Zhdanov, Vasily Nikolaevich

He studied in Moscow, in a private gymnasium Nechaeva. In July 1915, V. N. Zhdanov was drafted into the Russian Imperial Army . Until May 1916 he served in the 87th Infantry Regiment in Rybinsk and in the Life Guards Grenadier Regiment in Petrograd . In 1916 he graduated from the Alexander Military School , after graduation he was appointed to the rank of ensign as a junior officer in the 211st infantry reserve regiment in Yaroslavl . Since July 1917, he participated in the First World War near Dvinsk , as a junior officer and commander of a machine gun team in the 67th Tarutino Infantry Regiment . Second Lieutenant . In November 1917 he went on vacation and before the demobilization of the army he never returned to the regiment.

He settled in Moscow, served as an actor in the Nezlobin Theater . In April 1919 he moved to Syzran , where he was admitted to the local theater of the Department of Public Education.

Civil War

In July 1919, V. N. Zhdanov was mobilized into the Red Army . He graduated from the courses of pilot observers of the Eastern Front in Syzran in 1919. Since September 1919, he participated in the Civil War on the Turkestan Front as part of the 25th squadron, was an observer pilot, and then was appointed adjutant of the reconnaissance aviation detachment. He participated in the Bukhara operation , in subsequent battles with the troops of the emir of Bukhara , and then fought against the Basmach detachments for two years. For "a series of useful aerial reconnaissance and bombing of the fortress of Old Bukhara" he was awarded a golden watch by order of the Revolutionary Military Council of the front (7.10.1920). Since November 1920, he fought as an adjutant of the 11th air squad of the Turkestan front.

Between Wars

After the war, in 1922 V.N. Zhdanov was transferred to Glavvozdukhflot and appointed head of the department of accounting and acquisition of educational institutions. In August 1922 he was sent to study and in 1923 he graduated from the 1st military school of pilots , and in 1924 - the reconnaissance course of the 1st Higher School of Red Military Pilots in Moscow. In May 1924 he was appointed pilot of the 1st Reconnaissance Aviation Squadron of the Moscow Military District (MBO).

Since March 1925 - on a business trip in Afghanistan through the Intelligence Agency of the Red Army . Since May 1928 he has been the flight commander of the 20th squadron. From September 1928 to April 1929 he studied at advanced training courses for the command staff at the Air Force Academy of the Red Army named after prof. N.E. Zhukovsky . Since April 1929, he again served in the 20th squadron, from January 1931 - the squadron commander in the 53rd heavy bomber squadron (Voronezh), from December 1931 - in the 79th heavy bomber squadron ( Monino ). Since July 1932, he commanded the 104th heavy bomber air squadron of the Moscow military district (Monino), since August 1933 he was the commander of the Domnino air group of the Transbaikal military district , from July 1934 he was the commander of the heavy bomber air squadron in the 101st aviation brigade of the Trans-Baikal Military District, from October 1936 - Wreed commander of this brigade. In 1935, he again went on a business trip abroad, this time in Mongolia .

In 1938 he graduated from the Higher Air Force Tactical School of the Air Force in Lipetsk , after which, from May 1938, he was an assistant commander of the 15th Air Force Brigade of the Leningrad Military District ( Novgorod ). Since August 1938 - Head of the 3rd training camp center for pilot observers of the LenVO. In January 1939, V.N. Zhdanov was appointed assistant commander of the 68th Light Bomber Brigade (LVO). In this position he participates in the Soviet-Finnish War , where he made 30 sorties and received his first order - the Order of the Red Banner . In April 1940 he was appointed commander of the 15th Heavy Bomber Aircraft Brigade, in August 1940 - commander of the 40th Mixed Aviation Division . Since 1939 - member of the CPSU (b) .

World War II

With the outbreak of World War II, Colonel V.N. Zhdanov was appointed commander of the Air Force of the 23rd Army of the Northern Front on June 25, 1941 (from the Leningrad Front on August 23, 1923). Participated in the Vyborg-Kexholm Frontline Defensive Operation . In September 1941, V. N. Zhdanov was appointed deputy commander of the Air Force of the Leningrad Front and further participated in the battle for Leningrad . At the same time, from June to August 1942, he commanded a separate aviation group (General Zhdanov’s aviation group) of the Leningrad Front, consisting of three fighter and one bomber aviation regiments. On November 25, 1942, the Leningrad Front Air Force was transformed into the 13th Air Army , V. N. Zhdanov became deputy commander of this army, and participated in Operation Iskra . Since May 1943 V.N. Zhdanov has been commanding the Air Force of the Central Asian Military District .

On August 2, 1944 V.N. Zhdanov was appointed commander of the 8th Air Army of the 1st Ukrainian Front (later than the 4th Ukrainian Front ). The deputy commander of the 8th Air Army for political affairs A. G. Rytov recalled:

... A new commander, aviation lieutenant general Vasily Nikolayevich Zhdanov, arrived at our place. He was an experienced commander, who still served in the tsarist army, a polite, tactful and gullible man. But if someone tried to abuse his trust, it was difficult for him to earn the good disposition of the commander.

Tall, representative, with excellent military bearing, Vasily Nikolayevich was an example of impeccable accuracy. If he set up a meeting, always minute to minute came. He did not tolerate lateness and, in general, the slightest indiscipline, looseness.

- Rytov A.G. Knights of the fifth ocean. - M.: Military Publishing, 1968.

Under the command of V.N. Zhdanov, the 8th Air Army took part in the Lviv-Sandomierz , East Carpathian , West Carpathian , Moravian-Ostrava and Prague offensive operations. The war V. N. Zhdanov ended in Prague .

During the war, Zhdanov was mentioned six times in thanksgiving orders of the Supreme Commander ^[1]

From April 1946 - the commander of the 2nd Air Army , from February 1953 - the commander of the 43rd Air Army . Since July 1953 - retired.

He was buried in Kiev at the Lukyanovsky military cemetery .

• Colonel - 1936
• Major General Aviation - October 29, 1941
• lieutenant general of aviation - October 23, 1943
• Colonel General of Aviation - March 1, 1946

• Order of Lenin (02.21.1945 ^[2] )
• Four Orders of the Red Banner (1940, 11/23/1942, 11/03/1944 ^[2] , 1949 ^[2] )
• Order of Suvorov 1st degree (05/23/1945)
• Medal "For the Defense of Leningrad"
• Medal "For the Liberation of Prague"
• other medals

foreign awards

• Order of the “Grunwald Cross” 3rd degree ( Poland )
• Order of the White Lion 3rd degree ( Czechoslovakia )
• Military Cross of 1939 (Czechoslovakia)
• Military Commemorative Medal (Czechoslovakia)
• Medal of Victory and Freedom (Poland)

• Team of authors . The Great Patriotic War. The commanders. Military Biographical Dictionary / Under the General Ed. M. G. Vozhakina . - M .; Zhukovsky: Kuchkovo Field, 2005 .-- S. 373-374. - ISBN 5-86090-113-5 .
• Team of authors . World War II: Divisional Commanders. Military Biographical Dictionary / V.P. Goremykin. - M .: Kuchkovo field, 2014 .-- T. 2 .-- S. 548-550. - 1000 copies. - ISBN 978-5-9950-0341-0 .
• Rytov A.G. Knights of the Fifth Ocean. - M.: Military Publishing, 1968.
• Alekseev M.A., Kolpakidi A.I., Kochik V.Ya. Encyclopedia of military intelligence. 1918-1945 - M.: Kuchkovo field, 2012 .-- S. 216–217.

• Article from the “Soviet Military Encyclopedia”
• Biography on the site Soldiers of the XX century
• Panov E. The winged commander.