The Great Patriotic War, known for the glorious exploits of the Russian people, left us countless great and iconic names. However, many of these names were undeservedly forgotten, not having passed the test of time. The name of General Smirnov also refers to them. The task of the descendants is to ensure that their illustrious ancestors remain forever in the memory of future generations. And this article is a small contribution to such a difficult matter.
General Smirnov: biography
Andrei Kirillovich Smirnov was born in St. Petersburg into a simple proletarian family. By the standards of that time, he was lucky, because he lived in the capital - the very core of the Russian state. From childhood, he had to see firsthand what exhausting manual labor is. The date of birth of General Smirnov is August 27, 1895.
The father of the future general was a factory worker, his mother a housewife. Parents wanted a better future for their son, so they sent him to a military school in order to provide him with some kind of military career. However, in 1914 the First World War broke out, and the future general Smirnov was an officer at the front. And so began the glorious, but short-lived history of his exploits.
World War I
Being a brilliant lieutenant, Andrei Kirillovich was quickly noticed by the commanders of his headquarters and sent for a short training course to the Vladimir Military School. After that, he was instructed to command the company, and he brilliantly coped with this task.
War of Broken Hopes
The First World War did not live up to the expectations of patriotic Russian people. But the future general Smirnov belonged precisely to their constellation. Little is known about his activities on the front of the Great War, but from what we know about the war and its participants, as well as about the nature and fate of this person, certain conclusions can be drawn. Apparently, he soon became disillusioned with the country, which he vowed to serve faithfully, and therefore joined the Social Democratic organizations, which were gaining strength on the front.
Civil War
Towards the end of the war, the star of Lenin shone again, having returned to Russia again. It was 1917, the war was won, but for some reason this was not felt on the Eastern Front. The Russian Empire was in a deep political crisis, ending with the abdication of Nicholas II from the throne and the accession of the Provisional Government, headed by Kerensky. Something terrible and grandiose was approaching.
For the first time having read on the semi-underground military booklets the notes of Lenin's speeches delivered before the State Duma, the future general Smirnov realized that it was with this person that not only the future of Russia, but also his own fate was connected. He joined the RSDR, soon renamed the CPSU (B.), And his choice was decisive. After some time, all the supreme power in the country fell into the hands of the Bolsheviks, Russia withdrew from the First World War, but a new, much more terrible war broke out - the Civil War.
In 1918 he became commander of a battalion of the Red Army. With his people, he went through the fire of the siege of Tsaritsyn, the cold of the Ice Campaign, the fateful everyday life of the battles near Smolensk and all the possible horrors of the fratricidal Civil War, which spilled blood all over Russia. But for the young commander, everything went very well. At first he was promoted to regiment commander, and then a whole brigade was appointed at his disposal. Therefore, by 1922 - the year the Civil War ended - he was a winner in all respects.
Between two wars
General Smirnov had the opportunity to forget about the bloody military campaigns and retire, living peacefully the rest of the days in his native Leningrad. But he decided to devote his whole life to war. In 1922, he easily graduated from the Higher Academic Courses and became an assistant division commander, and in 1927, after graduating from the Frunze Military Academy, he received at his disposal a whole department of the Red Army Headquarters. Thus, a young still from the St. Petersburg working-class family joined the military elite of the new Red Empire. Having survived the Stalinist Great Purge, by the beginning of World War II he was already the head of the Kharkov Military District.
The Great Patriotic War
A new war began very suddenly. Bullets whistled again over Russian soil, the engines of tanks and other murderous machines rumbled, and explosions of deadly bombs dug up the soil. And General Smirnov, having received the post of commander of the 18th Army of the Southern Front, was one of the first to join the ranks of the daredevils who began to stop the lightning German offensive. On October 8, 1941, he fell in battle with the invaders, failing to cover his name with the glories of Zhukov, Rokossovsky or Baghramyan. But history will not forget him.
A photo of General Smirnov and his regalia can be seen by the reader before the first subtitle of this article.