Alexey Grigorievich Rodin was born on February 4 (17), 1902 in the village of Zuevo, Zaevskaya volost, Ostashkovsky district, Tver province (now Penovsky district, Tver region) into a peasant family. Russian.
Member of the All-Union Communist Party (Bolsheviks) since 1926. Hero of the Soviet Union (02/07/1943).
Education. Graduated from the Moscow Artillery School (1926), VAMM (1937)
Military service. In the Red Army from April 1920
Participation in wars and military conflicts. Civil War (Southern Front, Kuban, Caucasus). Soviet-Finnish war. The Great Patriotic War
Service in the Red Army. Since April 1920 - Red Army soldier of a separate cavalry division at the headquarters of the 9th Army of the Southern Front. In December 1920, the division was reorganized into the 2nd Cavalry Regiment as part of the 31st Infantry Division, where A.G. Rodin was the senior clerk. As part of it, he took part in the liquidation of gangs in the Kuban region and the Caucasus. Since February 1921, adjutant of the convoy of the Revolutionary Military Council of the 9th Kuban Army.
Since August 1922 - cadet of the Vladikavkaz courses for active military branches. Then, from January 1923, he studied first at the Krasnodar courses of the Red Army, then from August at the Moscow Artillery School.
From September 1926 - Head of Intelligence and Communications of the 9th Horse Artillery Division (Ural Military District). From October 1927 - assistant battery commander, chief of regiment maintenance, battery commander of the 45th artillery regiment.
From June 1931 - division commander of a motorized detachment of the 45th Infantry Division, from February 1932 he again served in the 45th Artillery Regiment as a division commander.
From January 1933 to December 1937 - student at the Military Academy of Mechanization and Motorization of the Red Army named after. I.V. Stalin.
Since December 1937 - Chief of Staff of the 9th Mechanized Brigade (Leningrad Military District). Since August 1939 - head of the armored service of the 50th Rifle Corps. In this position he participated in the Soviet-Finnish War of 1939-1940. He particularly distinguished himself in battle on January 23, 1940 when repelling counterattacks of Finnish troops. During the battle, Colonel A.G. Rodin prevented panic in the rear of the 138th Infantry Division, showed personal courage, and organized the capture and destruction of the White Finns who had broken through. Since July 1940 - commander of the 5th tank regiment of the 3rd tank division (Leningrad Military District). From December 1940 - commander of the 2nd department. light tank brigade. Since March 1941 - deputy commander for combat units of the 24th Tank Division of the 10th Mechanized Corps.
On the fronts of the Great Patriotic War from June 1941. In this position he fought on the North-Western, Northern and Leningrad fronts, as well as as part of the Luga Group of Forces. He took part in defensive battles in the Baltic states and on the distant approaches to Leningrad. He led a number of division units out of encirclement in the area of Lake Peipsi and held back the enemy on the Luga defensive line for almost a month.
Since June 1942 - commander of the 26th Tank Corps in the 5th Tank Army on the Bryansk, Southwestern, and Don fronts. He especially distinguished himself during the Stalingrad offensive operation: having been introduced into the breakthrough on November 19, 1942, the Rodina tank corps captured the village of Kalach-on-Don (since 1951 and now a city in the Volgograd region) and contributed to the encirclement of the Stalingrad enemy group. On December 8, 1942, the corps received the Guards banner and became known as the 1st Guards. tank corps, and two months later received the honorary name “Donskoy”.
By decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of February 7, 1943, for the courage and heroism shown in battles with the Nazi invaders, Guard Major General Alexei Grigorievich Rodin was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union with the Order of Lenin and the Gold Star medal.
From February 12, 1943 - commander of the 2nd Tank Army of the Central Front, participated in the Oryol and Chernigov-Pripyat offensive operations. From September 9, 1943 - Commander of the BTiMV of the Western Front, from April 1944 - of the 3rd Belorussian Front. Participated in the Smolensk, Belarusian and East Prussian operations.
Since July 1945 - commander of the BTiMV of the Baranovichi Military District (later renamed to Belorussian). Since October 1946, he was at the disposal of the commander of the BT and MV of the USSR Armed Forces. Since March 1947 - Commander of the BTiMV of the Carpathian Military District. Since February 1949 - Head of the Directorate for Combat Training of Armored and Mechanized Troops of the Armed Forces.
In 1953 he graduated from the Higher Academic Courses at the Higher Military Academy named after. K.E. Voroshilov and remained as a senior teacher at this academy.
In October 1954 he was transferred to the reserve.
Military ranks: major (1936), colonel (1938), major general of the military unit (Resolution of the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR No. 615 of 05/03/1942), lieutenant general of the military unit (Resolution of the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR No. 126 of 02/04/1943), general. - colonel t/v (Resolution of the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR No. 878 of July 15, 1944).
Awards: Medal "Gold Star" (No. 783, 02/07/1943), two Orders of Lenin (02/07/1943), two Orders of the Red Banner (02/10/1943), Order of Suvorov I (04/19/1945) and II degrees, Order of Kutuzov I degree ( 07/03/1944), Order of the Patriotic War, 1st degree (08/27/1943), Medal “XX Years of the Red Army” (1938), Medal “For the Defense of Stalingrad” (1943).
Georgy Semyonovich Rodin was born on November 19, 1897 in the village of Bolotovo, Oryol district, Oryol province (now Oryol district, Oryol region). Russian.
Member of the RCP(b) since 1919
Before serving in the army, G. S. Rodin, from November 1914, worked at the Guzhon plant in Moscow.
Education. He graduated from the Oryol infantry courses (1919), district repeated courses in Rostov (1923), ST KUKS “Vystrel” (1925), AKTUS at VAMM (1934).
Military service. In the RIA from July 1916 to March 1918. In the Red Army from June 5, 1918 to April 1938 and from May 1939.
Participation in wars and military conflicts. 1st World War. Civil War. Polish Campaign (1939). Soviet-Finnish War (February 12 - March 1940). The Great Patriotic War.
Service in the Russian Imperial Army. From July 1916 he served in the 32nd reserve regiment of the Moscow Military District in Vladimir. In November 1916, he was sent to the Western Front, where he fought as part of the 219th Kotelnichesky Regiment of the 55th Infantry Division in the Baranovichi region, platoon commander, senior non-commissioned officer. He was a member of the regimental soldiers' committee.
Service in the Red Army. From June 5, 1918 - platoon commander at the Oryol Military Commissariat.
From November 1918 to August 1919 - cadet of the Oryol infantry courses.
From August 1919 - platoon commander of the Consolidated Oryol Regiment. He took part in battles with the cavalry of General K. K. Mamontov during his raid across the territory of the Oryol, Voronezh and Kursk provinces. From April 1920 - platoon and company commander, assistant chief of intelligence of the Army Reserve Regiment of the 9th Kuban Army. As part of it, he took part in the liquidation of Wrangel’s amphibious assault by Lieutenant General S. G. Ulagai on the Taman Peninsula. From February 1921 - platoon commander of the 2nd Infantry Regiment of the 9th Kuban Army, then the 120th Infantry Regiment of the 18th Kuban Army. Participant in the fight against banditry in Chechnya, Kabarda, Ingushetia.
After the war, G.S. Rodin served as assistant. company commander in the 2nd, then in the 15th rifle, training and personnel regiments of the 9th Army. From January 1922 - assistant company commander and deputy. battalion commander in the 65th Infantry Regiment. In December 1926, he was transferred to the Vladikavkaz Infantry School, where he served as a company commander, battalion commander and commandant of the city of Rostov, head of the school's economic department. Since December 1930 - served as assistant. commander and commander of the 234th Infantry Regiment. Since December 1933 - commander of a separate tank battalion and head of the ABTS of the 25th Infantry Division. In 1936, for the excellent combat training of the unit, he was awarded the Order of the Red Star.
By order of the NCO of the USSR dated April 20, 1938, he was transferred to the reserve under Art. 43 p. "b". On May 12, 1939, he was reinstated as a member of the Red Army.
From May 1939 - commander of the 27th division. tank battalion of the 21st heavy tank brigade of the Belarusian Special Military District. Participated with him in the Polish campaign. At the beginning of 1940, it formed the 24th Tank Regiment as part of the 24th Tank Division and from February 12 to March 1940 participated in the Soviet-Finnish War of 1939-1940. From December 1940 - commanded the 23rd division. light tank brigade, which in March 1941 was reorganized into the 47th tank division as part of the 18th mechanized corps of the Odessa Military District.
With the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, he continued to command the 47th Tank Division. In mid-July, the division as part of the corps fought defensive battles with units of the 100th German motorized and 100th Hungarian divisions in the area of the station. Zhmerinka, m. Krasnoe. Here the enemy lost up to 1,200 people killed and wounded. From July 24 to 28, the division fought in the area of Gaysin, Tymar, Zyatkovtsy, Zherdanovka, Maryanovka. Being surrounded, she fought out of the ring, inflicting great damage to the enemy in manpower and equipment. Subsequently, its units defended themselves in the Dobryanka and Lipnyazhki areas. Operating in separate detachments with 6 - 8 guns each, in these battles up to 40 - 45 enemy armored vehicles and a large number of infantry were destroyed. From August 2 to 8, the division fought for Pervomaisk and in the Kamenny Most, Domanovka areas, then was withdrawn for replenishment. From September 1 to 4, defending in the area of Art. Galavach as part of the 5th Cavalry Corps of the 38th Army (35 - 40 km from the city of Kremenchug), its units inflicted heavy losses on the 76th German Infantry Division. In these battles on September 4, 1941, Colonel G.S. Rodin was seriously wounded, but did not leave the battlefield until the completion of the organized withdrawal of units to a new line of defense.
Since March 1942 - commander of the 52nd Tank Brigade. From July 13, 1942 - commander of the 28th Tank Corps. Since July, the corps was part of the 1st Tank and then the 62nd armies of the Stalingrad Front. At the end of July, the corps participated in a frontal counterattack against an enemy group that had broken through to the Don north of Kalach-on-Don. At the end of August, the corps was withdrawn to the front reserve and included in the Volga Military District. Since October 1942 - i.d. Head of the ABTV of the Southwestern Front. From April 1943 - commander of the 30th Ural Volunteer Tank Corps, which was in the reserve of the Supreme Command Headquarters, and from July - as part of the 4th Tank Army of the Western, and from July 30, 1943 - Bryansk Fronts and took part in the Orel offensive operation. As noted by the commander of the 4th Tank Army, General V.M. Badanov, units and formations of the corps from July 26 to August 11, “Maneuvering manpower and equipment on the battlefield, we inflicted one blow after another on the enemy, fighting 65 kilometers during this period, liberating 44 settlements. Personally, Comrade himself. Rodin showed enough courage and perseverance in fulfilling the task assigned to his troops. Being at observation points in the combat formations of his units and formations, making timely necessary adjustments during the dynamics of the battle, thereby making it easier for his troops to quickly complete the tasks assigned to them.”. Since September 1943, the 30th Corps was in the reserve of the Supreme High Command Headquarters (from October 1943 - the 10th Guards Tank Corps), from February 1944 - as part of the 1st Ukrainian Front and participated in the Proskurov-Chernovtsy offensive operation, during which an inaccurate message about the occupation of the Volochinsk station was transmitted to army headquarters. Despite the successful combat operations of the corps, Rodin was removed from his position due to an erroneous report and on April 25, 1944, he was appointed commander of the 6th officer training tank brigade, which he commanded until the end of the war.
Military ranks: Major general t/v (Resolution of the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR No. 1324 of 08/04/1942); lieutenant general t/v (Resolution of the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR No. 643 of 06/07/1943).
Awards: Order of Lenin (02/21/1945); three Orders of the Red Banner (03/27/1942, 08/27/1943, 11/03/1944); Order of the Red Star (1936); Medal of the XX years of the Red Army (1938).
Honorary citizen of the city of Oryol (November 2, 1972; “for great services in the liberation of the Oryol region from the Nazi invaders and active participation in the public life of the city of Oryol and the region in the post-war period”).
Rodin Victor
Sixth edition
Konstantin!
_Kostya, with the recline!
_Finally, my friend, you are with us again!
His criminal business partners, grunting with delight, hugged Telezhkin, slapping him on the back, shoulders, and arms. In modern films, a prisoner being released is always greeted like this. Wives are not allowed to approach.
_You look good! – the brothers continued to shout. __ I've only lost a little weight.
Kalya finally made her way to her husband and, dangling her legs, hung on his neck.
_Kotka, oh, Kotka! _ she cried._ Congratulations on your exit!
-Yeah, larva! _ Konstantin rejoiced good-naturedly. _Are you waiting for a bright day? I'll tell you! Boys! _ he barked at those greeting us._ How long are we going to be scratching our heads in the prison? I'm intensely tired of this damned casemate. Dad, order a retreat!
And Telezhkin began to move into one of the cars waiting for them, but almost knocked down a tall citizen in a gray suit and the same hat, with a cane in his hand, who was passing by.
_Oops! - Konstantin clasped his hands, _Excuse me generously. Didn't notice.
In response, the citizen muttered: “It’s okay,” raised his hat and, without looking back, walked on. Konstantin immediately forgot about him. Because the car doors were already slamming with might and main. The brigade was taking its places.
In the restaurant where the burglars came to celebrate the release of Telezhkin, Papa, the leader of the gang, told the latter, when everyone was already well drunk, that it was very cool that Konstantin had gotten away so well. There is a good plan planned, and he can take part.
_What kind of business? _ asked Konstantin.
_Yes, the boar is ripe, it needs to be stabbed. The person was in contact, you see, with foreign partners, accumulated a gigantic amount, and does not keep it where it should be, _ the Pope,_ well, he does not trust the state. He keeps it at home. And shares and jewelry and gold and valuable papers. So we decided to punish him. Fools must be taught. Are you with us or will you rest a little first?
Konstantin's answer stunned him. Telezhkin not only did not intend to participate in the raid, he generally put an end to his illegal activities and from now on was going to earn his living honestly. During his imprisonment, he learned a lot.
“I’ll get a job, for example, in the iron industry,” he said, “according to rumors they make good money there.” Work during the day, play dominoes with Kalya in the evening. Why not lafa?
And Konstantin affectionately patted his wife’s lumpy knee.
_Can’t you put a refusenik on the knives? _ he continued. _The times of such cruelty are long gone. Won't you put it on?
_What knives..._ Dad sighed. _You saved my life, and something like that is never forgotten. Make your choice and go for a walk. I just think you'll regret it, boy.
Konstantin just chuckled. But, one way or another, he and the leader broke up after drinking, never to meet again. For several days Telezhkin enjoyed doing nothing, then he told Kale that he was taking on one very monetary action. After all, he told the leader about the railroad. He has not yet fallen so low as to manipulate the state. And he told his wife this story.
“In the last year,” Konstantin said, indulging in vodka, “I looked after a hopelessly ill veteran of the criminal world, a veteran serving a life sentence. I bathed him and took him to the toilet. A day before his death, as a thank you, he told me this. We were talking about the masterpiece of writer Mikhail Bulgakov “The Master and Margarita”. Haven't you read it? Oh, dried fruit! But I want to talk not about the canonical novel, well known to the reading public, but about the latest, sixth edition, which is not known to anyone. According to my grandfather, in it the author portrayed the Soviet regime and Stalin and his entourage so impartially that you just have to hold on. The novel would clearly be drawn to the highest measure. Therefore, Bulgakov played it safe, hid it for the time being, and then took it and died. Yes.
The most interesting thing is that the editorial office was allegedly hidden here, in the Southern Urals. On the outskirts of the city, and more specifically, in Novosineglazovo. Hidden in the bedroom wall of one of the private houses. People live in it and have no idea what treasure they have. How I ended up in the region, my grandfather didn’t tell me, and I wasn’t interested in admitting it. Listen further.
It turned out that his grandfather advised him to get the manuscript and deliver it to some rare book lover. He assured me that the money would be enough for the rest of my life.
“It’s strange,” replied Kalya, “why didn’t you try to get the book yourself? What, you don't need money? Or he found out about the affair when he was already in prison, right?
_More likely. I didn't ask. Judge for yourself, would he initiate me if he had a chance to ever be released? I doubt. Such are the things, wife...
Konstantin finished the bottle and put it in the kitchen sink.
_How are you, friend? Shall we shake off the old days? Tired of life like a penny, a copper penny? Do you earn every penny in your DEZ? It’s okay, we’ll live soon, mark my words. Something tells me that we have nothing to fear, everything will go without a hitch. And if, as expected, it doesn’t work out, he breaks down, the punishment will be minimal, I’m sure of it. People like me, an old man, are not executed too much.
_Do you even know the address?
_But of course! Without it there is a pipe.
And Konstantin began to act. He approached the matter creatively. I visited the suburbs, looked around the house - just what kind of house it was - a little house, figured out how to get into it and realized that I couldn’t cope with such a task myself. Young forces are needed here. And I thought about an assistant. He didn’t want to involve anyone from the lads. They talk about it like hell. This requires clean people. In addition, he wanted to find out as much as possible about the novel itself, and without hesitation he decided to resort to the help of his childhood friend Vityukha, a passionate admirer of the printed word, a real bookworm.
He did not fail to appear after the first call and laughed for a long time when he learned about the sixth option.
“Wake up, my dear,” he laughed, “at sixty years old, you got the idea to become a treasure hunter? Isn't it a little late? Only, uncle, if he existed, this version of him would have been known a long time ago - it has long been known: you can’t hide an sew in a bag.
Vityukha was especially amused that the final version was supposedly at their fingertips. “Well, yes, yes,” he nodded, “Mikhail Afanasyevich himself came to our region and walled up the manuscript. Yes Yes. Just so you know, Kostya, Mikhail Afonasievich never had to visit the Southern Urals. Never".
Vityukha had no doubt about only one thing. In the value of the treasure, if it actually existed. She must be mind-blowing. Only in the Russian Federation would no one need the sixth option. No one will give a decent price for a pile of scribbled paper. Abroad, yes. Antique lovers are a dime a dozen there.
_So, you wanted to get rich? Commendable. Well, try, try. God will meet you.
Since it was not possible to find a suitable candidate, Semyon decided to involve Kalina’s son-in-law in the action. After the death of her daughter, the young man slipped into real poverty. Who needs artists now? He smoothed every little thing on his hand, almost kissed it, but he was considered a thrill-seeker. As expected, he did not refuse. And 10% of sales is not bad money. Who would refuse?
And then one fine evening, not even an evening, but the night before September, the sweet couple with their son-in-law loaded into a gasoline cart and drove to Novosineglazovo. The night was quiet, mysterious, the kind that happens at the end of summer. The moles of the stars carefully watched their actions. The treads of oncoming cars rustled like mice in a cellar.
The building they needed, which had grown into the ground like a mushroom, was located on the outskirts. A retired couple lived in it. When the treasure hunters arrived, there was no longer any light in the windows. The owners were elderly people and went to bed only when it began to get dark. Having said “Well, God bless!”, the son-in-law left the car. Konstantin handed him a bag with a flashlight, a chisel, a hammer, rope, and tape, so that if something happened, he could neutralize the old men.
And then the unexpected happened. Past. someone passed the car. Some guy. He walked by and casually glanced inside. From this attentive gaze, Konstantin felt a chill in his stomach. It seemed to him that it was the one in gray whom he accidentally touched when leaving the colony. But this was clearly something of a mysticism. There are no such coincidences.
It was already midnight when the son-in-law unlocked the gate door and entered the yard. In the house, he turned on the flashlight and, guided by the snoring, carefully so as not to trip over anything, he walked into the bedroom. The wall he needed was here. Looking at the sleeping people, the son-in-law took out a hammer and chisel. At the first blow, the old man and the old woman jumped in their beds and blinked blindly, trying to unravel the cause of the hellish noise. The son-in-law tied their hands and feet and, threatening with violence if they called for help, taped their mouths and took up the tools again.
He got lucky. At the fourth blow, the chisel came into contact with something metal, and the son-in-law doubled the blows. Soon he was covered in dust, but he was holding in his hands a small box, locked with a postal padlock. Shooting him down was a piece of cake. The hinges of the box creaked with displeasure, but the top cover obediently opened. The son-in-law's hands trembled as he freed the pile of written sheets from the thin rubber in which they were wrapped. On its first page there was a large print of “The Master and Margarita”, and just below: “Sixth Edition”.
With a deafeningly pounding heart, the son-in-law left the crime scene the same way and again found himself on the street, where a sweet couple was waiting for him, jumping up and down with impatience. At the sight of his son-in-law, the car purred and galloped back to the city to the accompaniment of impatiently asked questions.
In the morning, Konstantin called Vityukha again and invited him to his place. He, faithful to the laws of friendship, appeared and was confused when he saw the manuscript. He crumpled it in confusion and kept repeating:
_I can’t believe my eyes. When did you manage to create it? That Ivanushka ended up with the dead Berlioz in the river, I understand, this is from previous editions, but for the master to meet with Ha -. Nozri, yes... It doesn’t fit into any gates. The master was refused...
Having received confirmation that the manuscript was genuine, Konstantin announced that now the matter was small. Need to find a buyer. Apparently, he will have to fly to Belokamennaya. There is a broken number in Chelyabinsk. There are no such fools as to shell out the required amount, and in his opinion, such money cannot be found here.
_Which one? - Vityukha squeaked.
“A million “greens,” Semyon answered loudly, “and not a cent less.”
The son-in-law objected. He said that there was no need to go anywhere. We need to take advantage of the miracle of the twentieth century, that’s all. With the help of a computer you can get a buyer even over the hill. Vityukha waved his finger in front of his nose. Let the young man not pretend to be a smart guy. He apparently doesn’t know that selling the novel could provoke an international scandal. National values, and this conventionally canonical version is undoubtedly national pride, are not allowed to leave the country. And the one who is going to smuggle it out secretly is subject to punishment. The country to which the swindler belongs, of course, will protest and chaos will begin... It’s better not to get into trouble. The manuscript is the property of the federation and there are no nails.
“Even this is not the main thing,” Vityukha was alarmed. _Selling may offend the devil. Yes, him. And he's not to be trifled with. Let it be known to you that he patronized Bulgakov all the years when Mikhail Afanasyevich wrote his versions. Don't believe me? Read the description of the other world in the canonical “The Master and Margarita”, in order to describe the other world in this way, you need to see it with your eyes. So, boys and girls, I don’t advise you to tease the prince of darkness.
Due to his character, Konstantin ignored the warning of his childhood friend. He did not believe in either dark or light forces. Believed in the power of money. As soon as Vityukha left their house, Konstantin attacked his son-in-law, rushing him with the computer. And again he was very lucky. That same evening a potential buyer was discovered. A certain cultural attaché of one of the African countries. The next day he was supposed to appear in the Southern Urals. The joy of the adventurers knew no bounds. The coveted pennies floated into their hands.
And that same night, God knows what happened to the manuscript. The option has disappeared. Disappeared from a box locked with a key on a table left by Kali's daughter. I lay there calmly, lay there, you know, and suddenly _one!_ seemed to dissolve or fall through the ground. When the attache, a purple half-Negro, half-mestizo in a stunning suit, arrived in a large silver Rolls-Royce, the spouses had no choice but to throw up their hands and bleat the sacramental:
_ No damn thing... That's how it happens... Ha-ha-ha!
When the black resident of Africa, having no salty slurp, went back to Moscow, Telezhkin turned the whole apartment over, but as you understand, he found nothing and fell into a trance. The dream of getting rich burst like a soap bubble. The couple remained with their interest.
And that is not all. There is something in the world—Vityukha was right—that is unidentified. The devil is not the devil, Satan or the universal mind, but there is something. Because a month after these events, my son-in-law died. He looks like a strong, healthy guy, but you see... According to rumors, he was HIV-infected. Such are the things. And if only he had died, that, as they say, was not so bad, since Kalya would also have died... She was crossing the tram in the wrong place. And as winter approached, Konstantin was no more. Stabbed to death. During the day, at the collective farm market. There was a fight between customers and guests from the south, so there you have it. This is the unhappy ending for the owners of the sixth version of the sunset novel.
And even that's not all. On the day the manuscript disappeared, it was discovered in the Pope's house. It was discovered by him. .To her - to her. Nobody brought her, she magically ended up in the living room. Along with the note, it ordered that the Pope immediately transport it to the capital of our Motherland, and specifically, to the manuscript department of the Lenin State Library, to the archive of Mikhail Afanasyevich Bulgakov. The discouraged leader did not want to play with fate and therefore carried out the order. Flew out the next day. By the way, he was not aware that one of the passengers, sitting two rows away from him, was none other than the gray one who met him and Konstantin at the gates of the prison. The leader, imposingly seated in a chair, proudly thought at that time that, although he was eager for other people's property, he still loved his Motherland and therefore was carrying out the assignment. From whom the task was received, how the novel ended up in his chambers, he tried not to think.
(born 11/19/1928)
Member of the Military Council of the Strategic Missile Forces from December 14, 1985 to September 20, 1991.
Born in the village of Dubrovki, Bedno-Demyanovsky district, Penza region. Colonel General (1982).
Graduated from the Leningrad Military-Political School named after. F. Engels (1954), Military-Political Academy named after. IN AND. Lenin (1964, in absentia), Military Academy of the General Staff of the USSR Armed Forces (1969).
In the Armed Forces since January 1949.
Until 1985, he served in party and political positions in the Ground Forces, including as a member of the military council - head of the political department of the Turkestan, Kyiv military districts, and the South-Western direction.
Since December 1985, a member of the Military Council - head of the Political (since April 1991 - Military-Political) Directorate of the Strategic Missile Forces.
Dismissed to the reserve in November 1991.
Lives in Moscow.
He was awarded the Order of the October Revolution (1985), the Red Banner (1980), two Orders of the Red Star (1967, 1979), the Order “For Service to the Motherland in the Armed Forces of the USSR” II degree (1990) and III degree (1975).
Citation: In the army. - M.: TsIPK Strategic Missile Forces. - 2004. - 168 p.
* * *
Victor Rodin
We kept the peace of the state
Colonel General V. Rodin is one of those who in 1979, out of duty and conscience, was responsible for the creation and entry into Afghanistan of the 40th Combined Arms Army - a limited contingent of Soviet troops in Afghanistan. In 1977-1982 he headed the political department of the Turkestan Military District.
- Viktor Semenovich, TurkVO covered two large sections of the border with Afghanistan and Iran. With Iran, so to speak, everything is clear: either the Americans or the fundamentalists. But was there any concern about Afghanistan before the December events?
There was always vigilance and alertness. But in general there was not even a thought about sending troops. We knew the situation in Afghanistan and monitored its changes. In March 1979, I had the opportunity to visit the Soviet military delegation in Kabul. Here it became clear that the General Secretary of the PDPA Central Committee, Nurmuhammad Taraki, the leader of the Afghan, Saur revolution, was losing control over the country. And Prime Minister Hafizullah Amin has already taken everything he could into his hands. Amin told the head of our delegation - the head of the Main Political Directorate of the Soviet Army and Navy, Alexei Epishev, that to fight the counter-revolution, the Afghan comrades need at least two Soviet divisions. They say they won’t fight, their presence alone will cool the extremists. Epishev then reasonably noted that the deployment of our troops was out of the question, since this would significantly complicate the international situation. There, in Kabul, I received an order from Epishev to go to Herat and assess the situation in the Herat garrison. And the assessment came out as follows: for stabilizing the situation, for suppressing the counter-revolution, as they said then, the Herat garrison is not suitable. And I had a bad feeling: things won’t end well here, and we on our side need to be on our guard.
Epishev subsequently, instructing us before meetings with Afghan officials, warned that if there is a conversation about sending troops, then avoid this topic in every possible way. Thus, the question of our military presence in March 1979 did not yet arise. But the district command, taking into account the difficult situation in its southern neighbors, began measures to increase the combat readiness of the troops. We conducted command post exercises, deployed the 5th division in Kushka, and some units of other divisions. Our desire to increase combat readiness was justified. The situation in the world at that time was particularly difficult...
Now, how do many researchers assess the events of that time in Afghanistan? From the perspective of today! And this is fundamentally wrong. It needs to be assessed from the perspective of that time. What happened? The culmination of the Cold War. Anti-Soviet position of Pakistan. Victory of fundamentalists in Iran. Increased US interest in the area. From the Afghan direction it was possible to deliver such a blow that would cut the Soviet Union into two parts...
The issue of sending troops was not immediately resolved. It has been discussed since the summer of 1979. Both the General Staff and the Commander-in-Chief of the Ground Forces were against the introduction of troops. General Pavlovsky back in November, returning from a trip to Afghanistan, called the possible presence of our troops inappropriate. But then, under the influence of circumstances, opinions changed.
I think Taraki's death changed a lot. After all, he met (shortly before his removal from power) with Brezhnev. They say that Brezhnev asked Amin to save Taraki’s life. But he did not heed Leonid Ilyich’s request, and even intensified the repression. I am sure that the entry of Soviet troops into Afghanistan was justified and expedient in connection with the situation that developed at that time on the southern borders.
- Were any special forces deployed to Afghanistan before the 40th Army? Or did this information pass by the district?
No, it didn’t pass by the district. Firstly, an order was received to form a battalion on the basis of the 56th Airborne Assault Brigade to guard Amin. He was very suspicious, afraid of assassination attempts, and did not trust his guards. And since this battalion included exclusively natives of Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan, it was conventionally called “Muslim”. And this battalion was brought into Kabul. He was engaged in security and combat training.
- And what, in fact, could the Turkestan district, not the largest and richest, do when the order for such a massive mobilization came?
The district was truly second-rate. Divisions in Kizil-Arvat, Kushka, Termez. Two of them have a reduced composition. Landing, pontoon-bridge regiment. That's basically it. I have already spoken about the 56th infantry brigade. It was full. At the beginning of December 1979, the commander of the TurkVO, Colonel General (at that time) Maksimov, was at the General Staff, approving the mobilization plan for the district. Chief of the General Staff Ogarkov warned him that the issue of sending troops is under discussion, but be prepared, new introductions are possible, so work through the main points of your plan. It was from this period that it was decided to deploy the district at the expense of its own mob resources. Everything happened under the guise of training camps. At the same time, arms supplies increased and special forces arrived.
Nobody talked about input. All events were held under the banner of training camps. And this became known only in the second half of December. An order was received: TurkVO should be fully deployed according to wartime plans and be ready to send troops into Afghanistan. The specific date of entry became known to us only on the night of December 24: December 25 at 15.00 to cross the state border.
- Viktor Semenovich, the names of the commanders of the 40th Army have gone down in history. But why was Lieutenant General Tukharinov appointed as the first commander? After all, in those days he was the first deputy commander of the district troops. Any special merits?
The plan for the deployment and operational use of the 40th Army stipulated that its leadership should at the first stage consist of first deputies. So Lieutenant General Tukharinov, an experienced and energetic man, by the way, became the commander of the army, and my first deputy, Major General Toskaev, became a member of the military council - the head of the political department of the army.
- Mob resources of the district... These are, in essence, civilians. How did you manage to gather them into one fist in such a time frame? And how confident did they feel in Afghanistan?
We called about sixty thousand people. Nobody was running anywhere. The contingent was eighty-five percent local residents. Uzbeks, Turkmens, Tajiks. Consciousness was high. And the difficulties... Well, for example. In those days in Termez at night the temperature dropped below minus fifteen degrees. What does “minus fifteen” mean to an Uzbek or Tajik?! And we didn’t even have stoves in our tents. In the evening I went to one unit. The tents are empty. In the morning I look - in the ranks as one. They ran home to warm up. This was the tank crew in the regiment. No panic, no gossip. But before December 24, no one thought seriously about Afghanistan... And when they found out that they were going to enter the neighboring country, they pulled themselves up, and everyone became serious, especially when they were given ammunition.
During the deployment period, we had considerable problems with supplies. After all, neither such a number of tents, nor beds, nor stoves were provided for in the plan. The army was expected to be on the move, on the march or in battle. In life, everything turned out differently. In such an environment, it was necessary to support people and help them survive the first difficulties. And they dealt with this successfully. It also helped that everyone understood: we were going to help a friendly people.
- How did you cross the border?
Yes, very simple. The border gates were opened and the troops marched. And the pontoon bridges near Termez were built a day before.
On December twenty-fifth I was in Termez. By evening, I remember, my temperature jumped to forty. Doctors began to threaten me with a heart attack and insisted on hospitalization. But it would be easier for me to die than to lie in a hospital bed at such a time. Imagine: troops enter another state, and a member of the military council of the district is sick. No, not this.
In short, at night I flew on the commander’s plane to Tashkent. I was given a dozen injections at the hospital, and in the morning I was already in the army. By the night of December 26, I reached Kushka, from where the 5th Motorized Rifle Division was leaving in the direction of Shindand. With her I entered Afghanistan. It was December 27, 1979.
- How did local residents react to the entry of our troops?
In the direction where I was, it was quite calm. Flowers, of course, were not thrown onto the armor, but they did not impede movement. More like friendly curiosity. But in the province of Balkh, near Tashkurgan, they actually greeted people with flowers and sprinkled rose petals according to local custom. This is how, in particular, they greeted the 180th Regiment.
- Were the results of the deployment of troops somehow considered in Moscow? Were the prospects taken into account?
In January and February, we were called to Moscow three times a month to report. The conversations took place at this level: the Minister of Defense, the head of the Main Political Directorate, from the Central Committee of the CPSU - Ponomarev, Smirnov... Epishev, by the way, then ordered me, of course verbally, that I report all the circumstances regarding Afghanistan personally to him, bypassing intermediate authorities. Such was the secrecy and secrecy... Studying the situation in Afghanistan, I came to the conclusion that we will not solve the problem by military means. I reported my thoughts to Epishev. This was in March 1980. He said: “What are you, a pioneer? What kind of nonsense are you talking about? You say that it’s impossible, but others report that victory is about to happen...” History, as we know, has decided who was right.
However, now the withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan is increasingly celebrated. But, in my opinion, we should not be ashamed of the start of the campaign. The entry of the 40th Army was carried out from a military point of view at a high organizational level. This operation had no analogues in Soviet military history. And what names are now forgotten! Ask the soldiers who Nikolai Shornikov, Vasily Shcherbakov, Vyacheslav Gainutdinov, Sergei Kozlov are. But these are the names of the first “Afghan” Heroes of the Soviet Union...
For me, an officer or soldier who served in Afghanistan has always been and remains a person who deserves special attention and respect. We have nothing to be ashamed of. In Afghanistan, we fulfilled our military duty, ensured the security of the southern borders of the Union, and preserved the peace of the state. Time has shown that this is still necessary today. For those who have forgotten, I can remind you that the 201st Motorized Rifle Division still stands on the border with Afghanistan. She earned her second Order of the Red Banner in Afghanistan.
* * *
19.09.2011
The former head of the political department of the Strategic Missile Forces, retired Colonel General Viktor Semenovich Rodin, has passed away
On September 17, at the age of 83, a member of the military council of the Strategic Missile Forces, head of the political department of the Missile Forces in 1985-1991, passed away. Colonel General Viktor Semenovich Rodin.
V.S. Rodin was born on November 19, 1928 in the village of Dubrovki, Bedno-Demyanovsky district, Penza region. At the age of 19 - secretary of the district Komsomol committee, founder of Komsomol cells in the countryside. Since 1949, Viktor Semenovich has been in the army, serving in which he devoted 42 years. Graduated from the Leningrad Military-Political School named after. F. Engels (1954), Military-Political Academy named after. V.I. Lenin (1964), Military Academy of the General Staff (1969). Until 1985, he served in party and political positions in the Ground Forces in the Ural, Leningrad, Turkestan, Kiev military districts, the Group of Soviet Forces in Germany, and the troops of the South-Western direction. He went through all the levels of the military hierarchy from private to colonel general, from secretary of the company Komsomol committee to member of the military council of the branch of the Armed Forces of the USSR. A special line in the biography of V.S. Rodin is the fulfillment of military duty in the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan as part of the 40th Army of the Turkestan Military District.
Since 1985, Viktor Semenovich has been a member of the military council of the Strategic Missile Forces, head of the political department of the Strategic Missile Forces. While in this responsible position, V.S. Rodin made a great contribution to strengthening the combat readiness of the Strategic Missile Forces, the successful solution of combat duty tasks, and maintaining military discipline and morale of the troops.
Viktor Semenovich has always been distinguished by a business approach, integrity and intolerance to shortcomings, which earned him the deep respect of his personnel. For his great personal contribution to the construction of the Missile Forces and the Armed Forces, Colonel General V.S. Rodin was awarded the Order of the October Revolution, the Red Banner, two Orders of the Red Star, the Order “For Service to the Motherland in the Armed Forces of the USSR” II and III degrees, and many medals.
The bright memory of Colonel General V.S. Rodin will forever remain in our hearts. The military leader's funeral will take place at 12:00 on September 20 at the Troekurovskoye cemetery in Moscow.
Information support group of the Strategic Missile Forces.
Basically, of course, with regard to the Great Patriotic War, I write about the heroism and courage of the defenders of our Motherland, which manifest themselves in a variety of situations. But we cannot ignore negative examples. War is like a litmus test that sweeps away all the tinsel and falsehood, presenting us with a person as he is.
Today's example is rather negative. We will talk about the commander of the armored forces of the 3rd Belorussian Front, Colonel General Alexei Grigorievich Rodina.
Alexey Grigorievich was a respected man, in the army since 1920, a participant in the Civil War. In the second half of the 20s he graduated from the Moscow Artillery School, and in the second half of the 30s - the Military Academy of Motorization and Mechanization. He took part in the Finnish War (as head of the armored service of the 50th Rifle Corps). In 1940 - commander of a tank regiment, in March 1941 - deputy division commander.
He took an active part in the Great Patriotic War from its very beginning. From September 1941 he commanded a brigade, after which he became deputy commander of the 54th Army for tank forces.
From July 1942, he commanded the 26th Tank Corps as part of the 5th Tank Army. The corps under the command of Rodin distinguished itself during the Stalingrad operation. In February 1943, A.G. Rodina was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.
After Stalingrad A.G. Rodin commanded the 2nd Tank Army in a number of operations, and then the armored and mechanized forces of the Western and 3rd Belorussian Fronts.
At the end of the war, he continued to serve in the army in responsible positions and retired in 1954. And in 1955, unfortunately, he passed away.
In no case do I want to give any assessments or judgments that could darken the memory of this person. Everyone has their own path, their own road that they follow through life. I am sure that the life of Alexei Grigorievich was also filled with bright episodes, that he also did his job for the sake of the common Victory, and the following does not in the least detract from his merits.
But, nevertheless, here are a few moments that Lieutenant I.L. describes in his memoirs. Degen, tankman of the 2nd Tank Brigade, platoon commander.
They said that the entire Red Army did not know a greater redneck and tyrant. He tore the stars from the colonels' shoulder straps, loudly announcing with selective obscenities that they had been demoted to majors and lieutenant colonels. He could have simply torn off his shoulder straps. He could beat up any general in the presence of his subordinates. He could hit any officer, not to mention privates.<...>Big-faced and personable, Rodin had a reputation as a “beast.” That's what he was. At the same time, he remembered everyone he once encountered in the war, from private to general. His memory was exceptional. His “brilliant innovations” amazed many with their idiocy... In defense, tanks stand in dug trenches, at the bottom of which two logs were laid. The roof and walls were constructed from tarpaulin. The end of this kind of “garage” was covered with a straw mat in which a door was made. So, General Rodin ordered that dirt be carefully picked out from each track of the caterpillar, the track was wiped with gasol to a “mirror shine”, and then dry. Returning after each trip, even collapsing from fatigue, we used knives, screwdrivers, and bayonets to pick out dirt from the tracks, wash, rub and slowly, centimeter by centimeter, roll the tank into the trench onto the logs.
At the end of November 1944, Rodin came to our brigade. His “lordship” was guarded by a full-blooded company of motorized riflemen in armored personnel carriers. You see, a whole company of slackers! Meanwhile, on the front line, junior commanders had no idea where to find at least one more soldier to plug the next gap in the defense. Rodin first arrived at our battalion, which was considered a shock battalion. The general found himself in front of the tanks of my platoon and ordered: “Remove the mats!” Removed. Rodin approached my tank, took a handkerchief from his pocket and wiped the track with it. Glory to God, the scarf remained clean. We were ready for this. But the storm still broke out. I ordered my driver-mechanic Boris Makarov to unbutton his overalls. Here the cheap show began. “Where is the Order of the Red Star?! I signed the decree on the award a month ago!” - the commander of the BT and MV shouted. “I haven’t received it yet, Comrade Colonel General,” Makarov answered him. Rodin looked angrily at the brigade commander, who stood at attention, and growled: “Why didn’t you get it??!” The brigade commander replied: “The brigade has not yet received its decorations.” And then came Comrade Rodin’s “finest hour”: “You didn’t get it?! Ras...th! Am I supposed to carry orders with you, Suvorov?! You’re the shit, not the colonel! Take off the order and give it to Makarov!” .
Here the general’s gaze settled on the burnt-out brand new overcoat of a young motorized rifleman. The slob motorized rifleman burned his overcoat by the fire. Rodin beckoned to the soldier with his finger. “Come on, son, come here. How did you get into this shitty brigade?” The soldier replied: “From the hospital, Comrade Colonel General!” Rodin did not let up: “And before the hospital, where did you fight?” - “In the 120th Tank Brigade, Comrade Colonel General!” Rodin continued: “You go back, son, to the one hundred and twentieth. Nobody cares about you here. This asshole brigade commander doesn't care that you have a hole in your overcoat. How will he take care of you in battle? Go, son. You will say that Rodin sent you."<...>
Meanwhile, General Rodin continued to rage. "Anxiety!" - he barked. The engines started working. Rodin pointed his finger at my chest: “Why don’t you leave, motherfucker?!” I answer: “I have ten minutes at my disposal, Comrade Colonel General. The oil temperature should rise to 55 degrees.” The general squinted his eyes towards the lieutenant colonel standing next to him. He nodded slightly. Eight minutes later we left the trench. The tanks formed a column on a dirt road. The commanders climbed the hill. Rodin decided to conduct reconnaissance. I turned to the tank commander from my platoon, Lieutenant Volodya Ivanov, a tall, handsome, blond man. “Report what you see,” he turned to the lieutenant. We knew the area around like the back of our hands; we had been hanging around here for several weeks. Each of us, without even looking at the map, could tell about any detail of the terrain between the dirt road and the front edge, which was eleven kilometers away. Volodya pulled out a tablet and clearly began: “On the left, in the southwest, is the Shtalupenen forest.” General Rodin growled: “What the f... mother of a forest?! Are you fucking blind? Shtalupenen Grove, not a forest!” And Rodin pointed his finger at his map. I don’t know what rein got under my tail, but after a whole hour of the general’s obscene abuse of us and the brigade commander, resentment for all those barked at and humiliated flooded me and burst out. I said: “Allow me to address you, Comrade Colonel General?” - "Well!" - “What year is your card?” The general looked at his tablet: “Well, 1891.” “In fifty-three years the grove could turn into a forest,” I said.
A.G. Rodin. Photo found on the internet.
Soon I again had to face the commander of the BT and MV front. A couple of weeks passed, and suddenly all the driver mechanics and tank commanders from several front-line brigades were gathered in the large hall of the German officers’ club. Several hundred people. None of us knew the reason for the gathering. General Rodin entered the hall. Everyone stood up. I was on the far left of the aisle along which Rodin was walking. He noticed me and stopped. Looking at me contemptuously, Rodin said: “I didn’t shoot you. I will still need you. You will die anyway. But you will wash away my guilt with your blood! In the meantime, you won’t see an order for the last battle!”
Rodin walked onto the stage and stopped in front of the closed curtain. Then General Rodin made the following speech: “All of you bastards received instructions that we now have a new antifreeze, ethylene glycol. All of you sons of bitches were warned that this is a strong poison. But some bastards believe that this is only a threat , that the old antifreeze is alcohol, glycerin and water, which you lapped up like pigs, adding water instead of antifreeze and freezing the engines. So here’s a visual demonstration for you, f..., everyone to look at the stage and not turn away. , bitches, until I give the command!
The curtain opened. Five people lay on the stage, dying in agony, writhing and writhing and gradually fading away. Tank crew poisoned by drinking antifreeze. I don’t know how long the agony of the crew and our torment lasted. But General Rodin and his envoys personally made sure that no one turned away from the stage...
From the memoirs of Ion Lazarevich Degen.
Quoted from: Drabkin A. I fought on the T-34. Book two. - M.: Yauza, Eksmo, 2008. - P. 149-154.
Of course, these are just a few episodes. Throughout the history of the Second World War there were many positive examples.
