... Four brothers grew up in the Smolensk region in a simple peasant family. Everyone tied their fate with the army, everyone fought. The elder died near Vitebsk in 1943. Three became generals, including the author of this book. During the past war, he headed a number of large headquarters of combined arms and tank armies, the South-West, Stalingrad, Voronezh (1st Ukrainian), Transcaucasian, 3rd Ukrainian fronts, and the High Command of Soviet troops in the Far East. In his memoirs, Army General S.P. Ivanov interestingly tells how he chose a military profession, how his military formation took place. The tragic days of the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, battles and battles in the western and southwestern strategic directions, subsequent events, including the Battle of Stalingrad, are covered in detail.