Aleksey Semenovich Zhadov (), born with the surname "Zhidov" (, 30 March 1901 – 30 November 1977), was a Soviet

military officer An officer is a person who holds a position of authority as a member of an armed force or uniformed service. Broadly speaking, "officer" means a commissioned officer, a non-commissioned officer (NCO), or a warrant officer. However, absent c ...

in the

Red Army The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army, often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Republic and, from 1922, the Soviet Union. The army was established in January 1918 by a decree of the Council of People ...

, who during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

commanded the 66th Army, later renamed the

5th Guards Army The 5th Guards Army was a Soviet Guards formation which fought in many critical actions during World War II under the command of General Aleksey Semenovich Zhadov. The 5th Guards Army was formed in spring 1943 from the 66th Army in recognition o ...

, from the

Battle of Stalingrad The Battle of Stalingrad ; see . rus, links=on, Сталинградская битва, r=Stalingradskaya bitva, p=stəlʲɪnˈɡratskəjə ˈbʲitvə. (17 July 19422 February 1943) was a major battle on the Eastern Front of World War II, ...

up till the end of the war. For his leadership of the army, Zhadov was awarded the title

Hero of the Soviet Union The title Hero of the Soviet Union () was the highest distinction in the Soviet Union, awarded together with the Order of Lenin personally or collectively for heroic feats in service to the Soviet state and society. The title was awarded both ...

. Postwar, Zhadov commanded the

Central Group of Forces The Central Group of Forces (Russian: Центральная группа войск) was a formation of the Soviet Armed Forces used to incorporate Soviet troops in Central Europe on two occasions: in Austria and Hungary from 1945 to 1955 and tr ...

and was deputy commander of the Soviet Ground Forces.

Early life and prewar military career

Aleksey Zhadov was born on 30 March 1901 in the village of Nikolskoye in what is now Sverdlovsk district of

Orel Oblast Oryol Oblast (), also known as Orlovshchina (), is a federal subjects of Russia, federal subject of Russia (an oblast). Its administrative center is the types of inhabited localities in Russia, city of Oryol. Population: Geography It is loc ...

. He joined the

in 1919 and fought in the

Russian Civil War The Russian Civil War () was a multi-party civil war in the former Russian Empire sparked by the 1917 overthrowing of the Russian Provisional Government in the October Revolution, as many factions vied to determine Russia's political future. I ...

. He graduated from the

Frunze Military Academy The M. V. Frunze Military Academy (), 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 (), was a military academy of the Soviet and later the Russian Armed Forces ...

in 1934, and in 1940 he took command of a cavalry division. In late May 1941, while serving as the commander of the 21st Turkestan Mountain Cavalry Division in the Central Asian Military District, he was promoted to command the 4th Airborne Corps stationed in Pukhovichi in the

Western Special Military District Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US *Western, New York, a town in the US * Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia * Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that ...

, the military administration of the

Belorussian Soviet Socialist Republic The Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic (BSSR, Byelorussian SSR or Byelorussia; ; ), also known as Soviet Belarus or simply Belarus, was a republic of the Soviet Union (USSR). It existed between 1920 and 1922 as an independent state, and ...

. Having primarily served in the Red Army's cavalry branch for 21 years, the promotion to command an

airborne unit Airborne forces are ground combat units carried by aircraft and airdropped into battle zones, typically by parachute drop. Parachute-qualified infantry and support personnel serving in airborne units are also known as paratroopers. The main adv ...

was a huge leap of responsibility for him.

German Invasion of Soviet Union in 1941

During the

German invasion of the Soviet Union Operation Barbarossa was the invasion of the Soviet Union by Nazi Germany and several of its European Axis allies starting on Sunday, 22 June 1941, during World War II. More than 3.8 million Axis troops invaded the western Soviet Union along a ...

on 22 June 1941, Major General Aleksey Zhadov was en route on a train to

Moscow Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...

from

Tashkent Tashkent (), also known as Toshkent, is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Uzbekistan, largest city of Uzbekistan. It is the most populous city in Central Asia, with a population of more than 3 million people as of April 1, 2024. I ...

in order to join the 4th Airborne Corps, which was now subordinated to the

Soviet Western Front The Western Front was a front of the Red Army, one of the Red Army Fronts during World War II. The Western Front was created on 22 June 1941 from the Western Special Military District (which before July 1940 was known as Belorussian Special ...

. When he arrived in Moscow on the morning of 24 June, he expected to hear news that the German attack had been promptly repulsed and the fight taken to German territory, but instead he was informed that the Soviet forces in the border areas were being battered and that communication among units and their lines of command had broken down. The next day on 25 June, he left on train for

Minsk Minsk (, ; , ) is the capital and largest city of Belarus, located on the Svislach (Berezina), Svislach and the now subterranean Nyamiha, Niamiha rivers. As the capital, Minsk has a special administrative status in Belarus and is the administra ...

, the capital of Belorussian Soviet Socialist Republic. On the train, he met

Colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...

Nikolai Naumenko, who was en route to the headquarters of the Western Front's Air Force. After a German air raid while the train was in

Orsha Orsha (; , ; ) is a city in Vitebsk Region, Belarus. It is situated on the fork of the Dnieper, Dnieper River and Arshytsa River, and it serves as the administrative center of Orsha District. As of 2025, it has a population of 101,662. History ...

, further transportation on the railway was cancelled. He and Naumenko later at night continued in a staff car to Borisov, driving slowly since using headlamps were prohibited. They often got slowed down by heavy traffic moving in the opposite direction and also had to constantly avoid German air raids. On 27 June, the panzer groups of the German

Army Group Center Army Group Centre () was the name of two distinct strategic German Army Groups that fought on the Eastern Front in World War II. The first Army Group Centre was created during the planning of Operation Barbarossa, Germany's invasion of the So ...

reached the outskirts of Minsk. Zhadov and Naumenko, instead of continuing to Minsk from Borisov, headed southeast to the headquarters of the Western Front located at a forest near

Mogilev Mogilev (; , ), also transliterated as Mahilyow (, ), is a city in eastern Belarus. It is located on the Dnieper, Dnieper River, about from the Belarus–Russia border, border with Russia's Smolensk Oblast and from Bryansk Oblast. As of 2024, ...

. On the morning of 28 June, he reported to the commander of the Western Front,

General A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air force, air and space forces, marines or naval infantry. In some usages, the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colone ...

Dmitry Grigoryevich Pavlov, who simply briefed him: "The situation is complex, difficult, and most importantly is unclear." The forces of the Western Front were being mauled by German forces of Army Group Center in the

Battle of Białystok–Minsk The Battle of Białystok–Minsk was a German strategic operation conducted by the Wehrmacht's Army Group Centre under Field Marshal Fedor von Bock during the penetration of the Soviet border region in the opening stage of Operation Barbaros ...

. Minsk fell to the German panzer groups of Army Group Center on 28 June, resulting in the encirclement of most of the Western Front's units. On that same day, Pavlov issued orders for the 214th Airborne Brigade of the 4th Airborne Corps to launch an

airborne assault Airborne forces are Ground warfare, ground combat units airlift, carried by aircraft and airdropped into battle zones, typically by parachute drop. Parachute-qualified infantry and support personnel serving in airborne units are also known as par ...

in support of Major General Andrei Grigorevich Nikitin's 20th Mechanized Corps against the supply lines of

Colonel General Colonel general is a military rank used in some armies. It is particularly associated with Germany, where historically General officer#Old European system, general officer ranks were one grade lower than in the Commonwealth and the United States, ...

Heinz Guderian Heinz Wilhelm Guderian (; 17 June 1888 – 14 May 1954) was a German general during World War II who later became a successful memoirist. A pioneer and advocate of the "blitzkrieg" approach, he played a central role in the development of ...

2nd Panzer Group The 2nd Panzer Army () was a German armoured formation during World War II, formed from the 2nd Panzer Group on October 5, 1941. Organisation Panzer Group Guderian () was formed on 5 June 1940 and named after its commander, general Heinz Gude ...

, but there was little information on the condition of 4th Airborne Corps or exactly where it was. On 27 June, the corps had been ordered by the Western Front headquarters to withdraw to the region of the

Berezina River The Berezina or Byarezina (, ; ) is a river in Belarus and a right tributary of the Dnieper. The river starts in the Berezinsky Biosphere Reserve. The length of the Berezina is . The width of the river is 15–20 m, the maximum is 60 m. The ba ...

beyond the German encirclement, therefore Zhadov had to drive down to the area in hopes of finding any personnel from the unit's headquarters. At first, he couldn't locate his unit, but after a few more trials, he made contact and joined the unit on the night of 29 June. In Zhadov's absence, the corps' Chief of Staff Colonel Alexander Fedorovich Kazankin had been commanding the unit, and had started preparations to execute Pavlov's orders of 28 June. On 30 June, the 214th Airborne Brigade began their attack, but since its paratroopers lacked the aircraft necessary to launch the airborne assault they deployed on trucks. The brigade failed to link up with the 20th Mechanized Corps, and both forces were easily defeated by the 2nd Panzer Group. The remnants of the brigade fought on for 3 months in the German rear and in the frontlines alongside other Soviet units. Throughout the first week of July, the 7th and 8th Airborne Brigades of the 4th Airborne Corps dug-in and defended along the banks of Berezina River. But by 7 July, the German 3rd and 4th Panzer Divisions had reached the

Dnieper River The Dnieper or Dnepr ( ), also called Dnipro ( ), is one of the major transboundary rivers of Europe, rising in the Valdai Hills near Smolensk, Russia, before flowing through Belarus and Ukraine to the Black Sea. Approximately long, with ...

far to the rear of Zhadov's two airborne brigades, which both still held their positions along the Berezina River. Therefore, Zhadov's units withdrew towards the Dnieper River to avoid being completely cut off, and by 13 July have joined up with Soviet forces defending along the river. In late September, the remnants of the 214th Airborne Brigade were trapped in an encirclement during the Battle of Kiev, but on 24 September 200 survivors escaped the pocket and reached Soviet lines near

Lebedyn Lebedyn (Ukrainian language, Ukrainian and , ) is a city in Sumy Oblast, Ukraine. Lebedyn is located in Sumy Raion. Before July 2020, Lebedyn served as the administrative center of Lebedyn Raion; it was administratively incorporated as a City of ...

. On 28 September the survivors reunited with their parent corps at Engel Air Base near Moscow.

Battle of Moscow

Starting on 2 August 1941, he served as the Chief of Staff of the 3rd Army, which was commanded by Lieutenant General Vasily Kuznetsov. He participated in the

Battle of Moscow The Battle of Moscow was a military campaign that consisted of two periods of strategically significant fighting on a sector of the Eastern Front during World War II, between October 1941 and January 1942. The Soviet defensive effort frustrated H ...

Stalingrad Strategic Defensive

In May 1942 he took command of the 8th Cavalry Corps of the

Bryansk Front The Bryansk Front () was a Front (military formation), major formation of the Red Army during the World War II, Second World War. First Formation (August - November 1941) General Andrei Yeremenko was designated commander of the Front when it fi ...

. In October 1942 he took command of the 66th Army of the

Don Front The Don Front was a front of the Soviet Red Army during the Second World War, which existed between September 1942 and February 1943, and was commanded during its entire existence by Konstantin Rokossovsky. The name refers to Don River, Russia. F ...

, which he commanded to the end of the war. His army took part in the

, during which on 25 November 1942 he changed his surname from "Zhidov" to "Zhadov" on

Joseph Stalin Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin (born Dzhugashvili; 5 March 1953) was a Soviet politician and revolutionary who led the Soviet Union from 1924 until Death and state funeral of Joseph Stalin, his death in 1953. He held power as General Secret ...

's request, because the name resembeled the word " Zhyd", what is derogatory term for Jewish people in Russian. Aleksey Zhadov was in reality ethnically Slav. Zhadov's 66th Army was renamed the

for its bravery and tenacity displayed at Stalingrad.

Battle of Kursk

In April 1943 the 5th Guards Army was subordinated to the

Steppe Front The Steppe Front () was a front of the Red Army during the Second World War which existed from July to October 1943. History On 9 July 1943, Stavka designated a new Reserve Front in the Voronezh region, that had been effective since 30 April.G ...

, and later to the Voronezh Front on 8 July during the

Battle of Kursk The Battle of Kursk, also called the Battle of the Kursk Salient, was a major World War II Eastern Front battle between the forces of Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union near Kursk in southwestern Russia during the summer of 1943, resulting in ...

. The army took part in one of the largest tank battles in military history, the

Battle of Prokhorovka The Battle of Prokhorovka was fought on 12 July 1943 near Prokhorovka, Belgorod Oblast, Prokhorovka, southeast of Kursk, in the Soviet Union, during the Second World War. Taking place on the Eastern Front (World War II), Eastern Front, the e ...

during the Battle of Kursk. On the eve of the tank battle, his army had no tanks and was suffering from a severe shortage of artillery ammunition. Despite reporting that his army was in no shape to support the Soviet counterattack that resulted in the Battle of Prokhorovka, the failure of the counterattack was blamed on him. His army went on to perform successfully in

Operation Polkovodets Rumyantsev Operation or Operations may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media * ''Operation'' (game), a battery-operated board game that challenges dexterity * Operation (music), a term used in musical set theory * ''Operations'' (magazine), Multi-Man ...

in the later phase of the Battle of Kursk, and he was awarded the

Order of the Red Banner The Order of the Red Banner () was the first Soviet military decoration. The Order was established on 16 September 1918, during the Russian Civil War by decree of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee. It was the highest award of S ...

for his army's performance in the Battle of Kursk.

Soviet Offensives of 1944–1945

He participated in the Dnieper–Carpathian, Lvov–Sandomierz, Vistula–Oder and

Prague Prague ( ; ) is the capital and List of cities and towns in the Czech Republic, largest city of the Czech Republic and the historical capital of Bohemia. Prague, located on the Vltava River, has a population of about 1.4 million, while its P ...

Offensives. He was awarded

on 6 April 1945. On 25 April 1945, the 58th Guards Rifle Division of Zhadov's 5th Guards Army met the 69th Infantry Division of the

United States First Army First Army is the largest OC/T organization in the U.S. Army, comprising two divisions, ten brigades, and more than 7,500 Soldiers. Its mission is to partner with the U.S. Army National Guard and U.S. Army Reserve to enable leaders and deliv ...

at the

Elbe River The Elbe ( ; ; or ''Elv''; Upper and , ) is one of the major rivers of Central Europe. It rises in the Giant Mountains of the northern Czech Republic before traversing much of Bohemia (western half of the Czech Republic), then Germany and flo ...

, effectively cutting Germany in two. On 27 April in

Torgau Torgau () is a town on the banks of the Elbe in northwestern Saxony, Germany. It is the capital of the district Nordsachsen. Outside Germany, the town is best known as where on 25 April 1945, the United States and Soviet Armies first met near ...

on the banks of the Elbe, the formal Handshake of Torgau was commemorated in front of cameras. On 30 April Zhadov hosted a boisterous victory party for the commanders and officers of the United States First Army and his 5th Guards Army, which included a banquet and carouse. During the party, he presented the First Army's commander, General

Courtney Hodges General Courtney Hicks Hodges (5 January 1887 – 16 January 1966) was a decorated senior officer in the United States Army who commanded First U.S. Army in the Western European Campaign of World War II. Hodges was a notable "mustang" officer, ...

, with the plaque of the 5th Guards Army received from the incumbent

Soviet premier The Premier of the Soviet Union () was the head of government of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR). From 1923 to 1946, the name of the office was Chairman of the Council of People's Commissars, and from 1946 to 1991 its name was ...

, and Hodges reciprocated by presenting the First Army's flag to him.

Postwar

After World War II, he served as Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the

Soviet Ground Forces The Soviet Ground Forces () was the land warfare service branch of the Soviet Armed Forces from 1946 to 1992. It was preceded by the Red Army. After the Soviet Union ceased to exist in December 1991, the Ground Forces remained under th ...

from 1946 to 1949, and as the head of the M. V. Frunze Military Academy from 1950 to 1954. From 1954 to 1955, he served as the Commander-in-Chief of the

, and from 1956 to 1964 served as First Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Soviet Ground Forces. In September 1964 he became First Deputy Chief Inspector of the Ministry of Defense of the Soviet Union. He retired from active duty in 1969. He died on 10 November 1977 and was buried at

Novodevichy Cemetery Novodevichy Cemetery () is a cemetery in Moscow. It lies next to the southern wall of the 16th-century Novodevichy Convent, which is the city's third most popular tourist site. History The cemetery was designed by Ivan Mashkov and inaugurated ...

in Moscow. His war memoir, ''Четыре года войны'' ("''Four years of war''"), was published the following year in 1978.

Awards and decorations

;Soviet Union ;Foreign

References

Notes

Inline citations

Sources

* * * * * * * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Zhadov, Aleksey Semenovich 1901 births 1977 deaths People from Oryol Oblast People from Orlovsky Uyezd (Oryol Governorate) Bolsheviks Second convocation members of the Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union Members of the Supreme Soviet of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic, 1963–1967 Members of the Supreme Soviet of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic, 1967–1971 Army generals (Soviet Union) 20th-century Russian memoirists Soviet memoirists Frunze Military Academy alumni Military Academy of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Soviet Union alumni Commandants of the Frunze Military Academy Military personnel of the 1st Cavalry Army Soviet military personnel of World War II Russian people of World War II Recipients of the Order of Lenin Recipients of the Order of the Red Banner Recipients of the Order of Suvorov, 1st class Recipients of the Order of Kutuzov, 1st class Recipients of the Order of the Red Star Commanders of the Legion of Merit Commanders of the Virtuti Militari Recipients of the Order of the White Lion Recipients of the Czechoslovak War Cross Foreign recipients of the Legion of Merit Recipients of the Cross of Valour (Poland) Officers of the Order of Polonia Restituta Recipients of the Military Order of the White Lion Recipients of the Order of the Cross of Grunwald, 3rd class