26 Facts About Andrei Grechko

Andrei Grechko served as the Soviet minister of defence from 1967 to 1976.

Andrei Grechko was a fresh graduate of the Voroshilov Military Academy when Axis forces invaded the Soviet Union.

Andrei Grechko held a succession of cavalry and army commands afterwards and saw action in the Caucasus, Ukraine and Central Europe.

In 1967, Andrei Grechko was appointed Minister of Defence, and oversaw the subsequent Warsaw Pact invasion of Czechoslovakia and violent border clashes with China.

Andrei Grechko helped modernize the Soviet Army and was responsible for continuing the Soviet hegemony over Eastern Europe.

Andrei Grechko was the thirteenth child born to a family of Ukrainian peasants on 17 October 1903, at a small town near Rostov-on-Don.

Andrei Grechko joined the Red Army in 1919, where he was a part of the 1st Cavalry Army.

Andrei Grechko studied at the Crimean Cavalry courses Named After the All-Russian Central Executive Committee, in which he graduated in August 1923.

Andrei Grechko graduated in 1926 and became a member of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union.

Andrei Grechko graduated from the academy of the General Staff of the Red Army named after K E Voroshilov in June 1941.

In September 1942, Andrei Grechko commanded the 47th Army and at the same time acting as commander of the Novorossiysk Defensive Region.

Andrei Grechko commanded the 47th Army in the Transcaucasian Front from 19 October 1942 and took part in the Tuapse Operation.

From 5 January 1943, Andrei Grechko was commander of the 56th Army in the Transcaucasian Front, during which he took part in the North Caucasian Strategic Offensive Operation.

Andrei Grechko served as the deputy commander of the Voronezh Front from 16 October 1943 and on 20 October, he was appointed as deputy commander of the 1st Ukrainian Front.

Andrei Grechko led the 1st Guards in a number of offensive operations, predominantly in Czechoslovakia, Hungary and into Austria.

Between 1953 and 1957, Andrei Grechko was the Commander-in-Chief of Soviet Forces in East Germany.

From 1957 to 1960, Andrei Grechko was the Commander-in-Chief of the Ground Forces.

On 12 April 1967, Andrei Grechko was made the Minister of Defense, taking over shortly after Marshal Rodion Malinovsky died.

Andrei Grechko served in this capacity until his death in 1976.

In January 1968, following the outbreak of the Prague Spring in Czechoslovakia, Andrei Grechko was the major planner and supporter of the Warsaw Pact invasion of the country, which stopped Alexander Dubcek's Prague Spring liberalisation reforms and strengthened the authoritarian wing of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia.

In December 1971, during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971, Andrei Grechko helped to provide military support to India during the war.

Andrei Grechko was an active member in the Communist Party, and was a member of the Politburo.

Andrei Grechko was known to give preferential treatment to Ukrainians, and attempted to fill command posts with them whenever possible.

Andrei Grechko was responsible for maintaining Soviet military might and hegemony over Eastern Europe.

Andrei Grechko's views had caused opposition within the military and the political leadership, who wanted the Soviet Union to have a second strike capacity in order to prevent a war with the United States from going nuclear immediately as he preferred.

Andrei Grechko was married to Claudia Vladimirovna Andrei Grechko, with whom he had a daughter Tatyana Andreevna.