Ivan Stepanovich
Konev
1897-1973
Ivan Stepanovich Konev was a Soviet military commander and statesman. He was a Commander of the Great Patriotic War, Marshal of the Soviet Union (20.02.1944), twice Hero of the Soviet Union (1944, 1945), Knight of the Order of Victory, the Hero of the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic (1970), the Hero of the Mongolian People’s Republic (MPR) (1971). He was Russian, from peasants. He was born on December 16 (28), 1897 in the village of Lodeyno, the Nikolsk county (uyezd), the Vologda governorate, the Russian Empire (now it is Podosinovets district, Kirov region, Russian Federation) in a peasant family. In May 1916, he was drafted into the Russian Imperial Army. He graduated from the artillery training team, served in the reserve heavy artillery brigade (Moscow). He was promoted to junior non-commissioned officers. He was a participant of the First World War, non-commissioned officer (firecracker). He started to serve in the Red Army since 1918. During the Civil War, he was the chief of the army staff. He fought with the troops of Kolchak, Ataman Semenov and the Japanese occupiers. He joined VKP (b) since 1918. In 1937-1938 he commanded the special group of troops sent to Mongolia to cover its borders from Japanese attacks. In 1940-1941 he was the Commander of the troops of the Transbaikal Military District and the North Caucasian Military District. He spoke English. During the Great Patriotic War, he commanded the 19th Army and troops of a number of fronts: Commander of the Western Front (12.09.1941-12.10.1941), Kalinin Front (19.10.1941 – 26.08.1942), Northwestern Front (14.03.1943 – 22.06.1943), Steppe Front (09.07.1943 – 30.10.1943), 2nd Ukrainian Front (20.10.1943 – 21.05.1944). At the final stage, he commanded the 1st Ukrainian Front (24.05.1944 – 10.06.1945), which participated in the Silesian and Berlin operations, the rescue of Prague. After the war he was the Commander-in-chief of the Central Group of Soviet Troops. In 1946-1948 he was the Commander–in-Chief of the Ground Forces – 1st Deputy Minister of Defence. Since 1950 he was the Chief Inspector of the Soviet Army – Deputy Minister of Defence. In 1951 he was the Commander of the troops of the Carpathian Military District. In 1955-1960 he was the Commander–in–Chief of the Joint Armed Forces of the Warsaw Pact member States. He was the 1st Deputy Minister of Defence of the USSR. In 1960-1961 he was the Commander-in-Chief of the Group of Soviet Troops in Germany. From June 1960 to August 1961 and from April 1962 he was in the Group of General Inspectors of the Ministry of Defence of the USSR. In August 1961 – April 1962 he was the Commander-in-Chief of the Group of Soviet Troops in Germany during the Berlin crisis. On January 30, 1965, as a part of the Soviet government delegation, he took part in the funeral of former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill.
Address: Moscow, Marshal Konev str., 10 (territory of GBOU SOSH “School of Health” No. 738)
