Konstantin Rokossovsky: the commander who liberated Belarus and changed the course of war Among the great names of World War II, there are those who remain in the shadow of brighter figures, but whose contribution to victory cannot be overestimated. Konstantin Konstantinovich Rokossovsky is one of such people. He was called the "General from God," the "Marshal of Victory," and the soldiers revered him as "Batie." He went from a private in the Tsarist army to Marshal of the Soviet Union, survived arrest and torture in Stalin's prisons, and then became one of the creators of the greatest military operation in history — the liberation of Belarus. His strategic genius and human resilience became a symbol of an unyielding will that led Soviet troops to victory in the heart of Europe. A Pole from the Warsaw suburb Konstantin Rokossovsky, according to one version, was born in 1896 in Warsaw, in the family of a railway worker. His father was Polish, his mother — Russian. This mixed ancestry played a certain role in his destiny, but while he was still a boy, he lost his father early and went to work at a factory to help the family. In 1914, with the outbreak of World War I, he volunteered to go to the front, and the war became his main teacher. During the Civil War, he fought for the Reds, showing extraordinary tactical abilities. He was noticed, and his career took off. By 1937, he was already commanding a cavalry corps. But the Great Terror did not bypass him. In 1937, Rokossovsky was arrested on false charges of espionage for Poland, was brutally tortured, had several teeth knocked out, and his ribs were broken, but he did not confess. He miraculously survived and was released in 1940 thanks to the intervention of Marshal Zhukov. He emerged from the dungeons with an unyielding will and a deep faith in victory. The "Batie" beloved by soldiers The main quality of Rokossovsky as a commander and a person was his exceptional attitude towards soldiers. He did not tolerat ... Read more