Rokossovsky, Konstantin Konstantinovich
- Rokossovsky, Konstantin Konstantinovich
-
▪ Soviet commander
Rokossovsky also spelled Rokossovskii
born Dec. 21 [Dec. 9, old style], 1896, Velikiye Luki, Russia
died Aug. 3, 1968, Moscow
Soviet military commander noted for his role in the Battle of Stalingrad (
Stalingrad, Battle of) (1942–43).
The son of a railroad engineer, Rokossovsky served in the imperial army as a noncommissioned officer in World War I. In 1917 he joined the Red Army and served in the Civil War, rising through the ranks to various Far Eastern commands. In 1938 during the Stalinist purges he was imprisoned but was released upon the German invasion of the Soviet Union in 1941 because his military talents were needed. During World War II Rokossovsky had major roles in the battles at Moscow (1941),
Stalingrad, and
Kursk (1943), as well as in the Soviet drives into Byelorussia (1944),
east Prussia, and
Pomerania (1945). He won his greatest renown at Stalingrad when he directed six Soviet armies of the Don River front that, along with other Soviet forces, first trapped and then annihilated the 22 divisions of the German 6th Army.
In 1949 he was named Soviet defense minister and deputy chairman of the Council of Ministers of Soviet-dominated Poland and was accorded the title marshal of Poland. He held these positions until the return to power of former Communist Polish Workers' Party secretary Władysław Gomulka, who had been imprisoned in 1948. Upon his expulsion by Gomulka (
Oct. 28, 1956, on charges of attempting to stage a pro-Soviet coup), Rokossovsky returned to the U.S.S.R., where he was deputy minister of defense (1956–62) and held various other military posts.
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Universalium.
2010.
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Rokossovsky, Konstantin (Konstantinovich) — born Dec. 21, 1896, Velikiye Luki, Russia died Aug. 3, 1968, Moscow, Russia, U.S.S.R. Russian army officer. He joined the Red Army in 1917 and rose through the ranks. Imprisoned in 1938 during the Stalinist purges, he was released when Germany… … Universalium
Konstantinovich — (as used in expressions) Glazunov Aleksandr Konstantinovich Ordzhonikidze Grigory Konstantinovich Plehve Vyacheslav Konstantinovich Rokossovsky Konstantin Konstantinovich Tolstoy Aleksey Konstantinovich Count Zhukov Georgy Konstantinovich * * * … Universalium
Konstantin — (as used in expressions) Chernenko Konstantin Ustinovich Neurath Konstantin baron von Pobedonostsev Konstantin Petrovich Rokossovsky Konstantin Konstantinovich Stanislavsky Konstantin Sergeyevich Konstantin Sergeyevich Alekseyev * * * … Universalium
Konstantin Rokossovsky — Rokossovsky in the uniform of a Lt. General Born December 21, 1896(1896 12 21 … Wikipedia
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Rokossovsky — biographical name Konstantin Konstantinovich 1896 1968 marshal of Soviet Union … New Collegiate Dictionary
World War II — the war between the Axis and the Allies, beginning on September 1, 1939, with the German invasion of Poland and ending with the surrender of Germany on May 8, 1945, and of Japan on August 14, 1945. Abbr.: WWII * * * or Second World War (1939–45)… … Universalium
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Poznań Riots — ▪ Polish history (June 1956), uprising of Polish industrial workers that caused a crisis among the Polish Communist leadership as well as in the Soviet bloc and resulted in the establishment of a new Polish regime headed by Władysław… … Universalium
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