Cevdet Dermenci (; 27 August 1918 – 1985) was a decorated Crimean Tatar captain and battalion commander in 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 ...

. For his bravery in being the first to lead his landing group across 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 ...

during his second crossing of the river he was nominated for the title Hero of the Soviet Union, but awarded only 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 ...

Military career

Shortly after Nazi Germany invaded of the Soviet Union in Operation Barbarossa, Dermenci was drafted into the Red Army on 3 July by the Simferopol military enlistment office. Having been admitted to the Communist Party that year, he was briefly assigned to the 1180th Infantry Regiment before being appointed deputy commander for political affairs of a submachine gunner company on 5 November 1942. Throughout that year he was wounded in combat three times, and on 26 December 1942 he was nominated for his first military award - the Order of the Red Banner, which was awarded in 1943. Later, for his bravery in leading the unit under his command - the 112th separate anti-tank destroyer battalion - in crossing of the Dnieper he was nominated for the

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 Union, Soviet award established on ...

, which was changed to 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 ...

. For his actions on 26 September 1943 when he led a his battalion in crossing the river a second time, he was nominated for the title of Hero of the Soviet Union on 31 October 1943; despite facing a barrage of enemy artillery, machine-gun fire, and mortars, he led his battalion in being the first from the landing group to make it across to the right bank of the river. There, Dermenci led the unit in storming enemy trenches via throwing grenades and engaging in close-quarters combat, forcing the axis forces to retreat and allowing the landing group to establish a bridgehead in the area. For four days they fended off repeated counterattacks from enemy tanks and infantry, making it possible for additional friendly troops to cross the river and establish themselves in the area. Despite being wounded in the battle, he continued to command his battalion to fulfill the mission. For his actions in that battle he was nominated for the title Hero of the Soviet Union along with 28 other members of the Red Army who distinguished themselves in battle, but of the 29 people on the list he was the only person not awarded the title; he received only the Order of Lenin instead on 22 February 1944. After the victorious battle for the Dnieper he became acting commander of the 3rd Rifle Battalion of the 1120th Rifle Regiment, where he was praised for his effectiveness and leadership during the liberation of South Bessarabia. Throughout the war he took part in the battles for several major cities including Stalingrad and Odessa and was wounded at least five times.

Postwar

After the war he lived in exile from

Crimea Crimea ( ) is a peninsula in Eastern Europe, on the northern coast of the Black Sea, almost entirely surrounded by the Black Sea and the smaller Sea of Azov. The Isthmus of Perekop connects the peninsula to Kherson Oblast in mainland Ukrain ...

Orenburg Orenburg (, ), formerly known as Chkalov (1938–1957), is the administrative center of Orenburg Oblast, Russia. It lies in Eastern Europe, along the banks of the Ural River, being approximately southeast of Moscow. Orenburg is close to the ...

, where he became an agronomist and director of a state farm. Later he headed a department of the regional executive committee in addition to defending his thesis for his candidate of sciences degree. He died in Orenburg in 1985 before the full right of return. Despite asking why, he never received an official explanation for why his Hero of the Soviet Union nomination was declined.

Awards

(22 February 1944) * Two

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 ...

(13 March 1943 and 31 October 1943) *

(15 October 1943) *

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 (14 September 1944) * campaign and jubilee medals

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dermendzhi, Dzhevdet 1918 births 1985 deaths Recipients of the Order of Lenin Recipients of the Order of the Red Banner Recipients of the Order of Alexander Nevsky Crimean Tatar officers Communist Party of the Soviet Union members People nominated for the title Hero of the Soviet Union Soviet military personnel of World War II