Gift set of photos to Marshal A.A. Grechko in memory of his stay in the Volga Military District

The lot includes a folder with a gift inscription stamped in gold, inside of which 8 large-format photos on a solid base are enclosed in a special pocket. The size of each image is 230*143 mm. The inside of the folder has traces of moisture. Guarantee of authenticity.

Andrei Antonovich Grechko (October 4 [17], 1903 — April 26, 1976) was a Soviet military commander, statesman and party leader, Marshal of the Soviet Union. Twice Hero of the Soviet Union (1958, 1973), Hero of the Czechoslovak Republic (1969). Minister of Defense of the USSR (1967-1976). Born on October 4 (17), 1903 in the settlement of Golodayevka (now the village of Kuibyshevo, Kuibyshevsky district, Rostov region) in a peasant family. He served in the Red Army since 1919. He graduated from the Cavalry School (1926), the Frunze Military Academy (1936) and Military Academy of the General Staff (1941). A participant in the Civil War, a private soldier. After graduating from cavalry school, he commanded a platoon and a squadron. From October 1938— he was Chief of Staff of the BOVO Special Cavalry Division, and participated in the campaign against Western Belarus in September 1939.

In the early days of the Great Patriotic War, Lieutenant Colonel Grechko served in the General Staff. From July 1941, he commanded the 34th Cavalry Division, which joined the battle with the Nazi invaders south of Kiev in the 1st half of August and fought as part of the 26th Army, 38th Army, and then the 6th Army in Left-Bank Ukraine until January 1942. Since January 1942— he was the commander of the 5th Cavalry Corps, which took part in the Barvenkovo-Lozovskaya offensive operation. Since March 1942, he headed the operational group of troops, which operated in the Donbas as part of the Southern Front.

From April 1942— he was commander of the 12th Army, which defended the Voroshilovgrad direction, from September commander of the 47th Army, and from October commander of the 18th Army, which fought in the Tuapse direction.

Since January 1943, he has been commander of the 56th Army, which during fierce battles broke through the heavily fortified enemy defenses and reached the outskirts of Krasnodar, and in February—April, as part of the North Caucasian Front, participated in Krasnodar offensive operation. In September 1943, the troops of the 56th Army, in cooperation with the 9th Army and the 18th Army, liberated the Taman Peninsula during the Novorossiysk-Taman offensive operation.

Since October 1943, A. A. Grechko has been Deputy Commander of the Voronezh (since October 20 — 1st Ukrainian) Front.

Since December 1943— he was the commander of the 1st Guards Army, which participated in the Zhytomyr-Berdichevsk, Proskurov-Chernivtsi, Lviv-Sandomierz, West Carpathian, Moravian-Ostrava and Prague Castle. Victory Day was celebrated in Prague.

After the end of the war, A. A. Grechko commanded the troops of the Kiev Military District until 1953. Since 1953, he has been Commander—in—Chief of the Group of Soviet Occupation Forces in Germany (since 1954 - the Group of Soviet Troops in Germany); in this position, he organizes the suppression of the June 1953 popular uprising. In 1955, he was awarded the highest military rank. "Marshal of the Soviet Union." Since November 1957 — First Deputy Minister of Defense of the USSR, Commander-in-Chief of the USSR Ground Forces.

By decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR dated February 1, 1958, Andrei Antonovich Grechko was awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union with the award of the Order of Lenin and the Gold Star medal for his courage and heroism in the fight against the Nazi invaders. Since 1960, he has been the First Deputy Minister of Defense of the USSR, Commander—in—Chief of the Joint Armed Forces of the Warsaw Pact member States. From April 1967 until his death, he was Minister of Defense of the USSR.

Member of the Central Committee of the CPSU in 1961-1976 (candidate since 1952), member of the Politburo of the Central Committee of the CPSU in 1973-1976 (first Minister of Defense, included in the The Politburo after a 16-year hiatus since Zhukov's resignation). By decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR dated October 16, 1973, Marshal of the Soviet Union Andrei Antonovich Grechko was awarded the second Gold Star medal for services to the Motherland in building and strengthening the Armed Forces of the USSR. Since 1973, he has been the editor-in-chief of the 12-volume encyclopedic publication History of the Second World War 1939-1945.

The Minister of Defense of the USSR, Marshal of the Soviet Union Andrei Antonovich Grechko died on April 26, 1976. He was buried in Moscow, on Red Square, the urn with ashes immured in the Kremlin wall.