Vasily Kazakov
Encyclopedia
Vasily Ivanovich Kazakov (Russian
: Василий Иванович Казаков; , Filipovo, Nizhny Novgorod Oblast
, Russian Empire
- 25 May 1968, Moscow
, Soviet Union
) was a Soviet Marshal of the Artillery
.
at May 1915 and participated in the First World War. 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
, he was demobilized. Kazakov soon volunteered to join the newly established Red Army
, where he commanded an artillery battery throughout the Russian Civil War
and the Polish-Soviet War
. At 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. On 7 May 1940, he was promoted to the rank of Major General.
's artillery commander at the Bryansk Front
. In that capacity, he continued to work with the General at the Stalingrad
, Don
, Central and 1st Belorussian
Fronts. On 17 November 1942, he became an Lieutenant General, and was made a Colonel-General on 18 September the next year. Kazakov was among the planners of the Kursk deep defense lines
. He participated in the Lower Dnieper Offensive, in Operation Bagration and in the battles inside Germany. For his contribution to the Vistula-Oder Offensive
, Kazakov was awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union
(Medal no. 5871) on 6 April 1945.
, and since March 1950 was the First Deputy Commander of the Artillery Corps. On January 1952 he became their commander, but was demoted to deputy again at April the following year. 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 passed away aged 69.
Russian language
Russian is a Slavic language used primarily in Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. It is an unofficial but widely spoken language in Ukraine, Moldova, Latvia, Turkmenistan and Estonia and, to a lesser extent, the other countries that were once constituent republics...
: Василий Иванович Казаков; , Filipovo, Nizhny Novgorod Oblast
Nizhny Novgorod Oblast
Nizhny Novgorod Oblast is a federal subject of Russia . Its administrative center is the city of Nizhny Novgorod. Population: The oblast is crossed by the Volga River. Apart from Nizhny Novgorod's metropolitan area, the biggest city is Arzamas...
, Russian Empire
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia and the predecessor of the Soviet Union...
- 25 May 1968, Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
, Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
) was a Soviet Marshal of the Artillery
Military ranks of the Soviet Union
The military ranks of the Soviet Union were those introduced after the October Revolution of 1917. At that time the Imperial Russian Table of Ranks was abolished, as were the privileges of the pre-Soviet Russian nobility....
.
Early life
Born to a peasant family, he was drafted into the Imperial ArmyImperial Russian Army
The Imperial Russian Army was the land armed force of the Russian Empire, active from around 1721 to the Russian Revolution of 1917. In the early 1850s, the Russian army consisted of around 938,731 regular soldiers and 245,850 irregulars . Until the time of military reform of Dmitry Milyutin in...
at May 1915 and participated in the First World War. After being wounded in the area of Riga
Riga
Riga is the capital and largest city of Latvia. With 702,891 inhabitants Riga is the largest city of the Baltic states, one of the largest cities in Northern Europe and home to more than one third of Latvia's population. The city is an important seaport and a major industrial, commercial,...
at early 1917, Kazakov was transferred to a reserve unit in St. Peterburg. There, he took part in the February Revolution
February Revolution
The February Revolution of 1917 was the first of two revolutions in Russia in 1917. Centered around the then capital Petrograd in March . Its immediate result was the abdication of Tsar Nicholas II, the end of the Romanov dynasty, and the end of the Russian Empire...
. When the army was dissolved, following the October Revolution
October Revolution
The October Revolution , also known as the Great October Socialist Revolution , Red October, the October Uprising or the Bolshevik Revolution, was a political revolution and a part of the Russian Revolution of 1917...
, he was demobilized. Kazakov soon volunteered to join the newly established Red Army
Red Army
The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army started out as the Soviet Union's revolutionary communist combat groups during the Russian Civil War of 1918-1922. It grew into the national army of the Soviet Union. By the 1930s the Red Army was among the largest armies in history.The "Red Army" name refers to...
, where he commanded an artillery battery throughout the Russian Civil War
Russian Civil War
The Russian Civil War was a multi-party war that occurred within the former Russian Empire after the Russian provisional government collapsed to the Soviets, under the domination of the Bolshevik party. Soviet forces first assumed power in Petrograd The Russian Civil War (1917–1923) was a...
and the Polish-Soviet War
Polish-Soviet War
The Polish–Soviet War was an armed conflict between Soviet Russia and Soviet Ukraine and the Second Polish Republic and the Ukrainian People's Republic—four states in post–World War I Europe...
. At 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. On 7 May 1940, he was promoted to the rank of Major General.
World War II
At the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, 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. On July 1942 he was made RokossovskyKonstantin Rokossovsky
Konstantin Rokossovskiy was a Polish-origin Soviet career officer who was a Marshal of the Soviet Union, as well as Marshal of Poland and Polish Defence Minister, who was famously known for his service in the Eastern Front, where he received high esteem for his outstanding military skill...
's artillery commander at the Bryansk Front
Bryansk Front
The Bryansk Front was a Front of the Soviet Army during the Second World War.General Andrei Yeremenko was designated commander of the Front when it first formed in mid-late August 1941, comprising, in Erickson's words, 'on paper two armies, 50th and 13th, with eight rifle divisions each, three...
. In that capacity, he continued to work with the General at the Stalingrad
Stalingrad Front
The Stalingrad Front was a front of the Soviet Union's Red Army during the Second World War. The name indicated the primary geographical region in which the Front first fought, based on the city of Stalingrad on the Volga River....
, Don
Don Front
The Don Front was a front of the Soviet Union's Red Army during the Second World War. The name refers to Don River, Russia....
, Central and 1st Belorussian
1st Belorussian Front
The 1st Belorussian Front was a Front of the Soviet Army during World War II...
Fronts. On 17 November 1942, he became an Lieutenant General, and was made a Colonel-General on 18 September the next year. Kazakov was among the planners of the Kursk deep defense lines
Battle of Kursk
The Battle of Kursk took place when German and Soviet forces confronted each other on the Eastern Front during World War II in the vicinity of the city of Kursk, in the Soviet Union in July and August 1943. It remains both the largest series of armored clashes, including the Battle of Prokhorovka,...
. He participated in the Lower Dnieper Offensive, in Operation Bagration and in the battles inside Germany. For his contribution to the Vistula-Oder Offensive
Vistula-Oder Offensive
The Vistula–Oder Offensive was a successful Red Army operation on the Eastern Front in the European Theatre of World War II; it took place between 12 January and 2 February 1945...
, Kazakov was awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union
Hero of the Soviet Union
The title Hero of the Soviet Union was the highest distinction in the Soviet Union, awarded personally or collectively for heroic feats in service to the Soviet state and society.-Overview:...
(Medal no. 5871) on 6 April 1945.
Post-war career
After the war, he commanded the artillery formations of the GSFGGroup of Soviet Forces in Germany
The Group of Soviet Forces in Germany , also known as the Group of Soviet Occupation Forces in Germany and the Western Group of Forces were the troops of the Soviet Army in East Germany....
, and since March 1950 was the First Deputy Commander of the Artillery Corps. On January 1952 he became their commander, but was demoted to deputy again at April the following year. 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 passed away aged 69.
External links
- Vasily Kazakov on Generals.Dk.