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Georgiy Fedorovich Zakharov | |
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| Native name | Георгий Фёдорович Заха́ров |
| Born | (1897-04-23)23 April 1897 Shilov,Saratov Governorate, Russian Empire |
| Died | 26 January 1957(1957-01-26) (aged 59) Moscow, USSR |
| Allegiance |  Russian Empire Soviet Union |
| Service | Imperial Russian Army Red Army |
| Years of service | 1915 – 1917 1917 – 1955 |
| Rank | Army General |
| Commands | Bryansk Front North Caucasian Front 51st Army 2nd Guards Army 2nd Belorussian Front 4th Guards Army South Ural Military District |
| Battles / wars | |
Georgiy Fedorovich Zakharov (Russian:Гео́ргий Фёдорович Заха́ров; 23 April 1897 – 26 January 1957) was a Soviet general who served in World War I, the Russian Civil War, and World War II.[1]
Zakharov was born on April 23, 1897, in the village of Shilov,Russia (now in theSaratov region), and began military service in 1915.
Zakharov participated in theFirst World War with the rank of secondlieutenant, having completed training at a school for ensigns in 1916. In October 1917, he was elected a regimental commander. During theRussian Civil War, from August 1919 he became a company commander in theRed Army, and was in combat on the Eastern Front.
Zakharov continued his training throughout the 1920s, including the officer training courses known asVystrel (1923). He also took a teaching assignment at theFrunze Military Academy from 1933, and underwent further training at theMilitary Academy of the General Staff in 1939.
From 1939–1941 Zakharov served as Chief of Staff of theUral Military District.
During the first days ofWorld War II, Zakharov was serving asChief of Staff of the22nd Army, which saw action against the German invasion,Operation Barbarossa, in the environs ofVitebsk,Velikie Luki andNevel. From August 1941, Zakharov was Chief of Staff and, during October- November, the commander of theBryansk Front, which covered theOryol -Tula andL'vov -Kursk axes.
From December 1941, Zakharov was deputy Commander of the Western Front, which participated in the counterattack on the approaches toMoscow during theBattle of Moscow. From April 1942, Zakharov was Chief of Staff of theNorth Caucasian Strategic Direction; from May, the commander of theNorth Caucasian Front, and; from August, the chief of staff of theStalingrad Front. From October 1942, Zakharov was the deputy commander of theStalingrad Front, where he successfully exercised leadership of the armies on the Front's left wing during the Soviet counterattack. During January 1943, Zakharov was appointed Deputy Commander of theSouthern Front, while from February he was commander of the51st Army.
From July 1943, Zakharov commanded the2nd Guards Army, which performed outstandingly during the penetration of the German defences on theMius andMolochnaya rivers. Under his leadership, the 2nd Guards Army broke through powerful fortified positions on thePerekop Isthmus during April 1944 and participated in the liberation ofSevastopol.
During 1944, Zakharov was given the responsibility of commanding the2nd Belorussian Front during the major strategic offensive,Operation Bagration. The Front's performance during this operation was criticised as inadequate, and from November Zakharov was effectively demoted to command of the4th Guards Army, which was employed in forcing crossings of theDanube and participated in the envelopment of German forces inBudapest during theBattle of Budapest. In April 1945, Zakharov was appointed Deputy Commander of the4th Ukrainian Front.
After the war, Zakharov commanded the troops of the Southern-Ural (1945–46) and Eastern Siberian (1947–50) military districts, and was the commander ofVystrel courses (1950–53). From September 1954, he was the Deputy Department Chief of combat training of ground forces.
Zakharov was awarded theOrder of Lenin, with fourOrders of the Red Banner, twoOrders of Suvorov 1st Class, theOrder of Kutuzov 1st Class,Order of Bogdan Khmelnitsky 1st Class, Order of Suvorov 2nd Class, and numerousmedals.
