Vasily Ivanovich Kazakov (

Russian Russian(s) refers to anything related to Russia, including: *Russians (, ''russkiye''), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries *Rossiyane (), Russian language term for all citizens and peo ...

: ''Василий Иванович Казаков''; – 25 May 1968) was a Soviet

Marshal of the artillery Marshal is a term used in several official titles in various branches of society. As marshals became trusted members of the courts of Medieval Europe, the title grew in reputation. During the last few centuries, it has been used for elevated o ...

Biography

Early life

Born to a peasant family at Filipovo in

Nizhny Novgorod Oblast Nizhny Novgorod Oblast (russian: link=no, Нижегородская область, ''Nizhegorodskaya oblast''), is a federal subject of Russia (an oblast). Its administrative center is the city of Nizhny Novgorod. It has a population of 3,310,5 ...

, he was drafted into the Imperial Army in May 1915 and participated in the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. After being wounded in the area of Riga at early 1917, Kazakov was transferred to a reserve unit in St. Peterburg. There, he took part in the February Revolution. When the army was dissolved, following the

October Revolution The October Revolution,. officially known as the Great October Socialist Revolution. in the Soviet Union, also known as the Bolshevik Revolution, was a revolution in Russia led by the Bolshevik Party of Vladimir Lenin that was a key mome ...

, he was demobilized. Kazakov soon volunteered to join the newly established

Red Army The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army ( Russian: Рабо́че-крестья́нская Кра́сная армия),) often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic and, afte ...

, where he commanded an artillery battery throughout the

Russian Civil War {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Russian Civil War , partof = the Russian Revolution and the aftermath of World War I , image = , caption = Clockwise from top left: {{flatlist, *Soldiers ...

and the Polish-Soviet War. In 1925, Kazakov graduated from the Artillery Academy of Moscow, joining the All-Union Communist Party (B) at 1932. Two years later he finished his studies in the

Frunze Academy The M. V. Frunze Military Academy (russian: Военная академия имени М. В. Фрунзе), or in full the Military Order of Lenin and the October Revolution, Red Banner, Order of Suvorov Academy in the name of M. V. Frunze (rus ...

. On 7 May 1940, he was promoted to the rank of Major General.

World War II

At the beginning of the

Great Patriotic War The Eastern Front of World War II was a theatre of conflict between the European Axis powers against the Soviet Union (USSR), Poland and other Allies, which encompassed Central Europe, Eastern Europe, Northeast Europe (Baltics), and Sou ...

, he commanded the 7th Mechanized Corps' artillery formations. Kazakov took part in the battles for Smolensk and Moscow, and developed new methods for the use of anti-tank artillery, which were adopted by the entire army. In July 1942 he was made Rokossovsky's artillery commander at the

Bryansk Front The Bryansk Front (russian: Брянский фронт) was a major formation of the Red Army during the Second World War. First Formation (August - November 1941) General Andrei Yeremenko was designated commander of the Front when it first f ...

. In that capacity, he continued to work with the General at the Stalingrad,

Don Don, don or DON and variants may refer to: Places *County Donegal, Ireland, Chapman code DON *Don (river), a river in European Russia *Don River (disambiguation), several other rivers with the name *Don, Benin, a town in Benin *Don, Dang, a vill ...

, Central and

1st Belorussian Front The 1st Belorussian Front ( Russian: Пéрвый Белорусский фронт, ''Perviy Belorusskiy front'', also romanized " Byelorussian") was a major formation of the Soviet Army during World War II, being equivalent to a Western army ...

s. On 17 November 1942, he became an Lieutenant General, and was made a Colonel-General on 18 September 1943. Kazakov was among the planners of the Kursk deep defense lines. He participated in the

Lower Dnieper Offensive The Battle of the Dnieper was a military campaign that took place in 1943 in Ukraine on the Eastern Front of World War II. One of the largest operations of the war, it involved almost 4,000,000 troops at a time stretched on a front. Over four ...

, in

Operation Bagration Operation Bagration (; russian: Операция Багратио́н, Operatsiya Bagration) was the codename for the 1944 Soviet Byelorussian strategic offensive operation (russian: Белорусская наступательная оп ...

and in the battles inside Germany. For his contribution to the Vistula-Oder Offensive, Kazakov was awarded the title

Hero of the Soviet Union The title Hero of the Soviet Union (russian: Герой Советского Союза, translit=Geroy Sovietskogo Soyuza) was the highest distinction in the Soviet Union, awarded together with the Order of Lenin personally or collectively for ...

(Medal no. 5871) on 6 April 1945.

Post-war career

After the war, he commanded the artillery formations of the GSFG, and beginning in March 1950 he was the first deputy commander of the Artillery Corps. In January 1952 he became their commander, but was demoted to deputy again in April 1953. Kazakov was promoted to the rank of Marshal on 11 March 1955, commanding the Ground Forces' Air Defence from 1958 until 1965. After three more years as an inspector in the Ministry of Defense, he died in Moscow, aged 69, in May 1968.Vasily Kazakov
on Hrono.ru ussian

Honours and awards

* Four

Orders of Lenin The Order of Lenin (russian: Орден Ленина, Orden Lenina, ), named after the leader of the Russian October Revolution, was established by the Central Executive Committee on April 6, 1930. The order was the highest civilian decoration b ...

(8 October 1942, 21 February 1945, 6 April 1945, 30 July 1958) *

Order of the Red Banner The Order of the Red Banner (russian: Орден Красного Знамени, Orden Krasnogo Znameni) was the first Soviet military decoration. The Order was established on 16 September 1918, during the Russian Civil War by decree of t ...

, five times (12 April 1942, 27 August 1943, 3 November 1944, 24 August 1948, 22 February 1968) *

Order of Suvorov The Order of Suvorov () is a military decoration of the Russian Federation named in honor of Russian Generalissimo Prince Alexander Suvorov (1729–1800). History The Order of Suvorov was originally a Soviet award established on July 29, 19 ...

, 1st class, three times (29 July 1944, 18 November 1944, 29 May 1945) and 2nd Class (2 October 1943) *

Order of Kutuzov The Order of Kutuzov (russian: орден Кутузова ''orden Kutuzova'') is a military decoration of the Russian Federation named after famous Russian Field Marshal Mikhail Illarionovich Kutuzov (1745–1813). The Order was established ...

, 1st class (8 February 1943) * Order of the Red Star (16 August 1936) *

Jubilee Medal "XX Years of the Workers' and Peasants' Red Army" The Jubilee Medal "XX Years of the Workers' and Peasants' Red Army" (russian: Юбилейная медаль «XX лет Рабоче-Крестьянской Красной Армии») was a state military commemorative medal of the Soviet Un ...

(22 February 1938) *

Medal "For the Defence of Moscow" The Medal "For the Defence of Moscow" (russian: Медаль «За оборону Москвы») was a World War II campaign medal of the Soviet Union awarded to military and civilians who had participated in the Battle of Moscow. History T ...

(1 May 1944) *

Medal "For the Defence of Stalingrad" The Medal "For the Defence of Stalingrad" (russian: Медаль «За оборону Сталинграда») was a World War II campaign medal of the Soviet Union. Medal history The Medal "For the Defence of Stalingrad" was established on ...

(22 December 1942) *

Medal "For the Victory over Germany in the Great Patriotic War 1941–1945" The Medal "For the Victory Over Germany in the Great Patriotic War 1941–1945" (russian: Медаль «За победу над Германией в Великой Отечественной войне 1941—1945 гг.») was a military de ...

(9 May 1945) *

Jubilee Medal "Twenty Years of Victory in the Great Patriotic War 1941-1945" A jubilee is a particular anniversary of an event, usually denoting the 25th, 40th, 50th, 60th, and the 70th anniversary. The term is often now used to denote the celebrations associated with the reign of a monarch after a milestone number of ...

(7 May 1965) * Medal "For the Capture of Berlin" (9 June 1944) * Medal "For the Liberation of Warsaw" (9 June 1945) *

Medal "In Commemoration of the 800th Anniversary of Moscow" The Medal "In Commemoration of the 800th Anniversary of Moscow" (russian: Медаль «В память 800-летия Москвы») was a state commemorative medal of the Soviet Union established by decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Sov ...

(20 September 1947) *

Jubilee Medal "30 Years of the Soviet Army and Navy" The Jubilee Medal "30 Years of the Soviet Army and Navy" (russian: Юбилейная медаль «30 лет Советской Армии и Флота») was a state military commemorative medal of the Soviet Union established on February 22 ...

(22 February 1948) *

Jubilee Medal "40 Years of the Armed Forces of the USSR" The Jubilee Medal "40 Years of the Armed Forces of the USSR" (russian: Юбилейная медаль «40 лет Вооружённых Сил СССР») was a state military commemorative medal of the Soviet Union established on December 18, ...

(18 December 1957) *

Jubilee Medal "50 Years of the Armed Forces of the USSR" The Jubilee Medal "50 Years of the Armed Forces of the USSR" (russian: Юбилейная медаль «50 лет Вооружённых Сил СССР») was a state military commemorative medal of the Soviet Union established on December 26, 1 ...

(23 February 1968) *

Virtuti Militari The War Order of Virtuti Militari (Latin: ''"For Military Virtue"'', pl, Order Wojenny Virtuti Militari) is Poland's highest military decoration for heroism and courage in the face of the enemy at war. It was created in 1792 by Polish King St ...

(Poland, Russia) 4th class (Poland, 24 April 1946) *

Cross of Grunwald The Order of the Cross of Grunwald (') was a military decoration created in Poland in November 1943 by the High Command of Gwardia Ludowa, a World War II Polish resistance movement organised by the Polish Workers Party. On 20 February 1944 it ...

, 2nd class (Poland, 24 April 1946) * Medal for Oder, Neisse and Baltic (Poland, 26. October 1945) * Medal for Warsaw 1939-1945 (Poland, 26 October 1945) * Medal of Sino-Soviet Friendship (China, 23 February 1955)

References

External links

Vasily Kazakov
on Generals.Dk. {{DEFAULTSORT:Kazakov, Vasily 1898 births 1968 deaths People from Buturlinsky District Soviet military personnel of World War II Russian military personnel of World War I Soviet military personnel of the Russian Civil War Communist Party of the Soviet Union members Heroes of the Soviet Union Recipients of the Order of Lenin Recipients of the Gold Cross of the Virtuti Militari Recipients of the Order of Suvorov, 1st class Recipients of the Order of Kutuzov, 1st class Recipients of the Order of the Red Banner Recipients of the Order of the Cross of Grunwald, 2nd class Soviet Marshals of Artillery Burials at Novodevichy Cemetery Frunze Military Academy alumni