Alexey Osipovich Akhmanov (; – 17 November 1949) 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 ...

. Conscripted into 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 ...

during

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 ...

, Akhmanov was captured and spent more than two years as a prisoner of war. Returning to Russia, he was drafted into 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 ...

and served as a junior commander during 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 ...

. Akhmanov held a variety of command and staff positions during the interwar period and from the early 1930s served in mechanized units. At the outbreak of

Operation Barbarossa Operation Barbarossa was the invasion of the Soviet Union by Nazi Germany and several of its European Axis allies starting on Sunday, 22 June 1941, during World War II. More than 3.8 million Axis troops invaded the western Soviet Union along ...

he commanded a tank division in Belarus that was destroyed, but managed to escape encirclement with the remnants of his unit. Akhmanov served in staff positions coordinating army and front-level armored troops for the next several years of the war and in early 1944 was given command of the

23rd Tank Corps The 23rd Budapest Red Banner Order of Suvorov Tank Corps was a tank corps of the Red Army during World War II. It was part of the "operational army" or "active army" ( :ru:Действующая армия и флот) from April 12, 1942, to May ...

, which he led for the rest of the war. Made a Hero of the Soviet Union for his leadership of the corps in the repulse of German attempts to relieve the

Siege of Budapest The siege of Budapest or battle of Budapest was the 50-day-long encirclement by Soviet and Romanian forces of the Hungarian capital of Budapest, near the end of World War II. Part of the broader Budapest Offensive, the siege began when Budapes ...

in early 1945, Akhmanov continued in command of the corps after the end of the war. He became commander of the armored and mechanized forces 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 ...

, but his career was cut short by suicide in 1949.

Early life, World War I, and Russian Civil War

Akhmanov was born to a peasant family on in the village of Alat, Alatsky volost, Kazansky Uyezd,

Kazan Governorate Kazan Governorate was an administrative-territorial unit ('' guberniya'') of the Tsardom of Russia, the Russian Empire, and the Russian SFSR from 1708 to 1920, with its capital in Kazan. History Kazan Governorate, together with seven other ...

(now

Vysokogorsky District Vysokogorsky District (; ) is a territorial administrative unit and municipal district of the Republic of Tatarstan within the Russian Federation. The administrative center of the district is the village of Vysokaya Gora. The district population a ...

Tatarstan Tatarstan, officially the Republic of Tatarstan, sometimes also called Tataria, is a Republics of Russia, republic of Russia located in Eastern Europe. It is a part of the Volga Federal District; and its capital city, capital and largest city i ...

). He graduated from secondary school and worked in a bootmaker's workshop in

Kazan Kazan; , IPA: Help:IPA/Tatar, ɑzanis the largest city and capital city, capital of Tatarstan, Russia. The city lies at the confluence of the Volga and the Kazanka (river), Kazanka Rivers, covering an area of , with a population of over 1. ...

before being conscripted into the

during

in August 1915. Serving with the 4th Siberian Rifle Regiment of the 1st Siberian Rifle Division, Akhmanov began as a

private Private or privates may refer to: Music * "In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation'' * Private (band), a Denmark-based band * "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorded ...

and was promoted to junior '' unter-ofitser'' after graduating from the regimental training detachment. With the regiment, he saw action on the Western Front before he was captured by German troops in July 1916. Imprisoned at the

Hammerstein Hammerstein is a municipality on the river Rhine in the district of Neuwied in Rhineland-Palatinate in Germany. Near the village, is the Hammerstein castle. The ancient German noble family Hammerstein, which have sponsored the Hammerstein Ball ...

camp, Akhmanov was released after the end of the war in December 1918 and in January 1919 began working as a woodchopper at a bakery in

. Drafted into the

in July 1919 during the

, Akhmanov was sent to study at the 1st Infantry Command Courses in Kazan. After graduating in March 1920, he became a platoon commander in the 4th Reserve Regiment, and in April transferred to command a company of the 113th Rifle Regiment. Akhmanov fought in Estonia and Finland, and after the end of hostilities with those countries was transferred to the Southern Front, where he served with the 131st Rifle Regiment of the 15th Inza Rifle Division as a company and then battalion commander. Akhmanov fought in battles against the

Army of Wrangel The Russian Army (), commonly known as the Army of Wrangel (), was a White Army active in South Russia during the Russian Civil War from March to November 1920. It was officially formed on 28 April 1920 from the merger of several White armies, i ...

Kakhovka Kakhovka (, ) is a port city on the Dnieper River in Kakhovka Raion, Kherson Oblast, of southern Ukraine. It hosts the administration of the Kakhovka urban hromada, one of the hromadas of Ukraine. It had a population of Kakhovka has been under ...

and in the crossing of the

Sivash The Syvash or Sivash (Russian and Ukrainian: ; , Cyrillic: Сываш, "dirt"), also known as the or (, ''Gniloye More''; , ''Hnyle More''; ), is a large area of shallow lagoons on the western edge of the Sea of Azov. Separated from the sea ...

and the storming of the Yushun fortifications during the Perekop–Chongar Offensive. After the defeat of Wrangel, his battalion was allocated to supervise exports of bread from

Taurida The recorded history of the Crimean Peninsula, historically known as ''Tauris'', ''Taurica'' (), and the ''Tauric Chersonese'' (, "Tauric Peninsula"), begins around the 5th century BCE when several Greek colonies were established along its coast ...

Interwar period

From April 1921, Akhmanov served as assistant chief of food reconnaissance in the 131st Rifle Regiment of the 15th Rifle Division. After graduating from the Odessa Military Refresher School, he became company commander in the regiment and was sent to a physical education course in Kiev between November and December 1922 that allowed him to become a rifle and drill instructor at the 4th Kiev Artillery School upon graduation. Demobilized in September 1923, Akhmanov was again conscripted into the Red Army in December of that year and appointed an acting company commander in the 153rd Territorial Rifle Regiment at Balta, Odessa Oblast. From January 1924 he served as a company commander in the 285th Rifle Regiment of the

95th Rifle Division The 95th Rifle Division (Russian: 95-я стрелковая дивизия 95-y strelkovaya diviziya) was a Red Army Division (military), Rifle Division during World War II, formed three times. The division was first formed in November 1923 with ...

of the

Ukrainian Military District The Kiev Military District (; , abbreviated ) was a military district of the Imperial Russian Army and subsequently of the Red Army and Soviet Armed Forces. It was first formed in 1862, and was headquartered in Kiev (Kyiv) for most of its exist ...

. Detached to take the

Vystrel course The Vystrel course () was the popular name for an officer training course of the Soviet Armed Forces, later part of the Russian Armed Forces, located in Solnechnogorsk. The training course had a one-year curriculum to train battalion and regiment le ...

between September 1925 and October 1926, he returned to the regiment to serve successively as commander of a company and battery and as acting assistant regimental chief of staff. In November 1929 Akhmanov was transferred to command a company at the Kiev Infantry Commanders' Refresher Courses and from February 1930 temporarily served as chief of the training detachment of reserve political officers. He was transferred to command a battalion of the 135th Rifle Regiment of the

45th Rifle Division The 45th Rifle Division was a Red Army infantry division formed originally during the Russian Civil War that fought in World War II and then served through the Cold War in the Leningrad Military District. The division was originally formed 16 J ...

in October of that year, and in November 1931 shifted again to serve as assistant chief of the 1st staff section of the 80th Rifle Division. Akhmanov moved from infantry units to the emerging Red Army mechanized forces in September 1932 when he transferred to become chief of the 2nd staff department of the 2nd Training Regiment of the 2nd Mechanized Brigade. Appointed commander of the separate tank battalion of the 8th Mechanized Brigade in 1933, Akhmanov studied at the academic courses for technical improvement of commanders and staff at the Academy of Mechanization and Motorization between January and June 1935. In April 1936 he became commander of the 100th Separate Tank Battalion at

Berdichev Berdychiv (, ) is a historic city in Zhytomyr Oblast, northern Ukraine. It serves as the administrative center of Berdychiv Raion within the oblast. It is south of the administrative center of the oblast, Zhytomyr. Its population is approximat ...

, then studied as part of a special group at the Red Army Chemical Defense Academy from January 1937. Upon graduation in February 1938 he became commander of the 1st Motorized Regiment of the 1st Motorized Chemical Division of the

Moscow Military District The Order of Lenin Moscow Military District () is a Military districts of Russia, military district of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. Originally it was a district of the Imperial Russian Army until the Russian Empire's collapse in 191 ...

, and in April became division commander. Akhmanov, now a colonel, continued in command of the division when it was reorganized into the 30th Separate Chemical Tank Brigade in July of that year. After the brigade was disbanded, in July 1940 he was transferred to become deputy commander of the 18th Tank Division of the 7th Mechanized Corps. Akhmanov was transferred to command the 27th Tank Division of the newly formed 17th Mechanized Corps of the

Western Special Military District Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US *Western, New York, a town in the US * Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia * Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that ...

on 1 April 1941.

World War II

When

, the German invasion of the Soviet Union, began on 22 June 1941, Akhmanov was on leave in

Kaluga Kaluga (, ) is a types of inhabited localities in Russia, city and the administrative center of Kaluga Oblast, Russia. It stands on the Oka River southwest of Moscow. Its population was 337,058 at the 2021 census. Kaluga's most famous residen ...

, visiting his wife, Mariya Nikolaevna. In the first days of the war, he attempted to return to his division, but was unable to get through. About from

Baranovichi Baranavichy or Baranovichi is a city in the Brest Region of western Belarus. It serves as the administrative center of Baranavichy District, though it is administratively separated from the district. As of 2025, it has a population of 170,817. ...

, Akhmanov found the rear of the 36th Tank Division, and thence went to the area of

Mir ''Mir'' (, ; ) was a space station operated in low Earth orbit from 1986 to 2001, first by the Soviet Union and later by the Russia, Russian Federation. ''Mir'' was the first modular space station and was assembled in orbit from 1986 to ...

, but found that there were already German troops in the vicinity. It was not until 28 June that he was able to gather the headquarters of the division and between 300 and 400 troops, the remnants of the 27th. With this force Akhmanov escaped encirclement alongside the 36th Tank Division in the area of Rudniki, continuing to collect the remnants of his unit that came in piecemeal. He ultimately managed to round up between 1,300 and 1, 500 men of the division before being ordered to lead the division to the Katkovo area on 1 July. While en route in the Yachenka area, the division came under attack from German tanks and aircraft and suffered heavy losses. Continuing east with a remaining group of between 30 and 60 officers and enlisted men, Akhmanov crossed the Svisloch river but ran into a German screening force near Zabichany. In the ensuing battle, he was concussed and his group scattered. For two days Akhmanov continued to move towards

Mogilev Mogilev (; , ), also transliterated as Mahilyow (, ), is a city in eastern Belarus. It is located on the Dnieper, Dnieper River, about from the Belarus–Russia border, border with Russia's Smolensk Oblast and from Bryansk Oblast. As of 2024, ...

, collecting scattered troops along the way. Near Mogilev he joined the group led by Major General

Pyotr Akhlyustin Pyotr Nikolayevich Akhlyustin (; 12 June 1896 – 28 July 1941) was a Red Army major general. Akhlyustin fought in World War I as a cavalryman and joined the Red Army during the Russian Civil War, becoming a junior commander. He held command pos ...

, numbering between 1,000 and 1,400 men, and with it broke out of the encirclement on the night of 27 to 28 July, crossing the

Sozh River The Sozh (, ; ; ) is a river flowing in Russia, Belarus, and Ukraine. It is a left bank tributary of the Dnieper. The Sozh passes through Gomel, the second largest city in Belarus. The river is crossed by the Sozh Floating Bridge at Karma, Kar ...

in the sector of the 137th Rifle Division. Akhmanov took simultaneous command of the 105th and 102nd Tank Divisions that were later reorganized into tank brigades during August and in September became chief of the Armored and Mechanized Forces of the 24th Army. From November he served as chief of the Armored and Mechanized Forces of the

Kalinin Front The Kalinin Front was a major formation of the Red Army active in the Eastern Front of 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 ...

, and from February 1942 he was deputy commander of the front for combat employment of tanks. During this period Akhmanov fought in the

Battle of Moscow The Battle of Moscow was a military campaign that consisted of two periods of strategically significant fighting on a sector of the Eastern Front during World War II, between October 1941 and January 1942. The Soviet defensive effort frustrated H ...

. Given command of the 81st Tank Brigade on 22 July, he was transferred in October to become deputy commander of the 1st Guards Army for tank forces, fighting with the latter in the

Battle of Stalingrad The Battle of Stalingrad ; see . rus, links=on, Сталинградская битва, r=Stalingradskaya bitva, p=stəlʲɪnˈɡratskəjə ˈbʲitvə. (17 July 19422 February 1943) was a major battle on the Eastern Front of World War II, ...

as part of the

Don Front The Don Front was a front of the Soviet Red Army during the Second World War, which existed between September 1942 and February 1943, and was commanded during its entire existence by Konstantin Rokossovsky. The name refers to Don River, Russia. F ...

. In late October, after the 1st Guards Army was disbanded, Akhmanov was appointed deputy chief for combat employment and use of tanks of the Armored and Mechanized Directorate of the Southwestern Front (the

3rd Ukrainian Front The 3rd Ukrainian Front () was a Front of the Soviet Red Army during World War II. It was founded on 20 October 1943, on the basis of a Stavka order of October 16, 1943, by renaming the Southwestern Front. It included 1st Guards Army, 8th Gua ...

from October 1943). In this position, he participated in

Operation Little Saturn Operation Little Saturn () was a Red Army offensive on the Eastern Front of World War II that led to battles in Don and Chir rivers region in German-occupied Soviet Union territory in 16–30 December 1942. The success of Operation Uranus, lau ...

, the Ostrogozhsk–Rossosh Offensive, the Donbass Strategic Offensive, and the Zaporizhia Offensive. For his "skillful coordination of tank operations with those of other branches" in these operations Akhmanov was awarded the

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 ...

and promoted to major general. From April 1944 to the end of the war, Akhmanov commanded the

. As part of the 2nd and 3rd Ukrainian Fronts, the corps fought in the Jassy–Kishinev, Debrecen, Budapest, and Vienna Offensives. He was promoted to lieutenant general on 13 September 1944. During January and February 1945 the corps, as part of the 4th Guards Army, prevented the relief of encircled Axis forces southwest of Budapest and inflicted heavy losses on the

3rd SS Panzer Division Totenkopf The 3rd SS Panzer Division "Totenkopf" () was an elite division of the Waffen-SS of Nazi Germany during World War II, formed from the Standarten of the SS-TV. Its name, '' Totenkopf'', is German for "death's head"the skull and crossbones s ...

and

5th SS Panzer Division Wiking The 5th SS Panzer Division Wiking () or SS Division Wiking was an infantry and later an armoured division among the thirty-eight Waffen-SS divisions of Nazi Germany. During World War II, the division served on the Eastern Front. It surrendere ...

. For his leadership of the corps, especially in the defeat of the German Budapest relief attempts, Akhmanov received the title

and 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 ...

on 28 April 1945.

Postwar

After the end of the war, Akhmanov continued in command of the corps, which was reorganized into the 23rd Tank Division. In October 1947 he was sent to study at Higher Academic Courses at the Voroshilov Higher Military Academy. Upon graduation in April 1948 he was appointed head of the Armored and Mechanized Forces of the

. Akhmanov committed suicide on 17 November 1949 and is buried in

Minsk Minsk (, ; , ) is the capital and largest city of Belarus, located on the Svislach (Berezina), Svislach and the now subterranean Nyamiha, Niamiha rivers. As the capital, Minsk has a special administrative status in Belarus and is the administra ...

. Russian historian Mikhail Cherepanov wrote in a 2017 article that Akhmanov's suicide was an attempt to escape being arrested during the then-ongoing purge of Soviet senior officers.

Awards

References

Citations

Bibliography

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Akhmanov, Alexey 1897 births 1949 deaths People from Vysokogorsky District People from Kazansky Uyezd Soviet lieutenant generals Russian military personnel of World War I Prisoners of war from the Russian Empire Soviet military personnel of the Russian Civil War Soviet military personnel of World War II Heroes of the Soviet Union Recipients of the Order of Lenin Recipients of the Order of the Red Banner Recipients of the Order of Kutuzov, 1st class Recipients of the Order of Suvorov, 2nd class Russian military personnel who died by suicide Suicides in the Soviet Union