Konstantin Rokossovsky (21 Dec. 1896 - 3 Aug. 1968)
Rokossovsky was commander of the 9th Mechanised Corps when Germany invaded the Soviet Union and he participated in the Battle of Dubno. Here he disobeyed direct orders to save his troops. Following this, he was sent to Smolensk to defend the city. In this battle he was credited with saving many Soviet soldiers from encirclement, as well as stalling the attacks of the German army.
In September of 1941 he was appointed commander of the 16th Army, made up of prisoners. This group was influential in the defence of Moscow and later in the Soviet counter-attacks into early 1942. He was injured in March 1942 by a shell splinter, spending a couple of months in hospital, before commanding the 16th Army again, fighting in Stalingrad’s northern wing.
In 1943 Rokossovsky became commander of the Central Front, leading counterattacks through Kursk, through Belarus and into Poland. One famous story involved him disagreeing with Stalin’s war plans, and after being asked to rethink three times, Rokossovsky replied each time that he believed two breakthroughs of German lines would be better than Stalin’s one. On this occasion Stalin placed his hand on the commander’s shoulder and, instead of chastising him as was expected by other men in the room, Stalin complimented his confidence and judgement.
Rokossovsky’s plan worked, and when he reached Warsaw in 1944 he was awarded the rank Marshal of the Soviet Union. He watched the Warsaw Uprising in 1944, and later would fight through East Prussia and northern Poland, linking with Montgomery in April. According to Beevor, he was not allowed to capture Berlin because he was Polish.
For more information on Konstantin Rokossovsky:
Rappenport, Helen. Joseph Stalin: A Biographical Companion (Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO, Inc.), 1999.
“Prominent Russians: Konstantin Rokossovsky”, on : http://russiapedia.rt.com/prominent-russians/military/konstantin-rokossovsky/ [last accessed 07/04/2012].
In September of 1941 he was appointed commander of the 16th Army, made up of prisoners. This group was influential in the defence of Moscow and later in the Soviet counter-attacks into early 1942. He was injured in March 1942 by a shell splinter, spending a couple of months in hospital, before commanding the 16th Army again, fighting in Stalingrad’s northern wing.
In 1943 Rokossovsky became commander of the Central Front, leading counterattacks through Kursk, through Belarus and into Poland. One famous story involved him disagreeing with Stalin’s war plans, and after being asked to rethink three times, Rokossovsky replied each time that he believed two breakthroughs of German lines would be better than Stalin’s one. On this occasion Stalin placed his hand on the commander’s shoulder and, instead of chastising him as was expected by other men in the room, Stalin complimented his confidence and judgement.
Rokossovsky’s plan worked, and when he reached Warsaw in 1944 he was awarded the rank Marshal of the Soviet Union. He watched the Warsaw Uprising in 1944, and later would fight through East Prussia and northern Poland, linking with Montgomery in April. According to Beevor, he was not allowed to capture Berlin because he was Polish.
For more information on Konstantin Rokossovsky:
Rappenport, Helen. Joseph Stalin: A Biographical Companion (Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO, Inc.), 1999.
“Prominent Russians: Konstantin Rokossovsky”, on : http://russiapedia.rt.com/prominent-russians/military/konstantin-rokossovsky/ [last accessed 07/04/2012].