The initiator and founder of the Airborne Forces Vasily Margelov personifies the image of the USSR Airborne Forces. Among the servicemen who are related to these troops, he is paratrooper No. 1. He is a Hero of the USSR and a laureate of the State Prize.

Childhood and adolescence

Vasily Filippovich Margelov was born in the city of Yekaterinoslav (Dnepropetrovsk) on December 27, 1908 (January 9 in a new style). His father, Philip Ivanovich, worked as a metallurgist, his mother, Agafya Stepanovna, was engaged in the house and garden.

The family of the future general is from Belarus. In 1913 they returned to their homeland (Mogilev province). According to some reports, Vasily graduated from a church school in 1921. He started working as a loader, then tried his hand at carpentry. In the same year he went to study leatherwork in a workshop. In the twenty-third year, the future general got a job as an auxiliary worker at the Khlebprodukt enterprise. At the same time he studied at the school for rural youth. Then he worked as a freight forwarder, delivering mail and various goods along the line Kostyukovichi - Hotimsk.

In 1924 he got a job as a laborer, then as a horseman in Yekaterinoslav at the Kalinin mine. Since 1927 - chairman of the timber industry committee and a member of the local council of the Kostyukovichi. In 1925 he was sent to Belarus, to the timber industry.

The beginning of military service

Vasily Margelov, whose biography is set out in this article, was drafted into the army in 1928. There he was sent to study at the OBVSh (United Belarusian Military School), which was located in Minsk. Was enrolled in a sniper group. In his second year he became the foreman of a machine-gun company.

In the spring of 1931 he graduated from the OBVSH with honors and the management appointed him the commander of the machine-gun crew of the 99th Regiment of the 33rd Infantry Division. In 1933 he became a platoon commander, the next year he was appointed a company assistant commander. In 1936, the future general was already in charge of a machine-gun company. From the autumn of 1938 he commanded the second battalion of the 23rd regiment of the 8th rifle division. He headed reconnaissance, being the chief of the second section of the division headquarters. While in this position, he took part in Polish campaign Red Army in 1939.

The feat of Margelov

Vasily Margelov became a real legend during his lifetime. During the war with the Finns, he commanded a reconnaissance ski battalion (122nd division), making several raids behind enemy lines. During one of them, the future general was able to capture several officers of the German General Staff, who were officially (at that time) allies Soviet Union.

In 1941 he was made commander of a marine regiment in the Baltic Fleet. There were opinions that the "land officer" would not be able to take root in the navy. Margelov's regiment was considered the "guard of Admiral Tributs", he sent it in besieged Leningrad even to those places where it was difficult to send a penal battalion.

For example, when the Nazis stormed the Pulkovo Heights, Margelov's regiment landed in the rear of the Germans on the shores of Lake Ladoga. The Marines showed heroism and forced the Germans to stop the assault on Pulkovo in order to resist the Russian landing. Major Margelov was seriously wounded, but survived.

Further exploits

In 1943 Vasily Filippovich Margelov was already a division commander, stormed the "Saur-Mogila", took part in the liberation of Kherson. In 1945, the Nazis gave him the nickname - "Soviet Skorzeny". This happened after the famous German Panzer Divisions "Great Germany" and "Death's Head" surrendered to him without a fight.

In early May 1945, the command set a task for Margelov: to destroy or capture the remnants of the famous SS units that wanted to break through to the Americans. Vasily Margelov dared to take a dangerous step. He, with a small group of officers armed with machine guns and grenades, with a battery of cannons, crept up to the enemy headquarters and ordered to open fire if he did not return in 10 minutes.

The brave man went to the German headquarters and issued an ultimatum: surrender and save life or be destroyed. I gave little time to think - until the lit cigarette runs out. The fascists surrendered.

In the airborne forces

At the victory parade in Moscow, the founder of the Airborne Forces Vasily Margelov commanded a regiment of the Second Ukrainian Front. After defeating the Nazis, Vasily Margelov, whose biography is set out in this article, continued his service.

1950 to 1954 was the commander of the 37th Svirsky airborne corps. From 1954 to 1959 commanded the airborne forces of the Soviet Union. In 1964, impressed by the movie "This is a sporting life", he introduced rugby into the training program for paratroopers.

On October 28, 1967 he was promoted to General of the Army. He commanded paratroopers during the entry of troops into Czechoslovakia. For all the time of his service, he made more than sixty parachute jumps, the last when he was sixty-five years old. Thus, he set a personal example for his subordinates.

Contribution to the development of the Airborne Forces

The name of Margelov will forever remain in the history of the Airborne Forces of Russia and other countries of the former Soviet Union. His persona personifies the era of development and formation of the Airborne Forces. Their popularity and authority both in our country and abroad are forever associated with his name.

General Vasily Margelov realized that military operations behind enemy lines could be carried out by mobile and maneuverable paratroopers. He always rejected the idea of ​​holding the areas captured by the landing force until the approach of the troops that were advancing from the front. In this case, the paratroopers could be quickly destroyed.

Vasily Margelov led the USSR Airborne Forces for more than 20 years, and thanks to his merits, they became one of the most mobile troops in the structure of the country's Armed Forces. The general's contribution to the formation of the Airborne Forces was reflected in the playful decoding of this abbreviation - "Uncle Vasya's Troops."

The concept of the role of the Airborne Forces

In military theory, it was believed that in order to use nuclear strikes and maintain a high pace during an offensive, it was necessary to use amphibious troops. In such conditions, the airborne troops must comply with the strategic goals of military conflicts and meet the political goals of the country.

Margelov believed that in order to fulfill their role in operations, it was necessary that the Soviet formations were maneuverable, covered with armor, perfectly controllable, had fire efficiency, could land behind enemy lines at any time of the day and go to combat immediately. One should strive for such an ideal, as the famous general believed.

Under his leadership, the concept of the place and role of the Airborne Forces in military operations was developed. He wrote many works on this topic and defended his dissertation.

Armament of the airborne troops

As time went on, it became increasingly necessary to bridge the gap between the theory of the use of airborne troops and the stratified structure of troops and the capabilities of military transport aviation. Having become commander, Vasily Margelov (Airborne Forces) received at his disposal troops, which consisted of lightly armed infantry and aviation, equipped with Il-14, Li-2, Tu-4 aircraft. Opportunities were severely limited and the military was unable to tackle serious missions.

The general began by initiating the mass production of landing gear, parachute systems and platforms, as well as containers for cargo. For the Airborne Forces, modifications were developed to weapons that were easy to parachute - a folding stock, light weight.

Also, specially for the Airborne Forces, military equipment was modernized: self-propelled landing guns ASU-76, ASU-57, ASU-57P, ASU-85, tracked vehicle BMD-1 and others. Also developed were radio stations, anti-tank systems, reconnaissance vehicles. Anti-aircraft systems were equipped with armored personnel carriers, they accommodated calculations with ammunition and portable systems.

Closer to the 60s, the AN-8 and An-12 aircraft entered service with the landing force, with a carrying capacity of up to twelve tons, they could fly over long distances. A little later, the airborne troops received the AN-22 and IL-76 aircraft.

Everlasting memory

After retirement, Vasily Margelov lived in Moscow. "Uncle Vasya" passed away on March 4, 1990. He was buried at the Novodevichy cemetery. The monument to Vasily Margelov was erected in Tyumen. There are also monuments in his honor in Krivoy Rog, Dnepropetrovsk, Kherson, Chisinau, Ryazan, Kostyukovichi, Omsk, Ulyanovsk, Tula, St. Petersburg.

There is a memorial plaque in Taganrog dedicated to the general. Airborne officers and soldiers annually visit the monument to "Uncle Vasya" at the Novodevichy cemetery and pay tribute to his memory.

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General's large family

In August 2002, in Pskov, the grandson of the famous General Margelov, Mikhail Margelov, a politician, chairman of the Federation Council Committee on International Affairs, answered the questions of the Pskov province correspondent A. Mashkarin:

“- Vasily Filippovich Margelov is a legendary figure. And the attitude to his name is appropriate. Doesn't the burden of responsibility for the name of your grandfather oppress you?

The load is really quite heavy. The grandfather set a high bar with his fame, a bar for responsible behavior, which must be met. Here are some examples. The main reason that I did not choose a military career for myself was my surname. It would be impossible to achieve what my grandfather did, and I don’t want to be in second or third roles. My cousin Vasily Margelov served in the Airborne Forces, but he served under the name of his mother - to avoid parallels, comparisons with his grandfather.

In our family, such a thing as blat is not accepted. It was not in Soviet times, and it is not now. The fact that my father entered the law faculty of Moscow State University, my grandfather, who was then already the commander of the Airborne Forces, learned only from his son himself. The fact that I became the head of the public relations department of the President of Russia Boris Yeltsin and at the age of 33 received the rank of minister, my father, who was on a business trip abroad at that time, learned from his personnel officers. He was very surprised. I didn't ask him for help.

Such a strange family tradition for generals' children and grandchildren. Probably, this is due to the fact that the grandfather always made his own way. This does not mean that there is no mutual assistance in our family, but it has always been human, not career. In our country, no one has ever been a "golden" youth and did not feel like they were born with a silver spoon in their mouth.

You did not become a military man. Has anyone else in your family followed your grandfather's example?

We have a lot of people in uniform. The eldest of the grandfather's sons Gennady Vasilyevich - a Suvorovite, a participant in the Great Patriotic War, now a retired major general, his last place of service was the head of the Military Physical Culture Institute. Lesgaft in Leningrad.

Anatoly Vasilyevich Margelov, the next in age after Gennady, although formally did not wear shoulder straps, was engaged in missile guidance systems all his life, he has two hundred and fifty inventions and discoveries. He is an Honored Inventor of the USSR.

My father, Vitaly Vasilievich, is a Colonel General, Deputy Director of the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service.

Then there are Alexander Vasilyevich, a retired colonel of the Airborne Forces, Hero of Russia, a test of landing equipment, and Vasily Vasilyevich, a retired major, who served in the Middle East for a long time, an Arabist.

Many people know who your grandfather was. And who was your grandmother, the wife of General Margelov?

My grandfather had such a life that he had three wives. The first wife, the mother of Gennady Vasilyevich, the second Feodosia Efremovna, my grandmother, the mother of Anatoly Vasilyevich and Vitaly Vasilyevich. The last wife is Anna Alexandrovna, the mother of Alexander Vasilyevich and Vasily Vasilyevich.

My grandmother became my grandfather's wife when she was a graduate student of Minsky state university... She worked all her life as a school teacher, taught biology.

Do you have any childhood memories associated with your grandfather?

When my father and his family were on a business trip in Tunisia (I was four years old), we went on his first vacation. We came to my grandfather's home, he lived on Smolenskaya Street in Moscow. And I was afraid of my grandfather - he had such a thunderous voice, rumbling, roaring. And suddenly I saw the magazine "Funny Pictures" in his house and asked with surprise: "Whose is this?" Then my grandfather came into the corridor where I was looking at the magazine and said: "So I wrote it for you!"

It was only many years later that I realized what it meant for this thundering man, who with his paratroopers kept half of Europe and North America in fear, to think about his grandson, who should have been subscribed to "Funny Pictures"!

There are a lot of memories of my grandfather, but this is perhaps the most powerful emotionally.

Did Vasily Filippovich have any life guidelines that he bequeathed to his sons and grandchildren?

Here is the formula: raise a son, build a house, plant a tree. The grandfather had his own specific phrase. He believed that in order for a peasant to become a real peasant, one must learn all the hardships of this life: at least once to starve, at least once in a lifetime to be wounded and at least once to sit in prison (I meant not for a criminal offense, but a guardhouse ).

After thirty-seven and a half years, I really believe that there are bumps that need to be filled in order to understand what is good and what is bad.

Is the spirit of Margelov still alive in modern Airborne Forces?

Alive. And not only in the Russian Airborne Forces, but also in the former republics of the Soviet Union.

He also exists abroad. When Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez came to Moscow last winter and was in the Federation Council, I met with him. And when he compared the names - Margelov and Margelov - it turned out that Hugo was also a paratrooper colonel. Chavez said that the Venezuelan paratroopers know my grandfather, and a portrait of Vasily Filippovich Margelov hangs in the Military Museum of Venezuela. They consider him the theorist of the airborne forces. "

Vasily Filippovich signed his first wife, Maria, two years before graduation from a military school. In September 1931, their son Gennady was born. However, due to the nomadic commander's life, their happiness did not work out. Maria left.

Margelov met his second wife, Feodosia, in Minsk, where she worked as a teacher. They got married in 1935, when Feodosia Efremovna was already a student at the Belarusian State University. Anatoly and Vitaly were born in this marriage. But the family was not destined to survive. First, they were separated by a campaign in Western Belarus, then by the Finnish War, and then by the Great Patriotic War. In a word, war is war ...

There, during the fighting near Leningrad, Margelov met his third wife, Anna Aleksandrovna Kurakina. This event took place at the end of 1941.

Their love went through all life's trials and hardships, ultimately leaving a big mark of it in the memory of their descendants.

Anna Aleksandrovna was born on January 23, 1914 in a large peasant family in the village of Morskoye, Myshkinsky district, Yaroslavl region. She worked in a printing house, graduated from the workers' school and only then entered the medical institute, from which she graduated just before the war, in 1941. Then there were courses of surgeons at the Military Medical Academy and the front.

During the war, Anna Alexandrovna served as a company commander, resident of the 1st Surgical Department of the Army Field Hospital for Lightly Wounded of the 54th Army, the head of this department, and then in various positions in the 8th Separate Medical and Sanitary Battalion, next to her husband.

In the initial period of the war, she had a chance to operate on the regiment commander Margelov, wounded in the leg, and who would have thought: in 1943 they would register a marriage at the front, and in 1947, already in a peaceful life, as expected, in the registry office. In total, she twice operated on her husband in a combat situation.

The military surgeon-surgeon of the Guard, the captain of the medical service, Anna Aleksandrovna, finished the war with two orders (the Second Degree of the Patriotic War and the Red Star) and many medals, among which was "For Military Merit". In the regiment they called her "Mother" and thanked her very much for her kind and skillful hands.

The eldest son Gennady (from his first marriage) lived in Kostyukovichi with the parents of Vasily Filippovich. At the age of twelve, he fled to his father at the front. First, Vasily Filippovich placed his son in a reserve training battalion, and then, showing the cover of the "Red Warrior" magazine, which depicted a smiling Suvorov soldier, invited him to enter the Suvorov military school.

Anna Alexandrovna prepared him, and he entered the Tambov School.

In 1959, already being a paratrooper officer, he entered the Academy. Frunze. During his service in the Airborne Forces, he made more than three hundred parachute jumps. A graduate of the Academy of the General Staff. He commanded a motorized rifle division, was deputy army commander in Buryatia. Recent positions: Head of the Military Institute of Physical Education in Leningrad and Senior Lecturer at the Academy of the General Staff. Chevalier of the Orders of the Red Star and "For Service to the Motherland in Armed Forces ah USSR "third degree. Now Major General G.V. Margelov lives in St. Petersburg. He has two sons.

Son Anatoly (from his second marriage) graduated from the institute in Taganrog. He worked as a research assistant at a defense research institute, where he defended both candidate and doctoral dissertations. He is the author of more than two hundred inventions, doctor of technical sciences, professor. Anatoly Vasilyevich has a daughter and a son.

Son Vitaly is Anatoly's brother. In 1958 he entered the law faculty of the Moscow State University. Lomonosov. After graduation, he worked in the KGB. Today he is Colonel General, Honorary Chekist, Commander of the Order of Military Merit. He has four sons.

Son Alexander (from his third marriage) in 1970 graduated from the Moscow Aviation Institute. Ordzhonikidze. After graduation, he worked as an engineer at the Central Design Bureau of Experimental Mechanical Engineering in the city of Korolev. From 1971 to 1980 he served in the Scientific and Technical Committee of the Airborne Forces. During this period, he graduated from the Airborne School as an external student and Military academy armored troops. On account of his 145 jumps. Made two flights inside the BMD and one together with the BMD. Hero of Russia, Colonel, Commander of the Orders of the Red Banner and the Red Star.

Son Vasily is Alexander's brother. Graduated from the Institute of Oriental Languages ​​at Moscow State University. Perfectly mastered Arabic... For about eight years he served as an officer in the GRU General Staff. Of these, six years in Arab countries. Major in the reserve. He has a son.

All together, the sons of Margelov gathered only twice. The first time at a service dacha in the village of the Ministry of Defense of Vnukovo, and the second time at his father's funeral. Nevertheless, they developed very friendly relations, because with such a person as Vasily Filippovich, it could not be otherwise!

In the summer of 1984, answering a correspondent's question about his sons, General Margelov said literally:

The eldest, Gennady, a general, is said to be stepping on his father's heels. Vitaly is a colonel, Alexander is a colonel, Vasily is a major. Only Anatoly did not become a military man. Everyone except him jumped with a parachute ... "

Vasily Filippovich was very proud that they were all directly related to the army.

After the war, Anna Alexandrovna followed her husband, working first as an otolaryngologist, and then, due to an unsuccessful operation, she had to quit.

The war, endless travel, unrest and turmoil finally undermined her health. Anna Alexandrovna left on January 30, 1993.

Soon after her death, the younger sons found a bundle of yellowed letters. As they write, from them they “received amazing confirmation of what a loyal and loving heart beat under the combat commander's tunic during the harsh years of the war, and even more so after the Victory. How young hearts, despite all adversity, longed for love and a small peace for two, as they longed for each other, although their meetings were not so frequent, and sometimes they did not know whether the next meeting would be ... Death was constantly hovering over them, tearing out of action their friends and relatives, and, perhaps, that is why their love was so bright, which they could carry together to the end of their days. Any man, any woman can dream of such a strong rear as my mother was for my father, and such a strong support as my father was for my mother ... "

This text is an introductory fragment.

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In September 1928, he was drafted into the Red Army and, on a Komsomol ticket, was sent to study for a red commander at the United Belarusian Military School (OBVS) named after the Central Executive Committee of the BSSR in Minsk.

In April 1931 he graduated with honors from Minsk military school... Appointed commander of the machine gun platoon of the regimental school of the 99th rifle regiment of the 33rd rifle division (Mogilev, Belarus).

In 1933, he was appointed platoon commander at the Minsk Military Infantry School. M.I. Kalinin.

In February 1934 Vasily Margelov was appointed assistant company commander, in May 1936 - the commander of a machine-gun company.

From October 25, 1938, Captain Margelov commanded the 2nd Battalion of the 23rd Infantry Regiment of the 8th Infantry Division. Dzerzhinsky Belarusian Special Military District. He headed the reconnaissance of the 8th rifle division, being the chief of the 2nd section of the division headquarters.

During the Soviet-Finnish War (1939-1940), Margelov commanded the Separate Reconnaissance Ski Battalion of the 596th Infantry Regiment of the 122nd Division. During one of the operations, he captured the officers of the Swedish General Staff.

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Since October 1940, Vasily Margelov is the commander of the 15th Separate Disciplinary Battalion (ODB).

Margelov Vasily Filippovich
Born: December 14 (27), 1908
Died: March 4, 1990 (81 years old)

Biography

Vasily Filippovich Margelov - Soviet military leader, commander of the Airborne Forces in 1954-1959 and 1961-1979, Army General (1967), Hero of the Soviet Union (1944), USSR State Prize Laureate (1975), Candidate of Military Sciences (1968).

Youthful years

VF Markelov (later Margelov) was born on December 14 (27), 1908 in the city of Yekaterinoslav (now Dnipro, Ukraine), in a family of immigrants from Belarus. Father - Philip Ivanovich Markelov, a metallurgical worker (Vasily Filippovich's surname Markelov was later recorded as Margelov because of an error in his party card).

In 1913, the Markelov family returned to the homeland of Philip Ivanovich - to the town of Kostyukovichi in the Klimovichi district of the Mogilev province. VF Margelov's mother, Agafya Stepanovna, was from the neighboring Bobruisk district of the Minsk province. According to some reports, V.F.Margelov graduated from the parish school in 1921. As a teenager he worked as a loader, carpenter. In the same year he entered a leather workshop as an apprentice, and soon became an assistant to the master. In 1923 he entered the local Khleboprodukt as a laborer. There is information that he graduated from the school of rural youth, and worked as a forwarding agent for the delivery of mail on the line Kostyukovichi - Khotimsk.

Since 1924 he worked in Yekaterinoslav at the mine named after I. MI Kalinin as a laborer, then as a horseman (a driver of horses carrying trolleys).

In 1925 he was sent again to the BSSR, as a forester in the timber industry. He worked in Kostyukovichi, in 1927 he became the chairman of the working committee of the timber industry, was elected to the local Council.

Service start

In 1928 he was drafted into the Red Army. He was sent to study at the United Belarusian Military School (OBVS) named after A. Central Executive Committee of the BSSR in Minsk, enrolled in a group of snipers. From the second year he was a foreman of a machine-gun company.

In April 1931, he graduated with honors from the Order of the Red Banner of Labor of the United Belarusian Military School named after I. Central Executive Committee of the BSSR. Appointed commander of the machine gun platoon of the regimental school of the 99th rifle regiment of the 33rd Belarusian rifle division (Mogilev).

Since 1933 - platoon commander in the Order of the Red Banner of Labor OBVS them. Central Executive Committee of the BSSR (from 6.11.1933 - named after M.I.Kalinin, since 1937 - the Order of the Red Banner of Labor Minsk Military Infantry School named after M.I.Kalinin). In February 1934 he was appointed assistant company commander, in May 1936 - the commander of a machine-gun company.

From October 25, 1938 he commanded the 2nd battalion of the 23rd rifle regiment of the 8th Minsk rifle division named after I. Dzerzhinsky Belarusian Special Military District. He headed the reconnaissance of the 8th rifle division, being the chief of the 2nd section of the division headquarters. In this position, he participated in the Polish campaign of the Red Army in 1939.

During the war years

During the Soviet-Finnish war (1939-1940) he commanded a separate reconnaissance ski battalion of the 596th rifle regiment of the 122nd division (originally located in Brest, in November 1939 sent to Karelia). During one of the operations, he captured the officers of the Swedish General Staff.

After the end of the Soviet-Finnish war, he was appointed assistant commander of the 596th regiment for combat units. Since October 1940 - the commander of the 15th separate disciplinary battalion of the Leningrad military district (15th odisb, Novgorod region). At the beginning of World War II, in July 1941, he was appointed commander of the 3rd Guards Rifle Regiment of the 1st Guards Division people's militia Of the Leningrad Front (the basis of the regiment was made up of the fighters of the former 15th odysb).

November 21, 1941 - appointed commander of the 1st Special Ski Regiment of the Red Banner Baltic Fleet sailors. Despite rumors that Margelov would not "take root," the marines accepted the commander, which especially emphasized the appeal to him for the naval equivalent of the rank of "major" - "Comrade Captain 3rd Rank." Margelov, however, sunk into the heart of the boldness of the "brothers". Subsequently, becoming the commander of the Airborne Forces, as a sign that the paratroopers adopted the glorious traditions of their elder brother - the marines and continued them with honor, Margelov made sure that the paratroopers received the right to wear vests, but in order to emphasize their belonging to the sky, the paratroopers have them in blue.

From July 1942 - commander of the 13th Guards Rifle Regiment, Chief of Staff and Deputy Commander of the 3rd Guards Rifle Division. After the division commander KA Tsalikov was wounded, the command was transferred to Chief of Staff Vasily Margelov during his treatment. Under the leadership of Margelov, on July 17, 1943, the soldiers of the 3rd Guards Division broke through 2 Nazi defense lines on the Mius Front, captured the village of Stepanovka and provided a foothold for the assault on Saur-Mogila.

Since 1944 - commander of the 49th Guards Rifle Division of the 28th Army of the 3rd Ukrainian Front. He supervised the actions of the division during the crossing of the Dnieper and the liberation of Kherson, for which in March 1944 he was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. Under his command, the 49th Guards Rifle Division participated in the liberation of South-Eastern Europe.

During the war, Commander Margelov was mentioned ten times in the orders of thanks of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief.

At the Victory Parade in Moscow, Guards Major General Margelov commanded a battalion in the combined regiment of the 2nd Ukrainian Front.

In the airborne troops

After the war in command positions. Since 1948, after graduating from the Order of Suvorov I degree of the Higher Military Academy named after K.E. Voroshilov - commander of the 76th Guards Chernigov Red Banner Airborne Division.

In 1950-1954 he was the commander of the 37th Guards Airborne Svirsky Red Banner Corps (Far East).

From 1954 to 1959 - Commander of the Airborne Forces. In March 1959, after an emergency in the artillery regiment of the 76th Airborne Division (gang rape of civilian women), he was demoted to 1st Deputy Commander of the Airborne Forces. From July 1961 to January 1979 he was again the commander of the Airborne Forces.

On October 28, 1967 he was awarded the military rank of "General of the Army". Supervised the actions of the Airborne Forces during the entry of troops into Czechoslovakia (Operation Danube).

Since January 1979 - in the group of general inspectors of the USSR Ministry of Defense. He went on business trips to the Airborne Forces, was the chairman of the State Examination Commission at the Ryazan Airborne School.

During his service in the Airborne Forces, he made more than sixty jumps. The last of them is at the age of 65.
Lived and worked in the city of Moscow.
He died on March 4, 1990. Buried at the Novodevichy cemetery in Moscow.

Combat theory

In military theory, it was believed that after the immediate use of nuclear strikes and maintaining a high rate of offensive, a widespread use of airborne assault forces was necessary. In these conditions, the Airborne Forces had to fully comply with the military-strategic goals of the war and meet the military-political goals of the state.

According to Commander Margelov:

“To fulfill their role in modern operations it is necessary that our formations and units be highly maneuverable, covered with armor, have sufficient fire efficiency, are well controlled, capable of landing at any time of the day and quickly switch to active combat operations after landing. This, by and large, is the ideal to which we should strive "

.

To achieve these goals, under the leadership of Margelov, the concept of the role and place of the Airborne Forces in modern strategic operations in various theaters of military operations was developed. On this topic, Margelov wrote a number of works, and on December 4, 1968 he successfully defended his Ph.D. thesis (awarded the title of Candidate of Military Sciences by the decision of the Council of the Military Order of Lenin of the Red Banner Order of Suvorov of the MV Frunze Academy). In practical terms, exercises and command camps of the Airborne Forces were regularly held.

Armament

It was necessary to bridge the gap between the theory of the combat use of the Airborne Forces and the prevailing organizational structure troops, as well as the capabilities of military transport aviation. Having assumed the post of Commander, Margelov received troops, consisting mainly of infantry with light weapons and military transport aviation (as part of the Airborne Forces), which was equipped with Li-2, Il-14, Tu-2 and Tu- 4 with significantly limited amphibious capabilities. In fact, the Airborne Forces were not able to solve major tasks in military operations.

Margelov initiated the creation and serial production at the enterprises of the military-industrial complex of landing equipment, heavy parachute platforms, parachute systems and containers for landing cargo, cargo and human parachutes, parachute devices. "You cannot order equipment, so seek the creation of reliable parachutes in the design bureau, industry, during testing of reliable parachutes, trouble-free operation of heavy airborne equipment," Margelov said when assigning tasks to his subordinates.

For the paratroopers, modifications of small arms were created that simplified their landing by parachute - less weight, folding butt.

Especially for the needs of the Airborne Forces in the post-war years, new military equipment was developed and modernized: the airborne self-propelled artillery unit ASU-76 (1949), light ASU-57 (1951), amphibious ASU-57P (1954), self-propelled gun ASU-85, tracked combat vehicle Airborne troops BMD-1 (1969). After the arrival of the first batches of BMD-1 in the troops, a family of weapons was developed on its basis: self-propelled artillery guns "Nona", artillery fire control vehicles, command and staff vehicles R-142, long-distance radio stations R-141, anti-tank systems, reconnaissance vehicle. Anti-aircraft units and subunits were also equipped with armored personnel carriers, which housed calculations with portable complexes and ammunition.

By the end of the 1950s, new An-8 and An-12 aircraft were adopted and entered the troops, which had a carrying capacity of up to 10-12 tons and a sufficient flight range, which made it possible to airborne large groups of personnel with standard military equipment and weapons. Later, thanks to the efforts of Margelov, the Airborne Forces received new military transport aircraft - An-22 and Il-76.

At the end of the 1950s, parachute platforms PP-127 appeared in service with the troops, designed for parachuting artillery, vehicles, radio stations, engineering equipment and others. Parachute-jet landing gear was created, which, due to the jet thrust created by the engine, made it possible to bring the landing speed of the cargo to zero. Such systems made it possible to significantly reduce the cost of landing due to the abandonment of a large number of large-area domes.

On January 5, 1973, at the Slobodka airborne parachute center (view on Yandex.Maps) near Tula, for the first time in world practice in the USSR, parachute-platform vehicles were dropped in the Centaur complex from the An-12B military transport aircraft of a tracked armored combat vehicle BMD-1 with two crew members on board. The commander of the crew was Lieutenant Colonel Leonid Gavrilovich Zuev, and the gunner was Senior Lieutenant Alexander Vasilievich Margelov.

January 23, 1976, also for the first time in world practice, dropped from the same type of aircraft, made a soft landing of the BMD-1 on the parachute-jet system in the Reaktavr complex, also with two crew members on board - Major Alexander Vasilyevich Margelov and Lieutenant Colonel Leonid Shcherbakov Ivanovich. The landing was carried out with a huge risk to life, without individual means of rescue. Twenty years later, for the feat of the seventies, both were awarded the title of Hero of Russia.

A family

Father - Philip Ivanovich Margelov (Markelov) - a metallurgical worker, in the First World War he became a knight of two St. George's crosses.

Mother - Agafya Stepanovna, was from the Bobruisk district.
Two brothers - Ivan (elder), Nikolay (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 (1931-2016) - Major General.

Anatoly Vasilievich (1938-2008) - Doctor of Technical Sciences, Professor, author of more than 100 patents and inventions in the military-industrial complex.

Vitaly Vasilievich (born 1941) - professional intelligence officer, 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 Vasilievich (1945-2010) - retired major; First Deputy Director of the Directorate of International Relations of the Russian State Radio Broadcasting Company “Voice of Russia” (RGRK “Voice of Russia”).

Alexander Vasilievich (1945-2016) - Airborne Forces officer, retired colonel. On August 29, 1996 "for courage and heroism shown during testing, fine-tuning and mastering of special equipment" (landing inside the BMD-1 on a parachute-jet 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 Vasilievich and Alexander Vasilievich are twin brothers. In 2003, they co-wrote a book about their father - "Paratrooper No. 1, General of the Army Margelov".

Awards and titles

USSR awards

Medal "Gold Star" No. 3414 of the 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 (02/02/1943, 06/20/1949);
Order of Suvorov, 2nd degree (04/28/1944) was originally presented to the Order of Lenin;
two Orders of the Patriotic War, 1st degree (01/25/1943, 03/11/1985);
Order of the Red Star (3.11.1944);
two Orders "For Service to the Motherland in the Armed Forces of the USSR", 2nd (12/14/1988) and 3rd degree (04/30/1975);
medals.
Orders (gratitude) of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief in which V.F.Margelov is noted.

For the crossing of the Dnieper River in the lower reaches, and the capture of the city of Kherson - a large junction of railway and water communications and an important stronghold of the Germans' defense at the mouth of the Dnieper River. March 13, 1944. No. 83.

For the seizure of the large regional and industrial center of Ukraine by storm, the city of Nikolaev - an important railway junction, one of the largest ports on the Black Sea and a strong stronghold for the defense of the Germans at the mouth of the Southern Bug. March 28, 1944. No. 96.

For the capture of the city and the large railway junction Szolnok, an important stronghold of the enemy's defense on the Tissa River, by assault on Hungarian territory. November 4, 1944. No. 209.

For the breakthrough of the heavily fortified enemy defense southwest of Budapest, the seizure of the assault captured the cities of Szekesfehervar and Bichke - large communication centers and important strongholds of the enemy's defense. December 24, 1944. No. 218.

For the complete capture of the capital of Hungary, the city of Budapest, a strategically important center of the Germans' defense on the routes to Vienna. February 13, 1945. No. 277.

For the breakthrough of the heavily fortified German defenses in the Wärteshegyscheg mountains, west of Budapest, the defeat of a group of German troops in the Esztergom region, as well as the capture of the cities of Eszterg, Nesmey, Felsche Galla, Tata. March 25, 1945. No. 308.

For the seizure of the city and the important junction of the Magyarovar roads and the city and the railway station of Kremnica - a strong stronghold of the German defense on the southern slopes of the Velkafatra ridge. April 3, 1945. No. 329.

For the capture of the cities and important railway junctions of Malacky and Brook, as well as the cities of Previdza and Banovce - strong strongholds of the German defense in the Carpathian zone. April 5, 1945. No. 331.

For the encirclement and defeat of a group of German forces trying to retreat from Vienna to the north, and the capture of the cities of Korneiburg and Floridsdorf - powerful strongholds of the German defense on the left bank of the Danube. April 15, 1945. No. 337.

For the capture in Czechoslovakia of the cities of Jaromerice and Znojmo and on the territory of Austria the cities of Gollabrunn and Stockerau - important communication centers and strong strongholds for the defense of the Germans. May 8, 1945. No. 367.

Honorary titles

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

Memory

In 2014, a study-museum of Vasily Margelov was opened in the main building of the headquarters of the Airborne Forces.

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

By order of the Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation No. 182 of May 6, 2005, the departmental medal of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation "General of the Army Margelov" was established. In the same year, a memorial plaque was installed on a house in Moscow, in the Sivtsev Vrazhek lane, where Margelov lived the last 20 years of his life.

Annually, on the birthday of V.F.Margelov, December 27, in all cities of Russia, servicemen of the Airborne Forces pay tribute to the memory of Vasily Margelov.

Monuments

Monuments to V.F.Margelov are installed:
In Belarus: Kostyukovichi
In Moldova: Chisinau

In Russia: Alatyr (bust), Bronnitsy (bust), Gorno-Altaysk, Yekaterinburg, Ivanovo, Istomino village, Balakhninsky district, Nizhny Novgorod region, Krasnoperekopsk, Omsk, Petrozavodsk, Ryazan (two - in the park in the immediate vicinity of the checkpoint of this school) and Seltsy (the training center of the Airborne Forces school near Ryazan), Rybinsk of the Yaroslavl region (bust), St. Petersburg (in the park named after V.F. Margelov), Simferopol, Slavyansk-on-Kuban , Tula, Tyumen, Ulyanovsk, Lipetsk, Kholm (Novgorod region).

Ukraine: Donetsk, Dnepropetrovsk, Zhitomir (at the location of the 95th oaembr), Krivoy Rog, Lvov (at the location of the 80th oaembr), Sumy, Kherson, Mariupol.

Chronology of discovery

On February 21, 2010, a bust of Vasily Margelov was installed in Kherson. The bust of the general is located in the city center near the Youth Palace on Perekopskaya Street.

On June 5, 2010 in Chisinau, the capital of Moldova, a monument to the founder of the Airborne Forces (Airborne Forces) was unveiled. The monument was built at the expense of former paratroopers living in Moldova.

On November 4, 2013, a memorial monument to Margelov was opened in Victory Park in Nizhny Novgorod.

Monument to Vasily Filippovich, a sketch of which was made from a famous photograph from a divisional newspaper, in which he, being appointed division commander of the 76th Guards. airborne division, preparing for the first jump, - installed in front of the headquarters of the 95th separate airmobile brigade (Ukraine).

On October 8, 2014, in Bendery (Transnistria), a memorial complex was opened dedicated to the founder of the USSR airborne forces, hero of the Soviet Union, Army General Vasily Margelov. The complex is located on the territory of a public garden near the city House of Culture.

On May 7, 2014, a monument to Vasily Margelov was unveiled on the territory of the Memorial of Memory and Glory in Nazran (Ingushetia, Russia).

On June 8, 2014, as part of the celebration of the 230th anniversary of the founding of Simferopol, the Walk of Glory and the bust of the Hero of the Soviet Union, General of the Army, Commander of the Airborne Forces Vasily Margelov were solemnly opened.

On December 27, 2014, on the birthday of Vasily Fillipovich, a memorial bust of V.F.

On April 25, 2015, a bust of Vasily Margelov was solemnly unveiled in Taganrog in the city center, in the historic park "At the barrier".

On April 23, 2015, a bust of General of the Airborne Forces V.F.Margelov was unveiled in Slavyansk-on-Kuban (Krasnodar Territory, Russia).

On June 12, 2015, a monument to General Vasily Margelov was unveiled in Yaroslavl at the headquarters of the Yaroslavl Regional Children and Youth Military-Patriotic Public Organization named after Guard Sergeant of the Airborne Forces Leonid Palachev.

On July 18, 2015, a bust of the commander who took part in the liberation of the city during the Second World War was unveiled in Donetsk.
On August 1, 2015, a monument to General Vasily Margelov was unveiled in Yaroslavl on the eve of the 85th anniversary of the Airborne Forces.
On September 12, 2015, a monument to Vasily Margelov was unveiled in the city of Krasnoperekopsk (Crimea).
A monument to V.F.Margelov was erected in Bronnitsy.

On August 2, 2016, busts to V.F.Margelov were unveiled in Petrozavodsk and Alatyr (Chuvashia); also on this day a memorial was opened in the city of Rybinsk, Yaroslavl region.

On November 4, 2016, a bronze monument more than two meters high was erected in the center of Yekaterinburg.
On April 19, 2017 in Vladikavkaz, on the Walk of Fame, a bust of the Soviet military leader was erected.
June 30, 2017 in the city of Kholm, Novgorod region.

Naming

The name of V.F.Margelov is:
Ryazan Higher Airborne Command School;
Department of the Airborne Forces of the Combined Arms Academy of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation;
Nizhny Novgorod Cadet Corps (NKSHI);
MBOU "School No. 27" Simferopol;

streets in Moscow, Zapadnaya Litsa (Leningrad region), Omsk, Pskov, Taganrog, Tula, Ulan-Ude and the border village of Naushki (Buryatia), avenue and a park in the Zavolzhsky district of Ulyanovsk, an area in Ryazan, squares in St. Petersburg, in the city of Belogorsk (Amur region). On September 24, 2013, the name “Margelova Street” was assigned to the street “projected passage No. 6367” in Moscow. In honor of the 105th anniversary of the birth of Vasily Filippovich, a memorial plaque was opened on a new street.

In Belarus - high school No. 4 of Gomel, streets in Minsk and Vitebsk. In Vitebsk, the memory of V.F.Margelov was immortalized on June 25, 2010. The Vitebsk City Executive Committee in the spring of 2010 approved the petition of the veterans of the Airborne Forces of the Republic of Belarus and the Russian Federation to name the street connecting the street. Chkalov and ave. Victory Street, General Margelov Street. On the eve of the City Day on the street. General Margelov, a new house was commissioned, on which a memorial plaque was installed, the right to open it was given to the sons of Vasily Filippovich.

In art

During the Great Patriotic War, a song was composed in V. Margelov's division, one verse from it:
The song praises the Falcon
Brave and bold ...
Is it close, is it far
Margelov's regiments were walking.

In 2008, with the support of the Moscow government, the eight-episode series "Dad" was filmed by director Oleg Shtrom, in which Mikhail Zhigalov played the main role.

The "Blue Berets" ensemble recorded a song dedicated to VF Margelov, assessing the current state of the Airborne Forces, after his departure from the post of commander, which is called "Forgive us, Vasily Filippovich!"

Other

At the Sumy distillery "Gorobina" the memorial vodka "Margelovskaya" is produced. Fortress 48%, in the recipe - alcohol, pomegranate juice, black pepper.

In honor of the centenary of the Commander's birth, 2008 was declared the year of V. Margelov in the Airborne Forces.