Andrey Yeryomenko | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Portrait,c. 1968 – c. 1970 | |
| Native name | Russian:Андрей Иванович Ерёменко |
| Born | (1892-10-14)October 14, 1892 Markivka,Kharkov Governorate,Russian Empire (nowUkraine) |
| Died | November 19, 1970(1970-11-19) (aged 78) Moscow,Russian SFSR,Soviet Union |
| Buried | |
| Allegiance |  Russian Empire (1913–1917) Russian SFSR (1917–1922) Soviet Union (1922–1958) |
| Service | Imperial Russian Army Red Army |
| Years of service | 1913–1958 |
| Rank | Marshal of the Soviet Union |
| Commands | North Caucasus Military District Western Front Bryansk Front 4th Shock Army Stalingrad Front Kalinin Front 1st Baltic Front Separate Coastal Army 2nd Baltic Front 4th Ukrainian Front Carpathian Military District |
| Battles / wars | |
| Awards | Hero of the Soviet Union Hero of Czechoslovakia Order of Lenin (5) Order of the Red Banner (4) Order of the October Revolution Order of Suvorov, 1st Class (3) Order of Kutuzov, 1st Class[1] |
AndreyIvanovich Yeryomenko[a] (Russian:Андре́й Ива́нович Ерёменко;Ukrainian: Андрій Іванович Єрьоменко; October 14 [O.S. October 2] 1892 – November 19, 1970) was aSoviet general duringWorld War II andMarshal of the Soviet Union. During the war, Yeryomenko commanded the Southeastern Front (later renamed the Stalingrad Front) during theBattle of Stalingrad in summer 1942 and planned the successful defense of the city. He later commanded the armies responsible for the occupation of WesternHungary and EasternCzechoslovakia in 1945.
AUkrainian, Yeryomenko was born in Markivka inKharkov Governorate (today inUkraine) to a peasant family, Yeryomenko was drafted into theImperial Army in 1913, serving on the Southwest andRomanian Fronts duringWorld War I. He joined theRed Army in 1918, where he served in the legendaryBudyonny Cavalry (First Cavalry Army). He attended theLeningrad Cavalry School and then theFrunze Military Academy, graduating in 1935. In addition to his education, he was appointed to command of a regiment of cavalry in Dec. 1929, then a division in 1937, and then the6th Cavalry Corps in 1938.[2]
On Sept. 17, 1939, Yeryomenko led his 6th Cavalry Corps into eastern Poland as part of the operations agreed to between Germany and the Soviet Union under theMolotov–Ribbentrop Pact. In general, this Soviet operation was not efficiently organized. Yeryomenko (whose Corps contained light tank and other motorized elements) was forced to request an emergency airlift of fuel so as to continue his advance. Despite these difficulties, the Corps kept moving, and Yeryomenko earned the nickname "the RussianGuderian".[3]
Yeryomenko was given command of the prestigious1st Red Banner Far Eastern Army, deep in eastern Siberia, where he was serving at the outbreak ofOperation Barbarossa on June 22, 1941.[4]
Eight days after the invasion began, Yeryomenko was recalled toMoscow, where he was made the Acting Commander of theSoviet Western Front, two days after its original commander,General of the ArmyDmitri Pavlov, was dismissed (and later convicted and executed) for incompetence. Yeryomenko was thrust into a very precarious position. The NaziBlitzkrieg approach to warfare quickly dominated the Western Front, but Yeryomenko motivated the remaining troops, and halted theGerman offensive just outsideSmolensk. During this vicious defensiveBattle of Smolensk, Yeryomenko was wounded. Because of his injuries, he was transferred to command the newly createdBryansk Front.
In late August, Yeryomenko was ordered to launch counter-offensive operations along the Bryansk Front, primarily against Guderian'sSecond Panzer Group as it began to move south to trapKirponos'Southwestern Front aroundKiev.Stavka, particularly Stalin andShaposhnikov, seemed convinced that Yeryomenko could block or distract Guderian's drive and save Kiev from encirclement. The counter-offensive failed to accomplish its objectives despite a valiant effort, leaving Bryansk Front severely weakened.[5]
In October, the Germans launchedOperation Typhoon, which was an offensive aimed at capturing Moscow. Most of Yeryomenko's weakened forces (3rd,13th and 50th Armies) were partially encircled by Oct. 8[6] although small units managed to escape for days or weeks following. On Oct. 13, Yeryomenko was once again wounded, this time severely. He was evacuated to a military hospital in Moscow, where he spent several weeks recovering. In January 1942, Yeryomenko was appointed commander of the4th Shock Army, part of theNorthwestern Front. During the Soviet Winter Counteroffensive, Yeryomenko's army was part of the highly successfulToropets–Kholm Offensive, which liberatedToropets and much of the surrounding region, helping to create theRzhev Salient, which became a major battlefield over the next 15 months. On Jan. 20, 1942, Yeryomenko was again wounded, this time in one leg,[7] when German planes bombed his headquarters. Yeryomenko refused to evacuate to a hospital until the battle surrounding him finished.
Yeryomenko's performance in the winter offensives restored Stalin's confidence, and he was given command of theSoutheastern Front, on Aug. 1, 1942,[8] where he proceeded to launch powerful counterattacks against the German offensive into theCaucasus,Fall Blau. Yeryomenko andCommissarNikita Khrushchev planned the defense ofStalingrad, rallying and re-organizing men and equipment falling back to the city from theDon River and the steppes to the west. When one of his subordinates, Gen.Anton Lopatin, doubted if his62nd Army would be able to defend Stalingrad, Yeryomenko replaced him with Lt. Gen.Vasily Chuikov as Army commander on Sept. 11, 1942.[9] Chuikov and the 62nd Army went on to prove themselves as the defenders of the city, confirming Yeryomenko's judgement. On Sept. 28, the Southeastern Front was renamed theStalingrad Front.
DuringOperation Uranus, November 1942, Yeryomenko's forces helped to surround the German 6th Army from the south, linking up with the northern penetration atKalach-na-Donu. German GeneralErich von Manstein soon attempted to counterattack the Soviet forces and break through the line to relieve the surrounded Germans. Yeryomenko successfully repelled the attack, largely with the forces of the2nd Guards Army along their fall-back positions on the Myshkova River.
On January 1, 1943, the Stalingrad Front was renamedSouthern Front. After the end of the winter offensive, in March 1943, Yeryomenko was transferred north to theKalinin Front, which remained relatively quiet until September, when Yeryomenko launched a small, but successful offensive. In December, Yeryomenko was once again sent south, this time to take command of theSeparate Coastal Army, which was put together to retakeCrimea, which was accomplished with assistance fromFyodor Tolbukhin's4th Ukrainian Front. In April, Yeryomenko once again was sent north, to command the2nd Baltic Front. During the summer campaign, 2nd Baltic was very successful in crushing German opposition, and was able to captureRiga, helping to bottle up some 30 German divisions inLatvia. On March 26, 1945, Yeryomenko was transferred to the command of the4th Ukrainian Front, the unit he controlled until the end of the war. Fourth Ukrainian was positioned in EasternHungary. Yeryomenko's subsequent offensive helped capture the rest of Hungary, and paved the way for the Soviet liberation ofCzechoslovakia. His army liberated many cities and towns in Czechoslovakia, most notablyOstrava. Today, many streets in theCzech Republic bear his name.
After the war, Yeryomenko had three major commands: in 1945–1946, he was the Commander in Chief of theCarpathian Military District, in 1946–1952 he was the Commander in Chief of the WesternSiberian Military District, and in 1953–1958 he was the Commander in Chief of theNorth Caucasus Military District. On March 11, 1955, Yeryomenko, along with five other noteworthy commanders, was given the rank ofMarshal of the Soviet Union. He was made Inspector General for the Ministry of Defense in 1958, a largely ceremonial role that allowed him to retire that same year.
Yeryomenko died on November 19, 1970, aged 78. The urn containing his ashes is buried in theKremlin Wall Necropolis.
Source:[11]
| Military offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Unidentified | Commanding Officer of the14th Cavalry Division 1937–1938 | Succeeded by Unidentified |
| Preceded by Unidentified | Commanding General of the6th Cavalry Corps 1938–1940 | Succeeded by Unidentified |
| Preceded by Unit created | Commanding General of the3rd Mechanized Corps 1940 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Commanding General of theNorth Caucasus Military District 1940–1941 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Commanding General of the1st Red Banner Army January–June 1941 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Commanding General of theWestern Front 28 June – 2 July 1941 | Succeeded by MarshalTimoshenko, Yeryomenko as vice commander of Western Front |
| Preceded by Newly formed | Commanding General of theBryansk Front 16 August – 13 October 1941 | Succeeded by Major GeneralGeorgiy Fedorovich Zakharov |
| Preceded by 27th Army renamed as 4th Shock Army | Commanding General of the4th Shock Army 26 December 1941 – 13 February 1942 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by Unidentified | Commanding General of theSouthwestern Front 1942 – 12 July 1942 | Succeeded by Unidentified |
| Preceded by Newly formed | Commanding General of theStalingrad Front 12 July – 7 August 1942 | Succeeded by Unidentified |
| Preceded by Newly formed by splitting the Stalingrad Front | Commanding General of theSoutheastern Front 7 August – 28 September 1942 | Succeeded by Disbanded |
| Preceded by Reformed from Southeastern Front | Commanding General of theStalingrad Front 28 September 1942 – 1 January 1943 | Succeeded by Unidentified |
| Preceded by Reformed from Stalingrad Front | Commanding General of theSouthern Front 1 January – February 1943 | Succeeded by General LieutenantRodion Malinovsky |
| Preceded by Army GeneralMaksim Purkayev | Commanding General of theKalinin Front 7 April – 12 October 1943 | Succeeded by Renamed 1st Baltic Front |
| Preceded by Renamed from Kalinin Front | Commanding General of the1st Baltic Front 12 October – 19 November 1943 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by Army GeneralIvan Yefimovich Petrov | Commanding General of theSeparate Coastal Army 3 February – 18 April 1944 | Succeeded by Lieutenant GeneralKondrat Semenovich Melnik |
| Preceded by Army GeneralMarkian Popov | Commanding General of the2nd Baltic Front 23 April 1944 – February 1945 | Succeeded by 2nd Baltic Front was merged intoLeningrad Front |
| Preceded by Army GeneralIvan Yefimovich Petrov | Commanding General of the4th Ukrainian Front 26 March – 25 August 1945 | Succeeded by Re-designated asCarpathian Military District |
| Preceded by Newly formed from4th Ukrainian Front | Commanding General of theCarpathian Military District 25 August 1945 – October 1946 | Succeeded by Colonel General K. N. Galytskyy |
| Preceded by General Lieutenant V. I. Kurdyumov | Commanding General of theWestern Siberian Military District October 1946 – November 1953 | Succeeded by Disbanded to form Siberian Military District |
| Preceded by Colonel General S. G. Trofimenko | Commanding General of theNorth Caucasus Military District November 1953 – April 1958 | Succeeded by Army GeneralIssa Alexandrovich Pliyev |
| Preceded by Unidentified | Inspector General of theMinistry of Defense April 1958 | Succeeded by Unidentified |
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
| |
