Sergey Hristoforovich Aganov (russian: Сергей Христофорович Аганов, hy, Սերգեյ Քրիստափորի Աղանով; 4 June 1917 – 1 February 1996) was a
Soviet
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...
Armenian
Armenian may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to Armenia, a country in the South Caucasus region of Eurasia
* Armenians, the national people of Armenia, or people of Armenian descent
** Armenian Diaspora, Armenian communities across the ...
Marshal of the Engineer Troops.
Youth
Aganov was born on 4 June 1917, named as Sargis Kristopori Ohanian (arm. Սարգիս Քրիստոփորի Օհանյան). It is usually indicated that Aganov is Russian by nationality, but after the
declaration of independence of Armenia, in Armenian literature, it is often stated that he is an Armenian, with the surname Ohanian. His grandfather moved to from
Nagorno-Karabakh
Nagorno-Karabakh ( ) is a landlocked region in the South Caucasus, within the mountainous range of Karabakh, lying between Lower Karabakh and Syunik, and covering the southeastern range of the Lesser Caucasus mountains. The region is mos ...
to
Astrakhan
Astrakhan ( rus, Астрахань, p=ˈastrəxənʲ) is the largest city and administrative centre of Astrakhan Oblast in Southern Russia. The city lies on two banks of the Volga, in the upper part of the Volga Delta, on eleven islands of ...
. After high school, Aganov worked at the Moscow Electric Plant, and was the foreman of the assembly team. In one of his letters, talking about himself, Aganov wrote that his father was an Armenian from Astrakhan, and his mother was a Russian. His parents separated when he was young. According to his information, his father died in 1965 in
Grozny
Grozny ( rus, Грозный, p=ˈgroznɨj; ce, Соьлжа-ГӀала, translit=Sölƶa-Ġala), also spelled Groznyy, is the capital city of Chechnya, Russia.
The city lies on the Sunzha River. According to the 2010 census, it had a po ...
. Aganov began to serve in 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 ...
since 1938. He graduated from the Moscow Military Engineering School in 1940. He took part in the battle of the Soviet-Finnish war as a
sapper
A sapper, also called a pioneer or combat engineer, is a combatant or soldier who performs a variety of military engineering duties, such as breaching fortifications, demolitions, bridge-building, laying or clearing minefields, preparing fie ...
platoon commander. From March 1940, Aganov commanded a sapper company, then later became the head of the school for junior commanders of the sapper brigade of the
Leningrad Military District
The Leningrad Military District was a military district of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. In 2010 it was merged with the Moscow Military District, the Northern Fleet and the Baltic Fleet to form the new Western Military District.
H ...
.
Great Patriotic War
He participated in the
Great Patriotic War
The Eastern Front of World War II was a Theater (warfare), theatre of conflict between the European Axis powers against the Soviet Union (USSR), Polish Armed Forces in the East, Poland and other Allies of World War II, Allies, which encom ...
from June 1941. He commanded a sapper company, from October 1941 as a senior adjutant (according to modern terminology, corresponds to the position of chief of staff) of a sapper battalion, then from February 1942 as a deputy commander of a motor-engineer battalion, then from April 1942 as an assistant chief of staff of engineering troops of the
54th Army. He fought on 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 ...
and
Volkhov
Volkhov (russian: Во́лхов) is an industrial town and the administrative center of Volkhovsky District in Leningrad Oblast, Russia, located on the river Volkhov east of St. Petersburg. Population:
It was previously known as ''Zvan ...
fronts.
In November 1942, he was recalled from the front for further service at the headquarters of the engineering troops of the Red Army. He served as assistant, then senior assistant to the head of the operations department. As part of a group of representatives of the
Headquarters of the Supreme High Command, he repeatedly went to the army. Aganov assisted troops in organizing engineering support for operations on the
Southwestern
The points of the compass are a set of horizontal, radially arrayed compass directions (or azimuths) used in navigation and cartography. A compass rose is primarily composed of four cardinal directions—north, east, south, and west—each sepa ...
,
Bryansk
Bryansk ( rus, Брянск, p=brʲansk) is a city and the administrative center of Bryansk Oblast, Russia, situated on the River Desna, southwest of Moscow. Population:
Geography Urban layout
The location of the settlement was originally ...
,
Voronezh
Voronezh ( rus, links=no, Воро́неж, p=vɐˈronʲɪʂ}) is a city and the administrative centre of Voronezh Oblast in southwestern Russia straddling the Voronezh River, located from where it flows into the Don River. The city sits on ...
,
3rd Belorussian ,
1st Baltic and
2nd Baltic fronts. Aganov was a Member of the
CPSU
" Hymn of the Bolshevik Party"
, headquarters = 4 Staraya Square, Moscow
, general_secretary = Vladimir Lenin (first) Mikhail Gorbachev (last)
, founded =
, banned =
, founder = Vladimir Lenin
, newspaper ...
since 1942.
Post War Years
After the war, Aganov continued to serve in the headquarters of the engineering troops of the
Soviet Army
uk, Радянська армія
, image = File:Communist star with golden border and red rims.svg
, alt =
, caption = Emblem of the Soviet Army
, start_date ...
, and was a senior officer in the department. In 1950, he graduated from the
M. V. Frunze Military Academy
The M. V. Frunze Military Academy (russian: Военная академия имени М. В. Фрунзе), 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 (rus ...
. Since 1951, Aganov was deputy head of the department, and since January 1952, he was head of the department of the headquarters of the engineering troops of the Soviet Army. In 1955, he graduated from the
Higher Military Academy named after K. E. Voroshilov.
From November 1955, Aganov served as the head of the engineering troops of the
8th Guards Army
The 8th Guards Order of Lenin Combined Arms Army (abbreviated 8th CAA) is an army of the Russian Ground Forces, headquartered in Novocherkassk, Rostov Oblast, within Russia′s Southern Military District, that was reinstated in 2017 as a succes ...
in the Group of Soviet Forces in Germany, before he was transferred to teaching work. In August 1960, he was appointed senior teacher, and in December 1963, as deputy head of the department of the Military Academy of the General Staff. From January 1967, he was Chief of Engineering Troops of the Group of Soviet Forces in Germany. Since January 1970, Aganov served as Deputy Chief of Engineering Troops of the
Ministry of Defence
{{unsourced, date=February 2021
A ministry of defence or defense (see spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is an often-used name for the part of a government responsible for matters of defence, found in state ...
. From April 1974, he was Head of the
Military Engineering Academy named after V. Kuibyshev.
Since March 1975, Aganov served as Head of the Engineering Troops of the USSR Ministry of Defense. He paid great attention to improving the organizational structure of the engineering troops and their technical equipment, developing effective methods of engineering support for combat operations of the troops, and training engineering personnel. He made a great contribution to the organization and implementation of measures to eliminate the consequences of the accident at the
Chernobyl nuclear power plant
The Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant (ChNPP; ; ), is a nuclear power plant undergoing decommissioning. ChNPP is located near the abandoned city of Pripyat in northern Ukraine northwest of the city of Chernobyl, from the Belarus–Ukraine bor ...
. Since April 1975, Aganov served as Colonel General of the Engineering Troops, then finally reached military rank of Marshal of Engineering Troops, awarded on May 7, 1980. Since March 1987, Aganov was in the Group of General Inspectors of the USSR Ministry of Defense.
Aganov retired in 1992, and resided in Moscow until his death. He was buried at the
Troyekurovskoye Cemetery
The Troyekurovo Cemetery (russian: Троекуровское кладбище, Troyekurovskoye kladbishche), alternatively known as ''Novo-Kuntsevo Cemetery'' (russian: Ново-Кунцевское кладбище, Novo-Kuntsevskoye kladbishch ...
.
On December 12, 2017, a postage stamp was issued in Armenia dedicated as “100th anniversary of the birth of Marshal of the Engineering Troops of the USSR Sergey Aganov”.
Awards
*
Order 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 ...
(24.12.1986)
*
Order of the Red Banner
The Order of the Red Banner (russian: Орден Красного Знамени, Orden Krasnogo Znameni) was the first Soviet military decoration. The Order was established on 16 September 1918, during the Russian Civil War by decree of th ...
(02/19/1986)
*
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 degree (11/04/1981);
*
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 degree (04/06/1985);
*
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 ...
2nd degree (05/17/1944);
* Two
Orders of the Red Star
The Order of the Red Star (russian: Орден Красной Звезды, Orden Krasnoy Zvezdy) 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 1 ...
(11/03/1953, 10/31/1967);
*
3rd degree
*
Medal "For Courage" (04/21/1942)
*
Medal "For Military Merit"
A medal or medallion is a small portable artistic object, a thin disc, normally of metal, carrying a design, usually on both sides. They typically have a commemorative purpose of some kind, and many are presented as awards. They may be int ...
(06/20/1949)
*
Medal "For the Defence of Leningrad"
The Medal "For the Defence of Leningrad" (russian: Медаль «За оборону Ленинграда») was a World War II campaign medal of the Soviet Union established on December 22, 1942 by decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Sovie ...
*
Medal "For Strengthening of Brotherhood in Arms"
*
USSR State Prize
The USSR State Prize (russian: links=no, Государственная премия СССР, Gosudarstvennaya premiya SSSR) was the Soviet Union's state honor. It was established on 9 September 1966. After the dissolution of the Soviet Union, t ...
(1981)
* Several commemoration awards
* Several foreign awards
[(Russian)'']
Аганов Сергей Христофорович
old.mil.ru
References
1917 births
1996 deaths
People from Astrakhan
Soviet Armenians
Communist Party of the Soviet Union members
Soviet Marshals of Engineer Troops
Soviet military personnel of the Winter War
Soviet military personnel of World War II
Recipients of the USSR State Prize
Recipients of the Order of Kutuzov, 1st class
Recipients of the Order of Lenin
Recipients of the Order of the Red Banner
Recipients of the Medal "For Courage" (Russia)
Burials in Troyekurovskoye Cemetery
Russian people of Armenian descent
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