Kirill Meretskov

K. A. Meretskov
Kiril Meretskov
Born	(1897-06-07)June 7, 1897 Nazaryevo, Ryazan Governorate, Russian Empire
Died	December 30, 1968(1968-12-30) (aged 71) Moscow, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union
Buried at	Kremlin Wall Necropolis
Allegiance	Soviet Union
Years of service	1916–1964
Rank	Marshal of the Soviet Union
Commands held	Volga Military District Leningrad Military District 7th Army Chief of the General Staff Volkhov Front Karelian Front Soviet Far East Front Moscow Military District
Battles/wars	Russian Civil War Winter War World War II Siege of Leningrad Svir–Petrozavodsk Offensive Petsamo–Kirkenes Offensive Soviet invasion of Manchuria
Awards	Order of Victory Order of Lenin (7) Order of the Red Banner (4) Order of Suvorov, 1st Class Order of Kutuzov, 1st Class Order of the October Revolution Order of St. Olav Grand Cross Legion of Merit
Other work	Chief of the General Staff Deputy Commissar of Defense Assistant Minister of Defense Inspector-General of the Army

Russian Civil War
Winter War
World War II

Kirill Afanasievich Meretskov (Russian: Кири́лл Афана́сьевич Мерецко́в; June 7, 1897 – December 30, 1968) was a Soviet military commander. Having joined the Communist Party in 1917, he served in the Red Army from 1920. During the Winter War, he was responsible for penetrating the Mannerheim Line as commander of the 7th Army. He was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union shortly afterwards.

Meretskov was arrested at the start of World War II, but was released two months later. He returned to command the 7th Army and later the Volkhov Front during the Siege of Leningrad. He commanded the Karelian Front from February 1944, notably the Petsamo–Kirkenes Offensive. From April 1945 he was assigned to the Far East, where he commanded a front during the Soviet invasion of Japanese Manchuria. During the war he reached the rank of Marshal of the Soviet Union.