27 Facts About Semyon Timoshenko

Rapidly rising through the ranks, Semyon Timoshenko held several regional commands throughout the 1930s and survived the Great Purge.

Semyon Timoshenko led the Ukrainian Front during the Soviet invasion of Poland in 1939.

In early 1940, Semyon Timoshenko took over the command of the Winter War in Finland from Kliment Voroshilov and turned the tide for the Soviets.

Semyon Timoshenko's fortunes had faltered by mid-1942, in particular after the overwhelming Soviet defeat at the Second Battle of Kharkov, and he was relieved from the command of the newly formed Stalingrad Front.

Semyon Timoshenko was recalled later that year and appointed commander of the Northwestern Front, and as a Stavka representative he oversaw and coordinated the activities of several fronts in various times during the last phase of the war, including the Leningrad, Volkhov, and North Caucasus Fronts and the Black Sea Fleet, and the 2nd and 3rd Ukrainian fronts.

Semyon Timoshenko fought against Polish forces in Kiev and then against Pyotr Wrangel's White Army and Nestor Makhno's Black Army.

Semyon Timoshenko became a member of the Communist Party's Central Committee.

In January 1940, Semyon Timoshenko took charge of the Soviet armies fighting Finland in the Soviet-Finnish War.

Semyon Timoshenko was a competent but traditionalist military commander who nonetheless saw the urgent need to modernise the Red Army if, as expected, it was to fight a war against Nazi Germany.

Semyon Timoshenko reintroduced much of the traditional harsh discipline of the Tsarist Russian Army.

In June 1940, Semyon Timoshenko ordered the formation of the Baltic Military District in the occupied Baltic states.

In November and December 1941, Semyon Timoshenko organized major counter offensives in the Rostov region, as well as carving a bridgehead into German defenses south of Kharkiv in January 1942.

Marshal Semyon Timoshenko flared up like a shooting star of unusual brightness against a sky that was more than commonly dark, and faded just as swiftly and unexpectedly.

Semyon Timoshenko was called back into service as overall commander of the Northwestern Front between October 1942 and March 1943.

Nonetheless, Semyon Timoshenko continued active military action in the later phase of the war.

Semyon Timoshenko took part in the development and conduct of some operations.

From March to June 1943, Semyon Timoshenko coordinated the Volkhov and Leningrad fronts during the battles at the Leningrad sector.

Semyon Timoshenko was awarded his first Order of Suvorov, 1st class, due to the achievements in the Caucasus and the bridgehead in Crimea.

The commanders were indeed promoted, and Semyon Timoshenko was awarded another Order of Suvorov, 1st class.

On 4 June 1945, Semyon Timoshenko was awarded the Order of Victory for his contributions in the war.

Between 15 August 1945 and 15 September 1945, Semyon Timoshenko travelled alone to review the Starye Dorogi displaced persons camp where Auschwitz concentration camp survivors recuperated after their liberation.

Later, the author Primo Levi wrote in The Truce of how the extremely tall Semyon Timoshenko "unfolded himself from a tiny Fiat 500A Topolino" to announce that the liberated survivors would soon begin their final journey home.

Semyon Timoshenko died at Moscow on 31 March 1970 at the age of 75.

Semyon Timoshenko was removed from the frontline duty not because of his capability, but mainly because people were upset with his defeat at Kharkov and Timoshenko himself did not attempt to curry favour with his superior.

However, Semyon Timoshenko had a deep distrust of the personnel of the Stavka, therefore he worked with a separated group of trusted associates and double-checked the data gathered by both the Stavka group and his own group.

Pokrovsky commented that Semyon Timoshenko's method was "abnormal" although his desire for accurate information was reasonable.

Semyon Timoshenko smelled of perfume and the nauseating coolness of soap.