As a child, he tried on the uniform of a funny regiment, then served in Kolchak's army. Disagreement with his superiors led him to the red. The commander with character proved himself to be a hero, defending the Fatherland from the Nazis.
His rebellious character made him a rebel. No one could have predicted that refusing to put up with injustice would help this boy become an excellent commander and a real father for his subordinates.
Childhood
Sasha was born in December 1898 in Kazan. His parent Vasily was a craftsman and provided for a huge family. His wife Agafya gave birth to seven boys and a girl. The Kirsanovs lived in poverty, but they encouraged their children to study and did not scold them for their daring dreams.
Our hero from an early age was confident that he would become a great commander. The boy read a book about the campaigns of Alexander Suvorov and began to imitate his idol in games with his peers. In 1912, the teenager was noticed by the mentors of Tsarevich Alexei and invited to take part in a funny battle. After the end of the performance, all the little fighters were returned to their parents.. Only a photograph remained in Sasha's memory, in which he was in a guards uniform. The father sent the heir to a vocational school. The teenager easily mastered science, and, having received a diploma, continued his education at the teacher's seminary. Now he had a job, his childhood inventions were forgotten.
White and red
The specialist was not taken to the front of the First World War, but soon peaceful everyday life came to an end. The Tsar was overthrown, and various political groups began to gather their supporters for an armed struggle for power. In the fall of 1918, young people were mobilized for the war against the Bolsheviks in Kazan. Kirsanov was drafted into the army. He showed himself to be a gallant soldier and after his studies was promoted to non-commissioned officer. Now Alexander became the commander of the machine-gun section in Kolchak's army.
The admiral lost the battle near Krasnoyarsk in 1919. Kirsanov's division lost many people and weapons, he was taken to the city for reorganization. There the fighters were kept in bestial conditions, the local residents were even worse. When the townspeople revolted against the whites, Alexander supported them. Now the rebels had only one road - to the Reds. In 1920, our hero volunteered for the army of the former enemy. An experienced warrior was sent to the southern front, where he fought against the troops of Peter Wrangel and the bands of Nestor Makhno.
Become the best
Kirsanov remained in military service, was promoted to commander of an artillery platoon. During the war, Alexander Vasilyevich sorted out his political sympathies and in 1922 joined the RCP (b). He told his colleagues about his difficult path to communist ideas, was appointed political instructor of the unit, which was stationed in Yekaterinoslav. The guy discovered his talent as an organizer, got carried away with creativity and became the head of the club of the division. He also made his contribution to the elimination of illiteracy. Having learned that many soldiers cannot read and write, the commander himself taught them this wisdom.
The superiors liked the honest and decisive artilleryman. In 1924 he was sent to study in Kiev. After 2 years, the graduate of the military school was sent to Vladikavkaz. There he rose to the rank of chief of staff of the regiment. In 1929, a commission of inquiry arrived at the unit to find out the facts regarding the service of Alexander Kirsanov in the Kolchak army. The accused did not hide his biography. The officer's honest story about the difficult path to the ranks of the Bolsheviks made those who had recently suspected him of malice to apologize.
The Great Patriotic War
June 1941 Alexander Kirsanov met in the Caucasus. Together with his subordinates, he strengthened the defense on the Black Sea coast. In September, the artilleryman entered the battle with the Nazis on the outskirts of Odessa, which he defended. When it was decided to surrender the city, our hero was evacuated to the Crimea, the defense of which also needed reinforcements. From letters from his mother, he learned that his younger brother Nikolai, who received the profession of a geologist, who managed to become a husband and father, left home and went to the front as a volunteer.
The battle for Stalingrad was an important milestone in the military career of Alexander Kirsanov. On the battlefield, he took command of the division that had lost its commander. For competent actions, the colonel was awarded the rank of major general. In 1943, his division became a Guards division. In this honorary status, the unit began to liberate the Soviet land from the invaders. When crossing the Dnieper, Kirsanov's fighters managed to seize the bridgehead and hold it for a long time on their own, repelling the attacks of superior enemy forces. For this feat, the commander was awarded the Gold Star of the Hero of the Soviet Union. Then there were battles in Prussia, the Berlin offensive operation.
Veteran
Kirsanov celebrated the victory in the north of Germany. He managed to celebrate the holiday for the second time on Red Square in Moscow. The general took part in the famous Victory Parade. The veteran was not going to leave the ranks of the army. His unit was reorganized into an airborne division and in 1947 moved to Pskov. Alexander Vasilyevich himself continued to improve in the art of war, graduated from the academy, and taught himself.
In 1963, Major General Kirsanov retired and settled in Minsk. There he became the vice-rector of the local university. Nothing is known about the commander's personal life. In 1994, the old warrior died.
