Margelov Vasily Filippovich short biography. The legendary commander of the Airborne Forces Vasily Margelov: “To hell with it! "Uncle Vasya's Troops"

"Suvorov of the twentieth century" - this is how General of the Army Vasily Filippovich Margelov (1908 - 1990) began to be called during his lifetime by Western historians (for a long time it was forbidden to call this name Soviet in the press for reasons of secrecy).

Having commanded the Airborne Forces for a total of almost a quarter of a century (1954 - 1959, 1961 - 1979), he turned this branch of the military into a formidable strike force that knew no equal.

But Vasily Filippovich was remembered not only as an outstanding organizer by his contemporaries. Love for the Motherland, remarkable military abilities, steadfastness and selfless courage were organically combined in him with the greatness of the soul, modesty and crystal honesty, kind-hearted, truly fatherly attitude towards the soldier.

We turn over some pages of the book of his fate, worthy of the pen and the master of the detective genre, and the creator of the heroic epic ...

How a paratrooper got a vest

In the Soviet-Finnish war of 1940, Major Margelov was the commander of the Separate reconnaissance ski battalion of the 596th rifle regiment of the 122nd division. His battalion made daring raids on enemy rear lines, set up ambushes, causing great damage to the enemy. In one of the raids, they even managed to capture a group of officers of the Swedish General Staff, which gave grounds for the Soviet Government to make a diplomatic demarche about the actual participation of the supposedly neutral Scandinavian state in the hostilities on the side of the Finns. This step had a sobering effect on the Swedish king and his cabinet: Stockholm did not dare to send its soldiers into the snows of Karelia ...

The experience of ski raids on enemy rear lines was remembered in the late autumn of 1941 in besieged Leningrad. Major V. Margelov was assigned to lead the First Special Ski Regiment of sailors of the Red Banner Baltic Fleet formed from volunteers.

The veteran of this part N. Shuvalov recalled:

- As you know, sailors are a peculiar people. In love with the sea, they do not particularly favor their land counterparts. When Margelov was appointed commander of a regiment of marines, some used to say that he would not take root there, his “brothers” would not accept him.

However, this prophecy did not come true. When the regiment of sailors was built to be presented to the new commander, Margelov, after the command "Attention!" seeing many gloomy faces looking at him not particularly friendly, instead of the words of greeting “Hello, comrades!”, which are customary in such cases, without hesitation, he shouted loudly:

- Hello, buggers!

A moment - and in the ranks not a single gloomy face ...

Many glorious feats were accomplished by sailors-skiers under the command of Major Margelov. The tasks were set personally by the commander of the Baltic Fleet, Vice Admiral Tributs.

Deep daring raids by skiers across the German rear in the winter of 1941-42 were an ongoing headache for the command of Hitler's Army Group North. What was even worth the landing on the coast of Ladoga in the direction of Lipka - Shlisselburg, which alarmed Field Marshal von Leeb so much that he began to remove troops from Pulkovo to eliminate him, tightening the noose of the blockade of Leningrad.

Two decades later, the commander of the Airborne Forces, General of the Army Margelov, ensured that the paratroopers received the right to wear vests.

- The daring of the "brothers" sunk into my heart! he explained. - I want the paratroopers to adopt the glorious traditions of their older brother - the marines and continue them with honor. For this, I introduced the paratroopers vests. Only stripes on them to match the color of the sky - blue ...

When, at a military council chaired by the Minister of Defense, the Commander-in-Chief of the Navy, Admiral of the Fleet of the Soviet Union S. G. Gorshkov, began to blame that, they say, paratroopers steal vests from sailors, Vasily Filippovich sharply objected to him:

- I myself fought in the Marine Corps and I know what paratroopers deserve and what - sailors!

And Vasily Filippovich fought famously with his "marines". Here's another example. In May 1942, in the Vinyaglovo area near the Sinyavinsky Heights, about 200 enemy infantrymen broke through the defense sector of a neighboring regiment and entered the rear of the Margelovites. Vasily Filippovich quickly gave the necessary orders and himself lay down behind the Maxim machine gun. Then he personally destroyed 79 Nazis, the rest were finished off by reinforcements that came to the rescue.

By the way, during the defense of Leningrad, Margelov always had an easel machine gun at hand, from which in the mornings he made a kind of shooting exercise: he “trimmed” the tops of trees in bursts. Then he mounted a horse and practiced cutting with a sword.

In offensive battles, the regiment commander more than once personally raised his battalions to attack, fought in the forefront of his fighters, dragging them to victory in hand-to-hand combat, where he had no equal. Because of such terrible fights, the Nazis nicknamed the marines "striped death."

Officer's ration - in a soldier's cauldron

Caring for a soldier has never been a secondary matter for Margelov, especially in a war. His former brother-soldier, Guard Senior Lieutenant Nikolai Shevchenko recalled that, having accepted the 13th Guards in 1942 rifle regiment, Vasily Filippovich began to increase his combat effectiveness by improving the organization of food for all personnel.

At that time, the officers in the regiment ate separately from the soldiers and sergeants. Officers were supposed to have reinforced rations: in addition to the general military norm, they received animal butter, canned fish, biscuits or cookies, and tobacco. The Golden Fleece” or “Kazbek” (non-smokers were given chocolate). But, besides this, some battalion commanders and company commanders brought personal chefs with a common catering unit. It is not difficult to understand that some part of the soldier's cauldron went to the officer's desk. This was discovered by the regimental commander when bypassing the units. He always started it with an inspection of the battalion kitchens and a sample of soldiers' food.

On the second day of Lieutenant Colonel Margelov's stay in the unit, all of its officers had to eat from a common boiler along with the soldiers. The regiment commander ordered his additional ration to be transferred to a common boiler. Soon other officers began to do the same. “Batya set a good example for us!” - the veteran Shevchenko recalled. Surprisingly, Batey Vasily Filippovich was called in all the regiments and divisions that he happened to command ...

God forbid, if Margelov noticed that the fighter had leaky shoes or shabby clothes. Here the business executive received to the fullest. Once, noticing that the sergeant-machine-gunner at the forefront of the boot was “asking for porridge”, the regimental commander called the head of the clothing supply to him and ordered him to exchange shoes with this fighter. And he warned that if he saw this again, he would immediately transfer the officer to the front line.

Vasily Filippovich could not stand cowards, weak-willed, lazy people. Theft under him was simply impossible, because he punished him mercilessly ...

Hot Snow

Whoever read Yuri Bondarev's novel "Hot Snow" or saw the film of the same name based on this novel, let him know: the Margelovites were the prototype of the heroes that stood in the way of Manstein's tank armada, which was trying to break the encirclement around the 6th army of Paulus in Stalingrad. It was they who found themselves in the direction of the main attack of the fascist tank wedge and managed to prevent a breakthrough, holding out until reinforcements arrived.

In October 1942, Guard Lieutenant Colonel Margelov became the commander of the 13th Guards Rifle Regiment, which was part of the 2nd Guards Army, Lieutenant General R. Ya. Malinovsky, which was formed specifically to complete the defeat of the enemy, who had broken through into the Volga steppes. For two months, while the regiment was in reserve, Vasily Filippovich intensely prepared his fighters for fierce battles for the Volga stronghold.

Near Leningrad, he more than once had to engage in single combat with fascist tanks, he knew well their weak spots. And now he personally taught tank destroyers, showing armor-piercers how to dig a trench in full profile, where and from what distances to aim with an anti-tank rifle, how to throw grenades and Molotov cocktails.

When the Margelovites held the defense at the turn of the river. Myshkov, having taken on the blow of the Goth tank group, which was advancing from the Kotelnikovsky area to join the Paulus breakthrough group, they were not afraid of the newest heavy Tiger tanks, they did not flinch in front of the many times superior enemy. They did the impossible: in five days of fighting (from December 19 to 24, 1942), without sleep or rest, suffering heavy losses, they burned and knocked out almost all enemy tanks in their direction. At the same time, the regiment retained combat readiness!

In these battles, Vasily Filippovich was severely shell-shocked, but did not leave the line. He met the New Year of 1943 with his fighters, with a Mauser in his hand, dragging the attacking chains to storm the Kotelnikovsky farm. This swift throw of units of the 2nd Guards Army in the Stalingrad epic was put to a bold end: the last hopes of the Paulus army for the deblockade melted away like smoke. Then there was the liberation of Donbass, the forcing of the Dnieper, fierce battles for Kherson and the "Iasi-Kishinev Cannes" ... Thirteen thanks from the Supreme Commander-in-Chief were earned by the 49th Guards Kherson Red Banner Order of Suvorov Rifle Division - Margelov's division!

The final chord is the bloodless capture in May 1945 on the border of Austria and Czechoslovakia of the SS tank corps, which broke through to the West to surrender to the Americans. This included the elite armored forces of the Reich - the SS divisions "Grossdeutschland" and "Totenkopf".

As the best of the best guards, Major General Hero of the Soviet Union V.F. Margelov (1944), the leadership of the 2nd Ukrainian Front entrusted the honor of commanding a front-line composite regiment at the Victory Parade in Moscow on June 24, 1945.

After graduating from the Higher Military Academy in 1948 (since 1958 - the Military Academy of the General Staff), Vasily Filippovich accepted the Pskov Airborne Division.

This appointment was preceded by a meeting between Major General V. Margelov and Minister of Defense of the USSR Marshal of the Soviet Union Nikolai Bulganin. There was another general in the office, also a Hero of the Soviet Union.

The Minister of Defense began the conversation with kind words about the Airborne Troops, their glorious combat past, and that a decision had been made to develop this relatively young branch of the military.

– We believe in them and consider it necessary to strengthen them with combat generals who distinguished themselves during the Great Patriotic War. What is your opinion, comrades?

He, the second general, began to complain about the wounds received at the front, said that the doctors did not recommend him to make parachute jumps. In general, he refused the proposal of the minister.

General Margelov, who had many wounds during three wars, including severe ones, and even in the legs, asked a single question in response:

- When can I go to the troops?

"Today," the Minister of Defense replied, and shook his hand warmly.

Margelov understood that he would have to start from scratch and how to comprehend the tricky landing science for a beginner. But he also knew something else: there is a special attraction in this kind of troops - audacity, a strong male adhesion.

Years later, he told the correspondent of the Krasnaya Zvezda newspaper:

Until the age of 40, I vaguely imagined what a parachute was, and I never dreamed of jumping in a dream. It turned out on its own, or rather, as it should be in the army, by order. I am a military man, if necessary, ready to go to hell. And so it was necessary, already being a general, to make the first parachute jump. The impression, I tell you, is incomparable. A dome opens above you, you soar in the air like a bird, - by God, I want to sing! I sang. But you won't go away on rapture alone. I was in a hurry, I didn’t follow the ground, as a result I had to walk for two weeks with a bandaged leg. Got a lesson. Parachuting is not only romantic, but also a lot of work and impeccable discipline...

Then there will be many jumps - with weapons, day and night, from high-speed military transport aircraft. During his service in the Airborne Forces, Vasily Filippovich made more than 60 of them. Extreme - at the age of 65.

Anyone who has never left an airplane in his life, from where cities and villages seem like toys, who has never experienced the joy and fear of free fall, a whistle in his ears, a stream of wind beating in his chest, he will never understand the honor and pride of a paratrooper, - Margelov will say something.

What did Vasily Filippovich see when he accepted the 76th Guards Airborne Division Chernigov? The material and technical base of combat training is at zero. The simplicity of the sports equipment was discouraging: two jumping boards, a cradle for a balloon suspended between two pillars, and the skeleton of an aircraft that vaguely resembled an airplane or glider. Injuries and even deaths are common. If Margelov was a novice in the landing business, then in the organization of combat training, as they say, he ate the dog.

In parallel with combat training, no less important work was underway to equip the personnel and the families of officers. And here everyone was surprised by the persistence of Margelov.

“A soldier must be well-fed, clean in body and strong in spirit,” Vasily Filippovich liked to repeat Suvorov's saying. It was necessary - and the general became a real foreman, as he called himself without any irony, and on his desktop, mixed with plans for combat training, exercises, landing, there were calculations, estimates, projects ...

Working in his usual mode - day and night - day and night away, General Margelov quickly ensured that his unit became one of the best in the airborne troops.

In 1950, he was appointed commander of the airborne corps in the Far East, and in 1954, Lieutenant General V. Margelov headed Airborne Troops.

And soon he proved to everyone that he was not a rustic servant, as some perceived Margelov, but a man who saw the prospects of the Airborne Forces, who had a great desire to turn them into the elite of the Armed Forces. To do this, it was necessary to break stereotypes and inertia, win the trust of active, energetic people, and involve them in joint productive work. Over time, V. Margelov formed a circle of like-minded people carefully selected and nurtured by him. And the outstanding sense of the new, combat authority and the ability of the commander to work with people made it possible to achieve the set goals.

Year 1970, operational-strategic exercise "Dvina". Here is what the newspaper of the Belarusian Military District “For the Glory of the Motherland” wrote about them: “Belarus is a country of forests and lakes, and it is incredibly difficult to find a landing site. The weather wasn't good, but it didn't give us any reason to be discouraged either. Attack fighters ironed the ground, from the commentator's booth it sounded: "Attention!" - and the eyes of those present turned upward.

Here, large points separated from the first aircraft - these are Combat vehicles, artillery, cargo, and then, like peas, paratroopers rained down from the hatches of the An-12. But the crown of the throw was the appearance in the air of four "Anteys". A few minutes - and now there is a whole regiment on the ground!

When the last paratrooper touched the ground, V.F. Margelov stopped the stopwatch on the commander's watch and showed it to the Minister of Defense. It took a little over 22 minutes for eight thousand paratroopers and 150 units of military equipment to be delivered to the rear of the "enemy".

Brilliant results were also achieved at the major exercises Dnepr, Berezina, Yug... It has become common practice to raise an airborne assault force, say, in Pskov, make a long flight and parachute near Ferghana, Kirovabad or in Mongolia. Commenting on one of the exercises, Margelov told the Krasnaya Zvezda correspondent:

- The use of airborne assault has become practically unlimited. For example, we have this type of combat training: on the map of the country, a point is arbitrarily chosen where troops are dropped. Warrior parachutists jump into a completely unfamiliar area: into the taiga and deserts, lakes, swamps and mountains ...

It was after the Dvin exercises, declaring gratitude to the guardsmen for their courage and military prowess, that the commander casually asked:

Margelov could be understood: there was a need to reduce the time for preparing airborne units for combat after landing. The landing of military equipment from one aircraft, and the crews from another led to the fact that the spread sometimes amounted to five kilometers. While the crews were looking for equipment, it took a lot of time.

A little later, Margelov again returned to this idea:

- I understand that it is difficult, but no one but us will do this.

Moreover, when the fundamental decision to conduct the first such experiment was rather difficult to make, Vasily Filippovich proposed his candidacy to participate in the first test of this kind, the Minister of Defense and the Chief of the General Staff were categorically against it.

However, even without this, there were legends about the courage of the commander. It manifested itself not only in a combat situation. At one of the festive receptions, where they could not help but invite the disgraced Marshal Georgy Konstantinovich Zhukov, Vasily Filippovich, stretched out at attention, congratulated him on the holiday. Zhukov, being the Minister of Defense, repeatedly observed the actions of the paratroopers in the exercises and expressed satisfaction with their high skill, admired their courage and courage. General Margelov was proud of the respect of such military leaders for himself, and therefore did not change his attitude towards honored people in favor of temporary workers and high-ranking sycophants.

The troops of "Uncle Sam" and the troops of "Uncle Vasya"

At the end of the spring of 1991, an official visit to the United States was made by USSR Minister of Defense Marshal of the Soviet Union D.T. Yazov.

Returning to Moscow, the minister met with officers of the Information Department of the Ministry of Defense.

Subsequently, reflecting on this meeting that lasted more than two hours in the hall where meetings of the Collegium of the Ministry of Defense usually took place, I came to the conclusion that communication with us, ordinary employees of the department, was primarily aimed at conveying to the general public through officers who, on duty, maintain contacts with the press, his highly skeptical opinion of the merits military equipment of the richest power in the world and about the level of preparedness of the American "pros", who were then enthusiastically admired by the magazine "Ogonyok" and publications related to it in spirit.

During a visit to the military base at Fort Bragg, the Soviet Minister of Defense was invited to a demonstration exercise of one of the parachute battalions of the famous "devils' regiment" - the 82nd Airborne Division of the United States. This division became famous for participating in almost all post-war conflicts in which the United States intervened (Dominican Republic, Vietnam, Grenada, Panama, etc.). She was the first to land in the Middle East before the start of the anti-Iraq Desert Storm in 1990. In all operations, the "devils" were at the forefront of the attack as the most dexterous, courageous, invincible.

And it was these “understudies of Satan” who were instructed to surprise the Soviet minister with their class of training and fearlessness. They were parachuted in. Part of the battalion landed in combat vehicles. But the effect of the “show-off” turned out to be the opposite of what was expected, because Dmitry Timofeevich could not talk about what he saw in North Carolina without a bitter smile.

- What would I rate you for such a landing? - Asked, slyly narrowing his eyes, the Minister of Defense of the then Deputy Commander of the Airborne Forces for combat training, Lieutenant General E. N. Podkolzin, who was part of the Soviet military delegation.

“You should have torn off my head, Comrade Minister!” - Evgeny Nikolaevich minted.

It turns out that almost all American paratroopers thrown out of aircraft in combat vehicles received serious injuries and injuries. There were also those who died. After landing, more than half of the cars did not budge...

This is hard to believe, but even in the early 90s, the vaunted American professionals did not have the same equipment as ours and did not know the secrets of the safe landing of "winged infantry" units on equipment that were mastered in "Uncle Vasya's troops" (as fighters of the Airborne Forces called themselves, hinting at a special warmth of feelings for the commander) back in the 70s.

And it all began with the courageous decision of Margelov to put the responsibility of a pioneer on his shoulders. Then, in 1972, in the USSR, tests of the newly created Centaur system were in full swing - for landing people inside an airborne combat vehicle on parachute platforms. The experiments were risky, so they started on animals. Far from everything went smoothly: either the parachute canopy was torn, or the active deceleration engines did not work. One of the jumps even ended in the death of the dog Buran.

Something similar happened with Western testers of identical systems. True, they experimented on people there. A man sentenced to death penalty. It crashed, and for a long time the West considered it inexpedient to continue development work in this direction.

Despite the risk, Margelov believed in the possibility of creating safe systems for landing people on equipment and insisted on complicating tests. Since dog jumping went on normally in the future, he sought a transition to a new phase of R & D - with the participation of warriors. In early January 1973, he had a difficult conversation with the Minister of Defense of the USSR, Marshal of the Soviet Union A. A. Grechko.

- Do you understand, Vasily Filippovich, what you are going to, what you are risking? - Andrey Antonovich urged Margelov to abandon his plan.

“I understand perfectly well, that’s why I stand my ground,” answered the general. – And those who are ready for the experiment also understand everything perfectly.
On January 5, 1973, the historic leap took place. For the first time in the world, the crew was parachuted inside the BMD-1 on parachute-platform means. It included Major L. Zuev and Lieutenant A. Margelov - in the car next to an experienced officer was the youngest son of the commander, Alexander, at that time a young engineer of the scientific and technical committee of the Airborne Forces.

Only a very courageous person would dare to send his son to such a complex, unpredictable experiment. It was an act akin to the feat of Lieutenant General Nikolai Raevsky, when Kutuzov's favorite in 1812 near Saltanovka fearlessly led his young sons in front of the front of the battalions faltering from the French buckshot and with this amazing example breathed stamina into the discouraged grenadiers, held the position, deciding the outcome of the battle. Sacrificial heroism of this kind in the world military history is a unique phenomenon.

- A combat vehicle was dropped from the AN-12, five domes were opened, - Alexander Vasilyevich Margelov, now an employee of the Ministry of Foreign Economic Relations, recalled the details of the unprecedented jump. - Of course, it is dangerous, but one thing reassured me: the system has been successfully used for more than one year. True, no people. Landed normally. In the summer of 1975, on the basis of the parachute regiment, which was then commanded by Major V. Achalov, Lieutenant Colonel L. Shcherbakov and I inside the BMD and four officers outside, in the joint landing cabin, jumped again ...

Vasily Filippovich was awarded the USSR State Prize for this bold innovation.

The Centaur was replaced (not least thanks to the commander of the Airborne Forces, who stubbornly argued in the highest party and government authorities of the country that a new method of delivering fighters and equipment to the target, its early development to enhance the mobility of the "winged infantry") soon came a new, more perfect system "Reactavr". The rate of decline on it was four times higher than on the Centaur. In psychophysical terms, it is correspondingly more difficult for a paratrooper (a deafening roar and roar, a flame escaping from jet nozzles is very close). On the other hand, the vulnerability to enemy fire and the time from the moment of being thrown out of the aircraft to bringing the BMD into combat position were sharply reduced.

From 1976 to 1991, the Reaktavr system was used about 100 times, and always successfully. Year by year, from exercise to exercise, the "blue berets" gained experience in its application, polished their skills own actions at various stages of landing.

Since 1979, Vasily Filippovich was no longer with them, having surrendered the post of commander of the Airborne Forces and transferred to the Group of General Inspectors of the Ministry of Defense. Eleven years later, on March 4, 1990, he passed away. But the memory of Paratrooper number one, his precepts to the blue berets are imperishable.

The name of Army General V.F. Margelov is worn by the Ryazan Higher Command School of the Airborne Forces, the streets, squares and squares of St. Petersburg, Ryazan, Omsk, Pskov, Tula ... Monuments were erected to him in St. Petersburg, Ryazan, Pskov, Omsk, Tula, the Ukrainian cities of Dnepropetrovsk and Lvov, Belarusian Kostyukovichi.

Paratroopers, veterans of the Airborne Forces every year come to the monument of their commander at the Novodevichy cemetery to honor his memory.

But the main thing is that the spirit of Margelov is alive in the troops. The feat of the 6th Airborne Company of the 104th Guards Regiment of the 76th Pskov Division, in which Vasily Filippovich began his career in the Airborne Forces, is an eloquent confirmation of this. He is also in other achievements of the paratroopers of recent decades, in which the "winged infantry" covered itself with unfading glory.

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

short biography

Vasily Filippovich Margelov(Ukrainian Vasil Pilipovich Margelov, Belarusian Vasil Pilipavich Margelav, December 27, 1908, Yekaterinoslav, 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

VF Markelov (later Margelov) was born on December 27, 1908 in the city of Yekaterinoslav (now Dnipro, Ukraine), into a family of immigrants from Belarus. Father - Philip Ivanovich Markelov, metallurgical worker (surname Mar To spruce from Vasily Filippovich was subsequently recorded as Mar G ate due to an error in the membership card).

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

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

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

Service start

In 1928 he was drafted into the Red Army. Sent to study at the United Belarusian Military School (OBVSh) named after. CEC 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. CEC of the BSSR. Appointed commander of a machine-gun platoon of the regimental school of the 99th rifle regiment of the 33rd Belarusian rifle division (Mogilev).

Since 1933 - platoon commander in the Order of the Red Banner of Labor OBVSh them. Central Executive Committee of the BSSR (since November 6, 1933 - named after M.I. Kalinin, since 1937 - the 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 chief of the 2nd division of the division headquarters. In this position, he participated in the Polish campaign of the Red Army in 1939.

During the war years

During the years of the Soviet-Finnish war (1939-1940) he commanded the Separate reconnaissance ski battalion of the 596th rifle regiment of the 122nd division (it was originally stationed in Brest, in November 1939 it was 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 assistant commander of the 596th regiment for combat units. From 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 Division of the People's Militia of the Leningrad Front (the basis of the regiment was the fighters of the former 15 odisb).

November 21, 1941 - appointed commander of the 1st Special Ski Regiment of sailors of the KBF. Contrary to talk that Margelov "would not take root", the Marines accepted the commander, which especially emphasized the appeal to him by the naval equivalent of the rank of "major" - "Comrade captain of the 3rd rank." Margelov, however, sunk into the heart of the prowess of the "brothers". Subsequently, becoming the commander of the Airborne Forces, as a sign that the paratroopers adopted the glorious traditions of their older brother, the marines, and continued them with honor, Margelov ensured that the paratroopers got the right to wear vests, but in order to emphasize belonging to the sky, they are blue in the paratroopers.

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

Since 1944 - commander of the 49th Guards Rifle Division of the 28th Army of the 3rd Ukrainian Front. He led the division 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 participated in the liberation of Southeastern 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, Major General Margelov commanded a battalion in the consolidated 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, I degree of the Higher Military Academy named after K. E. Voroshilov, he was the 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 the 1st Deputy Commander of the Airborne Forces. From July 1961 to January 1979 - again commander of the Airborne Forces.

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

Since January 1979 - in the group of general inspectors of the USSR Ministry of Defense. He went on business trips to the Airborne Forces, 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 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 a whole 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 ...

…V. F. Margelov realized that in modern operations, only highly mobile, capable of wide maneuver landing forces would be able to successfully operate deep behind enemy lines. He categorically rejected the installation of holding the area captured by the landing until the approach of the troops advancing from the front by the method of tough defense as disastrous, because in this case the landing would be quickly destroyed.

Colonel Nikolai Fedorovich Ivanov:

Under more than twenty years of Margelov's leadership, the landing troops became one of the most mobile in the combat structure of the Armed Forces, prestigious service in them, especially revered by the people ... The photograph of Vasily Filippovich in the demobilization albums went from the soldiers at the highest price - for a set of badges. The competition for the Ryazan Airborne School blocked the figures of VGIK and GITIS, and applicants who failed their exams for two or three months, before snow and frost, lived in the forests near Ryazan in the hope that someone would not withstand the stress and it would be possible to take his place . The spirit of the troops soared so high that the rest of the Soviet army was included in the category of "tanning beds" and "screws".

N. F. Ivanov “Operation Storm to start earlier ...”

After watching the film “Such is the sporting life” in 1964, Margelov ordered to introduce rugby into the training program for paratroopers.

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

Theory of combat use

In military theory, it was believed that after the immediate use nuclear strikes and to maintain a high rate of advance, the widespread use of airborne assault forces is 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:

“In order to fulfill their role in modern operations, our formations and units must be highly maneuverable, covered with armor, have sufficient fire efficiency, be well controlled, be able to land at any time of the day and quickly switch to active combat operations after landing. This is, by and large, the ideal to which we should strive.

To achieve the goals set, under the leadership of Margelov, a concept was developed for the role and place of the Airborne Forces in modern strategic operations in various theaters of military operations. Margelov wrote a number of works on this topic, and on December 4, 1968, he successfully defended his Ph. In practical terms, exercises and command meetings of the Airborne Forces were regularly held.

Armament

It was necessary to overcome the gap between the theory of the combat use of the Airborne Forces and the prevailing organizational structure troops, as well as the capabilities of military transport aviation. Assuming the position 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- 4 with significantly limited landing capabilities. In fact, the Airborne Forces were not able to solve major tasks in military operations.

Margelov initiated the creation and mass 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 can’t order technology, so strive to create reliable parachutes in the design bureau, industry, during testing, trouble-free operation of heavy airborne equipment,” Margelov said when setting tasks for his subordinates.

For the paratroopers, modifications of small arms were created to simplify its landing by parachute - less weight, a folding butt.

Especially for the needs of the Airborne Forces in the post-war years, new military equipment was developed and modernized: airborne self-propelled artillery installation ASU-76 (1949), light ASU-57 (1951), floating ASU-57P (1954), self-propelled installation ASU-85, tracked combat vehicle Airborne troops BMD-1 (1969). After the arrival of the first batches of BMD-1 to the troops, attempts to land the BMP-1 were stopped, which were unsuccessful. 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, 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 put into service and entered the army, 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, parachute platforms PP-127 appeared in service with the troops, designed for parachute landing of artillery, vehicles, radio stations, engineering equipment and others. Parachute-jet means of landing were created, which, due to the jet thrust created by the engine, made it possible to bring the landing speed of the cargo closer to zero. Such systems made it possible to significantly reduce the cost of landing due to the abandonment of a large number large domes.

On January 5, 1973, at the parachute track of the Airborne Forces "Slobodka" (see on Yandex. Maps) near Tula, for the first time in world practice in the USSR, landing on parachute-platform means in the "Centaur" complex was carried out from the 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, landing from the same type of aircraft, BMD-1 made a soft landing on a parachute-rocket system in the Reaktavr complex, also with two crew members on board - Major Margelov Alexander Vasilievich and Lieutenant Colonel Shcherbakov Leonid Ivanovich. The landing was carried out at a huge risk to life, without personal means of salvation. 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 metallurgical worker, in the First World War he became a knight of two St. George's crosses.
• Mother - Agafya Stepanovna, was from the Bobruisk district.
• Two brothers - Ivan (older), 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 Alexandrovna Kurakina, a doctor. He met Anna Alexandrovna during the Great Patriotic War. She served as a prototype for a monument to a front-line nurse, installed in 2017 in the Pechatniki district (Moscow).

Five sons:

• Gennady Vasilyevich (1931-2016) - major general.
• Anatoly Vasilievich (1938-2008) - Doctor of Technical Sciences, Professor, co-author of more than 100 inventions in the military-industrial complex.
• Vitaly Vasilievich (born 1941) - a professional intelligence officer, an employee of the KGB of the USSR and the Foreign Intelligence Service of Russia, later - a public and political figure; colonel general, deputy of the State Duma.
• 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 in testing, fine-tuning and mastering special equipment" (landing inside the BMD-1 on a parachute-rocket system in the Reaktavr complex, carried out for the first time in world practice in 1976) was awarded the title of Hero of the Russian Federation. After retiring, he worked in the structures of Rosoboronexport.

Vasily Vasilyevich and Alexander Vasilyevich 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 (3.02.1943, 20.06.1949);
• Order of Suvorov 2nd degree (04/28/1944) was originally presented to the Order of Lenin;
• two orders of the Patriotic War of the 1st degree (01/25/1943, 03/11/1985);
• Order of the Red Star (November 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:
  • badge "50 years of being in the CPSU"

Orders (thanks) of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief in which VF Margelov was noted.

• For crossing the Dnieper River in the lower reaches, and capturing the city of Kherson - a major 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 mastering the assault on a large regional and industrial center 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 capturing by storm on the territory of Hungary the city and the 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, capturing the cities of Szekesfehervar and Bichke by storm - large knots communications and important strongholds of the enemy's defense. 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 way to Vienna. February 13, 1945. No. 277.
• For breaking through the heavily fortified defenses of the Germans in the mountains of Verteshhedsheg, west of Budapest, defeating a group of German troops in the Esztergom area, and also capturing the cities of Esztergom, Nesmey, Felshe-Galla, and Tata. March 25, 1945. No. 308.
• For the capture of the city and an important road junction of Madyarovar 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 Prewidza and Banovce - strong strongholds of the German defense in the Carpathian zone. April 5, 1945. No. 331.
• For the encirclement and defeat of a group of German troops that tried to retreat from Vienna to the north, and at the same time capturing the cities of Korneiburg and Floridsdorf - powerful strongholds of the German defense on the left bank of the Danube. April 15, 1945. No. 337.
• For the capture of the cities of Jaromerice and Znojmo in Czechoslovakia and the cities of Hollabrunn and Stockerau in Austria - important communications centers and strong strongholds of the German defense. May 8, 1945. No. 367.

Awards of 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 Georgy Dimitrov" (Decree No. 364 - 22.02.1974)
• Medal "100 Years of the Liberation of Bulgaria from the Ottoman Yoke" (Decree No. 014927, No. 2026-1978)
• Medal "100 years since the birth of Georgy 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 class (04/04/1950)
• medal "Brotherhood in Arms" gold degree (09/29/1985)
• order "Star of Friendship of Peoples" in silver (23.02.1978)
• Medal "Arthur Becker" in gold (23.05.1980)
• Medal of "Chinese-Soviet Friendship" (02/23/1955)
• Medal "20 years of the Revolutionary Military Council of Cuba" (Decree No. 16670 - 02/22/1978)
• Medal "30 years of the Revolutionary Military Council of Cuba" (08.12.1986)
• Order of the Battle Red Banner (06/07/1971)
• Medal "30 Years of Victory at Khalkhin Gol" (Decree No. 1176 - 15.08. 1968)
• Medal "40 Years of Victory at Khalkhin Gol" (Decree No. 361 - 11/26/1979)
• Medal "50 years of the MPR" (Decree No. 262, p / p J. Sambu - 12/16/1971)
• Medal "60 years of the MPR" (p / p Y. Tsedenbalom - 12/29/1982)
• Medal "50 years of UAHB" (local KGB)
• Medal "50 years of the Armed Forces of the MPR" (Decree No. 82, p / p J. Sambu - 03/15/1974
• Medal "30 years of victory over Japan" (Decree No. 3, p / p Yu.Tsedenbalom - 08/10/1975)
• medal "For Odra, Nisa and Baltic" (05/07/1985)
• medal "Brotherhood in Arms" (10/12/1988)
• Officer of the Order of the Rebirth of Poland (6.11.1973)
• Order of Tudor Vladimirescu 2nd (10/1/1974) and 3rd (10/24/1969) degree
• Medal "25 Years of the Liberation of Romania" (Decree No. 739 - 03.11.1969)
• Medal "30 Years of the Liberation of Romania" (Decree No. 216 - 06/21/1974)
• Order of the Legion of Honor of the degree of an officer (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 by the Soviet Army" (1975)

honorary titles

• Hero of the Soviet Union (1944).
• Laureate of the State Prize of the USSR (1975).
• Honorary citizen of the city of Kherson.
• Honorary soldier of the 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, Vasily Margelov's office-museum was opened in the main building of the headquarters of the Airborne Forces.
• By order of the Minister of Defense of the USSR of April 20, 1985, V.F. Margelov was enlisted 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 dated May 6, 2005, the departmental medal of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation "General of the Army Margelov" was established. In the same year, a memorial plaque was installed on a house in Moscow, in Sivtsev Vrazhek lane, where Margelov lived for the last 20 years of his life.
• Every year on the birthday of VF Margelov on December 27 in all cities of Russia, military personnel 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 are installed:

• 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, Balakhna 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 of the checkpoint of this school) and the Villages ( Training Center airborne schools near Ryazan), Rybinsk, Yaroslavl region (bust), St. Petersburg (in the park named after Margelov V.F.), 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. Margelov street (monument)
• Ukraine: Donetsk, Dnepropetrovsk, Zhytomyr (in the location of the 95th brigade), Krivoy Rog, Lvov (in the location of the 80th brigade), Sumy, Kherson, Mariupol.

Timeline 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 (VDV) was unveiled in Chisinau, the capital of Moldova. The monument was built at the expense of 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 bears the name of V. F. Margelov, and there is also a museum of the Airborne Forces.
• On November 4, 2013, a memorial monument to Margelov was opened in Victory Park in Nizhny Novgorod.
• Monument to Vasily Filippovich, a sketch of which was made from a well-known photograph from a divisional newspaper, in which he, being appointed commander of the 76th Guards. airborne division, preparing for the first jump, - installed in front of the headquarters of the 95th separate airmobile brigade (Ukraine).
• On October 8, 2014, a memorial complex dedicated to the founder of the USSR Airborne Forces, Hero of the Soviet Union, General of the Army Vasily Margelov was opened in Bendery (Transnistria). The complex is located on the territory of the square 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 Alley of Glory and the bust of the Hero of the Soviet Union, Army General, Commander of the Airborne Forces Vasily Margelov were solemnly opened.
• On December 27, 2014, on the birthday of Vasily Fillipovich in Saratov, a memorial bust to Margelov V.F.
• On April 25, 2015 in Taganrog in the city center, in the historical square "At the barrier", a bust of Vasily Margelov was solemnly unveiled.
• April 23, 2015 in Slavyansk-on-Kuban (Krasnodar Territory, Russia) a bust of the General of the Airborne Forces 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 Paratrooper named after the Guards Sergeant of the Airborne Forces Leonid Palachev.
• On July 18, 2015, a bust to the commander who took part in the liberation of the city in 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 opened 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 over two meters high was erected in the center of Yekaterinburg.
• September 26, 2016 in the park on the street. Power engineers in the city of Surgut unveiled a monument to General of the Army Margelov V.F.
• April 19, 2017 in Vladikavkaz on the Walk of Fame, a bust to the Soviet military leader was installed.
• June 30, 2017 in the city of Kholm, Novgorod region.
• On August 1, 2017, a monument was opened on the territory of the MAOU "Secondary School No. V. F. Margelov, the city of Kungur, Perm Territory.
• On December 27, 2017, a bust was unveiled on the territory of the 56th Separate Guards Airborne 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 name of V. F. Margelov is:

• Ryazan Higher Airborne Command School;
• Department of the 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, Zapadnaya 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, squares in St. Petersburg, in Belogorsk (Amur region). In Moscow, the street "projected passage No. 6367" was given the name "Margelov Street" on September 24, 2013. In honor of the 105th anniversary of the birth of Vasily Filippovich, a memorial plaque was opened on the new street.
• In Belarus - the streets in Minsk and Vitebsk. In Vitebsk, the memory of V. F. Margelov was immortalized on June 25, 2010. Vitebsk city executive committee in the spring of 2010, he approved the petition of the veterans of the Airborne Forces of the Republic of Belarus and the Russian Federation to name the street connecting the street. Chkalova and ave. Victory, General Margelov Street. On the eve of the City Day on the street. General Margelov, a new house was put into operation, on which a memorial plaque was installed, the right to open it was granted to the sons of Vasily Filippovich.

In art

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

The song praises the Falcon
Brave and daring...
Is it close, is it far
Margelov's regiments marched.

• In 2008, with the support of the Moscow government, director Oleg Shtrom filmed the eight-episode series Landing Batya, in which Mikhail Zhigalov played the main role.
• The ensemble "Blue Berets" recorded a song dedicated to V. F. Margelov, estimating state of the art Airborne Forces, after his departure from the post of 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 the veteran of the regiment N.F. Orlov:

Other

• At the Sumy distillery "Gorobina" memorial vodka "Margelovskaya" is produced. Fortress 48%, in the recipe - 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.

› Vasily Filippovich Margelov

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

"Demobilization Album" is a special thing. Those who passed military service, know that it takes months to create this peculiar masterpiece. Photos with colleagues that the command would not approve, funny pictures, all kinds of curlicues and decorations - the soldiers spare neither time nor effort to prepare such beauty. Portraits of fathers-commanders are usually not placed in the "demobilization album". But the Soviet paratroopers, preparing albums for "demobilization", knocked down to get a good dress 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" - this is how the paratroopers themselves decipher the abbreviation of the Airborne Forces.

General Margelov was not the founder of the landing 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, in a working class family. His real name is "Markelov" - he became Margelov due to an error in the documents.

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

But the main business of life for Margelov was military service. After the call, he was sent to study at the United Belarusian Military School (OBVSh) named after. CEC of the BSSR in Minsk. After graduating in 1931, Vasily Margelov was appointed commander of a machine-gun platoon of the regimental school of the 99th rifle regiment of the 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 a separate reconnaissance ski battalion of the 596th rifle regiment of the 122nd division.

It was hard for the Soviet troops to fight against 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 the officers of the Swedish General Staff. Sweden was not officially at war with the USSR, but actively helped the Finns with volunteers and materials. Here 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 were serving sentences for ordinary and junior commanding officers, 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 "disbats".

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

Vasily Margelov, 1963. Source: Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation

During the Great Patriotic War, Vasily Margelov was 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 the crossing of the Dnieper and the liberation of Kherson, the divisional 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 the photographs of the Victory Parade - Vasily Margelov commanded a combined regiment of the 2nd Ukrainian Front.

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

Paratrooper is cool

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

The landing 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, terrify behind enemy lines and fight until the main forces approach, while suffering significant losses.

General Margelov believed that the paratroopers were capable of solving much more serious tasks. This requires good training and appropriate technical equipment.

In later Soviet times at the word "paratrooper" citizens imagined a tough man in camouflage uniform, breaking bricks with the edge of his palm and owning hand-to-hand combat techniques no worse than a Japanese ninja. Such skills among the Soviet paratroopers appeared thanks to the training system introduced by General Margelov.

Technique for "winged infantry"

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

In 1954, all the Airborne Forces were given under the command of the innovator. And General Margelov began to change the picture as a whole.

He haunted weapons designers, demanding that modifications of automatic weapons be created taking into account the specifics of the landing force. He sought combat vehicles from tank builders, which would be “sharpened” for “winged infantry”. Aircraft designers especially got it - Margelov demanded from them transport workers who could parachute entire regiments along with equipment within a few minutes.

The most surprising thing is that Vasily Margelov received all this - machine guns with a folding butt, airborne combat vehicles (do not try to call BMD a tank with paratroopers), An-12, An-22 and Il-76 transport aircraft.

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

Paratroopers at the exercises "Dvina". Photo for memory with the commander of the Airborne Forces Vasily Margelov (center). 1970 Photo: RIA Novosti / Lev Polikashin

"First Cosmonaut of the Airborne Forces"

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

For a long time, this thought seemed crazy. Engineers did not guarantee the survival of the fighters. But the commander of the Airborne Forces got his way.

On January 5, 1973, a BMD-1 with two crew members in the cockpit took place at the Slobodka airborne parachute track near Tula. One of the testers was senior lieutenant Alexander Margelov- The commander's son. General Margelov monitored the operation from the command post. A pistol lay next to him - in case of failure and the death of his subordinates, the commander of the Airborne Forces was going to pass judgment on himself. But the landing was successful.

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

“Fly agarics don’t show me anymore!”

Thanks to Vasily Margelov, the Airborne Forces have turned into an army elite, into a powerful shock fist that they have to reckon with all over the world. In a matter of hours, thousands of fighters and hundreds of armored vehicles can be deployed over vast distances, and immediately begin to solve problems of any complexity.

Even in the Hollywood action movies of the era " cold war» paratroopers have become a symbol of the «red threat».

The number of legends about General Margelov himself is such that it is already impossible to understand them - where is the truth, and where is a 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: “Don’t show me fly agarics again!”. As a result, the commander achieved the introduction of blue berets.

In the 1970s, filmmakers were making a film about the paratroopers, Blue Lightning. The director with a film crew came to the training ground to look at how the soldiers of the Airborne Forces are training. Naturally, the creator of the picture did not miss the opportunity to consult with General Margelov, who was also present there. The commander said: "You show me a paratrooper in the film in such a way 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

Indisputable 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, guru, indisputable authority.

He died in March 1990, without seeing the collapse of the USSR and the collapse of the Airborne Forces he created.

Traditions are strong. General Margelov is 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.

Margelov Vasily Filippovich - commander of the 49th Guards Rifle Division of the 28th Army of the 3rd Ukrainian Front, Guards Colonel.

Born on December 14 (27), 1908 in the city of Yekaterinoslav, Yekaterinoslav province (now Dnipro, Ukraine). Russian. The son of an iron foundry worker.

In 1913, the family returned from the Donbass to their father's homeland in the town of Kostyukovichi, Klmovichi district, Mogilev province (now a city in the Mogilev region of Belarus).

Graduated primary school in 1921. From 1921 he worked as an apprentice and assistant to the master in a leather workshop, from 1923 he worked as a laborer at the Khleboprodukt trust in Kostyukovichi. Since 1924, on the basis of Komsomol mobilization, he worked at the mine named after M.I. Kalinina in Yekaterinoslav - a laborer, horse-racing. In 1926 he returned to Kostyukovichi, worked at the local timber industry enterprise - a forester, chairman of the workers' committee, chairman of the tax commission. Member of the CPSU (b) / CPSU since 1929.

In the Red Army since August 1928, on a Komsomol ticket. He graduated from the United Belarusian Military School named after the Central Executive Committee of the Belarusian SSR (Minsk) in 1931. Since 1931 - the commander of a machine-gun platoon of the 99th rifle regiment of the 33rd rifle division of the Belarusian military district. Since December 1932 - a cadet of the 3rd Orenburg school of pilots and pilot-observers, but already in January 1933 he was expelled from it for "politically illiterate statements." From January 1933 - platoon commander, from February 1934 - assistant company commander, from May 1936 - commander of a machine-gun company of the Joint Belarusian Military School named after the Central Executive Committee of the Belarusian SSR. Within the walls of this military educational institution Margelov conducted classes in fire, physical training and tactics. He has established himself as an excellent shooter from various types of weapons.

Since October 1938 - battalion commander of the 25th Infantry Regiment of the 8th Infantry Division named after F.E. Dzerzhinsky Belarusian Military District, head of intelligence division. Member of the Liberation Campaign of the Red Army in Western Belarus in September 1939. When meeting with German troops in Poland, he completed the daring task of capturing samples of the latest German weapons, and was seriously wounded.

Since December 1939 - commander of a separate ski reconnaissance and sabotage battalion of the 596th rifle regiment of the 122nd rifle division. Member of the Soviet-Finnish war of 1939-1940, where at the head of the battalion he made several raids on the rear of the enemy. The reconnaissance group under his command captured groups of Swedish officers who volunteered to go to the front as part of the Finnish army. in this war he was wounded for the second time.

From April 1940 - Assistant Commander of the 596th Infantry Regiment for combat units. From October 1940 - commander of the 15th separate disciplinary battalion (Leningrad Military District).

On the fronts of the Great Patriotic War, Major V.F. Margelov since July 1941. Since July 1941 - the commander of the 3rd rifle regiment in the 1st Leningrad division of the people's militia (since September 1941 - the 1st motorized division). From November 1941 - commander of the 1st Special Ski Regiment of the Marine Corps of the Baltic Fleet on Leningrad Front. During a ski raid behind enemy lines on Lake Ladoga on November 21, 1941, he was seriously wounded.

After recovery, from February 1942 - commander of the 218th rifle regiment of the 80th rifle division of the 54th army of the Leningrad and Volkhov fronts. Participant heroic defense Leningrad, again proved himself a master of raids behind enemy lines. From July 1942 - commander of the 13th Guards Rifle Regiment of the 3rd Guards Rifle Division. Having completed the reorganization in the Tambov region, in October 1942 the division departed for the Southern Front, where it became part of the 2nd Guards Army. She entered the battle in December 1942 during the Kotelnikovskaya defensive operation, repelling an attempt to break through the German Army Group Don by E. von Manstein to the rescue of the 6th Army of F. Paulus surrounded in Stalingrad. Polk V.F. Margelov stood to death for three days, repulsing enemy tank attacks and not only survived, but also successfully pursued the enemy during the Soviet counter-offensive that had begun. During the period of defensive battles from December 20 to 23 and during the period of offensive battles from December 24 to 31, the Guards Regiment destroyed up to 900 enemy soldiers, knocked out 36 tanks and armored vehicles, captured 2 tanks, 12 field and 2 anti-aircraft guns.

Since January 1943 - Deputy Commander of the 3rd Guards Rifle Division of the 2nd Guards Army of the Southern Front, participated in the Rostov offensive operation(January-February 1943). From April 1943 - deputy commander of this division, successfully operated in the Donbass (August-September 1943) and Melitopol (September-November 1943) offensive operations on the Southern and 4th Ukrainian fronts.

Since December 1943 - acting, and in June 1944 he was approved as commander of the 49th Guards Rifle Division, which he commanded until the end of the war. Commander of the 49th Guards Rifle Division of the 28th Army of the 3rd Ukrainian Front Guard Colonel V.F. Margelov showed the outstanding qualities of a military leader, as well as personal courage and heroism during the Bereznego-Snigirev offensive operation (March 1944). Parts of the division on the night of March 12 crossed the Dnieper in the area of ​​​​the village of Kazatskaya and rapidly developed the offensive, together with the 2nd mechanized corps, to the flank of the Nazi group in Kherson. On the night of March 13, the division crossed the Ingulets River on the move, broke into Kherson a few hours later, and on March 13, 1944, together with other parts of the army, liberated the city from the invaders.

By order of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief I.V. Stalin, the 49th Guards Rifle Division was given the name "Kherson", among other military formations participating in the liberation of the city of Kherson, gratitude was declared and salute was given in Moscow with 20 artillery salvos from 224 guns .

By the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of March 19, 1944, for the exemplary performance of combat missions of the command on the front of the fight against the German invaders and the courage and heroism shown by the guards to Colonel Margelov Vasily Filippovich He was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union with the Order of Lenin and the Gold Star medal.

Later, the 49th Guards Division V.F. Margelova, as part of the troops of the 3rd and 2nd Ukrainian fronts, participated in the Iasi-Chisinau, Belgrade, Budapest, Vienna and Prague operations, freeing Romania, Bulgaria, Yugoslavia, Czechoslovakia, Hungary and Austria. For new exploits in battle, the division was awarded the Order of the Red Banner and Suvorov 2nd degree, and its commander was awarded twelve thanks from the Supreme Commander-in-Chief (03/13/1944, 03/28/1944, 04/10/1944, 11/4/1944, 12/24/1944, 02/13/1945 , 03/25/1945, 04/3/1945, 04/5/1945, 04/13/1945, 04/13/1945, 05/08/1945).

On June 24, 1945, at the Victory Parade, the commander of the 49th Red Banner Kherson Order of the Suvorov Guards Rifle Division, Major General Margelov, commanded a combined battalion of the 2nd Ukrainian Front.

After the war, he continued to serve in the Soviet Army, commanded the same division, and in January 1946 left to study. In 1948 he graduated from the Higher Military Academy named after K.E. Voroshilov. From April 1948 - commander of the 76th Guards Chernigov Airborne Division (Pskov). From April 1950 - commander of the 37th Svir airborne corps of the 1st Red Banner Army (Primorsky Territory).

Since May 1954 - Commander of the Airborne Forces. From March 1959 to July 1961 he was the first deputy commander of the Airborne Forces (he was demoted due to a major emergency in one of the units of the Airborne Forces), then from July 1961 he was again the commander of the Airborne Forces. General V.F. Margelov is rightfully unanimously recognized as the founder of the modern Airborne Forces. He developed the concept of these troops (the ability for long-range and rapid deployment of troops, high firepower, the most modern airborne equipment) and it was fully implemented by him in practice. He had unquestioned authority in the Airborne Forces. The unofficial title of "paratrooper No. 1" was assigned to the general, and the only unofficial title of "Uncle Vasya's Troops" was assigned to the Airborne Forces.

Since January 1979 - military inspector-adviser of the Group of General Inspectors of the USSR Ministry of Defense. Lived in the city of Moscow. Passed away March 4, 1990. He was buried at the Novodevichy Cemetery in Moscow (plot 11).

Military ranks:
senior lieutenant (1936),
captain (1938)
major (03/21/1940),
lieutenant colonel (06/28/1942),
colonel (04/15/1943),
major general (09/13/1944),
lieutenant general (3.08.1953),
colonel general (22.02.1963),
army general (10/25/1967).

He was awarded 4 Orders of Lenin (03/19/1944; 11/03/1953; 12/26/1968; 12/26/1978), the Order of the October Revolution (05/04/1972), 2 Orders of the Red Banner (02/03/1943; 06/20/1949), the Order of Suvorov 2nd degree (04/28/1945), 2 Orders of the Patriotic War of the 1st degree (01/25/1944; 03/11/1985), Orders of the Red Star (11/03/1944), "For Service to the Motherland in the Armed Forces of the USSR" 2nd (12/14/1988 ) and 3rd (04/30/1975) degrees, medals, including "For the Defense of Leningrad" (1943), "For the Defense of Stalingrad" (1943), "For the Capture of Budapest" (1945), "For the Capture of Vienna" ( 1945), "For Strengthening the Combat Commonwealth" (05/31/1980), 12 Thanks from the Supreme Commander-in-Chief (03/13/1944; 03/28/1944; 04/10/1944; 11/04/1944; 12/24/1944; 02/13/1945; 1945; 04/05/1945; 04/13/1945; 04/13/1945; 05/08/1945).

He was awarded numerous foreign awards: the Order of the People's Republic of Bulgaria, 2nd degree (09/20/1969) and 4 commemorative medals of Bulgaria (1974, 1978, 1982, 1985); the star and badge of the Order of the People's Republic of Hungary, 3rd class (04/04/1950) and the Brotherhood in Arms medal, gold degree (Hungary, 09/29/1985); the officer's cross of the Order of the Revival of Poland (06.11.1973) and the Polish medals "For the Odra, Nisa and the Baltic" (07.05.1985) and "Brotherhood in Arms" (12.10.1988); the Romanian Order of Tudor Vladimirescu 2nd (10/01/1974) and 3rd (10/24/1969) degrees and 2 commemorative medals of Romania (1969, 1974); the Czechoslovak Order of Klement Gottwald (1975), the medal "For Strengthening Friendship in Arms" 1st degree (Czechoslovakia, 1970) and two commemorative medals of Czechoslovakia (1971, 1975); the Order of the Red Banner of War (Mongolia, 06/07/1971) and seven commemorative medals of the MPR (1968, 1971, 1974, 1975, 1979, 1982); Chinese medal "Sino-Soviet friendship" (02/23/1955); the Order of the Star of Friendship of Peoples in silver (GDR, 02/23/1978) and the Arthur Becker medal in gold (GDR, 05/23/1980); 2 commemorative medals of Cuba (1978, 1986); the Order of the Legion of Merit, the degree of commander (USA, 05/10/1945) and the Bronze Star medal (USA, 05/10/1945).

Laureate of the State Prize of the USSR (1975).

The Ryazan Military Institute of Airborne Forces, the Department of the Airborne Forces of the Combined Arms Academy of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, School No. 18 of the city of Pskov, the Rostov Sergius of Radonezh Cadet Corps and the Nizhny Novgorod Cadet Boarding School, many teenage military-patriotic clubs of the airborne profile are named after General Margelov. In the homeland of the Hero, in the city of Dnepropetrovsk, a monument was erected to him. Also, monuments to paratrooper No. 1 were installed in the cities of St. Petersburg, Omsk, Tula, Ulyanovsk, Ivanovo, Nazran, Ryazan and in the village of Seltsy of the Ryazan region (training center for the Airborne Forces), in Ukraine - Lvov and Kherson, in the capital of Moldova, Chisinau, in Belarusian cities Vitebsk and Kostyukovichi. Streets in Pskov, Omsk, Tula, Vitebsk, a square in Moscow, a square in St. Petersburg bear his name. In Moscow, on the house in Sivtsev Vrazhek Lane, where Margelov lived for the last 20 years of his life, and on house 34 along Khoroshevsky Highway, memorial plaques were installed. Annotation boards have also been installed on the streets bearing the name of General Margelov.

By order of the Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation dated May 6, 2005, the departmental medal "General of the Army Margelov" was established.

Paratrooper writer Nikolai Ivanov about V.F. Margelov:

"The Airborne Forces are not actually the Airborne Forces. These are not even Weekends Throw away, if we talk about officers.

The Airborne Forces are the Troops of Uncle Vasya. This refers to their commander, General of the Army Vasily Filippovich Margelov. There were many legends about him during his lifetime and now there are many legends - real, contrived and simply invented, which, in turn, could very well have been. Actually, for a cool temper in 1959, he was removed from this position, but a year and a half later he was reinstated again: a worthy replacement could not be found.

Margelov created the spirit of the troops, and the paratroopers tore their vests on their chests just because they were paratroopers. She, a vest, he begged from A.A. Grechko, along with a blue beret (before the events in Czechoslovakia, berets were crimson). And one day in the bathhouse, seeing that some of the invited generals and colonels had civilian T-shirts under their shirts, he built them in the dressing room, took out those who had vests, and showed the rest to the door.

He smoked a lot - only "Belomor", often kept his hands in his pockets and cursed juicy. Oh, how many cases could be told about this, although the phrase "Romanian mess" was still considered the most terrible curse. It started in 1944, when, during the liberation of Romania, Margelov was shot from around the corner, wounding him in the cheek, and he, recognizing only open battle, considered this the highest insult. Since then, if, when checking a regiment, he threw this phrase, the commander went to the hospital on the same day to be transferred to the reserve - it was almost impossible to earn forgiveness.

In his office, he had pood weights, and when he was appointed to high positions, he asked candidates to "play around" with them. He could have had a drink, but, having closed his eyes right there at the table for two or three minutes, he got up cheerful. But if he came to parachute jumps, then he did not leave the tower until the last soldier landed. And when the idea was born to parachute people inside military vehicles - the equipment was dropped by parachute for a long time, now I wanted it to not stand on the site with “iron” after landing and not wait for the crews to descend on their parachutes, but immediately went into battle. The idea, of course, is very risky, because the paratrooper, who is inside the car, does not have the opportunity to influence the situation: how and where you land is the will of chance. Yes and no on reserve parachutes. But it's alluring.

In a word, Margelov supported the idea, and was the first to put his son, a major, in the BMD [currently Colonel Alexander Vasilyevich Margelov, Hero of Russia]. And he closed the hatch behind him. Let's not guess what he experienced when a plane with a "Centaur" appeared over the site, the ramp opened and a combat vehicle began to fall from there. The only thing he allowed himself later was to hug his son after a successful landing:

Do not disgrace, well done!

Under the leadership of Margelov for more than twenty years, the landing troops became one of the most mobile in the combat structure of the Armed Forces, prestigious service in them, especially revered by the people ... The photograph of Vasily Filippovich in demobilization albums went from the soldiers at the highest price - for a set of badges. The competition for the Ryazan Airborne School blocked the figures of VGIK and GITIS, and applicants who failed their exams for two or three months, before snow and frost, lived in the forests near Ryazan in the hope that someone would not withstand the stress and it would be possible to take his place . The spirit of the troops soared so high that the rest Soviet army was enrolled in the category of "solar" and "screws".

Lurie V.M. Admirals and generals of the USSR Navy: 1946-1960. - Moscow, 2007. Liberation of cities: A guide to the liberation of cities during the Second World War 1941-1945. The exploits of heroes are immortal. - Pskov, 2005