Ios Teper
Encyclopedia
Iosif Zeusovich "Ios" Teper (born 12 July 1915), Soviet
war veteran, was born in Odessa
, Ukraine
, which was then part of the Russian Empire
. He worked on a collective farm until the German invasion of the Soviet Union
in June 1941, when he joined the Red Army
. He served until June 1947.
Teper started the war as a platoon commander and finished it in the Divisional Artillery Intelligence group as a Captain. Because of his short stature, Teper was employed as a forward observer for the artillery, at great personal risk, and was wounded three times. At one time he stood in freezing water for three days while watching the German lines before a Soviet advance. He fought at the Battle of Stalingrad
, then took part in the battles for the Ukraine and Belarus
before advancing into Poland
in the army of Marshal of the Soviet Union
Konstantin Rokossovsky
.
After the fall of Warsaw
he took part in the advance from the Vistula
to the Oder
, where he took part in the capture of Frankfurt-on-Oder
, and then in the fierce fighting that led to the fall of Berlin in April 1945. He engaged in hand-to-hand fighting in the suburbs of Berlin, and was present at the capture of the Reichstag. After the fall of Berlin Teper's his unit advanced to the west, and met up with American forces on 1 May.
Teper was awarded the Order of the Red Banner
, the second-highest Soviet war decoration, for his conduct during the Battle of Berlin
. He also holds the 1st class Order of the Patriotic War
, the Order of the Red Star
, the Defence of Stalingrad Medal, the Liberation of Warsaw
Medal, the Capture of Berlin Medal and the Zhukov Medal. He also holds medals marking the 20th, 40th and 50th anniversaries of the Soviet victory, and marking the 50th, 60th and 70th anniversaries of the founding of the Red Army. He also holds an Israel
i medal given to Jewish veterans of the Red Army.
After the war Teper he spent two years on occupation duties in eastern Germany, and at one time administered the town of Erfurt
. He always felt, however, that anti-Semitic prejudice limited his ability to receive promotions. He was then demobilised and returned home to Odessa, where he held positions in the collective farm administration until his retirement. After the fall of the Soviet Union, disillusioned with increasing anti-Semitism
in Ukraine, he migrated with his family to Melbourne
, Australia
, where he now lives. He is Vice-President of the Victorian Association of Veterans of World War II from the Ex-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....
war veteran, was born in Odessa
Odessa
Odessa or Odesa is the administrative center of the Odessa Oblast located in southern Ukraine. The city is a major seaport located on the northwest shore of the Black Sea and the fourth largest city in Ukraine with a population of 1,029,000 .The predecessor of Odessa, a small Tatar settlement,...
, Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
, which was then part of the 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...
. He worked on a collective farm until the German invasion of the Soviet Union
Operation 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...
in June 1941, when he joined 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...
. He served until June 1947.
Teper started the war as a platoon commander and finished it in the Divisional Artillery Intelligence group as a Captain. Because of his short stature, Teper was employed as a forward observer for the artillery, at great personal risk, and was wounded three times. At one time he stood in freezing water for three days while watching the German lines before a Soviet advance. He fought at 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...
, then took part in the battles for the Ukraine and Belarus
Belarus
Belarus , officially the Republic of Belarus, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe, bordered clockwise by Russia to the northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Its capital is Minsk; other major cities include Brest, Grodno , Gomel ,...
before advancing into Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
in the army of Marshal of the Soviet Union
Marshal of the Soviet Union
Marshal of the Soviet Union was the de facto highest military rank of the Soviet Union. ....
Konstantin Rokossovsky
Konstantin Rokossovsky
Konstantin Rokossovskiy was a Polish-origin Soviet career officer who was a Marshal of the Soviet Union, as well as Marshal of Poland and Polish Defence Minister, who was famously known for his service in the Eastern Front, where he received high esteem for his outstanding military skill...
.
After the fall of Warsaw
Warsaw
Warsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly from the Baltic Sea and from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population in 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855 residents with a greater metropolitan area of 2,631,902 residents, making Warsaw the 10th most...
he took part in the advance from the Vistula
Vistula
The Vistula is the longest and the most important river in Poland, at 1,047 km in length. The watershed area of the Vistula is , of which lies within Poland ....
to the Oder
Oder
The Oder is a river in Central Europe. It rises in the Czech Republic and flows through western Poland, later forming of the border between Poland and Germany, part of the Oder-Neisse line...
, where he took part in the capture of Frankfurt-on-Oder
Frankfurt (Oder)
Frankfurt is a town in Brandenburg, Germany, located on the Oder River, on the German-Polish border directly opposite the town of Słubice which was a part of Frankfurt until 1945. At the end of the 1980s it reached a population peak with more than 87,000 inhabitants...
, and then in the fierce fighting that led to the fall of Berlin in April 1945. He engaged in hand-to-hand fighting in the suburbs of Berlin, and was present at the capture of the Reichstag. After the fall of Berlin Teper's his unit advanced to the west, and met up with American forces on 1 May.
Teper was awarded the Order of the Red Banner
Order of the Red Banner
The Soviet government of Russia established the Order of the Red Banner , a military decoration, on September 16, 1918 during the Russian Civil War...
, the second-highest Soviet war decoration, for his conduct during the Battle of 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....
. He also holds the 1st class Order of the Patriotic War
Order of the Patriotic War
The 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...
, the Order of the Red Star
Order of the Red Star
Established 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...
, the Defence of Stalingrad Medal, the Liberation of Warsaw
Warsaw
Warsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly from the Baltic Sea and from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population in 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855 residents with a greater metropolitan area of 2,631,902 residents, making Warsaw the 10th most...
Medal, the Capture of Berlin Medal and the Zhukov Medal. He also holds medals marking the 20th, 40th and 50th anniversaries of the Soviet victory, and marking the 50th, 60th and 70th anniversaries of the founding of the Red Army. He also holds an Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
i medal given to Jewish veterans of the Red Army.
After the war Teper he spent two years on occupation duties in eastern Germany, and at one time administered the town of Erfurt
Erfurt
Erfurt is the capital city of Thuringia and the main city nearest to the geographical centre of Germany, located 100 km SW of Leipzig, 150 km N of Nuremberg and 180 km SE of Hannover. Erfurt Airport can be reached by plane via Munich. It lies in the southern part of the Thuringian...
. He always felt, however, that anti-Semitic prejudice limited his ability to receive promotions. He was then demobilised and returned home to Odessa, where he held positions in the collective farm administration until his retirement. After the fall of the Soviet Union, disillusioned with increasing anti-Semitism
Anti-Semitism
Antisemitism is suspicion of, hatred toward, or discrimination against Jews for reasons connected to their Jewish heritage. According to a 2005 U.S...
in Ukraine, he migrated with his family to Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, where he now lives. He is Vice-President of the Victorian Association of Veterans of World War II from the Ex-Soviet Union.