Stepan Markovich Bondarev (; 9 April 1923 9 June 2016) 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 ...

. He fought in

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 ...

as a tank company commander. Postwar, he was commander of the 29th Army and deputy commander of the

North Caucasus Military District The North Caucasus Military District was a military district of the Russian Armed Forces from 1992-2010. Before 1992 it had been part of the Soviet Armed Forces since 1918. In 2010 it became the Southern Military District and lately also included t ...

and the

Northern Group of Forces The Northern Group of Armed Forces (; ) was the military formation of the Soviet Army (Russian Ground Forces starting 1992) stationed in Poland from the end of Second World War in 1945 until 1993 when they were withdrawn in the aftermath of the fa ...

Early life

Bondarev was born on 9 April 1923 in the village of Lenino in Terekhovsky District (now Dobrush District). He graduated from school in the village. He then took nine-month training courses for fifth to seventh grade teachers at the Gomel Pedagogical Institute. Bondarev graduated in 1940 and was sent to Brest. He became a teacher in the village of Lyubischitsy.

World War II

Bondarev fought in World War II from its early days, initially as a

private Private or privates may refer to: Music * "In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation'' * Private (band), a Denmark-based band * "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorded ...

. He was a sergeant and squad leader of the Borisov Tank School on the Western Front and the Southwestern Front. Bondarev graduated from the 3rd Saratov Tank School in 1943 and became a cadet platoon commander. He fought in

Operation Bagration Operation Bagration () was the codename for the 1944 Soviet Byelorussian strategic offensive operation (), a military campaign fought between 22 June and 19 August 1944 in Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic, Soviet Byelorussia in the Eastern ...

as a tank company commander in the 3rd Guards Tank Brigade of the 3rd Tank Corps. On 1 July he participated in the capture of Borisov and two days later the capture of

Minsk Minsk (, ; , ) is the capital and largest city of Belarus, located on the Svislach (Berezina), Svislach and the now subterranean Nyamiha, Niamiha rivers. As the capital, Minsk has a special administrative status in Belarus and is the administra ...

Postwar

He graduated from the Military Armored Forces Academy in 1954. Bondarev commanded a tank battalion, tank regiment, and the 16th Guards Tank Division. In 1970, he graduated from the Military Academy of the General Staff. On 13 May 1970, Bondarev became commander of the 29th Army at

Ulan-Ude Ulan-Ude (; , ; , ) is the capital city of Buryatia, Russia, located about southeast of Lake Baikal on the Uda River, Buryatia, Uda River at its confluence with the Selenga River, Selenga. According to the Russian Census (2021), 2021 Census, 43 ...

, a position he held until 12 June 1972. In 1973 he was appointed deputy commander of the

for combat training, and later held the same position in the

. He retired in 1984 with the rank of lieutenant general. On 11 March 1985, Bondarev was awarded the

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. Bondarev became a member of the Presidium of the Council of Veterans of the Republic of Belarus. He lived in

Moscow Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...

Arbat District Arbat District () is a administrative divisions of Moscow, district of Central Administrative Okrug of the federal cities of Russia, federal city of Moscow, Russia. Population: The district extends from central Mokhovaya Street west to Novoar ...

. He became a member of the Presidium of the Council of War Veterans, Labor, Armed Forces, and Law Enforcement of the Arbat District. Bondarev was an honorary veteran of Moscow. In 2008, Bondarev became one of the first people to receive the title "Honorary Resident of the Arbat District". On 25 February 2015, he was awarded the Jubilee Medal "70 Years of Victory in the Great Patriotic War 1941–1945". Bondarev died on 9 June 2016.

Notes

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Bondarev, Stepan 1923 births 2016 deaths People from Dobrush district People from Gomelsky Uyezd Soviet lieutenant generals Soviet military personnel of World War II Recipients of the Order of the Red Banner Burials in Troyekurovskoye Cemetery