Konstantin Rokossovsky

Konstantin Rokossovsky
Rokossovsky, June 1945
Deputy Prime Minister of Poland
In office
20 November 1952 – 18 March 1954
Prime MinisterBolesław Bierut
Józef Cyrankiewicz
Preceded byZenon Nowak
Succeeded byJakub Berman
Minister of National Defence of Poland
In office
6 November 1949 – 13 November 1956
Prime MinisterJózef Cyrankiewicz
Bolesław Bierut
Józef Cyrankiewicz
Preceded byMichał Rola-Żymierski
Succeeded byMarian Spychalski
Personal details
Born
Konstantin Ksaveryevich Rokossovsky (Konstanty Ksaweriewicz Rokossowski)

(1896-12-21)21 December 1896[1]
Velikiye Luki, Russian Empire[1]
Died3 August 1968(1968-08-03) (aged 71)
Moscow, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union
Resting placeKremlin Wall Necropolis
AwardsHero of the Soviet Union (twice)
Order of Victory
Several others (see below)
Signature
Military service
AllegianceRussian Empire (1914–1917)
Soviet Russia (1917–1922)
USSR (1922–1949, 1956–1962)
Polish People's Republic (1949–1955)
Years of service1914–1937, 1940–1962
RankMarshal of the Soviet Union
Marshal of Poland
Commands7th Samara Cavalry Division
15th Cavalry Division
5th Cavalry Corps
9th Mechanized Corps
4th Army
"Group Yartsevo"
16th Army
Bryansk Front
Don Front
Central Front
1st Belorussian Front
2nd Belorussian Front
Polish Armed Forces
Battles/wars

Konstantin Konstantinovich[a] Rokossovsky (Russian: Константин Константинович (Ксаверьевич) Рокоссовский; Polish: Konstanty Rokossowski; 21 December 1896 – 3 August 1968) was a Soviet and Polish officer who became a Marshal of the Soviet Union, a Marshal of Poland, and served as Poland's Defence Minister from 1949 until his removal in 1956 during the Polish October.[2] He became one of the most prominent Red Army commanders of World War II.

Not much is known about Rokossovsky's life from his youth to the beginning of Operation Barbarossa, as he was a very private man. [3] Much of what we know from this period is from interviews with his friends and family as well as Rokossovsky's memoirs, which are generally considered reliable but have some discrepancies with documentation. Born in Warsaw (in present-day Poland; then part of the Russian Empire), or, according to other sources, in Velikiye Luki, Rokossovsky served in the Imperial Russian Army during World War I. In 1917 he joined the Red Guards and in 1918 the newly-formed Red Army; he fought with great distinction during the Russian Civil War of 1917–1922. Rokossovsky held senior commands until 1937 when he fell victim to the Great Purge, during which he was branded a traitor, imprisoned and tortured.

After Soviet failures in the Winter War of 1939–1940, Rokossovsky was taken out of prison and reinstated due to an urgent need for experienced officers. Following Germany's invasion of the Soviet Union in June 1941, Rokossovsky played key roles in the defense of Moscow (1941–1942) and the counter-offensives at Stalingrad (1942–1943) and Kursk (1943). He was instrumental in planning and executing part of Operation Bagration (1944)—one of the most decisive Red Army successes of the war—for which he was made a Marshal of the Soviet Union.

After the war, Rokossovsky became Defence Minister and deputy chairman of the Council of Ministers in the newly-established Polish People's Republic. Forced out of office in Poland in 1956 after Władysław Gomułka became the leader of Poland, Rokossovsky then returned to the Soviet Union, where he lived out the rest of his life until his death in 1968.

  1. ^ a b c Рокоссовский Константин Константинович Archived 27 October 2020 at the Wayback Machine. Great Russian Encyclopedia
  2. ^ Brown, Archie (2009). The Rise and Fall of Communism. Harper Collins. p. 277. ISBN 978-0061885488.
  3. ^ Sokolov, Boris (19 March 2015). Marshal K.K Rokossovskly: The Red Army's Gentleman. Helion & Company. pp. 10, 11. ISBN 978-1-909982-10-9.


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