Vladimir Vasilyevich Rusakov (; 30 December 1909 – 12 October 1951) 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. After joining the Red Army at the end of the 1920s, Rusakov became a junior officer and served in the

Soviet Far East The Russian Far East ( rus, Дальний Восток России, p=ˈdalʲnʲɪj vɐˈstok rɐˈsʲiɪ) is a region in North Asia. It is the easternmost part of Russia and the Asian continent, and is coextensive with the Far Eastern Fe ...

before graduating from 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 ...

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 ...

. He spent the first year of the war before being sent to the 14th Guards Rifle Division, which he commanded for much of 1943 before being relieved of command for slow fulfillment of orders. Within two weeks, he returned to command, this time of the 58th Guards Rifle Division. Rusakov led the division for the rest of its existence as it advanced westward, aside from several months recovering from a wound. It was the first Soviet unit to link up with American troops in late April 1945. Postwar Rusakov held brigade and division command but died of illness in 1951.

Early life and prewar service

Born on 30 December 1909 in Cheplyaev,

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 ...

, Rusakov joined the Red Army and entered the Vladivostok Infantry School on 15 September 1929. After graduating from the school, he was sent to the 5th Amur Rifle Regiment of the 2nd Priamur Rifle Division, with which he served as a machine gun platoon commander, acting machine gun company commander, and training platoon commander. Transferred to the Nikolayevsk-on-Amur

Fortified Region A fortified district or fortified region (, ukreplyonny raion, ukrepraion) in the military terminology of the Soviet Union, is a territory within which a complex system of defense fortifications was engineered. Each fortified district consiste ...

of the Special Red Banner Far Eastern Army in June 1935, Rusakov became commander of the 8th Separate Machine Gun Company and acting chief of staff of the right-bank sector. He was sent to study at the

in July 1940.

World War II

As a result of the outbreak of

, Rusakov's course was accelerated and on 12 September he graduated. With the rank of

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 ...

, he became a liaison officer at the

General Staff A military staff or general staff (also referred to as army staff, navy staff, or air staff within the individual services) is a group of officers, Enlisted rank, enlisted, and civilian staff who serve the commanding officer, commander of a ...

for rifle divisions. Serving as a senior officer of the General Staff at the

Northwestern Front The Northwestern Front (Russian: ''Северо-Западный фронт'') was a military formation of the Red Army during the Winter War and World War II. It was operational with the 7th and 13th Armies during the Winter War. It was re-c ...

headquarters from December, Rusakov became a General Staff officer at army headquarters in March 1942. In July of that year he was appointed chief of the 1st staff department of the 14th Guards Rifle Division, reforming at Budarino with the 63rd Army. Between 10 and 13 August the division marched to the area of Bukanovskaya and reached positions on the left bank of the

Don River The Don () is the fifth-longest river in Europe. Flowing from Central Russia to the Sea of Azov in Southern Russia, it is one of Russia's largest rivers and played an important role for traders from the Byzantine Empire. Its basin is betwee ...

. On the night of 20 August, the division crossed the river and captured a bridgehead on the right bank, fighting in a counterattack on the left flank of the German forces in Stalingrad. The division continued to fight in this bridgehead until 18 November 1942, when

Operation Uranus Operation Uranus () was a Soviet 19–23 November 1942 strategic operation on the Eastern Front of World War II which led to the encirclement of Axis forces in the vicinity of Stalingrad: the German Sixth Army, the Third and Fourth Romani ...

began. The division fought with the 5th Tank Army and later the 1st Guards Army in the offensive and in October Rusakov became commander of the 38th Guards Rifle Regiment of the division before becoming division chief of staff in December. Rusakov and the 14th Guards fought in

Operation Little Saturn Operation Little Saturn () was a Red Army offensive on the Eastern Front of World War II that led to battles in Don and Chir rivers region in German-occupied Soviet Union territory in 16–30 December 1942. The success of Operation Uranus, lau ...

in the second half of December, during which the division captured Bokovskaya and Morozovsk, cutting off rail access to Stalingrad, then advanced towards

Voroshilovgrad Luhansk (, ; , ), also known as Lugansk (, ; , ), is a city in the Donbas in eastern Ukraine. As of 2022, the population was estimated to be making Luhansk the Cities in Ukraine, 12th-largest city in Ukraine. Luhansk served as the administra ...

. During

Operation Gallop Operation Gallop () was a Soviet Army operation on the Eastern Front of World War II. The operation was part of a series of counteroffensives after the encirclement of Stalingrad (now Volgograd) following the German Summer offensive in 1942 ...

, Rusakov succeeded to command of the division on 26 January 1943 as it advanced with the 3rd Guards Army. By 15 April, the division was relocated to the Belyi Kholodets area to take up defensive positions as a result of the German counteroffensive in the

Third Battle of Kharkov The Third Battle of Kharkov was a series of battles on the Eastern Front (World War II), Eastern Front of World War II, undertaken by Nazi Germany's Army Group South against the Soviet Red Army, around the city of Kharkov between 19 February ...

. With the 57th Army of the

Steppe Front The Steppe Front () was a front of the Red Army during the Second World War which existed from July to October 1943. History On 9 July 1943, Stavka designated a new Reserve Front in the Voronezh region, that had been effective since 30 April.G ...

, Rusakov led the division in the Belgorod–Kharkov Offensive, then in the advance into

Left-bank Ukraine The Left-bank Ukraine is a historic name of the part of Ukraine on the left (east) bank of the Dnieper River, comprising the modern-day oblasts of Chernihiv, Poltava and Sumy as well as the eastern parts of Kyiv and Cherkasy. Left-bank Ukrain ...

. In early September, after the capture of Merefa and the crossing of the Mzha River, the 57th Army did not see further offensive success. Rusakov, by then a

colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...

, was relieved of command of the division on 11 September for failing to timely comply with an order to capture Mikhailovka and Borki, and demoted to chief of staff of the 58th Guards Rifle Division. Rusakov joined the 58th Guards during fighting for Krasnograd, for which it received the name of the city as an honorific. During the

Battle of the Dnieper The Battle of the Dnieper was a military campaign that took place in 1943 on the Eastern Front of World War II. Being one of the largest operations of the war, it involved almost four million troops at one point and stretched over a front. Ov ...

, on 24 September, he was given command of the division and tasked with crossing the Dnieper north of Verkhnedneprovsk. As part of the 27th Guards Rifle Corps of the 57th Army, the division was one of the first to cross the Dnieper north of Verkhnedneprovsk and captured a bridgehead on the right bank. Thirteen soldiers of the division were made

Heroes 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 t ...

for their actions and the 58th Guards was commended for its actions in the capture of Verkhnedneprovsk on 22 October. Between January and March 1944, the division fought in the Nikopol–Krivoi Rog Offensive, the Bereznegovatoye–Snigirevka Offensive, and 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 ...

as part of the 37th Army. During the Odessa Offensive, Rusakov was wounded on 13 March and was evacuated to a hospital, where he remained until July. Having recovered, he returned to the 58th Guards, which he commanded for the rest of its existence, being promoted to major general on 13 September 1944. Rusakov led the division as part of the 34th Guards Rifle Corps of the

5th Guards Army The 5th Guards Army was a Soviet Guards formation which fought in many critical actions during World War II under the command of General Aleksey Semenovich Zhadov. The 5th Guards Army was formed in spring 1943 from the 66th Army in recognition o ...

in the Sandomierz–Silesian Offensive, the Lower Silesian Offensive, the Upper Silesian Offensive, the Berlin Offensive, and the Prague Offensive. The division was decorated for its breakthrough of German defenses near Oppeln and capture of a bridgehead on 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 ...

, and the crossing of the

Neisse The Lusatian Neisse (; ; ; Upper Sorbian: ''Łužiska Nysa''; Lower Sorbian: ''Łužyska Nysa''), or Western Neisse, is a river in northern Central Europe.

. Pursuing retreating German troops, the division was the first in the corps to reach the

Elbe The Elbe ( ; ; or ''Elv''; Upper Sorbian, Upper and , ) is one of the major rivers of Central Europe. It rises in the Giant Mountains of the northern Czech Republic before traversing much of Bohemia (western half of the Czech Republic), then Ge ...

in the vicinity of

Riesa Riesa (; ) is a town in the district of Meißen in Saxony, Germany. It is located on the river Elbe, approximately northwest of Dresden. History The name ''Riesa'' is derived from Slavic ''Riezowe''. This name, romanised as "Rezoa", appears f ...

and

Torgau Torgau () is a town on the banks of the Elbe in northwestern Saxony, Germany. It is the capital of the district Nordsachsen. Outside Germany, the town is best known as where on 25 April 1945, the United States and Soviet Armies first met near ...

and link up with American troops from the 69th Infantry Division in what became known as

Elbe Day Elbe Day, April 25, 1945, is the day Soviet and American troops met at the Elbe River, near Torgau in Germany, marking an important step toward the end of World War II in Europe. This contact between the Soviets, advancing from the east, and ...

on 25 April. On the next day, Rusakov met his 69th Division commander Major General Emil F. Reinhardt, in the first official link-up ceremony. The division ended the war in the Prague Offensive, participating in the capture of

Dresden Dresden (; ; Upper Saxon German, Upper Saxon: ''Dräsdn''; , ) is the capital city of the States of Germany, German state of Saxony and its second most populous city after Leipzig. It is the List of cities in Germany by population, 12th most p ...

on 8 May.

Postwar

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

Central Group of Forces The Central Group of Forces (Russian: Центральная группа войск) was a formation of the Soviet Armed Forces used to incorporate Soviet troops in Central Europe on two occasions: in Austria and Hungary from 1945 to 1955 and tr ...

until it was disbanded, after which he was appointed commander of the 34th Separate Vyborg Brigade of the MVD Troops in July 1946. He completed the one-year Improvement Courses for Rifle Division Commanders at the Frunze Academy in February 1950, after which he was appointed commander of the 63rd Rifle Division of the Primorsky Military District. Suffering from a terminal illness, Rusakov died in Moscow on 12 October 1951.

Awards and honors

Rusakov was a recipient of the following awards and 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 ...

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 ...

(2) *

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 *

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 *

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 ...

* Medals * Foreign orders and medals

References

Citations

Bibliography

* * * 1909 births 1951 deaths People from Smolensk Governorate Soviet major generals Soviet military personnel of World War II 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 {{DEFAULTSORT:Rusakov, Vladimir Frunze Military Academy alumni