Pavel Batitsky
Encyclopedia
Pavel Fyodorovich Batitsky (27 June 1910, Kharkiv
17 February 1984, Moscow
) was a Soviet
military leader awarded the highest honorary title
of Hero of the Soviet Union
in 1965 and appointed Marshal of the Soviet Union
in 1968. Batitsky served in the Red Army
from 1924 and was commander-in-chief of the Air Defense Forces
from 1966 to 1978.
He was born in Kharkov, Russian Empire (which is today a city in Ukraine
).
He served in the Red Army from October 1924 - at age 14 he enlisted in the Kharkov Military prep school and in 1926 he was sent to study at the Military Cavalry School, graduating in 1929. From March 1929 to May 1935 he served in the cavalry and commanded a platoon and squad in the Belorussian Military District.
In 1938 he graduated with honors from the Military Academy of Frunze. From September 1939 to December 1940 he was on a business trip in China and was Chief of Staff of Soviet military advisers at the headquarters of Chiang Kai-shek. Upon returning he was made a Chief of Staff of the Motorized Brigade of Kaunas in the Baltic Special Military District. In March 1941 he was appointed Chief of Staff of the 202nd Motorised Division. Later that year he took command of the 254th Rifle Division. Later during WWII he commanded the 73rd Rifle Corps (1943-1944), and the 128th Rifle Corps (1944-1945). Post WWII he was Chief of the Air Staff (1950-1953).
In 1953 he was chosen to personally execute Lavrenty Beria as part of a plot led by Nikita Khrushchev
and assisted by the military forces of Marshal Georgy Zhukov
(Batitsky was Colonel-General and Commander-in-chief of the Moscow Military District at the time).
Kharkiv
Kharkiv or Kharkov is the second-largest city in Ukraine.The city was founded in 1654 and was a major centre of Ukrainian culture in the Russian Empire. Kharkiv became the first city in Ukraine where the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic was proclaimed in December 1917 and Soviet government was...
17 February 1984, Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
) was a Soviet
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
military leader awarded the highest honorary title
Title of honor
An honorary title or title of honor is a title bestowed upon individuals or organizations as an award in recognition of their merits.Sometimes the title bears the same or nearly the same name as a title of authority, but the person bestowed does not have to carry any duties, possibly except for...
of Hero of the Soviet Union
Hero of the Soviet Union
The title Hero of the Soviet Union was the highest distinction in the Soviet Union, awarded personally or collectively for heroic feats in service to the Soviet state and society.-Overview:...
in 1965 and appointed Marshal of the Soviet Union
Marshal of the Soviet Union
Marshal of the Soviet Union was the de facto highest military rank of the Soviet Union. ....
in 1968. Batitsky served in the Red Army
Red Army
The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army started out as the Soviet Union's revolutionary communist combat groups during the Russian Civil War of 1918-1922. It grew into the national army of the Soviet Union. By the 1930s the Red Army was among the largest armies in history.The "Red Army" name refers to...
from 1924 and was commander-in-chief of the Air Defense Forces
Soviet Anti-Air Defense
The Soviet Air Defence Forces was the air defense branch of the Soviet Armed Forces. It continued being a service branch of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation from 1991 to 1998. Unlike Western air defense forces, V-PVO was a branch of the military unto itself, separate from the Soviet...
from 1966 to 1978.
He was born in Kharkov, Russian Empire (which is today a city in Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
).
He served in the Red Army from October 1924 - at age 14 he enlisted in the Kharkov Military prep school and in 1926 he was sent to study at the Military Cavalry School, graduating in 1929. From March 1929 to May 1935 he served in the cavalry and commanded a platoon and squad in the Belorussian Military District.
In 1938 he graduated with honors from the Military Academy of Frunze. From September 1939 to December 1940 he was on a business trip in China and was Chief of Staff of Soviet military advisers at the headquarters of Chiang Kai-shek. Upon returning he was made a Chief of Staff of the Motorized Brigade of Kaunas in the Baltic Special Military District. In March 1941 he was appointed Chief of Staff of the 202nd Motorised Division. Later that year he took command of the 254th Rifle Division. Later during WWII he commanded the 73rd Rifle Corps (1943-1944), and the 128th Rifle Corps (1944-1945). Post WWII he was Chief of the Air Staff (1950-1953).
In 1953 he was chosen to personally execute Lavrenty Beria as part of a plot led by Nikita Khrushchev
Nikita Khrushchev
Nikita Sergeyevich Khrushchev led the Soviet Union during part of the Cold War. He served as First Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1953 to 1964, and as Chairman of the Council of Ministers, or Premier, from 1958 to 1964...
and assisted by the military forces of Marshal Georgy Zhukov
Georgy Zhukov
Marshal of the Soviet Union Georgy Konstantinovich Zhukov , was a Russian career officer in the Red Army who, in the course of World War II, played a pivotal role in leading the Red Army through much of Eastern Europe to liberate the Soviet Union and other nations from the Axis Powers' occupation...
(Batitsky was Colonel-General and Commander-in-chief of the Moscow Military District at the time).