Our hero is mysterious. It is not clear: he was distracted from military service for the sake of scientific research, or temporarily refused to study the properties of metals in order to take part in a military campaign.
The early 20th century was turbulent. The era of rebels and warriors left for posterity a large number of scientific discoveries and technological innovations. People like our hero have contributed to the progress. His biography could become the basis for an action-packed novel.
Childhood
Volodya was born in 1899 in Nizhny Tagil. His father Joseph Zalessky came to this city from the Kherson province to manage the Vyysky copper smelter. This descendant of an aristocratic family chose the profession for himself. His parent, a major general, the hero of the defense of Sevastopol, was known as a freethinker. He himself loved to talk about the need to modernize the economy in the empire, therefore he blessed his children for the civil service, which contributed to the education of the people and the introduction of new methods in production.
The heir to unusual nobles grew up in a large family, where, in addition to him, there were two more daughters and a son. Sometimes uncles and aunts came to visit, who devoted themselves to work in the fields of pedagogy and science. The child was praised for his creativity and academic success, and he himself was convinced that he would become a professor. The boy was keenly interested in everything that the adults discussed. He heard from his idols and criticism of the authorities.
Youth
Our hero received his education at the Aleseevsky Commercial School in Novorossiya. This educational institution was opened in 1905. The exact sciences were taught there, which were necessary for a teenager who wanted to continue his studies at the university. Having received his diploma in 1917, Vladimir Zalessky went to Moscow to realize his dream. The household members were glad that their student was lucky to avoid all kinds of political adventures.
The school graduate arrived at the capital at the height of the revolutionary events. Instead of settling with his aunt Olga and starting to prepare for the entrance exams, the young man disappeared for days at rallies and political meetings. He was imbued with the ideas of the Bolsheviks and volunteered for the ranks of the Red Army. During the years of the civil war, the young man has repeatedly demonstrated courage in battle. The high level of knowledge of the Red Army soldier Zalessky allowed the command to trust this boy to work with equipment that frightened his fellow soldiers.
Difficult decision
Vladimir was confident that he should make a career in the military. In 1920, the guy finished artillery courses and continued to serve in the army. Soon he began to feel weary about the routine. His papa moved to Moscow from Nizhniy Tagil. Joseph Zalessky was invited by the Soviet government to teach at the Moscow Higher Technical School. At home, the young officer constantly heard talk that he was ruining his talent with drill.
The result of the moralizing conversations was Volodya's admission to an educational institution where his father taught. The school advertised by the parent met the expectations of his son. In 1928, the young specialist got a job at a scientific institute, which was engaged in the development of new technologies in mechanical engineering. After 2 years, Zalessky Jr. transferred to the Moscow Mining Academy. Here he was able to realize his desire for science, earned the title of professor at the Department of Forging and Stamping.
To the front
In the summer of 1941, the famous scientist was vacationing with his family at the dacha. There they brought him a summons from the military registration and enlistment office. Zalessky had combat experience and a military specialty as an artilleryman, he was needed as a military specialist. He was promoted to major general and sent to the units preparing the capital for defense. The first year of the war, the professor served in the ranks of the anti-tank artillery regiment, was among the anti-aircraft gunners who defended the skies over Moscow.
When the threat that the Nazis would occupy the capital of the USSR passed, Vladimir Iosifovich did not want to return to the civilian profession. In the ranks of the Red Army, he drove the enemy to the West. One of the most difficult battles of the gray-haired general took place in the Baltic states during the Shauliai operation. In the fall of 1944, the Nazis were pushed to the sea, and they tried to break through, forming a strike force from the Royal Tiger tanks. The guns of the Zalessky battery for a long time could not cope with the armor of the steel monsters, but they did not leave their positions, they found a weak spot in the enemy's vehicles and killed them.
After Victory
The brave artilleryman did not have a chance to take Berlin. In January 1945, by government order, he was recalled to the rear. The militant scientist received a responsible task: he headed the department of forging and stamping production at the Moscow Institute of Steel and Alloys. Scientists have not forgotten how, even before the war, Zalessky discovered a defect in imported equipment and developed technologies that made it possible to replace defective foreign parts with a reliable domestic analogue. Simultaneously with research work, our hero taught at his own institute.
Many people whose lives were associated with the army and industrial innovations of the country of the Soviets did not advertise their personal lives. Nothing is known about the wife and children of Vladimir Zalessky. Fond memories of the professor of his students have been preserved. This person worked at the institute until 1972, wrote more than 150 books, among which textbooks occupy an important place. Having retired, the old man remained in the ranks of the department staff as a consulting professor. Vladimir Iosifovich Zalessky died in April 1975.
