Andrey Yevseyevich Chekharin (; 26 October 1892 – 20 October 1941) was a

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 ...

colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...

killed in

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 ...

. Chekharin ended

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 ...

as a junior officer, but did not see much action in 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 ...

. He served at military educational institutions and in territorial units during the 1920s and 1930s, holding staff positions during the late 1930s. Chekharin commanded the

37th Rifle Division The 37th Rifle Division was an infantry division of the Soviet Union's Red Army during World War II. It served in the North Caucasus Military District; established at Novocherkassk in 1919. In June–July 1939 it was at Omsk preparing for action ...

, destroyed in the

Battle of Białystok–Minsk The Battle of Białystok–Minsk was a German strategic operation conducted by the Wehrmacht's Army Group Centre under Field Marshal Fedor von Bock during the penetration of the Soviet border region in the opening stage of Operation Barbaros ...

, and then the 269th Rifle Division during

Operation Typhoon 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 ...

. He was killed while attempting to break out of encirclement during the latter.

Early life, World War I, and Russian Civil War

Chekharin was born in the village of Gubino,

Kaluga Governorate Kaluga Governorate () was an administrative-territorial unit ('' guberniya'') of the Russian Empire and the Russian SFSR, which existed in 1796–1929. Its capital was Kaluga. Administrative division Kaluga Governorate consisted of the following ...

on 26 October 1892. He served in 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 ...

from January 1915 as a ''

ryadovoy () in the Army, Airborne troops, and Air Force of the Russian Federation is the designation of a member of the rank group of enlisted personnel. The rank is equivalent to ''matros'' () in the Russian Navy. In the armed forces of the Soviet Uni ...

'' (private) of the training command of the 641st Don Foot ''Druzhina'' in

Belaya Tserkov Bila Tserkva ( ; , ) is a city in central Ukraine. It is situated on the Ros River in the historical region of right-bank Ukraine. It is the largest city in Kyiv Oblast (which does not include the city of Kyiv) and serves as the administrativ ...

. He was later promoted to ''

yefreytor Gefreiter (, abbr. Gefr.; plural ''Gefreite'') is a military rank used in Germany, Switzerland, and Austria since the 16th century. It is typically the second rank or grade to which an enlisted soldier, airman, or sailor can be promoted.Duden; De ...

'' (corporal) and to junior and senior ''unter-ofitser'' (non-commissioned officer). In June 1916 he became a

junker Junker (, , , , , , ka, იუნკერი, ) is a noble honorific, derived from Middle High German , meaning 'young nobleman'Duden; Meaning of Junker, in German/ref> or otherwise 'young lord' (derivation of and ). The term is traditionally ...

of the 1st School of ''

Praporshchik (, , ) is a rank used by the Russian Armed Forces and a number of former communist states. The rank is a non-commissioned officer's and is equivalent to in the corresponding navies. It is usually equivalent to warrant officer class 1 or serge ...

''s of the Southwestern Front in

Zhitomir Zhytomyr ( ; see #Names, below for other names) is a city in the north of the western half of Ukraine. It is the Capital city, administrative center of Zhytomyr Oblast (Oblast, province), as well as the administrative center of the surrounding ...

, and after graduating from it in December became a junior officer and company commander in the 47th Reserve Infantry Regiment of the front. Chekharin completed the three-month advanced courses for ''praporshchik''s under the 35th Reserve Brigade of the front at Chertkov in 1917, then served as a junior officer and company commander with the 161st Alexandropol Infantry Regiment of the 41st Infantry Division. Between January and March 1918 he served as a junior officer with a company of the 256th Infantry Regiment 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 ...

Bryansk Bryansk (, ) is a types of inhabited localities in Russia, city and the administrative center of Bryansk Oblast, Russia, situated on the Desna (river), Desna River, southwest of Moscow. It has a population of 379,152 at the 2021 census. Bryans ...

. After he was demobilized from the army, Chekharin returned to Gubino, where he became chairman of the volost executive committee in March during the

. He was conscripted into the

in June and appointed commissar of the volost

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 ...

. Serving as a platoon and company commander with the 18th Kaluga Command Courses and the 29th Reserve Rifle Regiment from December 1918, he became temporary chief of the courses and commander of the consolidated cadet brigade drawn from them in June 1921 to participate in the suppression of the

Tambov Rebellion The Tambov Rebellion of 1920–1922 was one of the largest and best-organized peasant rebellions challenging the Bolshevik government during the Russian Civil War. The uprising took place in the territories of the modern Tambov Oblast and part ...

Interwar period

Demobilized in February 1923 to graduate from the Kaluga Pedagogical Institute, Chekharin was reconscripted into the army in December and sent to serve in the 241st Rifle Regiment of the 81st Rifle Division at

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 ...

, becoming a company commander, chief of the regimental school, and assistant battalion commander. From November 1926 he served as chief of the regimental school of the 2nd Vyatka Territorial Rifle Regiment, and headed the military department of the Vyatka Pedagogical Institute. Chekharin studied at the Leningrad Higher Military Political School from March 1929 and following his graduation in October remained at the school as a tactics teacher. Appointed chief of staff of the 167th Rifle Regiment of the 56th Rifle Division 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 ...

Pskov Pskov ( rus, Псков, a=Ru-Псков.oga, p=psˈkof; see also Names of Pskov in different languages, names in other languages) is a types of inhabited localities in Russia, city in northwestern Russia and the administrative center of Pskov O ...

in December 1931, Chekharin temporarily commanded the regiment for three months. He transferred to the Leningrad Night Training Center in March 1933, serving successively as an instructor-leader and tactics teacher, acting chief of the center, and chief of training. Appointed chief of training of the Leningrad Improvement Courses for Reserve Command Personnel in April 1937, he became chief of the Combat Training Directorate of the

OSOAVIAKHIM DOSAAF (), full name ''Volunteer Society for the Assistance to the Army, Aviation, and Navy'' (), was a paramilitary sport organization in the Soviet Union that was concerned mainly with weapons, automobiles and aviation. The society was establ ...

Central Council in February 1939. After completing the Vystrel course in 1939, Chekharin, promoted to

, served as assistant chief of infantry of the 15th Army of the

Northwestern Front The Northwestern Front (Russian: ''Северо-Западный фронт'') was a military formation of the Red Army during the Winter War and World War II. It was operational with the 7th and 13th Armies during the Winter War. It was re-c ...

in March and April 1940, then was chief of the 2nd staff department of the

Arkhangelsk Military District The Arkhangelsk Military District () was a regional Military districts of the Soviet Union, military district of the Red Army which oversaw the North-Western part of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic. The district was formed in 1940 ...

. In July 1940 he became deputy commander of the

of the

21st Rifle Corps The 21st Rifle Corps was a corps of the Soviet Red Army. It was part of the Western Front. It took part in the Great Patriotic War. The headquarters formed in the Moscow Military District in September 1939. Assigned to the WSMD with the 17th, ...

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 ...

, stationed in Belarus. He succeeded to command the division in March 1941, being 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 ...

in the same month.

World War II

After

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 ...

began, Chekharin led the division in the

as part of the Western Front. His unit was placed under the direct control of the front commander and entered battle on 24 June in the area of

Lida Lida is a city in Grodno Region, western Belarus, located west of Minsk. It serves as the administrative center of Lida District. As of 2025, it has a population of 103,262. Etymology The name ''Lida'' arises from its Lithuanian name ''Ly ...

. From late June, with the 21st Corps, the division fought in defense of the

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 ...

Fortified Region A fortified district or fortified region (, ukreplyonny raion, ukrepraion) in the military terminology of the Soviet Union, is a territory within which a complex system of defense fortifications was engineered. Each fortified district consiste ...

, and conducted a fighting retreat towards Borisov and eventually to the

Dnieper The Dnieper or Dnepr ( ), also called Dnipro ( ), is one of the major transboundary rivers of Europe, rising in the Valdai Hills near Smolensk, Russia, before flowing through Belarus and Ukraine to the Black Sea. Approximately long, with ...

, being virtually destroyed in the fighting. In early September Chekharin was appointed commander of the newly formed 269th Rifle Division, which joined the 3rd Army of the

Bryansk Front The Bryansk Front () was a Front (military formation), major formation of the Red Army during the World War II, Second World War. First Formation (August - November 1941) General Andrei Yeremenko was designated commander of the Front when it fi ...

. From 30 September the division fought against

, the German drive on Moscow. In these operations it was defeated and encircled. In more than two weeks of fighting, lacking ammunition and fuel, the division fought to break out towards Tula. On 20 October the division and the 3rd Army headquarters had nearly reached Soviet lines, but Chekharin was reported missing, presumed killed, in a breakout attempt near

Yasnaya Polyana Yasnaya Polyana ( rus, Я́сная Поля́на, p=ˈjasnəjə pɐˈlʲanə, ) is a writer's house museum, the former home of the writer Leo Tolstoy.#Bartlett, Bartlett, p. 25 It is southwest of Tula, Russia, Tula, Russia, and from Moscow. ...

. He was posthumously awarded 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 class, in 1965 in commemoration of the 20th anniversary of the end of the war.

References

Citation

Bibliography

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Chekharin, Andrey 1892 births 1941 deaths People from Kozelsky District People from Kozelsky Uyezd Communist Party of the Soviet Union members Soviet colonels Imperial Russian Army officers 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 killed in World War II Missing in action of World War II