| Konstantin Nikolaevich Leselidze Константин Николаевич Леселидзе კონსტანტინე ლესელიძე |
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|---|---|
| Born | October 15, 1903 Ozurgeti, Georgia |
| Died | February 21, 1944 (aged 40) Tbilisi, Georgian SSR, USSR |
| Allegiance | Soviet Union |
| Service/branch | Soviet Army |
| Years of service | 1921-1944 |
| Rank | Colonel General |
| Commands held | 18th Army |
| Battles/wars | World War II, |
| Awards | Hero of the Soviet Union Order of Lenin (twice) Order of the Red Banner Order of Suvorov Order of Kutuzov Order of Bogdan Khmelnitsky Order of the Red Star (twice) |
Konstantin Nikolaevich Leselidze (Russian: Константин Николаевич Леселидзе, Georgian: კონსტანტინე ლესელიძე, Konstantine Leselidze) (October 15, 1903 - February 21, 1944), was a Soviet Colonel-General of Georgian origin and a Hero of the Soviet Union.
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Leselidze was born in Ozurgeti, Georgian (then part of the Russian Empire) in the military family. In 1921 after graduating from the United Military Academy in Tbilisi he joined the Red Army. He also finished the Tbilisi Artillery School in 1925.
In 1920's and 1930s he gradually rose through ranks and assumed the command of various artillery units. As a World War II general, Leselidze was a prominent commander during the defense of the Caucasus. He took part in the liberation of Novorossiysk and Taman Peninsula and participated in military operations in the Zhytomyr-Berdychiv, Ukraine.[1]
During his tenure as the head of 18th army Colonel Leonid Brezhnev served under his command.[2] Leselidze's older brother Viktor Leselidze also was a Soviet soldier and a recipient the Hero of the Soviet Union title in 1944.
Leselidze was taken ill and evacuated to Tbilisi in 1944 where he soon died at the age of 40.
Leselidze received the Order of Lenin, 1st class Order of Suvorov, 1st class Order of Kutuzov, and other Soviet decorations. He was posthumously awarded the Hero of the Soviet Union title in 1971.
From 1944 to 1992 Gyachripsh (a town in Abkhazia) was renamed "Leselidze" after the general. In Tbilisi (the capital of Georgia), a street in the center of the city is named after General Leselidze and a statue of him stands on this street as well. Also, streets were named after him in the cities of Batumi, Sochi, Novorossiysk and Gelendzhik.
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