There are people who have left indelible mark on the history of Russia. Among them, Voronov Nikolai Nikolaevich - Marshal and Hero of the Soviet Union. A man who has gone through several wars and devoted his whole life to defending his homeland. This article is about him.
Childhood
Nikolai Nikolaevich Voronov was born in the last year of the 19th century on April 23 in St. Petersburg. His father had good career prospects. But, being a supporter of revolutionary transformations, after the events of 1905 he came to the attention of the gendarmes and for a long time ended up in the army of the unemployed.
The family in which three children were brought up suffered terrible hardships. Unable to endure eternal poverty, Voronov's mother committed suicide in 1908. First, the children took care of her friend, and then they returned to their father, who finally found a job.
Little Kohl entered study only on the second attempt, and even then - in a private institution. They didn’t want to take a child from an unreliable family into the state. But five years later (in 1914), Nikolai had to drop out of school due to financial problems.
Youth
To feed himself, the future marshal got a job as a secretary with an honest attorney. Father took his daughters to the village, where it was easier to survive. But in 16 he was taken to the front, and the care of his sisters fell on his brother's fragile shoulders.
I had to work even harder. Nevertheless, Nikolai Nikolaevich Voronov, who was distinguished by stubbornness and willpower from childhood, continued to gnaw at the granite of science on his own. In 1917 he was able to successfully pass exams and obtain a matriculation certificate.
Civil and Soviet-Polish Wars
In the spring of 1918, the biography of Nikolai Nikolaevich Voronov, who had not previously thought about the career of an officer, flowed in a new direction. A bloody civil war was in full swing in Russia, and this could not bother the young man. Once, after reading an ad in a newspaper about recruiting for artillery courses, he decided to sign up for them. This forever determined his fate.
After completing his studies, Nikolai Nikolaevich Voronov received the rank of red commander and led the platoon of the 2nd battery, which at that time was fighting with the White Guards of Yudenich near Pskov. The young red commander, according to his colleagues, was distinguished by a cheerful, light disposition. He was able to distract soldiers from heavy thoughts and motivate them to heroic deeds. Including, and own example.
From the middle of the spring of the twentieth year, Voronov took part in the Soviet-Polish military campaign. During the offensive on Warsaw, the battery he commanded entered into an unequal battle with the enemy, which had a significant quantitative advantage. The Red Army had to retreat, and Nikolai Nikolaevich took on the mission to destroy the guns.
During the execution of this task, he was seriously shell-shocked. A little later he was captured, where he stayed for more than six months. He suffered from pneumonia and typhoid fever, almost lost his legs, but survived. And in April of the twenty-first year, as part of the prisoner exchange procedure, he was deported to the USSR.
Service 1922 to 1937
After returning to their homeland, Voronov Nikolai Nikolaevich was treated for a long time in the hospital, and then returned to duty. The surviving horrors of war did not lead him astray. He served in the 27th Omsk Rifle Division. He was in good standing with the leadership, which, as a sign of encouragement, sent him to study at the Frunze Academy. Her Voronov successfully graduated in 1930.
Having become a certified specialist, Nikolai Nikolayevich commanded an artillery regiment of the 1st Moscow proletarian division. Twice visited Italy, where he took part in military maneuvers. In 1934 he headed the 1st artillery school in Leningrad, for the successful leadership of which, after 2 years, he received the Order of the Red Star.
A very useful thing for Voronov Nikolai Nikolaevich was a visit to Spain, blazing in the flames of the civil war. While there as a volunteer, he learned a lot of new and necessary for his profession. This experience was useful to him later - during the Second World War.
Head of artillery of the Red Army
From 1937 to 1940, Voronov headed the artillery of the Red Army, which he managed to significantly modernize during this time. Being a competent and experienced specialist, he introduced many new programs, and even entered the commission, which developed the weapons system at the highest level. It was a big war, and everyone understood that.
This period of Nikolai Nikolaevich's life was marked by participation in the Soviet-Finnish campaign, as well as in the operation to join Northern Bukovina and Bessarabia to the Soviet Union. In 1939, he got into a serious accident and miraculously survived. But the injuries significantly affected his health. In 1940, Voronov was awarded the rank of Colonel-General of Artillery.
The Great Patriotic War
During World War II, Nikolai Nikolaevich did not take a direct part in the hostilities. His mission was different. In the very first days after the treacherous invasion of the Nazis, he was engaged in strengthening the air defense of the capital. Later he built the anti-tank defense of Leningrad.
Among his most important achievements is the removal of artillery pieces from the retreat zones to the rear. It was not easy to crank up such an operation. But it was these guns that played a huge role when our troops went on the offensive.
Another achievement is the reform, during which the air defense forces became subordinate to the Red Army. This allowed the gunners and air defense forces to act more coherently. A little later, Voronov developed a project according to which infantry was accompanied by mobile artillery pieces. This resolved a sore point. The infantrymen received at least some protection from enemy aircraft, which until then had behaved extremely brazenly from impunity and foiled more than one important operation.
As a representative of the Headquarters, the Ravens visited the area of the Battle of Stalingrad and Kursk. The supreme leadership often sent him to the most important areas of military events to adequately assess the situation. Stalin believed him. And Nikolai Nikolaevich in most cases justified trust.
Voronov represented the Soviet side at a meeting with Churchill in 1942. In 1943 he was awarded the title of Marshal. And since February 1944, Voronov Nikolai Nikolaevich - Chief Marshal of Artillery of the USSR.
Post-war years
In 1946, at the initiative of Voronov, the Academy of Artillery Sciences was created in Moscow, which he headed 4 years later. Huge research work was carried out here with the participation of the largest Soviet scientists. From 1953 to 1958 Nikolai Nikolaevich oversaw the Leningrad Artillery Command Academy. And at the very end of the 50s he went to work in the General Inspectorate of Moscow Region.
Since 1965, Voronov Nikolai Nikolaevich - Hero of the Soviet Union. The assignment of this title was timed to the 20th anniversary of the Victory. Marshal until the end of his life was active in patriotic education of youth. He died on February 28, 1968 from cancer. The ashes of the hero are buried near the walls of the Kremlin.
