The commanders of the Soviet Army covered themselves with unfading glory in the battles and battles of the Great Patriotic War. Vasily Ivanovich Chuikov is a typical, so to speak, representative of the highest command staff. Strong-willed, calm, reasonable.
It is important to note and remember that the Red and then the Soviet Army fully inherited the traditions and rules on which the armed forces of the Russian Empire developed and operated. The biography of Vasily Ivanovich Chuikov is a clear confirmation of this approach. The dispassionate running of time erases many processes and facts from the memory of descendants, however, key, large-scale events are fixed in the annals of history.
Origin - from peasants
A child born into a peasant family could count on a modest perspective in life. To the representative of the draft class, to which the farmers belonged, the order in force in the Russian State offered one thing - hard work, paid at a modest tariff. Serious education, access to higher educational institutions was limited by the Law on Cook's Children. The smart and energetic boy Vaska from the Tula province, like many others, went to the capital city of Peter. There he got a job as an apprentice in a workshop where they made spurs. Brave warrant officers and cadets came here every day. Oh, how he envied these young and dashing people in military uniform.
The revolutionary transformations, which in a matter of months shook and destroyed the old way of life, changed the fate of Vasily Chuikov. The future famous commander becomes a soldier of the Red Army. He is 18 years old and the young Red Army man absorbs the basics of military service like a sponge. Thanks to the accumulated experience, Vasily Ivanovich was always interested in how a soldier lives and what needs he has. In the battles and campaigns of the Civil War, the young commander proved himself to be a skillful leader and competent tactician. This is clearly confirmed by two Orders of the Red Banner, personal watches and weapons. In addition to the medals - four bullet wounds.
Holy war
The personal life of the commander of a large military formation cannot be made public and the local community. Otherwise, the regiment or division in the shortest possible time will be like an ordinary brothel. Vasily Ivanovich Chukov and Valentina Petrovna Pavlova got married back in 1925. And they lived together for the rest of their lives. Apparently, love … The husband was constantly going about his business. The wife provided, in army terms, a solid rear. The Chuikovs had a daughter and a son. However, it would be wrong to call their family life idyllic. The Patriotic War began, which "hooked" the entire people. War is hard work for the soldier, the general, and their wives.
The defense of Stalingrad became for General Chuikov the pinnacle of strategic and tactical creativity. No, Vasily Ivanovich did not make a career. He, as he could and knew how, defended his homeland and family. It was here, on the banks of the Volga, that the enemy's military vehicle was stopped and rendered harmless. Then the flywheel of success began to spin in the other direction. Infantry and tanks went west. Under the command of General Chuikov, the 8th Guards Army reached Berlin and participated in the assault on the last stronghold of the enemy. The post-war career of the army commander developed progressively and successfully. Otherwise, a person who is whole and decent could not have been.
