From the personal memoirs of Colonel Grigoriev. How did the Russian heroes defend themselves Chief Engineer 5 VA General Grigoriev

In this essay, Oleg Malashenko is trying to overcome the force alone, before which no one has been able to resist for 95 years ...

THE DARK SECRET OF THE KOVNO FORTRESS
From 19 to 26 September 1915, a trial was held in Minsk. Dvinsky military district special presence. In other words, a tribunal! Vladimir Nikolaevich Grigoriev was tried, three times a cavalier of the high awards Russian Empire - the Order of St. Vladimir of the 2nd, 3rd and 4th degrees (with a bow), the hero of Shipka, a graduate of the Kazan Infantry Junker School and the Nikolaev Academy General Staff Russian Empire, the former chief of staff of the Warsaw Fortress, the former commandant of the Oganov fortress, the former commandant of the Sevastopol fortress, and since July 1909, the commandant of the Kovno fortress, a cavalry general. The verdict of the tribunal read:
“For all the above considerations and on the basis of a capital measure ... the special presence of the Dvinsky military district court ruled: the defendant, the former commandant of the Kovno fortress, general from the cavalry V.N. fortress into a defensive position and in the unauthorized abandonment of a fortress during a battle, not caused by the fulfillment of duty, with circumstances diminishing his guilt, by depriving military knowledge, ranks, orders, signs and medals, nobility and all rights of the state, exclude from military service and exile to hard labor for 15 years with consequences ”.
I approve the verdict, October 8, 1915 mountains. Minsk. General of Infantry Evert. "

Until March 5, 1918, Vladimir Nikolaevich Grigoriev was in the prison of the city of Orel, from where he was released along with other arrested during the release of the prison on the occasion of October revolution, but on the same day he was detained again. He ended up in the St. Petersburg prison "Kresty". On May 1, 1918, he was released under an amnesty together with the former Minister of War Sukhomlinov. The further fate of the "thrice hero of the Russian Empire" General Vladimir Nikolaevich Grigoriev is unknown.
In this regard, I will cite some indirect and direct "letters" characterizing the actions of V.N. Grigoriev by domestic authors. Let me emphasize: neither the German, nor the French, nor the English have anything like this.
Here's an indirect one:
“Trust in the fortresses was undermined ... On the Russian fortresses (Kovna, Novogeorgievsk), the influence of the moral factor was reflected in to a greater extent; besides, there were bad qualities command in the person of the commandants of these fortresses. These two factors were decisive ... "
Do you understand the reader ?! I repeat for greater memorization! The shameful surrender of these fortresses was due to only two factors: the complete absence of the fighting spirit of the soldiers of their garrisons and the complete military mediocrity of the commandants.
And here is the eminent information:
“Under fireworks from German landmines, Kovno was handed over on August 5 (the commandant of the Kovno fortress, General Grigoriev, fled)” Nobel Prize winner A.I. Solzhenitsyn.
“When released from prison, all criminals were also freed. Among them was General Grigoriev, a traitor to the Kovno fortress. " Nobel laureate A.I. Solzhenitsyn.
“The commandant of the Kovno fortress, General V.N. Grigoriev fled from the troops entrusted to him and on August 5 surrendered the fortress. " Outstanding Soviet historian A.M. Zaynchkovsky.
"The commandant of the fortress Kovno Grigoriev showed cowardice and on August 5 surrendered the fortress to the Germans." The brilliant modern Belarusian military historian V.V. Beshanov.
"General of the fortress Kovno simply escaped from his fortress."
"On August 9 (as in the document. OM) the commandant of the Kovno fortress Grigoriev surrendered the fortress to the enemy without resistance (as in the document. OM)." From the Commentaries to a collection of maps on the First World War.
"On August 22, the fortress of Kovno fell, abandoned by the generals Meller and Grigoriev who had fled to the rear." Famous Soviet writer and historian M. Kasvinov.
But information from only two Ph.D. theses of our scientists.
First:
“In our opinion, the defeat of the fortress in such a quick time was due to a weak, ill-prepared garrison, and inept, sometimes criminal actions of the fortress command in the person of the commandant Grigoriev and his headquarters. If not for the actions of Grigoriev, the garrison of the fortress could hold its positions for another 2-3 months. "

Second:
“The commandant of the fortress, General Grigoriev, who ignominiously fled when his troops were still trying to build a defense around the VI fort, was largely to blame for this defeat. Alas, history has not preserved the names of the brave soldiers and officers who fought in forts I, II and III to the last opportunity (yes, it did! OM). Unfortunately, only a coward, General Grigoriev, “got into history”.
And here is the oral information.
I have visited Kaunas many times. The 9th Fort Museum is one of the main attractions of this beautiful city, once famous throughout the Soviet Union. It was attended by up to two hundred excursions per day, that is, up to 6 thousand people. If we add the unorganized tourists, who always adhere to the organized and listen to the guides, then there will be all 8 thousand. Up to 250,000 thousand per month. Up to 3 million people a year. Each excursion began at the entrance to the first casemate. I don’t know how it is now, but in the 70s and 80s it was here that literally all Kaunas guides used to say:
- Dear tourists, we are at the entrance to the 9th fort. In total, 12 forts were built around our city by the tsarist government. All this power was called in those years the Coven Fortress. It was a first-class fortress! But in I world war it played absolutely no military role. She was cowardly, mediocre and without a single shot fired by her commandant, the tsarist general Grigoriev.

Tour guides in those days were more free people than, for example, scientists or journalists, the KGB did not pay much attention to them. During excursions, they often allowed themselves to deviate from the canons, to give some events unofficial shades. And to this day it is a mystery to me why it was in this place that these smart guys and girls strictly followed the letter and spirit of the manuals of the methodological departments of their excursion bureaus, as well as the texts of hundreds of tourist guides. If we take into account the brilliant oratory skills of Kaunas guides, impressive vocal skills, attractive appearance and high education, one can easily imagine the effect of such an introduction. Muscovites, Leningraders, Novosibirsk, Kuibyshev, Kiev, residents of hundreds of other cities of the USSR, using the example of General Grigoriev, received one more confirmation that the history of mankind did not know more mediocre generals than Russian generals of World War I. They nodded in agreement: they say, yes, the behavior of the commandant of the fortress of Kovno is an example of Russian military stupidity. And then all this information spread like sticky resin across the country ...
In order to understand what's what, we first need to determine why this (and other Russian fortresses) fortresses were built 300-400 versts from the western borders of the Russian Empire. And since it is very difficult to find an answer, not a single historian of that war gives it, he has to answer for them.
These fortresses were built only in case of a possible attack by the German Empire on Russian empire and served as a cover for the large industrial centers of Russia in the event of just such, and not some other war. The military plans of the Russian Main and General Staffs were supposed to meet a possible German attack with a solid defense and end - by forcing peace without the introduction of Russian troops into German territory.

I would be glad if someone from critics refutes me!
However, to the great misfortune of the peoples of Germany and Russia, the initial period of the war in the Western theater of operations happened exactly the opposite. The Russian armies, in accordance with the clauses of the Russian-French treaty of 1892, were the first to invade Germany. At the same time, the people of the country of Gogol could not imagine that the people of the country of Hegel in 1914 would not only withstand, but would also go on the offensive, and that the German army would no longer be met, as was conceived during the construction of these fortresses, fresh and well prepared army of Russia.
The dark secret of the Kovno fortress lies in the amazing tragic fate its commandant Vladimir Nikolaevich Grigoriev, in the slander that accompanies this fate for 95 years, as well as the heroic soldiers of his garrison splashed with slops.
So what happened to this fortress and its commandant ?!
And that's what!
On July 14, 1915, in the Rigo-Shavel operation, units of two armies clashed: the German Neman under the command of General Otto von Belov and the 5th Russian under the command of Pavel Adamovich Plehve. The northern and southern flanks of the Neman began to move to encircle the Russian 5th. One of the attacks, which the Germans intended, was a blow to Vilna, bypassing the Kovno fortress from the north. July 25, thanks to the actions of P.A. Plehve Rigo-Shavelskaya ended in disruption of the German plan, the 5th managed to rebound and did not get surrounded. True, the Germans captured Panevezys, an extremely important city for a further offensive. The German army of Otto von Belov paused in front of the practically unprotected junction of the 5th and 10th Russian armies. The famous Bavarian cavalry has already cleaned their thoroughbred horses in order to make their brilliant Sventsian breakthrough! Only now the Germans were not destined to bypass the Kovno fortress. Belov knew that a 90-thousandth garrison was concentrated here and on July 21 ordered the 10th German K. Litzmann to eliminate it.
And the fortress had already been abandoned to the mercy of military fate, the most cruel and merciless of all possible destinies! By this day, the commander of the Russian 5th Pavel Pleve, the direct superior of Grigoriev, forgot about the fortress, he was not up to the fortress ...
Now let's digress, reader!
Since the 30s of the twentieth century, the entire intellectual world of Europe and America has been on the ears of the philosophy of existentialism that burst into it then. Sartre, Camus, Heideger, Jaspers, Gabriel Marcel, Buber, Berdyaev, Shestov, Vasil Bykov wrote about the main manifestations of human existence: care, conscience, determination, struggle, suffering, death at ... borderline stages, when a person stands in front of himself and there is no one else before, “when even God does not exist,” and freely chooses what to do in front of the responsibility imposed on him personally for everything that happens around him.
Remembering this, we will now be transported to 23 July 1915 at the headquarters of the fortress and imperceptibly stand behind Vladimir Nikolaevich's back.
He sits at the table and alternately reads two opposite orders in content. In case of non-compliance, both threaten the shame of a military tribunal. The orders were handed over to Grigoriev almost simultaneously. He is faced with the very existential problem of personal choice: which of these two orders to carry out?
Under the first signature of the Supreme Commander The Russian army Nikolai Nikolaevich, Grand Duke. This is an order from the Headquarters to the commander of the 5th Russian army Pavel Pleve, and, consequently, to the commandant of the Kovno fortress, Vladimir Grigoriev. It is titled "NO STEP BACK!" In a nutshell - all of its content. The second order was given by Pavel Pleve, I repeat: Grigoriev's direct superior. The content of the second crosses out the content of the first. Pavel Adamovich orders the troops of the 5th Army to retreat in view of the danger of complete encirclement of the army.
Retreat, or take the battle ?! What is it ?!
Grigoriev could retreat to Vilna. I would have retreated - I would have had every reason to wave before the members of the tribunal by the order of the already retreated Pavel Plehve, who later not only was not subjected to trial according to the laws of wartime, but was even appointed commander of the front troops.
And if you do not retreat, how can you resist ?!
Intelligence has already reported that von Belov is preparing to move the entire 10th army of Karl Litzman to the fortress. She has highly experienced personnel troops that have passed the crucible of the East Prussian and August operations: two corps, seven divisions, of which the 3rd is the Guards, four brigades and one regiment. Artillery 12 times more. Yesterday from Grodno they reported that there were three "Big Bertas" at the entrance. These monsters strike at a distance of 14 kilometers with 1000-kilogram shells. And they have an abundance of shells. Hell will be here. They will begin to beat "across the squares", and not aiming, they will sweep everything off the face of the earth, turn any concrete into dust, everything will be mixed, the arrows will no longer distinguish where their own, where are the strangers. What can be opposed to this? Kovno, not Sevastopol. This is not a first-class fortress. No money was given for its reconstruction and strengthening! 1st, 2nd, and 3rd forts are brick. 7,8, 9th and 10th are not completed. 11th and 12th - in geodetic markings. More or less equipped only three 4th, 5th and 6th. And you will have to hold everything. And the garrison is second-rate. General Lemke said correctly: “Vladimir Nikolaevich, everyone at Headquarters is well aware that the fortress will fall within 24 hours, so you will never be given good troops, do not waste your efforts on persuasion. Grand Duke Nikolai Nikolaevich is almost ripe to give the order to evacuate property and ammunition. "
Yes, there was only one combat-ready unit in the garrison of the fortress at that time - a regiment of a rifle school. The rest could not be called full-fledged, that is, intended for fortress defense.
How long the combined border division will be able to hold the defense under shelling - a maximum of 3 hours, if ... will not be swept away by artillery. And the five regiments of the 104th Infantry Division? They, besides the trenches, saw nothing else. Three guard brigades, four reserve battalions, a naval battalion can only be taken into account symbolically. Well, on the strength of two days, the artillery batteries of the rifle school, the Siberians and the serf guards will hold out. Kaunas volunteer workers' squad, engineering, automobile and gendarme units - don't even take into account! And if we put on this scale, that some units arrived in the fortress only on July 5-6 and are unsuitable for war in casemates ?! And what to do with those who arrive on July 25, the day the Germans may begin the assault? Throw into battle on the move? This is guaranteed death! “Lord Almighty, Your Majesty, Lord! Tell me what to do! "
He lit a cigarette and walked over to the map. To the east of Kovno there are only the equestrian troops of Kaznakov and Tulin. No, if you give an order to withdraw, the Germans will strike both from Kovno and from Panevezys to Sventsiany, bypass Vilno and in a week and a half find themselves near Pskov and Smolensk. The entire Northwest Front will collapse! And if you hold out for at least three days? Plehve will dig in at Dvinsk, sensible commander! Radkevich, in Grodno, will come to his senses, also brainy. And Smirnov, and Ruzsky ... If you detain Litzman, Belov will stop near some ruffled Smorgon, he will definitely stop! .. Lord, why the hell did we get into this war? Turks were not enough for us ?! In 1870, the Germans and the French clashed in the same way, but they did just fine without us. Let them manage now, if there is an excess of blood ...
He threw away the cigarette. Resolved! In the forts - gunners, servants and orderlies. Add another 5 thousand people to the orderlies. Nothing, to dip the gauze in the blood, and to tear off the hands that were beaten off from the bodies - science is not great. Prepare hospitals for evacuation. The rest - in the first and second limits in front of the forts. He sat down again at the table and began to sketch out Order No. 116:
“Based on the examples that have already been here in the serf struggle, we can affirmatively say that all strength lies in the chief officers and commanders. If the officers paid off the debt to the oath, the king and the homeland, then who needs such? Who will set an example for the lower ranks? Who will lead them? To flee from the battlefield is despicable, criminal. It is a shame for the officers to take care of their own skin when the tsar and the homeland see them as the stronghold of our heroic army. Think about it all, gentlemen, officers and chiefs, and prove that it is not the salvation of our skin that matters, but that lofty and great thing that is called homeland. "

On July 24, the German 10th took up positions in the Kovno semicircle from the south. In front of it there are forward borders and forts Nos. 1,2,3,4, 5. Behind them are the Neman and Viliya (Neris), bridges, Kaunas. Beyond Kaunas and the rivers are the rest of the forts ...
On the morning of July 25, 1915, Colonel General of the Cavalry Vladimir Nikolaevich Grigoriev and his garrison began to do the impossible. This "impossible" lasted much longer than she could bear human psyche... Day and night - 12 terrible days. From July 25 to August 5, under almost incessant shelling, the defense of the fortress's forts continued.
DEFENSE CHRONICLE
July 25, 1915. 1st day of defense. The first attempts to take the German 10th fortress. The German Guards infantry attacked it three times, but was repulsed by artillery and rifle fire.
On the same day, the first "Big Bertha" was delivered to the fortress ...
July 26, 1915. 2nd day of defense. At about the first hour, the Germans opened hurricane fire on the right flank of the first line of defense. At 3 o'clock, the guards again went to the assault on the forward positions. The assault failed. By 4 o'clock in the morning, the defenders of the fortress drove the Germans back with a counterfire. There was only one height left for the guardsmen. But by 5 o'clock in the morning, the fighters of the 498th serf squad of the militiamen drove them out of there as well.
From 10 am to 8 pm. the Germans smashed the entire front of the first line of the fortress defense with their artillery. The topsides of the brick fort No. 3 were demolished from the face of the earth, the trenches were destroyed with shells, they took a position at the Dygras farm by storm, and from there entered the flank and rear of the fortress position at the Dominikanos farm. But the reserves, transferred by the headquarters of the fortress from other lines of defense, were again thrown back to Dygras. On the same day, the first "Big Bertha" started working in the fortress ...
July 27, 3rd day of defense. A detachment of Colonel Zelensky, about 500 fighters of the 2nd and 7th Kovno voluntary workers' squads, 2 hundred border guards and a company of sailors, being under crossfire to avoid bypassing, crawled and dashed to a new position. However, at dawn, at 4 o'clock in the morning, he returned and in a terrible hand-to-hand trench battle, knocked out the German infantry. 72 people survived ...
The Supreme Commander-in-Chief, Grand Duke Nikolai Nikolaevich, telegraphs commandant Grigoriev:
“Send my warm gratitude to the valiant garrison for repelling the assault. I am sure that the garrison of the fortress will defend it with honor and, with God's help, will repel all the assaults. I firmly hope that you will show the necessary firmness, calmness and energy and, when necessary, by personal example, you will support the heroic spirit in the troops of the garrison.
General adjutant Nikolay
Whether this document reached Grigoriev is unknown.
Noon. On July 27, 1915, the 508th serf squad in the attack knocked the Germans out of the Kantelishki and Taborishki folfarks. By 14 o'clock the Piplensky detachment of the Russians withdrew to the position at the folfark Marvas.
20.00. On the fortress, together with more than two hundred other guns, two more "Big Berts" started working. Artillery preparation across the squares, as Grigoriev had foreseen, lasted until 23.00. German artillery smashed brick fort No. 2 into the dust along with the garrison. front of the first line of defense. They were beaten off on the right flank. Moreover, the gallant commander of the right flank of the first line of defense, General Alexander Konstantinovich Krenke, in a bayonet counterattack, took the lost 26th position near Olshan in the afternoon.
July 28, 1915. 4th day of defense! (on this day, Grigoriev could have boldly ordered the garrison to withdraw, not a single soldier or officer would have condemned him) On the left flank of the first line, General Karpov's fighters were forced to retreat to the Januce-Razhishki farms. Send away. They sent the wounded to the forts and, lo and behold, turned around and launched a bayonet counterattack. Unsuccessfully. Unsuccessful that night was the counterattack of the detachment of Major General Yanuariy Fedorovich Karpov on Godlev ...
The garrison of the fortress repels more than a dozen attacks. The enemy did not advance a single step. Remember, reader, on July 28, on the fourth day of the round-the-clock defense, not a single fort was taken by the Germans!
July 29. 5th day of defense. (on this day, Grigoriev could have given the order to retreat even more boldly, no one would have condemned him either) Aid suddenly arrived in the fortress, the 416th regiment of the 104th infantry division arrived at the forts. But he was armed with Japanese rifles and had only 315 (one set) of cartridges, in the fortress there were no such cartridges ...
July 29th. Night. At about the first hour, the Germans again opened hurricane fire on the first line of defense from all guns, including from all the Big Berts (according to some sources, there were already 14 of them on that day) ...
July 29, day - July 30, night and day. 6th day of defense. (The emperor himself would not have condemned him for the order to withdraw) The fire of the German artillery batteries lasted with short interruptions until the evening dawn ...
July 30 (7th day of defense). The German infantry again launched an attack along the entire front of the first line of defense, and ... were thrown back.
July 31st. Night. 8th day of defense (if Grigoriev had given an order to withdraw that day, even the Lord God himself would not have condemned him!) At 2.00 the assault was repeated and again drowned. At 2.20. the third assault began. The German infantry broke into the Russian trenches and occupied them. Grigoriev, perfectly realizing that the garrison was exhausted to the limit, that hundreds of soldiers did not sleep for more than two days, ordered to recapture these trenches. Something is happening that could not have happened: the Germans were driven out of those trenches by a Russian bayonet counterattack. By the morning they start the fourth. But they drowned in it too ...

August 1, night. (9th day of defense) Anniversary of the declaration of war. The Germans go on the offensive from the Nemunas to the Januce farm. Two attacks were repulsed by the fire of the fortress artillery and riflemen. The third attack was again repulsed by a Russian bayonet counterattack. The enemy begins the first assault on the trenches at Dominicanos. The assault is choking! Only at 10.30. in the second assault, the Germans manage to occupy this farm.
13.00. German infantry with a bloody battle occupies the village of Germaniskes. Then the Esi river ravine crosses to the Russian position Pavice - Rynkuny - Pavice - Pohermanek ...
August 1. 14.00. The Germans opened a hurricane of fire with another attack on the Dominicancanos - Zagrodas front. The attack is choking in the Russian bayonet counterattack ...
August 1. 16.30. The troops of the left flank of the first line of the fortress defense are retreating. But the troops of the right and central lines continue the battle.
August 1. 20.00. Through the fortress squares, tearing strangers and friends to shreds, German artillery thunders until morning ...
August 2. The ninth day of defense (but even today Grigoriev does not give the order to withdraw) At 6 o'clock in the morning, a turning point comes in the battle. The enemy seizes the first line of defense of the fortress by the next assault. The 7th Kovno squad from General Krenke's detachment, sent to the rescue, is caught in the crossfire and captured.
Night. The Germans are trying to break through to the trenches near the destroyed fort No. 2, but are choking on bayonet counterattacks.
Day. A heroic tragedy takes place in the battle for Farfark Marvas. All these days and nights, the 6th Kovenskaya, as well as the 403rd and 508th squads of the militia fought to death here. About 5,000 fighters. The 403rd was all destroyed. The remaining 227 fighters on the night of 2 to 3 August retreated exhaustedly along the banks of the Neman River. Major General Alexander Konstantinovich Krenke had 6,000 of 9,000 people killed by August 3 ...
23.20. The defenders of the Kovno fortress, by order of Grigoriev, retreat from the fortified forts and consolidate themselves on the line of forts. Behind, behind the forts, for insurance, the 386th militia squad (150 people), 580th (about 100 people), 404th (about 300 people) and 490th (50 people). When retreating, about three dozen soldiers of the 71st and 67th reserve battalions are captured.
August 3rd. Night. 10th day of defense (there is no order to withdraw!) Captain Vasily Biman with his battalion in an unexpected counterattack occupies a section of the position from Fort No. 1 to the Nemunas (exactly the place where in 1812 Napoleon watched the invasion of the Russian Empire ), but then informs: “The fort is destroyed. Grigoriev allows it. But suddenly from the destroyed, seemingly dead fort No. 1, a messenger runs into the command dugout and asks for fire support. Only one platoon with three warrant officers held the ruins, they had three guns and two machine guns left. Support comes on time. 1000 people with Captain Beeman and Lieutenant Colonel Pitkevich burst into the underground casemate of the fort and occupy a perimeter defense.
Night. In the fortress, the inter-fortress telephone connection is cut off again, but here for a long time. Grigoriev's headquarters "goes blind". 3.00. General Tsypovich commits an irreparable mistake, not seeing the situation without communication, and orders his extremely exhausted troops to withdraw to the right bank of the Neman. But behind the soldiers and officers of the central part of the first line of defense of the fortress remain to fight. They haven't taken a step back! German troops entered there when all the Russians were already dead ...
Night. 10th day of defense. Until 5 o'clock in the morning, the fortress artillery is still quite active. But the 1,2,3 and 5th forts no longer exist. There are fewer and fewer Russian guns, they are broken by direct hits. All ammunition runs out by morning. The fire of the batteries weakens, and by the morning of August 3, it stops altogether. Everything! From that moment on, we, descendants, can assume that the fortress has fallen. But no matter how it is!
Morning. Deaf, several times losing consciousness from powder gases, 64-year-old General Grigoriev orders to recapture the central fortified line. Unsuccessfully! The defense of the fortress entered the stage of agony ...
In the village of Kormilishkes there were 8000 completely untrained recruits of the border division, only 2000 of them were armed with rifles ... without bayonets. They ran. Major General Yanuariy Fedorovich Karpov with his 4th border regiment takes a position at the Esinsky ravine and starts a battle in front of the broken fort No. 3. At 4.00. On August 3, Grigoriev received an order to withdraw the regiment beyond the Niemen ...
Morning. The second line of defense is commanded by Major General Verkhovsky. Here the Germans only once decided to storm and were repulsed. But on the same morning, in a clever maneuver, they make a detour of the line along the bank of the Nemunas, enter from the flank and rear, surround the destroyed fort No. 3 and capture it. Of the 883 fighters who held the 3rd fort, 878 died. Only five gunners survived, who managed to escape from the fire, having managed to destroy the guns.
August 3rd. Day. The artillerymen of Fort No. 6 beyond the Neman left the fort, having previously destroyed the guns: they were no longer covered by the infantry. The surviving infantrymen left the fort at 13.00. due to the complete lack of strength to continue the fight. On this day, General Grigoriev is reassigned to the commander of the 10-Russian army Yevgeny Radkevich. Radkevich has already sent a messenger from Grodno with an order to report on the situation to Grigoriev. The messenger advises to do this in the village of Vladykino, 12 versts from the defense line of the forts, where there is the Yuza apparatus.
August 3rd. 22. 00. There is still no air or underground telephone communication in the fortress. Grigoriev personally goes to look at the situation near Fort No. 6, where you can still hold the defense, to personally figure out what is happening there.
August 3rd. 23.30. (there is no order to withdraw) The fortress has already been abandoned by almost all the survivors. Only two guns are firing at the Germans. Grigoriev from Vladykino asks Radkevich for help. But Radkevich does the inexplicable: he unexpectedly dismisses Grigoriev from office. Replaces him with General of Infantry Nikolai Yakovlevich Lopushansky.
August 4th. 16.00.11 day of defense. Vladykino. Grigoriev is located outside the perimeter of the forts, but within the perimeter of the fortress (this perimeter is 37-46 versts from the city center was determined back in 1906) among the soldiers and officers of his garrison, trying to build them in columns, demands to return to the line of forts. Radkevich orders to arrest Grigoriev ...
6.00. The Germans launched an offensive on the second line of defense. Behind it is the 4th fort. Suddenly, behind the soldiers of Major General Sergei Zakharovich Verkhovsky, the head of the 2nd militia brigade, mined artillery batteries began to explode. Thinking that the 4th fort was blown up, Verkhovsky gives the order to withdraw. But the fort suddenly came to life and began to fire at the Germans. This was fired by Lieutenant Fyodor Petrovich Lukin, 20 gunners and 100 infantrymen. 180 of their comrades lay here dead. By 10 o'clock in the morning, the defenders of Fort No. 4 ran out of ammunition. Under the smoke screen, they took the machine guns, disabled the guns, set fire to the fuse cords to blow up the fort, and under fire crossed the boats to the right bank of the Neman. By accident (a German shell hit a bundle of fuse cords) the fort remained intact. By 21.00, the surviving fighters of the second line of defense, buried important parts of the guns and ... retreated to the third.
August 4th. 22.00. The Germans hit the fortress, the heroes remaining in it from all possible calibers. Artillery preparation "across the squares" lasted until 4 am on 5 August. At this time, those two guns were still hitting the enemy from the fortress! The surviving workers militias left their positions in Kaunas and began to loot grocery stores. The new commandant of the fortress, General Lopushansky, could not turn the situation around either.
5th of August. 6.00. 12th and last day of the defense of the forts. There is almost no one to defend them. Extremely exhausted, deaf, wounded, who had not eaten for several days and did not sleep, the surviving soldiers of the first and second lines of defense were forced to leave their last stronghold of the IV and VI forts. By the middle of the day, the Germans occupied V, VIII, IX and X. The last fort (railway) passed into their hands only at 23.00.
23 50. Captain Zaushkevich left the fortress with his 25th company of fortress artillery. They were the last unit of the garrison to leave the forts of the Kovno fortress ...
August 6. Night. Almost 12 kilometers east of Kaunas stretched out the survivors and not captured, about 18,000 soldiers. Everyone could hardly walk. Those who fell were picked up on carts ...
220 thousand German shells - 20 thousand per day - fell on the fortress in 11 days of defense. The losses of the garrison were only about 50 thousand dead. In total, in these battles, the garrison of the fortress lost up to 75% of its composition. Who was not eaten by the dogs, who else could be buried - were buried by the soldiers of the 10th German General Litzman and residents of the city of Kaunas. Basically, in the same trenches in which they died. About 15 thousand of the dead were taken on carts to the Kaunas Resurrection Orthodox Cathedral and laid in a huge mass grave. A stone monument was erected. That grave is gone today. It was leveled, if I am not mistaken, in 1946.
On August 22, 1915, the Russian army finally left the perimeter of the fortress ...
He was convicted according to the laws created in ... 1869. By his actions, he saved five armies: 1st, 3rd, 4th, 5th and 10th, that is, the entire front. The Germans salute him in their memoirs.
The general from the cavalry, the commandant of the Kovno fortress, Vladimir Nikolaevich Grigoriev, quite deliberately placed the cross of shame on his shoulders, which he carries to this day. You won't find such pros! Let the earth rest in peace to him, wherever he lies!

Mikhail Grigorievich Grigoriev was born in the village of Molodka, Kalinin region. Father in 1917 returned from the front wounded, sick, he died a year later. The mother was left with three children in her arms. Here is what the famous general wrote in his autobiography: “From the age of 10, from 1927 to 1930, I worked as a laborer in the summer and studied at a rural school in the winter. state funds (received a scholarship) ". In 1936 he entered the Artillery Academy in Leningrad. A year later, the course on which Grigoriev studied was fully transferred to Moscow, to the F.E. Dzerzhinsky.

From the first days to the end of the Great Patriotic War, Mikhail Grigorievich was in the army. At the age of 25, he was appointed commander of the 7th Guards Mortar Brigade. He personally formed it and then successfully commanded this formation on the Leningrad and Karelian fronts. As part of the 2nd Belorussian Front, the brigade took part in the liberation of Poland and Germany.

In December 1950, at the Kapustin Yar training ground, Colonel Grigoriev began to form the second in Soviet army the special-purpose brigade of the RVGK (23rd BON), which he then commanded for five years. And in 1957, who had just graduated from the Academy of the General Staff, he was entrusted with the leadership of the construction of the first positioning area for intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) in the north of the country. Nowadays every Russian knows the word "Plesetsk". The merits of Mikhail Grigorievich in the creation of the test site are enormous. In the shortest possible time, about ten combat launches for ICBMs were erected here.

On July 15, 1957, Colonel Grigoriev issued order No. 1, which announced his entry into office and the beginning of the formation of a temporary staffing unit as part of the unit management, capital construction department and service unit - a total of 32 officers and 120 soldiers and sergeants. It was this date, July 15, that was subsequently celebrated as the birthday of the training ground and the garrison. Then this place was without roads, but with billions of mosquitoes and midges. In autumn it was "famous" for long rains and impassable mud. Then came the time of deep snows, bitter frosts. As before, we had to live in tents: But already in 1958, work on the creation of starting positions in Plesetsk unfolded on a wide front. The construction employed more than 11,000 people. And by the end of that year, the length of new and reconstructed sections railways was 60 km, and automobile - 70 km. During the construction of the launch sites alone, it was necessary to extract about a million cubic meters of soil and lay over 30 thousand cubic meters of concrete. Already on December 15, 1959, the state commission signed an act on the acceptance into operation of the USSR's first combat missile complex of intercontinental ballistic missiles.

Mikhail Grigorievich commanded the first formation with an ICBM for almost six years. And in 1962 he was appointed first deputy commander of the largest missile army - Vinnitsa, then, from June 1966 to April 1968, he was its commander. In April 1968 the general became the first deputy commander-in-chief of the Strategic Missile Forces. The merit of Mikhail Grigorievich in the creation and improvement of new combat missile systems is truly invaluable. So, he headed the state commission for testing the R-36 ICBM, which had no analogues in the world. For the creation and adoption of this missile into service, the general became a laureate of the Lenin Prize. He also headed the state commission on the Salyut (Almaz) manned orbital station. So it is understandable why the International Astronomical Union on June 13 this year. named after Grigoriev planet # 12219, discovered by the Crimean Astrophysical Observatory.

He spent almost 50 years serving in the Armed Forces. He is still remembered in the Strategic Missile Forces and the Space Forces. This year, on the day of the 50th anniversary of the Plesetsk cosmodrome, a monument to him was unveiled in the town of Mirny. Mikhail Grigorievich was highly valued and considered with his opinion by such outstanding designers of rocket and space technology as Sergei Korolev, Mikhail Yangel, Vladimir Chelomey, Alexander Nadiradze, Mikhail Reshetnev and many others. And with Yangel, the general was connected by a strong male friendship.

Mikhail Grigorievich Grigoriev died on November 12, 1981. He was buried at the Novodevichy cemetery of the capital.

Grigoriev Mikhail Grigorievich,
head of construction, first head of the ICBM formation - the "Angara" facility
(later the 53rd Research Institute of the test site, the Plesetsk cosmodrome) from 1957 to 1962, Colonel General.

Grigoriev was born on October 23, 1917 in the village of Molodka, Bezhetsk district, Tver province (Kalinin region). From 1927 to 1930 he worked on a collective farm and studied first at a secondary school in the village. Zakharovo (now there is a stand "The Road to the Stars" about an outstanding student of this school.), Then at Bezhetsk school No. 5 - a ten-year-old (graduated from 10 classes), where since 1990 the museum of M.G. Grigoriev has been working.
In 1936 he entered the Artillery Academy in Leningrad, a year later his course was transferred to Moscow at the Artillery Academy named after V.I. F.E. Dzerzhinsky. He graduated from the academy in May 1941 and was appointed battery commander of the 5th howitzer artillery regiment of high power in Belarus (troops of a special district - the Reserve of the Supreme Command.).

In July 1942, Grigoriev was appointed commander of the 85th separate guards mortar division of heavy (high-explosive) mortars of the Kalinin Front. He took part in battles near Rzhev, on the Kalinin and Volkhov fronts. In December 1942, he was appointed deputy commander of the 10-1 Guards Mortar Brigade (participated in breaking the Leningrad blockade).
In February 1943, 25-year-old Major Grigoriev was entrusted with the formation of the 7th Guards Heavy Mortar Brigade of the Supreme Command Headquarters. It was the Katyusha brigade (general position). Under his command, the brigade took part in the hostilities of the Volkhov, Karelian, and Leningrad fronts. For military merits the brigade received the honorary name "Svirskaya" and was awarded the Orders of the Red Banner, Kutuzov and Alexander Nevsky. As part of the 2nd Belorussian Front, the brigade took part in the liberation of Poland and Germany.

After the war, the knowledge and abilities of M.G. Grigoriev was needed in the development of new types of weapons, he was recalled to Moscow (1946) as a senior researcher at the artillery headquarters of the Soviet Army, he worked on a commission to summarize the experience of the war and the post-war use of rocket weapons.
In December 1950, at a personal request, Colonel MG Grigoriev was sent to the troops and at the Kapustin Yar training ground forms the 23rd RVGK Special Purpose Brigade, which he then commanded for five years. The missile brigade has always been in the front line and Grigoriev, as a promising officer, was offered to undergo training at the Academy of the General Staff.

In 1954-1956. Grigoriev M.G. studied at the Military Academy of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the USSR. Upon graduation - Deputy Head of the Rostov Higher Artillery Engineering School.
On January 11, 1957, a Resolution of the Council of Ministers of the USSR was adopted on the creation of a military facility with the code name "Angara" (the first missile unit in the USSR armed with R-7 and R-7A intercontinental ballistic missiles). On July 10, 1957, by order of the Minister of Defense of the USSR No. 01635, Colonel M.G. Grigoriev was appointed the commander of the missile formation being formed. On July 15, 1957, Grigoriev signed order No. 1 on the assumption of the position of commander of military unit 13991 and the beginning of its formation. This day is considered the date of the foundation of the Plesetsk cosmodrome and the city of Mirny.
On December 15, 1959, the State Commission signed an act on the acceptance into operation of the ICBM combat missile system and the first combat launch station of Colonel G.K. Mikheev took up combat duty. Two days later, by a decree of the Government of the USSR, a new service of the Armed Forces, Strategic Missile Forces, was created.
On the basis of the compound, a test range of the Ministry of Defense is being deployed, in the area of ​​Plesetsk itself, the city of missilemen, Mirny, is being created. For the creation of the test site in Plesetsk, MG Grigoriev was awarded the rank of Major General.
In May 1962, Major General M.G. Grigoriev was appointed first deputy commander of the 43rd Missile Army (headquarters in Vinnitsa), from June 1966 to April 1968 - the commander of this army.
In 1963, M.G. Grigoriev was appointed chairman of the State Commission for testing the R-36 intercontinental missile system, the chief designer of which was Academician Yangel Mikhail Kuzmich. On July 21, 1967, the R-36 complex was adopted by the Strategic Missile Forces, and for the successful tests and commissioning of the complex, M.G. Grigoriev was awarded the Lenin Prize.
Since 1968, he was appointed First Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Missile Forces, was a member of the Military Council of the Strategic Missile Forces (04/25/1968 - 04/08/1981).
In April 1981. Mikhail Grigorievich graduated military service and was included in the Group of Inspectors General under the Minister of Defense of the USSR, in which the most senior generals and marshals of the Armed Forces after their departure from service are advisers.

Mikhail Grigorievich died on November 12, 1981 after a short but serious illness. He was buried at the Novodevichy cemetery (across the path from Nikita Sergeevich Khrushchev).
Memory of him:
- in 1977. awarded the title "Honorary Citizen of the city of Mirny" for his great contribution to the construction and development of the city of Mirny, active participation in the Great Patriotic War, strengthening the defensive power of our Motherland, in honor of the 60th anniversary of the Great October Socialist Revolution and the 60th anniversary of the birth. (Decision of the City Council of the 16th convocation of October 20, 1977)
- in 1990, a museum of Mikhail Grigorievich Grigoriev, a school graduate, was opened in Bezhetsk secondary school No. 5. The museum includes stands: school years; The Great Patriotic War; the birth of the Strategic Missile Forces and space; friendship with fellow countrymen.
-13 July 2002 in the city of Mirny, a park named after Grigoriev was opened and his bust was originally erected in the park (a rather amateur monument, but the sons invited a professional sculptor to create a new monument, which was installed on the main square of the city later).
-13 June 2007 the Astronomical Union named after Grigoriev the planet №12219 discovered by the Crimean Astronomical Observatory
- On July 14, 2007 (at the 50th anniversary), a monument to Mikhail Grigorievich Grigoriev was unveiled on the central square of the city of Mirny (Chief Project Manager - A.A.Bashlakov, Sculptor and author of the project - B.A.Mamedov)
MG Grigoriev awards:
- Laureate of the Lenin Prize in 1967.
- 10 orders (Lenin (1966, 1978), the Red Battle Banner (1944, 1945, 1956, 1972), the Patriotic War 1 degree (1945), the Red Star (1943, 1951), "For Service to the Motherland in the Armed Forces of the USSR" 3 tbsp. (1975)) and 14 medals
- 2 orders and 10 medals of foreign countries.

Gennady Ivanov - "Famous and well-known residents of Bezhechan"

1917 - 1981

What can you tell about a man who has been classified for almost his entire life?

Apparently, we need to start with the unclassified part of his life.

Our compatriot, who was born in the village of Molodka, Colonel-General Mikhail Grigorievich Grigoriev, I did not call a great rocket scientist. Professionals, other rocket scientists consider him so. For example, Colonel General G.N. Malinovsky, a prominent military leader of the Strategic Missile Forces, Hero of Socialist Labor, State Prize Laureate, Doctor of Technical Sciences, in his book Notes of a Rocket Engineer, without any reservations, publishes a photograph of M.G. Grigorieva and below it laconically writes: “M.G. Grigoriev. Great rocket scientist. " There are many photographs in the book, but not one of them has such a signature.

So, the great rocket scientist was born and in childhood and adolescence lived in the village of Molodka, Bezhetsk region. The Grigoriev family was one of the poorest in the village. From an early age Misha was a shepherd, he went to school not with a briefcase or a new-fashioned backpack, but with a rag sack, from which they fed the horse with oats.

In the village, later, other children were instructed by the example of Misha Grigoriev: "There was Mishka Grigoriev, he was sitting on a hummock, grazing cattle, and he wore only" fives ", he became a scientist, and you, goof ..."

I was in Molodka and Zakharov, where he went to high school and where there is now a stand "The Road to the Stars", telling about the outstanding student of this school.

On the stand there are photographs of a fellow-countryman-general, memories of a classmate about him, there are poems by children about the legendary rocket engineer and even a fairy tale about him.

Children's poems by Masha Smolina begin like this:

Misha Grigoriev was born in Molodka,
Grazing the cows there. He studied at our school.
He firmly decided to cognize with science,
It's easier to climb to the stars.

The memoirs of a classmate A. Ya. Romanov are called "From a shepherdess to a general." the main idea these memories that "Mikhail never parted with the book." And also - that "I loved mathematics most of all subjects."

The fairy tale “The Defender of the Russian Land” also does not ignore the shepherd's theme: “Every morning Minka took his favorite horn, a long whip and ran to drive the cows to the meadows”.

I looked at these meadows, where the future rocketman was running as a shepherd boy, I asked them: tell me, meadows, why exactly Misha Grigoriev, this ordinary village boy, learned to do amazing calculations of rocket trajectories, was one of the main creators of our missile shield, learned to foresee the future the use of space for defense purposes in such a way that he became one of the best rocket launchers of the 20th century? Why he? Why exactly from the most ordinary locality, from the most ordinary peasant family?

Maybe, when he was tending the flock, he looked at the sky for a long time, and the heavenly angels conveyed to God that this boy was very much interested in the heavenly blue ... And the Lord gave him the talent. May be.

And further. He gave him a wonderful teacher of mathematics - Boris Ivanovich Beloborodov, with whom Grigoriev studied already in Bezhetsk in the fifth school. The director of the Zakharovsk school came to the village and told his parents that Minka should study in the city according to her abilities, and they agreed.

I am now looking at a photo of this math teacher. A handsome man, in a hat, a butterfly around his neck, in all his appearance - the dignity of a person who knows his own worth.

They say that all the students, whom he took seriously, entered any university. In Bezhetsk, many remember Beloborodov, everyone speaks of him with admiration. I've never seen him. I saw only his grave in the old cemetery to the right of the temple.

During all his visits to Bezhetsk, the general always brought his teacher a good food set from the capital. I never forgot to visit Beloborodov.

In 1936 M.G. Grigoriev entered the Artillery Academy. F.E. Dzerzhinsky in Moscow. He studied in the same department with Stalin's son Yakov Dzhugashvili. Only three of the entire graduation in 1941 graduated from the academy so brilliantly that they were given the right to independently choose their place of service and the type of artillery - among these three were Grigoriev and Dzhugashvili. Mikhail chose the Belorussian district, long-range artillery.

The war began.

In the Great Patriotic War, Grigoriev first became the commander of the 85th separate guards mortar division of the Kalinin Front. From that moment until the last day, his whole life will be associated with rocket artillery, with the formation and development of the Rocket Forces.

In February 1943, 25-year-old Major Grigoriev was entrusted with the formation of the 7th Guards Heavy Mortar Brigade. It was the Katyusha brigade. The major was promoted to a general's post.

About life and combat path Mikhail Grigorievich was told to me already in Moscow by the deputy director of the Museum of the Strategic Missile Forces Dina Grigorievna Sizova. This museum contains the general's personal belongings. They are also in the Central Museum of the Armed Forces.

And then I was incredibly lucky: after a long search, I managed to find the phone number of M.G.'s son. Grigoriev - Oleg Mikhailovich, a retired colonel who served as chief engineer of the military space forces. We met and he talked a lot about his father.

M.G. Grigorieva - three sons. All three became officers. One was a general, the other was a colonel, the third rose to the rank of major and left the army already in our troubled times. And he became an entrepreneur.

Under the command of Grigoriev, the 7th brigade took part in battles on the Volkhov, Karelian, Leningrad and 2nd Belorussian fronts. Grigoriev's guards passed through Svir, Karelia and the Arctic, crushed the enemy in East Prussia, Poland and Germany. For military merits the brigade was named "Svirskaya" and was awarded the Orders of the Red Banner, Suvorov, Kutuzov and Alexander Nevsky.

The surviving veterans of the brigade, at their regular meetings, always say: "If it weren't for Grigoriev, we won't live now and meet." The young brigade commander did everything to save the personnel. The brigade had minimal losses in personnel among other formations of rocket artillery.

After the war, the knowledge and abilities of M.G. Grigoriev was needed in the development of new types of weapons - he serves as a senior researcher at the artillery headquarters. However, his active nature strives for the troops. From Moscow, from the headquarters, he asks to send him to Kamyshin to form a special-purpose missile brigade. The brigade was formed from scratch, there was not enough housing, it was necessary to create a training and material base. The officers who knew rocketry, there were units. My son told me that he hardly saw his father in early childhood, he came late at night and left home early in the morning. There were essentially no days off. But in a short time storage facilities for missiles were built, a training base was created, a methodology for training personnel was developed. Combat crews at the Kapustin Yar training ground successfully conducted combat missile launches and received gratitude from Marshal of Artillery M.I. Nedelina. After the implementation of these launches, the chief designer, the famous and great Sergei Pavlovich Korolev, in a conversation with Nedelin gave the following description to the brigade commander: “Colonel Grigoriev understands the missile system well, managed to find effective ways to train personnel, which allowed combat crews to quickly practically master the work, competently conduct training and rocket launch. He not only mastered rocketry himself, but in a short time taught combat crews. I liked his work, and this is exactly what the commanders of the formed missile formations should be like ”.

Oleg Mikhailovich Grigoriev told me that my father had an amazing ability to convince subordinates. He spoke brightly, with conviction, sincerely - and people were imbued with the tasks set by the commander. But - says the son: "He did not say:" Do as I said. " He said, "Do as I do." He delved into everything himself, showed it himself, did it himself - and by his direct example taught others to control the rocket ”.

And the general culture and erudition of Grigoriev were also of great importance. With the amount of knowledge he “crushed” his colleagues. Not in the sense - humiliated, but in the sense - convinced of his innocence.

The Rocket Brigade has always been at the forefront. Grigoriev, as a promising officer, was offered to undergo training at the Academy of the General Staff, which he brilliantly completed.

In 1957, Grigoriev was summoned to the Central Committee of the CPSU, and then to Marshal M.I. Nedelin. The essence of the task was that Grigoriev was to lead the formation, construction and commissioning of a new, the country's first strategic missile formation of intercontinental ballistic missiles. These were our very first R-7 intercontinental missiles. It was these missiles that made it possible for the leadership of the USSR to talk with the Americans on equal terms and even partially threaten them. But for these missiles, which in case of anything would reach America, launching silos were needed. The place was chosen in the area of ​​the city of Plesetsk, Arkhangelsk region. In these wetlands, two years later, military complexes armed with missiles with powerful nuclear charges were to be on alert.

It was a task of national importance.

Grigoriev's son recalls how it all began with six wooden houses, in one of which officers lived, including the family of Mikhail Grigorievich. Impenetrable swamps, wilderness, taiga all around, no roads, nothing. The task was very difficult.

Grigoriev writes “upward”: “I will certainly complete the task, but the Angara facility (that was the name of this secret facility - G.I.), which I will have to build and then command it, is being created in northern conditions, where there are no roads and energy , and materials for the construction of the facility must be delivered in a short time. That is why it is urgent to build an iron and good road, without which it will be impossible to complete the task on time. I ask you to provide specific assistance in solving this paramount issue. "

The son recalls that commissions came, there were many disputes, Mikhail Grigorievich, along with military facilities, was actively building housing for officers - it was because of this that once the fate of his father hung in the balance. The next metropolitan commission headed by the joint venture. Korolev and Marshal Grechko came to check the progress of the work. And Korolev considered that Grigoriev pays too much attention to housing and everyday problems, they say, this is all later, now the main thing is that combat starts must be built. Grigoriev clearly replied that officers should live in more or less normal conditions, then military facilities will be better built and combat training will go better. The conversation turned out to be tough. One high-ranking official from Moscow, irritated by Grigoriev's disobedience, said: “With Grigoriev, everything is clear. There are many colonels in the Soviet Army ... ”They say, there are no irreplaceable ones. We must take it off. But Grechko did not support him. He then, calming Mikhail Grigorievich, said: "There are really a lot of colonels in the Soviet Army, but there are not enough Grigorievs."

On some issues, Grigoriev directly appeals to the government of the USSR. The scale of government tasks is growing. A powerful test range of the Ministry of Defense is being deployed on the basis of the compound. In the Far North, under the leadership of Grigoriev, new facilities related to the activities of the test site are being built: on the shores of the Barents Sea, on Novaya Zemlya island, in the regions of Vorkuta, Syktyvkar, Norilsk, Yakutsk. In the area of ​​Plesetsk itself, a city of missilemen, Mirny, is being created. Hundreds of facilities are under construction: starting and technical positions, ground and underground structures, highways and railways, airfields. There is already a planned, well-oiled preparation of units, headquarters, services.

When you think about the scale and scope of work and tasks that Grigoriev was solving, then, of course, you will call him a great rocket scientist. In Plesetsk he was promoted to major general.

Then in the Rocket Forces they said that an officer who went through Grigoriev's school does not need other characteristics - which means that he is reliable in service and a dedicated person.

Oleg Mikhailovich Grigoriev believes that his father was a creator all his life. He always created everything from scratch. That was his fate.

Grigoriev's great merit was the creation of a test site in Plesetsk. He was entrusted with this matter, and he coped with it. In December 1959, the first combat starting position in Plesetsk took up combat duty.

And it's so good that Russia got this test site after the collapse Soviet Union when Baikonur ended up in another state. From Baikonur spaceships we are launching, but now we cannot carry out military tests there. For this we have Plesetsk, created by Grigoriev.

It started with six wooden houses, and now the Plesetsk training ground is up to 20 thousand personnel, including about 3 thousand officers. These are measuring points on Novaya Zemlya, Syktyvkar, Naryan-Mar and Vorkuta. This is a research sector with computing centers, a well-developed rocket and space weapons service and a powerful rear. The polygon also included a mixed aviation regiment.

The center of the landfill is the city of Mirny. There is a House of Officers, schools, hospitals, clinics, shops, etc.

Malinovsky writes that in the appearance of Mirny he always felt the caring hand of Mikhail Grigorievich Grigoriev, "whose mind, energy and will as the first head of this farm allowed him to optimally design a large complex of this landfill for many years."

In Mirny, a park is named after Grigoriev, and his bust is placed in the park. So far, however, the monument has turned out rather amateur, but now the sons have invited a professional sculptor, and he is working on a new monument.

The experience of combat duty and the first launches on the R-7 intercontinental combat missile system in Plesetsk allowed General Grigoriev already at the beginning of 1960 to draw certain conclusions on the necessary revision of the missile system, it was necessary to make over three hundred improvements to ensure a sharp reduction in the time for preparing the rocket for launch. D.F. Ustinov, having familiarized himself with the conclusions of Grigoriev, instructed industrial enterprises and design bureaus to work out the issue. In May 1961, the R-7 rocket was launched according to a new schedule, with an "excellent" rating, taking into account the modifications.

In 1962, Grigoriev was appointed first as first deputy army commander, then as commander of the missile army, which was headquartered in Vinnitsa. And I must say that the army under Grigoriev was noted as the best army in the Armed Forces of the Soviet Union according to the results of the inspection by the commission of the Minister of Defense. In 1968, Grigoriev, as a highly erudite military and statesman, deeply and comprehensively assessing the military-political situation, making optimal large-scale decisions and firmly implementing them, was appointed to the post of First Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Strategic Missile Forces. The commander-in-chief then was twice Hero of the Soviet Union, Marshal of the Soviet Union Nikolai Ivanovich Krylov.

I must say that by this time M.G. Grigoriev was already a laureate of the Lenin Prize, the highest then in the country. In 1967, she was awarded to him for the successful test of a new combat missile. On these tests, Grigoriev headed the state commission and brought the rocket "to mind" together with the great general designer Yangel.

Compatriots from the village of Molodka mostly told me about how M.G. Grigoriev came to his homeland already in adulthood, already a general. The most unforgettable thing for everyone is the general's generosity. The first thing he did was treat the men to beer. It was difficult with beer then, not like now. Then in the evening a table was laid in the alley for about forty people - and everyone who knew Mikhail came in, came from other villages. The news of Grigoriev's arrival spread quickly around the area. She flew to the city. The leadership of Bezhetsk more than once walked at these meetings of the fellow countryman.

Antonina Alekseevna Gavrilova, Grigoriev stayed in the Gavrilovs' house, when his house was already broken, she told me that every year, at least for a short time, Mikhail Grigorievich came to Molodka. He was drawn here, here he received strength from mother earth, from relatives and friends, from the songs of relatives - sometimes, says Antonina Alekseevna, he could sing songs with someone all night.

Here, in his native places, he was drawn to reap with the men during haymaking, here he caught carp, here he just wandered through his meadows, here he lived with his soul, moved away from the tense rocket business.

I once read about our famous aircraft designer Tupolev, also, by the way, from the Tver region, from the Kimrsky district. So, Tupolev said that the most interesting and fresh ideas came to him after the holidays. During the vacation, my head was freed from strenuous searches, and upon returning, I somehow managed to look at the tormenting problem in a new way, to look somehow strangely, as if you were seeing this problem for the first time. He called this effect defamation, not detachment, namely defamiliarisation. The word is strange. That is, it is paradoxical. And as you know, "genius is a friend of paradoxes."

I think that Grigoriev in his homeland flew so far in consciousness and spirit from intercontinental problems that later he easily solved the most difficult problems. Decided brilliantly. Therefore, his colleagues call him a great rocket scientist.

Molodkinsk residents: Vera Vasilyeva, Antonina Petrovna Maksimova, Antonina Yegorovna Ivanova, Pospelova Alexandra Ivanovna - all in a conversation about the general say the word "kind". Kind, simple, sympathetic, he greets every collective farmer ...

For all that, Mikhail Grigorievich was a man of a very high state position, he was the chairman of the state commission for testing missile systems, he was all in secrets, so he could not come to his native village alone - he had a guard, there was an adjutant. But with all that, such simplicity and kindness in dealing with the most common people... He did not sulk, did not solemnly carry his significance, there was no overbearing fanaticism. It is not in vain that the people say: "Where it is simple - there are up to a hundred angels." There is talent, there is real success.

DG Sizova from the museum told me that Mikhail Grigorievich was one of the most cultured and tactful people. Her husband, an officer, knew Grigoriev well.

Of course, Grigoriev did not tell any secrets in Molodka. Except that to a loved one, whom he has known for a long time, will tell a story about how an American reconnaissance satellite fell in the steppes of Kazakhstan, and the local residents, before the arrival of the military, raked it, and the photographic film, which was about a meter wide, was adapted to fencing the sheep.

And what he does directly, what problems arise, what tasks are being solved and what role is assigned to Grigoriev in them - no one asked him about this. Everyone understood that the man was secret.

In the book of G.N. Malinovsky, we find the following phrases about Grigoriev: “An instructor group was born at the Kapustin Yar training ground, then appeared at the Baikonur training ground. At the Plesetsk training ground, brought up in the spirit of the literate M.G. Grigoriev, doubted its expediency for a long time. " “In the same period, Mikhail Grigorievich Grigoriev was appointed to the post of First Deputy Commander-in-Chief. We had known each other for a long time and respected each other. At first, after commanding the army, it seemed to him that new job not so tense. We frankly exchanged our views. I really appreciated this attention and support from an older friend. He headed the garrison housing commission, but he did not provide me much support in these matters. He was very annoyed by our large central administration, which allegedly was not included in the calculation of housing construction in the city of Odintsovo. I had to "fight" with him for each apartment. The housing issue was very acute, and to this day it has not been closed. "

About apartments - please. And about the secrets ... About the essence of the missile problems, about where they were aiming and how they were aimed and what discussions were going on and what the secrets of the missiles were, we must look between the lines. If you find it. After all, such books are still being viewed by specialists in state secrets, although we do not have censorship now.

Our fellow countryman Vyacheslav Ivanovich Bragin was on good terms with Grigoriev. Sometimes all night long they talked in Molodka “for life”. Bragin recalls the general:

“Molodka is a village a few kilometers northeast of Bezhetsk, the birthplace of Mikhail Grigorievich Grigoriev. He is firmly remembered there and revered to this day.

Somehow he took me with him on his very small homeland... Everything was exactly the same as it happens in a Russian village when a fellow countryman, a military man, and even such a large one as Mikhail Grigorievich, comes to it. The meeting turns into a real holiday for everyone. Every villager strives to remember something to please both his fellow countryman and himself ...

An old woman, a friend of his parents:

Mikhail Grigorievich! But I still remember you like that. And now you’re what you’re become!

Men of the same age:

Do you remember, Mikhail, how one day you and I were at the haymaking ...

The village relatives of Mikhail Grigorievich, full of restrained pride from a special closeness to him, sedately restrain the unnecessary inquiries of their fellow villagers.

Next to the Colonel-General is an inseparable adjutant. At the request of his commander, he takes out a thick album from his traveling trunk, on the sheets of which there are photographs of Grigoriev with the leaders of the country, with statesmen and military leaders of other powers. Meetings at Baikonur, in Kapustin Yar, in Plesetsk.

Mikhail Grigorievich comments:

This - big man! .. Rocket Designer! I won't tell you my surname! .. This is the President of France Pompidou.

This is a rocket before launch ... This is the Mission Control Center ... This is the cosmonauts: Gagarin, Titov ... Makarov is ours, Tver, from Udomlya ... Here is Tereshkova, Volynov, Komarov ... And here I am, reporting as chairman of the State Commission ...

From such words and such names, village women and peasants take their breath away! .. They understand that their fellow countryman, who once, as they say, ran around Molodka without trousers, is now between these people whom the whole world respects, not only their own, and even in some way a boss over them! ..

Just think! .. To what heights our Mishka Grigoriev ascended from simple roots! .. He did not disgrace the surname! ..

Molodka is a well-known village in the Bezhetsk land. Once strong, prosperous, flax-growing. I saw a lot of good, master's men. There are several Heroes of Socialist Labor from these regions. But Mikhail Grigorievich Grigoriev was a success of all! .. From childhood he was especially brainy. The doctrine took root well. He graduated from the ten-year school in the former 1st model school in the city of Bezhetsk, which is in the area of ​​the nonwovens plant, the former city industrial plant.

Misha Grigoriev studied mathematics under Boris Ivanovich Beloborodov himself, a legendary teacher in Bezhetsk.

In this case, it is impossible not to talk about this absolutely wonderful, amazing in his uniqueness person, who constituted a whole phenomenon for a provincial town. Because without Beloborodov there would not have been Grigoriev as a person, as a scientist, a military leader, as an outstanding son of the Fatherland.

(I am very grateful to the author of this book G. V. Ivanov, for the fact that he accompanied his essay on M. G. Grigoriev with a portrait of the unforgettable B. I. Beloborodov. In my opinion, this photograph very accurately conveys not only the appearance, but also the character of this teacher with a capital letter).

B.I.Beloborodov, himself a graduate of Moscow University (his Ph.D. thesis in mathematics, already ready for defense, was burned during the bombing in the Great Patriotic War), while staying in Bezhetsk, enjoyed authority at the faculties of exact sciences of Moscow State University. Maybe someone will doubt my words, but from childhood I remember conversations among the inhabitants of refugees: university professors, having learned that an applicant from Bezhetsk and studied with Beloborodov, opened the way for him to the university.

BI Beloborodov was an integral part of the outstanding teaching community of those years: Mikhail Mikhailovich Pereslegin, Alexei Mikhailovich Galakhov, Antonin Gerasimovich Kirsanov, Struzhinsky, Georgievsky, Maria Mikhailovna Vinogradova, Nikolai Kuzmich Golychev and many others. But he was also clearly different from them.

Orthodox by faith, absolutely independent and very bold in political judgments, which was extremely unsafe in those years, especially for teachers (I think that he managed to avoid certain extremes solely thanks to his absolute indispensability as a mathematician teacher).

Not at all an ascetic, one might even say, in many of his features - an epicurean, he was distinguished by sophistication in dress not only from the bulk of the townspeople, but also from his colleagues. Many in Bezhetsk still remember Beloborodov, who in the evenings strolled around the Bolypukha with his hands behind his back, always in strict suits, with a bow tie, bowing to numerous acquaintances.

Aggressively intolerant of smoking. He had his own formula on this score: "To drink a glass is good, to kiss a woman is the highest pleasure, but turning yourself into a walking boiler room is against all nature!"

Organically despising profanity, not recognizing Mayakovsky and the late Gorky, Boris Ivanovich idolized Pushkin and Lermontov, admired Blok, highly appreciated Apukhtin, Nadson, Balmont ...

Raised and released into the world, I say this without any discounts and overexposure, dozens of outstanding people who glorified our Fatherland with their talents and labors (in his house one could meet musicians in four hands on an old piano of nuclear physicists, telling about a trip to the far abroad a patented international journalist, a professor who surpassed his teacher in scientific ranks and titles, but remains before Boris Ivanovich in the status of a humble student ...), but I think that I can say this, I myself spent hundreds of hours with Beloborodov in fantastically interesting communication that His favorite and most talented student, his main pedagogical success, he considered Mikhail Grigorievich Grigoriev.

And he, in turn, idolized his best teacher.

Often, when I, when I was still a student of the Bezhetsk Engineering College, came to visit B.I.Beloborodov, in his cozy apartment with a white tiled stove bench on the second floor of a two-story wooden house on Victory Square that has survived to this day, and when he invited to the table (among his special virtues was the ability to cook perfectly and beautifully), he suggested:

Eat oranges! .. This is my student Mikhail Grigoriev brought me from Moscow. Now he is a tremendous general, he is engaged in some secret affairs, but he often comes to me ... And he brought the doctor's sausage here! ..

(It is difficult for today's reader to imagine how rare these products were then for Bezhetsk! .. If someone got something, it was only "from under the counter", by pull or by special distribution.)

On the part of Mikhail Grigorievich, this was a constant manifestation of the highest human quality - gratitude and respect for his Teacher. Every time, arriving home, M.G. Grigoriev visited B.I.Beloborodov with gifts, and repeatedly in our conversations spoke about him in the most enthusiastic way.

For all his interlocutors from Bezhetsk, including us, the then leaders of the city and district, the stories of M.G. Grigoriev in those years when almost everything that was connected with the topic of space exploration and the life of astronauts was almost completely banned, were almost a divine revelation. Today, after so many years, much has been erased in my memory, but I remember myself endlessly carried away by Mikhail Grigorievich's stories about the incredibly complex problems that our Fatherland managed to solve when creating a nuclear missile shield.

Mikhail Grigorievich, in a measure of confidence, shared with us some, then closed, details from the life of the cosmonaut corps, lifted the curtain over individual dramatic episodes in space travel. All this was then extremely interesting! .. It was, as they say now, exclusive first-hand information. And at the same time, she gave birth to great respect for our interlocutor himself. One could feel how much intellectual, organizational and moral efforts were required from him at the stage of formation and development of the strategic nuclear missile potential. It is no coincidence that there are so many order pads and gold medal laureate of the Lenin Prize ...

During one of these meetings, I remember, I began to say goodbye with apologies and references to the most critical circumstances at work ...

No, Vyacheslav, - Grigoriev took my hand. - You're not going anywhere. You are my guest! ... Well, what if you have a plenum tomorrow ... You are the first secretary of the city committee ... Have you not held plenums? .. Your report, I know, has been written a long time ago, your colleagues they will finish all the other things without you! .. By the way, what is your military rank? .. So ... So, I'm the commander here! .. That's it! .. You stay! ..

All night we talked then together with Mikhail Grigorievich in a village house, not taking a nap for a minute. They prepared for us a huge frying pan of scrambled eggs, almost half a meter in diameter, set another, simple and hearty meal. Of course, they didn’t forget the vodka either. That communication with the great rocket scientist, as one of his colleagues called Grigoriev in his memoirs, is impossible to forget. I saw in front of me a widely educated, talented and simple in everything, surprisingly lively and cheerful, having a real Russian person to himself.

It was only in the morning that I left Molodka directly for my plenum ...

Several times we met with Mikhail Grigorievich and in the last period of his life.

It is not for me to assess the circumstances of the appointment of Tolubko as commander-in-chief of the strategic forces. But from very competent people I heard the opinion that M.G. Grigoriev had all the data in order to take this position: colossal experience, high theoretical training, bright commanding data, intelligence, strong will and enviable energy. It dawned on us that his relationship with the new commander-in-chief did not go well. Soon, Mikhail Grigorievich was included in the so-called paradise group of retirees under the Minister of Defense of the USSR, in which the most senior generals and marshals of the Armed Forces after their departure from service are advisers.

Mikhail Grigorievich, as one could see, experienced this circumstance very painfully. On this basis, apparently, aggravated ailments. Colonel General M.G. Grigoriev, whom I consider one of the most wonderful and dear people I have met in my life, has passed away. The coffin with his body would be installed in the Central House of the Army on Suvorov Square.

Numerous awards that rocket officers carried on burgundy pillows testified to the outstanding services of the son of the Bezhetsk land to the Fatherland and its Armed Forces. Mikhail Grigorievich was buried at the Novodevichy cemetery, across the path from Nikita Sergeevich Khrushchev. This, in my opinion, has a special symbolism. First Secretary of the CPSU Central Committee N.S. Khrushchev is an active supporter of the missile rearmament of the Soviet Union and the great rocket scientist M.G. Grigoriev rested nearby.

Memorial service for Mikhail Grigorievich was in Odintsovo near Moscow. At the sad funeral, I had to sit with the cosmonaut No. 2 German Stepanovich Titov, who, between the sorrowful glasses, spoke exceptionally warmly about M.G. Grigoriev. The highest military ranks, many space heroes, spoke with the kindest feelings and the highest assessments of Mikhail Grigorievich. For them, he was a mentor, comrade, friend. "

Grigoriev was promoted to the leadership of the Strategic Missile Forces in the 60s. Then the commander-in-chief was twice Hero of the Soviet Union, Marshal of the Soviet Union Nikolai Ivanovich Krylov. And in the Central Committee of the party, the secretary of the Central Committee Dmitry Fedorovich Ustinov, the future Minister of Defense of the USSR, was responsible for defense.

After the death of N.I. Krylov in 1972, Vladimir Fedorovich Tolubko, General of the Army, Hero of Socialist Labor, became the commander-in-chief of the Strategic Missile Forces.

In general, all of these were outstanding people who went through the Great Patriotic War, deeply understanding the need for serious work on the country's defense capability. Then people began to come to power who understood this seriousness less and less ...

Our fellow countryman M.G. Grigoriev was at the very epicenter of the country's defense problems. He supervised testing of strategic missiles. Everything was very difficult, not only from the technical side, but also from the purely human, political side. For example, it was necessary to decide which missile system was better: the one that was made in the design bureau of the all-powerful academician V.N. Chelomey, close to the Minister of Defense Grechko and enjoying the support of Khrushchev himself, or a missile system from the design bureau of Academician V.N. Yangel. The complexes were approximately the same in terms of parameters. The decision was made to try both and choose the best one.

Grechko himself flew to the test, he did not want to hear about Yangel's rocket, he clearly supported Chelomey. And this was also in those years - orders, big money, orders, and so on. Competition too.

As Malinovsky describes in his book, it took a lot of work to prove to the Minister of Defense that Yangel's complex is still better. And life has confirmed this: after a while Chelomey's rocket exploded in flight.

These are the problems that Grigoriev had to solve, or rather, participate in their solution. And this is one of many, many episodes of the rocketry service. The production of missiles, their delivery to the troops, combat launches, the qualifications of officers, design bureaus, work for the distant future, necessarily new ideas ...

A few words about the tests of missile systems, at which Grigoriev was more than once the chairman of the state commission. The general's son told me that sometimes my father had to lead, organize the work of dozens or even two hundred general designers, ministers, so that, for example, the powerful R-36 intercontinental missile system was created and successfully passed all tests, the chief designer of which was Academician M. .TO. Yangel. Coming up with a rocket is still half the battle, making it, creating launch conditions for it, preparing all kinds of services for its testing and operation. Here we need such a serious organizer as M.G. Grigoriev. Therefore, he enjoyed exceptional authority among the outstanding designers of rocket and space technology: M.G. Yangel, V.N. Chelomey, A.D. Nadiradze, V.F. Utkin, V.P. Makeeva, M.F. Reshetnev, - who appreciated competence, decency, the ability to seek solutions difficult issues, constantly appearing when creating advanced systems.

Mikhail Grigorievich loved testing work and deeply understood it.

For nine years he was the chairman of the state commission for testing the Almaz rocket and space complex with manned orbital space stations"Salyut", supervised the flights of cosmonauts on the ships "Salyut-2, 3, 5", "Soyuz" -14, 15, 21, 22, 23, 24 ", was deservedly considered one of the most prominent specialists in this field.

And how many times he headed emergency commissions. Getting to the bottom of the accident is extremely difficult, experts admit. But Grigoriev got to the bottom of it. And the flaws were eliminated.

Just think - this man lived only 64 years, and how much he did, in how many important state affairs he participated in. And the war passed. And for almost fifteen years he was the first deputy commander-in-chief of the Strategic Missile Forces. He could have been commander-in-chief, but his relationship with Ustinov was not very good ... Mikhail Grigorievich never kept silent at meetings of the Military Council and at other meetings. Sometimes, with his characteristic caustic humor, he was able to show the shortsightedness of some decisions. Regardless of the ranks, he always said straightforward things of principle. So they were not always in a hurry to raise, reward, promote. He certainly deserved the title of Hero of the Soviet Union, but was not even introduced.

And now we are approaching a dramatic moment.

After one more episode with the missiles of academician V.N. Chelomey, when on tests of the UR-100N rocket when firing from Baikonur to the Kamchatka range it turned out that this rocket deviated from the target, that it was not ready to be put on alert, Mikhail Grigorievich, under the plausible pretext of health problems, was fired from army. His guilt was not at all, he, on the contrary, honestly reported on the shortcomings of this missile system, his signature was not under the necessary documents, there was the signature of another, higher person, but Grigoriev was chosen as the defendant in the corridors of power. He wrote to the Minister of Defense Ustinov, absolutely proved his complete innocence to what had happened, but Ustinov did not even accept him. This is what they did to the man who did so much for the Motherland and was full of desire to serve the Rocket Forces again and again. Previously, they wanted to separate them from Tolubko, they offered Grigoriev a job in the ministry, but he replied that he would not leave the Rocket Forces.

Malinovsky in the book "Notes of a Rocket Engineer" just writes that Grigoriev and Tolubko had a long-standing dislike in relations. “I am sincerely sorry for Grigoriev ... Grigoriev left a significant mark in my life. Efficiency, a constant desire to learn weapons to the subtleties, the ability to keep a given word and restrain emotions - these wonderful qualities of his character greatly supported his authority in the troops. Grigoriev in many ways supplemented Vladimir Fedorovich Tolubko. But the commander-in-chief did not consult with us on personnel issues, or did it for decency, when the question of replacement had already been resolved in principle. " Grigoriev was replaced by General Yu.A. Yashin. It was 1981.

In the same year, Grigoriev died. According to the son, he died "of injustice."

Thousands of people came to the Red Banner Hall of the Central House of the Soviet Army to say goodbye to Colonel-General M.G. Grigoriev. He was buried at the Novodevichy cemetery in Moscow. The grave is almost next to the grave of N. S. Khrushchev. Khrushchev can be assessed in different ways, but Grigoriev is definitely a real patriot of our Motherland, he really served her faithfully until his last breath. And he did so much for the defense of the country that the words of a person who knows him and the situation in the Strategic Missile Forces do not sound idly, that "the name of General Grigoriev lives in the hearts of missile soldiers, veterans and young people."

Rockets fly without Grigoriev. But the Grigorievs in Russia are now sorely lacking.

born on October 23, 1917 v the village of Molodka
Zakharovsky village council, Bezhetsk district, Tver province
(now - Bezhetsk district , Tver region) v peasant family.

Myself Mikhail Grigorievich recalled that from the age of 10, from 1927 to 1930
v summer time laborer, a did winter v rural school.
After the village school, he entered v ten years, v which, like a farm laborer,
studied on state funds (receiving scholarship) .

By graduation , in 1936 M.G. Grigoriev was draftedv ranks of the Workers 'and Peasants' Red Army v connections with admission v Leningrad Artillery Academy.
In 1937 well on which he studied was fully translated v Moscow,
v Military Artillery Academy named after F.E. Dzerzhinsky,
which he graduated from in 1941.

By graduation from the Academy Mikhail Grigorievich Grigorievwas awarded the military rank "lieutenant" and he was directed for service v 5th Artillery Howitzer
high-power regiment of the Reserve Headquarters of the Supreme Command.
The regiment was stationed on Myshanka station, Mozyr region v Belarus (Western Special Military District) .

WITH the beginning of World War II, the regiment in which he served M.G. Grigoriev successfully repelled the fierce attacks of the fascists and in organized order
left at the beginning before borders Gomel-Rechitsa and in further before the city of Karachev.

In August 1941 he arrived at the Tatishchevo station in the Saratov region
and started To hard study, after which in December 1941 older
lieutenant Mikhail Grigorievich Grigoriev was appointed on
the post of Chief of Staff of the 1st Division of the same regiment.

In March 1942 at the base of the regiment began to form a new 1025th Howitzer
high power artillery regiment, v which the M.G. Grigoriev was appointed
First Assistant Chief of Staff and admitted To temporary
performance of office .

In May 1942 Grigoriev was recalledv order of the personnel department
artillery of the Red Army.
By on behalf of a member of the military council of artillery Mikhail Grigorievich
checked the status educational process v division of the reserve officers in the South Ural military district.

After completing this task, in July 1942 he returned v Red Army Artillery Personnel Directorate and got an appointment on position
Commander of the 85th Separate Guards Mortar Division
multiple launch rocket systems "Katyusha".

In the same month he is together with division departed on Kalinin front,
where the unit was involved v battles of the 30th and 31st armies
Kalinin Front v district of the city of Rzhev .

In September 1942 M.G. Grigoriev was awarded the military rank "captain" .

WITH The Kalinin Front division was redeployed on Volkhovsky,
and then in October 1942 again on Kalinin front.

In 1942 in b Oyah out of the city of Velikiye Luki captain Grigoriev was seriously wounded.

In December 1942 at the base of a number of separate divisions on Kalinin front
the 10th Guards Mortar Brigade was formed.
Captain M.G. Grigoriev was appointed Deputy Commander of this unit .
January 1943 the brigade was redeployed on Volkhov front
and participated v battles on breaking the blockade of Leningrad.

In February 1943, in the area of ​​the village of Babanovo, Mginsky district
Leningrad region, O Pentecostal group of the Guards mortar
parts of the Volkhov front on base 509 and Of the 512th Separate Guards Mortar Divisions began To the formation of the 7th Guards Mortar Brigade v the 509th, 512 ,573rd and 574th mortar battalions.
TO this time the 509th and 512th Guards Mortar Battalions are already
took part v fighting on Bryansk and at
breaking the blockade of Leningrad on Volkhov fronts.

In March 1943M.G. Grigoriev was appointed Commander of the newly formed
7th Separate Guards Mortar Brigade and until 1946 commanded
this brigade on Volkhovsky,Karelian and 2nd Belorussian fronts.

July 2, 1944 for participation in the Svirsk-Petrozavodsk operation Brigade
was given the honorary title "Svirskaya" .

For exemplary performance of combat missions of the command, for courage and heroism
personnel shown in the battles of the Great Patriotic War
The brigade was awarded the Orders of the Red Banner , Suvorov,
Kutuzov and Alexander Nevsky.

In 1946 lieutenant colonel Mikhail Grigorievich Grigoriev was recalled v Moscow,
v Artillery Headquarters of the Soviet Army on position of Senior Research Fellow of the headquarters on studying and generalization of war experience and post-war construction
and combat use of artillery.
The result of this work was the published in 1955 in Military publishing voluminous work
under title "Field reagent
artillery in the Great Patriotic War " .
V The main editorial committee consisted of illustrious military leaders:
Chief Marshal of Artillery Nikolay Nikolaevich Voronov ;Artillery marshals
Mikhail Nikolaevich Chistyakov , Vasily Ivanovich Kazakov , Mitrofan I. Nedelin; colonel generals of artillery Mikhail Mikhailovich Barsukov ,
Nikolay Mikhailovich Khlebnikov and etc.
The book was of a military-theoretical nature. and summarized the experience of the combat use of field rocket artillery v years of war.
The 12th chapter of the book is devoted to the combat use of field rocket artillery
v the composition of the mobile teams and formations of armies and fronts v throughout the war.
The chapter is written by the colonel M.G. Grigoriev .
The chapter is written sensibly, with knowledge of the matter, with using your personal
rich front-line experience, a also the experience of others
mortar compounds.

During these years Mikhail Grigorievich graduated from the University of Marxism-Leninism
and passed the candidate minimum on history of wars and military art and by philosophy
and with this time his fate was tied with personality of the future organizer
and Commander-in-Chief of the Strategic Missile Forces I am.
The fact is that working above chapter of the above book M.G. Grigorievv as one from examples used the experience of using rocket artillery
on 3rd Ukrainian Front, where artillery of the front was commanded by Colonel-General
M.I. Nedelin, and because Mitrofan Ivanovichacted as a consultant here
on chapter theme .

As a Research Fellow of the Artillery Headquarters Mikhail Grigorievich was included
v composition of the Commission of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the USSR and did a great job on drafting new programs on history of military art
for military academies of the Soviet Army.

December 20, 1950 the formation of the 23rd Special Purpose Brigade began
Reserve of the Supreme Command.
Initially, the basis was made up of the personnel of the 4th fire battery
22nd Special Forces Brigade RVGK.
March 15, 1953 The brigade was reorganized v 73rd engineering
brigade RVGK .
(Location - Kapustin Yar training ground v Astrakhan region;
since January 1951 - the city of Kamyshin, Stalingrad region ) .
Commander of the 23rd Special Forces Brigade was appointed
colonel M.G. Grigoriev.

V the brigade was trained in a short time and successfully conducted
combat training launches of R-1 and R-2 missiles.

November 30, 1954 Mikhail Grigorievich Grigoriev transferred cases and post to the new Brigade Commander, Colonel Fyodor Petrovich Tonkikhand in December of the same year departed on study v Higher Military Academy named after K.E. Voroshilov
( since 1958 - Military Academy Of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the USSR;
since 1969 - Military Academy of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the USSR
named after K.E. Voroshilov; since 1992 - Military Academy of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation ) .

Since November 3, 1956 after graduation from the Academy M.G. Grigoriev was the Deputy Head of the Rostov Higher Artillery School on special technical training.

July 10, 1957 Mikhail Grigorievich Grigoriev was appointed on the position of the Head of the landfill with by the code name "Angara" (station "Plesetskaya"
v Arkhangelsk region ) - the first v our country of connection for preparation
and launches of intercontinental ballistic missiles R-7 and R-7A
( now - the 1st State Test Cosmodrome "Plesetsk") .

The polygon leads its history since January 11, 1957, when the corresponding Resolution of the Council of Ministers of the USSR was adopted.

The choice of the location of the positional area was largely determined by
tactical and technical characteristics of ICBM R-7.
V first of all, were taken into account:
the reach of the territories of potential adversaries;
the ability to conduct and control test launches in the Kamchatka region;
the need for special secrecy and secrecy.

In 1957, under leadership M.G. Grigorievaon the site was started construction of starting and technical positions and supply on combat duty of missile systems with intercontinental ballistic missiles and.
In February 1959 object "Angara" has been renamed v 3rd Academic
artillery range.

The formation of the combat units of the Angara formation proceeded in parallel
with construction and carried out v three queues.
The first to be manned by three combat launch stations
(42nd, 48th and 70th BSS ) and six radio control points,intended
for support of missile launches (each radio control point
was an independent part) .
Besides, during 1958 more than 30 parts of support were formed, some from them in 1961-1962 were disbanded .

Already since September 1957 most of the units being formed have started
To occupations on combat training.
For a deeper study of technology by the officer corps, programs were developed on each specialty, made drawings, schemes, layouts.
Many officers were sent on factories, v research institutes, where got acquainted with technique, wrote notes, which then multiplied and became the property of all officers.

Decree of the Council of Ministers of the USSR No. 557 of May 25, 1959
colonel was assigned
military rank "major general of artillery" .

July 30, 1959 under overall leadership M.G. Grigorieva 42nd Battle Launch Station(Commander - Colonel G.K. Mikheev) with the first v history of our country combat training launch of intercontinental ballistic missile R-7 .

On December 17, 1959, by a decree of the Government of the USSR, a new type of the Armed Forces was created - the Strategic Missile Forces.

At the beginning of 1960, at the basis of the first experience of combat duty on combat missile system R-7, major general M.G. Grigoriev leftwith proposal
about implementation of over three hundred improvements, providing strong
reduction of rocket preparation time To launch .
Most of the proposals were accepted.
As a result, since May 1961 42nd BSS, under by the command of the colonel G.K. Mikheeva,
with rated "excellent" launched the R-7 rocket on new schedule.

Since 1961, alongside with on alert, on the landfill was
construction of combat missile systems for intercontinental ballistic missiles R-9A has begun and P-10.

In May 1962 major general M.G. Grigoriev was appointed First Deputy Commander of the 43rd Missile Army(headquarters v the city of Vinnitsa, Ukraine ) ,
and from June 20, 1966 to April 25, 1968 of the year he was the Commander
this army.

In 1963 he was appointed Chairman of the State Commission on missile system tests with intercontinental ballistic missile R-36, equipped
nuclear warhead v as warheads.
After testing, July 21, 1967 missile system R-36
was accepted on armament of the Strategic Missile Forces.

In 1967 Vinnitsa missile army under the command of lieutenant general
M.G. Grigorievaon the results of the inspection of the commission of the Minister of Defense of the USSR
got a good mark and was noted v order as the best
v Armed Forces of the USSR .
Occupying a responsible position, he skillfully overcame the emerging
difficulties, created v work a relaxed attitude and creativity, deep
and thoroughly studied any question, tried to solve it with optimal benefit.

By the decree of the Council of Ministers of the USSR in 1968 to Lieutenant General
Grigoriev Mikhail Grigorievichwas awarded a military rank
"colonel general" .

April 1968 Mikhail Grigorievich Grigoriev how one from the most authoritative
and experienced leaders was appointed First Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Strategic Missile Forces.
V the scope of his new responsibilities included the most important issues of the activities of the troops
and primarily maintaining their high combat readiness, development of new models of rocket and space technology.

V the positions of the first deputy commander-in-chief of the Strategic Missile Forces, the main qualities were especially clearly manifested Grigorieva: high professionalism, honesty,Justice, integrity, paternal concern O subordinates,
faith v them and a business,to whom he gave himself completely, simplicity and availability
v communication.
M.G. Grigoriev was constantly v focus of major events and cases,
felt the pulse of the troops.
V in fulfilling his broad functional duties, he sought with complete coverage To solving each problem and never not shared them on the main
and minor.

Mikhail Grigorievichpaid the most serious attention to the issues of military history work .
In 1970 at with his participation, a military-historical work was published "Rocket shield of the Motherland" , and in 1979 he co-authored the book"The Rocketeers",telling
about rocket weapon development history and Rocket Troops.
After that, work began above a secret fundamental work of more than 40 printed sheets - Strategic Missile Forces .
by the way, he and still widely used v Strategic Missile Forces.

He was a member of the War Council and Scientific and Technical Committee of the Strategic Missile Forces.

Great place v work Mikhail Grigorievichoccupied with space exploration
v interests of the Armed Forces and National economy.
From December 1972 and for nine years he was the Chairman of the State Commission for testing the Almaz rocket and space complex with orbital manned stations "Salyut-2", "Salyut-3", "Salyut-5".
He directed the flights of astronauts on ships "Soyuz-14", "Soyuz-15", "Soyuz-21","Soyuz-23" and "Soyuz-24".
His intervention was required repeatedly at solving the most difficult problems of increasing reliability and improvement of rocket and space technology.
He was deservedly considered one from the most prominent specialists v this area.

In April 1981 colonel general M.G. Grigoriev was appointed by the Military
Inspector - Advisor to the Group of Inspectors General
USSR Ministry of Defense.

He was elected as a Deputy of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, RSFSR, Ukrainian SSR
several convocations;was a delegate XXII, XXIV, XXV and XXVI Congresses of the CPSU.

Mikhail Grigorievich Grigoriev with his wife Vera Gennadievna Moskvoretskaya
(1921-2005 ) raised three beautiful sons , which how and father became military personnel.

The eldest son - Grigoriev Oleg Mikhailovich ( born August 13, 1944) -
colonel v retirement, Corresponding Member of the Russian Academy
cosmonautics named after K.E. Tsiolkovsky,
former Head of Space Exploitation Department
means of the military space forces.
Died May 26, 2015.
Buried in Moscow, at the Troekurovsky cemetery .

Middle son - Grigoriev Sergei Mikhailovich , major general of the reserve , served as a duty officer
general on command post of the General Staff of the Armed Forces
Russian Federation.

Younger son - Grigoriev Vladimir Mikhailovich- major in reserve.

Awards:
By the decree of the Central Committee of the CPSU and the Council of Ministers of the USSR(with the stamp "Absolutely
secret ") of November 13, 1967"For the creation of an automated
missile complex with heavy intercontinental missiles "
Commander of the 43rd Missile Army, Lieutenant General
Grigoriev Mikhail Grigorievichwas awarded the Lenin Prize
v areas of special mechanical engineering.

(to view the picture in full size,
click the left mouse button on the photo link)

He was awarded two Orders of Lenin (1966 , 1978 ) , four Orders of the Red Banner (1944 , 1945 , 1956 , 1972 ) , Order of the Patriotic War, 1st degree (1945 ) , two Orders of the Red Star (1943 , 1951 ) , "For service to the Motherland
in the Armed Forces of the USSR "III degree (1975 ) and many medals .

By the decision of the City Council of the 16th convocation of October 20, 1977
Grigoriev Mikhail Grigorievich It wasawarded the title "Honorary Citizen of the city of Mirny" -for a great contribution to the construction and development of the city of Mirny, active participation in the Great Patriotic War, strengthening the defense power of our Motherland, in honor of the 60th anniversary of the Great October
socialist revolution and 60th birthday .

He was also awarded the title "Honorary Citizen of the City
Leninsk(now - Baikonur) ".
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