Vasily Ivanovich Kuznetsov (Russian: ''Василий Иванович Кузнецов''; – 20 June 1964) was a Soviet general and a

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 ...

Life and career

Kuznetsov was born to a working-class family in Ust-Usolka, Solikamsky Uyezd, Perm Governorate. In April 1915 he was drafted into the

Imperial Russian Army The Imperial Russian Army () was the army of the Russian Empire, active from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was organized into a standing army and a state militia. The standing army consisted of Regular army, regular troops and ...

, taking part in

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

. In March 1916 he completed officer training in

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, attaining the rank of a Podporuchik in July. In August 1918, after the

October Revolution The October Revolution, also known as the Great October Socialist Revolution (in Historiography in the Soviet Union, Soviet historiography), October coup, Bolshevik coup, or Bolshevik revolution, was the second of Russian Revolution, two r ...

, he joined 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 ...

, serving in the

Russian Civil War The Russian Civil War () was a multi-party civil war in the former Russian Empire sparked by the 1917 overthrowing of the Russian Provisional Government in the October Revolution, as many factions vied to determine Russia's political future. I ...

first as a company commander and later as a deputy regimental commander. In October 1923 he was appointed commander of 89th Rifle Regiment. He joined the Communist Party in 1928. During 1929 he undertook advanced officers' training, and he graduated from the Frunze Academy in 1936. In October 1936 he became the 99th Rifle Division's commander. In July 1937, he was transferred to head the 16th Rifle Corps. During September 1939, Komkor Kuznetsov participated in the

Invasion of Poland The invasion of Poland, also known as the September Campaign, Polish Campaign, and Polish Defensive War of 1939 (1 September – 6 October 1939), was a joint attack on the Second Polish Republic, Republic of Poland by Nazi Germany, the Slovak R ...

as chief of the Vitebsk and Polotsk Army Groups. On 4 June 1940, with the introduction of new ranks, he became a lieutenant general.

World War 2

On 22 June 1941, Kuznetsov's 3rd Army was stationed in Belarus, as part of the Western Front. It was overwhelmed and surrounded by German forces. In July, he and the remains of his formation broke out and returned to the Soviet lines. This feat earned him praise from Stalin when he issued Order No. 270. In late August, he was sent to command the Southwestern Front's 21st Army, but his force suffered crushing defeat once more in the Battle of Kiev. On October, he was appointed to command the Kharkov Military District, but reassigned to head the 1st Shock Army on 23 November, with which he took part in the Battle of Moscow. His units liberated Klin and Solnechnogorsk. In February 1942, the Army relocated to the north, taking part in the Demyansk operation. On July, Kuznetsov was given command of the 63rd Army, positioned near Stalingrad. The formation was renamed 1st Guards Army on November. For his conduct in the campaign, Kuznetsov was awarded the Order of Suvorov 1st Class. On 25 March 1943 he was promoted to the rank of Colonel General. The 1st Guards later took part in the battles for the Donbass region and in the Dniepr crossing. On 15 December, Kuznetsov was appointed Bagramyan's deputy in the 1st Baltic Front. In this capacity he participated in the campaigns for

Belarus Belarus, officially the Republic of Belarus, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by Russia to the east and northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Belarus spans an a ...

, the Baltics and

East Prussia East Prussia was a Provinces of Prussia, province of the Kingdom of Prussia from 1772 to 1829 and again from 1878 (with the Kingdom itself being part of the German Empire from 1871); following World War I it formed part of the Weimar Republic's ...

. The Front was disbanded on late February 1945, and Kuznetsov assumed command over the 1st Belorussian's 3rd Shock Army on 16 March. The Army was involved in the urban fighting inside Berlin; On 30 April, one of its formations, the 150th Rifle Division, stormed the Reichstag. Its soldiers hoisted the Victory Banner atop of the building.

Post-war career

On 29 May 1945, Kuznetsov was awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union (Medal no. 6460) for his performance. After the war, he remained the 3rd Army's commander in Germany for a while, then attended the Voroshilov Academy, graduating in 1948. He served as chairman of the Voluntary Society for Cooperation with the Army and later of DOSAAF. From 1953 to 1957, he headed the Volga Military District. Until his retirement in 1960, he served in the Ministry of Defense. Kuznetsov was a deputy in the 2nd and 4th Convocations of the

Supreme Soviet The Supreme Soviet () was the common name for the legislative bodies (parliaments) of the Soviet socialist republics (SSR) in the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR). These soviets were modeled after the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, establ ...

.Kuznetsov on Hrono.ru.
/ref> He died in Moscow in 1964.

Honours and awards

;Soviet Union ;Foreign Awards

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kuznetsov, Vasily 1894 births 1964 deaths People from Cherdynsky District People from Solikamsky Uyezd Communist Party of the Soviet Union members Second convocation members of the Soviet of the Union Fourth convocation members of the Soviet of the Union Soviet colonel generals Russian military personnel of World War I Soviet military personnel of the Russian Civil War People of the Soviet invasion of Poland Soviet military personnel of World War II Frunze Military Academy alumni Heroes of the Soviet Union Recipients of the Order of Lenin Recipients of the Order of the Red Banner Recipients of the Order of Suvorov, 1st class Recipients of the Order of Suvorov, 2nd class Burials at Novodevichy Cemetery Knights of the Virtuti Militari Recipients of the Order of the Cross of Grunwald, 3rd class Commanders of the Legion of Honour