Rokossovsky - Ostfront Ace in the Hole
Part of Leaders and Leadership Week
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My guest today is Ollie Heppenstall who is the main contributor to this great Eastern Front resource [ Ссылка ]
Konstantin Rokossovsky was born in northern Russia and was conscripted into the Russian Army in 1914, joining the 5th Kargopol Dragoons. In 1917 he joined the Bolshevik forces during the Russian Revolution and was twice honored with the Order of the Red Banner during the civil war. In 1937 during the Army purges, he was arrested and imprisoned for 3 years. He was accused of being both a Polish and Japanese spy. Among the injuries he sustained during this time was the loss of most of his teeth, which were later replaced with stainless steel dentures, and thus throughout the war Rokossovsky was famous for his steely smile.
By July 1941 and Operation Barbarossa. Rokossovsky was commander of the 4th Army at Smolensk. He distinguished himself leading the 16th Army during the defense of Moscow and Stalingrad. At Stalingrad, commanding the Don Front, his troops successfully counterattacked Friedrich Paulus' Sixth Army, marking a strategic victory by stopping the German southern advance. He also contributed much to the counterattack of the German forces at Kursk, again halting a major German offensive. For such feats he became the commander of the central front, directly overseeing the Russian offensive Operation Bagration. In mid-1944 he was given the title Marshal of the Soviet Union.
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