 1929, he took advanced training courses for senior officers at the Academy named after M.V. Frunze, where he got acquainted with the works of M.N. Tukhachevsky.

In 1929 he commanded the 5th separate Kuban cavalry brigade (located in Nizhnyaya Berezovka near Verkhneudinsk), in November 1929 he participated in the Manchu-Chzhalainor (Manchu-Jalaino) offensive operation of the Red Army.

From January 1930, Rokossovsky commanded the 7th Samara Cavalry Division (one of the brigade commanders in which was G.K. Zhukov). In February 1932 he was transferred to the post of commander-commissar of the 15th Separate Kuban Cavalry Division (Dauria).

With the introduction of personal ranks in the Red Army in 1935, he received the rank of division commander.
In 1936, K.K. Rokossovsky commanded the 5th Cavalry Corps in Pskov.

Arrest

June 27, 1937 was expelled from the CPSU (b) "for the loss of class vigilance." Rokossovsky's personal file contained information that he was closely associated with K. A. Tchaikovsky. On July 22, 1937, he was dismissed from the Red Army "due to official inconsistency." Commander I. S. Kutyakov testified against the commander of the 2nd rank M. D. Velikanov and others, and he, among others, “testified” at K. K. Rokossovsky. The head of the intelligence department of the headquarters of the ZabVO testified that in 1932 Rokossovsky met with the head of the Japanese military mission in Harbin, Michitaro Komatsubara.

In August 1937, Rokossovsky went to Leningrad, where he was arrested on charges of having links with Polish and Japanese intelligence, becoming a victim of false testimony. He spent two and a half years under investigation (investigation file No. 25358-1937).

The evidence was based on the testimony of the Pole Adolf Yushkevich, an ally of Rokossovsky in civilian life. But Rokossovsky knew well that Yushkevich died near Perekop. He said that he would sign everything if Adolf was brought to the confrontation. They began to look for Yushkevich and found that he had died long ago.
- K. V. Rokossovsky, grandson.

From August 17, 1937 to March 22, 1940, according to a certificate dated April 4, 1940, he was kept in the Internal Prison of the State Security Directorate of the NKVD in the Leningrad Region on Shpalernaya Street. According to Rokossovsky's great-granddaughter, who referred to the stories of Marshal Kazakov's wife, Rokossovsky was subjected to severe torture and beatings. Zakovsky, the head of the Leningrad NKVD, took part in these tortures. Rokossovsky was knocked out several front teeth, three ribs were broken, he was beaten with a hammer on his toes, and in 1939 he was taken to the prison yard to be shot and given a blank shot. However, Rokossovsky did not give false evidence either about himself or about others. According to the story of his great-granddaughter, he noted in his notes that the enemy sowed doubts and deceived the party - this led to the arrests of the innocent. According to Colonel of Justice Klimin F.A., who was among the three judges of the Military Collegium of the USSR Armed Forces who tried the Rokossovsky case, a trial took place in March 1939, but all the witnesses who testified were already dead. The consideration of the case was postponed for further investigation, in the autumn of 1939 a second meeting was held, which also postponed the sentencing. According to some assumptions, Rokossovsky was transferred to the camp. There is a version that all this time Rokossovsky was in Spain as a military emissary under a pseudonym, presumably Miguel Martinez (from M.E. Koltsov's Spanish Diary).

On March 22, 1940, Rokossovsky was released, due to the termination of the case, at the request of S.K. Timoshenko to Stalin, and rehabilitated. K.K. Rokossovsky is fully restored in his rights, in his position and in the party, and he spends the spring with his family at a resort in Sochi. In the same year, with the introduction of general ranks in the Red Army, he was awarded the title of "Major General".

After the vacation, Rokossovsky was assigned to the command of the commander of the Kiev Special Military District (KOVO), General of the Army G.K. Slavuta), takes command of the corps.

In November 1940, Rokossovsky received a new appointment to the post of commander of the 9th mechanized corps, which he was to form in KOVO.

The Great Patriotic War

The initial period of the war

He commanded the 9th mechanized corps in the battle of Dubno-Lutsk-Brody. Despite the shortage of tanks and vehicles, the troops of the 9th mechanized corps during June - July 1941 exhausted the enemy with active defense, retreating only on orders. For success he was presented to the 4th Order of the Red Banner.

On July 11, 1941, he was appointed commander of the 4th Army on the southern flank of the Western Front (instead of the arrested and later shot A. A. Korobkov), on July 17, Rokossovsky arrived at the headquarters of the Western Front, however, due to the deteriorating situation, he was entrusted with leading the task force to restore position in the Smolensk region. He was given a group of officers, a radio station and two cars; the rest he had to get himself: to stop and subjugate the remnants of the 19th, 20th and 16th armies, leaving the Smolensk pocket, and to hold the Yartsevo region with these forces. Marshal recalled:

“At the headquarters of the front, I got acquainted with the data for July 17. Staff members were not very sure that their materials corresponded exactly to reality, since there was no communication with some armies, in particular with the 19th and 22nd. Information was received about the appearance in the Yelnya region of some large enemy tank units. »

This difficult task was successfully solved:

“In a short time, a decent number of people were gathered. There were infantrymen, artillerymen, signalmen, sappers, machine gunners, mortarmen, medical workers… We had a lot of trucks at our disposal. They were very helpful to us. Thus began in the process of fighting the formation in the Yartsevo area of ​​\u200b\u200bthe formation, which received the official name "Group of General Rokossovsky." »

The Rokossovsky group contributed to the deblockade of the Soviet armies surrounded in the Smolensk region. On August 10, it was reorganized into the 16th Army (second formation), and Rokossovsky became the commander of this army; On September 11, 1941, he was promoted to lieutenant general.

Battle for Moscow

At the beginning of the Moscow battle, the main forces of the 16th army of Rokossovsky fell into the Vyazemsky "cauldron", however, the management of the 16th army, having transferred the troops of the 19th army, managed to get out of the encirclement. The “new” 16th Army was ordered to cover the Volokolamsk direction, while Rokossovsky again had to gather troops for himself. Rokossovsky intercepted troops on the march; at his disposal came a separate cadet regiment, created on the basis of the Moscow Infantry School. of the Supreme Soviet of the RSFSR, the 316th Rifle Division of Major General I.V. Panfilov, the 3rd Cavalry Corps of Major General L.M. Dovator. Soon, a continuous line of defense was restored near Moscow, and stubborn battles ensued. Rokossovsky wrote about this battle on March 5, 1948:

“In connection with the breakthrough of the defense in the sector of the 30th Army and the withdrawal of units of the 5th Army, the troops of the 16th Army, fighting for every meter, were pushed back to Moscow in fierce battles at the turn: north of Krasnaya Polyana, Kryukovo, Istra, and at this turn, in fierce battles, the German offensive was finally stopped, and then moving on to a general counteroffensive, together with other armies, carried out according to the plan of Comrade Stalin, the enemy was defeated and driven back far from Moscow. »

It was near Moscow that K.K. Rokossovsky acquired military authority. For the battle near Moscow, K.K. Rokossovsky was awarded the Order of Lenin. During this period, in the 85th field hospital at the army headquarters, he met with a military doctor of the 2nd rank Galina Vasilievna Talanova.

Wound

March 8, 1942 Rokossovsky was wounded by a shell fragment. The wound turned out to be severe - the right lung, liver, ribs and spine were affected. After the operation in Kozelsk, he was taken to a Moscow hospital in the building of the Timiryazev Academy, where he received treatment until May 23, 1942.

Battle of Stalingrad

On May 26, he arrived in Sukhinichi and again took command of the 16th Army. From July 13, 1942 - Commander of the Bryansk Front. On September 30, 1942, Lieutenant General K.K. Rokossovsky was appointed commander of the Don Front. With his participation, a plan for Operation Uranus was developed to encircle and destroy the enemy group advancing on Stalingrad. On November 19, 1942, the operation began with the forces of several fronts, and on November 23, the ring around the 6th Army of General F. Paulus was closed.

Rokossovsky later summed it up:

"... the task associated with the participation of the troops of the Don Front in the general offensive, carried out according to the plan of Comrade Stalin, was successfully completed, which resulted in the complete encirclement of the entire Stalingrad group of Germans ..."

The Headquarters entrusted the leadership of defeating the enemy grouping to the Don Front, headed by K.K. Rokossovsky, who on January 15, 1943 received the rank of colonel general.

On January 31, 1943, troops under the command of K.K. Rokossovsky captured Field Marshal F. Paulus, 24 generals, 2,500 German officers, 90 thousand soldiers.

Battle of Kursk

“In February 1943, by order of Comrade Stalin, I was appointed commander of the Central Front. He led the actions of the troops of this front in the great defensive, and then counter-offensive battle, carried out according to the plan of Comrade Stalin on the Kursk-Oryol Bulge ... "

In February - March 1943, Rokossovsky led the troops of the Central Front in the Sevsk operation. On February 7, the headquarters of the front commander was located in the Fatezhsky district, Kursk region. The following case is noteworthy, which was once told by journalist Vladimir Erokhin (“Literaturnaya Rossiya” dated July 20, 1979): There was nothing to pave the road with. Rokossovsky ordered to dismantle the destroyed church in Fatezh and put it into the construction of the road. Troops and tanks passed over these stones. Despite the failure of the offensive on April 28, 1943, Rokossovsky was promoted to army general.

From intelligence reports it followed that in the summer the Germans were planning a big offensive in the Kursk region. The commanders of some fronts proposed to develop the successes of Stalingrad and conduct a large-scale offensive in the summer of 1943, K.K. Rokossovsky had a different opinion. He believed that the offensive needed a double, triple superiority of forces, which the Soviet troops did not have in this direction. To stop the German offensive in the summer of 1943 near Kursk, it is necessary to go on the defensive. It is necessary to literally hide personnel and military equipment in the ground. K.K. Rokossovsky proved to be a brilliant strategist and analyst - on the basis of intelligence data, he managed to accurately determine the area where the Germans struck the main blow, create a defense in depth in this area and concentrate there about half of his infantry, 60% of artillery and 70% tanks. A truly innovative solution was also the artillery counter-preparation, carried out 10-20 minutes before the start of the German artillery preparation. Rokossovsky's defense proved so strong and stable that he was able to transfer a significant part of his reserves to Vatutin when a breakthrough threatened on the southern flank of the Kursk salient. His fame was already booming on all fronts, he became widely known in the West as one of the most talented Soviet military leaders. Rokossovsky was also very popular among the soldiers. As part of the Central Front in 1943, the 8th Separate Penal (Officer) Battalion was formed and entered the battles, nicknamed by the German propaganda the “Rokossovsky Gang”.

After the Battle of Kursk, Rokossovsky successfully carried out the Chernigov-Pripyat operation, the Gomel-Rechitsa operation, the Kalinkovichi-Mozyr and Rogachev-Zhlobin operations with the forces of the Central (since October 1943 renamed Belorussian) Front.

Belarusian operation

The talent of K. K. Rokossovsky as a commander was fully manifested in the summer of 1944 during the operation to liberate Belarus. About this Rokossovsky writes:

“Fulfilling the plan of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief Comrade Stalin to defeat the central group of German troops and liberate Belarus, from May 1944 he led the preparation of the operation and the offensive operations of the troops of the 1st Belorussian Front ...”

The operation plan was developed by Rokossovsky together with A. M. Vasilevsky and G. K. Zhukov.

The strategic highlight of this plan was Rokossovsky's proposal to strike in two main directions, which ensured coverage of the enemy's flanks at operational depth and did not give the latter the ability to maneuver with reserves.

Operation Bagration began on June 22, 1944. As part of the Belarusian operation, Rokossovsky successfully conducts the Bobruisk, Minsk and Lublin-Brest operations.

The success of the operation significantly exceeded the expectations of the Soviet command. As a result of a two-month offensive, Belarus was completely liberated, part of the Baltic states were recaptured, and the eastern regions of Poland were liberated. The German Army Group Center was almost completely defeated. In addition, the operation endangered Army Group North in the Baltics.

From a military point of view, the battle in Belarus led to a large-scale defeat of the German armed forces. There is a widespread point of view that the battle in Belarus is the largest defeat of the German armed forces in World War II. Operation "Bagration" is a triumph of the Soviet theory of military art due to the well-coordinated offensive movement of all fronts and the operation carried out to misinform the enemy about the place of the general offensive.

On June 29, 1944, General of the Army K.K. Rokossovsky was awarded the diamond star of the Marshal of the Soviet Union, and on July 30, the first Star of the Hero of the Soviet Union. By July 11, a 105,000-strong enemy grouping was taken prisoner. When the West questioned the number of prisoners during Operation Bagration, I.V. Stalin ordered them to be led through the streets of Moscow. From that moment on, I. V. Stalin began to call K. K. Rokossovsky by his first name and patronymic, only Marshal B. M. Shaposhnikov was honored with such an appeal.

End of the war

“In November 1944, I was appointed commander of the troops of the 2nd Belorussian Front, having personally received the task from Comrade Stalin: to prepare an offensive operation to break through the enemy’s defenses at the turn of the river. Narev and the defeat of the East Prussian grouping of Germans ... "

G.K. Zhukov was appointed commander of the 1st Belorussian Front, and the honor of capturing Berlin was given to him. Rokossovsky asked Stalin why he was being transferred from the main direction to a secondary sector:

“Stalin replied that I was mistaken: the sector to which I was being transferred was included in the general western direction, on which the troops of three fronts would operate - the 2nd Belorussian, 1st Belorussian and 1st Ukrainian; the success of this operation will depend on the close interaction of these fronts, so the Stavka paid special attention to the selection of commanders. If you and Konev do not advance, then Zhukov will not advance anywhere, - concluded the Supreme Commander. »

As commander of the 2nd Belorussian Front, K.K. Rokossovsky carried out a number of operations in which he proved himself to be a master of maneuver. He twice had to turn his troops almost 180 degrees, skillfully concentrating his few tank and mechanized formations. He successfully led the troops of the front in the East Prussian and East Pomeranian operations, as a result of which large powerful German groups in East Prussia and Pomerania were defeated.

During the Berlin offensive, the troops of the 2nd Belorussian Front under the command of K.K. Rokossovsky, by their actions, fettered the main forces of the 3rd German tank army, depriving it of the opportunity to participate in the battle for Berlin.

On June 1, 1945, for the skillful leadership of the front troops in the East Prussian, East Pomeranian and Berlin operations, Marshal of the Soviet Union Rokossovsky was awarded the second Gold Star medal.

On January 7, 1945, Galina Talanova gave birth to his daughter Nadezhda. Rokossovsky gave her his last name, then he helped, but did not meet with Galina.

In February 1945, thirty years later, Rokossovsky met his sister Helena in Poland.

On June 24, 1945, by decision of I.V. Stalin, K.K. Rokossovsky commanded the Victory Parade in Moscow (G.K. Zhukov hosted the parade). And on May 1, 1946, Rokossovsky takes the parade.

From July 1945 to 1949, by order of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief, he was the creator and Commander-in-Chief of the Northern Group of Forces in Poland in the city of Legnica, Lower Silesia.

Rokossovsky established relations with the government, the military districts of the Polish Army, public organizations, and assisted in the restoration of the national economy of Poland. Barracks, houses for officers, warehouses, libraries, medical institutions were built, which were later transferred to the Polish Army.

Service in Poland

In 1949, Polish President Bolesław Bierut turned to I. V. Stalin with a request to send a Pole K. K. Rokossovsky to Poland to serve as Minister of National Defense. Despite a long residence in Russia, Rokossovsky remained a Pole in manner and speech, which ensured the favor of most Poles. In 1949, the city people's councils of Gdansk, Gdynia, Kartuz, Sopot, Szczecin and Wroclaw, by their resolutions, recognized Rokossovsky as an "Honorary Citizen" of these cities, which were liberated during the war by troops under his command. However, some newspapers and Western propaganda intensively created a reputation for him as a "Muscovite" and "Stalin's governor". In 1950, he was twice assassinated by Polish nationalists, including from the cadres of the Polish army, who had previously been in the Home Army.

In 1949-1956, he did a lot of work on rearmament, structural reorganization of the Polish army (land motorized troops, tank formations, missile formations, air defense forces, aviation and the Navy), raising the defense capability and combat readiness in the light of modern requirements (the threat of nuclear war ), preserving its national identity. In accordance with the interests of the army, communication lines and communications were modernized in Poland, and a military industry (artillery, tanks, aircraft, and other equipment) was created. In April 1950, a new Charter for the internal service of the Polish Army was introduced. The training was based on the experience of the Soviet Army. Rokossovsky constantly visited military units and maneuvers. For the training of officers, the Academy of the General Staff named after. K. Sverchevsky, Military Technical Academy. J. Dombrovsky and the Military-Political Academy. F. Dzerzhinsky.

He also worked as Deputy Chairman of the Council of Ministers of Poland, was a member of the Politburo of the Central Committee of the Polish United Workers' Party. May 14, 1955 was present at the signing of the Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation and Mutual Assistance in Warsaw.

After the death of President Bolesław Bierut and the Poznan speeches, the "anti-Stalinist" Władysław Gomulka was elected as the first secretary of the PZPR. The conflict between the "Stalinists" ("Natolin group") who supported Rokossovsky and the "anti-Stalinists" in the PUWP led to the removal of Rokossovsky from the Politburo of the PUWP Central Committee and the Ministry of National Defense as a "symbol of Stalinism". On October 22, in a letter to the PUWP Central Committee, signed by N. S. Khrushchev, the Soviet side agreed with this decision. Rokossovsky left for the USSR and did not come back, and distributed all his property in Poland to the people who served him.

Return to the USSR

From November 1956 to June 1957 - Deputy Minister of Defense of the USSR, to October 1957 - Chief Inspector of the USSR Ministry of Defense, retaining his position as Deputy Minister of Defense. From October 1957 to January 1958, in connection with the aggravation of the situation in the Middle East, he was commander of the troops of the Transcaucasian Military District. This transfer is also associated with the fact that at the Plenum of the Central Committee of the CPSU held in 1957, Rokossovsky said in his speech that many of those in leadership positions should feel guilty for Zhukov’s wrong line as Minister of Defense of the USSR. From January 1958 to April 1962 - again Deputy Minister of Defense of the USSR - Chief Inspector of the Ministry of Defense. In 1961-1968, he headed the State Commission to investigate the causes of the death of the S-80 submarine.

According to Air Chief Marshal Alexander Golovanov, in 1962 N. S. Khrushchev suggested that Rokossovsky write a “blacker and thicker” article against I. V. Stalin. According to Alexander Golovanov, Rokossovsky replied: “Nikita Sergeevich, Comrade Stalin is a saint for me!”, And at the banquet he did not clink glasses with Khrushchev. The next day, he was finally removed from the post of Deputy Minister of Defense of the USSR. Rokossovsky's permanent adjutant, Major General Kulchitsky, explains the refusal mentioned above by no means by Rokossovsky's devotion to Stalin, but by the commander's deep conviction that the army should not participate in politics.

From April 1962 to August 1968 - General Inspector of the Group of General Inspectors of the USSR Ministry of Defense. Investigated the delivery of unfinished ships in the fleet.

He wrote articles for the Military Historical Journal. The day before his death in August 1968, Rokossovsky signed his memoirs "Soldier's Duty" into the set.

On August 3, 1968, Rokossovsky died of prostate cancer. The urn with the ashes of Rokossovsky is buried in the Kremlin wall.

Family

Illegitimate daughter Nadezhda (from military doctor Galina Talanova) - teacher at MGIMO