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Pavel Alekseyevich Kurochkin | |
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| Born | 19 November 1900 Gornevo,Smolensk Governorate,Russian Empire |
| Died | 28 December 1989(1989-12-28) (aged 89) Moscow, Soviet Union |
| Allegiance |  Soviet Union |
| Years of service | 1918–1970 |
| Rank | Army General |
| Commands | 23rd Rifle Corps 17th Army 20th Army 43rd Army 11th Army 34th Army North-Western Front 2nd Belorussian Front 60th Army Kuban Military District |
| Battles / wars | |
| Awards | Hero of the Soviet Union |
| Other work | Chairman of the Supreme Military Council of theWarsaw Pact Deputy to the Supreme Soviet |
Pavel Alekseyevich Kurochkin (Russian:Па́вел Алексе́евич Ку́рочкин; 19 November 1900 [O.S. 6 November] – 28 December 1989) was aSoviet army commander.
Pavel Kurochkin was born in the village ofGornevo,Smolensk Governorate. He joined theRed Army in 1918. Kurochkin completed cavalry courses inPetrograd in 1920, the year when he also joined theRussian Communist Party (Bolsheviks). He graduated from the Red Army High Cavalry school in 1923, theFrunze Military Academy in 1932 and theGeneral Staff Academy in 1940.
During the Civil War, Kurochkin saw action against GeneralPyotr Krasnov nearGatchina, theBritish-American intervention in the north and GeneralNikolai Yudenich in 1919. He commanded a cavalry regiment in thePolish-Soviet war and was involved in the suppression of theTambov Rebellion in 1921.
In 1935 he was promoted to chief commander of a cavalry division. After theSoviet-Finnish war broke out, he took over as the commanding officer of23rd Rifle Corps. From 1940 to 1941, he served as commander-in-chief of the 1st Army Group inMongolia, commanding officer of the17th Army in Mongolia, commander-in-chief of theTransbaikal Military District and commander-in-chief of theOrel Military District.
In July 1941 he was given command of the20th Army which participated in the unsuccessfuldefense ofSmolensk.
He briefly held the command of the43rd Army in August 1941 until his promotion to commander-in-chief of theNorth-Western Front. He held that post until October 1942, when he was moved to command theSoviet 11th Army and then the34th Army. He was again placed in command of theNorth-Western Front from July to November 1943. It was during this time that Kurochkin commanded theToropets-Kholm Operation.
From December 1943 until February 1944, he was the first deputy commander-in-chief of theFirst Ukrainian Front under MarshalKonev and was remembered for his planning of the bloodyKorsun–Shevchenkovsky Offensive.
From February to April 1944, he commanded the units of theSecond Belorussian Front. His last assignment of the war would be commanding the60th Army from April 1944 through May 1945 which took part in theLvov-Sandomierz operation and fought inCentral Europe. For all his merits and achievements, Kurochkin was awarded with the highest Soviet honor,Hero of the Soviet Union.
Immediately after the war, Kurochkin briefly headed theKuban Military District until his appointment in 1946 as first deputy commander-in-chief of theSoviet Military Administration in Germany. After his tour in East Germany ended in 1947, he took over as an assistant commander-in-chief of theFar Eastern Military District.
From 1951 to 1968, Kurochkin served in military academies, first at the Military Academy of the General Staff and later as the Commandant of theFrunze Military Academy. In 1968, he became the chairman of the Supreme Command of the United Military Forces of theWarsaw Pact. Kurochkin finished his military career as a general inspector of the Ministry of Defense. He went on to become a deputy of theSupreme Soviet of the USSR and was awarded with theOrder of Lenin in 1980. Kurochkin died inMoscow in 1989.
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