Where the participant of the Great Patriotic War Gareev Makhmut died. Contours of the armed struggle of the future

Makhmut Akhmetovich Gareev was born in Chelyabinsk in a large family. Father and mother with children had to wander around the country in search of a better life, although the family roots that go back to the Tatar village of Salikhovo in the Chishminsky district of Bashkiria were not forgotten.

In 1931, the boy was only eight years old, when terrible unemployment broke out in the country, life became unbearably difficult, and his father decided to move his family to Uzbekistan, where, according to acquaintances, it was easier. So the Gareevs ended up in Karshi. In 1932 they moved to the Kitab district of the Kashkadarya region. Here Mahmut went to first grade. Primary School with teaching in Russian - only one room for three classes, studied in three shifts. Mahmut was the most capable, knew much more than his peers, and soon the teacher entrusted him to conduct classes with first-graders.

When he graduated from the 4th grade, the Gareevs, due to circumstances, first ended up in Kyrgyzstan, then in Bashkiria and again returned to Uzbekistan, where Makhmut was sent to study at the Leninabad cooperative technical school. Since childhood, he himself dreamed of becoming a military man, he read books about the war. In addition, there was a military unit nearby, and he enjoyed watching the daily life of the Red Army, imagining himself in the place of the commander. Having a good ear, he learned to play stringed instruments. He was noticed in the orchestra of a military unit, where he mastered the game on wind instruments. As a result, he was enrolled as a pupil in the cavalry regiment. In fact, this was the beginning of a military career.

Baptism of fire

After persistent appeals to the military registration and enlistment offices, on May 14, 1941, Makhmut Gareev became a cadet of the Tashkent Infantry School. But it didn’t take long to study: the Great Patriotic War broke out. The accelerated release of officers and already in November 1941, junior lieutenant Gareev received his first appointment - the commander of a rifle platoon of the 99th separate rifle brigade of the Central Asian military district.

“ I met Victory Day in a military echelon on the way to the Far East. In August-September 1945, he fought as part of the 1st Far Eastern Front against the Kwantung grouping ”

Two months later, after completing the "Shot" courses, he was sent to the front. At this time, there were fierce defensive battles near Vyazma and Rzhev. In the summer of 1942, Lieutenant Gareev was supposed to take over as company commander of a separate rifle battalion of the 120th separate brigade of the 7th Guards Corps (Western Front), but it was not destined to do so on that June day. He, who had just arrived at the command post of the brigade, had to, under continuous enemy fire across open areas, reach the location of the third battalion, cut off by enemy fire from the main forces. Crawling, using natural shelters, he nevertheless made his way to the NP of the battalion, where not a single officer remained in the ranks. Without hesitation, Lieutenant Gareev took over the command and managed the defensive operations for two days. Thanks to the skillful leadership of the young commander, the Nazis, having lost a lot of manpower and equipment, retreated to their original positions. So his baptism of fire took place. Soon a new commander, Captain Gubkin, arrived in the battalion, and Lieutenant Gareev assumed the position of commander of the 1st company.

The first offensive battle was not long in coming. In August 1942, near the village of Varganovo, two platoons of the battalion, commanded by the acting commander, Lieutenant Gareev, broke into the first trench of the enemy and started a battle, but the rest of the units lay down under heavy fire. The situation became extremely aggravated, but thanks to the personal example and competent actions of Gareev, who organized a swift throw of fighters under the cover of mortar fire, the Nazi stronghold was taken. In that battle, Makhmut Gareev was wounded for the first time, but remained in the ranks and continued to lead the battle.

After the hospital, he was appointed chief of staff of the battalion of the 50th separate ski brigade (Western Front). Endurance and excellent skiing skills gained in school years. After all, in winter I had to run up to 14 kilometers daily, skiing to school and home.

In 1944, he was again wounded and shell-shocked. And again he got out. And his ability to analytical work were noticed by the command of the 33rd Army. In January 1944, Senior Lieutenant Gareev was appointed chief of the operational department of the 36th separate rifle brigade of the 33rd army (Western Front), then assistant chief of the operational department of the headquarters of the 45th rifle corps of the 5th army (3rd Belorussian Front) and , finally, the senior assistant to the chief of the operational department of the headquarters of the 5th Army.

When performing combat missions, he was disgusted by the pattern, familiar, familiar to the enemy, and therefore ineffective solutions. In the attestations of 1944-1945 there is evidence that practical advice troops to improve the tactics of military operations in a wooded area and when mastering fortified settlements in East Prussia, developed by Gareev on the basis of an analysis of combat experience, were implemented in the orders of the commander of the 45th rifle corps and the commanders of the 33rd and 5th armies.

The officer performed his military duty honestly, selflessly. It fell to him to participate in fierce battles, to go through the combat path from Moscow to Koenigsberg.

However, on May 9, 1945, the war did not end for Major Gareev. He met Victory Day in a military echelon on the way to the Far East. In August-September 1945, he fought as part of the 1st Far Eastern Front against the Japanese Kwantung grouping. As an officer of the operational department of the headquarters of the 5th Army, he was directly involved in the preparation of the Manchurian strategic offensive operation and in its implementation. Mahmut Akhmetovich considers this operation one of the most outstanding in world military history.

After the victory in the Far East as a senior officer for the study of war experience of the operational department of the headquarters of the 5th Army, Major Gareev acted in the People's Liberation Army of China, participated in its formation (1946–1947). He would later tell about many episodes of the Soviet-Japanese War in his literary and scientific works.

In the summer of 1947, in China, he fell seriously ill with typhus. After the cure, he was sent to study as a student of the main faculty in military academy named after M.V. Frunze, which he graduated in 1950 with a gold medal. Graduates of this course later became the top military leaders of the Soviet Armed Forces. Among the fellow students of Makhmut Akhmetovich was the future chief of the General Staff of the USSR Armed Forces, Marshal Soviet Union Nikolay Ogarkov.

Then - service in the 50th Guards Rifle Division of the Belarusian Military District: Chief of Staff of the Guards motorized rifle regiment(Brest), senior officer of the operational directorate of the headquarters of the BVO (Minsk), chief of staff of the 120th Guards Motorized Rifle Division of the BVO.

In 1957, Colonel Gareev became a student of the main faculty of the VAGSh, which he also graduated with a gold medal. In the future, he began to successfully combine military service with scientific activities. Consistently defends candidate and doctoral dissertations in military sciences. Becomes a recognized specialist in the field of organizing and conducting military exercises. He worked on the development of this topic later, which was reflected in the books “Tactical exercises and maneuvers”, “Combined arms exercises”, which went through several editions.

Afghan Strada

He went through many stages career growth: commanded the 120th Guards Motor Rifle and 45th Guards Training Tank Divisions, was Chief of Staff of the 28th Army and the Ural Military District. The constant focus on mastering advanced knowledge and its application in the practice of combat training, innovation, the tireless search for scientifically based ways to improve the Armed Forces predetermined the further career path. For 15 years (1974-1989) Mahmut Akhmetovich headed military science in the Soviet Armed Forces. Initially, he led the Military Scientific Directorate of the General Staff of the USSR Armed Forces, and then served as Deputy Chief of the Main Operational Directorate, Deputy Chief of the General Staff, responsible for organizing scientific work and operational training in the army and navy.

We can safely say that few of the military leaders who subsequently held these high posts did as much as Gareev did for research and development. critical issues combat readiness, military construction, combat and operational training of the Armed Forces, automation of command and control.

He built his work on a solid scientific basis, having prepared and in 1977 successfully defended his dissertation for the degree of Doctor of Military Sciences. During this period, his fundamental works were published: “M. V. Frunze is a military theorist" (1985), "Soviet military science" (1988). In general, Mahmut Akhmetovich is the author of more than 200 scientific papers published, apart from Russia and other former republics of the Soviet Union, in Afghanistan, Bulgaria, Great Britain, Germany, Egypt, the Republic of Korea, Syria, the USA, the Czech Republic, and Switzerland.

But Gareev in these years had to act not only on the scientific front. He participated in four local wars and armed conflicts in the Middle East and Afghanistan. In 1970–1971, he served as chief of staff of the chief Soviet military adviser in Egypt. A special test fell in 1989-1990. Already after the withdrawal Soviet troops from Afghanistan, Colonel-General Gareev faced a very difficult mission. He was appointed chief military adviser to the Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces of the DRA, President Najibullah. And in the conditions of the military and economic superiority of the countries of the pro-American coalition, the reduction of Soviet assistance with a small group of military advisers from the USSR, for two years he coordinated the actions of the DRA army, allowing it to maintain the situation in Afghanistan and resist the Taliban. He was constantly on the front lines of defense. As a result of blowing up the car in which he went for reconnaissance, he was shell-shocked. He will later tell about his experiences in the book “Afghan suffering”, which was published in 1996 and today has gone through three editions.

On the scientific front

Gareev paved the way in science, following the thesis of the prominent military theorist of Russia Alexander Svechin: military history is the soil on which “the reference points of our military thinking are born”. Following this thesis, Doctor of Historical Sciences Gareev devoted his further scientific research to the study of the history of the Great Patriotic War and World War II, having won universal recognition and fame in this area.

Based on previous study closed documents Headquarters of the Supreme High Command and the General Staff he prepared and in 1995 published the monograph "Ambiguous pages of the war." It discusses many problematic plots of the Second World War and the Great Patriotic War, which still cause controversy and conflicting assessments: who and how unleashed the war, whether the Soviet Union was preparing a preemptive strike against Germany in 1941, the reasons for the failures of the Red Army in 1942, what could be alternative solutions and the actions of the belligerents in the battles of Stalingrad, Kursk, the most important operations of 1944-1945. In particular, the significance of such an important type of military operations as defense carried out on a strategic scale, due to a lack of understanding of the nature of which, according to the author, many troubles of 1941–1942, occurred. The fallacy and harmfulness of the stereotypes that dominated then in military theory are shown.

With the active participation of Gareev, many fundamental works were prepared, including the 12-volume “History of the Second World War. 1939-1945" (M., 1973-1982), 4-volume book "The Great Patriotic War 1941-1945. Military Historical Essays” (M., 1998–1999), a series of volumes of the 12-volume fundamental work “The Great Patriotic War of 1941–1945” published in 2015.

As deputy chairman of the Main Editorial Commission, Gareev supervised the preparation of the first edition of the Soviet military encyclopedia in our history. He took up the comprehension of the Manchurian strategic offensive operation - again, for the first time in military history. And he successfully solved this complex scientific problem by devoting several meaningful publications to this topic.

A milestone for Gareev was the study of trends in the development of the military-political situation in modern world, which embodied the scientist's firm belief in the prognostic function of military science and military history. Trying, figuratively speaking, to look beyond the horizon, to outline the contours of the armed struggle of the future, in 1995 he published the monograph “If there is war tomorrow?.. (What will change in the nature of armed struggle in the next 20-25 years)”, where he deeply examined the features of armed confrontation in large-scale and local wars, substantiated ways to prevent them. The books “If there is war tomorrow?..” and “Combined Arms Exercises” are accepted as textbooks in military universities in Russia, the USA, Syria and other countries.

In 1996, the capital monograph “Marshal Zhukov. The greatness and uniqueness of military leadership”, written for the 100th anniversary of the commander and awarded in 1998 the State Prize of the Russian Federation named after G.K. Zhukov. It is symbolic that Mahmut Akhmetovich became its first laureate. The logical continuation of this work is the book "Commanders of the Victory and their military heritage."

The scientist himself considers the work that he carried out in 1974-1988 as chairman of the State Commission for determining the losses of the Soviet Armed Forces in the Great Patriotic War to be the principal direction of historical research. Arbitrary figures, which in the previous period were referred to by many politicians, were to be replaced for the first time by scientifically based indicators of the heavy price that the people paid for the Victory. The Gareev Commission succeeded on the basis of an analysis of reports from the fronts, data from military registration and enlistment offices, military registration institutions and huge amount other documentary materials for the first time to reliably establish the combat losses of our Armed Forces and their opponents. The main, most mournful figure of the human losses of the Soviet Union, which amounted to about 27 million people, was established strictly scientifically and was only slightly refined by subsequent studies. Thus, a powerful blow was dealt to the falsifications that became more active in the second half of the 80s and had the unseemly goal of proving the backwardness of Soviet military art, the inability of the Red Army to fight without huge casualties.

Reply to the falsifiers

The fight against Russia was waged by the West from time immemorial in all directions by all possible means. Failing to win and conquer her military force, the West in the second half of the twentieth century launched a large-scale attack on the spiritual, moral, political, economic foundations of our state, its history. The attack on the national sanity of our compatriots has become an act of large-scale information war. The unipolar world order imposed on mankind required, first of all, a revision of the results of the Second World War, a distortion of the true role of the Soviet Armed Forces in achieving victory over fascism. That is why the history of the war has become an object of falsification.

Mahmut Akhmetovich repeatedly had to confront the falsifiers of history of all stripes in public and in the literary field. The content and results of this struggle formed the basis of the fundamental work "Battles on military-historical front”, published in 2010. An equally notable event was the creation of the historical documentary film "Prologue of the Great Patriotic War: Myths and Facts", which was shown on TV screens in Russia, the USA, Germany, Poland and was highly appreciated by the public. Mahmut Akhmetovich was the author of the artistic idea and the head of the creative team that worked on the film.

Per long life in science, he gained many supporters and followers of his views and beliefs. These scientists formed the core of the Academy of Military Sciences, established in 1995 in accordance with Presidential Decree No. 173, which developed its own school and methodology for geopolitical and operational-strategic research.

AVN RF unites leading scientists on a voluntary basis military organization Russia and the defense industry. In essence, an effective model of a community of like-minded people was found, which makes it possible to solve research problems economically, do without state subsidies, constantly expand the scope of research, and attract an additional detachment of retired military scientists, veterans, and military leaders to work. Moreover, scientists received a platform for expressing independent opinions and developing alternative proposals on topical defense issues.

Thanks to the high scientific and socio-political authority of Makhmut Akhmetovich Gareev, the Academy is adequately represented in the world scientific and political community. In addition to cooperation with the countries of the former USSR - Belarus and Kazakhstan, which have their own branches in the structure of the AVN, cooperation is developing with the countries of the Middle East, Southeast Asia, especially close in recent times- from China. A cooperation agreement was concluded between the Academy of Military Sciences and Jilin University of China, and a joint Center for the Study of the History of World War II - Anti-Japanese War was established.

In addition to scientific activities, General of the Army Gareev participates in public and political life, being a member of public organizations, a regular author of publications in the media, a member of the editorial boards of many magazines and publishing houses.

On the threshold of his 95th birthday, the army general remains in an enviable creative form, in a constant working mood, the leadership of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation listens to his opinion and recommendations. This, like the deep respect of the public, is perhaps the most high reward for the frontline.

Help "VPK"

The merits of Makhmut Akhmetovich Gareev to the Fatherland are highly appreciated by the state. For feats of arms and labor achievements, he was awarded four Orders of the Red Banner (1944,1945,1967,1982) and three Orders of the Red Star (1942, 1943, 1956). It is known that the order of Alexander Nevsky (1944) is especially dear to the general of the army. In the presentation for the award it was said: "For personal bravery in the withdrawal of the encirclement of the 82nd Cavalry Division." At that time the award junior officer, what was Captain Gareev, a military order - far from an ordinary event. Then other awards will come - the Order of the Red Banner of Labor (1981), "For Service to the Motherland in the USSR Armed Forces" 3rd degree (1975), "For Service to the Motherland in the USSR Armed Forces" 2nd degree (1986), Lenin (1989), Honor of the Russian Federation (1999), Friendship (2003), "For Merit to the Fatherland" (2013). The army general has more than 20 medals of the USSR and the Russian Federation, more than two dozen foreign awards. And on May 7, 2018, by the Decree of the President of the Russian Federation, Makhmut Akhmetovich Gareev was awarded another Order of Alexander Nevsky, now the state award of the Russian Federation.

It absorbed a whole era, its fate reflects the most difficult moments in the history of the country. Before the war, being a graduate of a cavalry regiment, he fought with the Basmachi in Central Asia (although 20 years have passed since the official announcement of the elimination of the Basmachi, individual gangs still raided cities and villages). A week before the start of World War II, he became a cadet at the Tashkent Infantry School, but he did not have to study for long - already in November 1941, in the fiercest battles near Moscow, young lieutenant Gareev received his first baptism of fire. And from then until the very last day he was at the forefront of the war: he fought on the Western and 3rd Belorussian fronts.

He ended the war in the Far East after the defeat of the Kwantung Army and the surrender of Japan, with the rank of major, as a senior officer in the operations department of the army headquarters on the 1st Far Eastern Front. His numerous awards for personal courage speak of how he fought, including four Orders of the Red Banner of War, three Orders of the Red Star, and two Orders of the Patriotic War.

After the war, he continued his military education. Graduated with honors from the Military Academy. M.V. Frunze and the Academy of the General Staff. He commanded a regiment, motorized rifle and tank divisions in the districts in the Far East and the Urals, was the chief of staff of the army in the Belarusian military district. In 1974 M.A. Gareev "was drafted" to the General Staff of the Soviet Army. He headed the military scientific department, was deputy chief of the Main Operational Directorate, and in 1987 he was appointed deputy chief of the General Staff of the Soviet Army.

Years of study in the academies, he fully used his service in leading positions in the General Staff for research work on the methodology of operational training, summarizing the experience of conducting combined arms exercises in Peaceful time, seriously took up the military-theoretical heritage of M.V. Frunze and the history of the Great Patriotic War. As a result, Mahmut Akhmetovich became a "twice doctor" - military and historical sciences.

M.A. Gareev prepared more than 250 scientific and journalistic works. Among them are such fundamental works as “Tactical Exercises and Maneuvers”, “Combined Arms Exercises”, “Afghan Strada”, “Military Science”, “If Tomorrow is War”, “Ambiguous Pages of War”, “M.V. Frunze - a military theorist", "Marshal Zhukov. The greatness and uniqueness of military leadership”, “Commanders of the Victory and their military heritage”, “Konstantin Simonov as a military writer” and others. In the year of the 85th anniversary of Makhmut Akhmetovich, in 2008, another book was published - “Battles on the military-historical front”. The name is very symbolic, reflecting the nature of General Gareev himself. For many, the war ended in 1945. But not for Makhmut Akhmetovich. He participated in six more so-called local wars and armed conflicts, including in China, Egypt, Syria, and Afghanistan.

Today he is at the forefront and with the fury of a soldier who went through the entire Great Patriotic War, a publicist, a scientist, a patriot-citizen, he defends the historical truth about it from all kinds of falsifiers, from attempts to defile the heroic pages of the history of our country.

- Makhmut Akhmetovich, how do you remember the first days in the war?

I started the war as a junior lieutenant. In November 1941, we arrived near Moscow, in the Istra region, in the 5th Army, in which I later went through the entire war. We arrived at the Chernyshevsky barracks, from there we were sent to the front - sometimes in passing cars, sometimes on foot. The front, unfortunately, was nearby. These were the most anxious, difficult days for Moscow, and indeed for the whole country.

I arrived at the battalion. A foreman with a bandaged hand comes forward. Injured. I ask: “Where is the battalion commander?” - "Not". - "Who are the officers?" - "There is not anyone". I took command of the battalion. I note that according to the staff, the battalion commander should be a lieutenant colonel, at least a major. Two days later they sent the battalion commander - the captain.

In the very first days I found myself in the most difficult conditions, in the most inferno. In war, the sense of faith is greatly aggravated. As a child, my father taught me to read prayers, after all, they lived in Uzbekistan. I prayed only out of respect for him, as I considered it a relic of the past. And when in November 1941 he came under bombing, he didn’t even notice how he climbed into the funnel and began to pray. War is a terrible thing, and a person, left alone with his fate, seeks protection. The belief that there is some power that will be on your side at the most desperate moment, will help you, is present in any person, no matter what religion he adheres to.

Everything happened in those damned November days. There was only no experience, knowledge of the features of the front-line situation, and there were not enough weapons, they didn’t even dream of machine guns then, they didn’t know people yet ...

Then there was a counteroffensive near Moscow, they liberated Rzhev, Vyazma .... In the summer offensive in August 1942, then I was the commander of a separate company in the brigade, I received the first wound in the arm. But for three days he could not leave the battlefield, such was the hot situation. The hand is swollen. In the end, he reported to the brigade commander and went to the army field hospital. Nobody told the clerk where I was. He wrote: "Missing." Then he told me that I was dead. Right now, the death toll continues to rise. Somehow he participated in the transfer of Posner, so he is also a reproach: there was a poor record of losses. I don’t mind, but I asked the presenter a question: “Can you tell exactly how many people died in Nord-Ost and Beslan?” He left the answer, and this moment was completely cut out of the program.

This is a small episode, and there is a war, when formations, headquarters many times got into the environment, left it, fell under the bombing ... Under such conditions, unfortunately, it is impossible to take into account every person. Yes, one can regret that not everything is taken into account, confusing, but one cannot throw angry accusations either. We count everyone - Tatars, Uzbeks, and Georgians .... And the Germans don't count the Austrians, the Romanians, too, the Italians... Is it possible to understand something from this arithmetic if one counts and the other doesn't? This is no longer historiography, not statistics, but dirty politics. Some people want to take on as many losses as possible in order to belittle the Victory. This topic is very painful for veterans. But organizing a competition “who can come up with the most losses” is blasphemy. I was the chairman of the commission to determine the losses, of course, I have more information. I have no right to reproach those who do not know. The truth about the losses, of course, must be told. Without this, it is impossible to fully assess the results of the war and the significance of the Victory achieved. We must self-critically admit that many speculations are generated by the fact that the original data were not published in a timely manner.

- What are the latest data on our losses today?

The total losses of the Soviet Union in the Great Patriotic War amount to 26.5 million people. Of these, pay attention, 18 million are civilians, victims of fascist atrocities in the occupied territory. Due to extremely unfortunate circumstances in initial period, a significant part of the losses occurred in the first two years of the war (3,048,800 people). The irretrievable losses of the fascist bloc amount to 9.3 million. Of these, 7.4 million are Germany itself and 1.2 million are its satellites in Europe, 0.7 million are Japan in the Manchurian operation. This is without taking into account the losses of auxiliary units from among the foreign formations that fought on the side of the Nazis, which, according to some sources, reach 500-600 thousand people.

In total, the irretrievable losses of the Soviet Armed Forces exceed the corresponding German losses by 1-1.5 million. But this is mainly due to the fact that 4.5 million of our prisoners of war were in fascist captivity, and only 2 million returned to their homeland after the war, the rest died as a result of fascist atrocities. By the way, the overwhelming majority of German prisoners of war - also about 2 million people - were returned to Germany after the war. You see, now even the humanity of our people, our country and the Armed Forces "counters" want to turn against us. When reviewing some foreign materials, we even met with such, as they would say now, machinations, when our losses included the losses of Vlasov, Banderevtsy, "forest brothers" and other nationalist, pro-fascist formations who fought against the Soviet Army on the side of the enemy. Moreover, some of these people were included in the number of our losses twice: first as captured, and then as dead.

Attempts to sow doubts, revise the results of the Second World War, belittle the significance of our Victory, humiliate the army, victorious soldiers, alas, still occur.

- Makhmut Akhmetovich, you went through the war in different positions. Which one was the hardest?

Almost the entire war, until the middle of 1944, I fought at the lowest level: company commander, battalion chief of staff, battalion commander, then in the brigade level, head of the operational department. There were no easy positions among them. All the time in battles, always in the trenches. Every day in the war we lived with only one thought: will I survive or not?

Today, almost every film about the war shows women, nurses, all so well-groomed, beautiful. And until the age of 43, I don’t remember that there was at least one woman among us, mostly nurses.

- I was always amazed by your inexhaustible optimism, love of life and "tales from Gareev." I suppose that there was humor and jokes in the war, otherwise Vasily Terkin would not have appeared ...

Yes, fortunately, life takes its toll everywhere. Even in the most seemingly hopeless, terrible situations, there were jokes, laughter sounded ... Without them, the war would have been even harder. Therefore, commanders, good commanders, had to be psychologists as well. They always tried to defuse the situation as much as possible. I remember that we had the commander of the 45th Corps, Stanislav Gilyarovich Poplavsky, a Pole by birth, then he commanded the 1st Army of the Polish Army. Indeed, he was a good leader. I remember that the Germans were already breaking into the command post of the corps ... He went to the trench. The stunned chief of staff of the corps runs towards him, shouting: "Germans from all sides!" And Poplavsky took a brush and began to clean his boots. The chief of staff was taken aback, but became calmer, his mind returned to him, the ability to realistically assess the situation and organize defense. And if he went into a panic, it would be transmitted to everyone, and who knows how it would all end then ... This is me to the fact that sometimes in a war, and even in Everyday life, one element means much more than instructions on instructions and hard orders.

- You mentioned heavy losses at the beginning of the war. What is the reason for the defeats in the first years of the war?

Not in the first years, namely at the beginning of the war. Yes, unfortunately, we had setbacks in 1941. But after all, then there were victories and the first - the counteroffensive near Moscow, which had tremendous moral and psychological significance. And before that, we only retreated, suffered defeat. Then there were failures in the summer of 1942 ...

The reason for the defeats in the 41st year is clear to everyone. This is the fault of the political leadership, which failed to correctly assess the possible timing of the enemy's attack. Stalin wanted to delay the start of the war at any cost or avoid it altogether. He subordinated everything to it. Fresh armies approached from the rear, and the armies and divisions of the first echelon did not occupy defensive positions - they were in a peacetime position so as not to provoke a war. Stalin wanted, as they say today, to prevent war by political means. But life has shown that politics cannot be turned into an end in itself. There is a limit when a policy without reinforcement by force is no longer valid. Stalin did not catch this moment. He was self-confident. When Tymoshenko, People's Commissar of Defense, Zhukov suggested that he bring troops into combat readiness, to mobilize, he stopped it in the sharpest form. Some commanders tried to occupy the fortified areas, but Stalin ordered the border guards and the NKVD to make sure that someone did not withdraw troops to the front line. Otherwise report to him. Zhukov himself signed several dozen orders: "Remove ...", "Do not go out ...".

After the war, on the instructions of Marshal Timoshenko, I had to investigate the case of Colonel Verkhovsky. He was the commander artillery regiment near Bialystok in the 10th army. They had a party meeting on June 19, 1941. AT closing remarks he said, "Maybe this is our last meeting in peaceful conditions…” The next day he was arrested. Why? Sowing panic! On June 14, there was a message from TASS with assurances that Germany was complying with the non-aggression pact and that it was not going to attack us. Diplomats are telling us today that the purpose of that TASS message is political sounding, to see how Germany and Hitler react. And they didn't react at all. They were preparing to attack.

As a result, our troops found themselves in a peacetime position. Today, Pavlov and Kirponos are portrayed as fools who sent artillery and anti-aircraft units to the training grounds before the start of the war. And put yourself in the place of Pavlov and Kirponos! Many artillery anti-aircraft units have been formed, they have never fired, they are not knocked together and are not fit for battle. When they came to Western Ukraine, to Belarus, they said: “Give us the opportunity to shoot!” You are standing in a village, in a city - you cannot shoot there! They answered: "No!" And when did they start sending parts to landfills? When the TASS message appeared that there would be no attack.

They say they sprayed new tanks on a large number buildings. If you are waiting for an enemy attack, you need to collect at least two or three corps, equip them with new tanks so that they are in combat readiness. But they reasoned like this: Hitler will not attack, so let the corps study, master the technique. And everyone was given 10-15 tanks. If we proceed from the situation that was set by Stalin, then they were distributed correctly. Or they say: “We fought without weapons!” We had weapons, but formations, units arrived, and the warehouses were already occupied by the Germans or completely bombed. Therefore, indeed, many even small arms did not have. But, despite this, people heroically resisted, fought ... Just remember the Brest Fortress. The Germans had already approached Minsk, but she was still resisting. By the way, from the point of view of the stability of the moral and moral strength of our people, the Brest Fortress is the most typical example. It so happened that formations and units left for some designated lines, there were people who left hospitals, arrived from vacations, storekeepers, music platoons. Nobody set them the task of defending the fortress. They gathered themselves and began to protect. Today we need to think about how, by what methods such education of the army and people was achieved!

- But what about the three and a half million who immediately surrendered?

Indeed, we suffered the biggest losses as prisoners in the 41st year. People were forced to surrender, they did not even have time to get weapons. Didn't they have to go with sticks against tank columns?

But the first victory was in the same year. The main components of our victory were the extraordinary fortitude of the Soviet people, steadfastness, great friendship, the unity of the rear and the front, of all peoples and nations in the struggle against the Nazis. This was not expected by the conquerors, who marched lightly through Western Europe without encountering much resistance. And here one Brest Fortress held the defense for almost two months, holding down significant forces of the Nazis.

- The defense there was organized by Pyotr Gavrilov, a native of Tatarstan, a baptized Tatar ...

I knew Pyotr Gavrilov well. I had to be one of the first to participate in excavations Brest Fortress. After graduating from the Frunze Academy in 1950, I was appointed chief of staff of a regiment of the 50th division stationed in Belarus, in that same fortress. And then a few years later he commanded the same division. At first we lived in dugouts - yet destroyed. Then they began to dismantle the ruined bricks of the fortress for the construction of barracks, parks, and outbuildings. And they began to find weapons, and on the walls - inscriptions. I wrote to Ogonyok magazine with a request to send a correspondent. Sergei Smirnov arrived with a whole group of meticulous journalists like himself. We organized a freelance museum. I appointed one person from the political department to work there, and another from the operational department of the division. Then everything began to emerge. Gavrilov resisted to the end. When he was left alone, shell-shocked, exhausted, hungry, he climbed under the manure. It was there that the Nazis found him. He managed to throw a grenade at them and lost consciousness. But he was not shot. The commander of the Central Group of Forces ordered that Gavrilov be sent to an officer's hospital, the Germans were read an order about the heroism of this officer, and began to educate their soldiers on his example. So the German commanders also knew how to conduct party-political and educational work in their troops.

After the war, Pyotr Mikhailovich came to Brest. As far as I know, he died in 1979 and is buried in Brest, the city he defended. That was his will.

- Makhmut Akhmetovich, together with MGIMO professor Abdulkhan Akhtamzyan, you are searching for traces of the Tatar poet Musa Jalil and the “Jalilevites”. And in recent years, also by restoring the good name of the soldiers of the 825th "Tatar battalion" from Volga-Tatar Legion, who, as a result of the agitation and propaganda work of the "Jalilevites", went over with all the weapons to the side of the Belarusian partisans and fought against the Nazis. And this is over 500 people... Last year, in the Vitebsk region, in the military memorial complex of the agro-town of Kopti, a memorial sign was opened in honor of the Tatars who died for the liberation of Belarusian lands from fascist invaders, including in honor of the partisans who fought heroically on the side and the soldiers of the 825th battalion who fell here.

I am glad that I had the opportunity to make my contribution to this noble cause and I am proud of it. Learning every fact takes time and dedication. I have a bad habit: I'm reluctant to take on a new business, but if I get involved, I can't be stopped! On the eve of the 50th anniversary of the Victory, Abdulkhan Akhtamzyan and I went to Germany. Abdulkhan Abdurakhmanovich is a great Germanist, but just as a historian, it is difficult for him to get into some places. I found former boss The General Staff, which was once helped to create the Institute of Military History in the GDR (now it is an institute of united Germany). He supported us a lot.

The fact is that the only testimony about the Maobit notebook, about the “Jalilev group”, about how they were arrested and executed, was based on the story of a Belgian prisoner. And this was always called into question, especially since at first he said one thing, then another. Of course, this is an honest and good person, but you can’t keep everything in your memory, you can’t restore it. And with the help of our German colleagues, we found the orders of the Nazi command for arrest and execution. Now the feat of Musa Jalil has been documented.

There were also various rumors about the transition of the 825th battalion. I asked Belarusian historians to join the study of this issue, many knew me there, because after the war I served in various positions in the Belarusian military district for seven years. We picked up and studied a lot of documents, found out how the uprising matured, how it was being prepared, and how the Tatar battalion went over to the side of the Red Army.

But this is just the beginning of a lot of hard work. As far as I know, the names of about two hundred soldiers of the battalion have now been established. Pathfinders from Belarus, Tatarstan, Bashkortostan and other regions are connected to the search. I believe that the name of each fighter will be established, that their children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren will be proud of them. Because the representatives of our people did not disgrace themselves.

Interviewed by Rafis Izmailov

Exclusive interview "BUSINESS Online": why May 9 is not a holiday for the West, about Stalin's contribution to the victory and denigration of Nikita Mikhalkov

On the eve of the 70th anniversary of the Victory, 91-year-old Army General, President of the Academy of Military Sciences Makhmut Gareev answered questions from BUSINESS Online readers. The famous military leader gave an interview to our newspaper in his Moscow office in the famous building on Znamenka. The best place in order to deal with the "sore" issues of the history of the Great Patriotic War, it is difficult to find. Here, for example, there are memorial offices of two USSR defense ministers - Dmitry Ustinov and Marshal of Victory Georgy Zhukov.

“The West has always treated us hostilely”

Dear Makhmut Akhmetovich, how to explain to the whole world that the Second World War we call it the Great Patriotic War? And how to bring to the inhabitants of other countries the spiritual meaning of the losses, suffering and heroism of our people? Maybe the West simply does not realize the scale of those sacrifices that cost the Victory? (Alexander)

It's not that they do not understand the scale of the victims or do not know about the feat Soviet people during the Great Patriotic War. The fact is that from the very beginning, the leading Western powers pushed Hitler to turn against Russia, the Soviet Union. Everything was done to ensure that the Soviet Union collided with Germany. I can bring specific example: future president USA Harry Truman in the early days of World War II said: let Germany destroy the Russians as much as possible, and the Russians - as many Germans as possible. Let them exhaust each other in this way. Let me remind you that this is a statement from an official ( Truman at the time was a senator from the ruling Democratic Party -approx. ed.) was made at the very beginning of the Great Patriotic War. That is, it was precisely in the fact that Germany and the USSR waged a war of attrition that the plan of the USA and Great Britain consisted. England, America and even Poland wanted Hitler to attack the Soviet Union.

By concluding a non-aggression pact with Germany, which is now being criticized by all and sundry (and above all by those who do not understand its true meaning), we have essentially pushed back the possibility of starting a war. Hitler decided to deal first with France, England, and only then attack the Soviet Union.

You need to understand the following: the West has always been hostile to us. Look: we fought together with the British and Americans, there was the Yalta Agreement, which, in particular, forbade the conclusion of a separate peace with Germany. And what did we see at the very end of the war? The Western allies took and concluded on May 8 without the participation of our officials separate peace with Germany. Then, at the insistence of the Soviet Union, an act of surrender was signed in Berlin, but the West remained in these positions, still marking the end of World War II on May 8, not May 9.

I think that there in the West -approx. ed. ) and then there were people, and over time there were more and more of them, who really like fascism, Nazism in their souls. Today, one might say, the European and American communities are degenerating. This is manifested in the legalization of same-sex marriages, and in many other ways. That is why 100 parliamentarians of the European Union made a call to abandon the celebration of Victory Day altogether. The reluctance to celebrate what happened on May 9, 1945 is deeply rooted in many in the West.

Recently, Prime Minister of Ukraine Arseniy Yatsenyuk said that the Stalinist USSR, together with Nazi Germany bears equal responsibility for the outbreak of the Second World War. Such outrageous statements are explained, from your point of view, exclusively by modern politics or can you find arguments from history to substantiate them?

You have to understand that people like Yatsenyuk work in the interests of America. Look at such Ukrainian politicians as Poroshenko, Yatsenyuk or Yaresko (Natalia Yaresko - Minister of Finance of Ukraine -approx. ed. ). All of them were invited to America 15-20 years ago. They taught there, inspired their approach, including to our history. I think that the same Prime Minister of Ukraine perfectly understands how everything happened on the eve of the war in reality, but he is forced to say what his patrons in the United States require of him. Hence his absurd statements, such as the words about the USSR attacking Germany , although he and I lived in the same country, Yatsenyuk knows perfectly well that it was Germany that attacked the Soviet Union, and not vice versa. Who occupied Ukraine? Aren't they German Nazis?

The heads of state and government of the allies of the USSR in World War II - the United States, Great Britain and France - refused to come to Moscow to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the Victory. What, in your opinion, is the reason for this demarche? Does this mean that the West has ceased to hide its true attitude towards former USSR, and to modern Russia, in fact, announcing that he considers our country his enemy?

Explaining the reasons for refusing to come to Moscow on May 9, our opponents give one argument - that we seem to have seized Crimea. But the truth is that the Russian leadership carried out the will of the population of Crimea, clearly expressed in the referendum held there last spring, not to mention the fact that Crimea has always been part of the Soviet Union, part of Russia. Khrushchev's handing it over to Ukraine, as has now been clearly established, was illegal. I repeat: Crimea was annexed to Russia as a result of legitimate procedures - a referendum and other events.

"TALK ABOUT THAT THE GREAT PATRIOTIC WON WON DESPITE STALIN, IS REFUTED BY LIFE ITSELF"

Some people compare the annexation of Crimea with the events of 1939-1940, when the western regions of Ukraine and Belarus, as well as the Baltic states, became part of the USSR. All this is called occupation by some historians and politicians. What is your assessment of the events that took place on the eve of the Great Patriotic War?

It must be taken into account that, among other things, there are geopolitical interests. After the conclusion of the non-aggression pact with Germany, the issue of ensuring the security of the western regions of the Soviet Union was acute. Let me remind you that the supreme councils of the Baltic republics themselves decided to join the Soviet Union. The USSR accepted them primarily for geopolitical reasons. Because if we had not occupied these territories, the Germans would have captured them. Well, as for Belarus and Ukraine, it was about protecting our brothers - Belarusians, Ukrainians. Their place, by definition, was within the Soviet Union. In addition, the border of the USSR was pushed further to the west. We got more space for the defense of the country. So those decisions were justified from all points of view.

Dear Mahmut-aga, with a great holiday to you, and in your person to all veterans! In a recent broadcast of one of the ultra-liberal radio stations, the thesis was voiced that our soldiers, smashing the enemy on his territory, did not shy away, as they say, to have a good time - they raped, mocked the Germans. My late father, who went through the war from bell to bell, did not mention this. Could this be the case, or are these fabrications of pseudo-historians? (Dawd)

When talking about the conclusions of some historians, I would say that they are not historians at all. Now many people who were engaged in political work in the Soviet Union, in order not to call themselves homeless, call themselves historians. Unfortunately, no one pays money to write the truth about the Great Patriotic War. Including ours. But abroad, such unfortunate historians for this lie are paid and paid well. Here they are spreading all sorts of abominations.

I do not want to say that the soldiers of the Red Army did not commit crimes at all during the war. Of course, there were individual cases of such moral misdeeds on the part of our soldiers. But there was also an order from the Supreme Commander-in-Chief to prohibit any manifestations of violence against the civilian population of Germany, and the German people were ordered to be treated well. When Ilya Ehrenburg wrote an article in "Pravda" "Kill a German", dedicated to the need to take revenge on all Germans, Stalin said that the Nazis come and go, but the German people remain. From the very top, it was ordered to treat the local population humanely, and there were corresponding orders from the commanders of the districts. Each case was investigated, not a single fact of crimes remained unpunished. I repeat: there were individual cases of violence, but they cannot be compared with the atrocities that the Germans committed on our land.

Please answer the question about Stalin's role in the war. How do you feel about fantasies, very fashionable in certain circles, that the people of the USSR won despite the commander in chief? Can a combat unit exist, let alone fight and win, without a commander? (Ilnur)

A convincing answer to this question can be obtained from history. And not only from the history of the Great Patriotic War. After the victory in the war of 1812, it so happened that Russia suffered defeats in almost all of its wars - in the Crimean War, in the Russo-Japanese War, and in the First World War. In my opinion, the reason is largely due to the fact that not very competent leaders have been at the head of the state, and hence the army all these years. Not a single people can not only win, but even more or less coordinately act in a war if someone does not competently lead them. Therefore, the talk that the Great Patriotic War was won not thanks to, but in spite of Stalin, is refuted by life itself. During the war, no decision could be made without the consent of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief. Therefore, both Stalin and the Supreme Command in general played their role. The commanders of the districts and fronts also played it in their place, and each soldier in his own. The Great Patriotic War ended in victory, not in defeat, like the Crimean or Russo-Japanese. This fact speaks of the true role of the supreme commander as well.

THE NUMBER OF SOVIET LOSSES INCLUDED EVEN VLASOVIANS AND BANDEROVTS

You participated in the work of the commission for counting the victims made by the peoples of the USSR during the Great Patriotic War. What, in your opinion, is the reason for the fact that in modern Russia there is still no official assessment of the losses of the Soviet Union?

It is not normal that our government has not yet accounted for the people for that war - about the losses we suffered then. True, there was an official message from the Ministry of Defense. I headed the commission of the Ministry of Defense on losses in the Great Patriotic War. We counted mainly military personnel. However, it is impossible to deal with the losses of the armed forces without assessing the losses of the country as a whole. To some extent, we also dealt with civilian casualties.

This issue is also the subject of speculation and even falsification. Counting the losses of the Armed Forces of the USSR in the war, we took into account the reports of the command of the fronts, the data of the military registration and enlistment offices and hospitals. We checked this data. For example, they excluded from the number of losses 900 thousand servicemen who did not die in the first months of the war, but ended up in partisans. When the Smolensk region, Belarus was liberated, these people were again drafted into the army. They survived, so they were not attributed to the losses.

Another very difficult moment. We have about 2.5 million people who died in the camps. We are talking about Soviet prisoners of war who ended up with the Germans. If we wanted to compete with Germany in terms of losses, then we could do the same with the Germans, but almost all of their prisoners, except for those who died from serious illnesses, were returned alive to Germany.

With First President of Tatarstan Mintimer Shaimiev

Moreover, we included in the number of Soviet losses in the Great Patriotic War, including the dead Vlasov and Bandera. Although I raised the question that in the event that the real number of losses by the Russian government is published, those citizens of the USSR who fought against us should not be included in their number. Such people should be counted in the losses of the enemy. But for now, they count as ours.

We still need to work on summing up the final results on losses in the Great Patriotic War. In general, the announced figures of war victims from among Soviet citizens correspond to reality. Approximately 26.5 million people were the total human losses of our country in the war. Of these, 8.6 million is the number of dead military personnel.

“WE DO NOT AGREE WITH VETERANS, BUT WE HAVE TO LISTEN TO THEM”

Some are inclined to blame famous Soviet military leaders for such heavy losses. Take at least the book of Nikolai Nikulin "Memories of the War." He, like you, born in 1923, fought on the front lines. Among other things, this author cites unsightly facts about the attitude of officers towards soldiers, harshly criticizes Marshal Zhukov for his readiness to sacrifice the lives of his subordinates without counting. Please rate this book. (nail)

I believe that in such memories a different attitude towards one's country is manifested. When some people do not accept our Victory, they can come up with anything. Our total losses during the war speak for themselves. The start of the war was very unfortunate as a result of the German attack. The facts of heavy losses cannot be denied, especially in the first half of the war. However, it is also undeniable that there are people who are generally hostile to our country. They come up with many things. The result is biased books or movies. For example, under the leadership of Mikhail Shvydkoy, who was then the Minister of Culture, the so-called experts discussed the film "Penal Battalion". Of course, this film has nothing to do with what happened in the war. But then they gathered some filmmakers. There are still living witnesses, for example, General Alexander Vasilievich Pyltsyn, who himself fought in a penal battalion. None of these real participants in the war, fighters of the penal battalion, were invited for discussion. If there was an interest in finding out how things really were, one should ask the opinion of living witnesses. You can disagree with the veterans, or at least agree not on everything, but we are obliged to listen to them, if, of course, we want to know the truth about the war.

I discussed these issues with Nikita Mikhalkov when Burnt by the Sun 2 premiered. He asked: what, weren't there cases when a company of cadets died because of slovenliness, or when our troops were walking along the bridge and this bridge was blown up by their own? I said that there was this and even worse, but if the war consisted only of our defeats, failures and inept actions, then we could not come to victory in any way. For some reason, it is not very common in modern books or films to show the professionalism, skillful actions and valor of our people during the Great Patriotic War. However, without them, we would not have been able to win.

Were the Germans good soldiers during the Great Patriotic War? How do you evaluate their military leaders in terms of strategy and tactics?

How are they sometimes portrayed? The Germans and their commanders did everything right, their generals were smart, and ours were stupid, but suddenly we won. It couldn't be and wasn't. You can only say such things for money.

Mahmut Akhmetovich, in your opinion, who was our most talented commander of the Great Patriotic War?

There were many outstanding commanders. Probably the most colorful were Zhukov, Rokossovsky, Konev, Vasilevsky ...

With Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev at a meeting with Chinese veterans

"MANY TATARS SHOWED WELL IN THE BATTLE OF THE GREAT PATRIOTIC"

When, finally, will the truth be told about the military feat of Gazi Zagitov and Grigory Bulatov, who raised the Red Banner of victory over the Reichstag on April 30, 1945? (Rishat)

Now the same is being said about Lieutenant Alexei Berest, who, together with Yegorov and Kantaria, participated in hoisting the banner over the Reichstag. There is also information about the feat of Zagitov from Tatarstan. All of them really participated in the storming of the Reichstag as part of the 3rd Army. In different places of this huge building, different people hoisted banners. But precisely in the place where the command was ordered to hoist the Banner of Victory, it was done by those people who eventually went down in history.

In the post-Soviet space, there is a process of rehabilitation of collaborators from among the representatives of a number of peoples of the USSR who went to serve in the ranks of the Wehrmacht to fight against their country. How to resist glorification and romanticization of traitors? (Rais Suleymanov)

If we compare, then, for example, the Americans during the war all their citizens of Japanese origin (even if they had at least one-eighth of their blood was Japanese) were put in camps for no reason, so that they could not harm America. They do not talk about this, as well as other similar cases in different countries. But they talk a lot about the repressed small peoples in the USSR. But if you take it as a percentage, then there were more traitors among the Russians or among the Ukrainians. Bandera, for example, fought all the time on the side of the Germans. But with large nations they could not do the same as with small ones. In addition, the same Ukrainians, for the most part, fought on our side and fought well. At the same time, I think there was no need to evict entire peoples.

Did you have interesting, memorable meetings with fellow Tatars during the war? What kind of warriors were our countrymen? (Rinat)

There were many such meetings. We had the commander of the 36th brigade, General Albikov, and many other Tatars who showed themselves well in the battles of the Great Patriotic War. Widely known, for example, General Yakub Chanyshev - a famous military leader, a Tatar by nationality.

"FROM THE HAPPY MOMENTS OF THE WAR FOR ME THE MOST GRAND IS THE DAY OF VICTORY"

Mahmut Akhmetovich, what do you remember about the war today, 70 years later? What moments do you remember the most?

During the war, I endured the most difficult air bombing. When you go with a machine gun or a rifle at the enemy, and the enemy - at you, then here you are either him or he is you. If you take a crater from an artillery shell as a cover, then, according to the theory of probability, another shell cannot fall into it. And when they bomb with the whistle and squeal of the Messerschmitt, you feel completely helpless. He shoots and you can't do anything.

Of the happy moments of the war, the most grandiose for me is Victory Day ...

- Where did you meet him?

Our 5th Army, after the capture of Koenigsberg, was transferred to the Far East. On April 9, 1945, we took Koenigsberg, after which we drove east. Victory Day was met in the rear, standing at a railway dead end. We went to fight the Japanese.

- Do you think that today we and our army are ready for a big war?

I am not familiar with the current state of the Russian Armed Forces in all details. However, I am sure that the modern Russian army will, under all circumstances, stand guard over the country's security to the end.

How likely, in your opinion, is Russia's involvement in a possible major military conflict related to the events in Ukraine? (Garayshin)

It is difficult to say today what the geopolitical and military situation will be, what the next war will be, in which Russia will have to participate. In any case, I repeat: I have confidence that our army will be able, as in the last war, to stand up for their homeland.

- Mahmut Akhmetovich, thank you very much for answering the questions of our readers. Once again, Happy Holidays to you!

Reference

Gareev Mahmut Akhmetovich Born July 23, 1923 in Chelyabinsk in a Tatar family. He graduated from the Tashkent Red Banner Infantry School named after. Lenin (1941), Military Academy. Frunze (1950), Military Academy of the General Staff (1959).

In 1939, he volunteered for the Red Army.

1941 - 1942 - commanded a platoon in the Central Asian military district, studied at the higher tactical shooting courses for the improvement of infantry commanders "Shot".

Since December 1942 - a participant in the Great Patriotic War. Fought on the Western and 3rd Belorussian fronts. He was deputy commander of a rifle battalion, assistant, deputy chief and chief of the operational unit of the headquarters of the rifle brigade, from June 1944 - officer of the headquarters of the 45th rifle corps. In 1942, in the battles near Rzhev, he was wounded, in 1944 he was again wounded in the head.

In February 1945 he was sent to the Far East as a senior officer in the operational department of the headquarters of the 5th Army. In its composition, he fought on the 1st Far Eastern Front during the Soviet-Japanese War.

Until 1947 he continued to serve at the headquarters of the 5th Army in the Far Eastern Military District.

1950 - 1957 - chief of staff of the regiment, senior officer of the operational directorate of the headquarters of the Belarusian military district, commander of the 307th guards training motorized rifle regiment in the 45th training tank division of the Belarusian military district, chief of staff of the 120th guards motorized rifle division.

Since 1959 - deputy division commander, commander of a motorized rifle and tank divisions, Chief of Staff of the 28th Combined Arms Army in the Belarusian Military District.

1970 - 1971 - chief military adviser in the United Arab Republic.

1971 - 1974 - Chief of Staff of the Ural Military District.

1974 - 1984 - Head of the Military Scientific Directorate of the General Staff, Deputy Chief of the Main Operational Directorate of the General Staff.

1984 - 1989 - Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the USSR.

1989 - 1990 - chief military adviser in Afghanistan after the withdrawal of a limited contingent of Soviet troops from there. played big role in planning military operations of the government forces of President Najibullah.

1990 - 1992 - military adviser - inspector of the group of general inspectors of the USSR Ministry of Defense.

Since 1992 - retired.

Vice-chairman public council under the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, Deputy Chairman of the Public Council under the Chairman military-industrial commission under the government of the Russian Federation. Since the establishment in 1993 of the Academy of Military Sciences of the Russian Federation, he has been its president.

He was awarded the Order of Lenin, four Orders of the Red Banner, the Order of Alexander Nevsky, two Orders of the Patriotic War of the 1st degree, the Order of the Red Banner of Labor, three Orders of the Red Star, the Orders for Service to the Motherland in the Armed Forces of the USSR, II and III degrees, medals, as well as foreign orders and medals. In 2013 he was awarded the Order of Merit for the Fatherland, III degree.

Army General Makhmut Gareev by right is considered the elder of the officer corps of Russia. His first war was the Great Patriotic War. The second is the Soviet-Japanese. The third is the War of Attrition between Egypt and Israel, where he served as a military adviser. The fourth is the war in Afghanistan. On the eve of his 95th birthday, the illustrious military leader took the time to give an interview to AiF.

Sergey Osipov, AiF: - Makhmut Akhmetovich, your military biography began in Uzbekistan. But how did you, a Tatar from the Urals, get there?

Mahmut Gareev: - I was really born in Chelyabinsk in a large Tatar family. There were 8 of us children. Then we moved to Omsk. But in the early 1930s, there was terrible unemployment in the country. In search of a better life, the father decided to move the family to Central Asia where, according to rumors, it was more satisfying to live. But first, my older brother was sent to Tashkent for reconnaissance. He wrote from there: come here, no matter what stick you stick in the ground, everything will grow. The family packed up and left. Then, by the way, the decision of the Council of People's Commissars was issued that the Tatar and Bashkir migrants were purposefully sent to Central Asia. Common Turkic languages ​​and all that. So there were many Tatars in almost all Soviet institutions of Uzbekistan and other republics. One of my sisters, for example, worked as a teacher in an Uzbek village for 40 years.

Before leaving for the front in 1941 with his father. Photo: From the personal archive / Makhmut Gareev

The family settled in ancient city Karshi. I studied first in an Uzbek school, then in a Russian one. And the family spoke Tatar, so from childhood I was a polyglot. And I wanted to serve in the army. I read a lot about the great Russian commanders - Suvorov, Kutuzov wanted to be like them. Yes, and life in Uzbekistan was military. The city where we lived was regularly attacked by the Basmachi. They came from Afghanistan, where the British were in charge, who through them sought to destabilize the situation in the USSR. Basmachi killed communists, Soviet employees, slaughtered families in which children studied in Russian schools. Looking ahead, I will say that the Basmachism ended once and for all after June 22, 1941. The USSR and England became allies - and how cut off!

So, in the city of Karshi, where my family lived, the 82nd cavalry regiment stood to protect against the Basmachi. I got into the habit of going there, playing in a brass band. First on the viola, then on the baritone - such a big copper pipe. The Red Army soldiers fed me for this, and this is some kind of help to the family. Well, he became a pupil of the regiment along with several boys like me.

A little later, 10 of us wrote a statement to the military registration and enlistment office. At the beginning of 1941, we were sent to the Tashkent Infantry School. They were then commanded General Petrov, who later became famous during the defense of Odessa and Sevastopol. It didn't take long to learn. On June 22, we come back from field exercises, some carry a machine gun, some have a machine gun, and instead of lunch they build us on the parade ground. We listen to Molotov's speech through the loudspeaker. The war has begun...

In November, we were released from the school as platoon commanders and sent straight to the front near Moscow. Many of our graduates ended up in the 316th division, which later became the Panfilov division, and I was sent to the 120th separate rifle brigade. How did you get to the front-line Moscow - separate story. 50-60 kilometers either on foot or on a ride. Further - crawling on the belly, since the 3rd battalion destined for me fought in the environment. Got it. Towards - a foreman with a bandaged hand. Not a single officer was left in the ranks, and there were 40 fighters with a staff of 400 people. This foreman commanded the battalion, was wounded, handed over his cases to me and left for the medical battalion. So my first position in the war was a battalion commander. I was him, however, not for long, until a more experienced officer arrived, Captain Gubkin. I received the 1st company. And he never commanded a platoon.

With comrades-in-arms, May 1, 1945. Photo: From the personal archive / Makhmut Gareev

What is the worst thing about war?

- The worst thing is not when they shoot. The worst is spring and autumn. During the day the sun will warm, the earth will thaw, become wet. If we need to go on the attack and the Germans will press us to the ground with fire - that's the trouble! You will plop down in a puddle or a funnel filled with water. And do not raise your head for hours. You lie on the muddy ground and slowly freeze.

And how were they saved?

- They saved themselves with vodka. True, it was issued only in winter and late autumn. Only vodka from the cold and escaped. In case the foreman did not have time to give out 100 grams, when there was an opportunity before the battle, they stocked up in the military trade with triple cologne. It also helped...

Do you remember the first time you got hurt?

— But how! It was in August 1942. Went on the attack near the village of Varganovo Kaluga region. Now it is no longer on the map. A grenade in the right hand, a pistol in the left. It was in the left hand, between the thumb and forefinger, that the German bullet hit. Passed through the palm, the bone is not affected. I thought it would be fine, but after 2 days the palm began to swell. Went at night to an army hospital nearby. The surgeons there are angry, they didn’t sleep for three days, and they immediately say: they fought back! Now we will cut off the brush so that there is no gangrene. They, in hospitals, a good indicator was considered a large flow of the wounded. If they cut off my hand right away, I would have been treated for 15 days - and goodbye. But I refused amputation and ruined the hospital's indicators!

Okay, just kidding, I didn't spoil it. An old woman rescued me - a surgical nurse. He says, in the morning an ambulance train to Ryazan, go to the station, I'll write you down. He was treated for a month and a half, but he kept his hand. After, in 1943, there was a shrapnel in the head, then there was a bullet in the left leg, typhus in Manchuria during the war with Japan, a shell shock in Afghanistan in 1990 ...

Afghan, 1989 Photo: From the personal archive / Makhmut Gareev

- So, it seems that the Limited contingent was withdrawn in 1989.

- The contingent was withdrawn, and I remained - the chief military adviser at president Najibullah. And I was shell-shocked under such circumstances. We left the Soviet embassy in an armored UAZ. Apparently, the Taliban caught this case. On the outskirts of Kabul, a shell exploded next to the car. Concussion, I didn't need any courage this time. But then such times came that courage had to be shown in civilian life. And in their side, and not in Afghanistan.

- In terms of?

— In a sense, to save the Soviet Union from disintegration. Under certain conditions, this could be done. I am telling you this as a former deputy chief of the General Staff!

Mahmut Gareev. Photo: / Sergey Osipov

A number of his personal scientific works are devoted to the plots of national history. So, based on the study of previously closed documents of the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command and the General Staff, he prepared in 1995 ....

A number of his personal scientific works are devoted to the plots of national history. Thus, based on the study of previously closed documents of the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command and the General Staff, he prepared and published in 1995 the monograph "Ambiguous Pages of the War", in which, from the position of the current level of knowledge, many problematic plots of the Second World and Great Patriotic Wars, which are still causing disputes and conflicting assessments: who and how unleashed the war, whether the Soviet Union was preparing a preemptive strike against Germany in 1941, what were the reasons for the failures of the Red Army in 1942, what could be alternative decisions and actions of the belligerents in the Battles of Stalingrad, Kursk and in the most important operations of 1944-1945. and others. In particular, the significance of such an important type of military operations as defense carried out on a strategic scale is revealed, due to a misunderstanding of the nature of which, according to the author, many troubles of 1941-1942 result, the fallacy and harmfulness of the stereotypes that prevailed in theory are shown.

For the first time in military history, Mahmut Akhmetovich also took up the generalization of the Manchurian strategic offensive operation and successfully solved this complex scientific problem, devoting several meaningful publications to it.

A milestone for M.A. Gareev was the study of trends in the development of the military-political situation in the modern world, which embodied the scientist's firm belief in the prognostic function of military science and military history. Trying, figuratively speaking, to look beyond the horizon, to outline the contours of the armed struggle of the future, in 1995 he published a monograph “If there is war tomorrow?.. (What will change in the nature of armed struggle in the next 20-25 years)”, in which he deeply considered armed confrontation in large-scale and local wars and conflicts, substantiated ways to prevent them. The book “If there is war tomorrow?..”, as well as “Combined Arms Exercises”, are accepted as textbooks in military universities in Russia, the USA, Syria and some other countries.

M.A. goes unbeaten paths. Gareev and in the study of the military art of Soviet military leaders. Started with a monographic work on the activities of M.V. Frunze, this is the direction of scientific research in last decade became one of the priorities for the scientist. In 1992 M.A. Gareev successfully defended his dissertation on the topic “Military theoretical heritage of M.V. Frunze and modern military theory”, becoming a doctor of historical sciences.

The scientist, like most of his historian colleagues, does not limit himself to describing the biographies of military leaders and the battles they fought, but reveals the unique features of the military style of marshals and generals who commanded fronts and armies, and formulates aspects of the military heritage of the national military school that are relevant for our time.

In 1996, the capital monograph “Marshal Zhukov. The greatness and uniqueness of military leadership”, written for the 100th anniversary of the commander and awarded in 1998 the State Prize of the Russian Federation. It is symbolic that Makhmut Akhmetovich became the first laureate of the State Prize, which bears the name of his hero, Marshal of the Soviet Union G.K. Zhukov.

A logical continuation of this work was the book "Commanders of Victory and their military heritage", which is an essay on the military art of military leaders who victoriously completed the Great Patriotic War. The author's approach is the same - to find and analyze exactly those features of the military leadership style that gave the activity of this or that military leader originality, uniqueness.

The scientist himself considers the work that he carried out in 1965-1988 to be the principal direction of his activity in the field of historical science. as chairman of the State Commission for determining the losses of the Soviet Armed Forces in the Great Patriotic War. Needless to say, how difficult and painstaking this work was, how much professionalism and real civic courage it required. To replace the arbitrary figures of losses, which I.V. referred to in the previous period. Stalin and N.S. Khrushchev, scientifically based indicators of the heavy price that the people paid for the Victory were to come for the first time.

Not everything was successful as desired: the lack of experience among the members of the commission, the difficulty in calculating a huge complex of documents of various nature, and the well-known interference of ideological bodies affected. However, it was the commissions of M.A. Gareev, on the basis of an analysis of reports from the fronts, data from military registration and enlistment offices, military registration institutions and a huge amount of other documentary materials, for the first time reliably established and published data on the combat losses of the Soviet Armed Forces and their opponents. The main, most mournful figure - the human losses of the Soviet Union, which amounted to about 27 million people, was established strictly scientifically and was only slightly refined by subsequent studies.

Thus, a powerful blow was dealt to falsifications, which became more active in the second half of the 80s and had the unseemly goal of proving the backwardness of Soviet military art, the inability of the Red Army to fight without huge, incommensurable with the results of victims.

A participant in six wars is now waging the seventh - with the falsifiers of history. M.A. Gareev has repeatedly had to and has to directly “cross swords” with falsifiers of the history of the war and scientific ignoramuses, followers and like-minded people of the notorious Rezun, a kind of Vlasovites from history. Today it is clear even to the most notorious little faith that the attack on the historical sanity of our compatriots, unleashed in the course of the so-called. perestroika was a manifestation not only and not so much of the evil will of individual spiteful critics, but an act of a large-scale information war that accompanies the process of globalization in the world. The new world order imposed on humanity, associated with the establishment of a unipolar world, required, first of all, a revision of the results of the Second World War, a distortion of the true role of the Soviet Armed Forces in achieving victory over fascism. And that is why the history of the war has become the object of the greatest falsifications.

In defending the historical truth, M.A. Gareev walked and walks shoulder to shoulder with many well-known specialists - academicians G.A. Kumanev, Yu.A. Polyakov, G.N. Sevostyanov, A.O. Chubaryan, Doctors of Sciences V.A. Anfilov, A.A. Akhtamzyan, A.A. Koshkin, A.S. Orlov, D.M. Projector, O.A. Rzheshevsky, V.Ya. Sipols, veteran military leaders V.I. Varennikov, Yu.A. Gorkov, G.F. Krivosheev.

One of the significant achievements in this area was the creation of the historical documentary film "Prologue of the Great Patriotic War: Myths and Facts", which was shown on TV screens in Russia, the USA, Germany, Poland and was highly appreciated by the public. Mahmut Akhmetovich was the author of the artistic idea and the head of the creative team that worked on the film.

During his life in science, M.A. Gareev brought up a whole company, if not a battalion of students, and in the most diverse branches of knowledge. These scientists formed the core of the Academy of Military Sciences, founded on his initiative (it turns 20 this year), which has developed its own school and methodology for geopolitical and operational-strategic research. The Academy brings together on a voluntary basis leading scientists of the Armed Forces, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Ministry of Emergency Situations, other law enforcement agencies and the military-industrial complex. In essence, an effective form of a community of like-minded people has been found that makes it possible to solve research problems economically, do without state subsidies, constantly expand the front of defense research, and attract an additional detachment of military scientists, veterans and military leaders who remained after being retired from the reserve to military scientific work. More importantly, scientists got the opportunity to express objective, independent judgments and develop alternative proposals on topical defense issues.