Gribkov, Anatolii Ivanovich

Born Mar. 23, 1919, in the village of Dukhovoe, in what is now Liski Raion, Voronezh Oblast. Soviet military leader. General of the army (1976). Member of the CPSU since 1941.

Gribkov entered the Soviet Army in 1938. He graduated from the Kharkov Armored School in 1939, an accelerated course at the M. V. Frunze Military Academy in 1942, the Military Academy of the General Staff in 1951, and the Advanced Academic Courses at the Military Academy of the General Staff in 1968 and 1975.

Gribkov commanded a tank company during the Great Patriotic War of 1941–45. Beginning in June 1942, he was attached to the headquarters of a series of large units of the Briansk, Kalinin, Central, and Voronezh fronts as a representative of the General Staff. Gribkov served at the headquarters of the Southern and Fourth Ukrainian fronts between August 1943 and May 1944.

Gribkov served with the General Staff from November 1944 to November 1949. Between 1952 and 1968 he held command positions and served in the headquarters of various military districts; for part of this period he was attached to the General Staff. He was named first deputy commander of the Leningrad Military District in 1968 and served as commander of the same district from 1973 to 1976. In October 1976, Gribkov was appointed chief of staff of the Joint Armed Forces of the Warsaw Pact countries.

Gribkov became a candidate member of the Central Committee of the CPSU in 1976. He served as a deputy to the eighth and ninth convocations of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR.

Gribkov has been awarded the Order of Lenin, the Order of the October Revolution, two Orders of the Red Banner, the Order of the Patriotic War First Class, the Order of the Patriotic War Second Class, three Orders of the Red Star, the Order for Service to the Motherland in the Armed Forces of the USSR Third Class, and various medals. Gribkov has also been awarded foreign orders and medals.