Alexander Ivanovich Utvenko | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Utvenko c. 1940 | |
| Native name | Александр Иванович Утвенко |
| Born | (1905-12-12)12 December 1905 Dyvin village,Korostyshiv Raion,Zhytomyr Oblast |
| Died | 20 August 1963(1963-08-20) (aged 57) |
| Allegiance |  Soviet Union |
| Branch | Red Army |
| Years of service | 1924–1954 |
| Rank | Lieutenant general |
| Commands | 19th Rifle Division 33rd Guards Rifle Division 274th Rifle Division 31st Guards Rifle Corps 38th Guards Rifle Corps 65th Rifle Corps |
| Battles / wars | |
| Awards | Order of Lenin Order of the Red Banner (3) |
Alexander Ivanovich Utvenko (Russian: Александр Иванович Утвенко; 12 December 1905 – 20 August 1963) was aRed ArmyLieutenant general. Utvenko became a Red Army officer in the interwar period and was given command of a division after the German invasion of the Soviet Union. He fought in theBattle of Smolensk (1941), theYelnya Offensive and theBattle of Moscow.
In December 1941 Utvenko was wounded and after taking theVystrel courses was given command of the274th Rifle Division in May 1942. Utvenko took command of the33rd Guards Rifle Division in August and led that division in theBattle of Stalingrad. In April 1943 he became commander of the31st Guards Rifle Corps and led it in theDonbass Strategic Offensive (August 1943). In the spring of 1944, he began an accelerated course at theMilitary Academy of the General Staff. After graduating in early 1945 he became commander of the38th Guards Rifle Corps which fought in theVienna Offensive andPrague Offensive in the last months of the war. Postwar Utvenko continued to command the corps which in the summer of 1946 became an airborne unit. He graduated from the Military Academy of the General Staff and became commander of the65th Rifle Corps. During the early 1950s he served in positions at theFrunze Military Academy and retired in 1954.[1]
Alexander Utvenko was born on 12 December 1905 in what is now the village of Dyvin inKorostyshiv Raion inZhytomyr Oblast. In 1924, he was drafted into theRed Army. Utvenko graduated from the Kharkov Red Commanders School in 1927. In October of that year, he was posted to the 136th Rifle Regiment of the46th Rifle Division as the commander of a machine gun platoon. He served in the regiment as the commander andcommissar of a machine gun company. In August 1938, he transferred to the reserve but in December was returned to service as the deputy commander of the 56th Rifle Regiment of the19th Rifle Division. In August 1939, Utvenko became the commander of the 315th Rifle Regiment, renumbered from the 56th.[2]
In July 1941, Utvenko became the commander of the 19th Rifle Division, which he led during theBattle of Smolensk, theYelnya Offensive[3] and theVyazma Defensive Operation. In December 1941, the division became part of the43rd Army and fought in the counterattack atMoscow in theNaro-Fominsk axis. On 17 December, Utvenko was wounded and after discharge from the hospital in March was enrolled in theVystrel courses. On 10 May 1942, he became the commander of the274th Rifle Division in the Moscow Defence Zone. On 16 August Utvenko became commander of the33rd Guards Rifle Division on theStalingrad Front.[4] He was promoted toMajor general on 14 October 1942.[1]The 33rd Guards Rifle Division fought in theBattle of Stalingrad as part of the62nd Army.[5] In December, the division was advanced to the Myshkova River, where it helped repulseOperation Winter Storm. The division then fought in an advance in the direction ofRostov, where it capturedNovocherkassk. For his leadership of the division, Utvenko was awarded theOrder of Suvorov, 2nd class[2] on 31 March.[6]
In April 1943, Utvenko became the commander of the31st Guards Rifle Corps, part of the5th Shock Army. The corps fought in theDonbass Strategic Offensive,[7] during which it capturedSnizhne andYenakiieve. On 22 December Utvenko was awarded theOrder of Kutuzov 2nd class.[8] He was promoted toLieutenant general on 17 January 1944. From February to May 1944 he received medical treatment. In May Utvenko began an accelerated course at theMilitary Academy of the General Staff. In March 1945, after graduating from an accelerated course at the Military Academy of the General Staff, he became the commander of the38th Guards Rifle Corps. The 38th Guards Rifle Corps fought in theVienna Offensive in April. For his leadership Utvenko was awarded theOrder of Bogdan Khmelnitsky 2nd class on 28 April.[9] In early May, the corps fought in thePrague Offensive.[2][10]
After the war, Utvenko continued in command of the corps. He graduated from theMilitary Academy of the General Staff in May 1948, after which Utvenko commanded the65th Rifle Corps. Utvenko became the head of a course and then a faculty member atFrunze Military Academy in July 1951. In 1954, he was transferred to the reserve and died on 20 August 1963[1][2] in Moscow.[10]