The biography of Marshal Malinovsky would be enough for a single adventure novel. Here is the mystery of his origin and his escape to the front of the First World War, participation in the battles of the Russian expeditionary force in France and in the civil war in Spain. Marshal Malinovsky played a prominent role in such major battles of the Great Patriotic War as the Battle of Stalingrad, the liberation of Rostov and Odessa, the Iasi-Kishinev operation, the capture of Budapest and Vienna. The troops under his command made a decisive contribution to victory in the war with Japan. Among all Soviet commanders, Malinovsky during the Great Patriotic War had the best ratio of losses between his troops and enemy troops - he knew how to save the lives of soldiers. Having become the Minister of Defense, the marshal managed to make the Soviet army modern, competently using the latest types of weapons that appeared after the Second World War. Rodion Yakovlevich's talent was versatile: in military affairs, in organizational work and in personal studies. He was a master of chess composition. And his autobiographical novel “First Memory” still amazes today with its documentary accuracy, exciting artistic plot construction and brilliant style.