Vasily Lomakin

Vasily Andreyevich Lomakin (Russian: Василий Андреевич Ломакин; 28 December 1899-22 July 1943) was a Red Army colonel and posthumous Hero of the Soviet Union. Lomakin led the 195th Tank Brigade at the Battle of Kursk and in Operation Kutuzov. He was killed in action during Operation Kutuzov.

Early life and interwar years
Lomakin was born on 28 December 1899 in Tsarevo village, Saratov Governorate to a peasant family. He graduated from the School of Mines and worked as a press operator. In August 1918, Lomakin joined the Red Army and fought in the Russian Civil War. In 1920, he joined the Communist Party of the Soviet Union.

During the interwar years, Lomakin attended and graduated from the Saratov Commanders Course. He also graduated from several Moscow Military District refresher courses and the Frunze Military Academy.

World War II
At the outbreak of World War II, Lomakin taught at a tank school. He reportedly requested multiple times to go to the front. On 16 June 1943, he was appointed commander of the 195th Tank Brigade of the 15th Tank Corps, part of the 3rd Guards Tank Army. The 3rd Guards Tank Army was sent into battle at Kursk to reinforce the Bryansk Front. On 17 July, the army began to advance and was 10 kilometers from Oleshnya. The army was ordered to break through German defences and develop the offensive in the southwest. After the artillery barrage and air strikes, the army attacked. The tanks crossed the Oleshnya River, but the 113th Tank Brigade encountered stubborn resistance. The 195th Tank Brigade was then sent into combat. Finding a gap in the German defences, the brigade moved forward across the Oleshnya. From 19 to 22 July, Lomakin personally led the brigade. In this period, the brigade reportedly destroyed 20 tanks, 25 guns, 7 self propelled guns, 60 trucks and 3 warehouses. The brigade also reportedly wiped out two German battalions.

On 22 July, the brigade encountered entrenched German troops in the village of Semyonovka in Zalegoshchensky District. Lomakin concluded that the village could only be taken with a flank attack. The 1st and 2nd Tank Battalions of the brigade were ordered to attack. The two battalions cut off the village. Lomakin ordered the 3rd Tank Battalion to conduct a frontal attack. In his command tank, Lomakin participated in the attack. The German troops laid down a heavy artillery barrage, one of the shells hitting Lomakin's tank. The entire crew was wounded and Lomakin decided not to leave the tank. The second German shell hit the tank and it caught fire, killing the crew along with Lomakin. Lomakin was buried in the village.

On 4 June 1944, Lomakin was posthumously awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union and the Order of Lenin.