Alexander Chapaev - Soviet military leader, major general of artillery, participant in the Great Patriotic War. Alexander Vasilyevich is the eldest son of the legendary hero of the Civil War Vasily Ivanovich Chapaev.
The biography of Alexander Vasilyevich began in 1910. The boy was born on August 10 in Balakovo, then still a village. Mom, Pelageya Nikanorovna, took care of the child alone, since Vasily Ivanovich Chapaev could be at home very rarely. In addition to the eldest, Sasha, a brother and sister, Arkady and Klavdia, also grew up in the family. Subsequently, my brother chose a career as a pilot.
Searching for a vocation
After graduating from school, Alexander went to get an education at an agricultural technical school. After him, the young agronomist worked in the Orenburg region. During his military service, the young man realized that he was dreaming of a military career. Chapaev entered the artillery school. After completing his studies, Alexander Vasilyevich began service.
He trained at the Academy of Mechanization and Motorization. From 1939 he was sent as a commander to the newly opened Podolsk school. On the basis of the institution, a regiment was formed from the beginning of the war. In it, Captain Chapaev was appointed to command a battalion of anti-tank guns. The unit was sent to the front. At the end of 1941, it took part in the battles on the outskirts of the capital.
The wounded Alexander Vasilyevich was taken to the hospital. After treatment, he returned to the active part. From the beginning of February, the 1942 commander took part in repelling a counterattack near Rzhev. Using shrapnel with buckshot, the Chapaev artillerymen, without the help of other units, coped with the superior enemy forces.
After successful battles and the subsequent offensive, the troops found themselves in a difficult situation near Rzhev. Thanks to the competent actions of the commander Chapaev, the enemy was forced to retreat. Two months later, Alexander Vasilyevich, with the rank of major, began to command an artillery regiment transferred to Voronezh.
The order for the military was to move to the enemy rear and liberate the regional center of Nizhnedevitsk. During that period, German troops were actively trying to break free. There were no military forces capable of resisting the enemy at that time.
Again, Chapaev was helped by the shrapnel with buckshot, already tested earlier in battles. Many guns, weapons and horses were captured. The soldiers were able to liberate the village of Pyatikhatki and break into Kharkov. It was not possible to take the city on the move. However, with the help of rocket launchers that came to the rescue, Nizhnedevitsk was released.
Combat activity
On July 12, 1943, Alexander Vasilyevich took part in the legendary tank battle near Prokhorovka. The enemy's attacks were repelled, but Chapaev received a secondary wound and was hospitalized for several months. The return took place during the battles for Kharkov. The lieutenant colonel was already the commander of the anti-tank regiment's artillery brigade.
In October 1943 he received the Order of Alexander Nevsky, in November became the commander of the cannon artillery brigade. In early July 1944, troops took Polotsk, an important railway junction. Among those who distinguished themselves in battles, the name of Chapaev was mentioned.
The personal life of Alexander Vasilyevich improved. The service also continued. In mid-September, a brigade under the command of a descendant of the legendary hero took part in exercises at the Totsk training ground on new rocket launchers.
In the spring of 1956, the brigade was disbanded, and its commander was sent to the Dzerzhinsky Military Academy for higher courses. After their passage, Major General Chapaev was appointed to command artillery in the Volga region. Alexander Vasilyevich completed his service in the position of deputy commander of the artillery of the capital's military district.
Even after retiring, the famous military leader remained active, engaging in military-patriotic activities. Often he visited the Chapayevskaya Guards Division, conducted classes with the fighters in it.
Summarizing
The Chapaevs have three children, a daughter and two sons. The family military dynasty was continued by the eldest child, Valentine. He became a pilot. The grandson of Alexander Vasilyevich, Alexei, also chose a military career. After that, the descendants chose peaceful professions. The dynasty of the military in the Chapaev family was interrupted.
Arkady himself began with cinematic creativity. At Mosfilm he works as an illuminator and mechanic. After completing his studies at the camera department of VGIK, he worked as an assistant, and then as a director of photography in many films. Among them are "Calling fire on ourselves", "Operation Trust".
After completing work on the film "Purely English Murder" Arkady Alexandrovich went to study at the Academy of Foreign Trade. After its completion, he worked in the State Committee for Science and Technology, dealt with issues of cooperation with foreign countries. Then he became a member of the UN Secretariat. Since the nineties, he held the post of assistant minister in the Ministry of Industry. The final activity was work at the Central Bank. Arkady Alexandrovich worked there until 2013.
Alexander Vasilyevich passed away in 1985, on March 7. Streets in Shcherbinka and Pershin bear his name. The descendant of the famous military leader was elected an honorary citizen of several settlements. Personal belongings with the general's uniform are on display in the museum named after his father in Cheboksary.
For his merits, Alexander Vasilyevich was awarded three Orders of the Red Banner, the Red Banner of Labor, Suvorov, the Patriotic War, the Red Star, as well as many medals. Chapaev fought selflessly and courageously from the very beginning of the war. He proved the right to bear a glorious name.
