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Marshal of the Soviet Union Kirill Afanasyevich Meretskov was born
A military leader, Hero of the Soviet Union (1940), Marshal of the Soviet Union (1944) Kirill Afanasyevich Meretskov was born on May 26 (June 7), 1897, in the Nazaryevo Village of the Zaraysk District of the Moscow Oblast.
From 1918 until the end of his life, Kirill Afanasyevich served in the army. During the Civil War, he was political officer of the detachment, assistant chief of staff of the brigade and division. In 1921 he graduated from the Military Academy of the Red Army, in 1928 - from the courses of improvement of the higher commanders. In 1936-1937 he participated in military engagements in Spain.
During the Soviet-Finnish War (1939-1940) he commanded the 7th Army of the North-Western Front, which broke through the Mannerheim Line in the Vyborg direction. For the breaking the Mannerheim Line, the skillful leadership of the army, his individual courage and bravery on March 21, 1940, Kirill Afanasyevich was awarded the title of "Hero of the Soviet Union".
From August 1940 Meretskov served as chief of the General Staff, from January 1941 - People's Commissar of Defense of the USSR.
In June 1941 he was arrested, but was soon released and appointed a representative of the Headquarters of Supreme Command on the Northwestern and Karelian fronts.
Deep military knowledge and outstanding organizational skills of Kirill Afanasyevich with special force were manifested in the tough times of the Great Patriotic War. As commander of the troops of the Volkhov and Karelian fronts, he successfully led combat operations to break through the Siege of Leningrad, the liberation of Karelia and the Arctic.
In 1945, during the military operations against Japan, Meretskov commanded the forces of the First Far Eastern Front, which played an important role in defeating the Kwantung Army and liberating the regions of Northeast China and North Korea.
After the Great Patriotic War, Meretskov commanded the troops of several military districts, including the Northern Military District, whose headquarters were in the city of Petrozavodsk (1949-1954).
Since 1955, Kirill Afanasyevich was an assistant to the USSR Defense Minister for higher education, since 1964 he worked in the group of inspectors general of the Ministry of Defense of the USSR. He was elected deputy of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR and the Karelian ASSR.
In recognition of his services to the native land, Kirill Afanasyevich Meretskov was awarded Order of Victory, Order of the October Revolution, Order of Lenin (seven times), Order of the Red Banner (four times), Order of Suvorov I (twice), Order of Kutuzov I.
Kirill Afanasyevich Meretskov died on December 30, 1968, in Moscow, he is buried in Red Square near the Kremlin wall.
Lit.: Egorov P. Y. Marshal Meretskov. Moscow, 1974; Marshal Meretskov: to the 100th anniversary of his birth / Russian Committee for Veterans of War. Moscow, 2000; Meretskov K. A. In the service to the people. Moscow, 1984; Meretskov K. A. Along the roads of battles / / Unforgettable: memories of the Great Patriotic War. Petrozavodsk, 1974. p. 121-133; Meretskov K. A. My youth / Marshal of the Soviet Union K. Meretskov; [Literary adaptation by A. Shevelenko]. Moscow, 1975.
Based on the Presidential Library’s materials:
The material is courtesy of the National Library of the Republic of Karelia