Zakharov, Georgy Fedorovich

Early years

Born April 23 ( May 5 ), 1897 in the village of Shilovo ^[2] in the family of a poor peasant. Russian.

His childhood in a family of 13 souls was bleak. He was barely 11 years old, one autumn morning, his father took the boy to the city of Saratov . A student at a nail factory, an “errand boy”, in a shoe and tailor workshop, a packer at a warehouse — these were the days of George's childhood and youth. Georgy Zakharov worked as a packer for about 5 years. At the same time, he attended Sunday school.

In military service since 1915. He graduated from the Chistopol school of ensigns (1916). During the First World War, he fought on the Western Front , with the rank of second lieutenant , and commanded a half-regiment.

Revolution, the interwar period

Arriving from the front in Saratov, he was appointed to command the local partisan detachment and soon went to the Ural Front . Member of the RCP (b) since 1919. In the Red Army since 1919. Since August 1919, he fought with the White Guards on the Eastern Front , commanding the 4th Rifle Company of the 51st Separate Battalion of the 4th Army . He graduated from the Saratov infantry courses (1920). In one of the battles in the Urals, G.F. Zakharov was wounded. After treatment, he was sent to the city of Vladikavkaz , where he was entrusted with command of the 1st Infantry Battalion.

In 1922 he was sent to Moscow to study at the Shot courses. In 1923 he, as a graduate of the first-rate courses, was appointed commander of the battalion. Assistant to the chief of the combat department (since November 1926) of the United Military School of the Kremlin named after All-Russian Central Executive Committee . For several years, Zakharov commanded a battalion and then a regiment of cadets.

In 1923, G. F. Zakharov met with V. I. Lenin . Lenin summoned the regiment commander and took a detailed interest in the life of the cadets.

In 1929, Zakharov was commander-commissar of the second regiment of the Moscow proletarian division . At the same time he entered the evening course of the Military Academy of the Red Army named after M.V. Frunze . After graduating from the Academy in 1933, he was appointed deputy commander of the 17th Infantry Division , which was then commanded by the future Marshal of the Soviet Union, I. S. Konev . Head of the military-economic service of the division, then from August 1932 - assistant to the head of the logistics department.

From March 1933 - the head of the department of tactical and technical management of the operational-tactical cycle, then from May 1935 - the department of engineer support for combat and operations of the operational-tactical cycle of the Military Engineering Academy named after V.V. Kuybysheva . In 1936 he was awarded the rank of major ^[3] .

In 1936, he was appointed to Leningrad the chief of staff of the 1st Rifle Corps , commanded by the future Marshal of the Soviet Union F.I. Tolbukhin . Since March 1937 - Assistant Chief of Staff of the 19th Rifle Corps . In 1937, by decision of the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks, G. F. Zakharov was sent to study at the Military Academy of the General Staff . After graduating from the Academy in April 1939 he worked as chief of staff of the Ural Military District , where he remained until the start of World War II .

In the prewar years, he had military ranks: major (02.17.36), colonel, brigade commander (04.11.1939), major general (06/04/1940).

During the Great Patriotic War

Since June 1941 - Chief of Staff of the 22nd Army . According to the memoirs of Marshal A. I. Eremenko ^[4] :

The command post was in the forest near Nevel . The army was commanded by Major General F. A. Ershakov , a man of courage and conscientiousness. In carrying out the decisions he was demanding and persistent, the character was calm, even. He was successfully supplemented by the chief of staff of the army, Major General G. F. Zakharov, who was quickly prepared and very strong-willed, but not excessively hot and sometimes rude.

Since August 1941 - Chief of Staff of the Bryansk Front . Since October 1941 - commander of the Bryansk Front .

Since December 1941 - Deputy Commander of the Western Front . According to Colonel A.K. Kononenko , intelligence chief of the 1st Guards Cavalry Corps , illiterate actions of General G.F. Zakharov at the headquarters of the corps led to unjustified numerous casualties during the breakthrough of the German defense along the Warsaw highway during the Rzhev-Vyazemsky operation , as well as to the German troops slamming a breakthrough strip following the erupted group of General Belov. Moreover, G. F. Zakharov himself did not participate in the breakthrough, but remained in the second echelon ( 325th Infantry Division , rear, artillery, anti-aircraft weapons and ammunition), which, on his initiative, did not go to the breakthrough ^[5] . “Those tasks that were set before the group of Belov’s troops G.K. Zhukov, whose deputy General Zakharov, with a gun in his hands“ pushed ”it behind enemy lines, were erroneous, operatively illiterate, and the actions of Zakharov himself were simply criminal” ^[6] .

Since May 1942 - Chief of Staff of the North Caucasus Front .

Since August 1942 - Chief of Staff of the Stalingrad Front . According to the memoirs of Army General S.P. Ivanov ^[7] :

G. F. Zakharov generally gravitated to team work, not staff work, despite good preparation for the latter - in 1939 he graduated from the General Staff Academy. This man was constantly extremely severe, in contrast to A.I. Eremenko, who was quick-tempered, but quick-witted.

From October 1942 to February 1943 - Deputy Commander of the troops of the Stalingrad and Southern Fronts .

Comrade During the most critical period from December 15 to 20, Zakharov was invariably at the headquarters of the corps and shared joy and grief with us. Zakharov is a very tactful and intelligent general. It would seem that the deputy commander of the front is in the headquarters, he could have a gross influence on decisions, intervene with infringement on pride if a wrong decision is made, but Zakharov could tell if necessary, and without emphasizing his influence.

- RUF II of the USSR p. 1, f. 76, d.4, l. 19 about.

Since February 1943 - commander of the 51st Army of the Southern Front. At the head of it participated in the Miuss operation .

Since July 30, 1943 - commander of the 2nd Guards Army of the Southern Front.

Since July 1944 - Commander of the 2nd Belorussian Front . At the head of the front he participated in the Belarusian strategic offensive operation and in the Lomza-Ruzhany offensive operation . July 28, 1944 awarded the rank of army general .

Since November 1944 - commander of the 4th Guards Army . According to the assessment of Lieutenant General I. S. Anoshin ^[8] :

Army General G.F. Zakharov is a well-known military commander, honored, he is well known in the Headquarters. A man who is not devoid of ability and talent, but also of pride and self-confidence.

Since April 1945 - Deputy Commander of the 4th Ukrainian Front .

Post-war years

After the war, from 1945 on the post of commander of the troops of the South Ural , from 1946 - the East Siberian military districts. From 1950 to 1953, he was the head of the Shot courses. Since September 1954 - Head of the Main Directorate of Combat Training of the Ground Forces.

In 1950 - 1954 he was a deputy of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of the 3rd convocation.

• The order of Lenin
• 4 orders of the Red Banner
• 2 Orders of Suvorov I degree
• Order of Kutuzov I degree (01/28/1943)
• Order of Bogdan Khmelnitsky I degree
• Order of Suvorov II degree

May 5, 1975 in honor of General Zakharov, commander of the 2nd Guards Army , who liberated Sevastopol in 1944 from the north, the square on the north side of the city ​​was named ^[9] .

• Georgy Zakharov on the website of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation
• A small collection of articles (so far there are only two) about G. Zakharov
• An article about Georgy Fedorovich Zakharov in TSB

• The command and command staff of the Red Army in 1940-1941: Structure and personnel of the central apparatus of the NPO of the USSR, military districts and combined arms armies: Documents and materials / Ed. V.N. Kuselenkova. - M. - St. Petersburg. : Summer Garden , 2005 .-- 272 p. - 1000 copies. - ISBN 5-94381-137-0 .
• Team of authors . The Great Patriotic War. The commanders. Military Biographical Dictionary / Under the General Ed. M. G. Vozhakina . - M .; Zhukovsky: Kuchkovo Field, 2005 .-- 408 p. - ISBN 5-86090-113-5 .
• The Great Patriotic War, 1941-1945 : Encyclopedia / Ed. M. M. Kozlova . - M .: Soviet Encyclopedia , 1985. - S. 282. - 500 000 copies.
• Sverdlov F. D. Errors G. K. Zhukov (year 1942) . - M .: Monolith, 2002 .-- 160 p. - ISBN 5-85868-114-X .