Mikhail Petrovich Seryugin (; 6 November 1906 – 27 March 1975) 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 ...

who held division command 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 ...

. Conscripted 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 ...

in the late 1920s, Seryugin became an officer and served in Azerbaijan and Ukraine before World War II. A regimental commander when the war began, he escaped encirclement 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 ...

while a division chief of staff. Seryugin became commander of the

160th Rifle Division The 160th Rifle Division of the Soviet Union's Red Army may refer to: * 160th Rifle Division (1940 formation) * 160th Rifle Division (1941 formation) The 1941 formation of the 160th Rifle Division was an infantry division of the Red Army, origina ...

in mid-1942, leading the unit, which became the

89th Guards Rifle Division The 89th Guards Rifle Division was reformed as an elite infantry division of the Red Army in April 1943, based on the 1940 formation of the 160th Rifle Division (1940 formation), 160th Rifle Division, and served in that role until after the end of ...

in early 1943, for the rest of the war. Postwar, he commanded divisions and a corps, rising to deputy commander of an army before his retirement.

Early life and prewar service

Mikhail Petrovich Seryugin was born on 6 November 1906 in the village of Ilyinskoye,

Vladimir Governorate Vladimir Governorate () was an administrative-territorial unit ('' guberniya'') of the Russian Empire, the Russian Republic and the Russian SFSR, which existed in 1796–1929. History Until 1719 – Vladimirsky Uyezd of the Zamoskovny Krai with ...

. Conscripted into the Red Army in November 1928, he was sent to the school of one-year conscripts of the 5th Caucasian Rifle Regiment of the 2nd Caucasian Rifle Division at

Baku Baku (, ; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Azerbaijan, largest city of Azerbaijan, as well as the largest city on the Caspian Sea and in the Caucasus region. Baku is below sea level, which makes it the List of capital ci ...

, from which he graduated in 1929. Seryugin continued his military service with the regiment and in August 1933 the division was relocated to

Ovruch Ovruch (, ) is a city in Korosten Raion, Zhytomyr Oblast, northern Ukraine, first mentioned as Vruchiy in 977. It was the capital city of the Drevlians in the 900s, later conquered by the Mongols in the 13th century, then later part of the Grand D ...

in 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 ...

. In July 1936 then-Senior Lieutenant Seryugin was transferred to become chief of the regimental school of the 178th Rifle Regiment of the division, which was redesignated as the 60th Rifle Division. From October 1938 he was assistant commander of the 358th Rifle Regiment of the division, and in July 1940 rose to command its 224th Rifle Regiment.

World War II

When

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 on 22 June 1941, then-Major Seryugin commanded the regiment on the Southwestern Front, leading it in the Border Battles west of

Stanislav Stanislav and variants may refer to: People *Stanislav (given name), a Slavic given name with many spelling variations (Stanislaus, Stanislas, Stanisław, etc.) Places * Stanislav, Kherson Oblast, a coastal village in Ukraine * Stanislaus County, ...

and in the

Vinnytsia Vinnytsia ( ; , ) is a city in west-central Ukraine, located on the banks of the Southern Bug. It serves as the administrative centre, administrative center of Vinnytsia Oblast. It is the largest city in the historic region of Podillia. It also s ...

sector south of

Uman Uman (, , ) is a city in Cherkasy Oblast, central Ukraine. It is located to the east of Vinnytsia. Located in the east of the historical region of Podolia, the city rests on the banks of the Umanka River. Uman serves as the administrative c ...

. In September he was assigned command of the 124th Rifle Division but did not actually take command due to the 124th being caught in encirclement. Seryugin was instead appointed chief of staff of the

212th Rifle Division The 212th Rifle Division was formed as an infantry division of the Red Army after a motorized division of that same number was badly damaged and then redesignated about five weeks after the start of the German invasion of the Soviet Union. After r ...

, with which he fought in the Donbass Defensive and Barvenkovo–Lozovaya offensive as part of the 6th Army of the Southwestern Front. In May 1942 then-Colonel Seryugin was appointed deputy commander of the division, while continuing to serve as its chief of staff. He fought with it in the

, during which the division was surrounded. In early June Seryugin broke out of encirclement and crossed over to 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 ...

with the remnants of the 212th. In July Seryugin was appointed commander of the

, which as part of the 6th Army of 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 ...

distinguished itself in the Battle of Voronezh. Subsequently, the 160th fought as part of the Voronezh, and from December the Southwestern Fronts, with an active role 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 ...

. He was wounded on 18 February 1943 while departing for reconnaissance in the area of Height 179.6 and evacuated to a hospital for treatment, being replaced by deputy division commander Colonel

Aleksei Baksov Aleksei Ivanovich Baksov (; 18 March 1907 – 26 November 1986) was a Soviet Army colonel general and a Hero of the Soviet Union. Early life and prewar service Aleksei Ivanovich Baksov was born on 18 March 1907 in the village of Bolshaya Kamysh ...

. Seryugin resumed command of the division on 9 April, and the 160th was converted to the

on 19 April. He led it in the Donbas strategic offensive, the

Battle of the Dnieper The Battle of the Dnieper was a military campaign that took place in 1943 on the Eastern Front of World War II. Being one of the largest operations of the war, it involved almost four million troops at one point and stretched over a front. Ov ...

, the Nikopol–Krivoi Rog offensive, the

Bereznegovatoye–Snigirevka offensive The Bereznegovatoye–Snigirevka offensive (Russian: Березнеговато-Снигирёвская Наступательная Операция, Bereznegovato-Snigirovskaya Nastupatel'naya Operatsiya) was an offensive operation conducted i ...

, and the

Odessa Offensive The Odessa Offensive Operation (Russian language, Russian: Одесская Наступательная Операция, Odesskaya Nastupatel'naya Operatsiya), known on the German side as the Defensive battle of the 6th Army between Bug and Dni ...

. Seryugin was promoted to major general on 1 September 1943. Between 2 June and 5 July 1944 Seryugin temporarily commanded the 49th Rifle Corps in the second echelon of the

53rd Army The 53rd Army was a field army of the Soviet Union's Red Army which was formed in August 1941, disbanded in December 1941, and reformed in May 1942. It fought throughout World War II before again being disbanded after the war in October 1945. Th ...

of the

2nd Ukrainian Front The 2nd Ukrainian Front () was a front of the Red Army during the Second World War. History On October 20, 1943, the Steppe Front was renamed the 2nd Ukrainian Front. In mid-May 1944 Malinovsky took over the 2nd Ukrainian Front. During t ...

during the hospitalization of corps commander Major General Gury Terentyev. After the latter returned, Seryugin resumed command of the 89th Guards, which fought in the

Second Jassy–Kishinev offensive The second (symbol: s) is a unit of time derived from the division of the day first into 24 hours, then to 60 minutes, and finally to 60 seconds each (24 × 60 × 60 = 86400). The current and formal definition in the International System of U ...

as part of the

5th Shock Army The 5th Shock Army was a Red Army field army of World War II. The army was formed on 9 December 1942 by redesignating the 10th Reserve Army. The army was formed two times prior to this with neither formation lasting more than a month before bein ...

. He was evaluated as having "skillfully led divisional units" in the breakthrough of Axis defenses in the Kishinev sector and the repulse of tank counterattacks. Seryugin was described as acting "energetically and competently" despite the presence of Axis tanks in the rear of the division. In late August the division was withdrawn to the front reserve with the 5th Shock Army. The army and the division were 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'' ...

on 5 September and in late October joined the

1st Belorussian Front The 1st Belorussian Front (, ''Pervyy Belorusskiy front'', also romanized " Byelorussian"), known without a numeral as the Belorussian Front between October 1943 and February 1944, was a major formation of the Red Army during World War II, bein ...

, being relocated to the

Magnuszew Magnuszew is a town in Kozienice County, Masovian Voivodeship, in east-central Poland. It is the seat of the gmina (administrative district) called Gmina Magnuszew. It located near the Vistula river and lies approximately north-west of Kozienice ...

bridgehead. As part of the shock group of the army, the division played an active role in the Warsaw-Poznan offensive, during which it reached the

Oder The Oder ( ; Czech and ) is a river in Central Europe. It is Poland's second-longest river and third-longest within its borders after the Vistula and its largest tributary the Warta. The Oder rises in the Czech Republic and flows through wes ...

and captured a bridgehead northwest of Kustrin after breaking through German defenses. Seryugin was evaluated as having "skillfully commanded" the division during these operations and in the

Berlin Offensive The Battle of Berlin, designated as the Berlin Strategic Offensive Operation by the Soviet Union, and also known as the Fall of Berlin, was one of the last major offensives of the European theatre of World War II. After the Vistula–Od ...

, during which the division was part of the main shock group that broke through the fortified defenses in the

Battle of the Seelow Heights The Battle of the Seelow Heights () was part of the Berlin Strategic Offensive Operation (16 April – 2 May 1945). A pitched battle, it was one of the last assaults on large entrenched defensive positions of the Second World War. It was fough ...

and fought its way into the city during the

Battle in Berlin The battle in Berlin was an end phase of the Battle of Berlin. While the Battle ''of'' Berlin encompassed the attack by three Soviet Front (military formation)#Soviet fronts in World War II, fronts (army groups) to capture not only Berlin but t ...

. For his "execution of combat missions, courage, and valor," Seryugin was awarded the Orders of Suvorov and

Kutuzov Prince Mikhail Illarionovich Golenishchev-Kutuzov-Smolensky (; – ) was a List of Russian field marshals, Field Marshal of the Russian Empire. He served as a military officer and a diplomat under the reign of three House of Romanov, Romanov ...

2nd class.

Postwar

After the end of the war, Seryugin was sent to study at the accelerated course at the Voroshilov Higher Military Academy in June 1945, and upon his graduation in February 1946 was appointed commander of the

8th Guards Rifle Division The 8th Guards Motor Rifle Panfilov Division (; ) originally the 316th Rifle Division, is a motorized infantry division of the Armed Forces of the Kyrgyz Republic. Formed as a Soviet Red Army division during World War II, it was dissolved in 20 ...

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 ...

. From July of that year he commanded the 36th Guards Mechanized Division. In February 1948 he was sent to the

Group of Soviet Occupation Forces in Germany The Western Group of Forces (WGF), previously known as the Group of Soviet Occupation Forces in Germany (GSOFG) and the Group of Soviet Forces in Germany (GSFG), were the troops of the Soviet Army in East Germany. The Group of Soviet Occupation ...

, where he commanded the 20th Guards Mechanized Division and then the 29th Guards Rifle Corps from February 1951. In November of that year, Seryugin was sent to study at the Higher Academic Course at the Voroshilov Academy, and upon graduation in November 1952 he became commander of the 35th Guards Rifle Corps of the

Carpathian Military District The Red Banner Carpathian Military District (, ) was a military district of the Soviet Armed Forces during the Cold War and subsequently of the Armed Forces of Ukraine during the early Post-Soviet period. It was established on 3 May 1946 on the ...

. He remained in the district as First Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the

13th Army Thirteenth Army or 13th Army may refer to: * Thirteenth Army (Japan) * Japanese Thirteenth Area Army * 13th Army (Russian Empire), unit in World War I *13th Army (RSFSR), a unit in the Russian Civil War *13th Army (Soviet Union) The 13th Army (, ...

from September 1955 and from August 1958 simultaneously served as a member of the Military Council of the 13th Army. Seryugin retired in April 1961 and died in

Rivne Rivne ( ; , ) is a city in western Ukraine. The city is the administrative center of Rivne Oblast (province), as well as the Rivne Raion (district) within the oblast.

on 27 March 1975.

Awards and decorations

Seryugin was a recipient of the following awards and decorations: ;USSR ;Foreign

References

Citations

Bibliography

* – Located in fond 1252, opus 1, file 15, list 107 of the Central Archives of the Russian Ministry of Defence * – Located in fond 1252, opus 1, file 28, list 2 of the Central Archives of the Russian Ministry of Defence * – Located in fond 1252, opus 1, file 12, list 1 of the Central Archives of the Russian Ministry of Defence * * 1906 births 1975 deaths Soviet lieutenant generals People from Vladimir Oblast Soviet military personnel of World War II Recipients of the Order of Lenin Recipients of the Order of the Red Banner Recipients of the Order of Suvorov, 2nd class Recipients of the Order of Kutuzov, 2nd class Recipients of the Order of Bogdan Khmelnitsky (Soviet Union), 2nd class Recipients of the Order of the Red Star People nominated for the title Hero of the Soviet Union Recipients of the Order of the Cross of Grunwald, 3rd class {{DEFAULTSORT:Seryugin, Mikhail