Leonid Govorov

Leonid Aleksandrovich Govorov
Leonid Aleksandrovich Govorov
Buried	Kremlin Wall Necropolis
Allegiance	Russian Empire (1916–1918); Soviet Union (1920–1955)
Years of service	1917–1955
Rank	Marshal of the Soviet Union
Unit	Artillery
Commands	5th Army; Leningrad Front; Leningrad Military District
Battles / wars	World War I; Russian Civil War; Soviet-Finnish War; World War II Battle of Bialystok-Minsk; Battle of Moscow; Siege of Leningrad; Battle of Narva; Vyborg–Petrozavodsk Offensive; Baltic Offensive;
Awards	Hero of the Soviet Union; Order of Lenin (5); Order of Victory; Order of the Red Banner (3); Order of Suvorov, 1st Class (2); Order of Kutuzov, 1st Class; Order of the Red Star; Légion d'honneur; Croix de guerre 1939-1945
Other work	Chief Inspector of Ground Forces; Commander of National Air Defense Forces; Deputy Minister of Defense

Leonid Aleksandrovich Govorov (Template:Lang-ru, February 22 [O.S. February 10] 1897 – March 19, 1955), was a Soviet military commander. An artillery officer, he joined the Red Army in 1920. He has graduated from several Soviet military academies, including Military Academy of Red Army General Staff. He participated in the Winter War as a senior artillery officer.^[1]

In World War II, he rose to command an army in November 1941 during the Battle of Moscow. He commanded the Leningrad Front from April 1942 to the end of the war. He reached the rank of Marshal of the Soviet Union in 1944, was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union and many other awards.^[2]

Early years and Russian Revolution

Leonid Aleksandrovich Govorov was born into a peasant family in the village of Butyrki in central Russia (now in Kirov Oblast). He attended a technical high school in Yelabuga and enrolled in the shipbuilding department of Petrograd Polytechnical Institute. In December 1916, however, he was mobilized and was sent to the Konstantinovskye Artillery School, from which he graduated in 1917. He became an artillery officer with the rank of podporuchik.^[1]

When the Russian Revolution broke out and the Russian Army disintegrated, Govorov returned home, but was later conscripted into the White Guard army of Aleksandr Kolchak. He deserted in late 1919 and joined the Red Army in early 1920. In the Russian Civil War he served in the 51st Rifle Division, commanding an artillery battery. He was awarded the Order of the Red Banner in 1921.^[1]

Interwar years

Govorov obtained further military education, graduating from the Artillery course in 1926, the Higher Academy course in 1930, and the Frunze Military Academy in 1933. In 1936, Govorov was among the first officers who attended the newly founded Military Academy of Red Army General Staff, from which he graduated in 1938.^[3]

From 1936, he was head of artillery in the Kiev Military District. In 1938 he was appointed as lecturer in tactics at the Dzerzhinsky Artillery Academy. In 1939, he finished his first research publication.^[4] This was the period of Joseph Stalin's Great Purge. Govorov was close to being arrested, but in the end survived and continued to rise in rank.^[5]

Winter War

In 1939 the Soviet-Finnish War broke out, and Govorov was appointed chief of artillery of the 7th Army, as his research while at Dzerzhinsky Artillery Academy was about assaulting and penetrating fortified enemy positions. He commanded the massive artillery assault that allowed the Soviet breakthrough along the Mannerheim Line in 1940. For this was awarded the Order of the Red Star and promoted to rank of division commander. He was then appointed Deputy Inspector-General of Artillery of the Red Army.^[6]

World War II

1941 and early 1942

After Nazi Germany invaded the Soviet Union in June 1941, Govorov commanded the Artillery on the Western Front in Belarus from August to October 1941. During the Battle of Moscow, he was appointed Chief of Artillery of the 5th Army, under the command of Major General Dmitri Danilovich Lelyushenko. After Lelyushenko was wounded on October 18, Govorov assumed command of the army. During the Soviet counter-offensives in the winter of 1941–42, his army liberated Mozhaisk. As a result he was promoted to the rank of lieutenant-general of artillery. ^[7]

Defense of Leningrad

In April 1942 Govorov was appointed commander of the Leningrad Group of Forces of the Leningrad Front, which combined the former Leningrad and Volkhov Fronts.^[8] In July, Volkhov Front was re-established, and Govorov became the head of Leningrad Front, replacing Lieutenant General M.S. Khosin. Leningrad had been cut off from the rest of the country since September 1941, and the Soviet forces were trying to lift the siege of Leningrad, which was causing colossal damage to the city and suffering to the civilian population. The Road of Life, which was the only means of supply to the city, was frequently cut by regular German and Finnish air strikes. Several offensives were launched in 1942 in the region, but failed to lift the siege. The Lyuban Offensive Operation resulted in the encirclement and destruction of most of the Soviet 2nd Shock Army.^[9] In this situation, Govorov's background as an artilleryman was considered most valuable, since the city was under constant shelling, and one of Govorov's tasks was to launch an artillery counter-offensive against the German guns.^[10]

As soon as he became the commander of the Leningrad Front in July 1942, Govorov mounted local attacks in several sectors of the front, while preparing a much larger offensive. Together with the Volkhov Front, the Leningrad Front would break the blockade of the city by eliminating the German positions south of Ladoga Lake, where only 16 kilometres (9.9 mi) separated the Leningrad and Volkhov Fronts. This position was called "the bottleneck". At the same time, German forces were planning Operation Northern Light (Template:Lang-de) to capture the city and link up with Finnish forces. To achieve that, heavy reinforcements arrived from Sevastopol, which the German forces had captured in July 1942. ^[11] Both sides were unaware of the other's preparations. As a result the Soviet Sinyavin Offensive failed and the 2nd Shock army was decimated for the second time in a year, but the German forces suffered heavy casualties and canceled Operation Northern Light.^[12]

File:Iskra 21-1-43.JPG

Operation Iskra, January 1943

In late November 1942, Govorov commenced planning the next operation to beak the blockade of Leningrad. In December, the plan was approved by the Stavka and received the codename Operation Iskra (Spark).^[13] Operation Iskra began on January 13, 1943, and on January 18, Soviet forces linked up, breaking the blockade. By January 22, the front line stabilized. The operation successfully opened a land corridor 8–10 km wide to the city. A railroad was swiftly built through the corridor that allowed far more supplies to reach the city than the "Road of Life", eliminating the possibility of the capture of the city and a German-Finnish link up.^[14] Govorov was promoted to Colonel General on January 15 and was awarded the Order of Suvorov 1st Class on January 28.^[15]

Leningrad and Volkhov Fronts tried to follow up their success with a much more ambitious offensive operation named Operation Polyarnaya Zvezda (Polar Star). This operation had the aim of decisively defeating Army Group North, but achieved very modest gains.^[16] Several other offensives were conducted by Govorov in the area in 1943, slowly expanding the corridor, and making other small gains.^[17] In November 1943, Govorov began planning the Leningrad-Novgorod Offensive which would drive Army Group North out of the Leningrad region.^[18] On November 17, he was promoted to army general.^[1]

Soviet Counter Offensive

On January 14, 1944, the Soviet offensive started. By March 1, the Leningrad, Volkhov and 2nd Baltic Fronts had driven Army Group North back up to 300 kilometres (190 mi) on a 400 kilometres (250 mi) front, liberating the southern Leningrad region and part of the Kalinin region.^[19] The offensive was only finally stopped by the reinforced German forces in April, on the "Panther Line", stretching from Narva to Pskov using Lake Pskov as a barrier.^[20]^[21] On April 18, the Soviet forces were ordered to the defense, and a new 3rd Baltic Front was created and Govorov's Leningrad Front turned attention to the north.^[22] In June 1944, during the Vyborg–Petrozavodsk Offensive, which led to Soviet recapture of Vyborg, Govorov was promoted to the rank of marshal of the Soviet Union. Later his forces recaptured the Baltic states, and in autumn 1944 his forces blocked Army Group North in what became known as Courland Pocket. On January 27, 1945, Govorov was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.^[1]

Post war career

In the postwar years Govorov was commander of the Leningrad Military District, and then Chief Inspector of Ground Forces. In 1948 he was appointed Commander of National Air Defense Forces, and in 1952 he also became Deputy Minister of Defense. In these posts he oversaw the modernization of the Soviet air defense system for the age of the jet aircraft and the atomic bomb. But Govorov was by this time suffering from chronic heart disease, and died in March 1955. He is buried in the Kremlin Wall Necropolis. A street in St Petersburg is named after him.^[1]

Citations and notes

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f Govorov L. A.; on warheroes.ru
^ Glantz p.214
^ Glantz, p 214
^ Kiselev p. 115
^ Glantz p.214
^ Kiselev p. 115
^ Glantz, p.214
^ Glantz (2002), p.182
^ Isayev p. 134
^ Glantz, p.214
^ Glantz (2002), p.213–214
^ Glantz, p.230
^ Glantz p. 265
^ Glantz p. 284–285
^ Kiselev p. 140
^ Glantz p.284
^ Glantz p. 323
^ Glantz p. 333
^ Glantz p. 410
^ Glantz p.369
^ Glantz p.413
^ Glantz p.409–410

References

Glantz, David M. (2002). The Battle for Leningrad 1941–1944. Kansas University Press. ISBN 0-7006-1208-4.
Киселев, А. Н. (1971). Полководцы и военачальники Великой Отечественной. (in Russian). Молодая гвардия. {{cite book}}: External link in |title= (help)
"Говоров Л. А." warheroes.ru hosts data about all persons awarded the Hero of Soviet Union or Hero of Russia titles. Retrieved 3 December 2010. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |trans_title= ignored (|trans-title= suggested) (help)