Antonov, Aleksei (Jack Barter)
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Antonov, Aleksei (Jack Barter) Brief biography: Aleksei Antonov was a Red Army staffer in the Soviet Union who saw prominence in the Great Patriotic War. Born in Grodno, Belarus, in 1896 and son of a Tsarist artillery commander, he found himself studying mathematics and science at the University of Petrograd in 1915. Seeing action in the First World War on the side of the Russian Empire and on the side of the Bolsheviks in the Civil War he became involved in military staff work. He served as high-ranking staffer for many Military Districts prior to the Great Patriotic War and in 1941 became the Chief of Staff of the Southern Front, which he helped establish that same year. By 1945 he had become Chief of the General Staff of the Red Army, the highest ranking staff position the Soviet Union had to offer at the time. It was during this time that he became acquainted with the top Generals in the country, Zhukov, Rokossovsky, Vasilievsky and Konev. After the war ended he continued his staffing work, being demoted to only Deputy Chief of the General Staff, and at the death of Stalin in 1953 was Commander of the Transcaucasian Military District, a position he held until his death in 1962. Biographical analysis: One of the most interesting things about Antonov is his separation between work and home. He published no memoirs of the Great Patriotic War and the only people who knew of his family life were those he personally invited to his own home. He took his work seriously and carried it out professionally, failing to form clear alliances with other professionals despite the opportunity clearly being there. It could be said that these are the ideals of Stalinist Russia, that oppositions and alliances rather than a dedication to Stalin himself was reason for suspicion. One could claim that it was his coming of age during the Revolution that produced this ideal character for the times, however his colleagues in Zhukov, Rokossovsky and Konev were seen as suspicious 1 immediately after the death of Stalin, thus it could be seen as a fluke that Antonov was a strictly professional worker. Antonov's pursuance of higher education before and after the Revolution, albeit with some help from the Soviet Government after, portrays him as the ideal Soviet citizen. However his education alone cannot be attributed to the work of the Communist Party and their policies. Antonov was already heading towards being educated at the highest level, but there was a lack of resources that cut his studies short. Unfortunately sources fail to clarify whether it was a lack of monetary resources on his part or lack of study resources available to the University. Nevertheless, Antonov would arguably have been educated with or without the Revolution. Russia was going to industrialise eventually, but the Revolution and Soviet Regime's goal was to reach that goal and be on par with Western European countries. Thus the lack of resources in Antonov's education was counter-balanced by Soviet compulsory education and ensured that Antonov reached his goals with the guide of the new regime. Another interesting finding about Antonov is the lack of information on his own political views, which implies that he was apolitical. If this was the case then it could explain how he managed to avoid suspicion and trouble with high-up Party officials. Often people who voiced their political views were seen as being suspicious if they opposed Stalin's views and could end up being executed or imprisoned. One General Shtemenko described Antonov as being the perfect example of a professional at work and a hospitable human being at home. Antonov certainly seems to have been unaffected by the purges under Stalin, as both of his parents died before the Revolution, his first wife died after Stalin's death and he failed to strike up alliances with colleagues in the military and Party. Perhaps he was aware that being political in a country where you could be imprisoned or executed for holding different views was not a good idea and thus decided to avoid the consequences. A topic that probably connects more to the previous paragraph is Antonov's ambition to rise to the top of the military command. It seems that he could have stayed being Chief of the General Staff for longer, had Vasilievsky not seemed the more attractive option. Vasilievsky was forced to command Fronts int he Far East as well as Prussia. There must have been something about Antonov that made him the unattractive option when it came to choosing a Chief of the General Staff. If it wasn't political views, perhaps it was Antonov's ambition, which does not seem to take up the foreground in common knowledge about him. Additional information: Full name: Aleksei Innokentevich Antonov Year of birth: 1896 Ethnic background: Kryashen (sub-group of Tatars; differentiated by religion) - pronounced "ke- re-shen" "Stalin wanted to give it a Marshal for the abandonment of the Tatar nation, to which categorically said Antonov - No!" - Implies Antonov's defensiveness when it came to his ethnicity. Religion: Orthodox Christianity (probably) Class background: Tsarist officer - "His father served as battery commander of the 26th Artillery Brigade in a small fortress garrison." Before World War 1: He was born in Grodno (now in western Belarus) on the 15th of September 1896 (Julian calendar- Gregorian calendar adjustment to compare with Australian dates: 3rd September 1896). His father a commander of an artillery brigade and his mother a housewife. In 1904 the family moved to Ostrog ((Ostroh) now in western Ukraine) when his father was transferred there. Alexei began school there at 8 years of age. 2 In 1908 his father died before Alexei's 12th birthday. At the eruption of World War One in 1914, Alexei and his mother moved to Petrograd, where she had relatives. She died in 1915.. World War 1: August 1914-February 1917: Alexei graduated from High School in Petrograd and passed the entrance exams to attend the University of Petrograd in 1915. He studied Physics and Mathematics until his family could no longer afford to keep him there. Then he went to work in a "plant", supposedly an industrial factory as it is unclear what he did during that period. He was conscripted into the military and trained at Pavlovsk Military School. He was rushed through training and finished in December, enrolling in a Chasseur regiment. Extra: In between the February Revolution and the official beginning of the Russian Civil War. One source claims: Antonov participated in the Kerensky offensive and was wounded in battle, he was awarded the Order of Courage for his efforts and that he served under Kornilov during the revolt. On May the 1st, 1918, his regiment in the Royal Army was dissolved and so he stayed in reserve. During his time in reserve he worked in food and hospitality for the Petrograd committee. One source claims he was an office employee, citing the Great Soviet Encyclopedia. Russian Civil War (1918-1921): Enlisting in the Red Army in 1918-1919 (sources disagree), Antonov served as a chief of staff/"assistant to the regimental adjutant". The invasions by the White Armies provoked him to defend Russia, not necessarily for any particular army. He served in the "First Moscow working" and then the Inzensky 15th division ("in staff positions"). His division claimed victories in Lugansk, Liska, Valuiki, Volchansky, Korotoyak, Rostov-on-don and Azov. In March 1920 they defeated General Anton Denikin's troops in the North Caucasus and the White Guards in Novorossiysk. They defeated Baron Pyotr Nikolayevich Wrangel's troops invading from the Crimea and finally, in November, defeated a White Army in the Crimea after crossing the Sivash. New Economic Policy (1921-1928): During this time Antonov spent most of his time studying on how to improve the strength of the Red Army. He was focused on the militaristic, political and communal aspects of life in the Soviet Union. By 1928 he had been accepted into the party and was a key student in the Frunze Military Academy, named after the General who defeated Baron Wrangel in the Crimea during the Civil War. Antonov is believed to have served under Frunze at that time. While studying, his talent for military affairs was revealed alongside his tendency to analyse and conduct research. He learned to speak French fluently (and thus became qualified as a translator) and developed a strong body with good shooting skills. His mental, verbal and physical skills all attracted the attention of his higher-ups. 1928-1941: In 1931 he graduated from Frunze Military Academy. "Excellent operational staff worker. Ready to work in the higher headquarters" were the words of his Chief Commissioner Georgy Samoilovich Isserson, who would go on to become a great writer in the Soviet Union. He served as Chief of Staff in the 46th Infantry Division and later Head of Department Staff in the Kharkov Military District. In 1933 he graduated from the operations faculty of Frunze Military Academy. He continued to study military strategy and organisation despite the full workload that his official position gave him. In 1936 the District Command sent him to work at a new military education institution as a teacher. In 1937 he graduated from the Academy of the General Staff. From 1937-1938, Antonov served as Chief of Staff of the Moscow Military District. From 1936/1938 to 1940 he was a teacher. Great Patriotic War (1941-1945): Antonov involved himself in the effort to create a large, trained military force to fight the invading Nazis with at the beginning of the war.