▲ Standard photo of Marshal Vasilevsky
By the summer of 1945, although the war in Europe was over, Japan, Germany's other ally, still had considerable power in East Asia. In order to quickly end this war that brought havoc to all mankind, the Soviet Union decided to send troops to northeast China to strike hard at the Japanese Kwantung Army. In just two weeks, the once-invincible 700,000 troops of the Japanese Kwantung Army were wiped out, and the commander of the battle was Marshal Vasilevsky.
Young Marshal Vasilevsky
Alexander Mikhailovich Vasilevsky was born on September 30, 1895, into a clergy family whose father was a priest at a nearby church. His family was destitute, the children had to do farm work at an early age to support the family, Vasilevsky was fortunate to be able to attend a church school, and with excellent grades he later entered Kostroma Theological Seminary and became a teacher after graduation. The outbreak of World War I made the Russian youth eager to try, and he was admitted to the military academy from Rong. Initially he was a civilian official, but the cruelty of the war forced Vasilevsky to become a military officer. Vasilevsky, who was already a captain, saw through the hypocrisy of the First World War, was so disappointed with Tsarist Russia that after the October Revolution he left the army and returned to Tula as a teacher.
Marshal Vasilevsky on the position
It was gold that always shone, and Vasilevsky joined the Red Army in 1919 and showed great talent in the training of the troops. In the 10 years from 1919 to 1929, Vasilevsky had close contacts with Voroshilov, Shaposhnikov, and others, and Shaposhnikov later became Vasilevsky's most important chief and friend. Both Tukhachevsky and Zhukov were also acquainted with Vasilevsky, and Zhukov thought that he was "quite attentive in the work of the troops and won the respect of all." In 1937 Vasilevsky entered the General Staff of the Red Army and, together with Shaposhnikov, planned the operation against Finland.
Marshal Vasilevsky at work
After the outbreak of the Soviet-German War in 1941, Vasilevsky worked tirelessly in the General Staff, and in August he was promoted to deputy chief of the general staff and head of the operations department of the Soviet Army. The German offensive was so rapid that it threatened Moscow, and most of the senior officers of the General Staff had withdrawn from Moscow, while Vasilevsky remained there. In his memoirs, Khrushchev said that even in the chaos of the early days of the war, Vasilevsky was still a "very capable expert."
▲ Gather the stars
On June 26, 1942, Vasilevsky was promoted to chief of the General Staff of the Red Army, and then he and Zhukov went to Stalingrad to command the army. Together, the two drafted plans for Operation Uranus and succeeded in convincing Stalin to carry out the counterattack, which put Paulus's 6th Army in a difficult position, and the Germans suffered a major defeat. Vasilevsky, through meticulous strategic thinking and superb negotiation skills, made Stalin believe that they could succeed, and it can be said that without Vasilevsky's mediation, there would have been no glorious victory in the defense of Stalingrad. In mid-January 1943 Vasilevsky was promoted to general, and 29 days later he was promoted to marshal of the Soviet Union.
Vasilevsky and Zhukov, comrades-in-arms and close friends
After the reconquest of Odessa in 1944, Vasilevsky was awarded the "Medal of Victory", and during his inspection of Sevastopol, his car was overturned by a landmine, and the injured Vasilevsky returned to Moscow for recuperation. On July 29 of that year he was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union, and Stalin instructed Vasilevsky to prepare for war against Japan. In June 1945, Vasilevsky became commander-in-chief of the Soviet Far Eastern Front, took a train to Chita to prepare for the operation, and led 1.6 million Soviet officers and soldiers to sweep through the Japanese Kwantung Army.
Vasilevsky, who had just finished the meeting
At a ceremony in the Kremlin in 1941, Stalin noticed Vasilevsky, who at that time was only a major general. He was very surprised to find that Vasilevsky's dress had only 2 medals: the Order of the Red Star and a commemorative medal for "20 years of service". But no one expected that just 3 years later, Vasilevsky would become a marshal of the Soviet Union. Sejemenko of the General Staff recalled that Vasilevsky was a gentle superior, he was always kind to his subordinates, and everyone wanted to work with Vasilevsky. Moreover, Vasilevsky treated Stalin with the same rationality and courtesy, which won Stalin's great trust, and even in heated discussions, Vasilevsky was always able to persuade Stalin.
Marshal Vasilevsky in his later years
Marshal Vasilevsky's memoirs never mention that he received the title of "Hero of the Soviet Union" twice, and his humility is evident. Rokossovsky, who was also a marshal, had criticized Vasilevsky during the Battle of Stalingrad, who was saddened by his criticism for a long time. On December 5, 1977, Marshal Vasilevsky passed away, ending his glorious life.