Vasily Pavlovich Sokolov (; 16 June 1902 – 7 January 1958) 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 ...

major 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 ...

. After conscript service as a junior officer, Sokolov became a ''

militsiya ''Militsiya'' ( rus, милиция, 3=mʲɪˈlʲitsɨjə, 5=, ) were the police forces in the Soviet Union until 1991, in several Eastern Bloc countries (1945–1992), and in the Non-Aligned Movement, non-aligned Socialist Federal Republic ...

'' officer but was recalled to active duty in the early 1930s. He held staff positions and after

Operation Barbarossa Operation Barbarossa was the invasion of the Soviet Union by Nazi Germany and several of its European Axis allies starting on Sunday, 22 June 1941, during World War II. More than 3.8 million Axis troops invaded the western Soviet Union along ...

served as a division chief of staff and regimental commander. Sokolov commanded the

45th Rifle Division The 45th Rifle Division was a Red Army infantry division formed originally during the Russian Civil War that fought in World War II and then served through the Cold War in the Leningrad Military District. The division was originally formed 16 J ...

during the

Battle of Stalingrad The Battle of Stalingrad ; see . rus, links=on, Сталинградская битва, r=Stalingradskaya bitva, p=stəlʲɪnˈɡratskəjə ˈbʲitvə. (17 July 19422 February 1943) was a major battle on the Eastern Front of World War II, ...

, and continued in that position after the division became the 74th Guards Rifle Division. Severely wounded in late 1943, he returned to action as commander of the 60th Guards Rifle Division. Sokolov led the latter for the remainder of the war and was made a Hero of the Soviet Union for his leadership of it during the

Battle of Berlin The Battle of Berlin, designated as the Berlin Strategic Offensive Operation by the Soviet Union, and also known as the Fall of Berlin, was one of the last major offensives of the European theatre of World War II. After the Vistula–Od ...

. Postwar, he held posts with the

Soviet Military Administration in Germany The Soviet Military Administration in Germany (; ''Sovyetskaya Voyennaya Administratsiya v Germanii'', SVAG; , SMAD) was the Soviet military government, headquartered in Berlin- Karlshorst, that directly ruled the Soviet occupation zone in German ...

and finished his career in the 1950s as an advisor to the East German military.

Early life and prewar service

Russian Russian(s) may refer to: *Russians (), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries *A citizen of Russia *Russian language, the most widely spoken of the Slavic languages *''The Russians'', a b ...

, Sokolov was born to a peasant family on 16 June 1902 in the village of Kamenitsy in

Smolensk Governorate Smolensk Governorate () was an administrative-territorial unit ('' guberniya'') of the Tsardom of Russia, the Russian Empire, and the Russian SFSR. It existed, with interruptions, between 1708 and 1929. Smolensk Governorate, together with seven o ...

. He graduated from primary school and worked as a laborer before graduating from a

vocational school A vocational school (alternatively known as a trade school, or technical school), is a type of educational institution, which, depending on the country, may refer to either secondary education#List of tech ed skills, secondary or post-secondar ...

. Conscripted into 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 ...

in October 1924, he was sent to the one-year cadet detachment of the 22nd Rifle Regiment of the 8th Rifle Division at

Bobruisk Babruysk (, ) or Bobruysk (, ; , ) is a city in Mogilev Region, Belarus. It serves as the administrative center of Babruysk District, though it is administratively separated from the district. It is situated on the Berezina River. Babruysk o ...

. After graduating in November 1925, he re-enlisted for another year and remained with the 22nd as a junior commander. Transferred to the reserve in September 1926, Sokolov worked as a senior ''

'' officer, chief of criminal investigations, and assistant chief of the district ''militsiya'' department in Cherepanovo. He rose to inspector of the ''militsiya'' sub-department of the

Tomsk Tomsk (, ) is a types of inhabited localities in Russia, city and the administrative center of Tomsk Oblast in Russia, on the Tom (river), Tom River. Population: Founded in 1604, Tomsk is one of the oldest cities in Siberia. It has six univers ...

Okrug Administrative Department in May 1929, and in 1930 began studying at the physical and mathematical sciences department of the

Tomsk State University The National Research Tomsk State University, TSU () is a public research university located in Tomsk, Russia. The university, which opened in 1888, was the first university in the Asian part of Russia and, in practice, the first Russian univ ...

. Recalled from the university by the army on 15 January 1932, Sokolov was appointed a platoon commander in the 232nd Tomsk Rifle Regiment of the

78th Rifle Division The 78th Rifle Division () was an infantry division of the Red Army, formed in 1932, in Novosibirsk, in the Siberian Military District. After being used to provide cadres for new divisions, in September 1939 the division was reformed for the secon ...

. He became chief of the 4th department of the staff of the division in June 1933 and in January 1935 was appointed chief of staff of a battalion of the 232nd Rifle Regiment. Transferred to the 313th Rifle Regiment of the

105th Rifle Division The 105th Rifle Division () was an infantry division of the Red Army. Formed in the 1930s, the division spent World War II on the border in Primorye, seeing its only combat in the Soviet invasion of Manchuria. It was disbanded shortly after the ...

of the

Special Red Banner Far Eastern Army The Special Far Eastern Army, later the Special Red Banner Far Eastern Army () was a military formation of the Red Army, active from 1929 to 1938 and under command of Vasily Blyukher. It was activated on 6 August 1929, originally with the 18th a ...

in August of that year, Sokolov served as assistant regimental chief of staff and acting reconnaissance company. Sent to study at the

Frunze Military Academy The M. V. Frunze Military Academy (), 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 (), was a military academy of the Soviet and later the Russian Armed Forces ...

in September 1937, Sokolov became chief of the reconnaissance department of the staff of the 51st Rifle Division after his graduation in October 1939. With the 51st, Sokolov fought in the

Winter War The Winter War was a war between the Soviet Union and Finland. It began with a Soviet invasion of Finland on 30 November 1939, three months after the outbreak of World War II, and ended three and a half months later with the Moscow Peac ...

in the fighting on the

Karelian Isthmus The Karelian Isthmus (; ; ) is the approximately stretch of land situated between the Gulf of Finland and Lake Ladoga in northwestern Russia, to the north of the River Neva. Its northwestern boundary is a line from the Bay of Vyborg to the we ...

, and was awarded the

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 ...

. Appointed chief of the operational department of the division staff in June 1940, he participated in the

Soviet occupation of Bessarabia Between 28 June and 3 July 1940, the Soviet Union occupied Bessarabia and Northern Bukovina, following an ultimatum made to Romania on 26 June 1940 that threatened the use of force. Those regions, with a total area of and a population of 3,776, ...

. In May 1941, now a

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

, Sokolov was transferred to hold the same position with the 3rd Airborne Corps, forming at Pervomaysk.

World War II

After

began, Sokolov's unit was relocated to the vicinity of

Kiev Kyiv, also Kiev, is the capital and most populous List of cities in Ukraine, city of Ukraine. Located in the north-central part of the country, it straddles both sides of the Dnieper, Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2022, its population was 2, ...

and fought in the battle for the city. Appointed corps chief of staff in August, Sokolov served with the corps in defensive actions in the area of

Oster Oster (, ; ) is a city in Chernihiv Raion, Chernihiv Oblast, Ukraine. It is located where the Oster River flows into the Desna. Oster hosts the administration of Oster urban hromada, one of the hromadas of Ukraine. Its population is Today O ...

Konotop Konotop ( ) is a city in Sumy Oblast, northeastern Ukraine. Konotop serves as the administrative center of Konotop Raion within the oblast. Konotop is located about from Sumy, the administrative center of the oblast. It is host to Konotop Ai ...

, and Belopolets in September before it retreated towards

Kursk Kursk (, ) is a types of inhabited localities in Russia, city and the administrative center of Kursk Oblast, Russia, located at the confluence of the Kur (Kursk Oblast), Kur, Tuskar, and Seym (river), Seym rivers. It has a population of Kursk ...

. In the fighting, the corps was surrounded for five days before it broke out to reach Soviet lines. The corps subsequently fought in the area of Tim, where it was reorganized into the

87th Rifle Division The 87th Rifle Division was an infantry division of the Red Army, active before, during the Second World War and afterwards. First formation It formed in the first half of 1936 in the Kiev Military District as the personnel division for the def ...

of the 40th Army. In the latter, Sokolov, now a

major Major most commonly refers to: * Major (rank), a military rank * Academic major, an academic discipline to which an undergraduate student formally commits * People named Major, including given names, surnames, nicknames * Major and minor in musi ...

, was appointed commander of the 283rd Rifle Regiment. When the 87th was converted into the

13th Guards Rifle Division The 13th Guards Poltava Order of Lenin Twice Red Banner Orders of Suvorov and Kutuzov Rifle Division () was an infantry division of the Red Army that was highly decorated during World War II. Formed in January 1942 from the 87th Rifle Divisio ...

in March 1942, his regiment became the 42nd Guards. Sokolov was appointed commander of the

, which was on the defensive in the area of Novoposelok, Leshchplota, Bogdanovka, Milovatka, and Selishche, on 10 March. After the division was surrounded, he was ordered to conduct a fighting retreat towards

Stary Oskol Stary Oskol (, ) is a city in Belgorod Oblast, Russia, located south of Moscow. Population: It is called ''Stary Oskol'' () to distinguish it from Novy Oskol () located south. Both are on the Oskol River. History Oskol was first mentioned i ...

by the

Bryansk Front The Bryansk Front () was a Front (military formation), major formation of the Red Army during the World War II, Second World War. First Formation (August - November 1941) General Andrei Yeremenko was designated commander of the Front when it fi ...

command on 3 July. By 20 July the division had broken out and was relocated to Krasny Liman, Voronezh Oblast for rebuilding. The division was sent to the

Stalingrad Front The Stalingrad Front was a front, a military unit encompassing several armies, of the Soviet Union's Red Army during the Second World War. The name indicated the primary geographical region in which the Front first fought, based on the city of St ...

on 18 October, joining the

62nd Army The 62nd Army () was a field army established by the Soviet Union's Red Army during the Second World War. History The Army was formed on 28 May 1942 as the 7th Reserve Army, a part of the Reserve of the Supreme High Command. The formation wa ...

in the

. For the next hundred days Sokolov led the 45th in fierce fighting at the Krasny Oktyabr and Barrikady factories. For its actions in the urban combat, the 45th was converted into the 74th Guards Rifle Division on 1 March 1943, with Sokolov, who was promoted to major general on the same day, continuing in command. After the end of the surrender of the German troops trapped in Stalingrad, Sokolov's division remained in the city for several weeks with the

Stalingrad Group of Forces Volgograd,. geographical renaming, formerly Tsaritsyn. (1589–1925) and Stalingrad. (1925–1961), is the largest city and the administrative centre of Volgograd Oblast, Russia. The city lies on the western bank of the Volga, covering an area o ...

. The 74th Guards became part of the 29th Guards Rifle Corps of the army, which was converted into the

8th Guards Army The 8th Guards Order of Lenin Combined Arms Army (abbreviated 8th GCAA) was an army of the Soviet Army, as a successor to the 62nd Army of the Soviet Union's Red Army, which was formed during World War II and was disbanded in 1998 after being do ...

, and participated in the construction of a defensive line on the left bank of the Oskol. From May they defended positions on the

Seversky Donets The Seversky Donets () or Siverskyi Donets (), usually simply called the Donets (), is a river on the south of the East European Plain. It originates in the Central Russian Upland, north of Belgorod, flows south-east through Ukraine (Kharkiv ...

, and from July fought in the

Izyum–Barvenkovo Offensive The Izyum–Barvenkovo offensive (17 July 1943 – 27 July 1943) was a Soviet offensive operation of the Southwestern Front against part of German Army Group South during the World War II. The aim of the operation was to tie down German reserve ...

and the Donbass Strategic Offensive. During the latter, on 9 September, Sokolov was severely wounded in the area of

Barvenkovo Barvinkove (, ) is a city in Izium Raion, Kharkiv Oblast, Ukraine. It hosts the administration of Barvinkove urban hromada, one of the communities of Ukraine. Population: History Barvinkove was first mentioned in 1653. At the beginning of it ...

and evacuated to a hospital. After recovering, he returned to the 74th Guards, but on 29 November was relieved of command. Given command of the 60th Guards Rifle Division in December, Sokolov led it for the rest of the war. With the 6th Army of the 3rd Ukrainian Front, the division fought in the Nikopol–Krivoi Rog Offensive and the

Bereznegovatoye–Snigirevka Offensive The Bereznegovatoye–Snigirevka offensive (Russian: Березнеговато-Снигирёвская Наступательная Операция, Bereznegovato-Snigirovskaya Nastupatel'naya Operatsiya) was an offensive operation conducted i ...

in the first months of 1944, advancing . In late March the division was transferred to the 46th Army for the

Odessa Offensive The Odessa Offensive Operation (Russian language, Russian: Одесская Наступательная Операция, Odesskaya Nastupatel'naya Operatsiya), known on the German side as the Defensive battle of the 6th Army between Bug and Dni ...

, and on 14 April crossed the

Dniester The Dniester ( ) is a transboundary river in Eastern Europe. It runs first through Ukraine and then through Moldova (from which it more or less separates the breakaway territory of Transnistria), finally discharging into the Black Sea on Uk ...

near

Olănești Olănești is a village in Ștefan Vodă District, Moldova. On 23 February 1932, in front of Olănești, at the Soviet bank of the Dniester river, 40 out of a group of 60 unarmed ethnic Romanians from Transnistria who were attempting to escape fr ...

and fought to retain its bridgehead. Sokolov led the division in the

Second Jassy–Kishinev Offensive The second (symbol: s) is a unit of time derived from the division of the day first into 24 hours, then to 60 minutes, and finally to 60 seconds each (24 × 60 × 60 = 86400). The current and formal definition in the International System of U ...

as part of the

5th Shock Army The 5th Shock Army was a Red Army field army of World War II. The army was formed on 9 December 1942 by redesignating the 10th Reserve Army. The army was formed two times prior to this with neither formation lasting more than a month before bein ...

, during which it fought to capture Kishinev. Transferred with the army to the

1st Belorussian Front The 1st Belorussian Front (, ''Pervyy Belorusskiy front'', also romanized " Byelorussian"), known without a numeral as the Belorussian Front between October 1943 and February 1944, was a major formation of the Red Army during World War II, bein ...

in November 1944, Sokolov led the division in the Vistula–Oder Offensive and the

Berlin Offensive The Battle of Berlin, designated as the Berlin Strategic Offensive Operation by the Soviet Union, and also known as the Fall of Berlin, was one of the last major offensives of the European theatre of World War II. After the Vistula–Od ...

in 1945. In the Vistula–Oder Offensive, the division broke through German defenses on 14 January and in fifteen days advanced to capture a bridgehead on the west bank of the

Oder The Oder ( ; Czech and ) is a river in Central Europe. It is Poland's second-longest river and third-longest within its borders after the Vistula and its largest tributary the Warta. The Oder rises in the Czech Republic and flows through wes ...

. During the Berlin Offensive, the division captured

Altlandsberg Altlandsberg () is a historic town in the district of Märkisch-Oderland, in Brandenburg, Germany. It is situated about east of Berlin. History Altlandsberg was first mentioned in a 1230 deed, it was located at the site of a former Slavic ( Spre ...

, then fought its way into Berlin, capturing the quarters of

Biesdorf Biesdorf is a municipality in the district of Bitburg-Prüm, in Rhineland-Palatinate, western Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to ...

Friedrichsfelde Friedrichsfelde () is a German locality (''Ortsteil'') within the borough (''Bezirk'') of Lichtenberg, Berlin. History The locality was first mentioned in a document of 1265 with the name of ''Rosenfelde''. In 1699 it was renamed Friedrichsfelde ...

Rummelsburg Rummelsburg () is a subdivision or neighborhood (''Ortsteil'') of the Boroughs and neighborhoods of Berlin, borough (''Bezirk'') of Lichtenberg, Berlin, Lichtenberg of the German capital, Berlin. History Rummelsburg was founded in 1669. On 30 Jan ...

. Sokolov was made a

on 29 May for his leadership of the division, which was awarded the

Order 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 Union, Soviet award established on ...

, 2nd class for its actions.

Postwar

After the end of the war, Sokolov continued to command the division as part of the

Group of Soviet Occupation Forces in Germany The Western Group of Forces (WGF), previously known as the Group of Soviet Occupation Forces in Germany (GSOFG) and the Group of Soviet Forces in Germany (GSFG), were the troops of the Soviet Army in East Germany. The Group of Soviet Occupation ...

(GSOVG). After it was disbanded in December 1946, Sokolov was appointed chief of the military department of the Military Directorate of the

(SVAG) in March 1947. From November 1948 he was chief of the combat training department and deputy chief of the

Commandant's Service Commandant's Service was the name for the military police of some Warsaw PactWarsaw Pact Ground Forces, Gordan Rottman, Osprey Publishing Elite 10, p 49 Coprwyrite 1987 and other armies. Its principal duties were providing garrison security and t ...

and Combat Training Directorate of the SVAG. Having completed the Higher Academic Course at the Voroshilov Military Academy between May 1949 and June 1950, Sokolov was sent to the

Leningrad Military District The Order of Lenin Leningrad Military District () is a military district of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. The district was awarded the Order of Lenin in 1968. In 2010, it was merged with the Moscow Military District, the Northern ...

to command the 45th Guards Rifle Division. In October 1952 he returned to the GSOVG, where he became senior military advisor to the chief of the territorial directorate under the ''

Kasernierte Volkspolizei The Kasernierte Volkspolizei () (KVP) was the precursor to the National People's Army (NVA) in East Germany. Their original headquarters was in Adlershof Boroughs and neighborhoods of Berlin, locality in East Berlin, and from 1954 in Strausber ...

''. Retired in March 1956, Sokolov lived in

Voronezh Voronezh ( ; , ) 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 the Southeastern Railway, which connects wes ...

, where he died on 7 January 1958.

Awards and honors

Sokolov was a recipient of the following decorations: *

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 ...

(2) *

Order 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 S ...

(3) *

, 2nd class *

Order of Kutuzov The Order of Kutuzov ( ''orden Kutuzova'') is a military decoration of the Russian Federation named after famous Russian Field Marshal Mikhail Kutuzov, Mikhail Illarionovich Kutuzov (1745–1813). The Order was established during World War II t ...

, 2nd class * Order of Bogdan Khmelnitsky, 2nd class *

(2) * Medals * Foreign orders and medals

References

Citations

Bibliography

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Sokolov, Vasily Pavlovich 1902 births 1958 deaths People from Smolensk Oblast People from Sychyovsky Uyezd Communist Party of the Soviet Union members Soviet major generals Frunze Military Academy alumni Military Academy of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Soviet Union alumni Soviet military personnel of the Winter War Soviet military personnel of World War II 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, 2nd class Recipients of the Order of Kutuzov, 2nd class Recipients of the Order of Bogdan Khmelnitsky (Soviet Union), 2nd class