Mikhail Mitrofanovich Zaitsev was a general of the Soviet Army.
14 Facts About Mikhail Zaitsev
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Mikhail Zaitsev was born in 1923 and attended middle school before volunteering for the Soviet Army in 1941.
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In May 1942, Mikhail 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.
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Mikhail Zaitsev was transferred to the headquarters of the 6th Guards Tank Corps.
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Mikhail Zaitsev took part in the battles of Kursk and Berlin, as well as major Soviet operations such as Lvov-Sandomierz, Vistula-Oder, and the drive on Prague.
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Mikhail Zaitsev ended his wartime service assigned to the 1st Ukrainian Front.
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Mikhail Zaitsev commanded the 17th Guards Tank Division from August 1965 to January 1967 and the 120th Guards Motor Rifle Division from January 1967 to 12 November 1968.
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Mikhail Zaitsev served as chief of staff of the 7th Tank Army from 12 November 1968 to 2 December 1969, rising to command the 5th Guards Tank Army on 2 December 1969.
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Mikhail Zaitsev became first deputy commander of the Belorussian Military District on 11 August 1972, rising to command of the district itself on 28 May 1976.
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Mikhail Zaitsev was transferred to East Germany and became commander of the Group of Soviet Forces in Germany on 25 November 1980, a position he held until 6 July 1985.
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Mikhail Zaitsev was made a Hero of the Soviet Union on 22 November 1983.
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Zaitsev subsequently had a tense meeting with General Glenn K Otis, the commander of US Army Europe, in which Zaitsev stated the Soviet forces had not acted improperly when Nicholson was shot.
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From 6 July 1985 until 5 January 1989, Mikhail Zaitsev commanded the Southern Strategic Direction and thus supervised the Limited Contingent of Soviet Forces in Afghanistan, mostly made up of troops of the 40th Army and the Air Force's 34th Composite Aviation Corps, plus Border and KGB Troops.
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From 1989 until his retirement in 1992, Mikhail Zaitsev was assigned to the Group of Inspectors General of the Soviet Ministry of Defense.