Vasily Gerasimenko | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 24 April 1900 |
| Died | 13 February 1961(1961-02-13) (aged 60) Kiev, USSR |
| Allegiance |  Soviet Union |
| Service years | 1918–1953 |
| Rank | Lieutenant general |
| Commands | Kiev Military District Volga Military District 21st Army 13th Army Stalingrad Military District 28th Army Kharkov Military District |
Vasily Filippovich Gerasimenko (Russian:Василий Филиппович Герасименко,Ukrainian:Василь Пилипович Герасименко,Vasyl Pylypovych Herasymenko) was aSoviet Armylieutenant general who held field army command duringWorld War II.
A Ukrainian, he was nominally and temporarily appointed the People's Commissar of Defense of theUkrainian SSR in 1944-45.
Vasily Filippovich Herasymenko was born in a village of Velyka Burimka,Poltava Governorate (today part ofZolotonosha Raion,Cherkasy Oblast) on April 24, 1900 in a peasant family. When he was nine years of age, together with mother they moved to relatives inKuban, stanytsia Berezanska. There Herasymenko finished a village school and the Nikol city college inYekaterinodar.
In 1918 Herasymenko joined theRed Army and during theRussian Civil War he fought at theNorthern Caucasus and theSouthern Russia. In 1920 Herasymenko joined theCommunist Party of the Soviet Union and in 1922 he finished the courses of commanding staff of the Red Army. In 1927 Herasymenko also finished the Joint Military School inMinsk and in 1931 - theM. V. Frunze Military Academy. In August 1937 Herasymenko was appointed commander of the8th Rifle Corps. In 1938 he was a deputy commander of the Kiev Special Military District (seeKiev Military District). DuringWorld War II in July 1940 Herasymenko was appointed the commander ofVolga Military District. At that time he was promoted to theLieutenant General. In 1940 under the command ofGeorgy Zhukov participated in theinvasion of Romania as a commander of the5th Army.
At the start of theGerman invasion of the Soviet Union in 1941, Herasymenko commanded the21st Army and the13th Army at theWestern Front. In the fall of the same year he was transferred to theReserve Front staff personnel. In December 1941 Herasymenko was appointed the commander ofStalingrad Military District. In September 1942 - November 1943 he commanded the28th Army that participated in theRostov operation and theMelitopol Offensive as well as theDonbas Strategic Offensive. In January 1944 Herasymenko was appointed the commander ofKharkiv Military District forces, but already in March 1944 he was appointed the commander ofKiev Military District and thePeople's Commissar of Defense of the Ukrainian SSR. The decree ofUkrainian parliament Presidium was signed on March 11, 1944 and legalized the decision that was adopted by theStavka of Commander-in-Chief and theState Defense Committee (both headed byStalin).
On November 13, 1945 on decision of Stalin as the Supreme commander of Armed Forces of the Soviet UnionLieutenant General Gerasimenko was dismissed from the post ofnarkom and district commander and transferred toRiga where he stayed until September 1953 as part of theBaltic Military District staff personnel. In 1949 Herasymenko finished the higher academic courses at theVoroshilov Military Academy. In 1953 he was dismissed to reserves due to his health.
| Military offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Commander of theVolga Military District 1940–1941 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Commander of the Stalingrad Military District 1941–1942 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Commander of the28th Army September 1942–November 1943 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Commander of the Kharkiv Military District 1944 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Commander of theKiev Military District 1944–1945 | Succeeded by |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by office introduced | People's Commissar of Defense of the Ukrainian SSR 1944–1945 | Succeeded by office liquidated |
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