Sergei Ignatevich Rudenko (russian: Сергей Игнатьевич Руденко; uk, Сергій Гнатович Руденко; – 10 July 1990) was a Soviet

Marshal of the aviation Marshal is a term used in several official titles in various branches of society. As marshals became trusted members of the courts of Medieval Europe, the title grew in reputation. During the last few centuries, it has been used for elevated o ...

Biography

Early life

A shoemaker's son, Rudenko volunteered into the

Red Army The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army (Russian language, Russian: Рабо́че-крестья́нская Кра́сная армия),) often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist R ...

in 1923. At 1926 he completed his studies in the

Leningrad Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...

Military Theoretical Flight School and graduated from the

Crimea Crimea, crh, Къырым, Qırım, grc, Κιμμερία / Ταυρική, translit=Kimmería / Taurikḗ ( ) is a peninsula in Ukraine, on the northern coast of the Black Sea, that has been occupied by Russia since 2014. It has a p ...

Military Flight Academy a year later. At 1928 he joined the

Communist Party A communist party is a political party that seeks to realize the socio-economic goals of communism. The term ''communist party'' was popularized by the title of '' The Manifesto of the Communist Party'' (1848) by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. ...

. From 1932, Rudenko commanded a reconnaissance squadron. At 1936 he matriculated from the

Zhukovsky Air Force Engineering Academy Zhukovsky Air Force Engineering Academy () – is a higher military educational institution for training and retraining of engineers for the Russian Air Force. The academy trains specialists – engineers, research engineers in the following sp ...

, and was soon appointed commander of the 118th Bomber Brigade. In January 1941, Rudenko was put in charge of the 31st Air Division of the Western Special Military District, an office he held when Germany invaded the Soviet Union.

World War II

In November 1941 he was transferred to command the Air Forces of the 20th Army, and on December he was assigned to supervise the Air Forces of the 61st Army. In January the following year, Rudenko was made chief of the air component in the

Kalinin Front The Kalinin Front was a major formation of the Red Army active in the Eastern Front of World War II, named for the city of Kalinin. It was formally established by Stavka directive on 17 October 1941 and allocated three armies: 22nd, 29th Army a ...

. From April to June he headed the 1st Air Operations Group at the

Stavka The ''Stavka'' ( Russian and Ukrainian: Ставка) is a name of the high command of the armed forces formerly in the Russian Empire, Soviet Union and currently in Ukraine. In Imperial Russia ''Stavka'' referred to the administrative staff, ...

, and then posted as deputy commander of the air component in the Southwestern Front. In October 1942, Rudenko assumed command over the 16th Air Army. Under his leadership, the Army participated in the battles of

Stalingrad Volgograd ( rus, Волгогра́д, a=ru-Volgograd.ogg, p=vəɫɡɐˈɡrat), formerly Tsaritsyn (russian: Цари́цын, Tsarítsyn, label=none; ) (1589–1925), and Stalingrad (russian: Сталингра́д, Stalingrád, label=none; ) ...

Kursk Kursk ( rus, Курск, p=ˈkursk) is a city and the administrative center of Kursk Oblast, Russia, located at the confluence of the Kur, Tuskar, and Seym rivers. The area around Kursk was the site of a turning point in the Soviet–German str ...

Belorussia Belarus,, , ; alternatively and formerly known as Byelorussia (from Russian ). officially the Republic of Belarus,; rus, Республика Беларусь, Respublika Belarus. is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by R ...

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, , is a country in Central Europe. Poland is divided into Voivodeships of Poland, sixteen voivodeships and is the fifth most populous member state of the European Union (EU), with over 38 mill ...

Pomerania Pomerania ( pl, Pomorze; german: Pommern; Kashubian: ''Pòmòrskô''; sv, Pommern) is a historical region on the southern shore of the Baltic Sea in Central Europe, split between Poland and Germany. The western part of Pomerania belongs to t ...

and

Berlin Berlin is Capital of Germany, the capital and largest city of Germany, both by area and List of cities in Germany by population, by population. Its more than 3.85 million inhabitants make it the European Union's List of cities in the European U ...

- as part of the air component in the

, Don, Central and Belorussian (later, 1st Belorussian) Fronts.Sergei Rudenko
on the Heroes of the USSR catalogue. On 11 May 1944 Rudenko was promoted to Colonel-General. On 19 August that year, he was awarded the title

Hero of the Soviet Union The title Hero of the Soviet Union (russian: Герой Советского Союза, translit=Geroy Sovietskogo Soyuza) was the highest distinction in the Soviet Union, awarded together with the Order of Lenin personally or collectively for ...

(Medal no. 3087).

Post-war career

Rudenko remained in charge of the 16th Army until February 1947, when he was appointed a commander of an airborne corps. (In April 1948, the ''New York Times'' reported that Rudenko would appear in a libel case in Paris on behalf of the defendant, French Communist ''Les Lettres Françaises'', against Victor Kravchenko.) From December 1948, Rudenko commanded the Soviet Airborne Troops. In September 1949, he became Chief of Staff and First Deputy to the Supreme Commander of the Air Force. At 11 March 1955, he received his final promotion to Marshal of the Aviation. From May 1968 to August 1973, Rudenko headed the Gagarin Military Academy and then became an inspector in the Ministry of Defense. He was also a deputy in the 2nd and 6th Convocations of the

Supreme Soviet The Supreme Soviet (russian: Верховный Совет, Verkhovny Sovet, Supreme Council) was the common name for the legislative bodies (parliaments) of the Soviet socialist republics (SSR) in the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USS ...

, and candidate member of the Central Committee in the years 1961–66.Sergei Rudenko
on the Russian Academic Dictionary.

Personal life and death

Rudenko died on 10 July 1990. He was buried at

Novodevichy Cemetery Novodevichy Cemetery ( rus, Новоде́вичье кла́дбище, Novodevichye kladbishche) is a cemetery in Moscow. It lies next to the southern wall of the 16th-century Novodevichy Convent, which is the city's third most popular touris ...

Honours and awards

Rudenko was awarded: *

, * six

Orders of Lenin The Order of Lenin (russian: Орден Ленина, Orden Lenina, ), named after the leader of the Russian October Revolution, was established by the Central Executive Committee on April 6, 1930. The order was the highest civilian decoration ...

, * four Orders of the Red Banner, *

Orders 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 award established on July 29, 1 ...

, 1st (twice) and 2nd classes, *

Order of Kutuzov The Order of Kutuzov (russian: орден Кутузова ''orden Kutuzova'') is a military decoration of the Russian Federation named after famous Russian Field Marshal Mikhail Illarionovich Kutuzov (1745–1813). The Order was established du ...

, 1st class, *

Order of the October Revolution The Order of the October Revolution (russian: Орден Октябрьской Революции, ''Orden Oktyabr'skoy Revolyutsii'') was instituted on October 31, 1967, in time for the 50th anniversary of the October Revolution. It was conferr ...

, *

Order of the Patriotic War The Order of the Patriotic War (russian: Орден Отечественной войны, Orden Otechestvennoy voiny) is a Soviet military decoration that was awarded to all soldiers in the Soviet armed forces, security troops, and to partisa ...

, 1st class, *

Order for Service to the Homeland in the Armed Forces of the USSR Order, ORDER or Orders may refer to: * Categorization, the process in which ideas and objects are recognized, differentiated, and understood * Heterarchy, a system of organization wherein the elements have the potential to be ranked a number of ...

, third class, * campaign and jubilee medals * and foreign orders.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rudenko, Sergei 1904 births 1990 deaths People from Chernihiv Oblast Soviet Air Force marshals Soviet military personnel of World War II Communist Party of the Soviet Union members Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union members Heroes of the Soviet Union Recipients of the Order of Lenin Recipients of the Order of Suvorov, 1st class Recipients of the Order of Kutuzov, 1st class Recipients of the Order of the Red Banner Burials at Novodevichy Cemetery Ukrainian people of World War II Commanders of the Virtuti Militari Recipients of the Patriotic Order of Merit Recipients of the Order of the Cross of Grunwald, 2nd class Recipients of the Order of the Cross of Grunwald, 3rd class Commanders of the Soviet Airborne Forces