Vladimir Viktorovich Kryukov (; – 16 August 1959) was a

Soviet Army The Soviet Ground Forces () was the land warfare service branch of the Soviet Armed Forces from 1946 to 1992. It was preceded by the Red Army. After the Soviet Union ceased to exist in December 1991, the Ground Forces remained under th ...

lieutenant general Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the battlefield, who was norma ...

and a

Hero of the Soviet Union The title Hero of the Soviet Union () was the highest distinction in the Soviet Union, awarded together with the Order of Lenin personally or collectively for heroic feats in service to the Soviet state and society. The title was awarded both ...

. Kryukov joined the

Imperial Russian Army The Imperial Russian Army () was the army of the Russian Empire, active from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was organized into a standing army and a state militia. The standing army consisted of Regular army, regular troops and ...

after the beginning of

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, fighting on the Western Front and becoming an officer by his demobilization in December 1917. He commanded a

Red Guard The Red Guards () were a mass, student-led, paramilitary social movement mobilized by Chairman Mao Zedong in 1966 until their abolition in 1968, during the first phase of the Cultural Revolution, which he had instituted.Teiwes According to a ...

detachment during the early stages of the

Russian Civil War The Russian Civil War () was a multi-party civil war in the former Russian Empire sparked by the 1917 overthrowing of the Russian Provisional Government in the October Revolution, as many factions vied to determine Russia's political future. I ...

, but soon transferred to the

Red Army The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army, often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Republic and, from 1922, the Soviet Union. The army was established in January 1918 by a decree of the Council of People ...

. Kryukov commanded cavalry units on the Southern Front, and continued his service during the interwar period. He led a rifle regiment during the

Winter War The Winter War was a war between the Soviet Union and Finland. It began with a Soviet invasion of Finland on 30 November 1939, three months after the outbreak of World War II, and ended three and a half months later with the Moscow Peac ...

, and after its end became a rifle brigade commander. Soon after this promotion Kryukov received the rank of major general. In the spring of 1941 he became commander of the 10th Mechanized Corps' 198th Motorized Division. Kryukov led the division during the Leningrad Strategic Defensive in the summer and fall of 1941, in which it was converted into a rifle division. Between January and February 1942 Kryukov commanded the 10th Cavalry Corps. From March of that year he commanded the 2nd Guards Cavalry Corps. Shortly after taking command of the corps, Kryukov met folk singer

Lidia Ruslanova Lidia Andreyevna Ruslanova (sometimes spelt ''Lidiya'' or ''Lydia'', ; 27 October 1900 in Saratov Governorate – 21 September 1973 in Moscow) was a performer of Russian folk songs. Early life She was born in the village of Chernavka near Saratov, ...

, whom he married soon afterwards. He led the corps through the rest of the war, and was awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union for his leadership in the Vistula–Oder Offensive and the East Pomeranian Offensive. Postwar, Kryukov became commander of a cavalry school and deputy commander of a rifle corps. In September 1948 he and his wife

were arrested for looting during their time in East Prussia. In November 1951 Kryukov was sentenced to 25 years in the

Gulag The Gulag was a system of Labor camp, forced labor camps in the Soviet Union. The word ''Gulag'' originally referred only to the division of the Chronology of Soviet secret police agencies, Soviet secret police that was in charge of runnin ...

, and deprived of his rank and decorations. After

Stalin Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin (born Dzhugashvili; 5 March 1953) was a Soviet politician and revolutionary who led the Soviet Union from 1924 until Death and state funeral of Joseph Stalin, his death in 1953. He held power as General Secret ...

died, Kryukov was pardoned, and his rank and decorations were restored. He graduated from courses at the Military Academy of the General Staff and became deputy chief of the Red Army Military Law Academy. Kryukov retired in 1957 and died two years later.

Early life, World War I, and Russian Civil War

Kryukov was born on 15 July 1897 in

Buturlinovka Buturlinovka () is a types of inhabited localities in Russia, town in Voronezh Oblast, Russia, on the Ossered River, a tributary of the Don River (Russia), Don. It serves as the administrative center of Buturlinovsky District. Its population as ...

Voronezh Governorate Voronezh Governorate was an administrative-territorial unit ('' guberniya'') of the Tsardom of Russia, the Russian Empire, and the Russian SFSR, which existed from 1708 (as ''Azov Governorate'') to 1779 and again from 1796 to 1928. Its capital wa ...

to a peasant family. In 1914, he graduated from a

technical school A vocational school (alternatively known as a trade school, or technical school), is a type of educational institution, which, depending on the country, may refer to either secondary or post-secondary education designed to provide vocationa ...

Ryazan Ryazan (, ; also Riazan) is the largest types of inhabited localities in Russia, city and administrative center of Ryazan Oblast, Russia. The city is located on the banks of the Oka River in Central Russia, southeast of Moscow. As of the 2010 C ...

. Kryukov volunteered for the Imperial Russian Army in December, after the beginning of World War I. He graduated from a training unit of a reserve regiment in Ryazan and the 2nd Moscow

Warrant Officer Warrant officer (WO) is a Military rank, rank or category of ranks in the armed forces of many countries. Depending on the country, service, or historical context, warrant officers are sometimes classified as the most junior of the commissioned ...

's School in 1915. From September he fought on the Western Front, initially serving as a platoon commander in the 26th Siberian Rifle Regiment. Kryukov later became head of cavalry reconnaissance (''razvedka'') of the 57th Siberian Rifle Regiment. He was promoted to the rank of

Lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a Junior officer, junior commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations, as well as fire services, emergency medical services, Security agency, security services ...

and was demobilized in December 1917 after Russia withdrew from World War I. On arrival in

Kryukov joined the

detachment of Grigory Petrov. In June 1918 he was appointed adjutant of the detachment commander, and then commander of a company. He fought on the Southern Front against the

Volunteer Army The Volunteer Army (; ), abbreviated to (), also known as the Southern White Army was a White Army active in South Russia during the Russian Civil War from 1917 to 1920. The Volunteer Army fought against Bolsheviks and the Makhnovists on the ...

, taking part in battles in the area of

Povorino Povorino () is a town and the administrative center of Povorinsky District in the east of Voronezh Oblast, Russia. Population: History It emerged as a settlement around the eponymous railway station in 1870 and was granted town status in 1954.< ...

Uryupinsk Uryupinsk () is a town in Volgograd Oblast, Russia, located northwest of Volgograd on the Khopyor River. Population: Etymology There are two theories of the historical background for the town's name. One is that it is from name of a Tartar p ...

, and several stanitsas in the

Don Host Oblast Don Host Oblast was a province (''oblast'') of the Russian Empire which consisted of the territory of the Don Cossacks, coinciding approximately with present-day Rostov Oblast in Russia. Its administrative center was Cherkassk, and later Nov ...

. In October 1918 the detachment joined the Baku Red Army and was relocated to Baku. As chief of a combat sector Kryukov fought against Ottoman troops and the units of Lazar Bicherakhov. He fell ill with typhus and after recovery went on short-term leave. In early December he was sent by the Ryazan

military commissariat A military commissariat (from , shortened as ), is an institution that is part of military service or law enforcement mechanisms in some European countries. As part of the British Army in the 19th century, military commissariats were used for ...

as a platoon commander in a separate cavalry battalion to the 2nd Rifle Division. In March and April the battalion fought against the Whites in Siberia near

Buguruslan Buguruslan () is a town in Orenburg Oblast, Russia. Population: History It was founded at the end of 1748 as a settlement (Buguruslanskaya settlement) by Russian peasants and artisans who migrated to the Volga region, on the ancestral lands o ...

Sterlitamak Sterlitamak ( rus, Стерлитама́к, p=stʲɪrlʲɪtɐˈmak; ; ) is the second largest types of inhabited localities in Russia, city in the Republic of Bashkortostan, Russia, located on the left bank of the Belaya River (Kama), Belaya ...

, and Ufa, and later on the Southern Front against the Don Army in the Defense of Tsaritsyn. In September 1919 the battalion was reorganized into the Separate Cavalry Brigade, in which Kryukov served as a squadron commander, chief of the supply detachment, and assistant chief of staff for the operational section. Later he was appointed assistant commander of a cavalry '' sotnya'' (company) in the army depot of the 10th Army of the Southern Front. From May 1920 he served at the Military Commissariat of the Kavkazsky otdel in

Nalchik Nalchik (, ; ; ) is the capital city of Kabardino-Balkaria, Russia, situated at an altitude of in the foothills of the Caucasus Mountains; about northwest of Beslan (Beslan is in the Republic of North Ossetia–Alania). It covers an area of ...

as assistant commander and commander of a squadron. In August as chief of a consolidated detachment of special purpose he took part in the suppression of anti-Soviet forces in the area of Nalchuk and the disarmament of stanitsas and auls near

Vladikavkaz Vladikavkaz, formerly known as Ordzhonikidze () or Dzaudzhikau (), is the capital city of North Ossetia–Alania, Russia. It is located in the southeast of the republic at the foothills of the Caucasus, situated on the Terek (river), Terek River. ...

. From September he commanded a separate squadron of the guard battalion in

Kropotkin Pyotr Alexeyevich Kropotkin (9 December 1842 – 8 February 1921) was a Russian anarchist and geographer known as a proponent of anarchist communism. Born into an aristocratic land-owning family, Kropotkin attended the Page Corps and later ...

Interwar period

In January 1921, Kryukov was appointed acting commander of a regiment of the 40th Separate Cavalry Brigade (the 1st Cavalry Regiment of the Internal Service Troops). From March 1921 Kryukov commanded the separate squadron of the 39th Rifle Brigade of the

North Caucasus Military District The North Caucasus Military District was a military district of the Russian Armed Forces from 1992-2010. Before 1992 it had been part of the Soviet Armed Forces since 1918. In 2010 it became the Southern Military District and lately also included t ...

, and from August served as assistant commander of the 82nd Cavalry Regiment of the 14th Cavalry Division. In 1922 he was sent to study at the Higher Cavalry School in Petrograd. On graduation in September 1924 he was appointed chief of the regimental school of the 67th Cavalry Regiment of the 3rd Cavalry Brigade of the North Caucasus Military District. From June 1925 he served in the 11th Cavalry Division as chief of the regimental school of the 89th Cavalry Regiment, and from March 1928 as chief of staff of its 68th Cavalry Regiment. In March 1931 he was transferred to serve as chief of the 1st section of the staff of the 6th Cavalry Division of the

Belorussian Military District The Byelorussian Military District (; alternatively Belarusian; ) was a military district of the Soviet Armed Forces. Originally formed just before World War I as the Minsk Military District out of the remnants of the Vilno Military District an ...

. In June 1933 he was appointed commander of the 20th Red Banner Cavalry Regiment of the 4th Cossack Cavalry Division. In October 1937 then-Colonel Kryukov was transferred to serve as a tactics instructor at the Red Banner Cavalry Commanders Improvement Courses in Novocherkassk. During the

, he commanded the 306th Rifle Regiment of the 62nd Rifle Division. For distinguishing himself in the breakthrough of the Mannerheim Line he was awarded the

Order of Lenin The Order of Lenin (, ) was an award named after Vladimir Lenin, the leader of the October Revolution. It was established by the Central Executive Committee on 6 April 1930. The order was the highest civilian decoration bestowed by the Soviet ...

. In May 1940 then-Kombrig Kryukov was appointed commander of the 8th Rifle Brigade of the

Leningrad Military District The Order of Lenin Leningrad Military District () is a military district of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. The district was awarded the Order of Lenin in 1968. In 2010, it was merged with the Moscow Military District, the Northern ...

, based on the

Hanko peninsula The Hanko Peninsula (; ) is the southernmost point of mainland Finland. The soil is a sandy moraine, the last tip of the Salpausselkä ridge, and vegetation consists mainly of pine and low shrubs. The peninsula is known for its beautiful archip ...

. In March 1941 he took command of the 198th Motorized Division.

World War II

After the German invasion of the Soviet Union began Kryukov continued to command the division. As part of the 54th Army of the Northern Front (the

Leningrad Front The Leningrad Front () was formed during the 1941 German approach on Leningrad (now Saint Petersburg) by dividing the Northern Front into the Leningrad Front and Karelian Front on August 27, 1941. History The Leningrad Front was immediately ...

from August), he took part in defensive battles near Leningrad. On 12 February 1942 he was appointed commander of the 10th Cavalry Corps of the Western Front. On 6 March Kryukov took command of the 2nd Guards Cavalry Corps, which as part of the Bryansk Front took part in the Bryansk offensive. Later, the corps as part of the 61st Army of the

1st Belorussian Front The 1st Belorussian Front (, ''Pervyy Belorusskiy front'', also romanized " Byelorussian"), known without a numeral as the Belorussian Front between October 1943 and February 1944, was a major formation of the Red Army during World War II, bein ...

operated in the Lublin–Brest offensive, the Warsaw–Poznan Offensive, and the East Pomeranian offensives. For his skillful command of the corps during the operations in Poland, Kryukov was made a

Postwar

After the end of the war, then-Lieutenant General Kryukov continued to command the corps in the Special Military District at

Königsberg Königsberg (; ; ; ; ; ; , ) is the historic Germany, German and Prussian name of the city now called Kaliningrad, Russia. The city was founded in 1255 on the site of the small Old Prussians, Old Prussian settlement ''Twangste'' by the Teuton ...

. After the reduction of the corps to a division, Kryukov was appointed chief of the Budyonny Higher Officers Cavalry School in May 1946. He was transferred to serve as deputy commander of the 36th Guards Rifle Corps in October 1947. In 1948 he was arrested by the MGB, deprived of his rank and imprisoned. In August 1953 he was released. On 10 August of that year he was restored in rank before being fully rehabilitated on 28 August. Kryukov was sent to complete the Higher Academic Courses at the Voroshilov Higher Military Academy in November 1953. After completing the courses, Kryukov served as deputy chief of the Military Legal Academy for tactical and drill instruction. On 22 April 1957 he was retired. Kryukov died on 16 August 1959 and was buried in the

Novodevichy Cemetery Novodevichy Cemetery () is a cemetery in Moscow. It lies next to the southern wall of the 16th-century Novodevichy Convent, which is the city's third most popular tourist site. History The cemetery was designed by Ivan Mashkov and inaugurated ...

Decorations

Kryukov was a recipient of the following: *

(3) *

Order of the Red Banner The Order of the Red Banner () was the first Soviet military decoration. The Order was established on 16 September 1918, during the Russian Civil War by decree of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee. It was the highest award of S ...

(2) *

Order of Suvorov The Order of Suvorov () is a military decoration of the Russian Federation named in honor of Russian Generalissimo Prince Alexander Suvorov (1729–1800). History The Order of Suvorov was originally a Soviet Union, Soviet award established on ...

, 1st class *

Order of Kutuzov The Order of Kutuzov ( ''orden Kutuzova'') is a military decoration of the Russian Federation named after famous Russian Field Marshal Mikhail Kutuzov, Mikhail Illarionovich Kutuzov (1745–1813). The Order was established during World War II t ...

, 1st class *

, 2nd class (2)

References

Citations

Bibliography

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Kryukov, Vladimir 1897 births 1959 deaths Burials at Novodevichy Cemetery People from Buturlinsky District People from Bobrovsky Uyezd Communist Party of the Soviet Union members Soviet lieutenant generals Imperial Russian Army personnel Russian military personnel of World War I Soviet military personnel of the Russian Civil War Soviet military personnel of the Winter War Soviet military personnel of World War II Military Academy of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Soviet Union alumni Heroes of the Soviet Union Recipients of the Order of Lenin Recipients of the Order of the Red Banner Recipients of the Order of Suvorov, 1st class Recipients of the Order of Kutuzov, 1st class Recipients of the Order of Suvorov, 2nd class Recipients of the Virtuti Militari (1943–1989)