General of Tank Forces Kravchenko A.G. General Kravchenko liberated Manchuria in a matter of weeks You can't explain to a virus that it is a virus
Life is service to the Motherland
“Man is a mighty oak. Nature does not know a more powerful oak."
Lautreamont
On awarding the title of Hero of the Soviet Union to generals, officers, sergeants and privates of the Red Army
For the exemplary performance of the combat missions of the Command on the front of the fight against the German invaders and the courage and heroism shown at the same time, to be awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union with the award Lenin and medals « Golden Star»:
Guard Lieutenant General of Tank Troops Kravchenko Andrei Grigorievich.
Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR M. Kalinin.
Secretary of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR A. Gorkin.
DECREE OF THE PRESIDIUM OF THE SUPREME SOVIET OF THE USSR
ON AWARDING THE SECOND MEDAL "GOLD STAR" TO THE HERO OF THE SOVIET UNION OF THE GUARDS, COLONEL GENERAL OF THE TANK FORCES KRAVCHENKO A.G.
For the skillful command of a tank army, heroism and courage shown in battles with the Nazi invaders and Japanese militarists in August - September 1945, to award Guards Colonel-General of Tank Forces Andrey Grigoryevich Kravchenko with a second medal "Golden Star". Build a bronze bust of the Hero and install it on a pedestal in the homeland of the recipient.
Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR M. KALININ.
Secretary of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR A. GORKIN.
KRAVCHENKO ANDREY GRIGORYEVICH, b. 11/30/1899 on the Sulimin farm, now with. Sulimovka, Yagotinsky district, Kyiv. region, in a peasant family. Ukrainian. Member of the CPSU since 1925. In the Soviet. Army since 1918. Member of the Civil. war. Graduated from Poltava. military infantry school in 1923, Military. acad. them. M. V. Frunze in 1928. Member of the Soviet. - finl. wars 1939–1940.
On the fronts Vel. Fatherland wars from Sept. 1941. Commander of the 2nd, then 4th tank. buildings. Nov. 1942 The 4th (from 1943 - the 3rd Guards Tank.) Corps participated in the encirclement of the 6th German. army near Stalingrad, in July 1943 - into a tank. battle near Prokhorovka (now the village of Belgorod. region), in October - in the battle for the Dnieper. 01/10/44 for the skillful leadership of the corps and personal courage of the guards. gene. - Lieutenant K. was awarded the title of Hero of the Owls. Union. From Jan. 1944 commander of the 6th tank. army, which, after the defeat of the fascist. Germany participated in Aug. - sept. 1945 in the fighting to liberate Manchuria. 8.9.53 for skillful tank command. army, heroism and courage shown in battles with him. - fash. invaders and the Japanese. militarists, Gen. - Colonel tank. troops (1944) K. award. second honey. "Golden Star".
In 1949 he graduated from the Higher Academy. courses at the Military acad. General Staff. Commanded an army, armored tank. and fur. troops in a number of military districts. Since 1954 pom. commands. DVO. Since 1955 - in reserve, dep. Top. Council of the USSR of the 2nd convocation. load 2 orders. Lenin, 3rd order. Red Banner, 2 orders. Suvorov 1st class, order. Bogdan Khmelnitsky 1st class, Suvorov 2nd class, Kutuzov 2nd class, medals, as well as foreign. orders. Died 10/18/1963. He was buried in Moscow at the Novodevichy Cemetery. A bronze bust is installed in the homeland ... "
(From the brief biographical dictionary "Heroes of the Soviet Union", M., Military Publishing House, 1987, vol. 1, p. 766.)
In an interview with journalist I. D. Ryaboshtan, twice Hero of the Soviet Union, Colonel-General of Tank Forces A. G. Kravchenko, answering a question about how he himself assesses his own path, said:
Like any person, I had joys, there were sorrows and losses. The main thing for me in life is serving the Motherland, my people. With a clear conscience, I can say: I fulfilled my duty ... My greatest joys coincided with the joys of the country, the anxieties of the Motherland - with my anxieties ...
Andrei Grigoryevich Kravchenko was born on November 30, 1899 on the Sulimin farm in the Yagotinsky district Kharkiv region(then Zhbravskaya volost, Piryatinsky district, Poltava province). Ukrainian. Here is how he himself recalled his family, his childhood and youth:
“My father, Grigory Lukich Kravchenko, came from a poor peasant family and lived all the time in a farm. Sulimin. During his marriage, the father, having no inheritance, stuck in the reception, that is, he moved into the household of his wife. When I was one and a half years old, my mother died. Grandfather drove his father out of his yard, and the father went to the neighbors. In 1904, my father was called to Russo-Japanese War. My brother and I, two years older than me, went to “uncles”. At the end of 1905, my father returned from military service. According to the court, he received from his grandfather on my brother and me Agriculture- a manor and about 3.5 acres of land. Having no labor force (his father returned from the war disabled), places and agriculture. inventory, the father almost did not take care of his household and rented out the land.
From 1906 to 1916, my father, I and my elder brother Daniel worked in the estates of Count Musin-Pushkin and Sedletsky, located next to the hut. Sulimin, and only a short time were at home in the winter.
During this period, I graduated from a three-year rural school. At the beginning of 1916, the elder brother was called to military service and after 2-3 months he was killed on the German front, while in the 67th regiment. Having no means of subsistence, at the end of April 1916 I left for Kyiv and went to work in the construction and technical office of engineer Gromov: first as a messenger boy, and at the end of the year I worked as a packer in a warehouse. Here I worked until April 1917.
In April 1917 I returned to the village and worked with my father on my farm until November 1918.
In the first days of September 1918, on charges of sympathy with local partisans and for participating in the distribution of landowners' inventory, I was arrested by the Haidamaka punitive detachment under the command of Captain Beletskov and spent two weeks in custody in the cold Chernyakhovsky volost administration of the former. Piryatinsky district of the Poltava province. When the punitive detachment moved to another county, my father took me on bail to "clarify the case." After, being in difficult material conditions, I decided to leave home. At the beginning of November 1918, together with local partisans, I volunteered for the 1st Tarashchansky regiment of the 44th division. I was in this regiment as an ordinary soldier until mid-March 1920, participating in battles against the bands of Petliura and the White Poles. From March 1920 to April 1921, he served as a Red Army soldier and junior commander in the 60th regiment of the 7th Vladimir division, participating in battles against the White Poles. In April 1921 he entered the 29th Poltava infantry courses as a cadet, which soon became part of the 14th Poltava school. He graduated from the Poltava normal school in August 1923. Here, in April 1923, he was accepted as a candidate of the CPSU (b). After graduating from the Poltava school, he was appointed to the department of the 2nd communications battalion in the city of Tiflis. In this battalion, I worked as a squad, platoon, and company until August 1925. Here, in April 1925, I was accepted as a member of the CPSU (b).
In September 1925 he entered the Academy of the Red Army named after M. V. Frunze. He graduated from the academy in July 1928 and was appointed to the post of staff officer of the 21st regiment of the 7th Chernihiv division. In October 1930, he was appointed to the post of teacher of tactics LBTKUKS in the mountains. Leningrad. From May 1931 to November 1931 he was on a secret mission. From November 1931 to February 1932 - a teacher of tactics and part-time - the head of the motor mech. course on LBTCUKS. From February 1932 to October 1933 he was on a secret mission. From November 1933 to February 1935 - chief of staff of the Kazan advanced training courses for senior and middle technical officers. Here, on October 30, 1934, he was expelled from the party for drunkenness and debauchery and was reduced by one service category along the official line. From mid-February 1935 to May 1935 he worked as a senior teacher of tactics and head of the combined arms cycle of the Saratov Armor tank school.
From May to August 1939 he worked in a position for special assignments under the commander of the Volga Military District. From August 1939 to December 1939 - chief of staff of the 61st division of the mountains. Penza. From December 1939 to June 1940 - Chief of Staff of the 173rd Moto rifle division, in which he participated in the war with the White Finns and in the occupation of the territory of Bessarabia. From June 1940 to February 1941 - Chief of Staff of the 16th tank division in the city of Kotovsk, Odessa region. Since March 1941 - chief of staff of the 18th mechanized corps, mountains. Akkerman, on the territory of Bessarabia, with whom he began the war on June 22, 1941 ... "
That was the pre-war path of the future general. The characteristics of the 30s have been preserved on it. Extracts from them:
For 1934:“... Graduated military academy them. Frunze in 1928. In the position of chief of staff of courses since 1934. Development and tactical training are good. During the organizational period of the formation of courses, he did a great job. A good combat commander and staff worker. He mastered the technique enough, he mastered driving cars. Healthy, hardy in field life, expelled from the ranks of the CPSU (b) for drinking ... "
For 1935:“... Works well, conducts classes skillfully. I am disciplined myself. Demanding to the cadets is high. Personal tactical training is good. The material part knows mediocre. Well developed politically. He does well in Marxist-Leninist studies. Physically healthy. The position of the head of tactics is quite appropriate ... "
For 1936:“... General and military development good. Disciplined, accurate in execution, works as a senior teacher of tactics, works enough to improve the organizational and methodological work of teachers and everything educational process. Authoritative among command staff and cadets. Puts a special desire to work. The position of a senior teacher is quite appropriate ... "
In January 1939 there were two important events in the life of Andrei Grigorievich: he was reinstated in the party and he was awarded another military rank- Colonel.
In the official description given by the commander of the 16th Panzer Division, Colonel Myndro in November 1940, he appears before us in all its glory, both in military and combat maturity:
He is disciplined, demanding of himself and shows sufficient demands on his subordinates. He treats assigned work conscientiously. Tactical-special training on a divisional scale is good. He knows staff and operational work well and systematically works to raise his ideological, political and general military level.
Tov. KRAVCHENKO did a great deal of organizational work on the formation of the 16th division, providing daily practical assistance to units and promptly responding to their requests.
In a short period of time, he managed to form the headquarters of the units and, through fruitful work, achieved leadership in the combat training of his units. Working directly in the units, helping the headquarters in planning and directing combat training in the units during the months of August, September, October, he put together the headquarters of the units as command and control bodies. To date, the headquarters of the units are capable of directing the battle in any conditions. The division headquarters as a governing body is well put together. The planning of combat training is carried out correctly in accordance with the order of the People's Commissar of Defense No. 0120 and the requirements of the regulations and instructions of the Red Army. All departments of the division headquarters are prepared quite satisfactorily and are ready to perform any task. Accounting and reporting on personnel is quite satisfactory. Working out operational documents is quite satisfactory.
Tov. KRAVCHENKO, participating at the front of the fight against the Finnish White Guards as division chief of staff, showed himself to be a brave, enterprising, decisive, strong-willed combat commander well versed in any difficult situation. For brilliant leadership of units in battle by the government awarded the order RED BANNER.
The state of health is good.
CONCLUSION: Tov. KRAVCHENKO is worthy of promotion to the post of division commander with the assignment of the military rank of MAJOR GENERAL in an extraordinary order ... "
But, as we already know, the command came to a different conclusion, appointing the colonel to another position - chief of staff of the 18th mechanized corps, which is part of the Odessa military district. Here he met the Great Patriotic War.
In the difficult trials of the first period of the war, the commanding skills of Soviet military leaders were honed. The path to it was not easy for Andrei Grigoryevich Kravchenko either.
The 18th mechanized corps took part in the battles on the territory of Bessarabia in the first days of the war. On June 30, he was withdrawn from Akkerman to the Vapnyarka area for staffing and on July 4 transferred to the South- Western front. On July 19, the corps became part of the 18th Army and launched a counterattack on the right flank of the 52nd army corps 17th Army south of Vinnitsa, with 387 tanks. On July 25, the divisions of the German 17th Army broke through the defenses in the zone of the 18th Mechanized Corps and the 17th Rifle Corps in the area of Gaisin, Trostyanets.
Until July 30, the 18th mechanized corps held the defense in the Gaivoron area, and in August it was transferred to Pavlograd.
So, conducting defensive battles, the corps retreated in the direction of Tomashpol, Uman, Khristinovka, Pervomaisk, Voznesensk, Nikolaev, Dnepropetrovsk.
The sweltering July day, the day of the first encounter with the enemy, remained in the memory of the tank general for a long time. After a long march, parts of the corps turned around on a wide line. The enemy marched on our land brazenly, self-confidently, counting on the same easy victories as in the west. But he did not succeed in this on our land. Soviet soldiers brought down the arrogance of the Nazis in the very first days of the war.
The soldiers of the 18th mechanized corps did not flinch either. For a whole week they held back the Nazis at the occupied line. With short counterattacks, fire from ambushes exhausted the Nazis, burned their tanks, exterminated the infantry. A continuous rumble stood over the fields. It was hot for the tankers. But they survived that first battle. They retreated only on orders, leaving not an inch without a fight. native land, thereby giving the Soviet command time to pull up reserves and further build up forces to repulse the enemy.
Remembering your first fight at the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, Andrey Grigorievich later said:
- ... Some little-informed people imagine the initial period of the war as a continuous withdrawal of Soviet troops, without stubborn battles, without brutal counterattacks, without exhausting and destroying enemy manpower and equipment. This is far from true. During these battles, there was some shock from the first blow of the enemy, which made itself felt at the beginning of the war. It became clearer and clearer that the Nazis could be beaten...
In the combat characteristics of the chief of staff of the corps, Colonel Kravchenko Andrey Grigorievich, commander-in-chief Major General of the tank troops Volokh and the military commissar of the corps, regimental commissar Gavrilov in August 1941 noted:
“... Comrade KRAVCHENKO is a cultured, competent commander with extensive experience. Personally disciplined, executive, demanding of himself and his subordinates. Politically and morally stable.
During the formation of the corps, he did a lot of work on putting together the headquarters of the corps and headquarters of divisions, as well as on the selection of commanders and restoring order in the units.
During the participation of the corps in hostilities, he skillfully led the headquarters of units and divisions, made high demands on his subordinates in the performance of combat missions. Personally, by his own example, he showed his subordinates how to lead the troops, it was in the area of RED, ALEKSEEVO, BLAGODATNOE and KONSTANTINOVKA-BOGDANOVKA. There was no case that Comrade KRAVCHENKO let go of the leadership of the operational group of the headquarters, always held out to the end and was the last to leave the command post.
He reacts to the revealed shortcomings in his work and takes immediate measures to eliminate them.
A decisive, strong-willed commander, not subject to cowardice and panic ... "
In September 1941, the corps was reorganized into the corresponding tank brigades, and Colonel Kravchenko was called to Moscow, where he was appointed commander of the 31st tank brigade, which he formed by mid-November 1941 in the Kostyrovo area.
The 31st tank brigade was immediately sent to the front. She participated in defensive battles on the outskirts of Moscow as part of the Western Front. On November 18, 1941, in the area of the city of Klin, five enemy divisions concentrated on a narrow section of the front. The tankers of the brigade make the most difficult hundred-kilometer throw, break into the rear of the Nazis at night and beat their reserves. For skillful actions near the village of Dubinino, Colonel A. G. Kravchenko received his first award in the Great Patriotic War - the Order of the Red Banner.
Then there were bloody battles on the Volokolamsk highway, blocking the way for the Nazi tank wedges to the capital, and from December 6, 1941, the brigade, led by Colonel A. G. Kravchenko, launched an offensive, participating in the counter offensive operation near Moscow, in the direction of Solnechnogorsk, Volokolamsk, st. Shakhovskaya.
The Soviet people felt relief and joy when the radio and newspapers announced the victory of our troops near Moscow. In that our first big win the tankers of the brigade of Colonel A. G. Kravchenko also contributed. And that was their most prized possession.
From the combat characteristics of the commander of the 31st tank brigade, Colonel Andrey Grigoryevich Kravchenko, dated February 17, 1942:
“... Colonel A. G. KRAVCHENKO, born in 1899. General education average. Graduated from the Academy. Frunze. In the Red Army since 1918. Member of the CPSU (b).
During the stay of the 31st Tank Brigade as part of the 20th Army, the brigade, with short breaks, constantly conducted successful offensive battles against the Nazi hordes. Skillfully using military equipment and especially tanks. Tov. A. G. KRAVCHENKO is a tactically competent commander who knows the tactics of tank troops well, having extensive experience in their use and organization of interaction with other branches of the military. A brave and decisive commander, showing personal initiative and courage in battle, this was the case when the 31st Tank Brigade took the villages of KOCHERGINO and DUBININO in December 1941 and Timkovo-Zuevo in January 1942.
For successful fighting brigades comrade. KRAVCHENKO was awarded the Order of the RED BANNER, previously awarded the Order of the RED BANNER and the medal 20 Years of the Red Army.
The brigade did a good job of evacuating wrecked tanks from the battlefield and restoring them.
Headquarters Comrade. KRAVCHENKO knows well, enjoys the authority and respect of the personnel of the brigade, is an ideologically consistent commander, morally stable. Dedicated to the cause of the party LENIN - STALIN and the Socialist Motherland ... "
In February 1942, the 31st Tank Brigade was withdrawn for further formation, and the brigade commander received a new appointment - Deputy Commander of the 61st Army for armored and mechanized troops. The army conducted offensive operations in the direction of the cities of Belev and Bryansk.
In April 1942, tank corps were hastily formed. Colonel A. G. Kravchenko was appointed chief of staff of the 1st Tank Corps, in which until July he participated in battles as part of the Bryansk Front in the areas of Livna, Zemlyanok and Voronezh.
In July 1942, Colonel A. G. Kravchenko was promoted to the rank of Major General of Tank Forces and was appointed commander of the 2nd Tank Corps, which was soon transferred from the Bryansk Front to the Stalingrad Front and fought defensive battles on the outskirts of the city.
In the autumn of 1942, under the Kletskaya station, the tankers of General A. G. Kravchenko boldly smashed the rear of the Nazis.
And in September of the same year, General A. G. Kravchenko was reassigned to the post of commander of the 4th tank corps, which he commanded until January 1944, fighting as part of the Southwestern, Stalingrad, Voronezh and 1st Ukrainian fronts.
The 4th Panzer Corps, entering the gap in the Kletskaya area, on November 19, 1942, closed the ring around the Stalingrad grouping of enemy troops. In December of the same year, the corps was redeployed to the Voronezh Front, where it participated in the encirclement of the Voronezh-Kastornensky enemy group, subsequently advancing in the direction of Belgorod and Kharkov, and participated in the first liberation on February 16, 1943 of the city of Kharkov. Then he advanced in the direction of Bogodukhov, Akhtyrka, and by March 1 reached the line of Sumy, Lebedin, Zenkov.
Let's go back to January forty-three. The winter was frosty, the birds froze on the fly. On the fields - a meter thick snow. On one of these days, the commander of the front troops ordered the 2nd Panzer Corps to enter a deep gap and begin encircling the enemy in the Kastornaya area.
From the book "Fighting Stars of Kiev" (Kyiv, 1983):
“The scouts reported to Kravchenko that “the enemy is careless.” At night, the entire corps escaped to the operational rear of the Nazis and rushed in the direction of the Gorshechnoye-Kastornaya stations. Large parts were defeated, columns of prisoners were taken.
The enemy tried to crush the tankers. First, he tried to withdraw the entire Voronezh grouping from the encirclement by the shortest route: through Kastornaya to Kursk. But all attacks were repulsed. Then the Nazis, at the cost of huge losses, broke through to Gorshechnoye, cutting off Kravchenko's units from the rear.
“We must prevent the enemy ... - decides Kravchenko. - But how? Chasing after means to miss the main forces.
At this time, an order was received to close the second ring of encirclement, to prevent the enemy manpower from jumping out of the boiler. The general makes a bold decision: from Kastornaya to hit straight across the virgin snow to Yastrebovka - the regional center and a major road junction between Stary Oskol and the city of Tim.
Success was determined by time. It was necessary to increase the mobility of the connection to the limit. And Kravchenko found a way out. Tankers captured well-fed, well-fed horses from the enemy. Machine-gun crews, armor-piercers and mortarmen set off on a sled across the virgin lands, and tanks along country roads.
On the first day, 80 kilometers were covered. On the second day, tankers broke into the village of Yastrebovka, defeated the enemy garrison and prepared to meet the Nazis.
Increasingly, the general is informed about the lack of fuel, the lack of shells. Andrey Grigoryevich from his personal ammunition will distribute five shells to the tankmen.
Stand to death! Don't let fascists into Yastrebovka!
This order went around all parts. The enemy was exhausted, but not yet finished off. The Nazis were constantly attacking. They rejected the offer to surrender.
Severe frost and fear of encirclement drove the Nazis to Yastrebovka. And here they found a hot meeting. Since there was not enough ammunition, hand-to-hand fighting broke out in places.
And at this time, according to the order, tanks and vehicles with ammunition hurried to the rescue, having done 150 kilometers in one night.
In the morning, the tankers crushed the enemy. General Kravchenko led his corps to Kharkov ... "
The deputy commander of the 21st Army, in which the 4th Tank Corps fought, Colonel Lipatov described the tank general at that time as follows:
“... A. G. KRAVCHENKO has been active in the Army since November 4, 1942. During this period of time, he showed himself to be a disciplined, self-possessed, energetic commander. All decisions were taken correctly and in a timely manner. During the preparation of the operation to introduce the tank corps into the breakthrough, he managed to correctly place the forces of his headquarters. He himself personally developed the construction of the corps when entering the breakthrough, which made it possible to timely complete the task set by the army command. During the introduction of the tank corps into the breakthrough, he himself personally led the battle of two tank brigades, which ensured the timely completion of the task of the corps entering the SOVIET region, to connect with parts of the Stalingrad Front.
For an excellent task, the corps of comrade. KRAVCHENKO A. G. presented to the rank of Guards.
Corps Comrade. KRAVCHENKO for the period of action from 11/19/42 to 25/11/42 captured large trophies and destroyed a large number of enemy tanks, anti-tank guns and artillery.
Party LENIN - STALIN and the Socialist Motherland devoted.
The position is in line with…”
For successful combat operations, the 4th Tank Corps in February 1943 was transformed into the 5th Stalingrad Guards Tank Corps.
After the surrender of Kharkov by our troops in March 1943, the corps received an order to go to the Belgorod, Tomarovka area, and then was withdrawn to the area of st. Rzhava Kursk region for resupplying.
At that time, he was the reserve of the Voronezh Front, in which he was until July 5, that is, before the start of the battle on Kursk Bulge. In that period, on June 7, the corps commander received a new military rank - lieutenant general of tank troops.
... July 5, 1943. The Nazis launched an offensive in the direction of Prokhorovka. They broke through the front and tried to develop success. At the Rzhava station, General Kravchenko receives an order: to urgently move the corps troops, take the second line of defense and stop the advance of the Nazis.
July 6 was the most difficult day for the corps in the entire Great Patriotic War. From noon until dusk, flocks of Heinkels and Junkers hung over the units, flying in two or three tiers. One and a half thousand enemy sorties withstood the corps that day. From the smoke of the explosions, the battlefield became dark.
Through the veil of smoke, sparkling with the tongues of shots, monsters never seen before crawled - “tigers” and “panthers”. The nimble T-34 tanks slipped away into an ambush, then made their way into the flanks of heavy fascist vehicles and hit their sides and chassis with shells. Clumsy monsters more and more often froze in place, smoked.
The experience of this day of the war was useful to Andrei Grigorievich in the final, largest tank battle of 1945. Then the Soviet troops pursued the Nazis already beyond Dubai. The fighting was in Hungary, near Lake Balaton. But more on that below.
If the Voronezh-Kastornensky operation for the tankers of General A. G. Kravchenko was a test for a wide maneuver, for the encirclement of a superior enemy in snowy winter conditions, then the battle on the Kursk Bulge required steel endurance from each of them, an inhuman exertion of moral and physical strength, the art of maneuver.
... In early August, he went on the offensive in the general direction of Tomarovka, Akhtyrka, Lokhvitsa, Piryatin, Kyiv.
Tankers of the 5th Guards Tank Corps fought heroically for Kyiv. In the cramped conditions of the city streets, they managed to find such methods of warfare that helped to take everything they were capable of from the tanks. Most often, tanks attacked in small groups, and at night they often walked along city streets with their headlights on - let the enemy guess whether they were their own or others.
General Kravchenko A. G. constantly demanded from his subordinates creativity to the fulfillment of the assigned tasks. And he himself set an example in this. Here it is appropriate to recall how in October 1943 his corps, relocating to the Lyutezh bridgehead on the right bank of the Dnieper, crossed the Desna River. There were no bridges or ferries on it, and there was no time to build them. No matter how hard the scouts tried to find an accessible ford for tanks (no deeper than 1.3 meters), this did not happen. How to be? And then the commander remembered how, long before the war, they tried to transport tanks along a deep ford.
Crews worked for days. Tow, impregnated with grease, caulked all the cracks and seals, especially carefully closed the shoulder straps of the towers and engine compartments, where the blinds pass through the entire roof of the tank. On October 3, 1943, an experiment unique for that time began. The first car moved slowly along the bottom of the river. Only a small part of the tower with an open hatch floated above the surface of the water. Finally, the tank safely passed the middle of the river .... and the car pulled up to the beach. Andrei Grigoryevich let out a sigh of relief...
The unusual crossing continued all day long. 70 tanks crossed to the other side. Thus, the corps reached the Lyutezhsky bridgehead in a timely manner.
In December, after the surrender of the city of Zhytomyr by our troops, the corps was transferred to the Zhitomir direction as part of the 38th Army, and after the capture of this city, at the end of the 43rd, it was again reassigned to the commander of the 40th Army and advanced in the direction of Skvir, Zvenigorodka.
Here is how the commander of the tank corps of the guard, Lieutenant General of the tank troops A. G. Kravchenko, was characterized in December 1943:
“... Lieutenant General of the tank troops comrade. A. G. KRAVCHENKO, during his time at the front as a corps commander, showed himself to be an outstanding commander of a large tank formation, well-versed in the tactics of modern combat of large tank formations, able to understand any difficult combat situation and able to get out of any difficult situation with honor, in which it turned out to be a tank formation led by Lieutenant General Comrade. KRAVCHENKO.
The corps under the leadership of Lieutenant General A. G. KRAVCHENKO passed a long, glorious military path, which gave the corps the legal right to be called the "Guards Stalingrad-Kyiv".
During the fighting, the corps inflicted enormous irreparable damage to the enemy both in manpower and in equipment.
The corps liberated dozens of cities and hundreds of settlements from the Nazi invaders, liberated hundreds of thousands of civilians from the fascist invaders.
Among the personnel of the generals and officers of the front, he enjoys well-deserved business authority and respect, among the personnel of the corps he enjoys love and devotion.
Personally self-possessed, cultured, demanding of himself and his subordinates, persistent in carrying out assigned tasks.
Has excellent volitional qualities, in battle, in any situation, retains his presence of mind, inspiring by personal example officers and soldiers for military exploits in the performance of assigned tasks.
He has a good ability to educate soldiers and officers in the spirit of devotion to the party of Lenin - Stalin and the Socialist Motherland.
The combat activities of Lieutenant General Comrade. KRAVCHENKO A. G. was worthily appreciated by the Government of the USSR and was expressed in a number of high Government awards - orders of the Soviet Union. (Andrey Grigoryevich had by that time been awarded two Orders of the Red Banner, the Orders of Suvorov 2nd class and Kutuzov 2nd class, as well as the medal "For the Defense of Stalingrad". - Author.)
CONCLUSION: He certainly corresponds to the position of commander of a tank corps, worthy of promotion to the post of Commander of the Tank Army ... "
For the successful crossing of the Dnieper and active participation in the capture of Kyiv, the formation became known as the Stalingrad-Kyiv Guards Tank Corps, and its commander of the guard, Lieutenant General of the Tank Forces Kravchenko Andrey Grigoryevich, by the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of January 10, 1944 "For the exemplary performance of the combat missions of the Command on front of the fight against the German invaders and the courage and heroism shown at the same time "was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union with the award of the Order of Lenin and the Gold Star medal ... This medal was awarded to him under the number 2546.
After the capture of Kyiv, the 5th Guards Tank Corps was part of the troops of the 40th Army of the Voronezh, and from October 20, 1943 - of the 1st Ukrainian Fronts, continuing the offensive in the direction of Vasilkov, Belaya Tserkov.
From the memoirs of A. G. Kravchenko:
“During the Great Patriotic War, commanding a tank corps and a tank army, I participated in many offensive operations carried out by Soviet Army to the encirclement and destruction of large enemy groupings, where he received a lot of new things for himself in terms of tactical and operational growth and combat experience.
1. In the Stalingrad operation:
On November 19, 1942, the 4th Tank Corps, which I was in command of, entered the gap in the offensive zone 21 A in the area of \u200b\u200bthe village of Kletskaya and on November 23, 1942, connecting with the mobile group of the Stalingrad Front (4 MK, commanded by General - Lieutenant Volsky) in the area of st. Soviet, the first to close the encirclement around the Stalingrad group of Germans. In this operation, for the first time in practice, I worked out the issues of interaction and the technique of introducing a tank corps into the breakthrough. He got practice in organizing oncoming battles and pursuit in difficult conditions of the situation when performing the task of a deep raid behind enemy lines. I learned how a true combat comradely soldering and mutual assistance is born and grows stronger in all subdivisions and units, between all categories of military personnel (from general to soldier). From the moment the corps entered the gap, there were no laggards, all fighters and commanders merged into a tightly soldered combat unit and unquestioningly carried out the will of the senior commander.
2. In the Korsun-Shevchenko operation:
When the encirclement was completed and the encircled group of Germans was liquidated in this operation, I commanded the 6th Panzer Army.
Unlike the Stalingrad operation, here I got something new for myself that immediately after the ring was closed around the encircled enemy grouping in the area of the city of Zvenigorod, 6 TA, operating on the left flank of the 1st Ukrainian front, an external fixed front was formed to counter and delay the advance of the enemy strike groups, abandoned by the Germans to the rescue of the encircled group. It required exceptional troop mobility and command and control flexibility in repulsing numerous enemy strikes in various sectors of the front and in various directions. During this operation, up to 6-8 rifle divisions were attached to the army. Exceptional flexibility was required in organizing and conducting various forms of offensive and defensive combat.
3. In the Iasi-Kishinev operation:
6 TA was introduced into the gap in the 27 A lane of the 2nd Ukrainian Front in the area of the city of Iasi and developed a strike in the direction of Byrlad, Focsany, Buzeu, Ploiesti. Here I learned how important it is to have a clear coordination of efforts between the troops closing the encirclement around the enemy grouping and the troops connecting and forming the outer front or bypass.
The operation was carried out at a record high pace, which required the rapid unification of the efforts of the main forces in decisive directions and the flexibility of command and control. He got a lot of practice in mastering tank formations in large settlements - cities, including the Foksha UR.
4. In the Anatopo-Vienna operation:
A characteristic feature of this operation is that it began with an oncoming battle with the German tank divisions, starting from the planned milestone for the introduction of 6 TA into the breakthrough. Encounter battles continued for four days with obvious success for us. The German tank divisions included up to 70 # heavy tanks of the "tiger" and "panther" type, which had an advantage in the range of a direct shot and the thickness of the tank's armor. The fighting took place in closed and rough terrain. Because of this, our side mainly used encirclements and detours against the enemy's battle formations, exceptionally bold maneuvers to the flank and rear, seizing road junctions and defile along the enemy's withdrawal routes. The enormous advantage in speed and maneuverability of our T-34 tank has always ensured the success of our units and formations. The operation lasted 32 days. Exceptional stress and endurance of our personnel and military equipment has been tested.
The operation ended with the capture of Vienna. A lot of practice has been gained in mastering tank troops on their own major cities, in street fighting. Also gained a lot of experience in conducting the main types of hostilities at night.
Extracts from the orders of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief and reports from the Soviet Information Bureau, in which it is noted combat activity Colonel General of the Tank Forces A. G. Kravchenko:
1943“The troops of the 2nd Ukrainian Front, having gone on the offensive from the area north of KIROVOGRAD in the western direction, and the troops of the 1st Ukrainian Front - from the area southeast of the BELAYA Tserkov in the east, broke through the heavily fortified defenses of the Germans, advanced in five days of offensive battles towards each other in each direction from 50 to 75 km, expanded the breakthrough in each offensive sector to 160–175 km along the front.
During the offensive, our troops liberated more than 300 settlements, including the cities of ZVENIGORODOKA, SHPOLA, SMELA, BOGUSLAV, KANEV and large railroads. - dor. nodes BOBRINSKAYA, TSVETKOVO and MIRONOVKA.
In the battles for the capture of these cities, the tankers of Lieutenant General KRAVCHENKO distinguished themselves.
“The troops of the 2nd Ukrainian Front, as a result of a swift maneuver of tank formations and infantry, yesterday, March 19, captured the city of MOGILEV-PODOLSKY.
In the battles for the capture of the city of MOGILEV-PODOLSKY, the tankers of Lieutenant General of the Tank Forces KRAVCHENKO distinguished themselves.
“The troops of the 2nd Ukrainian Front, continuing their rapid offensive, crossed the river a few days ago. Dniester on a stretch of 175 km, took possession of the city and an important railway. - dor. BALTSY knot and, developing the offensive, reached our state border - the Prut River - on a front stretching 85 km.
In the battles for crossing the DNIESTER, capturing the city and railway. - dor. the tankers of Lieutenant General of the Tank Troops KRAVCHENKO distinguished themselves for reaching our state border.
“The troops of the 2nd Ukrainian Front, having resumed the offensive, broke through the strong German defenses in the Uman direction and, in five days of offensive fighting, moved forward from 40 to 70 km, expanding the breakthrough to 175 km along the front.
During the offensive, our troops inflicted a heavy defeat on 6 tank, 7 infantry and one artillery divisions of the Germans, while capturing over 500 tanks and self-propelled guns, of which more than 200 fully operational "tigers", "panthers" and "Ferdinands", about 600 field guns of various calibers and more than 12,000 vehicles.
As a result of the operation, the troops of the front captured the city of Uman and more than 300 other settlements.
The tankers of the lieutenant general of the tank troops KRAVCHENKO distinguished themselves ... "
On January 20, 1944, an order was received to form the 6th Panzer Army. The commander was appointed Lieutenant General of the Tank Forces A. G. Kravchenko. From the moment of formation until the end of the Great Patriotic War, the 6th Tank Army fought as part of the 1st, 2nd and 3rd Ukrainian Fronts ...
Just before his appointment to the post of Commander of the Guards, Lieutenant General of the Tank Forces A. G. Kravchenko was introduced as the commander of the armored and mechanized troops of the 60th Army (at that time the 5th Guards Stalingrad Kyiv Tank Corps was operationally subordinate to the commander of this army. - Author) Guard Colonel Romanov to the Order of Bohdan Khmelnitsky 2nd degree. This report said:
“... the 5th Guards Tank Corps under the command of Comrade. KRAVCHENKO, during his stay in the 60th Army, perfectly fulfilled the task assigned to him to repel the fierce attacks of the enemy in the CHEPOVICHI - MALIN region.
Tov. KRAVCHENKO perfectly organized the management of formations and units, which, having occupied the mountains. CHERNYAKHOV, they cut the iron. dor. and the ZHITOMIR - NOVOGRAD-VOLYNSKY highway, which contributed to the successful completion of the army operation to encircle and destroy the enemy's Zhitomir grouping.
For excellent combat leadership of units and formations, as a result of which a major defeat was inflicted on the enemy, which had a decisive influence on the implementation of the army operation, comrade. KRAVCHENKO is worthy of the government award of the Order "BOGDAN KHMELNYTSKY 2 DEGREE" ...
On May 17, 1944, he was awarded this order, but not the 2nd, but the 1st degree - this was decided by the higher leadership.
Until July 1947, the Guards Colonel General of the Tank Forces (he received this military rank on September 13, 1944 . - Author) A. G. Kravchenko commanded the 6th Tank (later the 6th Guards Tank) Army, which was part of the 1st, 2nd and 3rd Ukrainian Fronts, and then the Trans-Baikal Front and the district ...
After the appointment of General A. G. Kravchenko to this high position, a whirlpool of rapidly impending events, urgent matters and tasks swept over him. The difficulties were exacerbated by the fact that in the early days of the created tank army there was still no association headquarters, there were not enough specialists. But the newly appointed army commander found a way out - he relied on the tried and tested combat headquarters of his tank corps.
On January 29, 1944, the 6th Panzer Army entered its first battle. This was urgently required by the prevailing situation. The Korsun-Shevchenkovsky operation began, according to the plan of which the army struck in an easterly direction, on Zvenigorodka, going towards the 5th Guards Tank Army of the 2nd Ukrainian Front. The command, apparently, took into account, when setting the task of the 6th Panzer Army, the previous experience of General A. G. Kravchenko in encircling the enemy, his will and perseverance in achieving the set goal.
Guards Lieutenant-General of Tank Troops A. G. Kravchenko, accustomed to thinking on a broader scale, never locking himself in the circle of tasks entrusted to him, found that the best solution in the current situation would be a strong, concentrated and unexpected pre-emptive strike for the enemy. And the commander was preparing for this. He spent almost all the time in the advanced parts of the army. Staff members who knew him well no longer dissuaded him from going to especially dangerous areas, but simply, as if by the way, delicately reminded him of this.
Andrei Grigoryevich liked to talk with junior officers, looking for the most capable, thinking, courageous and resourceful among them. He never forgot such people, remembered their names, closely followed their actions in a combat situation, and when he was convinced that he had not made a mistake in his choice, he promoted them in position and military rank. He found spiritual pleasure, high moral satisfaction in conversations with ordinary soldiers, junior commanders. It was not for nothing that the tankers called Andrei Grigorievich among themselves: “our Furmanov”, “our Chapaev commissar”.
Speaking about his contact with the soldiers, it should be noted that, having a special gift for communicating with ordinary tankers, he did not flirt with them. And at the same time, for every soldier, the commander was not only a commander, but also a wonderful political worker, father and soul of the army.
So it was this time…
The commander of the 1st Ukrainian Front, General N.F. Vatutin, approved the decision of the commander of the 6th Tank Army for the upcoming operation, which consisted in delivering a double dagger strike in the direction of Zvenigorodka using a strong, mobile, combat detachment.
The idea for the operation was envisaged in the center of the main attack simultaneously with the breakthrough enemy defense to introduce a reinforced mobile detachment into the gap, which, by its decisive actions, should disorganize the rear of the enemy and, without delay, come out with a swift dash towards the troops of the 2nd Ukrainian Front.
The swift throw of the tankers of General A. G. Kravchenko was crowned with success: in the center of Zvenigorodka, the tankers of the two Ukrainian fronts met and embraced. The Korsun-Shevchenkovsky ring is closed. A new stage of the largest battle with the Nazi invaders on the right bank of Ukraine began.
The fighting didn't subside. A red sky hung over a vast expanse and the unusual thunder of battle rumbled.
The battle became fiercer every day.
At the completion of the encirclement and liquidation of the grouping of enemy troops, General A. G. Kravchenko repeatedly demonstrated his military art, led operational battles, directly being in the center of desperate bloody battles. This was seen by his tankers and fought with tripled energy, showing massive courage and heroism.
After closing the ring around the enemy grouping in the Zvenigorodka area, the 6th Panzer Army, operating on the left flank of the 1st Ukrainian Front, formed an external, immovable front. His task was to delay the advance of the enemy strike forces, thrown to the rescue of the encircled grouping. Exceptional troop mobility and control flexibility were required to repel numerous enemy attacks from different sectors of the front and in different directions. During this operation, six to eight rifle divisions were attached to the tank army.
A very difficult situation arose on February 12, 1944. Regardless of the huge losses, the Nazis decided to break out of the encirclement at any cost. At the same time, they launched concentrated strikes from the Steblev area to Shenderovka and Lysyanka, and Razino to Lysyanka. Carrying huge losses, the enemy nevertheless wedged into the battle formations of the Soviet troops. There was a threat of a breakthrough fascist tanks to the rear of the Soviet troops, fighting with the encircled grouping on the inner contour. But the tankers of General A. G. Kravchenko fought heroically. They stopped and pushed back the enemy.
In the area of Buzhanka, Vinograd, Yablonevka, Kamenny Brod, fierce battles with the armored hordes of the enemy were fought by tankmen of the guard of Lieutenant General of the Tank Forces A. G. Kravchenko. The commander was on the battlefield, inspiring his subordinates with his example.
After the completion of the Korsun-Shevchenko operation, the 6th tank army, along with others Soviet troops rapidly developed a victorious offensive to the west ...
She walked through Khristinovka, Vapnyarka and others. settlements. Andrei Grigoryevich at that time involuntarily recalled that it was in these places that he had to experience the bitterness of retreat in the forty-first ...
The Southern Bug was left behind, the Dniester was overcome with battles. Pursuing the enemy, on March 26, 1944, the 6th Panzer Army reached the Prut River in the Skulen, Ungheni sector. A silver ribbon of water glittered in front of the tankers. That was the state border of the USSR.
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Colonel General of Tank Forces (1944)
Biography
Kravchenko Andrey Grigorievich, Colonel General of the Tank Forces (1944). Twice Hero of the Soviet Union (01/10/1944 and 09/08/1945). Since 1918 - in the Red Army. Participant civil war 1917-1922, Red Army soldier, junior commander. In 1923 he graduated from the Poltava Military Infantry School, in 1928 - the Military Academy. M.V. Frunze, in 1949 - academic courses at the Higher Military Academy. From 1923 he commanded a squad, then a rifle platoon, a company, from 1928 - chief of staff rifle regiment, since 1930 - teacher of tactics, since November 1931 - head of the motorized course of the Leningrad armored courses for the improvement of command personnel. In May - November 1931 and in February 1932 - October 1933 - on a secret mission. From November to February 1933 - chief of staff of the Kazan advanced training courses for senior and middle technical staff. In February - May 1935 - senior teacher of tactics and head of the combined arms cycle of the Saratov armored school. From August 1939 - chief of staff of the infantry, from December - the headquarters of the motorized rifle divisions. Member of the Soviet-Finnish war of 1939-40. From June 1940 to February 1941 - Chief of Staff of the 16th Panzer Division. From March 1941 - Chief of Staff of the 18th Mechanized Corps, with which he entered the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945. From September 1941 he commanded the 31st separate tank brigade. Since February 1942 - Deputy Commander of the 61st Army for armored and mechanized troops. From April 1942 he headed the headquarters of the 1st Tank Corps, from July he commanded the 2nd, from September 1942 to January 1944 - the 4th (from February 1943 - the 5th Guards) Tank Corps. From January 1944 until the end of the war he commanded the 6th (from September 1944 - the 6th Guards) Tank Army. In 1945, the army took part in the Khingan-Mukden operation. After the war, he continued to command this army, from April 1948 - commander of the armored and mechanized troops of the ZabVO, then PribVO, from January 1954 - assistant commander of the Far Eastern Military District for tank weapons. In October 1955, he was dismissed. He was awarded the Order of Lenin, 4 Orders of the Red Banner, 2 Orders of Suvorov 1st class, Orders of Bogdan Khmelnitsky 1st class, Suvorov 2nd class, Kutuzov 2nd class.
(11/6/1899–10/18/1963), military. activist, gen. - regiment. tank troops (09/13/1944), twice Hero of the Soviet. Union (10.1.1944; 8.9.1945). In 1918 he joined the Red Army. Graduated from the Poltava military. infantry school (1923), Military. academy. M.V. Frunze (1928), Higher. academic courses at the Military Academy of the General Staff (1949). Member of the Citizenship wars; private. Member since 1925 VKP(b). After the war he served in the infantry. From 1928 beginning. shooter headquarters. shelf. Since 1930, a teacher of tactics at the Leningrad armored courses for the improvement of commanders, since 1935 - at the Saratov military. armored school? From May 1939 beginning. headquarters of the 173rd shooter. divisions, with which he took part in the Sov. - fin. war 1939–40. From June 1940 beginning. headquarters of the 16th Panzer Division, from March 1941 - 18th mech. corps. Beginning Vel. Fatherland met the war in Moldova, from where he fought back behind the Dniester and the Dnieper, losing most tanks. 9/9/1941–10/1/1942 com. 31st Tank Brigade. Member of the Moscow battle. Feb. - March 1942 deputy. commands. 61st Army for tank troops. From 31.3.1942 beginning. headquarters of the 1st tank corps. From 25.7.1942 com. 2nd, from 18.9.1942 - 4th (from 7.2.1943 - 5th Guards) tank corps. distinguished himself in Battle of Stalingrad, 11/23/1942 in the area of the village of Sovetsky connected with the troops of the 4th mech. hull, closing the encirclement ring. groupings. Participated in Battle of Kursk, forcing the Dnieper, battles on Right-Bank Ukraine. From 20.1.1944 teams. 6th (since 12.9.1944 guards) tank army. Member of the Korsun? Shevchenko, Umansko? Botosha, Iasi? Chisinau, Debrecen, Budapest, Vienna, Bratislava? Brnov and Prague operations. During the owls - Jap. war of 1945 participated in the Khingan-Mukden operation. After the team war. army, teams armored and fur. troops of various military districts. From Jan. 1954 pom. commands. troops of the Far East. VO on tank weapons. Reserved since October 1955.
BiographyKravchenko Andrey Grigorievich, Soviet military leader, colonel-general of tank troops (1944). Twice Hero of the Soviet Union (01/10/1944 and 09/08/1945).
Born into a peasant family. He graduated from a three-year rural school, worked in a construction office in Kyiv. Member of the Civil War. In November 1918, he voluntarily joined the Red Army and was enrolled as a Red Army soldier in the 1st Tarashchansky Regiment of the 1st Ukrainian Soviet Division (from 1919 - 391st rifle regiment 44th Rifle Division). In March 1920 he was transferred to the 60th Rifle Regiment of the 7th Vladimir Rifle Division: Red Army soldier, junior commander. He fought on the Southwestern and Western fronts against the Ukrainian formations of S.V. Petliura and the White Guard troops of General A.I. Denikin. Member of the Soviet-Polish War of 1920. After the war in April 1921, he was enrolled as a cadet in the 29th Poltava Infantry Course, which later became part of the 14th Poltava Infantry School. After graduating from school in August 1923, he was assigned to the 2nd communications battalion of the Caucasian Red Banner Army in the city of Tiflis, where he was a squad and platoon commander. From September 1925 he studied at the Military Academy of the Red Army. M.V. Frunze, upon graduation in July 1928, was appointed chief of staff of the 21st Rifle Regiment of the 7th Chernigov Rifle Division. Since October 1930 - a teacher of tactics at the Leningrad armored courses for the improvement of the command staff of the Red Army. From May to November 1931, he performed a special task for the leadership, then again at teaching in Leningrad. From February 1932 he was the head of the training department of the technical courses of Osoaviakhim.
Since November 1933, he was the chief of staff of the Kazan advanced training courses for senior and middle technical officers. In February 1935, he was transferred with a demotion to teaching at the Saratov Red Banner Armored School, where he held the position of senior teacher of tactics. From February 1938 - head of the combined arms cycle of the Saratov military school. In January 1939 he was awarded the rank of colonel. Since May 1939, he was on assignment for the commander of the Volga Military District. In August of the same year, he was appointed chief of staff of the 61st Infantry Division. From December 1939 he was chief of staff of the 173rd motorized rifle division. In this position he participated in the Soviet-Finnish war of 1939-1940. In the summer of 1940, as part of a division, he took part in the Prut campaign. From July 1940 - Chief of Staff of the 16th Tank Division of the 2nd Mechanized Corps of the Odessa Military District, and from March 1941 - Chief of Staff of the 18th Mechanized Corps of the same district.
At the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, the 18th Mechanized Corps took part in the border battle on the Southern Front and fought defensive battles along the eastern bank of the river. Rod. Since September 1941, Colonel A.G. Kravchenko commanded the 31st Tank Brigade of the 20th Army of the Western Front. The brigade under his command distinguished itself in the Klin-Solnechnogorsk offensive operation. From February 1942 - Deputy Commander of the 61st Army for Tank Forces. Participant defensive operation in Bessarabia, the Tiraspol-Melitopol defensive operation, the battle for Moscow. In March - July 1942 he was chief of staff of the 1st Tank Corps. From July to September 1942, Major General of the Tank Forces A.G. Kravchenko commanded the 2nd Tank Corps, and then took command of the 4th (from February 1943 - the 5th Guards) Tank Corps, with which he fought on the Stalingrad, Voronezh and 1st Ukrainian fronts. In November 1942, the 4th Corps participated in the encirclement of the 6th german army near Stalingrad. In the winter of 1943, the corps distinguished itself in the Kharkov offensive during the liberation of the cities of Kharkov, Trostyanets and Akhtyrka. In the summer of the same year, the corps as part of the 6th guards army participated in, distinguished himself in the battle on July 6, in which, in cooperation with the 51st Guards Rifle Division, he repelled an attack of up to 300 enemy tanks with infantry. In the autumn of the same year, during the Kyiv offensive operation, its units liberated the cities of Kyiv and Zhitomir.
In June 1943 A.G. Kravchenko was awarded the rank of lieutenant general of tank troops. From January 1944 until the end of the war, he commanded the 6th Guards Tank Army, which successfully operated in the Korsun-Shevchenkovsky, Uman-Botoshansky, Iasi-Chisinau offensive operations and in subsequent battles in the central part of Romania. Then her troops distinguished themselves in the Debrecen and Budapest offensive operations. During the Vienna Offensive, the army participated in the capture of the capital of Austria - Vienna. Later, its troops successfully operated in the Bratislava-Brnov and Prague offensive operations. After the defeat of Germany, the 6th Guards Tank Army was redeployed to Mongolia, where it was included in the Trans-Baikal Front and participated in the Soviet-Japanese War. During the Khingan-Mukden offensive operation, its troops, advancing in the first echelon, by the end of the third day of the operation, overcame the Greater Khingan ridge and reached the Central Manchurian Plain. Subsequently, developing the offensive, they ensured the dismemberment of the Japanese Kwantung Army, which contributed to its quick surrender.
After the war, Colonel-General of the Tank Forces (the rank was awarded in September 1944) A.G. Kravchenko continued to command this army. From June 1947 - Commander of the armored and mechanized troops of the Trans-Baikal Military District. In 1949, he graduated from the Higher Academic Courses at the Higher Military Academy named after K.E. Voroshilov. Since 1949 - commander of the armored and mechanized troops of the Baltic and Far Eastern military districts. Since January 1954 - Assistant Commander of the Far Eastern Military District for tank armament. Since August 1954 - at the disposal of the Minister of Defense of the USSR, since October 1955 - in reserve for health reasons. Deputy of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of the 2nd convocation. He was buried at the Novodevichy Cemetery in Moscow.
Awarded: 2 orders of Lenin, 3 orders of the Red Banner, 2 orders of Suvorov 1st class, orders of Bogdan Khmelnitsky 1st class, Suvorov 2nd class, Kutuzov 2nd class, medals, as well as foreign orders, including the Order of St. Michael and St. George (Great Britain) and the Order of the British Empire 2nd class.
"Man is a mighty oak. Nature does not know a mightier oak."
Lautreamont
Kravchenko Andrey Grigoryevich, twice Hero of the Soviet Union, Colonel-General of Tank Forces, was born on November 30, 1899 on the Sulimin farm, now with. Sulimovka, Yagotinsky district, Kharkov region, in a poor peasant family. AT early childhood lost his mother. Together with his older brother Daniil, eight-year-old Andrei began working in the landlord economy of Count Musin-Pushkin. Andrei could study only in winter, he managed to graduate from a three-year rural school. After the death of his brother on the German front in the First World War, Andrei Kravchenko went to Kyiv at the end of April 1916 and went to work in a construction and technical office, and in April 1917 he returned to the village and worked with his father until November 1918 Then Kravchenko, together with local partisans, volunteered for the 1st Tarashchansky regiment of the 44th division, where he fought until mid-March 1920 as an ordinary fighter against the bands of Petliura and the White Poles. From March 1920 to April 1921, he took part in the battles against the White Poles as a junior commander in the 60th Infantry Regiment of the 7th Vladimir Division.
After graduating from Poltava military school Andrei Kravchenko was the commander of a squad, then a platoon, a company in the 2nd communications battalion in the city of Tiflis. In September 1925 he entered the Academy of the Red Army named after M.V. Frunze, from which he graduated in July 1928 and was appointed to the post of chief of staff of the 21st Infantry Regiment of the 7th Chernigov Division. In October 1930, Kravchenko A.G. was appointed to the post of teacher of tactics at courses (LBTKUKS) in Leningrad. From November 1931 to February 1932 he was a teacher of tactics and head of motorized mechs. course on LBTCUKS. From February 1932 to October 1933 Kravchenko was on a secret mission. From November 1933 to February 1935 - chief of staff of the Kazan advanced training courses for senior and middle technical officers. The career of the future general seemed to develop successfully, but on October 30, 1934, he was expelled from the party for drunkenness and debauchery and demoted to one service category ...
From mid-February 1935 to May 1935, he worked as a senior teacher of tactics and head of the combined arms cycle at the Saratov Armored School. In subsequent years, Kravchenko continued teaching. In January 1939, there were two important events in the life of Andrei Grigorievich: he was reinstated in the party and awarded the next military rank - "colonel".
From May to August 1939 Andrei Grigoryevich was an officer for special assignments under the commander of the Volga Military District. From August 1939 to December 1939 - Chief of Staff of the 61st Rifle Division in Penza. From December 1939 to June 1940 he was chief of staff of the 173rd motorized rifle division, in which he participated in the war with the White Finns and in the occupation of the territory of Bessarabia. From June 1940 to February 1941 - Chief of Staff of the 16th Panzer Division in Kotovsk, Odessa Region. In his official description, in November 1940, it is written: "Comrade Kravchenko, participating at the front of the fight against the Finnish White Guard as division chief of staff, showed himself to be a brave, enterprising, resolute, strong-willed, well versed in any difficult situation, a combat commander. For brilliant leadership of units in battle, he was awarded the Order of the Red Banner by the government ...
Tov. Kravchenko is worthy of promotion to the post of division commander with the assignment of the military rank of major general in an extraordinary order ... "
However, since March 1941, Colonel Kravchenko A.G. - Chief of Staff of the 18th mechanized corps in Akkerman, on the territory of Bessarabia. Here he met the Great Patriotic War ... The 18th mechanized corps in the first days of the war took part in the battles on the territory of Bessarabia. On June 30, it was withdrawn from Akkerman to the Vapnyarka area for staffing and on July 4 transferred to the Southwestern Front. On July 19, the corps became part of the 18th Army and launched a counterattack on the right flank of the 52nd Army Corps of the 17th Army south of Vinnitsa, with 387 tanks in its composition. On July 25, the divisions of the German 17th Army broke through the defenses in the zone of the 18th Mechanized Corps and the 17th Rifle Corps in the area of Gaisin, Trostyanets.
For a whole week, the tankers held back the Nazis at the occupied line. With short counterattacks, fire from ambushes exhausted the Nazis, burned their tanks, exterminated the infantry. A continuous rumble stood over the fields. It was hot for the tankers. But they survived that first battle. They retreated only on orders, leaving not an inch of their native land without a fight, thereby giving the Soviet command time to pull up reserves and further build up forces to repulse the enemy. Conducting defensive battles, the corps retreated in the direction of Tomashpol, Uman, Khristinovka, Pervomaisk, Voznesensk, Nikolaev, Dnepropetrovsk.
In September 1941, the corps was reorganized into the corresponding tank brigades, and Colonel Kravchenko was called to Moscow, where he was appointed commander of the 31st tank brigade, which he formed by mid-November 1941 in the Kostyrovo area. The brigade became part of the 20th Army. The 31st tank brigade was immediately sent to the front. She participated in defensive battles on the outskirts of Moscow as part of the Western Front. On November 18, 1941, in the area of the city of Klin, five enemy divisions concentrated on a narrow section of the front. The tankers of the 31st brigade made the most difficult hundred-kilometer throw, broke into the German rear at night and defeated the enemy's reserves. For skillful actions in this operation, Colonel Kravchenko A.G. received his first award in the Great Patriotic War - the Order of the Red Banner.
Then there were bloody battles on the Volokolamsk Highway, the 31st Tank Brigade, under the command of Colonel Kravchenko, blocked the way for the Nazi tank wedges to the capital. And from December 6, 1941, she launched an offensive, participating in a counter-offensive operation near Moscow, in the direction of Solnechnogorsk - Volokolamsk - st. Shakhovskaya.
In February 1942, the 31st tank brigade was withdrawn for further formation, and the brigade commander received a new appointment - deputy commander of the 61st army for armored and mechanized troops. In April 1942, Colonel Kravchenko A.G. was appointed chief of staff of the 1st Tank Corps, in which until July he participated in battles as part of the Bryansk Front in the areas of Livna, Zemlyanok and Voronezh. In July 1942, Colonel Kravchenko A.G. was awarded the rank of major general of tank troops and appointed commander of the 2nd tank corps, which was soon transferred from the Bryansk front to the Stalingrad and fought defensive battles on the outskirts of the city.
In the autumn of 1942, under the Kletskaya station, tankmen of General A.G. Kravchenko. boldly defeated the rear of the Nazis. In September of the same year, General Kravchenko A.G. was appointed to the post of commander of the 4th tank corps, which he commanded until January 1944, fighting as part of the Southwestern, Stalingrad, Voronezh and 1st Ukrainian fronts.
The 4th Panzer Corps, entering the gap in the Kletskaya area, on November 19, 1942, closed the ring around the Stalingrad grouping of enemy troops. In December 1942, the corps was redeployed to the Voronezh Front, where it participated in the encirclement of the enemy's Voronezh-Kastornoe grouping.
In January 1943, the 4th Panzer Corps was ordered to enter a deep gap and begin to encircle the enemy in the Kastornaya area. The winter was frosty, the birds froze on the fly. On the fields - a meter thick snow. At night, Kravchenko's corps broke into the operational rear of the Nazis and rushed in the direction of the Gorshechnoye-Kastornaya stations. Large parts were defeated, columns of prisoners were taken. However, the enemy sought to crush the Soviet tankers. First, the Germans tried to withdraw the entire Voronezh grouping from the encirclement by the shortest route: through Kastornaya to Kursk. But all attacks were repulsed. Then the Nazis, at the cost of huge losses, broke through to Gorshechnoye, cutting off Kravchenko's units from the rear.
General Kravchenko A.G. made a bold decision: from Kastornaya to hit directly on the virgin snow to Yastrebovka - the regional center and a major road junction between Stary Oskol and the city of Tim. Success depended on the speed of the maneuver performed by the tankers. It was necessary to increase the mobility of the connection to the limit. And Kravchenko found a way out. Tankers captured well-fed, well-fed horses from the enemy. Machine-gun crews, armor-piercers and mortarmen set off on a sled across the virgin lands, and tanks along country roads.
On the first day, we managed to cover 80 kilometers. On the second day, tankers broke into the village of Yastrebovka, defeated the enemy garrison and prepared to meet the Nazis. But in our units, the lack of fuel and the lack of shells began to affect. Severe frost and fear of encirclement drove the Nazis to Yastrebovka. The enemy was exhausted, but not yet finished off. The Nazis were constantly attacking. They rejected the offer to surrender. Since there was not enough ammunition, hand-to-hand fighting broke out in places. Meanwhile, tanks and vehicles with ammunition hurried to the aid of the 4th Panzer Corps, having covered 150 kilometers in one night. In the morning, the tankers of General Kravchenko crushed the enemy. Subsequently, advancing in the direction of Belgorod and Kharkov, the corps under the command of Kravchenko A.G. participated in the first liberation on February 16, 1943 of the city of Kharkov. For successful combat operations, the 4th Tank Corps in February 1943 was transformed into the 5th Stalingrad Guards Tank Corps.
After the surrender of Kharkov by our troops in March 1943, the corps received an order to go to the Belgorod, Tomarovka area, and then was withdrawn to the area of st. Rzhava Kursk region for resupplying. Further, the corps advanced in the direction of Bogodukhov, Akhtyrka, and by March 1 reached the line of Sumy, Lebedin, Zenkov. For successful combat operations, the 4th Tank Corps in February 1943 was transformed into the 5th Stalingrad Guards Tank Corps.
At this time, the body of Kravchenko A.G. constituted the reserve of the Voronezh Front, in which he was until July 5, that is, before the start of the battle on the Kursk Bulge. In that period, on June 7, the corps commander, Andrey Grigoryevich Kravchenko, received a new military rank - lieutenant general of tank troops. From July 5 until the end of the month, the corps fought defensive battles in the Belgorod direction ...
On July 5, 1943, the Germans launched an offensive in the direction of Prokhorovka. They broke through the front and tried to develop success. At the Rzhava station, General Kravchenko received an order: urgently push the corps troops, take the second line of defense and stop the advance of the Nazis. July 6 was the most difficult day for the corps in the entire Great Patriotic War. From noon until dusk, flocks of Heinkels and Junkers hung over the units, flying in two or three tiers. One and a half thousand enemy sorties withstood the corps that day. From the smoke of the explosions, the battlefield became dark. The battle on the Kursk Bulge demanded from every tanker steel endurance, inhuman exertion of moral and physical strength, and the art of maneuver.
In early August, the 5th Guards went on the offensive in the general direction: Tomarovka, Akhtyrka, Lokhvitsa, Piryatin, Kyiv. In October 1943, the 5th Guards Tank Corps, relocating to the Lyutezh bridgehead on the right bank of the Dnieper, crossed the Desna River. There were no bridges or ferries on it, and there was no time to build them. No matter how hard the scouts tried to find an accessible ford for tanks (no deeper than 1.3 meters), this did not happen. The commander decided to transport the tanks along a deep ford. Tow, impregnated with grease, caulked all the cracks and seals. On October 3, 1943, a unique crossing began, the cars slowly moved along the bottom of the river at a water depth of up to two meters. Only a small part of the tower with an open hatch floated above the surface of the water. Thus, 70 tanks crossed to the other side, and the corps reached the Lyutezh bridgehead in a timely manner.
The tankers Kravchenko A.G. fought heroically. for Kyiv. In the cramped conditions of the city streets, they managed to find such methods of warfare that helped to take everything they were capable of from the tanks. Most often, tanks attacked in small groups, and at night they often walked along city streets with their headlights on - let the enemy guess whether they were their own or others.
For the successful crossing of the Dnieper and active participation in the capture of Kyiv, the corps of Kravchenko A.G. became known as the Stalingrad-Kyiv Guards Tank Corps, and its commander of the guard, Lieutenant General of Tank Forces Kravchenko Andrey Grigorievich, was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union by the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of January 10, 1944.
In December 1943, after our troops left the city of Zhytomyr, Kravchenko's corps was transferred to the Zhytomyr direction as part of the 38th Army, and after the capture of Zhitomir, it was again reassigned to the commander of the 40th Army and advanced in the direction of Skvir, Zvenigorodka.
In January 1944, Lieutenant General of the Tank Troops Kravchenko A.G. was appointed commander of the newly formed 6th Tank Army, which until the end of World War II fought as part of the 1st, 2nd and 3rd Ukrainian Fronts. On January 29, 1944, the 6th Panzer Army entered its first battle. The Korsun-Shevchenkovsky operation began, according to the plan of which the 6th Panzer Army struck eastward, on Zvenigorodka, going towards the 5th Guards Tank Army of the 2nd Ukrainian Front. The plan of General Kravchenko provided for in the center of the main attack, simultaneously with the breakthrough of the enemy defense, to introduce a reinforced mobile detachment into the gap, which, by its decisive actions, should disorganize the rear of the enemy and, without delay, go out with a swift jerk towards the troops of the 2nd Ukrainian Front. And so it happened - the Korsun-Shevchsnkovsky ring closed.
At the completion of the encirclement and liquidation of the grouping of enemy troops, the commander Kravchenko A.G. more than once he demonstrated his military art, led operational battles, being directly in the center of desperate bloody battles, setting a personal example for his tankers. A very difficult situation arose on February 12, 1944. Regardless of the huge losses, the Germans decided to break out of the encirclement at any cost. At the same time, they launched concentrated strikes from the Steblev area to Shenderovka and Lysyanka, and Razino to Lysyanka. Bearing huge losses, the enemy nevertheless wedged into the battle formations of the Soviet troops. There was a threat of a breakthrough of fascist tanks in the rear of the Soviet troops, fighting with the encircled group. But the tankers of General Kravchenko A.G. fought heroically and managed to stop and push back the enemy.
After the completion of the Korsun-Shevchenkovsky operation, the 6th Panzer Army, together with other Soviet troops, rapidly developed a victorious offensive to the west ... Pursuing the enemy, the 6th Panzer Army on March 26, 1944 reached the Prut River in the Skulen, Ungheni sector. The Southern Bug was left behind, the Dniester was overcome with battles. In the Uman-Botoshansk operation, the army fought in the most difficult conditions of the spring thaw for about 300 kilometers.
In Europe, the war is over, but Far East she was still going on. At the borders of the USSR there was a deployed, more than a million strong, Japanese Kwantung Army. The 6th Guards Tank Army was transferred to the Far East.
"On the night of August 9, 1945, the forward detachments, and in the morning the main forces of the 6th Guards Tank Army, launched an unprecedented offensive in the Khingan-Manchurian operation. Its columns rushed into the depths of the enemy's defenses with a powerful, swift avalanche. Neither his resistance, nor the sandy barkhans, nor mountain steeps, nor sweltering heat - nothing stopped the tankers, And incredible difficulties arose immediately. For example, clouds of dust in the desert area raised by tanks closed the columns of troops, visibility was reduced to the limit, the speed of movement decreased. then the army commander gave the order: to reorganize the brigades into battalion columns, to increase the distance between the vehicles. for 120-150 kilometers.
A lot of ingenuity and military intelligence were shown by the warriors during the overcoming of the Greater Khingan ranges, which began at dawn on August 11. Units and subunits of engineering troops were advanced to the passes in advance. They built bridges, laid pontoon tracks, equipped fords and crossings over streams and rivers. Scouts tirelessly searched for available routes. Cars and guns in the most difficult places were rolled on their hands, towed by tanks. Conversely, the tanks themselves had to be lowered from steep slopes with the help of cables. Above all praise was the skill of the driver-mechanics. Their experience of operations in the mountainous and mountainous terrain of Romania and Czechoslovakia turned out to be very useful "(Ibid., pp. 182-183).
On August 22, tankmen of General A.G. Kravchenko completely cleared the Liaodong Peninsula from the enemy, liberated Port Arthur and Far. "For the skillful command of the tank army, heroism and courage shown in battles with the Nazi invaders and Japanese militarists in August - September 1945," Colonel General of the Tank Forces Andrey Grigoryevich Kravchenko was twice awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union and was awarded the second medal "Gold Star". After the completion of hostilities in the Far East, Colonel General of the Tank Forces Kravchenko A.G. continued to command the 6th Guards Tank Army, transformed in July 1946 into the Guards mechanized army, in the Trans-Baikal Military District. In April 1948, he was appointed commander of the armored and mechanized troops of the Trans-Baikal Military District.
Since April 20, 1948, General Kravchenko A.G. - student of higher academic courses of the Military Academy General Staff them. Voroshilova K.E. After graduating from these courses, he served as commander of the armored and mechanized troops of the Baltic, and then the Far Eastern military districts. From January to August 1954, General Kravchenko served as Assistant Commander of the Far Eastern Military District. October 7, 1955 twice Hero of the Soviet Union Guards Colonel-General of Tank Troops Kravchenko A.G. was dismissed for health reasons, retired with the right to wear military uniform clothes.
October 18, 1963 twice Hero of the Soviet Union, holder of two orders of Lenin, three orders of the Red Banner, two orders of Suvorov I degree, orders of Bogdan Khmelnitsky I degree, Suvorov II degree, Kutuzov II degree, a number of medals, as well as a holder of ten orders and two medals of foreign countries, Guards Colonel-General of Tank Troops Andrey Grigoryevich Kravchenko died suddenly. The illustrious tank commander, valiant and heroic defender Fatherland was buried with full military honors in the city of Moscow at the Novodevichy cemetery.
In the native village of Andrey Grigoryevich - Sulimovka, Yagotinsky district, Kyiv region of Ukraine - a museum of the famous Tank Hero was opened, a bust and a memorial plaque were installed. In the city of Kyiv, on the wall of the house 9 "a" in B. Mikhailovsky lane, in which Kravchenko A.G. lived, there is a memorial plaque. The bronze bust was installed in the city of Saratov in the courtyard of the former Saratov Tank School, where Kravchenko AG taught before the Great Patriotic War. Streets in the cities of Kyiv, Klin, Saratov and in the capital of our Motherland, Moscow, are named after the valiant defender of the Fatherland.