Semyon Kurkotkin

Semyon Konstantinovich Kurkotkin (Семё́н Константи́нович Курко́ткин; February 13, 1917 – September 16, 1990) was appointed Marshal of the Soviet Union in 1983.

He commanded the Transcaucasus Military District in 1968–1971 and the Soviet forces stationed in East Germany since 1971. Kurkotkin was appointed Assistant Minister of Defense in 1972.

Kurkotkin was born near Moscow and attended a technical college in the capital before joining the Red Army in 1937. He completed the Oryol tank school in 1939 and a political school in 1941.

During World War II Kurkotkin fought in the armoured corps rising to become a brigade commander. Kurkotkin fought with the Voronezh Front and later the 1st Ukrainian Front.

After the war Lieutenant Colonel Kurkotkin attended the Malinovsky Armoured Forces Academy and became a tank division commander in 1951. He completed the General Staff Academy in 1958 and was promoted to General.

He commanded the Transcaucasus Military District in 1968–1971 and the Group of Soviet forces, stationed in East Germany (1971/72). Kurkotkin was appointed Assistant Minister of Defense in 1972 in charge of rear echelon areas. In 1988 he became one of the Inspector Generals of the Soviet Army.

Honours and awards

 * Soviet awards
 * Hero of the Soviet Union (18 February 1981, Medal № 11,452) "for his contribution to the training and combat readiness of troops, personal courage and bravery shown in combat with the Nazi invaders during the Great Patriotic War"
 * Five Orders of Lenin (31 October 1967, 11 February 1977, 31 May 1980, 18 February 1981, 19 February 1986)
 * Order of the October Revolution (May 1972)
 * Order of Red Banner, three times (19 February 1942, 31 January 1943, 7 October 1944)
 * Order of Kutuzov, 2nd class (April 1945)
 * Order of Bogdan Khmelnitsky, 2nd class (May 1945)
 * Order of the Patriotic War, 1st class, twice (18 May 1944, 6 April 1985)
 * Order of the Red Star (20 April 1953)
 * Order for Service to the Homeland in the Armed Forces of the USSR, 3rd class
 * Medal "For Distinction in Guarding the State Border of the USSR"
 * Medal "For the Liberation of Prague"
 * Medal "For Strengthening Military Cooperation"
 * Foreign awards
 * Order of Sukhbaatar (Mongolia)
 * Order "Red Banner" (Mongolia)
 * Patriotic Order of Merit, 1st class (GDR)
 * Commander of the Order of Polonia Restituta (Poland)
 * Cross of Valour (Poland)
 * Czechoslovakian Order of the Red Banner
 * Scharnhorst Order, twice (GDR)
 * Order Tudor Vladimirescu, 1st class (Romania)