Andrey Nikitovich Lyakhov (; 25 August 1909 – 19 September 1943) 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 ...

who commanded the

95th Guards Rifle Division The 95th Guards Rifle Division was reformed as an elite infantry division of the Red Army in May 1943, based on the 1st formation of the 226th Rifle Division, and served in that role until well after the end of the Great Patriotic War. It ended the ...

Early life and prewar service

Andrey Nikitovich Lyakhov was born on 25 August 1909 in the village of Konstantinovka, Konstantinovskoy ''

volost Volost (; ; ) was a traditional administrative subdivision in Kievan Rus', the Grand Duchy of Moscow, and the Russian Empire. History The '' Brockhaus and Efron Encyclopedic Dictionary'' (1890–1907) states that the origins of the concept is unc ...

'', Petrovsky ''

uyezd An uezd (also spelled uyezd or uiezd; rus, уе́зд ( pre-1918: уѣздъ), p=ʊˈjest), or povit in a Ukrainian context () was a type of administrative subdivision of the Grand Duchy of Moscow, the Tsardom of Russia, the Russian Empire, the R ...

'',

Stavropol Governorate Stavropol Governorate () was an administrative-territorial unit (''guberniya'') of the Russian Empire and the Russian SFSR. It roughly corresponded to most of present-day Stavropol Krai. It was created in 1847 and disbanded in 1924. Demographics ...

. Before his military service, he began studies at the Stavropol Agricultural ''

Tekhnikum A tekhnikum () is a type of secondary vocational school in the Russian Empire, the Soviet Union, as well as in modern Russia, Ukraine and some other post-Soviet states The post-Soviet states, also referred to as the former Soviet Union or the ...

'' in 1928, while working as a livestock specialist at the ''

sovkhoz A sovkhoz ( rus, совхо́з, p=sɐfˈxos, a=ru-sovkhoz.ogg, syllabic abbreviation, abbreviated from , ''sovetskoye khozyaystvo''; ) was a form of state-owned farm or agricultural enterprise in the Soviet Union. It is usually contrasted w ...

Plemrassadnik'', a sheep farm part of the ''tekhnikum''. Conscripted into the

on 13 November 1931 by the Voroshilovsky RVK in Voroshilov, Lyakhov was sent as a cadet to the one-year conscript detachment of the 65th Rifle Regiment of the 22nd Rifle Division at

Novorossiysk Novorossiysk (, ; ) is a city in Krasnodar Krai, Russia. It is one of the largest ports on the Black Sea. It is one of the few cities designated by the Soviet Union as a Hero City. The population was History In antiquity, the shores of the ...

. After graduating in October 1932, he was appointed to the 25th (later the 112th) Rifle Regiment of the

38th Rifle Division The 38th Rifle Division (38-я стрелковая дивизия) was an infantry division of the Soviet Union's Red Army during World War II. Formed in 1918 as th ...

Novocherkassk Novocherkassk () is a types of inhabited localities in Russia, city in Rostov Oblast, Russia, located near the confluence of the Tuzlov and Aksay Rivers, the latter a distributary of the Don (river), Don River. Novocherkassk is best known as the ...

, serving as a machine gun platoon commander, platoon commander in the regimental school, and assistant commander and commander of the 2nd Machine Gun Company. In May 1937, Lyakhov was transferred to serve as a tactics instructor at the Armavir Reserve Officers Improvement Course (KUKS). From October of that year he served in the same position at the

Junior Lieutenant Junior lieutenant is a junior officer rank in several countries, comparable to Sub-lieutenant. Germany In East Germany's National People's Army, the rank of () was introduced in 1956 and used until German reunification in 1990. Eastern Europe ...

s Course in

Krasnodar Krasnodar, formerly Yekaterinodar (until 1920), is the largest city and the administrative centre of Krasnodar Krai, Russia. The city stands on the Kuban River in southern Russia, with a population of 1,154,885 residents, and up to 1.263 millio ...

and from April 1938 at the

Millerovo Millerovo () is the name of several inhabited localities in Rostov Oblast, Russia. ;Urban localities *Millerovo, Millerovsky District, Rostov Oblast Millerovo (, Ukrainian: Міллерово) is a town and the administrative center of Millero ...

Reserve KUKS. On 10 February 1940 he was appointed assistant chief for the training and personnel sections of the Nizhny Chir Reserve KUKS, then served as chief of the training department of the course. In November of that year, Lyakhov transferred to serve as chief of staff of the 751st Rifle Regiment of the

165th Rifle Division The 165th Rifle Division was originally formed as an infantry division of the Red Army in the North Caucasus Military District in July 1940, based on the ''shtat'' (table of organization and equipment) of September 13, 1939. It was still in that Di ...

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 ...

, forming at Ordzhonikidze. By 1941, he completed two courses of the correspondence department of the

Frunze Military Academy The M. V. Frunze Military Academy (), or in full the Military Order of Lenin and the October Revolution, Red Banner, Order of Suvorov Academy in the name of M. V. Frunze (), was a military academy of the Soviet and later the Russian Armed Forces ...

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, the 165th was sent to the Southwestern Front with the 64th Rifle Corps, where it joined the 26th Army. Unloading at

Brovary Brovary (, ; ) is a List of cities in Ukraine, city in Kyiv Oblast, northern Ukraine, situated to the east of the capital Kyiv and part of the Kyiv metropolitan area. It serves as the administrative centre of Brovary Raion. Brovary hosts t ...

on 12 July 1941, the 165th was tasked by the front headquarters with ensuring the defense of 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 ...

crossings, then as part of the corps attacked towards

Fastov Fastiv (, ) is a city in the Kyiv Oblast (province) in central Ukraine. On older maps it is depicted as Khvastiv (; ). Administratively, it serves as the administrative centre of the Fastiv Raion (district), to which it does not administratively ...

in the second echelon. During these actions, Lyakhov was concussed on 15 July but did not leave the frontline. He was wounded on 27 July near Klekhovka, Fastov District and evacuated to a hospital. After recovering, Lyakhov was sent back to the Southwestern Front and on 4 October appointed chief of staff of the 987th Rifle Regiment of the

226th Rifle Division The 226th Rifle Division was an infantry division of the Red Army, originally formed as one of the first reserve rifle divisions following the German invasion of the USSR. After being hastily organized it arrived at the front along the lower Dniep ...

. With the division as part of the 21st Army he fought in defensive battles on the eastern bank of the

Seversky Donets The Seversky Donets () or Siverskyi Donets (), usually simply called the Donets (), is a river on the south of the East European Plain. It originates in the Central Russian Upland, north of Belgorod, flows south-east through Ukraine (Kharkiv ...

. For his actions in the battle for Yastrebovo on 29 December, in which he was wounded, then-Major Lyakhov 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 ...

on 10 April 1942. Wounded a second time on 13 February 1942 near Sazhnoye, he was appointed commander of the regiment in April, leading it in the

Second Battle of Kharkov The Second Battle of Kharkov or Operation Fredericus was an Axis powers, Axis counter-offensive in the region around Kharkov against the Red Army Izium bridgehead offensive conducted 12–28 May 1942, on the Eastern Front (World War II), Easter ...

during May and June. On 22 June the division marched to the

Korocha Korocha () is a types of inhabited localities in Russia, town and the administrative center of Korochansky District in Belgorod Oblast, Russia, located on the right bank of the Korocha River (Seversky Donets River, Seversky Donets' tributary), no ...

region, rejoining the 21st Army, part of the Southwestern Front and then the

Stalingrad Front The Stalingrad Front was a front, a military unit encompassing several armies, of the Soviet Union's Red Army during the Second World War. The name indicated the primary geographical region in which the Front first fought, based on the city of St ...

from 12 July, fighting in the Battle of Voronezh and the defensive of the approaches to Stalingrad. During the Battle of Voronezh, Lyakhov was wounded a third time on 13 June near Novo-aleksandrovskoy,

Kharkov Oblast Kharkiv Oblast (, ), also referred to as Kharkivshchyna (), is an oblast (province) in eastern Ukraine. Kharkiv borders Luhansk Oblast to the east, Donetsk Oblast to the southeast, Dnipropetrovsk Oblast to the southwest, Poltava Oblast to the wes ...

. The 226th was withdrawn to the

Reserve of the Supreme High Command The Reserve of the Supreme High Command (Russian: Резерв Верховного Главнокомандования; also known as the '' Stavka'' Reserve or RVGK () or RGK ( comprises reserve military formations and units; the ''Stavka'' ...

(RVGK) for rebuilding at

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 ...

on 6 August. Joining 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 ...

on 18 October, the division fought as part of the

66th Army The 66th Army was a field army of the Red Army. It was established in August 1942 from the 8th Reserve Army. The 66th Army fought to break through to the Volga to the north of Stalingrad during September and October 1942. During Operation Uranus, ...

in offensive operations to destroy the German forces around

Stalingrad Volgograd,. geographical renaming, formerly Tsaritsyn. (1589–1925) and Stalingrad. (1925–1961), is the largest city and the administrative centre of Volgograd Oblast, Russia. The city lies on the western bank of the Volga, covering an area o ...

. In January and early February 1943, in Operation Koltso, the division, overcoming stubborn Axis resistance, assault-crossed the Mokraya Mechetka and on 2 February captured the ruins of the

Stalingrad Tractor Factory The Volgograd Tractor Plant (, ''Volgogradski traktorni zavod'', or , ''VgTZ''), formerly the ''Dzerzhinskiy'' Tractor Factory or the Stalingrad Tractor Plant, is a heavy equipment factory located in Volgograd, Russia. It was once one of the larg ...

. For this action the division was converted into the

on 4 May. Then-Lieutenant Colonel Lyakhov 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 ...

on 21 January and the

Order of Alexander Nevsky The Order of Alexander Nevsky () is an Order (distinction), order of merit of the Russia, Russian Federation named in honour of saint Alexander Nevsky (1220–1263) and bestowed to civil servants for twenty years or more of highly meritorious ser ...

on 11 March. After the end of the Battle of Stalingrad the division was withdrawn to the RVGK in the

Steppe Military District The Steppe Military District () was a Military districts of the Soviet Union, military district of the Soviet Union, formed twice. It was first formed in April 1943 during World War II near Voronezh as a strategic reserve, and after the beginning ...

, where it joined the

5th Guards Army The 5th Guards Army was a Soviet Guards formation which fought in many critical actions during World War II under the command of General Aleksey Semenovich Zhadov. The 5th Guards Army was formed in spring 1943 from the 66th Army in recognition o ...

. In June 1943 Lyakhov, promoted to colonel, was appointed deputy commander of the 95th Guards Rifle Division, and from 30 June temporarily commanded it while Major General

Nikolai Nikitchenko Nikolai Stepanovich Nikitchenko (; 17 December 1901 – 1 April 1975) was a Soviet Army major general. Early life and Russian Civil War A Russian, Nikolai Stepanovich Nikitchenko was born on 17 December 1901 in Starodub, Chernigov Governorate. ...

was being treated for illness. On 10 July the division and its army were sent to the

Voronezh Front The 1st Ukrainian Front (), previously the Voronezh Front (), was a major formation of the Red Army during World War II, being equivalent to a Western army group. They took part in the capture of Berlin, the capital of Nazi Germany. Wartime ...

in the area west of

Prokhorovka Prokhorovka () is the name of several inhabited localities in Russia. ;Urban localities *Prokhorovka, Belgorod Oblast, a settlement in Prokhorovsky District of Belgorod Oblast ;Rural localities * Prokhorovka, Irkutsk Oblast, a village in Osin ...

on the Psel and fought 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 ...

. When Nikitchenko returned from 26 July Lyakhov resumed his duties as deputy division commander. In August he fought with the division in the Belgorod-Kharkov offensive. From 12 to 26 August the division fought in fierce fighting in the Bogodukhov region, then attacked along the Kharkov-

Poltava Poltava (, ; , ) is a city located on the Vorskla, Vorskla River in Central Ukraine, Central Ukraine. It serves as the administrative center of Poltava Oblast as well as Poltava Raion within the oblast. It also hosts the administration of Po ...

railway. From 7 September the division with the army fought in heavy battles on the Poltava sector as part of the

Steppe Front The Steppe Front () was a front of the Red Army during the Second World War which existed from July to October 1943. History On 9 July 1943, Stavka designated a new Reserve Front in the Voronezh region, that had been effective since 30 April.G ...

, in which Lyakhov was killed on 19 September. After the liberation of Poltava, he was buried in the square of the Kiev station.

Awards

Lyakhov was a recipient of the following decorations: *

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 *

Medal "For the Defence of Stalingrad" The Medal "For the Defence of Stalingrad" () was a World War II campaign medal of the Soviet Union. Medal history The Medal "For the Defence of Stalingrad" was established on December 22, 1942 by decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet o ...

* Foreign orders

References

Citations

Bibliography

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Lyakhov, Andrey 1909 births 1943 deaths People from Stavropol Governorate Soviet colonels Soviet military personnel killed in World War II Recipients of the Order of the Red Banner Recipients of the Order of Alexander Nevsky Recipients of the Order of the Red Star