The monument to Army General Vasily Margelov will be unveiled in Chita on the Day of the Airborne Forces, July 29, the press service of the Trans-Baikal Territory government reports.
The initiators of the installation were public organizations: “Airborne Brotherhood” and “Union of Parachutists”; their initiative was supported by the Chamber of Officers;
“Margelov’s name has not yet been immortalized in any way in the Trans-Baikal Territory, although hundreds of our compatriots served in “Uncle Vasya’s troops”. We must preserve the memory of this outstanding military leader; everyone who appreciates our Motherland should know the name of the illustrious army general.”“We are very pleased with the results of this event,” said Ashot Akobyan, chairman of the regional branch of the Union of Russian Paratroopers.
The bust was made by the artist-decorator of the House of Officers, Honored Artist of the Trans-Baikal Territory, Evgeny Kuznetsov, who served in the 98th Guards Division of the Airborne Forces from 1971 to 1973.
The monument will be installed to the left of the stele of the internationalist soldiers, near the infantry fighting vehicle.
Recall that Vasily Filippovich Margelov (1908 – 1990) – Soviet military leader, commander of the Airborne Forces in 1954-1959 and 1961-1979, General of the Army (1967), Hero of the Soviet Union (1944), laureate of the USSR State Prize (1975), Candidate of Military Sciences (1968). His real name is “Markelov”; it became Margelov due to an error in the documents.
After being drafted into the army, he was sent to study at the Belarusian United Military School (UBVSH), named after him. Central Election Commission of the BSSR in Minsk. After graduating in 1931, Vasily Margelov was appointed commander of a machine-gun platoon of the regimental school of the 99th Infantry Regiment of the 33rd Belarusian Rifle Division.
During the Soviet-Finnish War (1939-1940), Margelov commanded the separate reconnaissance ski battalion of the 596th Infantry Regiment of the 122nd Division. During one of the operations, he captured officers of the Swedish General Staff.
On 19 June 1941 he was appointed commander of the 3rd Infantry Regiment of the 1st Motor Rifle Division.
During the Great Patriotic War he was commander of a rifle regiment, chief of staff and deputy commander of a rifle division.
Since 1944, Vasily Margelov commanded the 49th Guards Rifle Division of the 28th Army of the 3rd Ukrainian Front. He led the division’s actions during the crossing of the Dnieper and the liberation of Kherson, for which he was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union in March 1944.
Since 1948, after graduating from the Voroshilov Military Academy of the General Staff of the USSR Armed Forces, he was the commander of the 76th Guards Chernigov Red Banner Airborne Division.
He implemented the concept of using modern airborne forces – troops equipped with airborne equipment, capable of rapid transfers over long distances and participation in strategic operations. Margelov wrote several works on this topic and on December 4, 1968 he successfully defended his candidate dissertation (he was awarded the academic title of Candidate of Military Sciences by the decision of the Council of the Military Order of Lenin, Order of the Red Banner of Suvorov Academy named after M. V. Frunze)
Hero of the Army of the Soviet Union General Vasily Filippovich Margelov was commander of the Airborne Forces (Airborne Forces) from 1954 to 1979.
Since then, the abbreviation VDV has been jokingly deciphered as “Uncle Vasya’s Troops”, and Margelov was called “Paratrooper No. 1”.
He received 13 Orders of the USSR, 12 Awards of Thanks from Stalin, 21 medals and 34 awards from foreign countries.
Source: Rossa Primavera
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