Ivan Otmakhov

Last updated
Ivan Grigoryevich Otmakhov
Native name
Иван Григорьевич Отмахов
Born31 October 1923
Vedosnur, Sernursky District, Mari Autonomous Oblast
Died23 April 1945
AllegianceFlag of the Soviet Union.svg  Soviet Union
Service/branch Red Army
Years of service1942–1945
Rank Lieutenant
Unit 136th Rifle Division
Battles/wars World War II
Awards Hero of the Soviet Union

Order of Lenin
Order of the Red Banner
Order of the Patriotic War 1st and 2nd class

Contents

Order of the Red Star

Ivan Grigoryevich Otmakhov (Russian: Иван Григорьевич Отмахов; 31 October 1923 – 23 April 1945) was a Red Army lieutenant and posthumous Hero of the Soviet Union. Otmakhov was awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union and the Order of Lenin for his actions during the Battle of Danzig in March 1945. [1]

Red Army 1917–1946 ground and air warfare branch of the Soviet Unions military

The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army, frequently shortened to Red Army was the army and the air force of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic, and, after 1922, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. The army was established immediately after the 1917 October Revolution. The Bolsheviks raised an army to oppose the military confederations of their adversaries during the Russian Civil War. Beginning in February 1946, the Red Army, along with the Soviet Navy, embodied the main component of the Soviet Armed Forces; taking the official name of "Soviet Army", until its dissolution in December 1991.

Hero of the Soviet Union Highest award of the USSR awarded to Soviet citizens and foreigners for heroic acts

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.

Order of Lenin Soviet Union award

The Order of Lenin, named after the leader of the Russian October Revolution, was established by the Central Executive Committee on April 6, 1930. The order was the highest civilian decoration bestowed by the Soviet Union. The order was awarded to:

Early life

Otmakhov was born on 31 October 1923 in the village of Vedosnur in Sernursky District, Mari Autonomous Oblast to a peasant family. He was taken to Baley with his parents in 1928 [2] and graduated from sixth grade. Otmakhov then worked at the gold fields and at the mine at the station of Priiskovaya. [1] [3]

Sernursky District District in Mari El Republic, Russia

Sernursky District is an administrative and municipal district (raion), one of the fourteen in the Mari El Republic, Russia. It is located in the northeast of the republic. The area of the district is 1,032 square kilometers (398 sq mi). Its administrative center is the urban locality of Sernur. As of the 2010 Census, the total population of the district was 25,672, with the population of Sernur accounting for 33.8% of that number.

The Mari Autonomous Oblast was created on November 4, 1920, as a region of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic. In 1936 it was re-established as the Mari Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic, which dissolved in 1990, then developing into the modern Mari El Republic within Russian Federation.

Baley, Russia Town in Zabaykalsky Krai, Russia

Baley is a town and the administrative center of Baleysky District in Zabaykalsky Krai, Russia, located on the Unda River, 350 kilometers (220 mi) east of Chita, the administrative center of the krai. Population: 12,533 (2010 Census); 14,797 (2002 Census); 23,898 (1989 Census).

World War II

In March 1942, Otamkhov was drafted into the Red Army. Between August 1942 and April 1943, he fought in a unit on the Southwestern Front. Otmakhov then entered courses for junior lieutenants, graduating in November. He was sent to the front as a rifle platoon commander in the 5th Separate Guards Motor Rifle Brigade. In 1944, he joined the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. [3] During the Nikopol–Krivoi Rog Offensive on 3 February 1944, Otmakhov led his platoon in the attack. He took a machine gun and opened fire on German troops. Together with his platoon, he was among the first to break into the German defenses. During this action, Otmakhov reportedly killed up to 10 German soldiers. For this action, he was awarded the Order of the Red Star on 7 July. [1] [4]

The Southwestern Front was a front of the Red Army during the Second World War, formed thrice.

Communist Party of the Soviet Union Ruling political party of the Soviet Union

The Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU) was the founding and ruling political party of the Soviet Union. The CPSU was the sole governing party of the Soviet Union until 1990, when the Congress of People's Deputies modified Article 6 of the most recent 1977 Soviet constitution, which had granted the CPSU a monopoly over the political system.

Nikopol–Krivoi Rog Offensive 30 January – 29 February 1944 military offensive

The Nikopol–Krivoi Rog Offensive was an offensive by the Red Army's 3rd Ukrainian Front and elements of the 4th Ukrainian Front against the German 6th Army in the area of Nikopol and Krivoi Rog in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast in central Ukraine between 30 January and 29 February 1944. It took place on the Eastern Front of World War II and was part of the wider Dnieper–Carpathian Offensive, a Soviet attack against Army Group South to retake the rest of Ukraine that fell to Germany in 1941.

Otmakhov transferred to become a platoon commander in the 342nd Rifle Regiment of the 136th Rifle Division in March 1944. During the Lvov–Sandomierz Offensive on 15 July, his platoon repulsed 5 tank-supported counterattacks. Otmakhov then reportedly led his platoon into an attack on the Lemushev village (now in Horokhiv Raion), which the platoon captured. Otmakhov only left the battlefield when he was severely wounded. For his actions, he was recommended for the Order of Alexander Nevsky but was instead awarded the Order of the Patriotic War 2nd class on 5 August. [5]

The 136th Rifle Division was a division in the Red Army during World War II. It was formed three times.

Lvov–Sandomierz Offensive military offensive that lasted from 13 July 1944 – 29 August 1944

The Lvov–Sandomierz Offensive or Lvov-Sandomierz Strategic Offensive Operation was a major Red Army operation to force the German troops from Ukraine and Eastern Poland. Launched in mid-July 1944, the Red Army achieved its set objectives by the end of August.

Horokhiv Raion Raion in Volyn Oblast, Ukraine

Horokhiv Raion is a raion in Volyn Oblast in western Ukraine. Its administrative center is the town of Horokhiv. Population: 52,081 (2015 est.)

Otmakhov became a company commander in the regiment's 1st Rifle Battalion during the fall. In October 1944, the 136th Rifle Division was transferred to a bridgehead on the Narew near Serock. On 21 October, he led his company in the attack on the locality of Karolina in Pułtusk County and dislodged German troops from the area. During the pursuit towards the village of Shadki, the company was fired upon by German machine guns and was pinned down. Otmakhov then reportedly took a machine gun and suppressed three German firing positions. The company again advance and captured the village. Otmakhov then led his company to move forward, reaching positions on the right flank of the battalion at the village of Izbica. On 22 October, the German troops reportedly launched 13 tank-supported counterattacks. Otmakhov reportedly inspired the company by his personal example and they destroyed 2 light tanks and 3 other vehicles. Otmakhov was recommended for the Order of the Red Banner but was instead awarded the Order of the Patriotic War 1st class on 6 November. [1] [6]

Narew river

The Narew, in western Belarus and north-eastern Poland, is a right tributary of the Vistula River. The Narew is one of Europe's few braided rivers, the term relating to the twisted channels resembling braided hair.

Serock Place in Masovian, Poland

Serock is a town at the north bank of the Zegrze lake in the Legionowo County, Masovian Voivodeship, Poland, around 40 kilometres north of Warsaw. It has 4,109 inhabitants (2013).

Pułtusk County County in Masovian, Poland

Pułtusk County is a unit of territorial administration and local government (powiat) in Masovian Voivodeship, east-central Poland. It came into being on January 1, 1999, as a result of the Polish local government reforms passed in 1998. Its administrative seat and only town is Pułtusk, which lies 54 kilometres (34 mi) north of Warsaw.

On 14 January 1945, the division launched the Mlawo-Elbing Offensive, part of the East Prussian Offensive, from the bridgehead. During fierce fighting to break through heavily fortified German positions near the village of Stanislav, Otmakhov distinguished himself. On 15 January, during fighting to the west of Kania Góra, Otmakhov reportedly led his company in attacking the German lines multiple times. The company reportedly killed more than 50 German troops, forcing them to retreat to the next trench line. On 16 January, while breaking through German positions at the village of Nun, Otmakhov reached the German mortar battery. Despite heavy fire, he reportedly attacked the German mortar battery and personally killed more than 10 German soldiers. The mortar battery was captured by the company. For his actions, Otmakhov was awarded the Order of the Red Banner on 13 February. [1] [7]

East Prussian Offensive conflict

The East Prussian Offensive was a strategic offensive by the Soviet 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. The Battle of Königsberg was a major part of the offensive, which ended in victory for the Red Army.

Kania Góra Village in Łódź, Poland

Kania Góra is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Zgierz, within Zgierz County, Łódź Voivodeship, in central Poland. It lies approximately 10 kilometres (6 mi) north of Zgierz and 19 km (12 mi) north of the regional capital Łódź.

In February, the division fought in the East Pomeranian Offensive. Otmakhov became the deputy commander of the regiment's 2nd Rifle Battalion. During fierce fighting in Danzig from 23 March, he distinguished himself again. During the battalion's advance toward the airfield, Otmakhov was at the front despite heavy German fire. German troops had created a strongpoint, and Otmakhov led two companies in bypassing the fortifications. Approaching from the southwestern side of the strongpoint, Otmakhov's force broke into the position and reportedly killed more than 150 German soldiers. They also captured 2 armored personnel carriers in serviceable condition. On 27 March, during the fight for Lauental, Otmakhov commanded the assault group. Through his leadership, the assault group cleared the area and cut the Noyfarvasser-Tsigankenberg highway. Several German counterattacks were launched, but they were repulsed. After repulsing a counterattack, the assault group rushed forward at the German positions. This reportedly caused the German units to retreat. While attacking across the Martwa Wisła in Danzig, Otmakhov organized the river crossing despite heavy artillery and machine gun fire. Otmakhov crossed in the first boat and landed on the beach. German troops, reportedly supported by Tiger tanks, attacked and attempted to dislodge the bridgehead. A heavy German artillery barrage hit the small bridgehead, reportedly killing all but a wounded gunner and Otmakhov. Otmakhov reportedly called in artillery fire on his own position, [3] which caused the German troops to retreat. Otmakhov survived unhurt, but was badly wounded on 23 April during the battle for the bridgehead on the west bank of the Oder. He died of his wounds on the same day and was later buried in Pinczow. Otmakhov was posthumously awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union and the Order of Lenin on 29 June. [1] [3] [8]

Legacy

A worker's settlement in Baley was named after Otmakhov. [1] [3] There is also a monument dedicated to him in Vedosnur. [2]

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Ivan Otmakhov". warheroes.ru (in Russian).
  2. 1 2 "Отмахов Иван Григорьевич | ГБУК РМЭ "Национальная библиотека им. С.Г. Чавайна республики Марий Эл"" [Otmakhov Ivan Grigoryevich | GBUK RME "National Library. SG Sergei Chavain Republic of Mari El"]. nb12.ru (in Russian). Retrieved 2016-01-25.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 Shakdov, I.N. (1988). Герои Советского Союза: Краткий биографический словарь [Heroes of the Soviet Union: A Brief Biographical Dictionary] (in Russian). Moscow: Voenizdat. ISBN   5203005362.
  4. ↑ Order No. 21 136th Rifle Division, available online at pamyat-naroda.ru
  5. ↑ Order No. 23 21st Rifle Corps, available online at pamyat-naroda.ru
  6. ↑ Order No. 51 47th Rifle Corps, available online at pamyat-naroda.ru
  7. ↑ Order No. 31 70th Army, available online at pamyat-naroda.ru
  8. ↑ Hero of the Soviet Union citation, available online at pamyat-naroda.ru
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