Heroes 24/03/20 Kirill Korepanov: how the hero of the tanks made the crossing of tanks
the Feat of this soldier of the Soviet Army – one of the many proofs of that the Russian soldiers forged the Victory, no matter what hardships and dangers of their fiction in the most critical cases.
As he was a full Chevalier of the order of Glory
On the official website of the Ministry of defense of the Russian Federation there is a short biography of Kirill Korepanov. Veteran of the great Patriotic’ve lived 68 years and the Second world met 17-year-old boy. The son of a peasant, was born in the village of the intercession of the Artemovsky district of Sverdlovsk region.
In the official biography Korepanova references to “pontoon-tank” the crossing of the Oder – there is given the information that was contained in award documents, the tanker. Korepanov went to the front 18-year-old. Because in civilian life he was a tractor operator MTS, the choice of the troops where sent to fight the future hero, is quite understandable.
All the “Slav” Korepanov was awarded, mainly in the last military 1945 radio Operator-gunner thirty (T-34) as part of your tank units in Estonia cleverly adjusting artillery fire, his tank was the first iron front the Germans T-34 Korepanova in this battle eliminated the bunker 4 and the same number of enemy guns, thirty-four knocked out Nazi tank and destroyed a lot of Nazis and, in addition – 12 wagon trail wagons of the enemy with arms and ammunition. It was September 1944, and less than a month, issued an order on awarding staff Sergeant Korepanova order of Glory III class.
the Next order of Glory, which in the end, a complete set of these awards, the brave tanker received in Poland. And, judging by the archival data, a knight of the order of Glory Korepanov could not be: in early 1945, he was awarded the “Glory” of “only” the same, III degree (perezarazhenie on the I degree took place only after 21 years). The official version of the feat in the area of the Polish Cento the crew Korepanova crushed 3 guns of the Germans, destroyed 4 firing machine-gun, knocked out a tank and killed more than 20 Germans.
the Second “Glory” Korepanov earned in the battles of Breslau, his tank destroyed 3 enemy guns, 6 machine-gun nests, mortar point with multiple guns and shot down the Nazi armored personnel carrier.
What else was a decorated hero of the
Korepanova was the medal “For military merit” (the most revered soldier award in that war; “just because” it didn’t give anyone). From the order about rewarding: “… Radiotelegrafist T-34 tank of the 2nd tank company Kirill Korepanov G…. in the battle to break through the heavily fortified enemy defenses on the Peninsula of Serve (it’s in Estonia, part of the Saaremaa island) and settlements, from 18 to 24 November 1944… continuously kept radio communication with the radio company and the command post of the regiment…”. In the award document in addition, it is reported that Korepanov then personally killed 12 soldiers and officers from a tank machine gun.
“Red Star” Korepanov was also fighting in Estonia. In the area of human settlements “of Coarsely, yarvi, Customary and Social” (as in the order awarding; in fact, Coarsely – Kuuterselka was Sociali – Social; it is the former Finnish village near Vyborg) radio operator thirty also distinguished by ability to communicate the commander’s tank (the other Soviet military tracked vehicle in the Great Patriotic war simply wasn’t a connection) with the regimental commander and artsmediamag army. In addition, the crew of the T-34 Korepanova eliminated 5 Hitler’s bunkers, 6 different guns, one truck, and “to 55 soldiers and officers”. Separately noted that “tov. Information that personally captured two of the Finns and brought to headquarters.”
On the website “memory of the nation”, which publishes the award documents, there is no page with the excerpt of the order on awarding Korepanova order of Glory II degree (for the other three combat awards they are). The contents of the other award documents petty officer (in this title Korepanov demobilized), in General are similar, the only difference is in the numbers – how much and what T-34 this tank, every time promptly reporting the important radioinformation command, destroyed.
“Tank pontoon”: how found out about it
this was in the mid 70-ies in his book about the famous locals “fortune favors the Brave” written Artemovsk historians of Alexander Brylin and Peter Koverda. They met by the veteran of the great Patriotic war, and Kirill Korepanov told how in February 1945, was induced the most original in the history of world wars crossing the river (the German-Polish section of the Oder). The veteran said that even then, this project seemed like something impossible. No bridges (the retreating Germans blew them up), our demining unit arrived. A time for war, as we know, is not waiting. Therefore, the induced crossings “in two lines” from our tanks where the Oder was already. For this “road” and went to the Soviet armored vehicles.
this fact is very similar to the episode from the Russo-Persian war of 1805, which is known as a feat Gavrila Sidorova. Then Russian soldiers to smuggle guns through the deep ditch, made a bridge of their own bodies.
By the way, Sam Kirill Korepanov never talked about the fact that the idea of “pontoon-tank” crossing belongs to him. In the documents, in addition to books of local lore Alexander Brylin and Peter Cowardy. this fact is generally not reflected.
the civilian – simple workflow
According to the website of the Ministry of defense, Kirill Korepanov after demobilization (in 1947) worked at home as a fitter in locomotive depot (according to the website “Heroes of the country”, before he repaired the tractors at the farm “intercession”). He was buried in his native village of Pokrovskoe in 1993.
Nicholas Syromyatnikov
Source:
© Russian Seven
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