The price of victory. General Gorbatov

Not much is known about the fate of Army Commander Alexander Gorbatov, one of the most talented commanders of the Great Patriotic War. Although it was in honor of his army that the first victorious salute sounded in the summer of forty-third.

The general dared to have his own point of view on the strategy of warfare, several times refused to obey the orders of Moskalenko, Rokossovsky and Zhukov himself, when he was required to lay down thousands of soldiers' lives for the sake of momentary success. Victory "at any cost" was not for him. And Gorbatov managed to take cities, avoiding heavy losses. Three years in the Kolyma camps taught him to value life - his own and someone else's.

In the headquarters offices, the army commander was considered obstinate and uncomfortable. And the soldiers in the trenches said: "This is the general who protects our lives" ...

Comments

[Same lech]

I read his book...in the camps I almost lost my legs, got scurvy...the thugs almost stabbed me.
The man was lucky...he went through such a press and stayed alive.
It's true I wrote very little about the first days of the war... when we had to stop fleeing soldiers and commanders and form combat-ready units from them... it was a tragic time... I have great respect for this man... his general's shoulder straps did not spoil his human qualities.

[Ravik]

Dared to violate the order of Headquarters (Stalin).
I told the Headquarters representatives everything honestly.
I received Stalin's resume - Gorbatov's grave will fix it.
There was no punishment.

[Andrey NM]

Gorbatov contributed greatly to the development of the Airborne Forces. In 1954, he handed over command of the Airborne Forces to General Margelov. For some reason, this is forgotten when discussing the Airborne Forces.

[Ed Mac]

Another story that shows that the Army must be professional and nothing else!
Mobilization is only for money, for big money, and it concerns everyone, i.e., if the Motherland is in danger, then the oligarchs pay the soldiers and do not profit from the war by filling FORBES lists.

Free soldiers have a corrosive effect on the government; the government doesn't value them and chooses "stupid" decisions, bleeding the country dry and working in the interests of the rich. After all, the rich have nothing to lose and even gain. This situation means only one thing: the rich, if necessary, could provoke a war. And if the rich risk their money, this will motivate them to preserve peace and support the Commanders-in-Chief who protect the soldiers.

[Million]

A feature film, "The General," was made about Gorbatov. The main character is played by Vladimir Gostyukhin.

[Sergei Fonov]

In 1942, Gorbatov was informed that a Special Department officer had dismantled a widow's hut for logs to cover a Special Department dugout. He walked with a heavy, gnarled stick due to his sore legs. Gorbatov found the Special Department officer and began beating him with the stick, so hard that it broke. This story was reported to Stalin, but they told the truth about the widow's hut. When Beria asked Gorbatov what to do with him, Stalin replied, "Give him a light cane, otherwise there won't be enough Special Department officers to deal with him." Gorbatov took the hint and stopped using physical force.

[Andrei Nikolaevich]

To fight requires courage. But to have an opinion during the war and during the reign of I.V. Stalin required doubly so.

[Sergey Ermakov]

The article's phrase that the Victorious Commanders demanded the sacrifice of thousands of soldiers for the sake of immediate success is an insult to memory. This lie hasn't been broadcast for a long time.

[Konnick]

Quote: Sergey Ermakov

The article's phrase that the Victorious Commanders demanded the sacrifice of thousands of soldiers for the sake of immediate success is an insult to memory. This lie hasn't been broadcast for a long time.

Why the lies? Whose memory is the author insulting, the general's?

Here is an excerpt from Zhukov's report to Stalin about the actions of the commander of the 30th Army, Lelyushenko, in early February 42.

...In front of Lelyushenko, the enemy, over a division strong, reinforced by two or three heavy artillery batteries and 15–20 tanks, had by now managed to organize a defense and meet Lelyushenko with an organized fire system...
Until February 2, Lelyushenko did not organize an offensive, but entered the battle on a wide front, He immediately threw in troops in droves without adequate artillery support.

Only the 30th Army wasn't facing a division, but the SS "Der Führer" Regiment, reinforced with self-propelled guns rather than tanks. Zhukov was being generous with Hero of the Soviet Union Lieutenant General D.D. Lelyushenko, who is also considered a commander of the Victory... After two attacks, only 27 soldiers remained of the 915th Rifle Regiment.

[Sergey Ermakov]

Of course, the memory of the Commanders. The article explicitly states that he refused to follow Rokossovsky and Zhukov's orders when they required him to sacrifice thousands of lives. That part is complete nonsense; neither Rokossovsky nor Zhukov sacrificed thousands of lives in vain. It's a vile narrative of foreign propaganda.