Contribution to the formation and development of the Airborne Forces. The appearance of vests in paratroopers

Suvorov of the twentieth century

“Suvorov of the twentieth century” - this is how General of the Army Vasily Filippovich Margelov (1908 - 1990) began to be called during his lifetime by Western historians (Soviet long time It was forbidden to use this name in the press for reasons of secrecy).

Having commanded the Airborne Forces for a total of almost a quarter of a century (1954 - 1959, 1961 - 1979), he turned this branch of the military into a formidable strike force that knew no equal.

But not only how outstanding organizer Vasily Filippovich was remembered by his contemporaries. Love for the Motherland, remarkable military abilities, steadfastness and selfless courage were organically combined in him with the greatness of the soul, modesty and crystal honesty, kind-hearted, truly fatherly attitude towards the soldier.

Youth years

V. F. Markelov (later Margelov) was born on December 27, 1908 (January 9, 1909 according to the new style) in the city of Yekaterinoslav (now Dnepropetrovsk , Ukraine), in a family of immigrants from Belarus. By nationality - Belarusian. Father - Philip Ivanovich Markelov, a metallurgical worker. (The surname Markelov of Vasily Filippovich was subsequently recorded as Margelov due to an error in the party card.)

In 1913, the Margelov family returned to the homeland of Philip Ivanovich - to the town Kostyukovichi Klimovichi district (Mogilev province). The mother of V. F. Margelov, Agafya Stepanovna, was from the neighboring Bobruisk district. According to some reports, VF Margelov graduated from the parochial school (TsPSh) in 1921. As a teenager, he worked as a loader and carpenter. In the same year, he entered a leather workshop as an apprentice, and soon became an assistant master. In 1923 he entered the local Hleboprodukt as a laborer. There is information that he graduated from the school of rural youth, and worked as a forwarder for the delivery of postal items on the Kostyukovichi line - Khotimsk .

Since 1924 he worked in Yekaterinoslav at the mine named after. M. I. Kalinin as a laborer, then as a horse-racer.

In 1925 he was sent back to Belarus as a forester in the timber industry. Worked in Kostyukovichi, in 1927 he became chairman of the working committee of the timber industry, was elected to the local Council.

Service start

He was drafted into the Red Army in 1928. Sent to study at the United Belarusian military school(OBVSh) them. CEC of the BSSR Minsk, enlisted in the group of snipers. From the 2nd year - foreman of a machine-gun company. In April 1931 he graduated with honors from Minsk military school(former OBVSh).

After graduating from college, he was appointed commander of a machine-gun platoon of the regimental school of the 99th rifle regiment 33rd Territorial Rifle Division ( Mogilev, Belarus). Since 1933 - platoon commander at the Minsk Military Infantry School. M. I. Kalinina. In February 1934 he was appointed assistant company commander, in May 1936 - commander of a machine gun company. From October 25, 1938 he commanded the 2nd battalion of the 23rd rifle regiment of the 8th rifle division named after. Dzerzhinsky Belarusian Special Military District. He headed the reconnaissance of the 8th Infantry Division, being the chief of the 2nd division of the division headquarters.

How a paratrooper got a vest

In the Soviet-Finnish war of 1940, Major Margelov was the commander of the Separate reconnaissance ski battalion of the 596th rifle regiment of the 122nd division. His battalion made daring raids on enemy rear lines, set up ambushes, causing great damage to the enemy. In one of the raids, they even managed to capture a group of Swedish officers. General Staff, which gave rise to Soviet government make a diplomatic demarche about the actual participation of the allegedly neutral Scandinavian state in the hostilities on the side of the Finns. This step had a sobering effect on the Swedish king and his cabinet: Stockholm did not dare to send its soldiers into the snows of Karelia ...

The experience of ski raids on enemy rear lines was remembered in the late autumn of 1941 in besieged Leningrad. Major V. Margelov was assigned to lead the First Special Ski Regiment of sailors of the Red Banner Baltic Fleet formed from volunteers.

The veteran of this part N. Shuvalov recalled:

As you know, sailors are a peculiar people. in love with sea element, they do not particularly favor land brethren. When Margelov was appointed commander of a regiment of marines, some used to say that he would not take root there, his “brothers” would not accept him.

However, this prophecy did not come true. When the regiment of sailors was built to be presented to the new commander, Margelov, after the command "Attention!" seeing many gloomy faces looking at him not particularly friendly, instead of the words of greeting “Hello, comrades!”, which are customary in such cases, without hesitation, he loudly shouted:

Hey, buggers!

A moment - and in the ranks not a single gloomy face ...

Lot glorious deeds performed by sailors-skiers under the command of Major Margelov. The tasks were set personally by the commander of the Baltic Fleet, Vice Admiral Tributs.

Vladimir Filippovich Tributs

Deep daring raids by skiers on the German rear in the winter of 1941-42 were an unceasing headache for the command of the Nazi Army Group North. What was even worth the landing on the coast of Ladoga in the direction of Lipka - Shlisselburg, which alarmed Field Marshal von Leeb so much that he began to remove troops from Pulkovo to eliminate him, tightening the noose of the blockade of Leningrad.

Wilhelm Ritter von Leeb

Two decades later, the commander of the Airborne Forces, General of the Army Margelov, ensured that the paratroopers received the right to wear vests.

The prowess of the "brothers" sunk into my heart! he explained. - I want the paratroopers to adopt the glorious traditions of their elder brother - the marines and continue them with honor. For this, I introduced the paratroopers vests. Only stripes on them to match the color of the sky - blue ...

When, at a military council chaired by the Minister of Defense, the Commander-in-Chief of the Navy, Admiral of the Fleet of the Soviet Union S. G. Gorshkov, began to blame that, they say, paratroopers steal vests from sailors, Vasily Filippovich sharply objected to him:

I myself in marines I fought and I know what paratroopers deserve and what sailors deserve!

And Vasily Filippovich fought famously with his "marines". Here's another example. In May 1942, in the Vinyaglovo area near the Sinyavinsky Heights, about 200 enemy infantrymen broke through the defense sector of a neighboring regiment and went into the rear of the Margelovites. Vasily Filippovich quickly gave the necessary orders and himself lay down behind the Maxim machine gun. Then he personally destroyed 79 Nazis, the rest were finished off by reinforcements that came to the rescue.

By the way, during the defense of Leningrad, Margelov always had an easel machine gun at hand, from which in the morning he made a kind of shooting exercise: he “trimmed” the tops of trees in bursts. Then he mounted a horse and practiced cutting with a sword.

AT offensive battles the regiment commander more than once personally raised his battalions to attack, fought in the forefront of his fighters, dragging them to victory in hand-to-hand combat where he had no equal. Because of such terrible fights, the Nazis nicknamed the marines "striped death."

Officer's ration - in a soldier's cauldron

Caring for a soldier has never been a secondary matter for Margelov, especially in a war. His former brother-soldier, Guard Senior Lieutenant Nikolai Shevchenko recalled that, having accepted the 13th Guards in 1942 rifle regiment, Vasily Filippovich began to increase his combat effectiveness by improving the catering of everything personnel.

At that time, the officers in the regiment ate separately from the soldiers and sergeants. The officers were entitled to increased rations: in addition to the combined arms norm, they received animal butter, canned fish, biscuits or cookies, Golden Fleece or Kazbek tobacco (non-smokers were given chocolate). But, besides this, some battalion commanders and company commanders brought personal chefs with a common catering unit. It is not difficult to understand that some part of the soldier's cauldron went to the officer's desk. This was discovered by the regimental commander when bypassing the units. He always started it with an inspection of the battalion kitchens and a sample of soldiers' food.

On the second day of Lieutenant Colonel Margelov's stay in the unit, all of its officers had to eat from a common boiler along with the soldiers. The regiment commander ordered his additional ration to be transferred to a common boiler. Soon other officers began to do the same. " Good example Father gave us! - the veteran Shevchenko recalled. Surprisingly, Batey Vasily Filippovich was called in all the regiments and divisions that he happened to command ...

God forbid, if Margelov noticed that the fighter had leaky shoes or shabby clothes. Here the business executive received to the fullest. One day, noticing that the machine-gunner sergeant had cutting edge the boot "asks for porridge", the regimental commander called the head of the clothing supply to him and ordered him to exchange shoes with this fighter. And he warned that if he saw this again, he would immediately transfer the officer to the front line.

Vasily Filippovich could not stand cowards, weak-willed, lazy people. Theft under him was simply impossible, because he punished him mercilessly ...

Hot Snow

Whoever read Yuri Bondarev's novel "Hot Snow" or saw the film of the same name based on this novel, let him know: the Margelovites were the prototype of the heroes that stood in the way of Manstein's tank armada, which was trying to break the encirclement around the 6th army of Paulus in Stalingrad. It was they who found themselves in the direction of the main attack of the fascist tank wedge and managed to prevent a breakthrough, holding out until reinforcements arrived.

In October 1942, Guard Lieutenant Colonel Margelov became the commander of the 13th Guards Rifle Regiment, which was part of the 2nd Guards Army, Lieutenant General R. Ya. Malinovsky, which was formed specifically to complete the defeat of the enemy, who had broken through into the Volga steppes. For two months, while the regiment was in reserve, Vasily Filippovich intensely prepared his fighters for fierce battles for the Volga stronghold.

Near Leningrad, he more than once had to engage in single combat with fascist tanks, he knew them well vulnerabilities. And now he personally taught tank destroyers, showing armor-piercers how to dig a trench in full profile, where and from what distances to aim with an anti-tank rifle, how to throw grenades and Molotov cocktails.

When the Margelovites held the defense at the turn of the river. Myshkov, having taken the blow of the Goth tank group, advancing from the Kotelnikovsky area to join the Paulus breakthrough group, they were not afraid of the newest heavy Tiger tanks, did not flinch in front of repeatedly superior enemy. They did the impossible: for five days of fighting (from December 19 to 24, 1942), without sleep and rest, carrying heavy losses, burned and knocked out almost all enemy tanks in their direction. At the same time, the regiment retained combat readiness!

In these battles, Vasily Filippovich was severely shell-shocked, but did not leave the line. He met the New Year of 1943 with his fighters, with a Mauser in his hand, dragging the attacking chains to storm the Kotelnikovsky farm. With this swift throw of units of the 2nd Guards Army in the Stalingrad epic, a bold point was put: last hopes Paulus' armies melted like smoke on the deblockade. Then there was the liberation of Donbass, the forcing of the Dnieper, fierce battles for Kherson and the "Iasi-Kishinev Cannes" ... Thirteen thanks from the Supreme Commander-in-Chief were earned by the 49th Guards Kherson Red Banner Order of Suvorov Rifle Division - Margelov's division!

The final chord - bloodless captivity in May 1945 on the border of Austria and Czechoslovakia tank corps SS, breaking through to the West to surrender to the Americans. This included the elite armored forces Reich - SS divisions "Grossdeutschland" and "Dead Head".

As the best of the best guards Major General Hero of the Soviet Union V.F. Margelov (1944) leadership of the 2nd Ukrainian front entrusted the honor of commanding a front-line composite regiment at the Victory Parade in Moscow on June 24, 1945.

V.F. Margelov - right flank

After graduating from the Higher Military Academy in 1948 (since 1958 - the Military Academy of the General Staff), Vasily Filippovich accepted the Pskov Airborne Division.

This appointment was preceded by a meeting between Major General V. Margelov and Minister of Defense of the USSR Marshal of the Soviet Union Nikolai Bulganin. There was another general in the office, also a Hero of the Soviet Union.

The Minister of Defense started the conversation kind words about the Airborne Troops, their glorious military past, about the decision to develop this relatively young branch of the military.

We believe in them and consider it necessary to strengthen them with combat generals who distinguished themselves during the years of the Great Patriotic War. What is your opinion, comrades?

He, the second general, began to complain about the wounds received at the front, said that the doctors did not recommend him to make parachute jumps. In general, he refused the proposal of the minister.

General Margelov, who had many wounds during three wars, including severe ones, and even in the legs, asked a single question in response:

When can I go to the troops?

Today, - answered the Minister of Defense and firmly shook his hand.

Margelov understood that he would have to start from scratch and how to comprehend the tricky landing science for a beginner. But he also knew something else: there is a special attraction in this kind of troops - audacity, a strong male adhesion.

Years later, he told the correspondent of the Krasnaya Zvezda newspaper:

Until the age of 40, I vaguely imagined what a parachute was, and I never dreamed of jumping in a dream. It turned out on its own, or rather, as it should be in the army, by order. I am a military man, if necessary, ready to go to hell. And so it was necessary, already being a general, to make the first parachute jump. The impression, I tell you, is incomparable. A dome opens above you, you soar in the air like a bird, - by God, I want to sing! I sang. But you won't go away on rapture alone. I was in a hurry, I didn’t follow the ground, as a result I had to walk for two weeks with a bandaged leg. Got a lesson. Parachuting is not only romantic, but also a lot of work and impeccable discipline...

Then there will be many jumps - with weapons, day and night, from high-speed military transport aircraft. During his service in the Airborne Forces, Vasily Filippovich made more than 60 of them. Extreme - at the age of 65.

The one who has never left a plane in his life, from where cities and villages seem like toys, who has never experienced joy and fear free fall, whistling in the ears, a stream of wind beating in the chest, he will never understand the honor and pride of a paratrooper, - Margelov will say somehow.

"Uncle Vasya" before the jump

What did Vasily Filippovich see when he accepted the 76th Guards Airborne Division Chernigov? The material and technical base of combat training is at zero. The simplicity of sports equipment was discouraging: two springboards for jumping, a cradle for a balloon suspended between two pillars, and a skeleton aircraft, vaguely resembling an airplane or glider. Injuries and even deaths are common. If Margelov was a novice in the landing business, then in the organization of combat training, as they say, he ate the dog.

In parallel with combat training, at least important work for the arrangement of personnel, families of officers. And here everyone was surprised by the persistence of Margelov.

A soldier must be well-fed, clean in body and strong in spirit, - Vasily Filippovich liked to repeat Suvorov's statement. It was necessary - and the general became a real foreman, as he called himself without any irony, and on his desktop, mixed with plans for combat training, exercises, landing, there were calculations, estimates, projects ...

Working in his usual mode - day and night - a day away, General Margelov quickly ensured that his unit became one of the best in the landing troops.

In 1950, he was appointed commander of the airborne corps in the Far East, and in 1954, Lieutenant General V. Margelov headed the Airborne landing troops.

And soon he proved to everyone that he was not a rustic servant, as some perceived Margelov, but a man who saw the prospects of the Airborne Forces, who had a great desire to turn them into the elite of the Armed Forces. To do this, it was necessary to break stereotypes and inertia, win the trust of active, energetic people, involve them in a joint productive work. Over time, V. Margelov formed a circle of like-minded people carefully selected and nurtured by him. And the outstanding sense of the new, combat authority and the ability of the commander to work with people made it possible to achieve the set goals.

Year 1970, operational-strategic exercise "Dvina". Here is what the newspaper of the Belarusian Military District “For the Glory of the Motherland” wrote about them: “Belarus is a country of forests and lakes, and it is incredibly difficult to find a landing site. The weather wasn't good, but it didn't give us any reason to be discouraged either. Attack fighters ironed the ground, from the commentator's booth it sounded: "Attention!" - and the eyes of those present turned upward.

Here, large points separated from the first aircraft - these were military equipment, artillery, cargo, and then paratroopers fell like peas from the hatches of the An-12. But the crown of the throw was the appearance in the air of four "Anteys". A few minutes - and now there is a whole regiment on the ground!

AN-22 "Antey"

When the last paratrooper touched the ground, V.F. Margelov stopped the stopwatch on the commander's watch and showed it to the Minister of Defense. It took more than 22 minutes for eight thousand paratroopers and 150 units of military equipment to be delivered to the rear of the "enemy".

Brilliant results were also achieved at the major exercises Dnepr, Berezina, Yug… It has become common practice to raise airborne troops, say, in Pskov, make a long flight and land near Ferghana, Kirovabad or in Mongolia. Commenting on one of the exercises, Margelov told the Krasnaya Zvezda correspondent:

Application airborne assault became practically unlimited. For example, we have this type of combat training: on the map of the country, a point is arbitrarily chosen where troops are dropped. Warrior parachutists jump into a completely unfamiliar area: into the taiga and deserts, lakes, swamps and mountains ...

It was after the exercises "Dvina", declaring gratitude to the guardsmen for their courage and military skill, the commander, as if by chance, asked:

Margelov could be understood: there was a need to reduce the preparation time landing units to combat after landing. The landing of military equipment from one aircraft, and the crews from another, led to the fact that the spread sometimes amounted to five kilometers. While the crews were looking for equipment, it took a lot of time.

A little later, Margelov again returned to this idea:

I understand that it is difficult, but no one but us will do it.

Moreover, when - it was rather difficult to make a fundamental decision to conduct the first such experiment - Vasily Filippovich proposed his candidacy to participate in the first test of this kind, the Minister of Defense and the Chief of the General Staff were categorically against it.

However, even without this, there were legends about the courage of the commander. It manifested itself not only in a combat situation. At one of the festive receptions, where they could not help but invite the disgraced Marshal Georgy Konstantinovich Zhukov, Vasily Filippovich, stretched out at attention, congratulated him on the holiday. Zhukov, being the Minister of Defense, repeatedly observed the actions of the paratroopers in the exercises and expressed satisfaction with their high skill, admired their courage and courage. General Margelov was proud of the respect of such military leaders for himself, and therefore did not change his attitude towards honored people in favor of temporary workers and high-ranking sycophants.

The troops of "Uncle Sam" and the troops of "Uncle Vasya"

At the end of the spring of 1991, official visit in the United States, Minister of Defense of the USSR Marshal of the Soviet Union D.T. Yazov.

Dmitry Timofeevich Yazov

Returning to Moscow, the minister met with officers of the Information Department of the Ministry of Defense.

Subsequently, reflecting on this meeting that lasted more than two hours in the hall where meetings of the Collegium of the Ministry of Defense usually took place, I came to the conclusion that communication with us, ordinary employees of the department, was primarily aimed at conveying to the general public through officers who, on duty, maintain contacts with the press, his very skeptical opinion about the merits of the military equipment of the richest power in the world and about the level of preparedness of the American "pros", which were then excitedly admired by the Ogonyok magazine and related publications.

During a visit to the military base at Fort Bragg, the Soviet Minister of Defense was invited to a demonstration exercise of one of parachute battalions the famous "regiment of devils" - the 82nd Airborne Division of the United States.

Fort Bragg

This division became famous for participating in almost all post-war conflicts in which the United States intervened (Dominican Republic, Vietnam, Grenada, Panama, etc.). She was the first to land in the Middle East before the start of the anti-Iraq Desert Storm in 1990. In all operations, the "devils" were at the forefront of the attack as the most dexterous, courageous, invincible.

And it was these “understudies of Satan” who were instructed to surprise the Soviet minister with their class of training and fearlessness. They were parachuted in. Part of the battalion landed in combat vehicles. But the effect of the "show-off" turned out to be the opposite of what was expected, because Dmitry Timofeevich could not talk about what he saw in North Carolina without a bitter smile.

What grade would I give you for such a landing? - asked, slyly narrowing his eyes, the Minister of Defense of the then Deputy Commander of the Airborne Forces for combat training, Lieutenant General E. N. Podkolzin, who was part of the Soviet military delegation.

You would tear off my head and I ..., Comrade Minister! - Evgeny Nikolaevich minted.

It turns out that almost all American paratroopers thrown out of aircraft in combat vehicles received serious injuries and injuries. There were also those who died. After landing, more than half of the cars did not budge...

This is hard to believe, but even in the early 90s, the vaunted American professionals did not have the same equipment as ours and did not know the secrets of the safe landing of "winged infantry" units on equipment that were mastered in "Uncle Vasya's troops" (as called themselves airborne troops, hinting at the special warmth of feelings for the commander) back in the 70s.

And it all began with the courageous decision of Margelov to put the responsibility of a pioneer on his shoulders. Then, in 1972, in the USSR, tests of the newly created Centaur system were in full swing - for landing people inside an airborne combat vehicle on parachute platforms. The experiments were risky, so they started on animals. Far from everything went smoothly: either the parachute canopy was torn, or the active deceleration engines did not work. One of the jumps even ended in the death of the dog Buran.

Something similar happened with Western testers of identical systems. True, they experimented on people there. A man sentenced to death was placed in a combat vehicle that was dropped from an airplane. It crashed, and for a long time the West considered it inexpedient to continue development work in this direction.

Despite the risk, Margelov believed in the possibility of creating safe systems for landing people on equipment and insisted on complicating tests. Since further "dog" jumps were going well, he sought a transition to a new phase of R & D - with the participation of warriors. In early January 1973, he had a difficult conversation with the Minister of Defense of the USSR, Marshal of the Soviet Union A. A. Grechko.

Anton Andreevich Grechko

Do you understand, Vasily Filippovich, what you are doing, what you are risking? - Andrey Antonovich urged Margelov to abandon his plan.

I understand perfectly, that's why I stand on my own, - answered the general. - And those who are ready for the experiment also understand everything perfectly.
On January 5, 1973, the historic leap took place. For the first time in the world, the crew was parachuted inside the BMD-1 on parachute-platform means. It included Major L. Zuev and Lieutenant A. Margelov - in the car next to an experienced officer was the youngest son of the commander, Alexander, at that time a young engineer of the scientific and technical committee of the Airborne Forces.

Only a very courageous person would dare to send his son to such a complex, unpredictable experiment. It was an act akin to the feat of Lieutenant General Nikolai Raevsky, when Kutuzov's favorite in 1812 near Saltanovka fearlessly led his young sons in front of the front of the battalions faltering from the French buckshot and with this amazing example breathed stamina into the discouraged grenadiers, held the position, deciding the outcome of the battle. Sacrificial heroism of this kind in world military history is a unique phenomenon.

N. Raevsky with his sons

A combat vehicle was dropped from the AN-12, five domes were opened, - Alexander Vasilyevich Margelov, now an employee of the Ministry of Foreign Economic Relations, recalled the details of the unprecedented jump. - Of course, it is dangerous, but one thing reassured me: the system has been successfully used for more than one year. True, no people. Landed normally. In the summer of 1975, on the basis of the parachute regiment, which was then commanded by Major V. Achalov, Lieutenant Colonel L. Shcherbakov and I inside the BMD and four officers outside, in the joint landing cabin, jumped again ...

Vasily Filippovich was awarded for this bold innovation State Prize THE USSR.

The Centaur was replaced (not least thanks to the commander of the Airborne Forces, who stubbornly argued in the highest party and government authorities of the country that a new method of delivering fighters and equipment to the target, its early development to enhance the mobility of the "winged infantry") soon came a new, more perfect system "Reactavr". The rate of decline on it was four times higher than on the Centaur. In psychophysical terms, it is correspondingly more difficult for a paratrooper (a deafening roar and roar, a flame escaping from jet nozzles is very close). On the other hand, the vulnerability to enemy fire and the time from the moment of being thrown out of the aircraft to bringing the BMD into combat position were sharply reduced.

From 1976 to 1991, the Reaktavr system was used about 100 times, and always successfully. Year by year, from exercise to exercise, the "blue berets" gained experience in its application, polished their own skills at various stages of landing.

For more information about the creation of the “Centaur” and “Reaktaur” systems, see the website: Spurs on OVS - Military equipment - Taming of the "Centaur".

Since 1979, Vasily Filippovich was no longer with them, having surrendered the post of commander of the Airborne Forces and transferred to the Group of General Inspectors of the Ministry of Defense. Eleven years later, on March 4, 1990, he passed away. But the memory of Paratrooper number one, his precepts to the blue berets are imperishable.

The name of Army General V.F. Margelov wear the Ryazan High Command airborne school, streets, squares and squares of St. Petersburg, Ryazan, Omsk, Pskov, Tula ... Monuments were erected to him in St. Petersburg, Ryazan, Pskov, Omsk, Tula, Ukrainian cities Dnepropetrovsk and Lvov, Belarusian Kostyukovichi.

paratrooper warriors, airborne veterans every year they come to the monument of their commander on Novodevichy cemetery to honor his memory.

But the main thing is that the spirit of Margelov is alive in the troops. Feat 6th parachute company 104th guards regiment The 76th Pskov division, in which Vasily Filippovich began his journey to the Airborne Forces, is an eloquent confirmation of this. He is also in other accomplishments of the paratroopers recent decades, in which the "winged infantry" covered itself with unfading glory.

Family

Father - Philip Ivanovich Markelov - a metallurgical worker, in the First World War he became a holder of two St. George's crosses.
Mother - Agafya Stepanovna, was from Bobruisk county.
Two brothers - Ivan (senior), Nikolai (younger) and sister Maria.

V. F. Margelov was married three times:

The first wife, Maria, left her husband and son (Gennady).
The second wife is Feodosia Efremovna Selitskaya (mother of Anatoly and Vitaly).
The last wife is Anna Alexandrovna Kurakina, a doctor. He met Anna Alexandrovna during the Great Patriotic War.

Five sons:

Gennady Vasilievich (born 1931) - Major General.
Anatoly Vasilyevich (1938-2008) - Doctor of Technical Sciences, professor, author of more than 100 patents and inventions in the military-industrial complex.
Vitaly Vasilievich(born 1941) - a professional intelligence officer, an employee of the KGB of the USSR and the SVR of Russia, later - a public and political figure; colonel general, deputy of the State Duma.
Vasily Vasilyevich (1943-2010) - reserve major; First Deputy Director of the Directorate international relations Russian State Broadcasting Company "Voice of Russia" (RGRK "Voice of Russia")
Alexander Vasilievich(born 1943) - officer of the Airborne Forces. On August 29, 1996, "for the courage and heroism shown in testing, fine-tuning and mastering special equipment" (landing inside the BMD-1 on a parachute-rocket system in the Reaktavr complex, carried out for the first time in world practice in 1976) was awarded the title of Hero Russian Federation. After retiring, he worked in the structures of Rosoboronexport.

Vasily Vasilyevich and Alexander Vasilyevich are twin brothers. In 2003, they co-authored a book about their father - "Paratrooper No. 1 Army General Margelov."

Awards and titles

USSR awards

Medal " Golden Star» No. 3414 Hero of the Soviet Union (03/19/1944)
four Orders of Lenin (03/21/1944, 11/3/1953, 12/26/1968, 12/26/1978)
order October revolution (4.05.1972)
two Orders of the Red Banner (3.02.1943, 20.06.1949)
Order of Suvorov, 2nd class (1944)
two Orders of the Patriotic War, 1st class (01/25/1943, 03/11/1985)
Order of the Red Star (3.11.1944)
two Orders "For Service to the Motherland in Armed Forces USSR "2nd (12/14/1988) and 3rd degree (04/30/1975)
medals

He was awarded twelve Gratitudes of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief (03/13/1944, 03/28/1944, 04/10/1944, 11/4/1944, 12/24/1944, 02/13/1945, 03/25/1945, 04/3/1945, 04/05/1945, 1905. May 8, 1945).

Awards of foreign countries

Order of the People's Republic of Bulgaria, 2nd class (09/20/1969)
four anniversary medals Bulgaria (1974, 1978, 1982, 1985)

Hungarian People's Republic:

star and badge of the Order of the People's Republic of Hungary, 3rd class (04/04/1950)
medal "Brotherhood in Arms" gold degree (09/29/1985)

order "Star of Friendship of Peoples" in silver (23.02.1978)
medal "Arthur Becker" in gold (23.05.1980)

medal "Sino-Soviet friendship" (23.02.1955)

two anniversary medals (1978, 1986)

Mongolian People's Republic:

Order of the Battle Red Banner (06/07/1971)
seven anniversary medals (1968, 1971, 1974, 1975, 1979, 1982)

medal "For Odra, Nisa and Baltic" (05/07/1985)
medal "Brotherhood in Arms" (10/12/1988)
Officer of the Order of the Rebirth of Poland (6.11.1973)

SR Romania:

Order of Tudor Vladimirescu 2nd (10/1/1974) and 3rd (10/24/1969) degree
two commemorative medals (1969, 1974)

order "Legion of Honor" degree of commander (05/10/1945)
medal "Bronze Star" (05/10/1945)

Czechoslovakia:

Order of Klement Gottwald (1969)
medal "For Strengthening Friendship in Arms" 1st class (1970)
two anniversary medals

honorary titles

Hero of the Soviet Union (1944)
Laureate of the State Prize of the USSR (1975)
Honorary Citizen of Kherson
Honorary soldier of the military unit of the Airborne Forces

Proceedings

Margelov VF Airborne troops. - M .: Knowledge, 1977. - 64 p.
Margelov VF Soviet Airborne. - 2nd ed. - M .: Military publishing house, 1986. - 64 p.

Memory

By order of the Minister of Defense of the USSR of April 20, 1985, V.F. Margelov was enlisted as an Honorary Soldier in the lists of the 76th Pskov Airborne Division.

monument to V.F. Margelov in Dnepropetrovsk

memorial plaque in Moscow

medal of V.F. Margelov

The paratroopers called him "Uncle Vasya." Thanks to him, the airborne divisions turned into elite troops capable of “redrawing” the map of Europe overnight.

First successes

Vasily Filippovich Margelov was drafted into the Red Army in 1928. Even before the start of World War II, he showed himself during the Polish campaign, the Soviet-Finnish war. But, perhaps, it was during the Great Patriotic War that he revealed himself as an outstanding commander. What is worth one surrender without a fight to the "Soviet Skorzeny" (as the Germans called him) of the divisions of the SS Panzer Corps "Dead Head" and "Grossdeutschland" on May 12, 1945, which were ordered not to be allowed into the zone of responsibility of the Americans. The enemy driven into a corner is capable of much - there is nothing to lose. For the SS men, retribution for the atrocities was inevitable, and new victims were inevitable. And the order was clear - to capture or destroy.

Margelov went to decisive step. With a group of officers armed with machine guns and grenades, the divisional commander, accompanied by a battery of 57-mm cannons on his "jeep" arrived at the group's headquarters. By ordering the battalion commander to set up direct fire guns at the enemy headquarters and shoot if he does not return in ten minutes.

Margelov gave the Germans an ultimatum: Either they surrender and save their lives, or total annihilation using all fire weapons of the division: “by 4.00 in the morning - the front to the east. Light weapons: machine guns, machine guns, rifles - in piles, ammunition - nearby. The second line - military equipment, guns and mortars - vents down. Soldiers and officers - we are building to the west. Time to think - just a few minutes: "until his cigarette burns out." The nerves of the Germans cracked first. The picture of the surrender of the SS was amazing. The exact count of trophies showed the following figures: 2 generals, 806 officers, 31,258 non-commissioned officers, 77 tanks and self-propelled guns, 5847 trucks, 493 trucks, 46 mortars, 120 guns, 16 locomotives, 397 wagons. For this military feat, at the Victory Parade, Margelov was entrusted with commanding the combined regiment of the 2nd Ukrainian Front.

"You won't be coming home"

In 1950, Margelov took command of the Far Eastern Special Corps of the Airborne Forces. At that time, landing troops were not very popular. They were compared with fines, and the abbreviation itself was deciphered: “It is unlikely that you will return home.” It is impossible to believe, but after a few months, the Airborne Forces became the best part of the ground forces.

Subsequently, primitive equipment was replenished with a Kalashnikov assault rifle with a special folding butt so that it does not interfere with the opening of the parachute, lightweight aluminum armor, an RPG-16 anti-tank grenade launcher, and Centaur platforms for landing people in combat vehicles. And the fatalistic name was replaced in the 70s with "Uncle Vasya's Troops", as the airborne troops themselves called themselves, emphasizing the special warmth of feelings for their commander.

An indicative result of the reforms of the Airborne Forces of Margelov, in particular, is that in matters of landing our "winged guard" in the 90s, even the vaunted American "devil's regiment" - the 82nd airborne division USA. At the demonstration performances of its soldiers in 1991, where the Minister of Defense of the USSR Marshal of the Soviet Union D.T. Yazov was present, almost half of the paratroopers received serious injuries and injuries, and the combat vehicles, after a “soft landing”, no longer moved.

First jump

In the 1960s, after Yuri Gagarin's first flight into space and his parachute landing as a result of a ship malfunction during landing, the road to incredible aerial experiments opened up for Margelov and his winged guards. Soviet paratroopers set absolute records: jumping from the stratosphere from a height of 23 km with the immediate opening of a parachute, landing on the mountains of the Caucasus and the Pamirs.

Vasily Margelov himself once said: “He who has never left an airplane in his life, from where cities and villages seem like toys, who has never experienced the joy and fear of free fall, a whistle in his ears, a stream of wind beating in his chest, he will never will understand the honor and pride of a paratrooper." He himself made about 60 jumps, the last at the age of 65.

30 minutes is everything

During Czechoslovak crisis in 1968, even during the preparations for Operation Danube, the 7th and 103rd Guards Airborne Divisions were fully mobilized and ready to land on the territory of Czechoslovakia at any moment. When, on August 18, 1968, at a meeting of the Politburo of the Central Committee of the CPSU, a decision was finally made to send troops. It was not coordinated with the highest party and government authorities of Czechoslovakia. Therefore, the commander of the Airborne Forces was given absolute freedom actions.

30 minutes were spent on the entire operation to seize airfields, secure the runway and set up take-off and landing equipment. Subsequently, during his report to the Minister of Defense of the USSR, Margelov noted: “When the paratroopers broke into the building of the Zapototsky Academy, the officers of the Czechoslovak people's army sat over the maps and plotted the position of our troops that had crossed the border. Their arrival in Brno was expected in the middle of the day.

Zolotov Semyon Mitrofanovich, Kukushkin Alexey Vasilyevich, Kraev Vladimir Stepanovich, Gudz Pavel Danilovich, Bardeev Igor Alexandrovich, Shcherbakov Leonid Ivanovich, Orlov Georgy Alexandrovich, Borisov Mikhail Ivanovich, Kostin Boris Akimovich, Dvugroshev Yuri Ivanovich, Dragun Boris Antonovich, Volgar Vladimir Ivanovich, Shevchenko Arsentievich, Alexei Semenovich Kurteev, Nikolai Pavlovich Molchanov, Vladimir Andreevich Markelov, Alexei Petrovich Lushnikov, Boris Georgievich Zhukov, Sharip Khabeevich Minigulov, Gennady Vasilievich Ryabov, Vladimir Denisovich Paramonov, Vladimir Yakovlevich Anpilogov, Gennady Aleksandrovich Melkov, Aleksey Dyachenko Palatnikov Alexander Samoilovich, Gnilenko Valery Pavlovich, Ponizovsky Vladimir Semenovich, Ismailov Agamehti Mamed oglu (Mikhail Mikhailovich), Tamindarov Khusnutdin Shaikhutdinovich, Kostenko Yuri Petrovich, Skrynnikov Mikhail Fedorovich, whose materials and the memoirs are used in the book by those who helped in their collection, as well as by those who assisted the authors in preparing this book for publication - first of all, Igrinev Yuri Ivanovich, Dronov Sergey Vasilyevich and Zakharenkov Valery Nikolaevich. Special thanks to the grandson of Army General Margelov, reserve officer Alexander Alexandrovich, an excellent computer scientist, without whose help the book would have appeared much later.

We bow our heads before the blessed memory of Pavlenko Pavel Fedoseevich, Lisov Ivan Ivanovich, Kulishev Oleg Fedorovich, Shubin Valery Fedorovich, Davydov Ivan Nikolaevich, Doronin Vladimir Dmitrievich, Mikhalev Nikolai Sergeevich.

Their memories of Vasily Filippovich Margelov are a tribute to the outstanding military leader and parting words to the current defenders of the Fatherland.

After the publication of the book "General of the Army Margelov V.F." (Polygraphresursy ed., Moscow, 1998) many readers asked to write a book about the service of Vasily Filippovich Margelov in the Airborne Forces of the USSR - from his first steps as an airborne paratrooper to the Commander of the Airborne Forces.

The first written request of this kind was a letter from Igor Nikolaevich Sheptukhin from the city of Odintsovo, Moscow Region, which the authors took the liberty of reproducing in full:

“Dear Alexander Vasilyevich, hello!

I read your book "Army General Margelov". Thank you very much for it. People like your father, Vasily Filippovich, are the golden fund of our country, its pride, honor, glory! The memory of General Margelov live forever! In our difficult time, Vasily Filippovich serves as an example of a real Russian officer not only for the Airborne Forces, but also for our entire long-suffering Army. Our growing youth, who seem to have other guidelines, should also know about such people. It is on such books that you need to educate her!

Unfortunately, I did not have to link my fate with the Airborne Forces, but my dad served for 8 years, first in the 114th Vienna Airborne Forces, and then in the 103rd Vitebsk Airborne Forces. It was thanks to his stories about the Airborne Forces that the love for these troops came to me. Your book has been a real gift to me.

With your permission, I have a request for you. You should definitely write another book, where you will cover all the years of Vasily Filippovich's work in the Airborne Forces in more detail. The book "Army General Margelov" is wonderful, but there is too little about the paratrooper Margelov.

That's all I wanted to write. Once again, thank you very much for your book. Accept as a sign of respect the poem about "Paratrooper No. 1", believe me, it was written with all my heart!

Goodbye, regards,

Sheptukhin Igor Nikolaevich.

Naturally, with deep gratitude from the entire Margelov family, as well as from many other people who are completely different in relation to military service, age and education, the authors cite this wonderful poem.

In the history of the landing glorious There are many brave commanders, But first on the list is legendary Vasil Filippovich Margelov! Betrothed for a century with glory, Having passed the path of dashing years, He is a Patriot, Soldier, Scientist, Paratrooper number one! Great Son your country, He served as an example for the soldiers. He carried the roads of war Worthy of an officer's rank. Suvorov traditions banner He held calloused hands. Taught soldiers - Victory is with us! And where it is difficult - he won. The soldiers loved the commander, Always, everywhere noticed. For intelligence, courage, prowess, strength Lovingly called Batey. "Margelovets" - there is no higher rank! And they were proud of this title: They went with him on a mission, With him - in hand-to-hand converged, Always fought bravely, deftly, Courage is the key to success. And Neva Dubrovka remembers Bayonets of the Margelov marines! And in a difficult hour near Stalingrad They did the right thing. Guardsmen led not for awards, For the Motherland dashing Margelov! Having drunk the Dnieper water And crossed the Dnieper rapids, Even more courageous began to fight With the enemy in that terrible time. Fought in trenches and trenches Margelovtsy for the earth is holy, Bravely drove the Germans in the neck Regiments native forty-ninth! Kherson, Odessa, Nikolaev - The path is marked with victories. And among the cannon bark Guardsmen cannot be turned back! And they know Budapest and Vienna As they walked, chasing a menacing step, How to break through enemy walls Throws of Margelov attacks. And Red Square will remember Victory Parade in forty-fifth, Paving stones will long remember How Margelov's soldiers marched! After the war, the task arose Attach landing troops ... And strengthened the defense Margelov's hand again. He created a nugget, an ingot, Those who are stronger and braver Soviet Army elite - Her country's heroes! Those who are in battle, in the first exercises, In attacks and, of course, in sports, Who tore their veins and nerves In a winged valiant cohort. Who is where the path is always dangerous, Who from the sky - into battle by parachute. Troops landing "Uncle Vasya" Any routes on the shoulder. They keep the country from grief, They are her protection, color; Her reliable strong root And a strong backbone. In a sergeant, in a private, in a battalion commander - Margelov spirit live! And in everyone who is ready to serve, - Live in eternal memory of Bath!

There were many other reviews: written, at meetings, by phone ... Veterans of the Great Patriotic and other wars, veterans of military service, purely civilian people sent and transmitted their memories, comments, suggestions for a new edition of the book. The authors are very grateful to all such readers. Even the one who, after reading the book, somehow warily asked if the political worker wrote the book. The authors were not political workers, so they asked with surprise what led him to such thoughts. It turns out that he did not like the frequent mention in the text of the glorious military deeds of soldiers - political workers, communists and Komsomol members. I had to remember that in the years great war soldiers considered it an honor to wear these high ranks, and political workers often became yesterday's fighters and combat commanders, the most literate and conscious. Their task was one - to convey to each warrior political goals liberation war against the impudent invader, and these goals, fortunately, coincided with the goals leading party led by the great Stalin. By the way, the enemy also “appreciated” them highly - when captured, they were threatened with execution out of turn, without talking ... These were the advantages of political workers, communists and Komsomol members at the front. And their exploits, described in the book, are mainly taken from the memories of the war of soldiers, sergeants and junior commanders (combat officers!). So do not confuse these guys ready for self-sacrifice with today's shifters - Gorbachevs, Yeltsins and the like, who betrayed themselves first of all, betrayed the interests of the working people. Even the very word political worker has disappeared, now in the army there are educators, as if we live outside of politics. Absurd! The Armed Forces of the country are created to protect it from an external enemy. And war, as every more or less literate person should well know, is the continuation of politics by other means.

The new edition, revised and enlarged, is published in two parts under common name"Through the Hurricanes of the Five Wars". This is exactly what my father wanted to call his memoirs ... but he did not leave memoirs, although many asked him about it.

Even during the life of Army General V.F. Margelov was called "Man-Legend", "Paratrooper No. 1". The people who served under his command called themselves "Margelovtsy", and the abbreviation of the Airborne Forces - Airborne Forces, to this day stands for "Uncle Vasya's Troops."

A patriot, a brave, daring, direct, caring commander, a talented military leader, capable of acting on the basis of honor, always ready for self-sacrifice ... It is to him that the honor and glory of creating the unsurpassed Airborne Forces belongs. A participant in five wars, as he himself said, Vasily Filippovich hated war with all his heart, spoke about it rarely and sparingly. But he loved films about the war - sitting down in front of the TV screen, he admitted: “I love watching war in the cinema!”

The first part of "The Song Praises the Falcon" describes in detail his combat biography until the end of the Great Patriotic War. In the second part, "Paratrooper number one" - his military work in the Airborne Forces. The book was written primarily on the basis of his own memoirs, according to the memoirs of veterans of the Great Patriotic War and military service, who went through the military path with him, as well as according to the memoirs of his friends and people close to him.

"In the image and likeness of Suvorov"

The combat chronicle of Russia is rich in glorious names that Russian hearts can rightfully be proud of. Let us recall the inspired words of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief I.V. Stalin, uttered by him at an unprecedented military parade on Red Square in Moscow on November 7, 1941: “Let the courageous image of our great ancestors - Alexander Nevsky, Dmitry Donskoy, Kuzma Minin, Dmitry Pozharsky, Alexander Suvorov, Mikhail Kutuzov inspire you in this war ... ".

Let's dwell on one of these glorious names ... Alexander Vasilyevich Suvorov! A commander who has not had and has no equal not only in domestic, but also in world history. Very few generals can be compared to him. In the 19th century, only three were awarded such an honor ...

The Georgian prince and Great Russian Pyotr Ivanovich Bagration was one of them. Suvorov himself loved and appreciated him. He was called "a general in the image and likeness of Suvorov."

Stepan Alexandrovich Khrulev, hero of Sevastopol (1854–1856), favorite of the defenders of the Black Sea stronghold. In the poem dedicated to him by the Russian poet Apollon Maikov, fiery lines are burned:

This is the secret of the Russian forces, accessible to a few: To the feat of valor both in peace and in war There is no need for Russians to call teams with a strict word, But everyone will rise to the click “Darlings, come to me!”

Mikhail Dmitrievich Skobelev ... The legendary Skobelev, who glorified his name with brilliant campaigns in Central Asia and unsurpassed victories in the Balkans in 1877-1878 in the war for the freedom and independence of the Slavic brothers. It was his troops, who crushed the Turks, who were stopped by diplomats in one transition from the Ottoman capital, it was he, the Great Russian, who brought the once proud Turkey to its knees.

Comparisons with the great Suvorov were made not by the number of battles won, not by the number of operations carried out, not by the ranks achieved. Another criterion was taken - selfless courage, characteristic only of the great Russians, contempt for danger when it came to the fate of Russia, unshakable stamina and unparalleled audacity in battle, the ability to achieve successes worthy of entire armies with a handful of forces. And most importantly - the greatness of the soul, mercy, kind-hearted and fatherly attitude towards the soldier, modesty and crystal honesty ...

If we take these criteria as a basis - all at once, then in the twentieth century, the Hero of the Soviet Union, Army General Vasily Filippovich Margelov can be safely attributed to the number of generals "in the image and likeness of Suvorov".

It was he, like Suvorov, who knew how to solve tasks with a handful of fighters that regiments and divisions could do, it was he who boldly went to his death and emerged victorious, as the reader will be convinced of this after reading the book. It was he who, to the pain of his heart, loved and took care of the soldier and shared with him the last piece of bread. It was he who was crystal honest when acquisitiveness became the norm of higher life. commanders. It was he who was idolized and adored by his subordinates, who were ready to cover him with their breasts in moments of danger. It was his name that the front-line soldiers were proud of, falling into units and formations subordinate to him, and paratroopers, when Vasily Filippovich headed this heroic branch of the army. To this day, the Airborne Forces are considered "Uncle Vasya's troops", and, speaking like this, the sons of these troops put into their words the extraordinary power of love for "Uncle Vasya", respect for him, pride in their belonging to the heroic ...

It was he, one of the very few generals, who could sacrifice everything dearest when it came to the power of the Fatherland. It was he who accomplished an unsurpassed and unparalleled feat in our time, equal to the feat of Nikolai Raevsky. Raevsky, in 1812, near Saltanovka, at a critical moment, went out with his sons under the buckshot in front of the faltering battalions, and this feat decided the outcome of the battle in his favor. He saved the army of Bagration, thwarted Napoleon's plan to dismember and destroy the Russian troops. He saved Russia.

When it was necessary to carry out the necessary, but extremely dangerous tests of new methods and means of landing the BMD-1 airborne combat vehicle on parachute systems, which, if successful, made it possible to raise the combat capability of the Airborne Forces to an immeasurable height, and consequently, the defense power of the state, Margelov sent on them his son.

Airborne officer Alexander Vasilyevich Margelov, named after the great Suvorov, on the orders of his father and at the behest of his brave Russian heart, made the first experimental jump in history inside a combat vehicle on a serial parachute system ... Then there were two more similar experiments on other new and more complex systems landing ...

They say for the first experiment, Vasily Filippovich took a pistol loaded with one live cartridge ... For himself ...

All tests were successful ... The last landing on a parachute-rocket system is especially memorable for Colonel Alexander Margelov and his friend in two experiments, Lieutenant General Leonid Shcherbakov, for which they were awarded high rank Hero of Russia.

Catherine the Great liked to repeat: “God gave the Russians a special property!” This special property her great associates possessed - the best of the "flock of glorious Catherine's eagles" - Alexei Grigoryevich Orlov, who deprived Turkey of her fleet near Chesma, Pyotr Alexandrovich Rumyantsev, famous for the unprecedented Kagul victory, Potemkin, "whose genius reigned over all parts of Russian politics", and, of course same, invincible Suvorov. They were the pride of the Russians. And also the great generals of the past. Russia is now proud of the general "in the image and likeness of Suvorov" Vasily Filippovich Margelov.

In the second half of the 18th century, the Prussian envoy Solms reported to Frederick II: "All Catherine's wars are waged by the Russian mind." He saw this as the reason. brilliant victories in all theaters of military operations, for, according to Catherine, "Russian weapons there only do not acquire glory for themselves, where they do not raise their hands."

The Russian mind of the Great Russian General Margelov in the second half of the 20th century created unsurpassed Airborne Forces, troops of a truly Russian spirit, troops “in the image and likeness of Suvorov’s miraculous heroes. And the miraculous heroes of Margelov inherited the audacity and courage of the miraculous heroes of Suvorov.

In the glorious age of Catherine the Great, who became a truly Great Russian woman and the pride of Russia, "not a single gun in Europe", according to the Russian diplomat Alexander Andreyevich Bezborodko, "did not dare to fire without the knowledge of the empress."

Would anyone dare to speak with our state in high tones, when the “troops of Uncle Vasya”, the impudent and lightning-fast, powerful and courageous marvelous warriors of Margelov, stood guard over its dignity and honor!

In difficult days for Russia, we involuntarily turn to the great past of our state, draw strength from its glorious history, look especially closely at the images of our great compatriots, who are the pride of the nation.

The Russian philosopher Alexander Nikolaevich Berdyaev wrote: “A nation includes not only human generations, but also the stones of churches, palaces and estates, tombstones, old manuscripts and books, and in order to understand the will of the nation, you need to hear these stones, read the decayed pages ... In the will of the nation is spoken not only by the living, but also by the dead, speaking of the great past and the still mysterious future…”.

The will of Russia! What else can feed it today if not the memory of great ancestors, if not books about those who gave their lives for the power of Russia. The will of the nation speaks the fighting spirit of Alexander Nevsky and Dmitry Donskoy, Rumyantsev and Potemkin, Suvorov and Bagration, Khrulev and Skobelev.

Fighting spirit will live in the will of the Russians glorious general Margelov, who created troops that, in terms of their combat effectiveness, surpassed entire armies of other states at the time when he, the Great Russian, commanded them.

And let this spirit, this pride in great Russia be strengthened by a book about our remarkable compatriot, written by his son Alexander, Hero of Russia, a book worthy of the memory of the Great Russian - Vasily Filippovich Margelov.

Colonel Nikolay Shakhmagonov,

member of the Writers' Union of Russia.

In rare family footage, Vasily Margelov, to whom two German tank corps surrendered without a fight in 1945, does not at all look like a formidable military leader. Cigarettes "Belomor-kanal", a vest, riding breeches - everything is like ordinary people. Nearby is his wife Anna Alexandrovna, whom he met in 1941 on Leningrad front and five sons. The last two - Alexander and Vasily - are twins, who later wrote the book "Paratrooper No. 1 General of the Margelov Army" about their legendary father.

Two St. George's crosses at Father Margelov

born in ordinary family a metallurgical worker who returned home with two St. George crosses on his chest and was able to hug his three sons and daughter, the father for Vasily became absolute example courage and thoughtfulness. Father taught Vasily that the one who can think and fight wins. These postulates of his father became the main ones for Vasily, he did not leave the enemy a single chance, except for one - to surrender in order to live on.

Mines, forest, ski run to Moscow

But the first testament of his father - not to lose heart - was useful to Vasily when he got into a blockage in the mine, where he worked and dug out heavy stones with his comrades. After that, he got a lung disease and was sent as a forester, which also came in handy for him in the ability to disguise and shoot, which he showed after being drafted into the ranks of the Red Army with excellent marks. He was sent to a military school in Belarus, to study as a red commander, where he organized a ski run to Moscow. On the way, they lost one cadet, returned, although they had traveled several kilometers. It is seen, strong wind knocked down a cadet, he fell, he was immediately covered with snow, he could not get out. After this incident, Margelov walked the rest of the way at the rear, and not the first, as it was before. So, gradually, the talent of a military teacher was formed in Margelov - you should always take care of others more than yourself.

"Hey, claws!"

In 1941, Vasily Margelov had the most difficult, as he himself wrote, test: he had to sign several hundred funerals at a time. Then he was appointed commander of the first special regiment of sailors of the Baltic Fleet. Margelov already had a significant military burden behind him: the Finnish war, where he became famous by capturing several generals from the enemy General Staff, command disciplinary battalion. However, the sailors are a people of a special warehouse: they received the land major gloomily. When Vasily saw the frowning faces, he said out of the ordinary: “Great, pincers!” And that's it. Of course they smiled. He had to become related to the brothers and take, perhaps, the most main fight In my life. This happened at the end of November 1941. The Soviet command made another attempt to break through the blockade of Leningrad: Margelov's regiment was ordered to attack the positions of the Germans in the area of Lake Ladoga. An infantry division was also supposed to support the attack of the sailors, but for unknown reasons it did not reach the starting lines in time. In such a difficult situation, Margelov refused to throw his people into battle without support, realizing that they could all die there to no avail, in vain. The head of the special department then told him: “Either Major Margelov will attack, or he will be shot according to the laws of war.” Then Margelov gathered all his commanders and told them that he would not force them into battle, it would be better to let him be shot.

Vest - in memory of the sailors

Both in peacetime and in wartime, those commanders who protect their children and do not hide behind their backs are always respected. The sailors, realizing that the situation was extremely difficult, volunteered to go with their commanders in a deadly attack. On the night of November 27, 1941, they captured the first line German defense, price huge losses they stayed there for several hours, until the command ordered them to retreat to their previous positions. Later, the command of the division, which gave the criminal order, was shot. And Margelov personally testified against divisional commanders during the consideration of the case by a military tribunal. But the dead could not be returned. And Vasily understood this, again experiencing and remembering that terrible night when the sailors went after him. In 1968, in memory of the brothers, Vasily Margelov insisted that the uniform of the paratroopers should be in without fail vest introduced. And although this caused a certain amount of jealousy on the part of the representatives of the navy, Vasily was able to convince the Minister of Defense and his deputies that the paratroopers are the successors of the traditions of the fleet and recognize for him, "for the elder brother" superiority in this type of clothing. But gradually these lappings came to naught, and for decades the paratroopers lovingly wore naked vests, this warm and comfortable clothing for everyday wear.

Margelov always treated his subordinates with care and real respect, he delved into all the details of the life of soldiers. When, in 1942, Lieutenant Colonel Margelov took command of the 13th Rifle Regiment, the first thing he did was go to the canteen, where he discovered that the soldier's ration was not so rich and ordered to give his additional ration to the canteen. Other officers followed suit. It is not surprising that for such care, the soldiers sincerely loved their commander, who led them into battle on the Mius Front: they were able to break through the German defense in depth in the Saur-mogila area.

Troops need armor

Vasily Margelov, who returned from the front with the Golden Star of the Hero for the capture of Kherson and the formation of the Dnieper and walked at the Victory Parade on Red Square, graduated from the military academy in 1948 and set about the main idea of his life - a radical change in the structure of the military landing troops. He was literally obsessed with the idea of \u200b\u200bprotecting his paratroopers with armor because these troops were usually sent into the thick of it, so that when they landed, they steadfastly held the defenses in anticipation of the approach of the main forces. And if the landing could not hold out for several precious hours, then this meant one thing - death behind enemy lines. Margelov's pupils needed reliable protection: in modern conditions of warfare, there were no longer enough feats based on the skillful throwing of several people into the rear who are able to run, crawl and neutralize the enemy. Certainly physical and moral character were one of the main conditions for survival during complex operations, but it was necessary to fight in such a way as to avoid as much as possible loss of life. And so Margelov firmly raised the question before the Minister of Defense about the need to equip airborne troops armored vehicles, artillery, aviation.

In the 50s years of the Airborne Forces in the army it was also deciphered as "it is unlikely that you will return home." Margelov went around many corridors to the military departments. He stood his ground: the troops needed a light armored vehicle equipped with the most modern weapons, which is capable of parachuting from an aircraft. And such a machine was finally created: on the footage of military newsreel, you can see how a car falls out of the belly of an An-12 aircraft at an altitude of 800 meters at a flight speed of 300-350 kilometers per hour, the parachute dome opens and it lands successfully, next to in theory, paratroopers should have landed on it. But in reality, two crew members landed at a significant distance from each other, and the location of the car was determined by special signals: a special transceiver was mounted inside the car and on the chest of the paratroopers. At first glance, this seemed like a great success.

On August 2, blue will splash across Russian cities, as well as water from park fountains. The most publicly connected branch of the military will celebrate the holiday. "Defend Russia" remembers the legendary "Uncle Vasya" - the one who created the Airborne Forces in their modern form.

There is no such number of myths and tales as about "Uncle Vasya's troops" about any other unit Russian army. It seems that strategic aviation flies the farthest, the presidential regiment strikes a step like robots, space troops they know how to look beyond the horizon, the GRU special forces are the worst of all, underwater strategic missile carriers are capable of destroying entire cities. But "there are no impossible tasks - there are landing troops." There were many commanders of the Airborne Forces, but they had one most important commander.

Vasily Margelov, "Uncle Vasya" is a legendary man. During his leadership, the airborne divisions have become elite troops capable of "redrawing" the map of Europe overnight.

Vasily Margelov was born in 1908. Until Yekaterinoslav became Dnepropetrovsk, Margelov worked at a mine, a stud farm, a forestry enterprise, and a local deputy council. Only at the age of 20 did he enter the army. Measuring career steps and kilometers on the march, he participated in the Polish campaign of the Red Army and Soviet-Finnish war. In July 1941, the future "Uncle Vasya" became a regiment commander in the division militia, and 4 months later, very far away - from skiing - began the creation of the Airborne Forces.

Perhaps it was during the Great Patriotic War that he showed himself brilliant military leader. What is worth one surrender without a fight to the "Soviet Skorzeny" (as the Germans called him) of the divisions of the SS Panzer Corps "Dead Head" and "Grossdeutschland" on May 12, 1945, which were ordered not to be allowed into the zone of responsibility of the Americans. The enemy driven into a corner is capable of much - there is nothing to lose. For the SS men, retribution for the atrocities was inevitable, and new victims were inevitable. And the order was clear - to capture or destroy.

Margelov took a decisive step. With a group of officers armed with machine guns and grenades, the divisional commander, accompanied by a battery of 57-mm cannons on his "jeep" arrived at the group's headquarters. By ordering the battalion commander to set up direct fire guns at the enemy headquarters and shoot if he does not return in ten minutes.

Margelov presented an ultimatum to the Germans: Either they surrender and save their lives, or complete destruction using all the fire weapons of the division: “by 4.00 in the morning - the front to the east. Light weapons: machine guns, machine guns, rifles - in piles, ammunition - nearby. The second line - military equipment, guns and mortars - vents down. Soldiers and officers - we are building to the west. Time to think - just a few minutes: "until his cigarette burns out." The nerves of the Germans cracked first. The picture of the surrender of the SS was amazing. The exact count of trophies showed the following figures: 2 generals, 806 officers, 31,258 non-commissioned officers, 77 tanks and self-propelled guns, 5847 trucks, 493 trucks, 46 mortars, 120 guns, 16 locomotives, 397 wagons. For this military feat, at the Victory Parade, Margelov was entrusted with commanding the combined regiment of the 2nd Ukrainian Front.

"You won't be coming home"

“It is unlikely that you will return home” In 1950, already a former warrior, Margelov took command of the Far Eastern Special Corps of the Airborne Forces. At that time, landing troops were not very popular. They were compared with fines, and the abbreviation itself was deciphered: “It is unlikely that you will return home.” It is impossible to believe, but after a few months, the Airborne Forces became the best part of the ground forces. Subsequently, primitive equipment was replenished with a Kalashnikov assault rifle with a special folding butt so that it does not interfere with the opening of the parachute, lightweight aluminum armor, an RPG-16 anti-tank grenade launcher, and Centaur platforms for landing people in combat vehicles. And the fatalistic name was replaced in the 70s with "Uncle Vasya's Troops", as the airborne troops themselves called themselves, emphasizing the special warmth of feelings for their commander.

Margelov was the number one paratrooper formally not all the time of his service. His history of relationships with the post of commander, and with the country and its regime, is similar to the career path of Nikolai Kuznetsov, commander-in-chief of the Soviet fleet. He also commanded with a short break: Kuznetsov had four years, Margelov had two (1959–1961). True, unlike the admiral, who survived two disgraces, lost and received ranks again, Margelov did not lose the stars on his shoulder straps, but only grew them, becoming an army general in 1967.

First jump

During the training of paratroopers, Margelov paid special attention to parachuting. He himself was under the dome for the first time only in 1948, already in the rank of general: “Until the age of 40, I vaguely imagined what a parachute was, I never even dreamed of jumping. It turned out on its own, or rather, as it should be in the army, by order. I am a military man, if necessary, ready to go to hell. And so it was necessary, already being a general, to make the first parachute jump. The impression, I tell you, is incomparable.” In the 1960s, after Yuri Gagarin's first flight into space and his parachute landing as a result of a ship malfunction during landing, the road to incredible aerial experiments opened up for Margelov and his winged guards. Soviet paratroopers set absolute records: jumping from the stratosphere from a height of 23 km with the immediate opening of a parachute, landing on the mountains of the Caucasus and the Pamirs.

Margelov significantly increased the mobility of the Airborne Forces (in Ukraine, for example, they are called airmobile troops). Actively working with the military-industrial complex, the commander achieved the commissioning of the An-22 and An-76 aircraft, which even today release parachute dandelions into the sky. For the paratroopers, new parachute and rifle systems were developed - the massive AK-74 was "cut off" to the AKS-74U with a shortened barrel and a folding butt. They began to land not only people, but also military equipment - due to the enormous weight, parachute systems were developed from several domes with the placement of jet thrust engines, which worked out a short period of time when approaching the ground, thus extinguishing the landing speed.

In 1969, the first of the domestic airborne combat vehicles was adopted for service. The floating tracked BMD-1 was intended for landing - including using parachutes - from the An-12 and Il-76. In 1973, the world's first landing on the BMD-1 parachute system took place near Tula. The crew commander was Margelov's son Alexander, in the 90s for a similar landing in 1976 he received the title of Hero of Russia.

An indicative result of the reforms of the Airborne Forces of Margelov, in particular, is that in matters of landing our "winged guards" in the 90s, even the vaunted American "devil's regiment" - the 82nd Airborne Division of the United States could not compete. At the demonstration performances of its soldiers in 1991, where the Minister of Defense of the USSR Marshal of the Soviet Union D.T. Yazov was present, almost half of the paratroopers received serious injuries and injuries, and the combat vehicles, after a “soft landing”, no longer moved.

Vests

In 1968, after the occupation of Czechoslovakia, Margelov managed to convince the Minister of Defense Marshal Grechko that the winged guards should have vests and berets. Even before that, he emphasized that the airborne troops should adopt the traditions of their "big brother" - the marines and continue them with honor. “For this, I introduced vests to the paratroopers. Only the stripes on them match the color of the sky - blue ... ".

When, at a military council chaired by the Minister of Defense, Admiral of the Fleet of the Soviet Union, Sergei Gorshkov opposed, stating that the paratroopers "steal" the sailors' vests, Vasily Filippovich sharply objected to him: "I myself fought in the marines and I know what paratroopers deserve and What are sailors! And he fought famously with his "marine infantry" - in offensive battles he often fought in the forefront, thus raising the morale of his soldiers. For fierce battles, the Nazis nicknamed the USSR marines "striped death."

30 minutes is everything

During the Czechoslovak crisis in 1968, even during the preparation of Operation Danube, the 7th and 103rd Guards Airborne Divisions were fully mobilized and ready to land on the territory of Czechoslovakia at any moment. When, on August 18, 1968, at a meeting of the Politburo of the Central Committee of the CPSU, a decision was finally made to send troops. It was not coordinated with the highest party and government authorities of Czechoslovakia. Therefore, the commander of the Airborne Forces was given complete freedom of action.

30 minutes were spent on the entire operation to seize airfields, secure the runway and set up take-off and landing equipment. Subsequently, during his report to the Minister of Defense of the USSR, Margelov noted: “When the paratroopers broke into the building of the Zapototsky Academy, the officers of the Czechoslovak People's Army sat over the maps and plotted the position of our troops that crossed the border. Their arrival in Brno was expected in the middle of the day.

Vasily Margelov can be compared with Yuri Andropov in terms of his influence on the perception of the subordinate structure by the mass consciousness. If the term “public relations” existed in the Soviet Union, the commander of the Airborne Forces and the chairman of the KGB would certainly be considered cool “communicationsmen”.

Andropov clearly understood the need to improve the image of the department, which inherited the people's memory of the Stalinist repressive machine. Margelov was not up to the image, but it was under him that the most famous movies about the paratroopers who created their positive image. It was the commander who insisted that “In the zone of special attention” the fighters of the group of captain Tarasov, as part of the exercises conducting reconnaissance behind the lines of a mock enemy, wore blue berets - a symbol of paratroopers, which obviously unmasks the scouts, but creates an image.

Vasily Margelov died at the age of 81, several months before the collapse of the USSR. Four of the five sons of Margelov connected their lives with the army.

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