Konstantin Koroteev

Konstantin Apollonovich Koroteev (Коротеев Константин Аполлонович) (February 25, 1901, village Shcheglovka, Bogodukhovskoy uezd, Kharkiv Oblast – January 4, 1953, Moscow), a Soviet military officer, colonel-general (1944), recipient of the Hero of the Soviet Union (April 6, 1945)

Russian Imperial Army
Konstantin Koroteev was enrolled into the Russian Imperial Army in 1916.

Russian Civil War
In 1918 he joined the Red Army and was a platoon commander. He participated in battles with the White Guards near Lugansk, Millerovo, Belaya Kalitva and Tsaritsyn (later Stalingrad, now Volgograd). At the end of the war fought against rebels and banditry in the Urals.

The interwar period
After the Russian Civil War Konstantin Koroteev was a staff officer. He started his commading career with attending the Higher Officer Training School "Vystrel" in 1926. In 1938 he joined the Communist Party of the Soviet Union.

Between world wars
During the Winter War he was a division commander. Brigadier K.A.Koroteev left-flank commanded a group of the 15th Army of the North-Western Front and led the fighting on the mastery of the islands, Peter Saari and Maximal-Saari in Lake Ladoga.

In March 1940 Konstantin Koroteev headed an infantry corps and was an inspector over infantry in the Leningrad Military District.

In March 1941 Koroteev was appointed commander of the 55th Rifle Corps of the Kiev Special Military District, with whom he entered into World War II.

The rout of the 37th Army
55th Rifle Corps fought on a section of the South-Western Front, defending the Western Ukraine and Kiev direction. Until September 1941 the 37th Army of General Vlasov, which included 55th Rifle Corps, courageously defended the Ukrainian capital. But the 55th Rifle Corps was surrounded by south-east of Kiev, and later disbanded.

Southern Front
in October 1941 appointed commander of the 12th Army of the Southern Front, after it failed to hold the city Dnepropetrovsk and defensive line on the Dnieper. Koroteev directed the actions of the army in the battles in the Donbass region and Rostov defensive operation. The compounds of the enemy army has suffered heavy losses, but under the pressure numerically superior enemy Donbass had to leave. Successfully operated commander in his first major offensive near Rostov in November - December 1941.

Transcaucasian Front
In early September 1942 Koroteev was appointed commander of the 9th Army Transcaucasian Front. Under his command, the fall of 1942, the army waged a fierce and bloody battles on the defensive line Malgobek - Mozdok - Elkhotovo, and did not allow the enemy to Grozny and Baku oil.

January 1, 1943, the 9th Army Major General Koroteev went on the offensive, pursuing the "running away" from the Caucasus enemy. In January, the 9th Army liberated Elkhotovo, Cool, Pyatigorsk, Nevinnomyssk and Armavir. Koroteev brought the 9th Army to the city Slavyansk-on-Kuban.

May 13, 1943, Lieutenant-General K.A.Koroteev was appointed commander of the 37th Army of the North Caucasus Front, which under his leadership was trying to break the "Blue Line" Hitler's defense on the Taman peninsula.

At the head of the 52nd Army
In July 1943, Lieutenant General K.A.Koroteev was appointed commander of the 52nd Army, which took place before the end of the war.

Passing fought over 250 kilometers on the left-bank Ukraine, in November 1943, 52nd army crossed the Dnieper near the city of Cherkassy, a foothold. After long heavy fighting December 14, 1943 Army Corps was released this regional center of Ukraine.

In January–February 1944, the 9th Army in the 2nd Ukrainian Front took part in the Korsun-Shevchenko Operation. As a result, the army out in a large area of the city Zvenigorodka Nazi group was in the "pot".

In March 1944, the army of General Koroteev well in Uman-Botoshanskoy operations, participated in the liberation of the city of Uman, March 11, Department of the Army crossed the Southern Bug River, near the village Dzhulinka Vinnitsa region and seized a bridgehead. Then they crossed the Dniester, and passing through the territory of Moldova, in mid-April reached the approaches to the Romanian city of Iasi.

August 20, 1944 began the Iasi-Kishinev operation of Soviet troops. Colonel General Koroteev and his 52-Army broke through enemy defenses and captured the city of Iasi, and by August 24 came to settlements Khushi - Leovo, where she met with the 57th Army of the 3rd Ukrainian Front. In the next "pot" in Chisinau were compound 5 and the German army corps! By September 4, 1944 Nazi group was dissolved, part of the army captured 65,000 soldiers and officers, about 1,000 guns, many other military equipment.

In September 1944, the 52nd Army was put in reserve rates, and in December - transferred to the 1st Ukrainian Front, and focused on the Sandomierz bridgehead.

January 12, 1945 she went on the offensive, taking part in the Vistula-Oder operation. General sent Koroteev main striking force, with battles overcame the enemy defenses on the River Warta, in the Polish city of Czestochowa, which was released on 17 January 1945. After 2 days, the troops of the 52nd Army approached the city Glogau and the run crossed in the city Oder, capturing a bridgehead on the west bank.

In February 1945, 52 Army participated in the Lower-Silesian operations. Enemy defenses, the army Koroteeva to February 24, 1945 went to the line of the river Neisse. As a result, in the fortress city of Breslau (Wroclaw, Poland) was surrounded garrison in 40000 soldiers.

He participated in the Berlin operation. In May 1945, K.A.Koroteev commanded the army in the last offensive of World War II. After Berlin fell in Czechoslovakia powerful group Nazis refused to capitulate. May 6, 1945, 52, Army went on the offensive, and May 8, its troops had been released Goerlitz, May 9 - Liberec. Only 11 May 1945 the war was over for Colonel General K.A.Koroteev in Mlada Boleslav (the Czech town north-east of Prague).

After the war
After the war he graduated from the Higher Academic Courses of the General Staff Academy in 1947. In the same year he was appointed as a commander of the Transbaikal Military District until March 1951.

Since 1951 - the assistant commander of the North Caucasus Military District.

Since 1950 Konstantin Koroteev was a deputy of the Supreme Soviet.