Fedor Matveevich Zinchenko (

Russian Russian(s) refers to anything related to Russia, including: *Russians (, ''russkiye''), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries *Rossiyane (), Russian language term for all citizens and peo ...

: ''Фёдор Матвеевич Зинченко''; 19 September 1902 in Stavskovo,

Tomsk Governorate Tomsk Governorate (russian: Томская губерния) was an administrative division (a '' guberniya'') of the Russian Empire, Russian Republic, Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic located in Siberia from 1804 to 1925 as part of t ...

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the Russian monarchy from 1721 to 1917, ruling across large parts of Eurasia. It succeeded the Tsardom of Russia following the Treaty of Nystad, which ended the Great Northern War. ...

- 15 October 1991 in

Cherkasy Cherkasy ( uk, Черка́си, ) is a city in central Ukraine. Cherkasy is the capital of Cherkasy Oblast ( province), as well as the administrative center of Cherkasky Raion (district) within the oblast. The city has a population of C ...

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) was a Soviet officer who commanded the

150th Rifle Division The 150th Idritsa-Berlin Order of Kutuzov 2nd Class Motor Rifle Division (russian: Russian: 150-я Идрицко-Берлинская ордена Кутузова 2-й степени мотострелковая дивизия) of the Russian Gr ...

's 756th Regiment during the Storming of the Reichstag. The soldiers under his command raised the

Victory Banner The Soviet Banner of Victory (russian: Знамя Победы, translit=Znamya Pobedy) was the banner raised by the Red Army soldiers on the Reichstag building in Berlin on 1 May 1945, the day after Adolf Hitler committed suicide. It was rais ...

Biography

Early life

Born in

to a peasant family of

Ukrainian Ukrainian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Ukraine * Something relating to Ukrainians, an East Slavic people from Eastern Europe * Something relating to demographics of Ukraine in terms of demography and population of Ukraine * So ...

ethnicity, Zinchenko joined the

Red Army The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army ( Russian: Рабо́че-крестья́нская Кра́сная армия),) often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic and, afte ...

at 1924, becoming a member of the

Communist Party A communist party is a political party that seeks to realize the socio-economic goals of communism. The term ''communist party'' was popularized by the title of ''The Manifesto of the Communist Party'' (1848) by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. ...

two years later. On 1930, he graduated from the Vladivostok Infantry School. He was appointed military commissar for the

Leningrad Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...

Military Communications School. When Germany invaded the Soviet Union, the school was evacuated to Bashkiria. Zinchenko was appointed staff commissar of the 171st Rifle Division in November 1941. The unit was sent to the front at early 1942. In May 1944, after completing infantry officers' training, he was assigned to command the 756th Regiment, with which he fought in the Baltics and in Berlin.

Battle of Berlin

On 22 May 1945, the Regiment - as part of the

3rd Shock Army The 3rd Shock Army (russian: Третья ударная армия) was a field army of the Red Army formed during the Second World War. The "Shock" armies were created with the specific structure to engage and destroy significant enemy forces ...

- reached the German capital. At the same day, the flag which would become the

was handed to its commanders. After heavy combat in the streets, the Regiment's soldiers crossed the

Spree Spree may refer to: Geography * Spree (river), river in Germany Film and television * ''The Spree'', a 1998 American television film directed by Tommy Lee Wallace * ''Spree'' (film), a 2020 American film starring Joe Keery * "Spree" (''Numbers' ...

in the direction of the Reichstag. On 30 April 1945, shortly before 10:00, Zinchenko ordered his intelligence officer, Captain Kondrashev, to select two scouts who will carry the Banner. Few minutes later, the entire scouts platoon appeared, each begging to perform the task. After some prodding from the Colonel, Kondrashev selected Yegorov and Kantaria. On 12:00, a massive artillery strike hit the Reichstag. Then, the 150th and 171st Divisions' soldiers attacked. After a bitter fight inside the building, and after several other Victory Banners were placed and destroyed, Kantaria and Yegorov - together with the 756 Regiment's 1st Battalion deputy commander for political affairs, Lieutenant Alexei Berest - hoisted their flag on the Reichstag's roof roughly at 03:00, 1 May 1945, attaching it to

Wilhelm I William I or Wilhelm I (german: Wilhelm Friedrich Ludwig; 22 March 1797 – 9 March 1888) was King of Prussia from 2 January 1861 and German Emperor from 18 January 1871 until his death in 1888. A member of the House of Hohenzollern, he was the ...

's equestrian statue.

Later years

After the war, Zinchenko was awarded the title

Hero of the Soviet Union The title Hero of the Soviet Union (russian: Герой Советского Союза, translit=Geroy Sovietskogo Soyuza) was the highest distinction in the Soviet Union, awarded together with the Order of Lenin personally or collectively for ...

on 31 May. All his three brothers died in battle. He retired from the army at 1950, and lived to see the

collapse of the Soviet Union The dissolution of the Soviet Union, also negatively connoted as rus, Разва́л Сове́тского Сою́за, r=Razvál Sovétskogo Soyúza, ''Ruining of the Soviet Union''. was the process of internal disintegration within the Sov ...

, which was officially disbanded shortly after his death.Fedor Zinchenko
on the Heroes of the USSR catalogue.

Honours and awards

* Medal "Gold Star"

No. 7385 *

Order of Lenin The Order of Lenin (russian: Орден Ленина, Orden Lenina, ), named after the leader of the Russian October Revolution, was established by the Central Executive Committee on April 6, 1930. The order was the highest civilian decoration ...

Order of the Red Banner The Order of the Red Banner (russian: Орден Красного Знамени, Orden Krasnogo Znameni) was the first Soviet military decoration. The Order was established on 16 September 1918, during the Russian Civil War by decree of t ...

, twice *

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 award established on July 29, 19 ...

, 3rd class *

Order of Kutuzov The Order of Kutuzov (russian: орден Кутузова ''orden Kutuzova'') is a military decoration of the Russian Federation named after famous Russian Field Marshal Mikhail Illarionovich Kutuzov (1745–1813). The Order was established ...

, 3rd class *

Order of the Patriotic War The Order of the Patriotic War (russian: Орден Отечественной войны, Orden Otechestvennoy voiny) is a Soviet military decoration that was awarded to all soldiers in the Soviet armed forces, security troops, and to partisa ...

, 1st class * Order of the Red Star

References

Bibliography

*''Герои штурма рейхстага'' (''Heroes of storm of the Reichstag''), Fedor Zinchenko, Voenizdat Press, 1983. *''Путь к рейхстагу'' (''The Path to the Reichstag''), Stepan Neustroev, Sverdlovsk, 1986. {{DEFAULTSORT:Zinchenko, Fedor 1902 births 1991 deaths People from Tomsk Oblast People from Tomsk Governorate Communist Party of the Soviet Union members Soviet military personnel of World War II Ukrainian people of World War II Heroes of the Soviet Union Recipients of the Order of the Red Banner Recipients of the Order of Lenin Recipients of the Order of Suvorov, 3rd class Recipients of the Order of Kutuzov, 3rd class Recipients of the Order of Friendship of Peoples Knights of the Virtuti Militari