Marshal Tymoshenko was born in 1895 in the Bessarabian village of Furmanka, in a poor family. He studied at school until the age of 12, then worked. In 1915, he was taken into the army. He was a cavalry-machine gunner at the First World War. He took part in the October Revolution. Since 1918 - in the Soviet Army. He showed himself in battles near the city of Tsaritsyn, made a big breakthrough from a simple commander of a machine gun team to a brigade commander, and fought against the enemies of the revolution. Companion Budyonny, from 1919 to 1924 - divisional cavalry.
The future commissar studied a lot, in 1922-24. graduated from a party school and higher courses at the Military Academy. Tukhachevsky, attesting a cadet Tymoshenko, spoke of him as one of the brilliant cavalry commanders. He said that, having the strong qualities of a "grunt", at the same time he constantly studied military affairs and was studying new equipment. By 1933, Tymoshenko headed the cavalry corps. And since August 1933, he has replaced the commander of the military districts of Belarus and Kiev, 1937-1940 - he himself leads the troops of the Kharkov, North Caucasus and Kiev Special Districts, Ukrainian and North-Western Fronts. During the time of the Soviet-Finnish company, the famous “Mannerheim Line” was breached under his leadership by Soviet troops. Career quickly went uphill. In March 1940, Tymoshenko was awarded the Star of a Hero of the Soviet Union, and in May received the highest title - Marshal of the Soviet Union.
Baghramyan wrote in his memoirs that this man was created for military service by nature itself: two-meter growth, impeccable straightening of the cavalry guard. The marshal's uniform marched surprisingly at him. The Ukrainian accent made the speech sincere and colorful.
Marshal Tymoshenko is less known than Voroshilov and Budyonny, although there was a period when he was the No. 1 commander in the army. From May 1940 to July 1941, Semen Konstantinovich took the post of People's Commissar of Defense of the Soviet Union. The People's Commissar launched a massive restructuring in the army. Under him, strong mechanized armored corps were formed, infantry was re-equipped, tracked tractors in artillery appeared, and communications troops were technically strengthened .
The German attack provoked confusion in the Kremlin. Stalin did not appear in public for more than a week. And on June 23, it was Marshal Tymoshenko who was appointed chairman of the Supreme Command Headquarters. Joseph Stalin occupied all command posts only in July 1941, including the post of People's Commissar. And the marshal is transferred to the commander of strategic directions. The history of many battles (near Vyazma, Kharkov, Rostov-on-Don) and victories (Iasi-Kishinev and Budapest operations) is inextricably linked with the name of Tymoshenko. The Marshal, whose photo is presented here (and confirms the words of Baghramyan), was part of the Headquarters. He commanded the fronts, coordinated their actions as her representative.
After the war, Tymoshenko Semen Konstantinovich continues to serve. Since 1960, he heads the General Inspectorate of the Soviet Army. From 1962 to 1970 he steadily leads the committee of war veterans. Marshal Tymoshenko received the second Golden Star for his services to the country and in connection with the anniversary already in 1965. The hero died in 1970.