Vershinin, Konstantin Andreevich

Occurs from the ancient Vyatka kind of Vershinins . Born in the village Borkino Vyatka province , now the Kirov region . Russian.

For several years, starting in 1915, as a seasonal worker in a brigade from the Vyatka province, he carpentry in Zvenigovsky backwater .

In the Workers 'and Peasants' Red Army since 1919 ^[1] . He graduated from the Simbirsk infantry command courses (1920), the Higher Tactical and Rifle School commanders of the Red Army. Comintern "The Shot" (1923), the Air Force Academy of the Red Army named after prof. N.Ye. Zhukovsky (1932).

Civil War

Member of the Civil War . The first post in the Red Army - Red Army Simbirsk infantry reserve regiment, in its composition participated in the suppression of the peasant uprising in the Voronezh province . After graduating from courses (1920) - commander of a rifle company in a marching infantry regiment in the city of Dorogobuzh, Smolensk Province , fought against the Bulak-Balakhovich formations in the provinces bordering on Poland. In 1921, the regiment was transferred to the Tambov province , where he led fierce military actions during the suppression of the Tambov uprising .

Interwar Period

After the Civil War in 1923 he commanded a training company of the 12th Red Banner Infantry Courses of the Volga Military District , from 1928 - commander of the infantry battalion in Kazan . In 1929 he entered the MV Frunze Military Academy , successfully completed the first course, after which in 1930, in the form of an order, he was transferred to the air force and sent to continue training at the Air Force Academy of the Red Army named after prof. N.Ye. Zhukovsky .

After graduating from the Academy in 1932 - Head of the Technical Department of the Research Institute of the Air Force of the Red Army, from January 1933 - Head of the Operations Division of the aviation brigade headquarters, since 1934 - Commander of the squadron of the Higher Flight Tactical Courses of the Red Army. Ibid together with the cadets I mastered piloting a bomber, and in 1935 I passed an external exam for the rank of a military pilot in the Kachin Higher Aviation School of Pilots ^[1] . From August 1938 - assistant to the flight training of the Chief of the Higher Aviation Training Courses for Flight Personnel.

In 1940, carrying out an urgent order from the Air Force Headquarters, he ordered a group of 5 bombers with crews from the personnel of the courses sent to Moscow . In difficult weather conditions, three aircraft crashed en route, there were casualties. Vershinin was put on trial by the military tribunal of the district, which fully acquitted him. But in disciplinary order, Colonel Vershinin was demoted to lieutenant colonel and transferred to the position of deputy commander of the aviation division. However, in May 1941, he was returned to the same Higher Aviation Training Course for the flight personnel, moreover to the post of their head. At the same time restored to military rank.

Great Patriotic War

The Great Patriotic War, Colonel Vershinin met as chief of the same courses, made the restructuring of their work in wartime conditions. In September 1941 he was appointed commander of the Air Force of the Southern Front . He led military operations of the front air force in the Donbass defensive operation in September — November 1941 , in the Rostov defensive (November 1941) and the Rostov offensive operation in November — December 1941 . Especially highly appreciated were the actions of the front air force in the last operation, where Vershinin managed to concentrate his few aircraft on the decisive direction in violation of the principle of giving the air force to individual armies, and ensured, albeit temporary, air superiority in the direction of the main attack of the front forces. In the first half of 1942, he participated in the Barvenkovsko-Lozovskaya and Kharkov defensive operations. Major General Aviation (10/22/1941).

From May 1942 - commander of the 4th Air Army (acted in the South , North Caucasus and Transcaucasian Front), participated in defensive battles on the southern flank of the Soviet-German front in the summer and autumn of 1942 . In September 1942 - April 1943 - Commander of the Air Force of the Transcaucasian Front , which included the 4th and 5th Air Armies , as well as the Air Force of the Black Sea Fleet . Well proved himself during the defensive and offensive phase of the Battle of the Caucasus . During the offensive of the Soviet troops in the Caucasus, on the initiative of K. A. Vershinin, low-speed, but highly maneuverable I-153 fighters (“The Seagull”) were used, which effectively attacked the enemy at low altitudes ^[1] .

In May 1943 , Major General Aviation K. A. Vershinin was again appointed commander of the 4th Air Force, now part of the North Caucasus Front. At the head of the army, he participated in an air battle in the Kuban in April-June 1943 , unprecedented in terms of scope and bitterness. There Vershinin widely used the constant watch of aircraft pilots on the leading edge, massive use of forces during air battles (if previously an exceptional case was air combat as a part of the regiment, then over the Kuban from the Soviet side often up to 5 fighter regiments and more were often simultaneously introduced, a wide exchange of successful combat experience (the Soviet ace A. I. Pokryshkin in his memoirs describes army commanders fencing events, conducted personally by KA Vershinin, as an unheard of event in the two previous years of the war).

Then the 4th Air Army successfully operated in Novorossiysk-Taman (September-October 1943), the Kerch-Eltigen paratrooper (November — December 1943), and the Crimean strategic (April-May 1944) offensive operations. In May-June 1944 the army was deployed to the central sector of the Soviet-German front, where it fought in the Belarusian , East Prussian , East Pomeranian , Berlin strategic offensive operations. Lieutenant General of Aviation (03/17/1943). Colonel-General of Aviation (10/23/1943), the first of the number of commanders of the air armies during the years of the Great Patriotic War, who was given this military rank. The title of Hero of the Soviet Union was awarded for military skill and skillful command of the troops in the Belarusian offensive operation of 1944 .

KA Vershinin was distinguished by deep knowledge in the field of operational art, constant search for a new, creative approach to solving problems. This allowed him to skillfully organize the interaction of air force units with ground forces, to provide effective assistance to the combined-arms and tank armies.

Post-war time

Since 1946 - Commander- in- Chief of the Air Force - Deputy Minister of Defense of the USSR . Supervised rearmament of the Air Force on jet technology. Air Marshal (June 3, 1946).

In September 1949, he was suddenly demoted and appointed commander of the Baku air defense district . From February to September 1950, the commander of the 57th Air Army. From 1950 to 1951 - Commander of the 24th Air Army GSVG . From June 1953 to May 1954 - Commander of the Air Defense Forces of the country. From June 1954 to April 1956 - Commander of the Baku Air Defense Forces . In 1956-1957 - Deputy Commander of the Air Force.

From January 1957 - again the Commander-in-Chief of the Air Force - Deputy Minister of Defense of the USSR .

Chief Air Marshal (May 8, 1959). From March 1969 - in the Group of Inspectors General of the Ministry of Defense of the USSR ^[1] .

Member of the CPSU since 1919. Candidate members of the Central Committee of the CPSU in 1952-1956. Member of the Central Committee of the CPSU in 1961-1971. Deputy of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR II (1946-1950), IV — VII (since 1954) convocations.

He lived in Moscow . He died after a serious illness on December 30, 1973 at the 74th year of life. He was buried at the Novodevichy cemetery .

Family

• Wife - Valentina Alexandrovna (8.V.1904 - 2.XII.2005), ballerina of the Ulyanovsk Theater, choreographer.
• The eldest daughter - Elena Vershinina (1924), the Soviet artist-animator.
• The youngest daughter Inna (1927) is a translator ^{[2] [3]} .

Streets

The names of KA Vershinin are the streets of many settlements in Russia and Ukraine:

• Marshal Vershinin - a street in Moscow.
• Marshal Vershinin - street in Kirov .
• Vershinina - a street in Krivoy Rog .
• Vershinina - a street in Krymsk .
• Vershinina is a street in Zvenigov .
• Vershinina - a street in Sanchursk .
• Street in the village of Bolshaya Shishovka, Sanchursky district of the Kirov region

Other

• A memorial plaque is installed on the building of the N. Zhukovsky Air Force Engineering Academy .
• In the name of KA Vershinin the Barnaul Higher Military Aviation School for Pilots was named.
• In g. Zvenigovo shipyard them. Butyakova S.N., a memorial plaque was installed.
• In the town of Zvenigovo stands a stele to the Five Heroes of the Soviet Union with its three-dimensional image.
• Bust K. A. Vershinin in Victory Park in Kirov.

• Hero of the Soviet Union ( Gold Star Medal ) No. 3869, decree of August 19, 1944,
• Six Orders of Lenin (12.23.1942, 07.21.1944, 08/19/1944, 02.21.1945, ...),
• Order of the October Revolution ,
• Three Orders of the Red Banner (03/27/1942, 3/11/1944, ...),
• Three Orders of Suvorov I degree (05/16/1944, 04/10/1945, 05/29/1945)
• Order of Suvorov II degree (10/25/1943),
• Order of the Patriotic War, 1st degree (02.22.1943),
• Medals of the USSR ^[4] ,
• Orders and medals of foreign countries.

• Babylon - "The Civil War in North America" ​​/ [under total. ed. N.V. Ogarkova ]. - M .: Military Publishing House of the USSR Defense Ministry , 1979. - 654 p. - ( Soviet military encyclopedia : [in 8 t.]; 1976-1980, t. 2).
• A. N. Kiselev, "Chief Marshal of Aviation K. A. Vershinin." On Sat "Commanders and Warlords of the Great Patriotic War", Issue 3. M .: Young Guard. 1985. Series "Life of wonderful people."
• Heroes of the Soviet Union: A Brief Biographical Dictionary / Prev. ed. College I. Shkadov . - Moscow : Military Publishing , 1987. - T. 1 / Abaev - Lyubichev /. - 911 s. - 100 000 copies - ISBN SEC., Reg. Number in the PSC 87-95382.
• Vershinin Konstantin Andreevich // Mari biographical encyclopedia / Avt.-comp. V. A. Mochaev. - Yoshkar-Ola : Mari Biographical Center, 2007. - p. 71. - 486 p. - 2032 copies - ISBN 5-87898-357-0 .
• Vershinin Konstantin Andreevich // Encyclopedia of the Republic of Mari El / Ed. ed. N.I. Saraeva. - Yoshkar-Ola, 2009. - p. 274. - 872 p. - 3505 copies - ISBN 978-5-94950-049-1 .
• Vershinin Konstantin Andreevich // History of the Mari Territory in faces. 1941-1945 The Great Patriotic War. - Yoshkar-Ola : MarNIIILI , 2015. - P. 45-48. - 374 s. - 500 copies - ISBN 978-5-94950-070-5 .
• Zamkov A.V., Nikishin A.V., Zadorozhny V.N. Marshal Vershinin: Peace and War (through the pages of the family album) - Moscow : Vadim Zadorozhny Museum of Technology , 2017. - 116 p. - ISBN 5-87012-061-6
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• Vershinin, Konstantin Andreevich (Rus.) . The site " Heroes of the country ."
• Biography K. A. Vershinin . On the site " Chronos " .