Soviet military commander and Marshal of the Soviet Union
In this name that follows Eastern Slavic naming customs, the patronymic is Ivanovich and the family name is Chuikov.
Marshal of the Soviet Union
Vasily Chuikov
Chuikov c. 1950s
Native name
Василий Иванович Чуйков
Nickname(s)
"The Man of Iron Will" "The Stone"
Born
12 February 1900 Serebryanye Prudy, Tula Governorate, Russian Empire
Died
18 March 1982(1982-03-18) (aged 82) Moscow, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union
Place of burial
Mamayev Kurgan, Volgograd, Russia
Allegiance
Russian SFSR (1917–1922) Soviet Union (1922–1972)
Years of service
1917–1972
Rank
Marshal of the Soviet Union (1955–1972)
Commands held
4th Army 64th Army 62nd Army 8th Guards Army Group of Soviet Forces in Germany Kiev Military District
Battles/wars
Russian Civil War
Polish–Soviet War
World War II
Soviet invasion of Poland
Winter War
Great Patriotic War
Battle of Stalingrad
Operation Bagration
Battle of Poznań
Battle of Berlin
Occupation of Germany
Awards
Twice Hero of the Soviet Union Distinguished Service Cross (United States)
Other work
1961 until his death, he was a member of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union
Vasily Ivanovich Chuikov (Russian: Васи́лий Ива́нович Чуйко́в, Russian:[vɐˈsʲilʲɪjt͡ɕʉjkof]ⓘ; 12 February [O.S. 31 January] 1900 – 18 March 1982) was a Soviet military commander and Marshal of the Soviet Union. He is best known for commanding the 62nd Army which saw heavy combat during the Battle of Stalingrad in the Second World War.
Born to a peasant family near Tula, Chuikov earned his living as a factory worker from the age of 12. After the Russian Revolution of 1917, he joined the Red Army and distinguished himself during the Russian Civil War. After graduating from the Frunze Military Academy, Chuikov worked as a military attaché and intelligence officer in China and the Russian Far East. At the outbreak of the Second World War, Chuikov commanded the 4th Army during the Soviet invasion of Poland, and the 9th Army during the Winter War against Finland. In December 1940, he was again appointed military attaché to China in support of Chiang Kai-shek and the Nationalists in the war against Japan.
In March 1942, Chuikov was recalled from China to defend against the German invasion of the Soviet Union. By September, he was assigned command of the 62nd Army in defense of Stalingrad. Tasked with holding the city at all costs, Chuikov adopted keeping the Soviet front-line positions as close to the Germans as physically possible. This served as an effective countermeasure against the Wehrmacht's combined-arms tactics, but by mid-November 1942 the Germans had captured most of the city after months of slow advance. In late November Chuikov's 62nd Army joined the rest of the Soviet forces in a counter-offensive, which led to the surrender of the German 6th Army in early 1943. After Stalingrad, Chuikov led his forces into Poland during Operation Bagration and the Vistula–Oder Offensive before advancing on Berlin. He personally accepted the unconditional surrender of German forces in Berlin on 2 May 1945.
After the war, Chuikov served as Chief of the Group of Soviet Forces in Germany (1949–53), commander of the Kiev Military District (1953–60), Chief of the Soviet Armed Forces and Deputy Minister of Defense (1960–64), and head of the Soviet Civil Defense Forces (1961–72). Chuikov was twice awarded the titles Hero of the Soviet Union (1944 and 1945) and was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross by the United States for his actions during the Battle of Stalingrad. In 1955, he was named a Marshal of the Soviet Union. Following his death in 1982, Chuikov was interred at the Stalingrad memorial at Mamayev Kurgan, which had been the site of heavy fighting.
to 8th Guards Army at Wikimedia Commons VasilyChuikov, The Fall of Berlin, transl/pub 1969 Chuikov, Vasily (1959). Начало пути [Beginning of the Path]...
Krebs, who had been sent by Goebbels, and Soviet Lieutenant General VasilyChuikov ended with no agreement. According to Hitler's personal secretary Traudl...
Marshal of the Soviet Union VasilyChuikov is buried in the area of the monument, as is famous WWII-era Russian sniper Vasily Zaytsev, who killed 225 soldiers...
Defence Area, General Helmuth Weidling, surrendered to Lieutenant-General VasilyChuikov, commander of the Soviet 8th Guards Army, a component of Marshal Georgiy...
usage of tanks and artillery in the ruins of the city, Soviet commander VasilyChuikov introduced a tactic he described as "hugging" the enemy: keeping Soviet...
quotations related to Vasily Grossman. Study Center Vasily Grossman: Study Center Vasily Grossman (Italian/Russian) Study Centre Vasily Grossman Documentation...
authorities commissioned the enormous Mamayev Kurgan memorial complex. VasilyChuikov, who led Soviet forces at Stalingrad, lies buried at Mamayev Kurgan;...
has media related to Vasily Sokolovsky. Wikiquote has quotations related to Vasily Sokolovsky. Newspaper clippings about Vasily Sokolovsky in the 20th...
Germans until relieved by advancing Soviet forces two months later. VasilyChuikov, commanding general of the Soviet forces in Stalingrad, claimed that...
white flag, to deliver a letter he had written to Soviet General VasilyChuikov. Chuikov, as commander of the Soviet 8th Guards Army, commanded the Soviet...
Stalingrad, Yeryomenko replaced him with Lt. Gen. VasilyChuikov as Army commander on Sept. 11, 1942. Chuikov and the 62nd Army went on to prove themselves...
the city. His role in the Stalingrad defense was not major—General VasilyChuikov, who led the city's defense, mentions Khrushchev only briefly in a memoir...
worked in is the 2004 film Downfall, in which he played Soviet general VasilyChuikov. In 2005, he earned the honorary title of the Merited Artist of the...
garden because of the continuous shelling. Krebs met Soviet general VasilyChuikov just prior to 04:00 on 1 May, giving him the news of Hitler's death...
letter to Soviet Army Marshall VasilyChuikov, requesting a temporary ceasefire, and ordered General Krebs to deliver it. Chuikov commanded the Soviet forces...
Mosfilm production of "Stalingrad", in which he played the role of General Chuikov, commander of the Soviet 62nd Army. Additionally, he appeared in the 1990...