Alexei Burdeinei
Encyclopedia
Oleksi Semenovich Burdeinei (Ukrainian
: Олексій Семенович Бурдейний, Russified: Алексей Семёнович Бурдейный [Alexei Semionovich Burdeinei]. 18 October 1908, Zhytomir, Russian Empire
- 21 April 1987, Moscow
, Soviet Union
) was a Soviet general.
and worked in a factory at his native town. He joined the Communist Party
already at 1928. On June 1931, he was drafted into the Red Army
, completing training in the Saratov
Armored Force School the following year. From March 1932 he commanded a platoon in a mechanized brigade stationed near Kalynivka. On September 1935 he was assigned to command a company in the 5th Tank Corps. At September 1937 he entered the Academy of Mechanized and Motorized Services, graduating on May 1940 to become the deputy intelligence officer of the 53rd Tank Regiment. On October, he was made assistant to the operations department chief in the staff of the 4th Mechanized Corps.
, Burdeinei became a senior assistant to the Mechanized Forces' chief of operations in the 37th Army. On August 1941 he took over the 3rd Armored Brigade's 3rd Regiment. On January the next year he was posted as the 2nd Armored Brigade chief of staff.
On April 1942, when the 24th Tank Corps was formed, Burdeinei joined it as chief of staff to General Badanov
. The Corps was sent to engage the advancing German forces in the South, and was nearly wiped out in the fighting near the Don River
, during July. On late October, the unit has recovered after several months on the reserve. It was assigned to the Southwestern Front
and took part in the Battle of Stalingrad
. On December, the Corps destroyed the Tatsinskaya Airport
and was renamed 2nd Tatsinskaya Guards Tank Corps in honor of this operation. After the Battle of Stalingrad the Corps was made part of the Voronezh Front
on March. On the 26 June 1943, Colonel Burdeinei assumed command over the Corps, holding the post to the end of the war. As such, he participated in the Battle of Kursk
, and was promoted to Major General on 31 August. On 3 July 1944, during Operation Bagration, his units were the first to enter Minsk and liberated the city. He was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant General on the 2 November 1944. The Corps later took part in the Baltic
, East Prussian
, Vistula-Oder
and Berlin
operations. For his leadership during the Minsk Offensive he was awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union
(Medal no. 5026) on 19 April 1945.
's deputy commander for tank armament. On January 1958, he was posted as deputy commander for training, and from May 1960 he served as the First Deputy Commander of the District.
At August 1963, he was assigned as the Chief of the Central Armored Directorate in the Ministry of Defence. On August 1970 he was appointed representative of the Warsaw Pact Chief-of-Staff in the East German National People's Army
, and retired from the Armed Forces on January 1974.
Beside his military career, he was also an honorary citizen of Minsk since 1967 and a deputy in the 3rd Convocation of the Ukrainian SSR
's Supreme Soviet. A street in Minsk was named after him.
Ukrainian language
Ukrainian is a language of the East Slavic subgroup of the Slavic languages. It is the official state language of Ukraine. Written Ukrainian uses a variant of the Cyrillic alphabet....
: Олексій Семенович Бурдейний, Russified: Алексей Семёнович Бурдейный [Alexei Semionovich Burdeinei]. 18 October 1908, Zhytomir, Russian Empire
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia and the predecessor of the Soviet Union...
- 21 April 1987, Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
, Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
) was a Soviet general.
Early life
Born to a workers' family, he graduated from a RabfakRabfak
Rabfak was the Workers' Faculty in the Soviet Union. It prepared Soviet workers to enter institutions of higher education....
and worked in a factory at his native town. He joined the Communist Party
Communist Party of the Soviet Union
The Communist Party of the Soviet Union was the only legal, ruling political party in the Soviet Union and one of the largest communist organizations in the world...
already at 1928. On June 1931, he was drafted into the Red Army
Red Army
The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army started out as the Soviet Union's revolutionary communist combat groups during the Russian Civil War of 1918-1922. It grew into the national army of the Soviet Union. By the 1930s the Red Army was among the largest armies in history.The "Red Army" name refers to...
, completing training in the Saratov
Saratov
-Modern Saratov:The Saratov region is highly industrialized, due in part to the rich in natural and industrial resources of the area. The region is also one of the more important and largest cultural and scientific centres in Russia...
Armored Force School the following year. From March 1932 he commanded a platoon in a mechanized brigade stationed near Kalynivka. On September 1935 he was assigned to command a company in the 5th Tank Corps. At September 1937 he entered the Academy of Mechanized and Motorized Services, graduating on May 1940 to become the deputy intelligence officer of the 53rd Tank Regiment. On October, he was made assistant to the operations department chief in the staff of the 4th Mechanized Corps.
World War II
Soon after the beginning of Operation BarbarossaOperation Barbarossa
Operation Barbarossa was the code name for Germany's invasion of the Soviet Union during World War II that began on 22 June 1941. Over 4.5 million troops of the Axis powers invaded the USSR along a front., the largest invasion in the history of warfare...
, Burdeinei became a senior assistant to the Mechanized Forces' chief of operations in the 37th Army. On August 1941 he took over the 3rd Armored Brigade's 3rd Regiment. On January the next year he was posted as the 2nd Armored Brigade chief of staff.
On April 1942, when the 24th Tank Corps was formed, Burdeinei joined it as chief of staff to General Badanov
Vasily Badanov
Vasily Mikhaylovich Badanov 14 December 1895, Verkhnyaya Yakushka1 April 1971, Moscow) was a Soviet military officer and general, best known for his leadership in the Tatsinskaya Raid and subsequent command of the 4th Tank Army .-Biography:...
. The Corps was sent to engage the advancing German forces in the South, and was nearly wiped out in the fighting near the Don River
Don River (Russia)
The Don River is one of the major rivers of Russia. It rises in the town of Novomoskovsk 60 kilometres southeast from Tula, southeast of Moscow, and flows for a distance of about 1,950 kilometres to the Sea of Azov....
, during July. On late October, the unit has recovered after several months on the reserve. It was assigned to the Southwestern Front
Soviet Southwestern Front
The Southwestern Front was a name given to a Front by the Imperial Russian Army during the First World War, by the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic during the Russian Civil War, and by the Red Army during the Second World War.The Southwestern Front in this article describes several...
and took part in the Battle of Stalingrad
Battle of Stalingrad
The Battle of Stalingrad was a major battle of World War II in which Nazi Germany and its allies fought the Soviet Union for control of the city of Stalingrad in southwestern Russia. The battle took place between 23 August 1942 and 2 February 1943...
. On December, the Corps destroyed the Tatsinskaya Airport
Tatsinskaya Raid
The Tatsinskaya Raid was a Soviet armoured raid deep into the German rear conducted by 24th Tank Corps under the command of Major General Vasily Mikhaylovich Badanov in late December 1942, during the last phases of the Battle of Stalingrad . It was designed to force the Germans to divert forces...
and was renamed 2nd Tatsinskaya Guards Tank Corps in honor of this operation. After the Battle of Stalingrad the Corps was made part of the Voronezh Front
Voronezh Front
The Voronezh Front was a front 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 town of Voronezh on the Don River....
on March. On the 26 June 1943, Colonel Burdeinei assumed command over the Corps, holding the post to the end of the war. As such, he participated in the Battle of Kursk
Battle of Kursk
The Battle of Kursk took place when German and Soviet forces confronted each other on the Eastern Front during World War II in the vicinity of the city of Kursk, in the Soviet Union in July and August 1943. It remains both the largest series of armored clashes, including the Battle of Prokhorovka,...
, and was promoted to Major General on 31 August. On 3 July 1944, during Operation Bagration, his units were the first to enter Minsk and liberated the city. He was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant General on the 2 November 1944. The Corps later took part in the Baltic
Battle of the Baltic (1944)
The Baltic Offensive, also known as the Baltic Strategic Offensive, denotes the campaign between the German Army Group North and the northern Fronts of the Red Army in the Baltic States during the autumn of 1944. Commander - General Hovhannes Bagramyan...
, East Prussian
East Prussian Offensive
The East Prussian Offensive was a strategic offensive by the Red Army against the German Wehrmacht on the Eastern Front . It lasted from 13 January to 25 April 1945, though some German units did not surrender until 9 May...
, Vistula-Oder
Vistula-Oder Offensive
The Vistula–Oder Offensive was a successful Red Army operation on the Eastern Front in the European Theatre of World War II; it took place between 12 January and 2 February 1945...
and Berlin
Battle of Berlin
The Battle of Berlin, designated the Berlin Strategic Offensive Operation by the Soviet Union, was the final major offensive of the European Theatre of World War II....
operations. For his leadership during the Minsk Offensive he was awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union
Hero of the Soviet Union
The title Hero of the Soviet Union was the highest distinction in the Soviet Union, awarded personally or collectively for heroic feats in service to the Soviet state and society.-Overview:...
(Medal no. 5026) on 19 April 1945.
Post-war years
On May 1946, Burdeinei was assigned as the 7th Mechanized Army's chief of staff. He studied at the Voroshilov Academy from December 1947 to February 1950. At October 1950, he became the commander of the 8th Mechanized Army, a position he held until June 1953. At April 1954, He was transferred to serve as the Belorussian Military DistrictBelorussian Military District
The Byelorussian Military District was a military district of the Soviet Armed Forces. Originally in the times of Russian Civil War it formed as the Western Front, and in April 1924 it was renamed to the Western Military District. In October 1926 it was redesignated the Belorussian Military...
's deputy commander for tank armament. On January 1958, he was posted as deputy commander for training, and from May 1960 he served as the First Deputy Commander of the District.
At August 1963, he was assigned as the Chief of the Central Armored Directorate in the Ministry of Defence. On August 1970 he was appointed representative of the Warsaw Pact Chief-of-Staff in the East German National People's Army
National People's Army
The National People’s Army were the armed forces of the German Democratic Republic .The NVA was established in 1956 and disestablished in 1990. There were frequent reports of East German advisors with Communist African countries during the Cold War...
, and retired from the Armed Forces on January 1974.
Beside his military career, he was also an honorary citizen of Minsk since 1967 and a deputy in the 3rd Convocation of the Ukrainian SSR
Ukrainian SSR
The Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic or in short, the Ukrainian SSR was a sovereign Soviet Socialist state and one of the fifteen constituent republics of the Soviet Union lasting from its inception in 1922 to the breakup in 1991...
's Supreme Soviet. A street in Minsk was named after him.
Honours and awards
- Hero of the Soviet UnionHero of the Soviet UnionThe title Hero of the Soviet Union was the highest distinction in the Soviet Union, awarded personally or collectively for heroic feats in service to the Soviet state and society.-Overview:...
(including Order of Lenin and Gold Star medal - № 5026, 19 April 1945) - for skillful command of a tank corps in the Belorussian operation, exemplary fulfillment of the command in the battles against the Nazi invaders, and for his heroism and courage - Two Orders of Lenin
- Order of the Red BannerOrder of the Red BannerThe Soviet government of Russia established the Order of the Red Banner , a military decoration, on September 16, 1918 during the Russian Civil War...
, four times - Order of SuvorovOrder of SuvorovThe Order of Suvorov is a Soviet award, named after Aleksandr Suvorov , that was established on July 29, 1942 by a decision of the Presidium of Supreme Soviet of the USSR. This decoration was created to award senior army personnel for exceptional leadership in combat operations...
, 2nd Class, twice - Order of KutuzovOrder of KutuzovThe Order of Kutuzov is a Soviet and Russian military award, named after famous Russian Field Marshal Mikhail Illarionovich Kutuzov ....
, 2nd class - Order of the Patriotic WarOrder of the Patriotic WarThe Order of the Patriotic War is a Soviet military decoration that was awarded to all soldiers in the Soviet armed forces, security troops, and to partisans for heroic deeds during the German-Soviet War, known by the former-Soviet Union as the Great Patriotic War.- History :The Order was...
, 1st class - Order of the Red StarOrder of the Red StarEstablished on 6 April 1930, the Order of the Red Star was an order of the Soviet Union, given to Red Army and Soviet Navy personnel for "exceptional service in the cause of the defense of the Soviet Union in both war and peace". It was established by Resolution of the Presidium of the CEC of the...
- Honorary citizen of the hero cityHero CityHero City is a Soviet honorary title awarded for outstanding heroism during the German-Soviet War of 1941 to 1945. It was awarded to twelve cities of the Soviet Union. In addition the Brest Fortress was awarded an equivalent title of Hero-Fortress...
of MinskMinsk- Ecological situation :The ecological situation is monitored by Republican Center of Radioactive and Environmental Control .During 2003–2008 the overall weight of contaminants increased from 186,000 to 247,400 tons. The change of gas as industrial fuel to mazut for financial reasons has worsened...
External links
- Alexei Burdeinei on Generals.dk.