- Fyodor Tolbukhin
Infobox Military Person
name=Fyodor Ivanovich Tolbukhin
born=birth date|1894|6|16
died=death date and age|1949|10|17|1894|6|16
caption =Marshal of the Soviet Union Fedor Tolbukhin.
placeofbirth =Androniki,Yaroslavl ,Russian Empire
placeofdeath =Moscow ,Soviet Union
placeofburial=Kremlin Wall Necropolis
placeofburial_label=
nickname =
allegiance =flag|Russian Empire (1914-1917)
USSR (1917-1949)
serviceyears =1914 — 1949
rank =Marshal of the Soviet Union
branch =
commands =
unit =Soviet Armed Forces
battles =World War I Russian Civil War
Great Patriotic War
awards =Hero of the Soviet Union Order of Lenin (2)Order of the Red Banner (3)Order of Suvorov , 1st Class (2)Order of Kutuzov , 1st ClassOrder of Victory
relations =
laterwork =Fyodor Ivanovich Tolbukhin ( _ru. Фё́дор Ива́нович Толбу́хин;
June 16 1894 —October 17 ,1949 ) was a Soviet military commander.Biography
Tolbukhin was born into a peasant family in the province of
Yaroslavl , north-east ofMoscow . He volunteered for the Imperial Army in 1914 at the outbreak ofWorld War I . He was steadily promoted, advancing from private to captain by 1916. He was also decorated for bravery multiple times.In August 1918 Tolbukhin joined the
Red Army , where he served as the chief of staff of the 56th infantry (Rifle?) division. After theRussian Civil War ended (1921), Tolbukhin was given a number of staff positions. He also attended theFrunze Military Academy for advanced staff training, graduating in 1931. In 1937, after a series of staff positions, Tolbukhin was given command of a division. In 1938, he was made chief of staff of theTranscaucasus Military District .Tolbukhin remained in this position through the opening phases of
Operation Barbarossa until August 1941, when he was made the chief of staff of theCrimean Front , which he held until March 1942. From May to July 1942, he was the assistant commander of theStalingrad Military District. After that, he was the commander of the 58th Army until March 1943. The 58th was involved in theBattle of Stalingrad , where Tolbukhin's superior, Colonel-GeneralAndrei Yeremenko , praised his command organization and military prowess. After his command of the 57th, Tolbukhin was placed in command of the Southern Front.In October 1943 the Southern Front was renamed
4th Ukrainian Front . Tolbukhin assistedRodion Malinovsky 's3rd Ukrainian Front , and together the two liberated most of theUkraine from German forces. ThisSoviet Winter Counteroffensive lasted until April 1944. In May 1944, Tolbukhin was transferred to control of3rd Ukrainian Front . During the Summer Campaign, from June to October 1944, Tolbukhin and Malinovsky launched their invasion of theBalkans and were able to conquer most ofRomania . OnSeptember 12 ,1944 , two days after Malinovsky was promoted toMarshal of the Soviet Union , Tolbukhin was promoted to the same rank. While Malinovsky moved northwest, towardsHungary andYugoslavia , Tolbukhin launched his invasion south, thereby liberating most ofBulgaria . Starting in the Winter Campaign, Tolbukhin shifted his army to the northwest axis, thereby liberating much ofYugoslavia and invading southern Hungary.After the war, Tolbukhin was commander-in-chief of the
Southern Group of Forces , which comprised the Balkan region. In January 1947, Tolbukhin was made the commander of theTranscaucasus Military District , a post he held until his death, onOctober 17 ,1949 .Tolbukhin is generally regarded as one of the finest Soviet generals of
World War II . Meticulous, careful, and not overly ambitious like some Soviet commanders, Tolbukhin was well respected by fellow commanders and also his men, especially since he had a dedication to keeping casualty rates low. Tolbukhin was the recipient of numerous awards and medals including the highest Soviet medal and rank, theVictory Order andHero of the Soviet Union , respectively. Tolbukhin was also a hero of the nations he helped liberate. In Bulgaria, the city ofDobrich was renamed Tolbukhin, a name it held until the fall ofcommunism in 1989. The urn containing his ashes is buried inthe Kremlin , and there is a monument to him in his nativeYaroslavl .Also a Prospect (street) in Odessa holds his name.
One of main streets in
Belgrade , the capital ofSerbia was named after general Tolbukhin: Marshal Tolbukhin Street (Ulica maršala Tobuhina inSerbia n (Latin alphabet), Улица Маршала Толбухина also inSerbia n (Cyrillic alphabet )). After "democratic revolution" and after the fall of communism in Yugoslavia and in Serbia, this street was renamed, and now its official name is "General McKenzie/MacKenzie Street" ("Mekenzijeva ulica" inSerbia n).Trivia is that Marshal Tolbukhin Street in
Belgrade started from a "Square ofDimitrije Tucović " and continued to "Marshal Tito Street", all three now renamed to their pre World War II names. However, even after those decisions motivated by contemporary politics, people in Belgrade still use the "old" name of the street - Marhal Tolbukhin Street, since Marshal Tolbukhin (general at the time) was a commander in chief of the Red Army during liberation of Belgrade, the capital of oldYugoslavia andSerbia .References
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