Aleksandra Grigoryevna Samusenko (, , ''Oleksandra Hryhorivna Samusenko''; 1922 – 3 March 1945) was a

Soviet The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

T-34 The T-34 is a Soviet medium tank from World War II. When introduced, its 76.2 mm (3 in) tank gun was more powerful than many of its contemporaries, and its 60-degree sloped armour provided good protection against Anti-tank warfare, ...

tank commander and a liaison officer during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. She was the only female tanker in the

1st Guards Tank Army The 1st Guards Tank Red Banner Army () is a tank army of the Russian Ground Forces (Military Unit Number 73621). The army traces its heritage back to the 1st Tank Army, formed twice in July 1942 and in January 1943 and converted into the 1st ...

. Samusenko was awarded the

Order of the Red Star The Order of the Red Star () was a military decoration of the Soviet Union. It was established by decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of 6 April 1930 but its statute was only defined in decree of the Presidium of the ...

for bravery in the

Battle of Kursk The Battle of Kursk, also called the Battle of the Kursk Salient, was a major World War II Eastern Front battle between the forces of Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union near Kursk in southwestern Russia during the summer of 1943, resulting in ...

. She also received the

Order of the Patriotic War The Order of the Patriotic War () is a Soviet Union, Soviet military Order (decoration), decoration that was awarded to all soldiers in the Soviet armed forces, security troops, and to Partisan (military), partisans for heroic deeds in the Easte ...

1st and 2nd class.

Life

Born in Chita or in Zhlobin District, Samusenko began her

tour of duty For military personnel, a tour of duty is usually a period of time spent in combat or in a hostile environment. In an army, for instance, soldiers on active duty serve 24 hours a day, seven days a week for the length of their service commitment. ...

as a private in an

infantry Infantry, or infantryman are a type of soldier who specialize in ground combat, typically fighting dismounted. Historically the term was used to describe foot soldiers, i.e. those who march and fight on foot. In modern usage, the term broadl ...

platoon A platoon is a Military organization, military unit typically composed of two to four squads, Section (military unit), sections, or patrols. Platoon organization varies depending on the country and the Military branch, branch, but a platoon can ...

. She participated in 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 ...

(1939-1940) against Finland as a private in an infantry regiment. Later, she graduated from the tank academy and was assigned to the 1st Guards Tank Army. Samusenko received her

when her tank crew defeated three German

Tiger I The Tiger I () was a Nazi Germany, German heavy tank of World War II that began operational duty in 1942 in North African Campaign, Africa and in the Soviet Union, usually in independent German heavy tank battalion, heavy tank battalions. It g ...

tanks. Later Samusenko participated in the

Lvov–Sandomierz Offensive The Lvov–Sandomierz offensive or Lvov–Sandomierz strategic offensive operation () was a major Red Army operation to force the German troops from Ukraine and Eastern Poland. Launched in mid-July 1944, the operation was successfully completed ...

U.S. Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of the United Stat ...

Sergeant Sergeant (Sgt) is a Military rank, rank in use by the armed forces of many countries. It is also a police rank in some police services. The alternative spelling, ''serjeant'', is used in The Rifles and in other units that draw their heritage f ...

Joseph Beyrle Joseph Robert Beyrle (pron. BYE-er-lee) (; Romanization of Russian, romanized: ''Dzhozef Vilyamovich Bayyerli''; August 25, 1923 – December 12, 2004) is the only known American soldier to have served in combat with both the United States Army a ...

, who had escaped from

Stalag III-C Stalag III-C was a German Army World War II prisoner-of-war camp for Allied soldiers. It was located on a plain near the village of Alt Drewitz bei Küstrin then located in the Neumark of the province of Brandenburg (now Drzewice, Kostrzyn nad Od ...

POW camp A prisoner-of-war camp (often abbreviated as POW camp) is a site for the containment of enemy fighters captured as prisoners of war by a belligerent power in time of war. There are significant differences among POW camps, internment camps, an ...

in Alt Drewitz in early January 1945, encountered Samusenko's tank brigade in the middle of January. Beyrle, the only American soldier known to have served with both the United States Army and the Soviet Army in World War II, eventually persuaded her to allow him to fight alongside the unit on its way to

Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...

, thus beginning a month-long stint in a Soviet tank battalion, where his demolitions expertise was appreciated. Beyrle, who reported that Samusenko had lost her husband and her entire family during the war, cited Samusenko as a symbol of the fortitude and courage displayed by the Soviet people during that period.

Personal life

World War II veteran and writer Fabian Garin, in his book ''Tsvety na tankakh'' (''Flowers on Tanks''), mentioned an episode when a certain Mindlin, who fell in love with Samusenko, asked her "not to smoke and drink." Samusenko parried with "Maybe you've fallen in love?", kissed him on the head and stopped smoking and drinking thereafter.

Spanish Civil War

In his 1975 book, the Russian author Y.A. Zhukov wrote that Samusenko was a veteran of the

Spanish Civil War The Spanish Civil War () was a military conflict fought from 1936 to 1939 between the Republican faction (Spanish Civil War), Republicans and the Nationalist faction (Spanish Civil War), Nationalists. Republicans were loyal to the Left-wing p ...

of 1936–1939, although Garin discounted this rumor in ''Tsvety na tankakh''. According to Garin, it came from a soldier named Balandin, who told battalion commander Zhukov that Samusenko had fought in Spain:

My alandin'ssubmachine gunner Kolka... approached her and said: " ..I saw you already under
Huesca Huesca (; ) is a city in north-eastern Spain, within the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Aragon. It was the capital of the Kingdom of Aragon between 1096 and 1118. It is also the capital of the Spanish Huesca (province), ...
...
¡No pasarán! "They shall not pass" ( and ; ; ) is a slogan, notably used by France in World War I, to express a determination to defend a position against an enemy. Its Spanish-language form was also used as an anti-fascist slogan during the Spanish Civil War ...
" And she replies: "I don't remember you" ..

Zhukov then asked why she concealed her service and Balandin replied that he did not know, "but for some reason many don't want to reveal that they fought in Spain". Garin, however, further cites Samusenko's boyfriend Mindlin, who later said that "she has never been there".

Death

Samusenko died on 3rd March, 1945 at the age of 22 or 23. Samusenko died from wounds in the then-German village of Zülzefitz (70 km from

Szczecin Szczecin ( , , ; ; ; or ) is the capital city, capital and largest city of the West Pomeranian Voivodeship in northwestern Poland. Located near the Baltic Sea and the Poland-Germany border, German border, it is a major port, seaport, the la ...

) during the East Pomeranian Offensive. There are two versions of the circumstances of her death. According to World War II veteran Pyotr Demidov, she was crushed under the tracks of a Soviet tank whose driver could not see the accompanying people in the darkness. According to another version, it was a German self-propelled artillery vehicle. She was buried in Labes, today in

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...

, near the monument to

William I William I may refer to: Kings * William the Conqueror (–1087), also known as William I, King of England * William I of Sicily (died 1166) * William I of Scotland (died 1214), known as William the Lion * William I of the Netherlands and Luxembour ...

. On 13 March 1945, Samusenko was posthumously awarded the Order of the Patriotic War 1st class.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Samusenko, Aleksandra 1922 births 1945 deaths Date of birth unknown People from Chita, Zabaykalsky Krai Soviet military personnel killed in World War II Tank commanders Ukrainian women in World War II Women in the Russian and Soviet military Soviet military personnel of the Winter War

Life

Personal life

Spanish Civil War

Death

See also

References