Stepan Yelizarovich Artyomenko (; 22 January .S. 9 January1913 – 5 May 1977) was the commander of a battalion of the 447th Rifle Regiment 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 ...

during the

Second World War 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 was twice awarded the title

Hero of the Soviet Union The title Hero of the Soviet Union () was the highest distinction in the Soviet Union, awarded together with the Order of Lenin personally or collectively for heroic feats in service to the Soviet state and society. The title was awarded both ...

Early life

Artyomenko was born on to a Ukrainian peasant family in Ratsulovo village, then located within the Kherson Governorate of the Russian Empire. (now located in the Ivanivka Raion of present-day Ukraine.) Having completed schooling in 1927, he entered the Red Army in 1935 and later worked for the

NKVD The People's Commissariat for Internal Affairs (, ), abbreviated as NKVD (; ), was the interior ministry and secret police of the Soviet Union from 1934 to 1946. The agency was formed to succeed the Joint State Political Directorate (OGPU) se ...

World War II

Not long after the German invasion of the Soviet Union, Artyomenko was deployed to the warfront in August 1941 as an ordinary soldier. During the fighting around Kharkov, he replaced his platoon commander who was unable to fight, and for several days led and defended his sector, not letting the enemy pass through. On one occasion near Izyum-Barvenkovskom he commanded a company of machine gunners that were part of a tank brigade. He went on to fight in the Battle of Stalingrad and the Kursk Bulge. Upon breaking through enemy defenses on the western bank of the Vistula in January 1945, Artyomenko's battalion captured two rows of enemy trenches, and then with the help of tank crews, made their way to the Polish city of Sochaczew where they attacked an enemy garrison there. He was awarded his first gold star on 27 February 1945 for successfully leading his battalion through Warsaw and throughout Poland. During the Battle of Berlin he was seriously wounded during the close-quarters fighting. After the surrender of Nazi Germany he was awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union again on 31 May 1945 for his actions in the crossing of the Oder River and Berlin.

Postwar

After the end of the war he remained in the Red Army, and from 1946 to 1948 he attended an officer improvement school. When he retired in 1955, he was the commissar of the military enlistment office in Odesa. After his death on 5 May 1977 he was buried in Odesa at the 2nd Christian cemetery.

Awards

Gold Star Medal The title Hero of the Soviet Union () was the highest distinction in the Soviet Union, awarded together with the Order of Lenin personally or collectively for heroic feats in service to the Soviet state and society. The title was awarded both ...

No.5687 *

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 ...

* Two

Orders 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 Sovi ...

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 ...

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 degree *

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 ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Artyomenko, Stepan 1913 births 1977 deaths People from Berezivka Raion People from Odessky Uyezd Soviet colonels Soviet military personnel of World War II from Ukraine Heroes of the Soviet Union Recipients of the Order of Lenin Recipients of the Order of the Red Banner Recipients of the Order of Alexander Nevsky Recipients of the Medal "For Courage" (Russia) Recipients of the Order of the Red Star