General of the army of hares. Smolyaninov mikhail mitrofanovich

In 1941 he volunteered for the Red Army.

The Great Patriotic War

At the beginning of the Great Patriotic War Zaitsev was sent to special communications courses, after graduating from May 1942 - in the army. He held the positions of assistant and senior assistant to the chief of staff of a tank brigade, senior assistant to the chief of a department of staff of a tank corps. He fought on the Western, Voronezh, Bryansk, Central and 1st Ukrainian fronts. Took part in many largest operations wars, including the Battle of Kursk, Lvov-Sandomierz, Vistula-Oder, Berlin, Prague operations. Participated in the defense of Moscow.

Post-war time

After the war, M.M. Zaitsev served as chief of the staff of an airborne division since 1945, then in the same position in a tank division, was chief of staff and deputy commander of a tank division. Graduated Military academy armor tank troops in 1955, Military Academy General Staff in 1965. Since 1965 he commanded tank division... From November 1968 he was chief of staff, and from December 1969 - commander of a tank army.

In senior command positions

Since August 1972 - First Deputy Commander, and since May 1976 - Commander of the Belarusian Military District. Since 1980 - Commander-in-Chief of the Group soviet troops in Germany. Military rank General of the Army awarded by the decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of November 4, 1980. Since 1985 - Commander-in-Chief of the Forces of the Southern Direction.

Since 1989 - in the Group of Inspectors General of the USSR Ministry of Defense. Since 1992 - retired. He was a deputy of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of the 10th and 11th convocations. 1981-1989 - Member of the Central Committee of the CPSU. He lived in Moscow. Buried at the Troekurovsky cemetery in Moscow.

Reviews and memories

“Maybe nature itself put him in an army formation, giving him tall stature, well-built shoulders, endowing him with heroic strength and an iron will ... Purposefulness, the ability to organize and lead people - these are the traits of this character. In his decisions, Colonel Zaitsev was adamant, in demanding himself and his subordinates he did not know any indulgences. At the same time, neither in the office at meetings in a narrow circle of leading officers, nor at the training ground in moments of some troubles and nervousness did no one hear a harsh word from him. " (Hero Soviet Union General of the Army I.M. Tretyak, the book "Brave Hearts of Brothers").

“Mikhail Mitrofanovich was very erudite in the field of operational art, he had a brilliant knowledge of equipment and weapons ... In his face I first saw a combined-arms commander who knew not only the structure of a tank, an artillery gun, but even an aircraft. Everywhere he delved into the intricacies of the case and often made proposals for the modernization of this type of weapon ... ”(Marshal of Artillery VM Mikhalkin).

“Undoubtedly, Mikhail Mitrofanovich Zaitsev played an important role in the formation of army aviation as a kind of troops ... He is one of the few commanders of the military districts who everywhere, including at the collegium of the Ministry of Defense, emphasized its important role ... While training troops in Germany for Afghanistan, the "polygon general" (as he was called in the troops) Zaitsev focused on the close interaction of the army aviation with the infantry. A helicopter, he believed, is a weapon of an army commander, a divisional commander, but first of all, it is a weapon of the commanders of battalions and regiments who are on the battlefield ... In all divisions of the GSVG, the practice of using aviation guidance vehicles was introduced, which clarified targets for army aviation. .. "(Hero of the Soviet Union, Colonel-General of Aviation VE Pavlov).

I saw Zaitsev once (late 1985 - early 1986), served in Uryupinsk, and he, as the Commander-in-Chief of the Southern Direction, came to us. True, there was no special check (it did not affect the soldiers in any way), but everyone remembered his performance at the club. An indelible impression was made by the appearance of the general - tall (probably 1.90, or even under 2m. Our divisional commander, p-k Yakovenko, himself is not small and not weak in figure, dimmed against his background), athletic build, powerful chest (you can dance on it. in any case, I have never met a person with a wider and more powerful chest in my life), the speech is developed. I remember that he spoke about the war period - he began the war as a soldier, and ended with the battalion commander. It is no exaggeration to say that his personality raised the morale of the division (albeit a cropped one) and this impact was primarily due to the physical strength and the bright speech of the Commander-in-Chief. The only negative was that during the performance, he was full of narcissism. (Shapovalov OA, reconnaissance company, regiment "B").

Awards

Hero of the Soviet Union (decree of November 22, 1983, "for his great contribution to increasing the combat readiness of troops, skillful leadership of them, personal courage and bravery shown during the Great Patriotic War and in connection with the 60th anniversary")
Two Orders of Lenin
Order of the October Revolution
Two Orders of the Red Banner
Two Orders of the Patriotic War, 1 degree
Two Orders of the Patriotic War, 2nd degree
Two Orders of the Red Star
Medals
Foreign awards

leading Researcher
,
candidate historical sciences, assistant professor

Born in 1940, p. Flat Top, Dobrinsky District, Lipetsk Region, Russia. In 1970 he graduated from the Minsk State pedagogical institute them. A. M. Gorky. In 1977 he defended his Ph.D. thesis on "The Socialist Revolution on the Western Front (July - November 1917)". supervisor - Ignatenko Illarion Methodievich. In 2010 he was awarded the academic title of associate professor in the specialty "history".

Labor activity:
At the Institute of History he worked as a junior researcher from 1970 to 1973, scientific secretary from 1977 to 1984, senior researcher from 1984 to 1996, head of the Central Scientific Archive of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus from 1996 to 2007. senior researcher at the Central Scientific Archive of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus. Since February 2016 - Leading Researcher, Department military history Belarus.

Awarded medal "Twenty Years of Victory in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945."

Exploresproblems of military history and history of the February and October revolutions of 1917 in Belarus.

Publishing activity:
Monographs:
“Belarus in the First World War 1914-1918. M. Foundation "Historical Memory". 2017 .-- 415 p.
“Belarus in the First World War 1914-1918. Minsk: Belarus. Science, 2014 .-- 317 p.

Nationwide partisan movement in Belarus during the Great Patriotic War (June 1941 - July 1944): in 3 volumes - Minsk, 1982. - T. 3 (comp., et al.);
Morale and combat state russian troops Western Front in 1917. Minsk: Belarus. science, 2007.

Articles:
Smolyaninov, M.M. On the defense of the revolution / M.M. Smolyaninov // Belaruskaya Dumka. - 2018. - No. 2. - P.20-28.
Smolyaninov M. Belarus: the land of suffering, the land of courage ... (to the 100th anniversary of the end of the First World War 1914-1918) // Science and Innovations. - February 2019. - №2. - S. 63-69.
Smolyaninov M. Belarus: the land of suffering, the land of courage ... (to the 100th anniversary of the end of the First World War 1914-1918) (continued) // Science and Innovations. - March 2019. - No. 3. - S. 79-84.

Retired

Mikhail Mitrofanovich Zaitsev (November 23 - January 22) - Soviet military leader, army general, participant in the Great Patriotic War. Hero of the Soviet Union .

Biography

Mikhail Mitrofanovich Zaitsev was born into a peasant family in the village of Zavodskoy Khutor in the Chernsk district of the Tula province, now part of the Chernsky district of the Tula region. Russian. Graduated from high school. Father - Mitrofan Nikitovich was a rural activist, actively participated in the organization of the collective farm "Put Ilyich" in his village, from 1925 to 1930 he worked as chairman of the Zavodsko-Khutorsky village council, then chairman of the Troitsko-Bachurinsky general store. Received in absentia legal education, worked as a people's judge of the Chernsk region.

Wife - Margarita Ivanovna Zaitseva (died in 2011). Daughters - Elena and Galina, two grandchildren.

The Great Patriotic War

Retired

Thanks to the efforts of General of the Army M.M. Zaitsev, in his homeland, in the village of Chern in 1997, a monument-tank was erected to units of the 3rd Guards Tank Army, which was being formed on the territory of the Chernsky District.

Rank

Major General of Tank Forces (02/23/1967);
lieutenant General of Tank Forces (04/29/1970);
colonel General of Tank Forces (10/28/1976);
general of the Army (04.11.1980).

Awards

Foreign orders and medals, including:

order of Scharnhorst (GDR);
military order "For services to the people and the Fatherland" 1-degree (GDR).

Reviews and memories

Your whole life is devoted to serving the Motherland. In the severe trials of the Great Patriotic War, you showed genuine courage and heroism, gained invaluable combat experience. The defense of Moscow and the Battle of Kursk, the crossing of the Dnieper and the capture of Berlin became significant stages in your glorious frontline biography. Your talent as a military leader was brightly revealed in the post-war years, served to strengthen the combat capability of our Armed Forces, to form a new generation of defenders of the Fatherland.

“Maybe nature itself put him in an army formation, giving him high growth, well-built shoulders, endowing with heroic strength and iron will ... Purposefulness, the ability to organize and lead people - these are the traits of this character. In his decisions, Colonel Zaitsev was adamant, in exactingness towards himself and his subordinates, did not know any indulgences. At the same time, neither in the office at meetings in a narrow circle of leading officers, nor at the training ground in moments of some troubles and nervousness did no one hear a harsh word from him. "
Hero of the Soviet Union, General of the Army I. M. Tretyak, "Brave Hearts of Brothers".

“Mikhail Mitrofanovich was very erudite in the field of operational art, he knew equipment and weapons brilliantly ... In his face, I first saw a combined-arms commander who knew not only the structure of a tank, an artillery gun, but even an aircraft. He delved into the intricacies of the case everywhere and often made proposals for the modernization of this type of weapon ... ".

“I remember there was a case during the exercises: he said one thing, I said something else, he insists, I continue to prove my own: and then he seemed to cut off: no! It will be like this! I told him: don't do this, it will be a mistake. He remained silent in thought and ... did not - and then thanked me for dissuading him from the rash decision. He knew how to admit mistakes. He knew how to listen to others. And in general, he treated people with respect, and junior in rank as well ... I am grateful to fate for the fact that I was lucky to serve with Mikhail Mitrofanovich not only in the Belarusian Military District, but in general in Armed Forcesoh".

“Undoubtedly, Mikhail Mitrofanovich Zaitsev played a big role in the formation of army aviation as a kind of troops ... He is one of the few commanders of the military districts who everywhere, including at the collegium of the Ministry of Defense, emphasized its important role ... While preparing troops for Afghanistan in Germany,“ polygon general “(as he was called in the troops) Zaitsev focused on the close interaction of army aviation with the infantry. A helicopter, he believed, is a weapon of an army commander, a divisional commander, but first of all, it is a weapon of battalion and regiment commanders who are on the battlefield ... In all divisions of the GSVG, the practice of using aircraft guidance vehicles was introduced, clarifying targets for army aviation ... "

“Zaitsev was awarded the star of the Hero of the Soviet Union Ustinov. The occasion was sixty years of impeccable service. This Star shone on camouflage uniform during all hostilities. And it soon became clear that Zaitsev flew to Afghanistan to earn another Star. And he didn't care if they were prepared fighting or not, what a loss. He never once asked how the battle went, how many died, how many were wounded, people did not interest him. Surprisingly, someone recommended him to Gorbachev as a general capable of changing the situation in Afghanistan for the better in a short time. "

I turn over the pages of the book "The Military Elite of Russia". Hero of the Soviet Union, General of the Army, Commander of the Forces of the Belarusian Military District (1976-1980), Commander-in-Chief of the Group of Soviet Forces in Germany (1980-1985), Commander-in-Chief of the Forces of the Southern Direction (1985-1988). He was awarded two Orders of Lenin, two Orders of the Red Banner, two Orders of the Patriotic War of the 1st degree, two Orders of the Patriotic War of the 2nd degree, two Orders of the Red Star, the Order of the October Revolution, medals "For Courage", "For the Defense of Moscow", "For the capture of Berlin" , "For the Liberation of Prague", the Orders of the GDR "Order of Scharnhorst" and "For Services to the Fatherland" I degree (in gold), numerous Soviet and foreign medals ...
Acting as part of the raiding detachment of the tank army, Zaitsev had the task of reestablishing contact with the guards tank battalion that had broken off from the main forces, and for this - to find it and return it to an accessible removal. The combat order was carried out, but just before the battalion left the battle, an enemy automatic bullet pierced the left shoulder of the officer on the armor. But Zaitsev did not leave the battalion until he brought it to the designated place. The wounded guard captain was visited in the hospital by the commander of the 3rd Guards Tank Army of the Guard, Lieutenant General Rybalko. “So I met you,” the army commander said at that meeting. - You, boy, have to fight for a long, long time. Anything can happen - the performance on the Hero can get stuck somewhere ... And therefore, by my power I present you with the Order of the Red Banner ... ". Justice has triumphed 40 years later. The title of Hero of the Soviet Union, Commander-in-Chief of the Group of Soviet Forces in Germany, M. M. Zaitsev, was awarded in 1983 with the following wording in the Decree: “For his great contribution to increasing the combat readiness of troops, skillful leadership of units and formations, personal courage and courage shown in the struggle against the German fascist invaders during the Great Patriotic War and in connection with the sixtieth anniversary of his birth. "
- "On the front lines", B. Savodyan, "Krasnaya Zvezda".

When extremely alarming reports began to arrive from Afghanistan about the helplessness of the BMP-1 armament in mountainous terrain, General Zaitsev turned to the very top, to the Central Committee of the CPSU, and achieved an immediate solution to the issue of deploying mass production of BMP-2 and sending them to Afghanistan. The guns of these combat vehicles with an elevation angle of 74 degrees to the horizon were simply irreplaceable in the mountains. They made it possible to shoot at the mountains from the gorges where the roads passed. The high rate of fire almost at the zenith and many fragments, including from stones, created a powerful destructive effect. As a participant in the events in Afghanistan, I know that the Mujahideen were very afraid of this machine.

“Mikhail Mitrofanovich is a front-line soldier, and in the 1980s, more than 40 years after the Great Patriotic War, he went to Afghanistan and there he not only directed the apparatus and received reports, but flew around all the garrisons. But there is no security there ... The main professional quality of Mikhail Mitrofanovich was dedication. He was constantly on the lookout. He was very demanding, but I don't remember a single instance of rudeness on his part. He always encouraged proactive commanders ... During my service in the GSVG, Commander-in-Chief Zaitsev enjoyed indisputable authority. "

“… In July 1985 the Soviet forces in Afghanistan were headed by General Mikhail Mitrofanovich Zaitsev. As the commander-in-chief of the GSVG, Zaitsev was known for completely reforming the training of troops there. He emphasized personal initiative in encouraging junior officers to take independent decisions... The mujahideen instructors changed the training program accordingly to match the Soviet tactics. "
- "Unjust Wars: Afghanistan, America and International Terrorism" by John C. Cooley.

“... And then, one night, - Zakharov recalled, - a call from Moscow. By phone, they transmit a government order on the urgent development of serial production of the BMP-2. In two weeks, the first batch of cars is to be sent to Afghanistan. As I later found out, this is my old friend, General Mikhail Mitrofanovich Zaitsev, while in Afghanistan, called the Central Committee, explained that in local conditions, the new machine of the Kurganmashzavod is simply irreplaceable. The fact is that the troops often had to operate in the mountains, gorges, and the BMP-2 cannon is capable of shooting almost at the zenith - at an angle of 70 degrees to the horizon ... Immediately after the call I went to the plant. By the morning he issued an order - the production was transferred to the wartime regime. In April, the first 25 vehicles were shipped ... ”.
Armored vehicles in Afghanistan (1979-1989), A. Zaets, teacher of the Academy of the Ministry of Emergencies.

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I saw Zaitsev once (late 1985 - early 1986), served in Uryupinsk, and he, as the Commander-in-Chief of the Southern Direction, came to us. True, there was no special check (it did not affect the soldiers in any way), but everyone remembered his performance at the club. An indelible impression was made by the general's appearance - tall (probably 1.90, or even under 2 m.Our divisional commander, p-k Yakovenko, himself is not small and not weak in figure, dimmed against his background), athletic build, powerful chest (you can dance on it. In any case, I have never met a person with a wider and more powerful chest in my life), the speech is developed. I remember that he spoke about the war period - he started the war as a soldier, and ended with the battalion commander. It is no exaggeration to say that his personality raised the morale of the division (albeit a cropped one), and this impact was primarily due to the physical strength and bright speech of the Commander-in-Chief. The only negative - during the performance, he showed self-admiration.
OA Shapovalov, reconnaissance company, regiment "B".

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Notes

Essays

Zaitsev M.M. "Guarding the Fatherland." Minsk, Belarus 1978

Literature

Heroes of the Soviet Union: Brief biographical dictionary / Prev ed. Collegium I. N. Shkadov. - M .: Military Publishing, 1987 .-- T. 1 / Abaev - Lyubichev /. - 911 p. - 100,000 copies - ISBN from., Reg. No. in the RCP 87-95382.
Military encyclopedia in 8 volumes. M .: Publishing house of the Ministry of Defense Russian Federation, 1994-2004. - T. 3.

Links



Group of Soviet occupation forces in Germany (1945-1954)

Group of Soviet Forces in Germany (1954-1989)

Western Group of Forces (1989-1994)

An excerpt characterizing Zaitsev, Mikhail Mitrofanovich

It was easy for the French, with the memory of all the previous fifteen years of victories, with confidence in Napoleon's invincibility, with the knowledge that they had taken possession of a part of the battlefield, that they had lost only one quarter of the people and that they still have a twenty-thousandth untouched guard, it was easy to make this effort. The French, who attacked the Russian army in order to knock it out of position, had to make this effort, because as long as the Russians, just as before the battle, blocked the road to Moscow, the French goal was not achieved and all their efforts and the losses were wasted. But the French did not make this effort. Some historians say that Napoleon should have given his pristine old guard in order for the battle to be won. To talk about what would have happened if Napoleon had given his guard is like talking about what would have happened if spring had come in the fall. It couldn't be. Napoleon did not give his guard, because he did not want it, but it could not be done. All the generals, officers, and soldiers of the French army knew that this could not be done, because the fallen spirit of the army did not allow it.
Not only Napoleon experienced that dreamlike feeling that the terrible sweep of the arm falls powerlessly, but all the generals, all the soldiers of the French army who participated and did not participate, after all the experiences of previous battles (where, after ten times less effort, the enemy fled), experienced the same feeling of horror in front of the enemy who, having lost half of the army, stood as menacing at the end as at the beginning of the battle. The moral strength of the French attacking army was exhausted. Not that victory, which is determined by the pieces of matter picked up on sticks called banners, and by the space on which the troops stood and are, but a moral victory, one that convinces the enemy of the moral superiority of his enemy and of his powerlessness, was won by the Russians under Borodin. The French invasion, like an angry beast that had received a mortal wound in its flight, felt its destruction; but it could not stop, just as it could not help but deviate twice the weak russian army... After this push, the French army could still reach Moscow; but there, without new efforts on the part of the Russian army, it had to die, bleeding from the mortal wound inflicted at Borodino. The direct consequence of the Battle of Borodino was the unreasonable flight of Napoleon from Moscow, his return along the old Smolensk road, the death of the five hundred thousandth invasion and the death of Napoleonic France, on which the hand of the strongest spirit of the enemy was laid for the first time at Borodino.

The absolute continuity of movement is incomprehensible to the human mind. A person understands the laws of any kind of movement only when he considers arbitrary units of this movement. But at the same time, from this arbitrary division of continuous motion into discontinuous units, a large part of human delusions flows.
The so-called sophism of the ancients is known, which consists in the fact that Achilles will never catch up with a turtle walking in front, despite the fact that Achilles is ten times faster than a turtle: as soon as Achilles passes the space separating him from the turtle, the turtle will pass one tenth of this in front of him. space; Achilles will pass this tenth, the turtle will pass one hundredth, and so on, to infinity. This task seemed insoluble to the ancients. The meaninglessness of the decision (that Achilles would never catch up with the turtle) stemmed only from the fact that discontinuous units of movement were arbitrarily allowed, while the movement of both Achilles and the turtle was continuous.
Taking smaller and smaller units of motion, we only approach the solution of the problem, but never reach it. Only by admitting an infinitely small value and an ascending progression from it to one-tenth and taking the sum of this geometric progression, we achieve a solution to the question. The new branch of mathematics, having achieved the art of dealing with infinitesimal quantities, and in other more complex questions of motion, now gives answers to questions that seemed insoluble.
This new, unknown to the ancients, branch of mathematics, when considering the issues of motion, allowing infinitely small quantities, that is, those under which the main condition of motion (absolute continuity) is restored, thereby correcting that inevitable mistake that the human mind cannot but make when considering instead of continuous movement, individual units of movement.
In the search for the laws of historical movement, exactly the same thing happens.
The movement of mankind, proceeding from the countless number of human arbitrariness, is carried out continuously.
Comprehension of the laws of this movement is the goal of history. But in order to comprehend the laws of continuous movement of the sum of all the arbitrariness of people, the human mind allows arbitrary, discontinuous units. The first method of history is that, taking an arbitrary series of continuous events, consider it separately from the others, whereas there is and cannot be the beginning of any event, and always one event continuously follows from another. The second method is to consider the action of one person, a king, a commander, as the sum of the arbitrariness of people, while the sum of the arbitrariness of people is never expressed in the activity of one historical person.
Historical science in its movement constantly accepts smaller and smaller units for consideration and in this way strives to get closer to the truth. But no matter how small the units that history accepts, we feel that the assumption of a unit separated from another, the assumption of the beginning of some phenomenon and the assumption that the arbitrariness of all people is expressed in the actions of one historical person, are false in themselves.
Any conclusion of history, without the slightest effort on the part of criticism, disintegrates like dust, leaving nothing behind, only due to the fact that criticism chooses a larger or smaller discontinuous unit for the object of observation; to which it always has the right, since the historical unit taken is always arbitrary.
Only by admitting an infinitely small unit for observation - the differential of history, that is, homogeneous drives of people, and having achieved the art of integrating (taking the sum of these infinitely small ones), can we hope to comprehend the laws of history.
The first fifteen years of the 19th century in Europe represent an extraordinary movement of millions of people. People abandon their usual occupations, strive from one side of Europe to the other, rob, kill one another, triumph and despair, and the whole course of life changes for several years and represents an intensified movement, which first goes on increasing, then weakening. What is the reason for this movement or according to what laws did it take place? - the human mind asks.
Historians, answering this question, describe to us the actions and speeches of several dozen people in one of the buildings of the city of Paris, calling these actions and speeches the word revolution; then they give a detailed biography of Napoleon and some sympathetic and hostile persons to him, talk about the influence of some of these persons on others and say: this is why this movement took place, and these are its laws.
But the human mind not only refuses to believe in this explanation, but directly says that the method of explanation is not correct, because in this explanation the weakest phenomenon is taken as the cause of the strongest. The sum of human arbitrariness made both the revolution and Napoleon, and only the sum of these arbitrariness endured and destroyed them.
“But whenever there were conquests, there were conquerors; whenever there were coups in the state, there were great people, ”history says. Indeed, whenever the conquerors appeared, there were wars, the human mind answers, but this does not prove that the conquerors were the causes of wars and that it was possible to find the laws of war in the personal activities of one person. Whenever I, looking at my watch, see that the hand has approached ten, I hear that the gospel begins in a neighboring church, but from the fact that whenever the hand comes at ten o'clock when the gospel begins, I I have no right to conclude that the position of the arrow is the reason for the movement of the bells.
Whenever I see a locomotive moving, I hear the whistling sound, I see the valve opening and the wheels moving; but from this I have no right to conclude that the whistle and movement of the wheels are the reasons for the movement of the locomotive.
The peasants say that in late spring a cold wind blows because the bud of the oak unfolds, and indeed, every spring a cold wind blows when the oak unfolds. But although the reason for the cold wind blowing during the unfolding of the oak is unknown to me, I cannot agree with the peasants that the cause of the cold wind is the reversal of the bud of the oak, because the force of the wind is outside the influence of the bud. I see only the coincidence of those conditions that exist in every life phenomenon, and I see that, no matter how much and no matter how detailed I observed the hand of the clock, the valve and the wheels of the locomotive and the bud of the oak, I do not recognize the reason for the evangelism, the movement of the locomotive and the spring wind. To do this, I must completely change my point of view and study the laws of motion of steam, bells and winds. History should do the same. And attempts have already been made.
To study the laws of history, we must completely change the subject of observation, leave alone the kings, ministers and generals, and study the homogeneous, infinitely small elements that lead the masses. No one can say to what extent it is given to a person to achieve this by understanding the laws of history; but it is obvious that on this path only lies the possibility of grasping historical laws and that on this path the human mind has not yet put one millionth part of the efforts that historians put on to describe the deeds of various kings, generals and ministers and to present their thoughts on the occasion of these deeds ...

The forces of the twelve languages \u200b\u200bof Europe burst into Russia. The Russian army and population are retreating, avoiding collision, to Smolensk and from Smolensk to Borodino. The French army with a constantly increasing force of impetuosity rushes towards Moscow, towards the goal of its movement. The force of its swiftness, approaching the target, increases like an increase in the speed of a falling body as it approaches the ground. Behind a thousand miles of a hungry, hostile country; tens of miles ahead, separating from the target. Every soldier of the Napoleonic army feels this, and the invasion is coming by itself, by the force of impetuosity alone.
In the Russian army, as they retreat, the spirit of anger against the enemy flares up more and more: retreating, it is concentrated and growing. A collision occurs near Borodino. Neither army disintegrates, but the Russian army immediately after the collision retreats just as necessary as a ball rolls back when it collides with another ball rushing towards it with greater swiftness; and just as necessary (although having lost all its strength in the collision), the rapidly scattered ball of invasion rolls some more space.
The Russians retreat one hundred and twenty versts - beyond Moscow, the French reach Moscow and stop there. For five weeks after this there is not a single battle. The French don't move. Like a mortally wounded beast that, bleeding, licks its wounds, they stay in Moscow for five weeks, doing nothing, and suddenly, for no new reason, they run back: they rush to the Kaluga road (and after the victory, since again the battlefield remained behind them at Maloyaroslavets), without engaging in any serious battle, they run even faster back to Smolensk, for Smolensk, for Vilna, for Berezina and beyond.
On the evening of August 26, both Kutuzov and the entire Russian army were confident that battle of Borodino won. Kutuzov wrote to the sovereign. Kutuzov ordered to prepare for a new battle in order to finish off the enemy, not because he wanted to deceive anyone, but because he knew that the enemy was defeated, just as each of the participants in the battle knew it.
But on the same evening and on the next day, news began to arrive, one after another, of unheard-of losses, of the loss of half of the army, and a new battle turned out to be physically impossible.
It was impossible to start battles when information had not yet been collected, the wounded had not been removed, the shells had not been replenished, the killed had not been counted, new commanders had not been appointed to the places of the killed, the people had not eaten and had not had enough sleep.
And at the same time, immediately after the battle, the next morning, the French army (due to the swift force of the movement, now increased, as it were, in the opposite ratio of the squares of distances) was already advancing on the Russian army by itself. Kutuzov wanted to attack the next day, and the whole army wanted this. But in order to attack, the desire to do so is not enough; you need to have the opportunity to do this, but this opportunity was not. It was impossible not to retreat to one transition, then in the same way it was impossible not to retreat to another and a third transition, and finally on September 1, when the army approached Moscow, despite all the strength of the rising feelings in the ranks of the troops, the strength of things demanded so that these troops should go beyond Moscow. And the troops retreated one more, to the last transition and gave Moscow to the enemy.
For those people who are accustomed to thinking that plans for wars and battles are drawn up by commanders in the same way that each of us, sitting in his office over a map, makes considerations about how and how he would order in such and such a battle, questions arise as to why Kutuzov did not act this way when retreating, why did not he take up the position before Filia, why he did not immediately retreat to the Kaluga road, left Moscow, etc. People who are accustomed to think so forget or do not know those inevitable conditions in which the activity of every commander-in-chief always takes place. The activity of the commander has not the slightest resemblance to the activity that we imagine to ourselves, sitting freely in the office, sorting out some kind of campaign on the map with a known number of troops, from one side and the other, and in a certain area, and starting with what of some known moment. The commander-in-chief is never in those conditions of the beginning of an event, in which we always consider the event. The commander-in-chief is always in the middle of a moving series of events, and so that never, at any moment, is he in a position to ponder the entire meaning of the event taking place. The event is imperceptible, moment by moment, is carved into its meaning, and at every moment of this sequential, continuous cutting out of the event, the commander-in-chief is in the center of a complex game, intrigue, worries, dependence, power, projects, advice, threats, deceptions, is constantly in the need to answer to the countless number of questions offered to him, always contradicting one another.
Scientists in the military tell us that Kutuzov had to move his troops to the Kaluga road much earlier than Filay, that even someone had proposed such a project. But before the commander-in-chief, especially in difficult times, there is not one project, but always dozens at a time. And each of these projects, based on strategy and tactics, contradicts one another. It would seem that the commander-in-chief's business is only to choose one of these projects. But even this he cannot do. Events and time do not wait. He is offered, let's say, on the 28th to go to the Kaluga road, but at this time Miloradovich's adjutant comes up and asks whether to tie up business with the French or retreat. He must now, this very minute, give the order. And the order to retreat knocks us off the turn onto the Kaluga road. And following the adjutant, the quartermaster asks where to take the provisions, and the head of the hospitals - where to take the wounded; and a courier from St. Petersburg brings a letter from the sovereign, which does not allow the possibility of leaving Moscow, and the rival of the commander-in-chief, the one who breaks under him (there are always such people, and not one, but several), offers new project, diametrically opposite to the plan of the exit to the Kaluga road; and the forces of the commander-in-chief himself require sleep and reinforcement; and a rewarding venerable general comes to complain, and the inhabitants beg for protection; an officer sent to inspect the area arrives and reports exactly the opposite of what the sent officer said before him; and the spy, the prisoner and the general who made the reconnaissance - all describe differently the position of the enemy army. People who are accustomed not to understand or forget these necessary conditions for the activity of any commander-in-chief, present to us, for example, the position of the troops in Fili and at the same time assume that the commander-in-chief could on September 1 completely freely decide the question of abandoning or defending Moscow, whereas in the situation of the Russian army five versts from Moscow this question could not have been. When was this issue resolved? And at Drissa, and at Smolensk, and most noticeably on the 24th at Shevardin, and on the 26th at Borodino, and in every day, and hour, and minute of retreat from Borodino to Fili.

Russian troops, retreating from Borodino, stood at Fili. Ermolov, who went to inspect the position, drove up to the field marshal.
“There is no way to fight in this position,” he said. Kutuzov looked at him in surprise and made him repeat the words he had spoken. When he spoke, Kutuzov held out his hand to him.
“Give me your hand,” he said, and turning it so that he could feel his pulse, he said: “You are not well, my dear. Think about what you are saying.
Kutuzov on Poklonnaya Hill , six versts from the Dorogomilovskaya outpost, left the carriage and sat on a bench at the edge of the road. A huge crowd of generals gathered around him. Count Rostopchin, having arrived from Moscow, joined them. All this brilliant society, divided into several circles, talked among themselves about the advantages and disadvantages of the position, about the position of the troops, about the proposed plans, about the state of Moscow, and about military issues in general. Everyone felt that although they were not called upon, that although it was not called that, it was a council of war. All conversations were held in the area of \u200b\u200bgeneral issues. If someone reported or learned personal news, they spoke about it in a whisper, and immediately went back to general questions: no jokes, no laughter, no smiles were even noticeable between all these people. Everyone, obviously with an effort, tried to keep to the height of the position. And all the groups, talking to each other, tried to keep close to the commander-in-chief (whose shop was the center in these circles) and spoke so that he could hear them. The commander-in-chief listened and sometimes asked again what was being said around him, but he himself did not enter into a conversation and did not express any opinion. For the most part, having listened to the conversation of some circle, he turned away with an air of disappointment - as if it was not at all what they were saying that he wanted to know. Some spoke about the chosen position, criticizing not so much the position itself as the mental abilities of those who chose it; others argued that the mistake had been made before, that the battle had to be fought the day before yesterday; still others talked about the battle of Salamanca, about which the Frenchman Crosar, who had just arrived in a Spanish uniform, spoke about. (This Frenchman, together with one of the German princes who served in the Russian army, dismantled the siege of Saragossa, foreseeing the possibility of defending Moscow in the same way.) In the fourth circle, Count Rostopchin said that he and his Moscow squad were ready to die under the walls of the capital, but that all yet he cannot but regret the uncertainty in which he was left, and that if he had known it before, it would have been different ... Fifth, showing the depth of their strategic considerations, talked about the direction that the troops would have to take. The sixth spoke utter nonsense. Kutuzov's face grew more anxious and sadder. From all these conversations, Kutuzov saw one thing: there was no physical possibility to defend Moscow in the full meaning of these words, that is, to such an extent there was no possibility that if some crazy commander-in-chief gave the order to give a battle, then there would be confusion and battles all it would not have been; it would not be because all the top leaders not only recognized this position as impossible, but in their conversations they only discussed what would happen after the undoubted abandonment of this position. How could the commanders lead their troops into a battlefield that they considered impossible? The lower leaders, even the soldiers (who also reason), also recognized the position as impossible and therefore could not go to fight with the certainty of defeat. If Bennigsen insisted on defending this position and others were still discussing it, then this question no longer mattered in itself, but was only important as a pretext for dispute and intrigue. Kutuzov understood this.
Bennigsen, choosing a position, ardently exposing his Russian patriotism (which Kutuzov could not listen to without frowning), insisted on defending Moscow. Kutuzov clearly saw Bennigsen's goal as clear as day: in case of failure of the defense - to blame Kutuzov, who brought the troops without a battle to the Sparrow Hills, and if successful, to attribute it to himself; in case of refusal - to cleanse oneself in the crime of leaving Moscow. But this question of intrigue no longer occupied the old man. One terrible question occupied him. And to this question he did not hear an answer from anyone. The only question for him now was: “Did I really allow Napoleon to reach Moscow, and when did I do it? When was it decided? Was it really yesterday, when I sent the order to Platov to retreat, or the day before yesterday, when I dozed off and ordered Bennigsen to give orders? Or even before? ... but when, when was this terrible thing decided? Moscow must be abandoned. The troops must retreat, and this order must be given. " To give this terrible order seemed to him to be the same as giving up command of the army. And not only did he love power, got used to it (the honor given to Prince Prozorovsky, under whom he was in Turkey, teased him), he was convinced that the salvation of Russia was destined for him and that because only, against the will of the sovereign and the will of the people, he was elected commander in chief. He was convinced that he alone and under these difficult conditions could hold on to the head of the army, that he alone in the whole world was able to know without horror the invincible Napoleon as his adversary; and he was horrified at the thought of the order he had to give. But it was necessary to decide something, it was necessary to stop these conversations around him, which were beginning to take on a too free character.
He called the senior generals over to him.

Mikhail Mitrofanovich Zaitsev (November 23, 1923 - January 22, 2009) - Soviet military leader, army general. Hero of the Soviet Union (1983).

Biography

Mikhail Mitrofanovich Zaitsev was born into a peasant family in the village of Zavodskoy Khutor, Chernsk district, Tula province, now part of the Chernsk district of the Tula region. Russian. Graduated from high school. Father - Mitrofan Nikitovich was a rural activist, actively participated in the organization of the collective farm "Put Ilyich" in his village, from 1925 to 1930 he worked as chairman of the Zavodsko-Khutorsky village council, then chairman of the Troitsko-Bachurinsky general store. Received a legal education in absentia, worked as a people's judge of the Chernsk region.

Wife - Margarita Ivanovna Zaitseva (died in 2011).

Daughters - Elena and Galina, two grandchildren.

The Great Patriotic War

In 1941, Mikhail Mitrofanovich volunteered for the Red Army. At the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, Zaitsev was sent to special communications courses, after their completion in May 1942 - in the army. He held the positions of Assistant and Senior Assistant to the Chief of Staff of the 113th Tank Brigade of the 7th Guards Tank Corps, the 6th Guards Tank Corps of the 3rd Guards Tank Army and for special communications.

He fought on the Western (from 20.06.1942), Voronezh (from 11.01.1943), Bryansk, Central and 1st Ukrainian fronts. He took part in many major operations of the war, including the Battle of Kursk, Lvov-Sandomierz, Vistula-Oder, Berlin, Prague operations.

Repeatedly proved himself in the battles of the Great Patriotic War as a courageous and courageous officer. In one of the battles, M.M. Zaitsev personally destroyed about 50, in another - at least 100 enemy soldiers and officers. He was awarded a number of military awards - the Medal For Courage, the Order of the Red Star, the Order of the Red Banner, the Order of the Patriotic War of the 1st degree, two Orders of the Patriotic War of the 2nd degree. He was wounded twice.

Post-war time

After the war, M.M. Zaitsev served as chief of the staff of an airborne division since 1945, then in the same position in a tank division, was chief of staff and deputy commander of a tank division. Graduated from the Military Academy of Armored Forces in 1955, the Military Academy of the General Staff in 1965. From 1965 he commanded a tank division. From November 1968 he was chief of staff, and from December 1969 - commander of a tank army.

In senior command positions

Crystal with shining edges
Mind, soul, fighting courage,
Goodness and honor, with the main rank -
Hero tanker, soldier of two wars.

Text on gravestones

Since August 1972 - First Deputy Commander, and since May 1976 - Commander of the Belarusian Military District.
From 1980 to 1985 - Commander-in-Chief of the Group of Soviet Forces in Germany. The military rank of General of the Army was awarded by the decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR dated November 4, 1980.

November 22, 1983 awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union - " for his great contribution to increasing the combat readiness of troops, skillful leadership of them, personal courage and courage shown during the Great Patriotic War, and in connection with the 60th anniversary».

Since 1985 - Commander-in-Chief of the Southern Sector, whose zone of operation included Soviet troops in Afghanistan. According to the recollections of the commanders, General of the Army M.M. Zaitsev often visited the 40th Army, which was in Afghanistan, and often personally supervised the conduct of military operations.

Since 1989 - in the Group of Inspectors General of the USSR Ministry of Defense.

Deputy of the Council of the Union of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of the 10th and 11th convocations from the Kemerovo region. 1981-1989 - Member of the Central Committee of the CPSU.

Retired

Since 1992 - retired. He lived in Moscow. For several years, he was a member of the board of the Russian Committee of War Veterans and Military Service

Rank

Major General of Tank Forces (02/23/1967);
lieutenant General of Tank Forces (04/29/1970);
colonel General of Tank Forces (10/28/1976);
general of the Army (04.11.1980).

Awards

Star of the Hero of the Soviet Union (No. 10753);
two Orders of Lenin;
order of the October Revolution;
two Orders of the Red Banner (08/13/1944);
two Orders of the Patriotic War, 1st degree (05/13/1945);
two Orders of the Patriotic War, 2nd degree (03/23/1945);
two Orders of the Red Star (03/26/1943);
medal For Courage (01/27/1943);
medals of the USSR.

Foreign orders and medals, including:

order of Scharnhorst (GDR);
military order "For services to the people and the Fatherland" 1-degree (GDR).

Reviews and memories

Your whole life is devoted to serving the Motherland. In the severe trials of the Great Patriotic War, you showed genuine courage and heroism, gained invaluable combat experience. Defense of Moscow and Battle of Kursk, the crossing of the Dnieper and the capture of Berlin became significant stages in your glorious front-line biography. Your talent as a military leader was vividly revealed in the postwar years, served to strengthen the combat capability of our Armed Forces, to form a new generation of defenders of the Fatherland.

From the congratulations of the President of the Russian Federation D. A. Medvedev on the occasion of his 85th birthday.

“Maybe nature itself put him in an army formation, giving him high growth, well-built shoulders, endowing with heroic strength and iron will ... Purposefulness, the ability to organize and lead people - these are the traits of this character. In his decisions, Colonel Zaitsev was adamant, in exactingness towards himself and his subordinates, did not know any indulgences. At the same time, neither in the office at meetings in a narrow circle of leading officers, nor at the training ground in moments of some troubles and nervousness did no one hear a harsh word from him. "

Hero of the Soviet Union, General of the Army I. M. Tretyak, "Brave Hearts of Brothers".

“Mikhail Mitrofanovich was very erudite in the field of operational art, he knew equipment and weapons brilliantly ... In his face, I first saw a combined-arms commander who knew not only the structure of a tank, an artillery gun, but even an aircraft. He delved into the intricacies of the case everywhere and often made proposals for the modernization of this type of weapon ... ".

“I remember there was a case during the exercises: he said one thing, I said something else, he insists, I continue to prove my own: and then he seemed to cut off: no! It will be like this! I told him: don't do this, it will be a mistake. He remained silent in thought and ... did not - and then thanked me for dissuading him from the rash decision. He knew how to admit mistakes. He knew how to listen to others. And in general, he treated people with respect, and juniors as well ... I am grateful to fate that I was lucky to serve with Mikhail Mitrofanovich not only in the Belarusian Military District, but in the Armed Forces as a whole.

Marshal of artillery V.M. Mikhalkin.

“Undoubtedly, Mikhail Mitrofanovich Zaitsev played a big role in the formation of army aviation as a kind of troops ... He is one of the few commanders of the military districts who everywhere, including at the collegium of the Ministry of Defense, emphasized its important role ... While preparing troops for Afghanistan in Germany,“ polygon general “(as he was called in the troops) Zaitsev focused on the close interaction of army aviation with the infantry. A helicopter, he believed, is a weapon of an army commander, a divisional commander, but first of all, it is a weapon of battalion and regiment commanders who are on the battlefield ... In all divisions of the GSVG, the practice of using aircraft guidance vehicles was introduced, clarifying targets for army aviation ... "

Hero of the Soviet Union, Colonel-General of Aviation V. E. Pavlov.

“Zaitsev was awarded the star of the Hero of the Soviet Union Ustinov. The occasion was sixty years of impeccable service. This Star shone on camouflage uniform during all hostilities. And it soon became clear that Zaitsev flew to Afghanistan to earn another Star. And he did not care whether the military operations were prepared or not, what losses. He never once asked how the battle went, how many died, how many were wounded, people did not interest him. Surprisingly, someone recommended him to Gorbachev as a general capable of changing the situation in Afghanistan for the better in a short time. "

General of the Army I.M. Rodionov.

I turn over the pages of the book "The Military Elite of Russia". Hero of the Soviet Union, General of the Army, Commander of the Forces of the Belarusian Military District (1976-1980), Commander-in-Chief of the Group of Soviet Forces in Germany (1980-1985), Commander-in-Chief of the Forces of the Southern Direction (1985-1988). He was awarded two Orders of Lenin, two Orders of the Red Banner, two Orders of the Patriotic War of the 1st degree, two Orders of the Patriotic War of the 2nd degree, two Orders of the Red Star, the Order of the October Revolution, medals "For Courage", "For the Defense of Moscow", "For the capture of Berlin" , "For the Liberation of Prague", the Orders of the GDR "Order of Scharnhorst" and "For Services to the Fatherland" I degree (in gold), numerous Soviet and foreign medals ...
Acting as part of a raid detachment of a tank army, Zaitsev had the task of reestablishing contact with the guards tank battalion that had broken off from the main forces, and for this - to find it and return it to an accessible removal. The battle order was carried out, but just before the battalion left the battle, an enemy automatic bullet pierced the left shoulder of the officer on the armor. But Zaitsev did not leave the battalion until he took it to the designated place. The wounded guard captain was visited in the hospital by the commander of the 3rd Guards Tank Army of the Guard, Lieutenant General Rybalko. “So I met you,” the army commander said at that meeting. - You, boy, have to fight for a long, long time. Anything can happen - the performance on the Hero can get stuck somewhere ... And therefore, by my power I present you with the Order of the Red Banner ... ". Justice has triumphed 40 years later. The title of Hero of the Soviet Union, Commander-in-Chief of the Group of Soviet Forces in Germany, M. M. Zaitsev, was awarded in 1983 with the following wording in the Decree: “For his great contribution to increasing the combat readiness of troops, skillful leadership of units and formations, personal courage and courage shown in the fight against the German fascist invaders during the Great Patriotic War and in connection with the sixtieth anniversary of his birth. "

- "According to front-line patterns", B. Savodyan, "Krasnaya Zvezda".

When extremely alarming reports began to arrive from Afghanistan about the helplessness of the BMP-1 armament in mountainous terrain, General Zaitsev turned to the very top, to the Central Committee of the CPSU, and achieved an immediate solution to the issue of deploying mass production of the BMP-2 and sending them to Afghanistan. The guns of these combat vehicles with an elevation angle of 74 degrees to the horizon were simply irreplaceable in the mountains. They made it possible to shoot at the mountains from the gorges where the roads passed. The high rate of fire almost at the zenith and many fragments, including from stones, created a powerful destructive effect. As a participant in the events in Afghanistan, I know that the Mujahideen were very afraid of this machine.

“Mikhail Mitrofanovich is a front-line soldier, and in the 1980s, more than 40 years after the Great Patriotic War, he went to Afghanistan and there he not only directed the apparatus and received reports, but flew around all the garrisons. But there is no security there ... The main professional quality of Mikhail Mitrofanovich was dedication. He was constantly on the lookout. He was very demanding, but I don't remember a single instance of rudeness on his part. He always encouraged proactive commanders ... During my service in the GSVG, Commander-in-Chief Zaitsev enjoyed indisputable authority. "

Colonel General V.E. Pavlov.

“... in July 1985 the Soviet forces in Afghanistan were headed by General Mikhail Mitrofanovich Zaitsev. As the commander-in-chief of the GSVG, Zaitsev was known for completely reforming the training of troops there. He focused on personal initiative, encouraging junior officers to make independent decisions. The mujahideen instructors changed the training program accordingly to match the Soviet tactics. "

- "Unjust Wars: Afghanistan, America and International Terrorism" by John C. Cooley.

“Gorbachev appointed a strong field commander, General Zaitsev, as the commander of Soviet forces in Afghanistan ... Zaitsev immediately changed the tactics of Soviet military operations from massive mechanized offensives towards counterterrorism operations using decentralized spetsnaz operations in conjunction with Afghan spetsnaz. This relied on accurate intelligence data, surprise, mobility and night maneuver. The Mojahideen were trapped in distant camps and could not terrorize the local population ... ".

David A. Adams, U.S. Navy, Kevin Norton, U.S. Marine Corps, Christopher Schmitt, U.S. Army, and Jeffrson E. Turner, U.S. Air Force. Follow the Bear, US NAVAL Institute, Proceedings Magazine, February 2010, Vol. 136/2 / 1.284.

“... And then, one night, - Zakharov recalled, - a call from Moscow. By phone, they transmit a government order on the urgent development of serial production of the BMP-2. In two weeks, the first batch of cars is to be sent to Afghanistan. As I later found out, this is my old friend, General Mikhail Mitrofanovich Zaitsev, while in Afghanistan, called the Central Committee, explained that in local conditions, the new machine of the Kurganmashzavod is simply irreplaceable. The fact is that the troops often had to operate in the mountains, gorges, and the BMP-2 cannon is capable of shooting almost at the zenith - at an angle of 70 degrees to the horizon ... Immediately after the call I went to the plant. By the morning he issued an order - the production was transferred to the wartime regime. In April, the first 25 vehicles were shipped ... ”.

Armored vehicles in Afghanistan (1979-1989), A. Zaets, teacher of the Academy of the Ministry of Emergencies.

I saw Zaitsev once (late 1985 - early 1986), served in Uryupinsk, and he, as the Commander-in-Chief of the Southern Direction, came to us. True, there was no special check (it did not affect the soldiers in any way), but everyone remembered his performance at the club. An indelible impression was made by the general's appearance - tall (probably 1.90, or even under 2 m.Our divisional commander, p-k Yakovenko, himself is not small and not weak in figure, dimmed against his background), athletic build, powerful chest (you can dance on it. In any case, I have never met a person with a wider and more powerful chest in my life), the speech is developed. I remember that he spoke about the war period - he started the war as a soldier, and ended with the battalion commander. It is no exaggeration to say that his personality raised the morale of the division (albeit a cropped one), and this impact was primarily due to the physical strength and bright speech of the Commander-in-Chief. The only negative - during the performance, he showed self-admiration.

OA Shapovalov, reconnaissance company, regiment "B".

Since the 80s of the XX century, he assumed the post of General of the Soviet Army. He took part in a dozen military operations during the Great Patriotic War, the bravest Soviet military leader and brave officer, who received the Order of the Hero of the Soviet Union in 1983, and also the commander of the Southern Front who participated in the Afghan conflict.

Early years and family

Mikhail Mitrofanovich was born into a family of hard-working peasants, his father was an ardent activist in the Tula region of the Chernsky district (formerly the Chernsky district in the so-called Tula province) in 1923, on November 23. He received a regular secondary education there, graduating with honors from a local school.

His father, Zaitsev Mitrofan Nikitovich, was an ardent activist of the local collective farm, one of the first to promote and profess the so-called "Way of Ilyich" (some collective farm reforms). From 1925-1930, he became the chairman of the village council precisely due to his activities as an activist, and after that he assumed the post of chairman of the Troitsko-Bachurinsky general store. Working to support his family, he received a correspondence education at a local university at the Faculty of Law, after which he began working as a judge in his native Tula region. Margarita Ivanovna Zaitseva became the wife of the military leader Mikhail Mitrofanovich Zaitsev and gave birth to two daughters - Galina and Elena, who later gave birth to two boys, Zaitsev's grandchildren.

War times and exploits

As soon as the attacks from Germany began, Mikhail Mitrofanovich went to the front as a volunteer to fight for his homeland. He was sent to special courses for signalmen to improve military discipline and skills, and after graduation he was fully listed as a soldier, starting in 1942. After that, he took over the post of assistant chief of staff for the management of the 113th tank brigade. Such brigades as the 3rd, 6th and 7th Panzer Guards Corps were under control. Starting in the summer, Mitrofanovich went to war. He took part in six operations, among which were the Battle of Kursk, Berlin and

He showed himself in battles only as a brave and ready to go to the end officer. According to information from the award lists, he destroyed fifty in one of the battles, and in another - at least a hundred fascist invaders. He was also wounded in the shoulder while he was taking his tank battalion out of the hot spot, but did not leave it, but made sure that all the tanks to the last left under fire, and only after that he went to the hospital for examination. For this feat he received the Order of the Red Banner from the commander of his battalion.

Service after the war, or peacetime

Starting in 1965, in August, he took over the command of a tank division, and two years later, in January, he took the post of commander of the 120th division named after the Order of Kutuzov and Suvorov in the motorized rifle troops. General Mikhail Mitrofanovich Zaitsev received his military rank in 1980, and three years later, on November 22, was assigned to the title of Hero of the Soviet Union, as the commander promised him, issuing the Order of the Red Banner, after Zaitsev was wounded.

Afghan criticism and new titles

After that, he was determined and assigned to the rank of Commander-in-Chief of the Southern Direction, under whose control all operations in Afghanistan were located, as well as the task of ending the conflict. Zaitsev was then criticized by another commander, General Rodionov Igor Nikolayevich: “The star of the Hero of the Soviet Union shone with him on all operations, and everyone understands that he went to control the 40th division right into a hot spot to get another“ Star "On your chest. I still wonder how they could recommend him to Gorbachev as a person who can find a quick solution to the conflict or change the situation for the better. "

The rest of the soldiers and commanders about Mikhail Mitrofanovich Zaitsev, general of the army, spoke with pride that they had a chance to serve with him, and although he, like any person, made mistakes, he understood them and accepted other points of view, even from ordinary soldiers, which, it would seem, can not oppose anything to the general.

His minus was also his big vanity, which “just oozed out of him,” but how can such a person, with his merits and number of awards, be blamed for such a trifle as vanity? After all, a person who has gone through more than one war, and even with such a title, is simply obliged to be like Mikhail Mitrofanovich.