Mikhail Fyodorovich Tikhonov (; 11 November 1900 – 11 February 1971) was a

Soviet Army uk, Радянська армія , image = File:Communist star with golden border and red rims.svg , alt = , caption = Emblem of the Soviet Army , start_date ...

lieutenant general Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a three-star military rank (NATO code OF-8) used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the ...

and

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 ...

. Tikhonov fought in 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

Winter War The Winter War,, sv, Vinterkriget, rus, Зи́мняя война́, r=Zimnyaya voyna. The names Soviet–Finnish War 1939–1940 (russian: link=no, Сове́тско-финская война́ 1939–1940) and Soviet–Finland War 1 ...

. He commanded the 39th Guards Rifle Corps during the

Vienna Offensive The Vienna offensive was an offensive launched by the Soviet 2nd and 3rd Ukrainian Fronts in order to capture Vienna, Austria, during World War II. The offensive lasted from 16 March to 15 April 1945. After several days of street-to-street fi ...

. After the end of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

, Tikhonov continued his career in the

Soviet Armed Forces The Soviet Armed Forces, the Armed Forces of the Soviet Union and as the Red Army (, Вооружённые Силы Советского Союза), were the armed forces of the Russian SFSR (1917–1922), the Soviet Union (1922–1991), and th ...

and was the chief Soviet advisor to the

Hungarian People's Army The Hungarian People's Army ( hu, Magyar Néphadsereg) or the HPA was the military of the Hungarian People's Republic and the armed branch of the Hungarian Socialist Workers' Party from 1951 to 1990. It only saw combat in a foreign country once d ...

during the

Hungarian Revolution of 1956 The Hungarian Revolution of 1956 (23 October – 10 November 1956; hu, 1956-os forradalom), also known as the Hungarian Uprising, was a countrywide revolution against the government of the Hungarian People's Republic (1949–1989) and the Hung ...

Early life

Mikhail Tikhonov was born on 11 November 1900 in

Odessa Odesa (also spelled Odessa) is the third most populous city and municipality in Ukraine and a major seaport and transport hub located in the south-west of the country, on the northwestern shore of the Black Sea. The city is also the administrat ...

to a family of workers. In 1912, he graduated from the 4th class in the

Vladivostok Vladivostok ( rus, Владивосто́к, a=Владивосток.ogg, p=vɫədʲɪvɐˈstok) is the largest city and the administrative center of Primorsky Krai, Russia. The city is located around the Zolotoy Rog, Golden Horn Bay on the Sea ...

City College. He graduated from the vocational school in

Kimry Kimry (russian: Ки́мры), formerly Kimra (), is a town in the south of Tver Oblast, Russia, located on the Volga River at its confluence with the Kimrka River, to the east of Tver. Population: History The town was known as Kimra until the ...

in 1914. Tikhonov worked as a messenger for a Moscow bookstore and at a Moscow slaughterhouse. From 1916, he was a mechanic at the railroad depot at

Petrograd Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...

's Finland Station. He became a plumber in the Moscow City food department in June 1918. In October, he was in the

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

. Tikhonov first participated in the suppression of anti-Soviet forces in the

Kirsanovsky Uyezd Kirsanovsky Uyezd (''Кирса́новский уе́зд'') was one of the subdivisions of the Tambov Governorate of the Russian Empire. It was situated in the eastern part of the governorate. Its administrative centre was Kirsanov. Demographi ...

Tambov Governorate Tambov Governorate was an administrative unit of the Russian Empire, Russian Republic, and later the Russian SFSR, centred around the city of Tambov. The governorate was located between 51°14' and 55°6' north and between 38°9' and 43°38' east ...

and then fought on the Southern Front and on the

Southeastern Front The Southeastern Front was a front of the Red Army during World War II. It was formed on August 5, 1942, out of parts of the Stalingrad Front, using the command elements from the First Tank Army and the disbanded Southern Front. The front's m ...

. He originally was an officer in the 3rd Reserve Cavalry Regiment. On 29 October 1918, he was wounded. Tikhonov joined the Communist Party of the Soviet Union in 1919. In October 1919, he graduated from the Moscow Cavalry Courses. Tikhonov became the commander of a cavalry squadron training courses for the 8th Army in October 1919. In April 1920, he became a platoon commander and head of intelligence for the 1st Cavalry Regiment of the 22nd Rifle Division. He was again wounded on 1 November. In December, Tikhonov was the adjutant in a unit of the 9th Kuban Army. In the same year, Tikhonov was awarded a Central Executive Committee of the RSFSR-inscribed gold watch for reported personal bravery.

Interwar

In June 1921, Tikhonov graduated from the repeated courses of cavalry higher command in

Kharkiv Kharkiv ( uk, wikt:Харків, Ха́рків, ), also known as Kharkov (russian: Харькoв, ), is the second-largest List of cities in Ukraine, city and List of hromadas of Ukraine, municipality in Ukraine.3rd Separate Cavalry Brigade and the

57th Rifle Division The 57th Rifle Division () was an infantry division of the Red Army and the Soviet Army. The division was originally formed in late 1920 as the 24th Rifle Division of the Internal Service Troops (VNUS) in the closing stages of the Russian Civil ...

in August 1921. During that year and 1922, he participated in operations against anti-Soviet groups in

Troitsky Uyezd Troitsky Uyezd (''Троицкий уезд'') was one of the subdivisions of the Orenburg Governorate of the Russian Empire. It was situated in the northeastern part of the governorate. Its administrative centre was Troitsk. Demographics At the ...

Chelyabinsk Province Chelyabinsk Oblast (russian: Челя́бинская о́бласть, ''Chelyabinskaya oblast'') is a federal subject (an oblast) of Russia in the Ural Mountains region, on the border of Europe and Asia. Its administrative center is th ...

. Between April and August 1923, Tikhonov studied at the

Volga Military District The Volga Military District (PriVO) was a military district of the Soviet Union and the Russian Federation that existed from 1918 to 1989 and 1992 to 2001. The district headquarters was located at Kazan, Saratov and Kuibyshev (Samara) at different ...

cavalry commanders courses. After their end, he returned to the 44th Cavalry Regiment, fighting to suppress an uprising in Chechnya and was wounded on 21 February 1925. From April, he was assistant to the commander of the 68th Cavalry Regiment of the

North Caucasus Military District The North Caucasus Military District was a military district of the Russian Armed Forces, which became in 2010 the Southern Military District and lately also included the Black Sea Fleet and Caspian Flotilla. It comprised the Republic of Adygeya, ...

. For these actions, he was awarded honorary weapons in 1928. Tikhonov graduated from the

Frunze Military 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 ...

in 1930. In May he became the 33rd Cavalry Regiment's chief of staff. He became chief of staff for the 6th Cavalry Division in April 1931. From November, he was in the

first management staff. Tikhonov later became assistant chief and chief of the sector and then the assistant chief and chief of the operational department. In June 1935 Tikhonov went to

Mongolia Mongolia; Mongolian script: , , ; lit. "Mongol Nation" or "State of Mongolia" () is a landlocked country in East Asia, bordered by Russia to the north and China to the south. It covers an area of , with a population of just 3.3 millio ...

as an advisor to the

Mongolian People's Army The Mongolian People's Army ( Mongolian: ''Монголын Ардын Арми''), also known as the Mongolian People's Revolutionary Army ( Mongolian: ''Монгол Ардын Хувьсгалт Цэрэг'') or the Mongolian Red Army ( Mong ...

cavalry. Between December 1935 and April 1936 he participated in the border conflicts with Japan in the Tamsak-Bulak area. For his actions during the border conflicts, Tikhonov was awarded the Mongolian

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 th ...

and the Order of the North Star. After returning to the Soviet Union, Tikhonov became the commander of the 71st Reserve Cavalry Regiment in March 1939. In December 1939 he became the commander of the 1st Cavalry Regiment of the 1st Separate Cavalry Brigade based in the

Moscow Military District The Order of Lenin Moscow Military District was a military district of the Soviet Armed Forces and the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. The district was awarded the Order of Lenin in 1968. In 2010 it was merged with the Leningrad Military ...

. During January and March 1940, Tikhonov fought in the

commanding the 28th Cavalry Regiment in the same brigade as part of the

13th Army Thirteenth Army or 13th Army may refer to: *Thirteenth Army (Japan) *Japanese Thirteenth Area Army *13th Army (Russian Empire), unit in World War I *13th Army (RSFSR), a unit in the Russian Civil War *13th Army (Soviet Union) *13th Air Army The 76 ...

. He was sent to study at the Military Academy of Command and Officers of the Red Army Air Force in October. After graduating in May 1941, he was appointed commander of the

7th Airborne Brigade , image = Vietnamese Airborne Division 's Insignia.svg , image_size = 160px , caption = Vietnamese Airborne Division insignia , dates = 1 January 1948 – 30 April 1975 , country = , allegiance = , command_structure = , branch = , ty ...

, part of the 4th Airborne Corps 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 id ...

World War II

After

Operation Barbarossa Operation Barbarossa (german: link=no, Unternehmen Barbarossa; ) was the invasion of the Soviet Union by Nazi Germany and many of its Axis allies, starting on Sunday, 22 June 1941, during the Second World War. The operation, code-named afte ...

, the 7th Airborne Brigade took part in the defense of the line on the Berezina River. Tikhonov was seriously wounded on 4 July and commanded the reformed 2nd Airborne Corps after leaving the hospital. The corps became the

32nd Guards Rifle Division 3 (three) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number following 2 and preceding 4, and is the smallest odd prime number and the only prime preceding a square number. It has religious or cultural significance in many socie ...

in May 1942, part of the

47th Army The 47th Army (russian: 47-я армия) of the Soviet Union's Red Army was an army-level command active from 1941 to 1946. History The 47th Army was formed in late July 1941 in the Transcaucasian Military District as part of the Soviet Union's ...

deployed in defence of the

Black Sea The Black Sea is a marginal mediterranean sea of the Atlantic Ocean lying between Europe and Asia, east of the Balkans, south of the East European Plain, west of the Caucasus, and north of Anatolia. It is bounded by Bulgaria, Georgia, ...

coast. After the German breakthrough in

Case Blue Case Blue (German: ''Fall Blau'') was the Wehrmacht, German Armed Forces' plan for the 1942 strategic summer offensive in southern Russia between 28 June and 24 November 1942, during World War II. The objective was to capture the oil fields o ...

during the summer, the division was transferred to

Tuapse Tuapse (russian: Туапсе́; ady, Тӏуапсэ ) is a town in Krasnodar Krai, Russia, situated on the northeast shore of the Black Sea, south of Gelendzhik and north of Sochi. Population: Tuapse is a sea port and the northern center of a ...

, where it reportedly disrupted German attacks on the city. Tikhonov was awarded the

for his actions defending Tuapse. On 17 November, he was promoted to

major general Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...

. From January 1943, the division fought in the

Battle of the Caucasus The Battle of the Caucasus is a name given to a series of Axis and Soviet operations in the Caucasus area on the Eastern Front of World War II. On 25 July 1942, German troops captured Rostov-on-Don, Russia, opening the Caucasus region of t ...

and the

Krasnodar Offensive Krasnodar (; rus, Краснода́р, p=krəsnɐˈdar; ady, Краснодар), formerly Yekaterinodar (until 1920), is the largest city and the administrative centre of Krasnodar Krai, Russia. The city stands on the Kuban River in southern ...

. On 30 January, he was awarded the

for his leadership of the 7th Airborne Brigade in 1941. From 9 March to 2 April, Tikhonov commanded the

11th Guards Rifle Corps 11 (eleven) is the natural number following 10 and preceding 12. It is the first repdigit. In English, it is the smallest positive integer whose name has three syllables. Name "Eleven" derives from the Old English ', which is first attested ...

, part of the 9th Army during the advance on the

Taman Peninsula The Taman Peninsula (russian: Тама́нский полуо́стров, ''Tamanskiy poluostrov'') is a peninsula in the present-day Krasnodar Krai of Russia, which borders the Sea of Azov to the North, the Strait of Kerch to the West and the ...

. In July he became the deputy commander of the

58th Army The 58th Combined Arms Army (russian: 58-я общевойсковая армия) is an army of the Russian Ground Forces, headquartered at Vladikavkaz, North Ossetia-Alania, within Russia's Southern Military District. It was formed in 1941 as par ...

, where he was wounded and in August the deputy commander of the 56th Army. Tikhonov fought in the Novorossiysk-Taman Operation and was wounded again in October. Tikhonov was awarded the

Order of the Patriotic War The Order of the Patriotic War (russian: Орден Отечественной войны, Orden Otechestvennoy voiny) is a Soviet military decoration that was awarded to all soldiers in the Soviet armed forces, security troops, and to partisa ...

, 1st class on 25 October. In January 1944, Tikhonov was appointed commander of the

108th Rifle Corps 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1. ...

of the

Leningrad Front The Leningrad Front (russian: Ленинградский фронт) was formed during the 1941 German approach on Leningrad (now Saint Petersburg) by dividing the Northern Front into the Leningrad Front and Karelian Front on August 27, 1941. ...

's 42nd Army. During the Leningrad–Novgorod Offensive, the army captured

Ropsha Ropsha ( rus, Ропша, p=ˈropʂə) is a settlement in Lomonosovsky District of Leningrad Oblast, Russia, situated about south of Peterhof and south-west of central Saint Petersburg, at an elevation of to . The palace and park ensemble ...

, Krasnogvardeysk,

Gdov Gdov (russian: Гдов) is a town and the administrative center of Gdovsky District in Pskov Oblast, Russia, located on the river Gdovka, just from its outflow into Lake Peipus. Population: History It was first mentioned in the beginning of ...

and Koivisto, as well as helping break the

Siege of Leningrad The siege of Leningrad (russian: links=no, translit=Blokada Leningrada, Блокада Ленинграда; german: links=no, Leningrader Blockade; ) was a prolonged military blockade undertaken by the Axis powers against the Soviet Union, So ...

. He was promoted to

on 22 February. In the spring, the corps transferred to the line of

Vyborg Vyborg (; rus, Вы́борг, links=1, r=Výborg, p=ˈvɨbərk; fi, Viipuri ; sv, Viborg ; german: Wiborg ) is a town in, and the administrative center of, Vyborgsky District in Leningrad Oblast, Russia. It lies on the Karelian Isthmus n ...

and fought in the Vyborg–Petrozavodsk Offensive, capturing

Uuras Vysotsk (russian: Высо́цк; fi, Uuras; sv, Trångsund) is a coastal town and a seaport in Vyborgsky District of Leningrad Oblast, Russia, located on the Karelian Isthmus, on the eastern shore of the Vyborg Bay, southwest of Vyborg and no ...

. On 9 August 1944, he became the commander of the

39th Guards Airborne Corps The 39th Guards Airborne Corps was a Red Army airborne corps. First formed in August 1944, it was converted to infantry in January 1945 and fought during World War II in the Vienna Offensive and the Prague Offensive. Postwar, it was converted back i ...

Kalinin Kalinin may refer to: * Mikhail Kalinin (1875–1946), Bolshevik revolutionary and Soviet functionary * Kalinin (surname) Places *Kalinin, former name of Noramarg, Armenia *Kalinin, former name of Tashir, Armenia *Kalinin, former name of Burunqo ...

. In January 1945, the corps converted to infantry as part of the

9th Guards Army The 9th Guards Army was a field army of the Red Army during World War II, which fought in the Vienna Offensive and the Prague Offensive at the end of the war. The army was formed in January 1945 and included airborne divisions converted into infant ...

. The corps was sent to the front on 21 March and fought in the

, in which it participated in the capture of

Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...

. On 28 April, Tikhonov was awarded the

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 du ...

1st class. After the capture of Vienna it advanced in the

Prague Offensive The Prague offensive (russian: Пражская стратегическая наступательная операция, Prazhskaya strategicheskaya nastupatel'naya operatsiya, lit=Prague strategic offensive) was the last major military ...

. For his actions during the Vienna offensive, Tikhonov was awarded the title

Hero of the Soviet Union citation, available online a
pamyat-naroda.ru
/ref> and the

Order 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 ...

on 29 June.

Postwar

In October 1945, Tikhonov became the assistant chief of drill at the Frunze Military Academy. In 1949 he became its first deputy chief and in 1950 the deputy head of the Academy of scientific and educational work. In September 1952, he left the Academy of Scientific and educational work and entered the higher academic courses at the Military Academy of the General Staff, from which he graduated in 1953. In September he became the chief military advisor to the

and also the military attache at the Soviet embassy in Budapest. In March 1957 he became the head of the department of general tactics and operational training at the

Military-Engineering Red Banner Academy named for V.V. Kuybyshev Russia has a number of military academies of different specialties. This article primarily lists institutions of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation rather than those of the Soviet Armed Forces. Russian institutions designated as an "aca ...

. In October 1962, he retired and died on 11 February 1971. Tikhonov was buried in

Novodevichy Cemetery Novodevichy Cemetery ( rus, Новоде́вичье кла́дбище, Novodevichye kladbishche) 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 touris ...

Awards and decorations

;Soviet Union ;Foreign

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tikhonov, Mikhail 1900 births 1971 deaths Military personnel from Odesa Burials at Novodevichy Cemetery Soviet lieutenant generals Frunze Military Academy alumni Soviet military personnel of World War II Heroes of the Soviet Union Recipients of the Order of Lenin Recipients of the Order of the Red Banner Recipients of the Order of Kutuzov, 1st class Recipients of the Order of Suvorov, 2nd class Recipients of the Order of the Red Star Officers of the Legion of Merit Foreign recipients of the Legion of Merit Recipients of the Silver Cross of the Virtuti Militari Military Academy of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Soviet Union alumni