Background
Vasily Ivanovich was born to a working-class family in Ust-Usolka, Perm Governorate (now Perm', Russian Federation).
Vasily Ivanovich was born to a working-class family in Ust-Usolka, Perm Governorate (now Perm', Russian Federation).
In April 1915 he was drafted into the Imperial Russian Army, taking part in World War I. In March 1916 he completed officer training in Kazan, attaining the rank of a Podporuchik in July.
During 1929 Vasily Ivanovich undertook advanced officers' training, and he graduated from the Frunze Academy in 1936.
In October 1936 he became the 99th Rifle Division's commander. In July 1937, he was transferred to head the 16th Rifle Corps.
On 22 June 1941, Kuznetsov's 3rd Army was stationed in Belarus, as part of the Western Front. It was overwhelmed and surrounded by German forces. In July, he and the remains of his formation broke out and returned to the Soviet lines. This feat earned him praise from Stalin when he issued Order No. 270. In late August, he was sent to command the Southwestern Front's 21st Army, but his force suffered crushing defeat once more in the Battle of Kiev. On October, he was appointed to command the Kharkov Military District, but reassigned to head the 1st Shock Army on 23 November, with which he took part in the Battle of Moscow. His units liberated Klin and Solnechnogorsk.
In February 1942, the Army relocated to the north, taking part in the Demyansk operation. On July, Kuzentsov was given command of the 63rd Army, positioned near Stalingrad. The formation was renamed 1st Guards Army on November. For his conduct in the campaign, Kuznetsov was awarded the Order of Suvorov 1st Class. On 25 March 1943 he was promoted to the rank of Colonel General. The 1st Guards later took part in the battles for the Donbass region and in the Dniepr crossing. On 15 December, Kuznetsov was appointed Bagramyan's deputy in the 1st Baltic Front. In this capacity he participated in the campaigns for Belarus, the Baltics and East Prussia. The Front was disbanded on late February 1945, and Kuznetsov assumed command over the 1st Belorussian's 3rd Shock Army on 16 March. The Army was involved in the urban fighting inside Berlin; On 30 April, one of its formations, the 150th Rifle Division, stormed the Reichstag. Its soldiers hoisted the Victory Banner atop of the building.
On 29 May 1945, Kuznetsov was awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union (Medal no. 6460) for his performance. After the war, he remained the 3rd Army's commander in Germany for a while, then attended the Voroshilov Academy, graduating in 1948. He served as chairman of the Voluntary Society for Cooperation with the Army and later of DOSAAF. From 1953 to 1957, he headed the Volga Military District. Until his retirement in 1960, he served in the Ministry of Defense. Kuznetsov was a deputy in the 2nd and 4th Convocations of the Supreme Soviet. He died in Moscow in 1964.
Religion is a cause of numerous conflicts and bloody wars throughout the history of mankind.
Vasily Ivanovich joined the Communist Party in 1928.
The emphasis on peaceful coexistence doesn’t mean that the Soviet Union accepted a static world with clear lines. Socialism is inevitable and the "correlations of forces" were moving towards socialism.