Mikhail Mitrofanovich Zaitsev (russian: Михаи́л Митрофа́нович За́йцев; 23 November 1923 – 22 January 2009) was a general of the
Soviet Army
uk, Радянська армія
, image = File:Communist star with golden border and red rims.svg
, alt =
, caption = Emblem of the Soviet Army
, start_date ...
. Zaitsev's principal commands were the
Group of Soviet Forces in Germany
The Western Group of Forces (WGF),. previously known as the Group of Soviet Occupation Forces in Germany (GSOFG). and the Group of Soviet Forces in Germany (GSFG),. were the troops of the Soviet Army in East Germany. The Group of Soviet Occupat ...
and the southern military districts of the Soviet Union.
Second World War
Zaitsev was born in 1923 and attended middle school before volunteering for the Soviet Army in 1941. In May 1942, Zaitsev was transferred to the combat arms and served as a staff officer in the
113th Tank Brigade and later the
7th Guards Tank Corps
7 (seven) is the natural number following 6 and preceding 8. It is the only prime number preceding a cube.
As an early prime number in the series of positive integers, the number seven has greatly symbolic associations in religion, mythology, ...
. He was transferred to the headquarters of the
6th Guards Tank Corps. Zaitsev took part in the battles of
Kursk
Kursk ( rus, Курск, p=ˈkursk) is a city and the administrative center of Kursk Oblast, Russia, located at the confluence of the Kur, Tuskar, and Seym rivers. The area around Kursk was the site of a turning point in the Soviet–German stru ...
and
Berlin
Berlin ( , ) is the capital and List of cities in Germany by population, largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's List of cities in the European Union by population within ci ...
, as well as major Soviet operations such as
Lvov-Sandomierz,
Vistula-Oder, and the
drive on Prague. Zaitsev ended his wartime service assigned to the
1st Ukrainian Front
The 1st Ukrainian Front ( Russian: Пéрвый Украи́нский фронт), previously the Voronezh Front ( Russian: Воронежский Фронт) was a major formation of the Soviet Army during World War II, being equivalent to ...
.
Postwar
Following the war, Zaitsev served in a variety of staff assignments that built upon his expertise with armored forces and warfare. He commanded a tank division in 1965 and the
5th Guards Tank Army
The 5th Guards Tank Army (Russian: 5-я гварде́йская та́нковая а́рмия) was a Soviet Guards armored formation which fought in many notable actions during World War II. The army was formed in February 1943. Until the afte ...
in 1969. He held command of 5th Guards Tank Army from 2.12.69 to 11.8.72. In May 1976, he became commander of the
Belorussian Military District
The Byelorussian Military District (russian: Белорусский военный округ, translit=Belorusskiy Voyenyi Okrug; alternatively Belarusian; ) was a military district of the Soviet Armed Forces. Originally formed just before Wor ...
. In 1980, he has transferred to the
German Democratic Republic
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
** Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**G ...
(East Germany) and became commander of the Group of Soviet Forces in Germany (GSFG) on 22 October 1980, a position he held until 6 July 1985. Zaitsev was made a
Hero of the Soviet Union
The title Hero of the Soviet Union (russian: Герой Советского Союза, translit=Geroy Sovietskogo Soyuza) was the highest distinction in the Soviet Union, awarded together with the Order of Lenin personally or collectively for ...
on 22 November 1983. Zaitsev's priorities for GSFG included training that stressed the use of individual initiative by junior officers.
During his tour of command of GSFG, a crisis with the United States broke out because of the shooting of
Arthur D. Nicholson
Arthur D. Nicholson Jr. (7 June 1947 – 24 March 1985) was a United States Army military intelligence officer shot by a Soviet sentry while engaged in intelligence-gathering activities as part of an authorized military liaison mission which oper ...
, a U.S. officer assigned to the U.S.
Military Liaison Mission
The military liaison missions arose from reciprocal agreements formed between the Western allied nations (the US, the UK, and France) and the USSR shortly after the end of the Second World War. The missions were active from 1946 until 1990.
The ...
in East Germany. Zaitsev subsequently had a tense meeting with General
Glenn K. Otis, the commander of U.S. Army Europe, in which Zaitsev stated the Soviet forces had not acted improperly when Nicholson was shot.
From 1985 until 1989, Zaitsev commanded the Southern Strategic Direction (three southern military districts of the Soviet Union, including the
Turkestan Military District
The Turkestan Military District (russian: Туркестанский военный округ (ТуркВО), ''Turkestansky voyenyi okrug (TurkVO)'') was a military district of both the Imperial Russian Army and the Soviet Armed Forces, with it ...
, see
Formations of the Soviet Army The Soviet Ground Forces, successor to the Red Army, the title changing in 1945, employed a wide range of different military formations.
Formations
* Theatre of Military Operations (TV).
* Theatre of Military Operations (teatr voennykh deistvii ...
) and thus supervised the
Limited Contingent of Soviet Forces in Afghanistan (
:ru:Ограниченный контингент советских войск в Афганистане),
[Cooley, p. 78.] mostly made up of troops of the
40th Army and the Air Force's
34th Composite Aviation Corps, plus Border and KGB Troops. From 1989 until his retirement in 1992, Zaitsev was assigned to the inspector-general staff of the Soviet Ministry of Defense.
In 1981, he was a member of the Central Committee of the Communist Party, and from 1979 until 1989 he was a member of the
Supreme Soviet.
In retirement, he lived in Moscow until his death. General Mikhail Zaitsev is interred in
Troyekurovskoye Cemetery
The Troyekurovo Cemetery (russian: Троекуровское кладбище, Troyekurovskoye kladbishche), alternatively known as ''Novo-Kuntsevo Cemetery'' (russian: Ново-Кунцевское кладбище, Novo-Kuntsevskoye kladbishch ...
.
References
* Cooley, John K., ''Unholy Wars'', London: Pluto Press, 2002. .
{{DEFAULTSORT:Zaitsev, Mikhail
1923 births
2009 deaths
Bolsheviks
Members of the Central Committee of the 26th Congress of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union
Members of the Central Committee of the 27th Congress of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union
Russian people of World War II
Soviet military personnel of World War II
Army generals (Soviet Union)
Heroes of the Soviet Union
Recipients of the Order of the Red Banner
Recipients of the Order of Lenin
Recipients of the Medal "For Courage" (Russia)
Recipients of the Scharnhorst Order
People from Chernsky District
Burials in Troyekurovskoye Cemetery
Military Academy of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Soviet Union alumni