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Founder of the airborne troops. Hero of the Soviet Union, Army General Vasily Filippovich Margelov. Patriarch of the Elite Troops

Founder of the airborne troops. Hero of the Soviet Union, Army General Vasily Filippovich Margelov. Patriarch of the Elite Troops

Born December 27, 1908 Commander of the Airborne Forces, General Vasily Margelov.

“Demobilization Album” is a special thing. Those who served in military service know that it takes months to create this unique masterpiece. Photos with colleagues that the command would not approve of funny pictures, all kinds of curls and decorations - the soldiers spare no time or effort to prepare such beauty. Portraits of father commanders are usually not included in the demobilization album. But the Soviet paratroopers, preparing albums for demobilization, struggled to get a good ceremonial photo of the general with all the regalia. This general was Vasily Filippovich Margelov, the legendary “Uncle Vasya”, a man whose name is inextricably linked with the landing.

“Uncle Vasya’s troops” is how the paratroopers themselves decipher the abbreviation Airborne Forces.

General Margelov was not the founder of the airborne troops. He made his first parachute jump when he was 40 years old. But it was he who made the paratroopers a real army elite.

Markelov - Margelov

Vasily Margelov was born on December 27, 1908 in Yekaterinoslav, into a working-class family. His real name“Markelov” - He became Margelov due to an error in the documents.

Before being drafted into the army, Vasya Margelov managed to graduate from a rural youth school, work as a loader, carpenter, apprentice in a leather workshop, horse-driver, and forester.

But the main thing in life for Margelov was military service. After being drafted, he was sent to study at the United Belarusian Military School (UBVSH) named after. Central Election Commission of the BSSR in Minsk. After graduation in 1931, Vasily Margelov was appointed commander of a machine gun platoon of the regimental school of the 99th rifle regiment 33rd Belarusian Rifle Division.

Swedish "trophy"

During the Polish campaign of the Red Army in 1939, he headed the reconnaissance of the 8th Infantry Division. But the real baptism of fire for Margelov was the Soviet-Finnish war of 1939-1940, during which he commanded the Separate reconnaissance ski battalion of the 596th Infantry Regiment of the 122nd Division.

The Soviet troops had a hard time fighting the “flying” units of Finnish skiers. But Margelov’s reconnaissance battalion was an exception - he himself could instill fear in the Finns. During one of the operations, his fighters captured Swedish officers General Staff. Sweden did not officially fight with the USSR, but actively helped the Finns with volunteers and materials. So the Swedish officers “helped”.

"Comrade Captain 3rd Rank"

Before the Great Patriotic War, Margelov held an unusual position - he commanded the 15th Separate Disciplinary Battalion. The first “disbats” in the USSR were formed in 1940, and at first they served their sentences for private and junior commanding officers who were sentenced by a military tribunal to imprisonment for a term of six months to two years for unauthorized absences.

At the very beginning of the war, Vasily Margelov commanded the 3rd Infantry Regiment of the 1st Motorized Rifle Division, the backbone of which was made up of former “disbatov” members.

In November 1941, Major Margelov was appointed commander of the 1st Special Ski Regiment of Sailors Baltic Fleet. Sailors are a special caste, and they sometimes look askance at “land” officers. But Margelov’s subordinates began to respect him, calling him the naval equivalent of the rank - “comrade captain of the 3rd rank.” According to legend, it was then that the future commander of the Airborne Forces became attached to vests, which were later introduced into paratroopers’ uniforms.

Vasily Margelov, 1963 Source: Ministry of Defense Russian Federation

During the Great Patriotic War Vasily Margelov was the commander of a rifle regiment, chief of staff and deputy commander of a rifle division. In 1944, he assumed the post of commander of the 49th Guards Rifle Division of the 28th Army of the 3rd Ukrainian Front.

For crossing the Dnieper and liberating Kherson, the division commander was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. In September 1944, Colonel Margelov was awarded the rank of Major General.

It can be found in photographs of the Victory Parade - Vasily Margelov commanded the combined regiment of the 2nd Ukrainian Front.

After the war he graduated from the Higher military academy named after Voroshilov, and in 1948 became commander of the 76th Guards Chernigov Red Banner Airborne Division.

Paratrooper is cool

By this time, Margelov had a rich and glorious biography behind him, and the landing party had 18 years of history. But that was a new starting point.

Airborne units of the 1940s could solve a rather limited range of tasks. The available transport aircraft made it possible to drop relatively small groups of paratroopers with small arms into the indicated areas. The paratroopers were required to seize a bridgehead, cause terror behind enemy lines and fight until the main forces arrived, while suffering significant losses.

General Margelov believed that paratroopers were capable of solving much more serious problems. For this you need good preparation and corresponding technical equipment.

In later Soviet times When people heard the word “paratrooper,” they imagined a tough guy in a camouflage uniform, breaking bricks with the edge of his palm and mastering hand-to-hand combat techniques no worse than a Japanese ninja. Soviet paratroopers acquired such skills thanks to the training system introduced by General Margelov.

Equipment for “winged infantry”

He was not afraid of borrowing. Once, having seen a rugby game in a movie, known for its harsh power techniques, Margelov ordered it to be included in the physical training complex of paratroopers.

In 1954, the entire Airborne Forces were placed under the leadership of the innovator. And General Margelov began to change the picture as a whole.

He gave weapons designers no rest, demanding that they create modifications of automatic weapons taking into account the specifics of the landing force. He demanded from tank builders combat vehicles that would be “tailored” for “winged infantry.” Aircraft designers were especially hard hit - Margelov demanded from them transport aircraft that could parachute entire regiments along with their equipment within a few minutes.

The most amazing thing is that Vasily Margelov received all this - machine guns with a folding stock, airborne combat vehicles (don’t even think of calling the BMD a tank in front of the paratroopers), An-12, An-22 and Il-76 transport aircraft.

Thanks to the advent of parachute platforms, it became possible to drop artillery, engineering equipment and much more along with the soldiers. But Margelov wanted more.

Paratroopers at the Dvina exercise. A souvenir photo with Airborne Forces commander Vasily Margelov (center). 1970 Photo: RIA Novosti / Lev Polikashin

"First cosmonaut of the Airborne Forces"

“If armored vehicles land far from the soldiers, what good is it,” the general reasoned, “It is necessary that the vehicles go into battle within a minute. And this means that they need to be landed along with their crews.”

For a long time this idea seemed crazy. The engineers did not guarantee the survival of the fighters. But the Airborne Forces commander achieved his goal.

On January 5, 1973, at the Slobodka airborne parachute track near Tula, a BMD-1 was landed with two crew members in the cockpit. One of the testers was Senior Lieutenant Alexander Margelov- the commander’s own son. General Margelov monitored the operation from the command post. Next to him lay a pistol - in case of failure and the death of his subordinates, the Airborne Forces commander was going to sentence himself. But the landing was successful.

Subsequently, Margelov Jr. would be called “the first cosmonaut of the Airborne Forces.” Twenty years later, for his participation in the tests, he will be awarded the title of Hero of Russia.

“Don’t show me fly agarics again!”

Thanks to Vasily Margelov, the Airborne Forces turned into the army elite, into a powerful striking fist that the whole world is forced to reckon with. In a matter of hours, thousands of soldiers and hundreds of armored vehicles can be deployed over vast distances, and immediately begin to solve problems of any complexity.

Even in Hollywood action films of the era " cold war“The paratroopers became the symbol of the “Red Menace”.

The number of legends about General Margelov himself is such that it is no longer possible to understand them - where is the truth and where is beautiful fiction.

They say that initially the paratroopers were allowed to wear crimson berets, the same as, for example, in Britain. Margelov, having once looked at the passage of his fighters in this form, said: “I won’t show fly agarics anymore!” As a result, the commander achieved the introduction of blue berets.

In the 1970s, filmmakers made a film about the paratroopers, Blue Lightning. The director and the film crew came to the training ground to see how the Airborne Forces soldiers were training. Naturally, the creator of the picture did not miss the opportunity to consult with General Margelov, who was also present. The commander said: “Show me the paratrooper in the film so that any woman on the street would give him!” After these words, one of the ladies who were part of the film crew, not accustomed to such directness, fainted.

Vasily Margelov bypasses the formation of paratroopers. Photo: Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation

Unquestioned authority

Vasily Margelov left the post of commander of the Airborne Forces in January 1979, at the age of 70. But for the Soviet paratroopers, Vasily Filippovich remained the main person, the guru, the unquestioned authority.

He died in March 1990, not witnessing the collapse of the USSR and the collapse of the Airborne Forces he created.

Traditions are a strong thing. General Margelov is still honored today not only in Russia, but also in all countries of the post-Soviet space. Even in Ukraine, where they remember that “Uncle Vasya” was born in this republic.

The Airborne Forces are absolutely deservedly considered the main brainchild of Vasily Margelov. However, the general also distinguished himself on the family front. Few people know, but Margelov was a father of many children: he raised five sons. All of them followed in the footsteps of their parents and devoted their lives to the Russian army.

Gennady

As you know, at the end of the 1920s, Vasily Filippovich Margelov was drafted into the Red Army. The recruit was sent to study at the United Belarusian Military School. It was then that Margelov first acquired the status of a married man. In the early autumn of 1931, the young couple had a son. The boy was named Gennady. However, the happiness did not last long. Maria Margelova couldn't stand it nomadic life, which, due to his profession, was led by her husband. The child remained in the care of his grandparents, Vasily Filippovich’s parents.

Nevertheless, the father apparently had a huge influence on his son, because, while still a 13-year-old teenager, Gennady Vasilyevich fled to the front. Margelov Sr. did not drive his son away: for some time Gennady fought in the division commanded by his parent. Later, according to Oleg Smyslov, author of the book “General Margelov,” Gennady Margelov graduated from the Suvorov Military School. He subsequently received the rank of major general. His last place of service was the Leningrad Military Physical Education Institute named after Lesgaft.

Anatoly and Vitaly

Vasily Margelov met his second wife, Feodosia Efremovna Selitskaya, in Belarus. In this marriage, “paratrooper No. 1” had sons Anatoly and Vitaly. Despite the presence of children, this union did not turn out to be very durable. The divorce of their parents did not affect the professional orientation of Anatoly and Vitaly in any way: they both decided to follow in their father’s footsteps. Vitaly, according to Eric Ford, author of the publication “Behind the Scenes of the FSB,” rose to the rank of colonel general. He devoted most of his life to foreign intelligence and even served as deputy head of the SVR.

But Anatoly Margelov, as his brother Alexander Margelov writes in his book “Paratrooper No. 1. Army General Margelov,” graduated from a radio engineering university in Taganrog. Since 1959, Anatoly Margelov has been creating new types of weapons. He has more than 200 different inventions to his credit. Thanks to such efficiency and, of course, talent, Anatoly Vasilyevich became a Doctor of Technical Sciences at just over 30 years old. Almost until the end of his days he worked at the Taganrog Research Institute of Communications.

Vasily and Alexander

Vasily Margelov met his third wife at the end of 1941. At that time, the battles near Leningrad were just going on. Anna Aleksandrovna Kurakina also took part in the Great Patriotic War and at one time operated on a wounded military leader. Margelov and Kurakina became legal husband and wife only in 1947, and the twins Vasily and Alexander were born 2 years earlier. Margelov's younger sons were influenced not only by the general himself, but also by their older brothers. Vasily and Alexander developed excellent relationships with Gennady, Anatoly and Vitaly. Therefore, it is not surprising that their destinies were also connected with the army.

According to Oleg Krivopalov, author of the book “Notes Soviet officer: at the turn of epochs", Alexander Vasilievich Margelov graduated from the rocket faculty of the capital aviation institute, and then the airborne school and the armored academy. He rose to the rank of colonel and even became a Hero of the Russian Federation. After his resignation, Alexander Margelov worked as an expert at Rosvooruzhenie. And Vasily Vasilyevich Margelov retired with the rank of major. But in last years During his life, he worked as deputy director of the Directorate of International Relations of the Voice of Russia broadcasting company.

In September 1928, he was drafted into the Red Army and, with a Komsomol voucher, was sent to study as a red commander at the United Belarusian Military School (UBVSH) named after the Central Executive Committee of the BSSR in Minsk.

In April 1931 he graduated with honors from Minsk military school. Appointed commander of a machine gun platoon of the regimental school of the 99th Infantry Regiment of the 33rd Infantry Division (Mogilev, Belarus).

In 1933, he was appointed to the position of platoon commander at the Minsk Military Infantry School. M.I.Kalinina.

In February 1934, Vasily Margelov was appointed assistant company commander, and in May 1936 - commander of a machine gun company.

Since October 25, 1938, Captain Margelov commanded the 2nd battalion of the 23rd Infantry Regiment of the 8th Infantry Division named after. Dzerzhinsky Belarusian Special Military District. He headed the reconnaissance of the 8th Infantry Division, being the head of the 2nd department of the division headquarters.

During the Soviet-Finnish War (1939-1940), Margelov commanded the Separate Reconnaissance Ski Battalion of the 596th Infantry Regiment of the 122nd Division. During one of the operations, he captured officers of the Swedish General Staff.

After the end of the Soviet-Finnish War, Margelov was appointed to the position of assistant commander of the 596th regiment for combat units.

Since October 1940, Vasily Margelov has been the commander of the 15th Separate Disciplinary Battalion (ODB).

Soviet military leader, commander of the Airborne Forces, army general, candidate of military sciences

short biography

Vasily Filippovich Margelov(Ukrainian Vasil Pilipovich Margelov, Belarus. Vasil Pilipovich Margelov, December 27, 1908, Ekaterinoslav, Russian empire- March 4, 1990, Moscow, RSFSR, USSR) - Soviet military leader, commander of the Airborne Forces in 1954-1959 and 1961-1979, Army General (1967), Hero of the Soviet Union (1944), laureate of the USSR State Prize (1975) , Candidate of Military Sciences (1968).

Youth years

V. F. Markelov (later Margelov) was born on December 27, 1908 in the city of Yekaterinoslav (now Dnieper, Ukraine), into a family of immigrants from Belarus. Father - Philip Ivanovich Markelov, metallurgist (surname Mar To elov from Vasily Filippovich was subsequently written down as Mar G ate due to an error in the party card).

In 1913, the Markelov family returned to the homeland of Philip Ivanovich - to the town of Kostyukovichi, Klimovichi district, Mogilev province. V.F. Margelov’s mother, Agafya Stepanovna, was from the neighboring Bobruisk district of Minsk province. According to some information, V.F. Margelov graduated from a parochial school in 1921. As a teenager he worked as a loader and carpenter. In the same year, he entered the leather workshop as an apprentice and soon became an assistant master. In 1923, he became a laborer at the local Khleboproduct. There is information that he graduated from a rural youth school and worked as a forwarder delivering mail on the Kostyukovichi - Khotimsk line.

Since 1924 he worked in Yekaterinoslav at the mine named after. M.I. Kalinin as a laborer, then a horse driver (driver of horses pulling trolleys).

In 1925, he was sent again to the BSSR, as a forester at a timber industry enterprise. He worked in Kostyukovichi, in 1927 he became the chairman of the working committee of the timber industry enterprise, and was elected to the local Council.

Start of service

In 1928 he was drafted into the Red Army. Sent to study at the United Belarusian Military School (UBVSH) named after. Central Election Commission of the BSSR in Minsk, enrolled in a group of snipers. From the 2nd year - foreman of a machine gun company. Member of the CPSU(b) since 1929.

In April 1931, he graduated with honors from the Order of the Red Banner of Labor from the United Belarusian Military School named after. Central Executive Committee of the BSSR. Appointed commander of a machine gun platoon of the regimental school of the 99th Infantry Regiment of the 33rd Belarusian Rifle Division (Mogilev).

Since 1933 - platoon commander in the Order of the Red Banner of Labor of the General Military School named after. Central Executive Committee of the BSSR (from 11/6/1933 - named after M.I. Kalinin, from 1937 - Order of the Red Banner of Labor Minsk Military Infantry School named after M.I. Kalinin). In February 1934 he was appointed assistant company commander, in May 1936 - commander of a machine gun company.

From October 25, 1938, he commanded the 2nd battalion of the 23rd rifle regiment of the 8th Minsk rifle division named after. Dzerzhinsky Belarusian Special Military District. He headed the reconnaissance of the 8th Infantry Division, being the head of the 2nd department of the division headquarters. In this position he participated in the Polish campaign of the Red Army in 1939.

During the wars

In the years Soviet-Finnish war(1939-1940) commanded the Separate reconnaissance ski battalion of the 596th Infantry Regiment of the 122nd Division (initially stationed in Brest, in November 1939 sent to Karelia). During one of the operations he captured officers of the Swedish General Staff.

After the end of the Soviet-Finnish War, he was appointed to the position of assistant commander of the 596th regiment for combat units. Since October 1940 - commander of the 15th separate disciplinary battalion of the Leningrad Military District (15 Odisb, Novgorod region). At the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, in July 1941, he was appointed commander of the 3rd Infantry Regiment of the 1st People's Militia Division of the Leningrad Front (the basis of the regiment were soldiers of the former 15 Odisb).

November 21, 1941 - appointed commander of the 1st Special Ski Regiment of Red Banner Baltic Fleet sailors. Contrary to talk that Margelov “wouldn’t take root,” the Marines accepted the commander, which was especially emphasized by addressing him by the naval equivalent of the rank of “major” - “Comrade Captain 3rd Rank.” The prowess of the “brothers” sank into Margelov’s heart. Subsequently, becoming the commander of the Airborne Forces, as a sign that the paratroopers had adopted the glorious traditions of their older brother - Marine Corps and they continued with honor, Margelov ensured that the paratroopers received the right to wear vests, but in order to emphasize their belonging to the sky, the paratroopers’ ones were blue.

Since July 1942 - commander of the 13th Guards Rifle Regiment, chief of staff and deputy commander of the 3rd Guards Rifle Division. After division commander K. A. Tsalikov was wounded, command passed to Chief of Staff Vasily Margelov for the duration of his treatment. Under the leadership of Margelov, on July 17, 1943, soldiers of the 3rd guards division broke through 2 lines of Nazi defense on the Mius Front, captured the village of Stepanovka and provided a springboard for the assault on Saur-Mogila.

Since 1944 - commander of the 49th Guards Rifle Division of the 28th Army of the 3rd Ukrainian Front. He led the division's actions during the crossing of the Dnieper and the liberation of Kherson, for which in March 1944 he was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. Under his command, the 49th Guards Rifle Division took part in the liberation of South-Eastern Europe.

During the war, Commander Margelov was mentioned ten times in the gratitude orders of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief.

At the Victory Parade in Moscow, Guard Major General Margelov commanded a battalion in the combined regiment of the 2nd Ukrainian Front.

In the airborne troops

V. F. Margelov

After the war in command positions. Since 1948, after graduating from the Order of Suvorov, 1st degree, from the Higher Military Academy named after K. E. Voroshilov, he was commander of the 76th Guards Chernigov Red Banner Airborne Division.

In 1950-1954 - commander of the 37th Guards Airborne Svir Red Banner Corps (Far East).

From 1954 to 1959 - Commander of the Airborne Forces. In March 1959, after an emergency in the artillery regiment of the 76th Airborne Division (gang rape of civilian women), he was demoted to 1st Deputy Commander of the Airborne Forces. From July 1961 to January 1979 - again commander of the Airborne Forces.

On October 28, 1967 he was awarded military rank"army General". He led the actions of the Airborne Forces during the entry of troops into Czechoslovakia (Operation Danube).

Since January 1979 - in the group of inspectors general of the USSR Ministry of Defense. He went on business trips to the Airborne Forces and was the chairman of the State Examination Commission at the Ryazan Airborne School.

During his service in the Airborne Forces he made more than sixty jumps. The last of them is at the age of 65.

Lived and worked in Moscow.

Contribution to the formation and development of the Airborne Forces

General Pavel Fedoseevich Pavlenko:

In the history of the Airborne Forces, and in the Armed Forces of Russia and other countries of the former Soviet Union, his name will remain forever. He personified an entire era in the development and formation of the Airborne Forces; their authority and popularity are associated with his name not only in our country, but also abroad...
…IN. F. Margelov realized that in modern operations only highly mobile landing forces capable of wide maneuver can operate successfully deep behind enemy lines. He categorically rejected the idea of holding the area captured by the landing forces until the approach of troops advancing from the front using the method of rigid defense as disastrous, because in this case the landing force would be quickly destroyed.

Colonel Nikolai Fedorovich Ivanov:

Under the leadership of Margelov for more than twenty years, the airborne troops became one of the most mobile in the combat structure of the Armed Forces, prestigious for service in them, especially revered by the people... Photo of Vasily Filippovich in demobilization albums went to the soldiers at the highest price - for a set of badges. The competition for the Ryazan Airborne School exceeded the numbers of VGIK and GITIS, and applicants who missed out on exams lived in the forests near Ryazan for two or three months, until the snow and frosts, in the hope that someone would not withstand the load and it would be possible to take his place . The spirit of the troops was so high that the rest of the Soviet army was classified as “solars” and “screws”.
N. F. Ivanov “Start Operation Storm earlier...”

After watching the film “Such is Sports Life” in 1964, Margelov ordered the introduction of rugby into the paratroopers’ training program.

Margelov’s contribution to the formation of the Airborne Forces in their current form was reflected in the comic decoding of the abbreviation Airborne Forces- "Uncle Vasya's troops."

Theory of combat use

In military theory, it was believed that after the immediate use of nuclear strikes and to maintain the high tempo of the offensive, widespread use of airborne assaults was necessary. Under these conditions, the Airborne Forces had to fully comply with the military-strategic goals of the war and meet the military-political goals of the state.

According to Commander Margelov:

“To fulfill our role in modern operations, it is necessary that our formations and units be highly maneuverable, covered with armor, have sufficient fire efficiency, be well controlled, capable of landing at any time of the day and quickly proceed to active combat operations after landing. This, by and large, is the ideal to which we should strive.”

To achieve these goals, under the leadership of Margelov, a concept of the role and place of the Airborne Forces in modern strategic operations in various theaters of military operations was developed. Margelov wrote a number of works on this topic, and on December 4, 1968, he successfully defended his candidate’s dissertation (he was awarded the title of Candidate of Military Sciences by decision of the Council Military Order Lenin Red Banner Order of Suvorov Academy. M.V. Frunze). In practical terms, Airborne Forces exercises and command meetings were regularly held.

Armament

It was necessary to overcome the gap between the theory of the combat use of airborne forces and the existing organizational structure troops, as well as the capabilities of military transport aviation. Having assumed the post of Commander, Margelov received troops consisting mainly of infantry with light weapons and military transport aviation (as an integral part of the Airborne Forces), which was equipped with Li-2, Il-14, Tu-2 and Tu-2 aircraft. 4 with significantly limited landing capabilities. In fact, the Airborne Forces were not capable of solving major problems in military operations.

Margelov initiated the creation and serial production at the enterprises of the military-industrial complex of landing equipment, heavy parachute platforms, parachute systems and containers for landing cargo, cargo and human parachutes, parachute devices. “You cannot order equipment, so strive to create in the design bureau, industry, during testing, reliable parachutes, trouble-free operation of heavy airborne equipment,” Margelov said when setting tasks for his subordinates.

Modifications of small arms were created for paratroopers to make them easier to parachute - lighter weight, folding stock.

Especially for the needs of the Airborne Forces in post-war years new military equipment was developed and modernized: airborne self-propelled artillery unit ASU-76 (1949), light ASU-57 (1951), amphibious ASU-57P (1954), self-propelled unit ASU-85, tracked fighting machine Airborne troops BMD-1 (1969). After the first batches of BMD-1 arrived at the troops, attempts to land the BMP-1, which were unsuccessful, were stopped. A family of weapons was also developed on its basis: Nona self-propelled artillery guns, artillery fire control vehicles, R-142 command and staff vehicles, R-141 long-range radio stations, anti-tank systems, and a reconnaissance vehicle. Anti-aircraft units and subunits were also equipped with armored personnel carriers, which housed crews with portable systems and ammunition.

By the end of the 1950s, new An-8 and An-12 aircraft were adopted and entered service with the troops, which had a payload capacity of up to 10-12 tons and a sufficient flight range, which made it possible to land large groups of personnel with standard military equipment and weapons. Later, through the efforts of Margelov, the Airborne Forces received new military transport aircraft - An-22 and Il-76.

At the end of the 1950s, the PP-127 parachute platforms appeared in service with the troops, designed for parachute landing of artillery, vehicles, radio stations, engineering equipment and others. Parachute-jet landing aids were created, which, due to the jet thrust created by the engine, made it possible to bring the cargo landing speed closer to zero. Such systems made it possible to significantly reduce the cost of landing by eliminating a large number of large-area domes.

On January 5, 1973, at the Slobodka airborne parachute track (view on Yandex. Maps) near Tula, for the first time in world practice in the USSR, a parachute-platform landing was carried out in the Centaur complex from an An-12B military transport aircraft of a tracked armored combat vehicle BMD-1 with two crew members on board. The crew commander was Lieutenant Colonel Leonid Gavrilovich Zuev, and the operator-gunner was Senior Lieutenant Margelov Alexander Vasilyevich.

On January 23, 1976, also for the first time in world practice, a BMD-1 was parachuted from the same type of aircraft and made a soft landing on a parachute-rocket system in the Reactavr complex, also with two crew members on board - Major Alexander Vasilyevich Margelov and Lieutenant Colonel Leonid Shcherbakov Ivanovich. The landing was carried out at great risk to life, without personal means of rescue. It is known that Vasily Filippovich, during the landing of his son, was at the command post with a loaded pistol at the ready, so that in case of failure he would shoot himself. During this time he smoked more than one pack of cigarettes. Twenty years later, for the feat of the seventies, both were awarded the title of Hero of Russia.

Family

Father - Philip Ivanovich Margelov (Markelov) - a metallurgist, became a holder of two St. George's Crosses in the First World War.
Mother - Agafya Stepanovna, was from Bobruisk district.
Two brothers - Ivan (eldest), Nikolai (younger) and sister Maria.

V. F. Margelov was married three times:

The first wife, Maria, left her husband and son (Gennady).
The second wife is Feodosia Efremovna Selitskaya (mother of Anatoly and Vitaly).
The last wife is Anna Aleksandrovna Kurakina, a doctor. He met Anna Alexandrovna during the Great Patriotic War. It served as the prototype for the monument to a front-line nurse, installed in 2017 in the Pechatniki district (Moscow).

Five sons:

Gennady Vasilyevich (1931-2016) - Major General.
Anatoly Vasilyevich (1938-2008) - Doctor of Technical Sciences, professor, co-author of more than 100 inventions in the military-industrial complex.
Vitaly Vasilyevich (born 1941) - professional intelligence officer, employee of the KGB of the USSR and the SVR of Russia, later - a social and political figure; Colonel General, State Duma deputy.
Vasily Vasilyevich (1945-2010) - retired major; First Deputy Director of the Directorate of International Relations of the Russian State Broadcasting Company "Voice of Russia" (RGRK "Voice of Russia").
Alexander Vasilievich (1945-2016) - Airborne Forces officer, retired colonel. On August 29, 1996, “for the courage and heroism shown during testing, fine-tuning and development of special equipment” (landing inside the BMD-1 using a parachute-rocket system in the Reactavr complex, carried out for the first time in world practice in 1976) he was awarded the title of Hero of the Russian Federation. After retiring, he worked in the structures of Rosoboronexport.

Vasily Vasilievich and Alexander Vasilievich are twin brothers. In 2003, they co-authored a book about their father - “Paratrooper No. 1, Army General Margelov.”

Awards and titles

USSR awards

Medal "Gold Star" No. 3414 of the Hero of the Soviet Union (03/19/1944);
four Orders of Lenin (03/21/1944, 11/3/1953, 12/26/1968, 12/26/1978);
Order of the October Revolution (05/04/1972);
two Orders of the Red Banner (02/3/1943, 06/20/1949);
Order of Suvorov, 2nd degree (04/28/1944) was originally presented to the Order of Lenin;
two Orders of the Patriotic War, 1st degree (01/25/1943, 03/11/1985);
Order of the Red Star (11/3/1944);
two Orders “For Service to the Motherland in the Armed Forces of the USSR” 2nd (12/14/1988) and 3rd degree (04/30/1975);
medals:
- sign "50 years in the CPSU"

Orders (gratitude) of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief in which V. F. Margelov was noted.

For crossing the Dnieper River in the lower reaches, and capturing the city of Kherson - a large junction of railway and water communications and an important stronghold of the German defense at the mouth of the Dnieper River. March 13, 1944. No. 83.
For taking by storm the large regional and industrial center of Ukraine, the city of Nikolaev - an important railway junction, one of the largest ports on the Black Sea and a strong stronghold of the German defense at the mouth of the Southern Bug. March 28, 1944. No. 96.
For the assault on the territory of Hungary on the city and large railway junction of Szolnok - an important stronghold of the enemy’s defense on the Tisza River. November 4, 1944. No. 209.
For breaking through the heavily fortified enemy defenses southwest of Budapest, the cities of Székesfehérvár and Biczke - large communications hubs and important strongholds of the enemy's defense - were captured by storm. December 24, 1944. No. 218.
For the complete capture of the capital of Hungary, the city of Budapest - a strategically important center of German defense on the routes to Vienna. February 13, 1945. No. 277.
For breaking through the heavily fortified German defenses in the Värteshegyszeg mountains, west of Budapest, the defeat of a group of German troops in the Esztergom region, as well as the capture of the cities of Esztergom, Nesmey, Felshe-Halla, Tata. March 25, 1945. No. 308.
For the capture of the city and the important road junction of Magyarovar and the city and railway station of Kremnica - a strong stronghold of the German defense on the southern slopes of the Velkafatra ridge. April 3, 1945. No. 329.
For the capture of the cities and important railway junctions of Malacky and Bruk, as well as the cities of Previdza and Banovce - strong strongholds of German defense in the Carpathian belt. April 5, 1945. No. 331.
For the encirclement and defeat of a group of German troops trying to retreat from Vienna to the north, and at the same time capturing the cities of Korneyburg and Floridsdorf - powerful strongholds of German defense on the left bank of the Danube. April 15, 1945. No. 337.
For the capture of the cities of Jaroměřice and Znojmo in Czechoslovakia and the cities of Gollabrunn and Stockerau in Austria - important communications hubs and strong strongholds of German defense. May 8, 1945. No. 367.

Awards from foreign countries

Order of the People's Republic of Bulgaria, 2nd class (Decree No. 1136 - 20.9.1969)
Medal “90 years since the birth of Georgiy Dimitrov” (Decree No. 364 - 02/22/1974)
Medal “100 years of liberation of Bulgaria from the Ottoman yoke” (Decree No. 014927, No. 2026-1978)
Medal “100 years since the birth of Georgiy Dimitrov” (Decree No. 450-1982)
Medal “40 Years of Victory over Nazi Fascism” (Decree No. 122 - 09.29.1985)
star and badge of the Order of Merit of the Hungarian People's Republic, 3rd degree (04/04/1950)
medal "Brotherhood in Arms" gold degree (09/29/1985)
Order "Star of Friendship of Peoples" in silver (02/23/1978)
Medal "Arthur Becker" in gold (05/23/1980)
Medal of “Sino-Soviet Friendship” (02/23/1955)
Medal “20 years of the Revolutionary Military Forces of Cuba” (Decree No. 16670 - 02/22/1978)
Medal “30 years of the Revolutionary Military Forces of Cuba” (12/08/1986)
Order of the Red Banner of Battle (06/07/1971)
Medal “30 years of victory at Khalkhin Gol” (Decree No. 1176 - 08/15/1968)
Medal “40 years of victory at Khalkhin Gol” (Decree No. 361 - 11/26/1979)
Medal “50 years of the MPR” (Decree No. 262, subdivision Zh. Sambu - 12/16/1971)
Medal “60 years of the MPR” (p/n Yu. Tsedenbal - 12/29/1982)
Medal "50 years of UAHB" (local KGB)
Medal “50 years of the Armed Forces of the Mongolian People’s Republic” (Decree No. 82, settlement Zh. Sambu - 03/15/1974
Medal “30 Years of Victory over Japan” (Decree No. 3, ordered by Yu. Tsedenbal - 08/10/1975)
medal “For the Odra, Nisa and the Baltic” (05/07/1985)
medal "Brotherhood in Arms" (10/12/1988)
Officer of the Order of the Renaissance of Poland (11/6/1973)
Order of Tudor Vladimirescu 2nd (10/1/1974) and 3rd (10/24/1969) degrees
Medal “25 Years of the Liberation of Romania” (Decree No. 739 - 11/03/1969)
Medal “30 Years of the Liberation of Romania” (Decree No. 216 - 06/21/1974)
Order of the Legion of Honor, officer degree (05/10/1945)
Medal "Bronze Star" (05/10/1945)
Order of Klement Gottwald (5.5.1975)
Medal "For Strengthening Friendship in Arms" 1st class (1970)
Medal "50 years of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia"
Medal "30 Years of the Liberation of Czechoslovakia" Soviet army"(1975)

Honorary titles

Hero of the Soviet Union (1944).
Laureate of the USSR State Prize (1975).
Honorary citizen of the city of Kherson.
Honorary soldier of a military unit.

Proceedings

Margelov V.F. Airborne troops. - M.: Knowledge, 1977. - 64 p.
Margelov V.F. Soviet Airborne. - 2nd ed. - M.: Military Publishing House, 1986. - 64 p.

Memory

In 2014, the office-museum of Vasily Margelov was opened in the main building of the headquarters of the Airborne Forces.
By order of the USSR Minister of Defense dated April 20, 1985, V. F. Margelov was enrolled as an Honorary Soldier in the lists of the 76th Pskov Airborne Division.
By Order of the Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation No. 182 of May 6, 2005, the departmental medal of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation “Army General Margelov” was established. In the same year, on a house in Moscow, in Sivtsev Vrazhek Lane, where Margelov lived the last 20 years of his life, Memorial plaque.
Every year on V. F. Margelov’s birthday, December 27, in all cities of Russia, servicemen of the Airborne Forces pay tribute to the memory of Vasily Margelov.

Monuments

Bust of V. F. Margelov in Taganrog

Monuments to V. F. Margelov were erected:

In Belarus: Kostyukovichi
In Moldova: Chisinau
In Russia: Alatyr (bust), Angarsk (bust), Bronnitsy (bust), Gorno-Altaisk, Yekaterinburg, Ivanovo, Kamyshin (bust on the territory of the 56th Separate Guards Air Assault Brigade), Istomino village, Balakhninsky district, Nizhny Novgorod region, Krasnodar (school No. 6 named after Margelov), Krasnoperekopsk, Omsk (three monuments: in the village of Svetly and on the territory of the Omsk Cadet Corps), Petrozavodsk, Ryazan (two monuments; one of them is located on the territory of the Airborne Forces School, the other in the park in the immediate vicinity proximity to the checkpoint of this school) and Seltsy ( The educational center Airborne Forces School near Ryazan), Rybinsk Yaroslavl region(bust), St. Petersburg (in the park named after V.F. Margelov), Simferopol, Slavyansk-on-Kuban, Surgut, Tula, Tyumen, Ulyanovsk, Lipetsk, Kholm (Novgorod region), Kungur (monument on the territory of MAOU "Secondary School" No. 12 named after V.F. Margelov"). Moscow. Margelova Street (monument)
Ukraine: Donetsk, Dnepropetrovsk, Zhitomir (at the location of the 95th brigade), Krivoy Rog, Lvov (at the location of the 80th brigade), Sumy, Kherson, Mariupol.

Chronology of discovery

On February 21, 2010, a bust of Vasily Margelov was erected in Kherson. The bust of the general is located in the city center near the Youth Palace on Perekopskaya Street.
On June 5, 2010, a monument to the founder of the Airborne Forces (Airborne Forces) was unveiled in Chisinau, the capital of Moldova. The monument was built with funds from former paratroopers living in Moldova.
On September 11, 2013, a reinforced concrete monument to the hero of the USSR was installed at school No. 6. The school is named after V.F. Margelov, and there is also an Airborne Forces Museum there.
On November 4, 2013, a memorial monument to Margelov was opened in Victory Park in Nizhny Novgorod.
Monument to Vasily Filippovich, the sketch of which was made from a famous photograph from a divisional newspaper, in which he, being appointed division commander of the 76th Guards. Airborne Division, preparing for the first jump, is installed in front of the headquarters of the 95th separate airmobile brigade (Ukraine).
On October 8, 2014, a memorial complex dedicated to the founder was opened in Bendery (Transnistria) airborne troops USSR, Hero of the Soviet Union, Army General Vasily Margelov. The complex is located on the territory of the park near the city House of Culture.
On May 7, 2014, a monument to Vasily Margelov was unveiled on the territory of the Memorial of Memory and Glory in Nazran (Ingushetia, Russia).
On June 8, 2014, as part of the celebration of the 230th anniversary of the founding of Simferopol, the Walk of Fame and a bust of Hero of the Soviet Union, Army General, Commander of the Airborne Forces Vasily Margelov were inaugurated.
On December 27, 2014, on the birthday of Vasily Fillipovich in Saratov, a memorial bust of V. F. Margelov was erected on the Alley of Cossack Glory of the Municipal Educational Institution “Secondary School No. 43”.
On April 25, 2015, in Taganrog in the city center, in the historical park “At the Barrier,” a bust of Vasily Margelov was inaugurated.
April 23, 2015 in Slavyansk-on-Kuban ( Krasnodar region, Russia) a bust of Airborne Forces General V.F. Margelov was unveiled.
On June 12, 2015, a monument to General Vasily Margelov was unveiled in Yaroslavl at the headquarters of the Yaroslavl regional children's and youth military-patriotic public organization LANDMAN named after Guard Sergeant of the Airborne Forces Leonid Palachev.
On July 18, 2015, a bust of the commander who took part in the liberation of the city during the Second World War was unveiled in Donetsk.
On August 1, 2015, a monument to General Vasily Margelov was unveiled in Yaroslavl on the eve of the 85th anniversary of the Airborne Forces.
On September 12, 2015, a monument to Vasily Margelov was unveiled in the city of Krasnoperekopsk (Crimea).
A monument to V.F. Margelov was erected in Bronnitsy.
On August 2, 2016, a monument to V.F. Margelov was unveiled in the city of Stary Oskol, Belgorod region, busts in Petrozavodsk, Alatyr (Chuvashia), Angarsk and Cheremkhovo; Also on this day, a memorial was opened in the city of Rybinsk, Yaroslavl region.
On November 4, 2016, a bronze monument more than two meters high was erected in the center of Yekaterinburg.
September 26, 2016 in the park on the street. A monument to Army General V.F. Margelov was unveiled in the city of Surgut.
On April 19, 2017, a bust of the Soviet military leader was installed on the Walk of Fame in Vladikavkaz.
June 30, 2017 in the city of Kholm, Novgorod region.
On August 1, 2017, a monument was unveiled on the territory of MAOU “Secondary School No. 12 named after. V. F. Margelov" city of Kungur, Perm region.
On December 27, 2017, a bust was unveiled on the territory of the 56th Separate Guards Air Assault Brigade in Kamyshin.
On August 1, 2018, a monument was unveiled in Moscow at the intersection of Margelov Street and Boris Petrovsky Street.

Naming

The names of V. F. Margelov are:

Ryazan Higher Airborne Command School;
Department of Airborne Forces of the Combined Arms Academy of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation;
Nizhny Novgorod cadet corps them. General of the Army Margelov (NKK);
MBOU "Secondary School No. 27", Simferopol;
MBOU "Secondary School No. 6" Krasnodar;
MAOU "Secondary School No. 12" Kungur.
streets in Moscow, Western Litsa ( Leningrad region), Omsk, Pskov, Taganrog, Tula, Ulan-Ude and the border village of Naushki (Buryatia), an avenue and a park in the Zavolzhsky district of Ulyanovsk, a square in Ryazan, public gardens in St. Petersburg, in Belogorsk ( Amur region). In Moscow, the name “Margelova Street” was assigned to the street “projected passage No. 6367” on September 24, 2013. In honor of the 105th anniversary of the birth of Vasily Filippovich, a memorial plaque was unveiled on the new street.
In Belarus - streets in Minsk and Vitebsk. In Vitebsk, the memory of V.F. Margelov was immortalized on June 25, 2010. In the spring of 2010, the Vitebsk City Executive Committee approved the petition of the Airborne Forces veterans of the Republic of Belarus and the Russian Federation to name the street connecting the street. Chkalova and ave. Pobeda, General Margelov Street. On the eve of City Day on the street. General Margelov was commissioned new house, on which the memorial plaque is installed, the right to open it was given to the sons of Vasily Filippovich.

In art

During the Great Patriotic War, a song was composed in V. Margelov’s division, one verse from it:

The song praises the Falcon
Brave and courageous...
Is it close, is it far
Margelov's regiments were marching.

In 2008, with the support of the Moscow government, director Oleg Shtrom filmed the eight-episode series “Airborne Father,” in which Mikhail Zhigalov played the main role.
The Blue Berets ensemble recorded a song dedicated to V.F. Margelov, appreciating current state Airborne Forces, after his resignation as commander, which is called “Forgive us, Vasily Filippovich!” The second song dedicated to V.F. Margelov is called “And Uncle Vasya’s troops!”
Song of regiment veteran N.F. Orlov:

Other

The Sumy distillery "Gorobina" produces memorial vodka "Margelovskaya". Strength 48%, recipe contains alcohol, pomegranate juice, black pepper.
In honor of the centenary of the birth of the Commander, 2008 was declared the year of V. Margelov in the Airborne Forces.

Categories:

› Vasily Filippovich Margelov

Svyatoslav Knyazev

110 years ago, the legendary military leader - Hero of the Soviet Union Vasily Margelov was born. The commander, who distinguished himself during the Great Patriotic War, subsequently headed the USSR Airborne Forces and developed tactics for using winged infantry. The role of this type of troops, of which Margelov can rightly be called the founding father, increased sharply during the Cold War. Experts note that the recognition of paratroopers by the elite armed forces happened largely thanks to Vasily Margelov. According to historians, the wide popular recognition of the army general is also evidenced by the unofficial decoding of the abbreviation Airborne Forces - “Uncle Vasya’s troops.”

Vasily Margelov with USSR military personnel
mil.ru

Vasily Markelov was born on December 27, 1908 in Yekaterinoslav (nowadays the city of Dnieper in Ukraine), where his family moved from Belarus. His last name was originally written with the letter “k”. However, later, due to a spelling error in Vasily Filippovich’s party card, it acquired its now familiar sound. Margelov's father was a metallurgist. When Vasily was four years old, the family returned to Belarus and settled in the city of Kostyukovichi.

The Commander's Path

According to historians, Vasily Margelov attended a parochial school, and then a school for rural youth. He was a student and assistant foreman in a tannery workshop, worked at the local Khleboprodukt and at the post office. At the age of 15, having moved again to Yekaterinoslav, Vasily got a job as a laborer at the mine named after. M.I. Kalinina. However, he soon returned to Belarus and worked for three years at the timber industry enterprise, where he worked his way up from a forester to the chairman of the working committee.

Margelov found his calling in 1928, when his military service began. He ended up in the United Belarusian Military School named after the Central Executive Committee of the BSSR, a secondary educational institution that trained commanders for infantry, artillery and cavalry. Vasily Margelov first found himself in a group of snipers, but later became the foreman of a machine gun company. At the same time he joined the CPSU(b).

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Having completed his studies in 1931, Vasily Margelov was assigned to a machine gun platoon of the 33rd Belarusian Rifle Division, but soon returned to serve at his alma mater and in 1936 became commander of a machine gun company.

Since 1938, Margelov served in the 8th Minsk Rifle Division named after F.E. Dzerzhinsky, where he was first a battalion commander and then the head of divisional intelligence. As part of the 8th Infantry Division, he participated in the annexation of Western Ukraine and Belarus to the USSR. Then he was transferred to the position of commander of the Separate Reconnaissance Ski Battalion in the 122nd rifle division, as part of which he went to Karelia. Margelov's scouts performed well during the Soviet-Finnish war. In particular, according to information from individual sources, they were able to capture several military personnel from formally neutral Sweden, who were listed as volunteers in Finland.

In 1940, Margelov was appointed first as deputy regiment commander in the 122nd division, and then as commander of the 15th separate disciplinary battalion of the Leningrad Military District.

On the fronts of the Great Patriotic War

After the attack of Nazi Germany on the Soviet Union, Vasily Margelov was promoted, becoming at the age of 32 the commander of a regiment created as part of the 1st division of the people's militia of the Leningrad Front on the basis of the same 15th disbat.

And already in November 1941, the young commander received a new assignment - he headed the 1st Special Ski Regiment of sailors of the Red Banner Baltic Fleet. The unit's 1.2 thousand personnel were recruited from among volunteers. At the end of November 1941, the regiment suffered significant losses on Ladoga, Margelov was seriously wounded. As it turned out later, Nazi officers in their reports called the Margelovites the military elite, and also noted their tenacity and reluctance to surrender. Historians write that in memory of the exploits of the sailors he commanded in 1941, Margelov achieved the right to wear vests for airborne troops.

Vasily Margelov with Soviet soldiers during the Great Patriotic War
Wikimedia commons

In 1942, Margelov, having recovered from his wound, became the commander of the 13th Rifle Regiment, and then the chief of staff of the 3rd Guards Rifle Division. Due to the injury of Divisional Commander Kantemir Tsalikov, leadership of the formation passed to Margelov. In the summer of 1942, the 34-year-old commander led the division in an attack on well-fortified Nazi positions on the Mius Front. Margelov’s subordinates were able to break through two enemy defense lines and liberate the village of Stepanovka from the Nazis, thus forming positions for an assault on one of the key heights of Donbass - Saur-Mogila.

“In December 1943, Vasily Margelov led the 49th Guards Rifle Division, which participated in the crossing of the Dnieper and the liberation of Kherson in March 1944. For the leadership skills and courage shown in these battles, Guard Colonel Margelov was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. At the head of the 49th Division, he liberated the south of Ukraine, Moldova, Romania, Bulgaria, Yugoslavia, Czechoslovakia, Austria and Hungary from the Nazis. In May 1945, his soldiers captured two SS divisions, fanatically loyal to Hitler,” Alexander Mikhailov, a specialist historian at the Victory Museum, said in an interview with RT.

At the Victory Parade in Moscow, Major General Margelov was the battalion commander of the combined regiment of the 2nd Ukrainian Front.

At the head of the Airborne Forces

Back in the 1930s, the Soviet Union was at the forefront of creating parachute units. The ideas of the American command to conduct an airborne assault in Europe during the First World War were never realized. Experimental landing of military personnel individually and in small groups was carried out in the USA, Italy and other countries Latin America, however wide practical application it all never came to fruition.

At the same time, in the USSR, back in 1929, the first landing was carried out with further combat use of Red Army soldiers delivered by air against a Basmachi detachment in Tajikistan. On August 2, 1930, a parachute landing was landed near Voronezh, and in 1935, near Kiev, during mass exercises, 1,188 paratroopers were dropped at once. The Red Army first formed airborne detachments, and then battalions and brigades.

Vasily Margelov with Soviet paratroopers
Wikimedia commons

In the West, there was an ambivalent reaction to the USSR's landing initiatives. In Britain, Soviet military leaders were ironically called “dreamers,” but Germany took into account the experience of the Red Army, beginning the formation of parachute units, which were used very effectively Hitler's command during the early stages of World War II.

In 1941, five airborne corps were deployed in the USSR and the position of commander of the Airborne Forces was introduced, effectively separating them into a separate branch of the military. In the winter and spring of 1942, the paratroopers performed well during the Rzhev-Vyazemsk offensive operation. Several airborne brigades, together with units of the 1st Cavalry Guards Corps, operating behind enemy lines, pinned down seven Nazi divisions.

Mass landings were used during the crossing of the Dnieper, as well as on Far East during the war with Japan. However, with a unified strategy and tactics for the use of new airborne troops Soviet command I couldn't decide for a long time. Airborne units were constantly reorganizing and changing their structure. They turned out to be a separate army, which closes to Headquarters, then the control is subordinate Air Force. In 1946 they were withdrawn from the Air Force and included in Ground troops, subordinating directly to the minister and declaring it a reserve of the Supreme High Command.

In 1948, Margelov joined the Airborne Forces. After graduating from the Higher Military Academy named after K.E. Voroshilov, a hero of the Great Patriotic War, who had extensive experience in operations behind enemy lines, headed the 76th Guards Airborne Division (today it is known under the unofficial name “Pskov”). Two years later, he became the commander of the 37th Guards Airborne Svir Red Banner Corps, and in 1954 he took command of all the USSR Airborne Forces.

Vasily Margelov headed the USSR Airborne Forces for a record 23 years - until 1979 (with the exception of a two-year break in 1959-1961, when he served as first deputy commander). In 1967, he was awarded the military rank of army general.

Margelov's paratroopers performed special complex tasks in Hungary in 1956 and in Czechoslovakia in 1968.

According to experts, Margelov did a tremendous amount of work in the Airborne Forces.

“The commander focused on increasing the mobility and controllability of units. He established cooperation with representatives of the military-industrial complex and thanks to this achieved the development of a special aviation technology, airborne combat vehicles, new types of parachute and special rifle systems,” Mikhailov noted in an interview with RT.

Sons of Vasily Margelov
Wikimedia commons

In 1973, near Tula, for the first time in history, a BMD-1 with military personnel on board landed from an AN-12 aircraft on parachute-platform vehicles at the Centaur complex. The crew operator was a gunner. Vasily Filippovich, according to eyewitnesses, arrived at the command center and was ready to answer with his own head if something went wrong. But everything went according to plan. Already in 1976, Alexander Margelov took part in the first test of the new Reaktavr complex, which allowed the vehicle to make a soft landing.

According to experts, the landing of combat vehicles with crews made it possible to introduce airborne units into battle in just 22 minutes. In the conditions of the Cold War, when paratroopers could be tasked with destroying enemy nuclear weapons launchers, such efficiency was extremely important. Taking into account the fact that the Soviet airborne troops became the most massive in the world, their mobility created ample opportunities for maneuver against any potential enemy.

"Uncle Vasya's Troops"

Under Margelov, the Airborne Forces were introduced new form, distinguishing paratroopers from all other branches of the military: sky-blue vests and berets - first crimson, and then blue.

At the age of 65, the commander jumped with a parachute for the last time - in total there were more than 60 such jumps in his life. At the age of 70, Vasily Margelov became one of the general inspectors of the USSR Ministry of Defense. In addition, he headed the state examination commission at the Ryazan Airborne School.

Vasily Margelov passed away in 1990. The five sons of the legendary general linked their fate with the army - service in the Airborne Forces and intelligence, as well as work at defense enterprises.

One of the monuments to Vasily Margelov
RIA News
Lyubov Chilikova

Installed in different cities former USSR. The streets are named after him educational establishments, the most famous of which is the Ryazan Higher Airborne Command School.

“Vasily Margelov is a unique personality. It was necessary to have real talent to make the Airborne Forces in demand not only from a military, but also from a social point of view. And he succeeded: the airborne troops became extremely popular among the people, young people dreamed of serving in them.

At the same time, everyone understood perfectly well, thanks to whom the paratroopers acquired such a reputation - it was not for nothing that the abbreviation Airborne Forces was unofficially deciphered as “Uncle Vasya’s troops.” He took care of his soldiers and enjoyed immense respect from them,” said Andrei Koshkin, an academician of the Academy of Military Sciences and reserve colonel, in a conversation with RT.

In his opinion, Vasily Margelov is still an inspiring example for all Russian paratroopers.

“He is honored both in Russia and in other former Soviet republics, where troops created on the basis of the Soviet Airborne Forces remain. . There they try not to remember him again - on the one hand, it is inconvenient to disown such a fellow countryman, and on the other, Margelov is a person who symbolizes the brotherhood of the Russian, Ukrainian, Belarusian and other Soviet peoples,” Koshkin emphasized.

According to the editor-in-chief of the National Defense magazine Igor Korotchenko, the activities of Vasily Margelov became one of the foundations of Russia’s modern military power.

“The formation and development of the Airborne Forces is associated with the name of Margelov; he actually developed the tactics of the airborne troops, which are still used today. Having written entire sections on military affairs, he became a classic of military art. Margelov is a legend,” concluded Korotchenko.