Leonid Krivoshein is a pilot. Semyon Moiseevich Krivoshein: biography. Ostrogozhskaya men's gymnasium

Correspondents of RIA "Voronezh" with the historian Vladimir Razmustov continue to talk about the heroes of the Great Patriotic War, after whom the streets of Voronezh are named. On Friday, April 8, a special project is dedicated to the memory of a native of Voronezh, Lieutenant General of Tank Forces, Hero of the USSR, Semyon Krivoshein.

Semyon Krivoshein (28.11.1899 - 16.09.1978)

The future general of the tank forces was born in Voronezh in the family of a Jewish handicraftsman, that is, a craftsman who works alone at home. In his autobiography, Krivoshein wrote that, despite a modest income, his parents gave him a good education.

- There is a document on the completion of seven classes by Semyon Krivoshein of the Ostrogozhsky male gymnasium. Previously, the writer studied there. During the war, the building of the gymnasium was badly damaged. In the 80s, it housed a cinema, and now the ruins of the former male gymnasium are closed from prying eyes with large banners, - said the staff of the Ostrogozh Museum of History and Art.

Ostrogozhskaya men's gymnasium

Semyon Krivoshein graduated from the men's gymnasium at the age of 19 and after a few months voluntarily joined the Red Army.

- The revolutionaries were not ashamed of the gymnasium. After all, Lenin was also a high school student, and Kardashov, who began Soviet power in Voronezh, was also a student. The gymnasium gave Semyon Moiseevich a good base, including language. German General Guderian wrote in his memoirs about the Soviet officer Krivosheev, who spoke French well, - said the consultant of the special project, candidate of historical sciences Vladimir Razmustov.

In the Red Army, Krivoshein was in good standing, he went from a soldier to a squadron commander. The first years he served as commissar of cavalry regiments. He took part in battles against the White Guards near Voronezh, Bobrov, Kastornaya, Liski, Rostov, in the Crimea and Moldova. After the Civil War, he served in the 6th Cavalry Division. He graduated from the Frunze Military Academy, and the promising commander was appointed chief of staff of a mechanized regiment.

Krivoshein began his military career as a cavalryman, but became famous as a tanker

- The cavalryman "moved" to the tank. The problem of equipping the Red Army with the latest technology, the mechanization of its formations became more and more urgent in the 30s. Since Krivoshein had a rather good professional education against the background of many other Soviet officers, he was instructed to solve these problems. In 1933 - 1934 he served in the department of mechanization and motorization of the army, then became the commander of a mechanized regiment, - Vladimir Razmustov explained.

From September 1936 to March 1937 Semyon Krivoshein took part in the Spanish Civil War. He led the few tank formations of the Spanish Republic. Krivoshein was an adviser to the head of the training base, commanded a tank detachment, took part in the defense of Madrid. In Spain, the Voronezh fighter under the pseudonym Colonel Melle. For participation in hostilities in Spain, Krivoshein was awarded the Order of Lenin.

In the civil war in Spain, Voronezh Krivoshein was known as "Colonel Melle"

In 1937, Krivoshein was awarded the rank of brigade commander (brigade commander). A year later, he was sent to the Far East as the commander of a mechanized brigade. He took part in battles with the Japanese at Lake Khasan.

After the battles on Khalkhin Gol, the undeclared war with Japan from 1938 to 1939, the famous song "Three Tankmen" was written. It is still the informal anthem of the border and tank forces of the USSR and Russia. The song was first performed in 1939 in the movie "Tractor Drivers".

In 1939, events took place in the biography of Krivoshein, which have recently begun to be actively discussed in different countries. A photo of a Voronezh resident with the German General Guderian was circulated on the Internet. They smile on it. The picture was taken in Brest.

Semyon Krivoshein (right) and Heinz Guderian (center)

- This photo was preceded by the official procedure for transferring Brest and the Brest Fortress, located on the territory of Poland, to the Soviet side. The Germans had to leave Poland, but they wanted to do it with greater benefit for themselves. The German side insisted on the solemn transfer of Brest in order to use it as a propaganda action confirming the "friendship" of the countries. Later, in his "Memories of a Soldier," Guderian referred to this event as a "farewell parade." But in his memoirs "Mezhburye" Semyon Krivoshein says that after the negotiations, the ceremony was reduced to a solemn march of German units leaving the city, - said the historian Vladimir Razmustov.

The Germans agreed, but with a small reservation. Guderian asked to be present on the podium from the Soviet brigade commander during the passage of German troops through the city. It was then that a scandalous photograph of smiling Krivoshein and Guderian was taken. Historians believe that with this photograph Germany tried in every possible way to show England and France that the USSR was its ally, while in the USSR itself they wanted to emphasize their neutrality.

- Now in various articles one can often find criticism of the Red Army, allegedly German Nazis and Soviet communists marched in a single march across Brest. This is not true! The German propaganda service took many pictures that day, but none of the pictures show the passage of the Red Army troops in front of the stands. And all because the Soviet soldiers did not participate in the march, - Vladimir Razmustov explained. - Very little time passed, and in 1941, soldiers under the command of Krivoshein defeated the headquarters of Guderian's tank group near the city of Propoisk. He himself, however, then escaped. And in 1944 Semyon Moiseevich returned to Brest again - with his soldiers he liberated the city from the German invaders.

Semyon Krivoshein from the first days participated in the Great Patriotic War

Semyon Krivoshein was on the fronts of the Great Patriotic War from the first days. He began to fight as the commander of the 25th Mechanized Corps, which fought against the Nazi invaders as part of the 21st Army on the Western, Central and Bryansk Fronts. Krivoshein took part in the Smolensk defensive battle near the cities of Rogachev, Zhlobin, Gomel. Semyon Krivoshein was known as a good commander, so in the fall of 1941 he was recalled to the rear to be responsible for the combat training of armored forces.

Krivoshein returned to the front in 1943, led the third mechanized corps. In August 1943, Semyon Krivoshein was promoted to lieutenant general. From February 7, 1943 to February 9, 1944 he fought on the Voronezh and 1st Ukrainian fronts. Participated in the Battle of Kursk, Belgorod-Kharkov, Zhitomir-Berdichev offensive operations. In one of the battles he was seriously wounded.

- In 1944, after treatment, General Krivosheev returned to duty. From February 10, 1944 until the end of the war, he commanded the 1st Mechanized Corps of the 2nd Guards Tank Army. He fought on the 1st Ukrainian and 1st Belorussian fronts, liberated Belarus. From June 25 to August 25, 1944, Krivoshein's tankmen attacked 950 km, liberating 1.2 thousand settlements independently and in cooperation with other troops. The peak of Krivoshein's military career was the capture of Berlin, for which he received the title of Hero of the USSR, - said the historian Vladimir Razmustov.

The order on conferring the title of Hero of the USSR to Semyon Krivosheev was signed on May 29, 1945

“The Nazis defend themselves with stubbornness. All streets are crossed by barricades, littered with boulders. Essentially, there are no squares or squares - everywhere there are trenches, dugouts, firing positions for infantry, artillery and tanks. Huge plumes of black smoke rise and hang over Berlin. The city is on fire ... Our troops are slowly liberating house by house, street by street: they penetrate deeper and deeper into the center of Hitler's lair. In the section of my corps, the battle reached its highest tension. The fascists of the 35th mechanized brigade show especially strong resistance. The soldier's talents were developed to the full extent: dexterity, courage, fearlessness and resourcefulness. One of the houses, where the walls are more than a meter thick, began to take over from the basement. Then they fought for the stairwell of the first floor, for every room in it. To get from one room to another, thick checkers were used. They punched holes in the thick walls of the room. The soldiers skillfully used every protrusion of the stove and fireplaces for shelter.

From the book of Lieutenant General Semyon Krivoshein "Soldiers of Victory"

November 28, 1899 - September 16, 1978

Soviet military leader, lieutenant general of tank forces, Hero of the Soviet Union

Biography

early years

Semyon Moiseevich Krivoshein was born on November 28, 1899 in the city of Voronezh in the family of an artisan (Jew). He graduated from the 7th grade of the gymnasium.

In 1918 he volunteered for the Red Army. Member of the Civil War.

In 1918-1919 he was a soldier of the 107th Infantry Regiment, then a Red Army soldier of the 12th Cavalry Regiment of the 12th Infantry Division.

From November 1919 - Commissioner of the squadron of the 34th cavalry regiment of the 6th cavalry division.

In 1920 he served as commissar of the 31st, 33rd and 34th cavalry regiments.

Between the wars

With the end of the Civil War, he moved from political to command positions - chief of the brigade's reconnaissance, platoon commander, squadron commander in the 5th Cavalry Division.

In 1926 he graduated from the command staff courses in Novocherkassk.

In 1928-1931 he studied at the Frunze Military Academy.

In 1931-1933 - Chief of Staff of the 7th Mechanized Regiment of the 7th Cavalry Division.

In 1933-1934 he was assistant to the head of the 1st department of the mechanization and motorization department of the Red Army.

In 1934-1936 he was the commander of the 6th mechanized regiment of the 6th cavalry division.

Spain, Hasan, Poland, Finland

In 1936, Krivoshein volunteered to take part in the Spanish Civil War, where he commanded tank units in the defense of Madrid.

Upon his return from Spain, he was appointed commander of the 8th Mechanized Brigade of the Separate Red Banner Far Eastern Army. He took part in battles with the Japanese at Lake Hasan in 1938.

In 1939, Krivoshein commanded the 29th light tank brigade, with which he participated in the Soviet-Polish war.

On September 22, 1939, brigade commander S. M. Krivoshein, together with the German general G. Guderian, took part in the ceremony of handing over Brest nad Bug to the USSR (the so-called "joint parade in Brest").

In 1940, S. M. Krivoshein took part in the Soviet-Finnish war. On February 27, the 29th light tank brigade under his command, consisting of 256 T-26 tanks, was transferred from Brest. On March 13, together with the 34th Rifle Corps, it seized the city of Vyborg by storm.

At the end of the war, he was appointed commander of the 15th motorized division.

With the introduction of general ranks in the Red Army, the decree of the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR of June 4, 1940, Krivoshein was awarded the military rank of Major General.

In June-December 1940 - the commander of the 2nd tank division of the 3rd mechanized corps, then - the head of the Auto-Armored Directorate of the Baltic Special Military District.

From April 1941 - commander of the 25th Mechanized Corps.

The Great Patriotic War

With the beginning of the war, S. M. Krivoshein fought with German troops on the Central Front, took part in the defense of Mogilev.

From October 1941, he was the head of the combat training department of the Main Auto-Armored Directorate of the Red Army.

Since February 1943, S.M.Krivoshein is again at the front - he commanded the 3rd Mechanized Corps (later the 8th Guards), with which he took part in the Battle of Kursk.

On August 21, 1943, Major General SM Krivoshein was awarded the military rank of "Lieutenant General of Tank Forces."

In October 1943, S. M. Krivoshein was wounded and until February 1944 he was recovering.

From February 10, 1944 until the end of the war, Lieutenant General of Tank Forces S.M.Krivoshein was the commander of the 1st Krasnograd Mechanized Corps, who distinguished himself in crossing the Shchara River, liberating the cities of Slonim and Brest. But especially - in the Berlin operation and in street battles in the capital of Germany - the city of Berlin.

For skillful corps command and personal courage, by the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of May 29, 1945, Guards Lieutenant General of Tank Forces Krivoshein Semyon Moiseevich was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union with the Order of Lenin and the Gold Star medal.

After the war

At the end of the war, S. M. Krivoshein was appointed commander of the 1st mechanized division.

In 1946-1950 he was the head of the tactics department of the MV Frunze Military Academy.

1950-1952 - Commander of the Armored and Mechanized Troops of the Odessa Military District.

In 1952-1953 he was a student of the Higher Academic Courses at the Military Academy of the General Staff.

Buried in Moscow.

Awards

• three Orders of Lenin
• three Orders of the Red Banner
• Order of Kutuzov 1st degree
• Order of Suvorov 2nd degree
• Order of the Red Star
• medals
• Awarded the title of "Honorary Citizen of the City of Brest".

Memory

The following names were named after S.M.Krivoshein:

• motor ship of the Ministry of River Fleet.
• streets in Voronezh and Brest.
• street in the city of Builder of the Belgorod region.

Essays

Wrote 4 books of memoirs:

• "Through the storms"
• "Mezhburye"
• "Chongars"
• "Warrior story"

The revolution changed the fate of the young man. Already in 1918, he was sent to fight against its opponents as part of the Red Army. During the Civil War, Semyon Krivoshein had to fight, both in the infantry and in the cavalry. In 1919, he somewhat moved up the career ladder - he took the position of squadron commissar. A year later, a successful political worker becomes a regiment commissar.

After the final suppression of the internal opponents of the Soviet regime, the former Voronezh high school student Semyon Moiseevich Krivoshein decides to stay in the army. At first he commanded a reconnaissance detachment, then a platoon, and then a squadron.

In 1926, Semyon Krivoshein, realizing the insufficiency of his military education, decides to enroll in the command staff courses, which were operating at that time in the city of Novocherkassk. Then he studied at the Frunze Academy.

After graduation, the promising commander was appointed chief of staff of the mechanized regiment. The problem of equipping the Red Army with the latest technology, the mechanization of its formations became more and more urgent in the 30s. Having a rather good professional education against the background of many other Soviet officers, our hero was directed to perform this important work. He ended up in one of the departments of the Department of Mechanization of the Army.

Since 1934, Semyon Krivoshein has been in command of the mechanized regiment, in practice implementing the innovations developed in the Directorate.

In 1936, the Civil War began in distant Spain. From the very beginning, the Soviet Union began to provide assistance to local republicans. Money and weapons flowed to the homeland of Cervantes and Velazquez, and Soviet volunteers set off. Among the latter was Semyon Moiseevich Krivoshein, and the native of Voronezh had to take a Spanish name and surname. It fell to him to lead the few tank formations of the Spanish Republic, to participate in a number of important battles, including in the defense of Madrid.

Returning to his homeland, Semyon Krivoshein began to command a mechanized brigade stationed in the Far East. During the conflict with Japan near Lake Khasan, the brigade commander took part in battles against the troops of the Land of the Rising Sun.

In 1939, already commanding a tank brigade, Semyon Krivoshein took part in the occupation of the territory of Poland by Soviet troops, together with the Germans. Moreover, the red commander even attended a military parade in the city of Brest with the troops of Nazi Germany. There is a photograph in which a Jew (!) Semyon Moiseevich Krivoshein stands next to one of the most promising military leaders of the Nazi regime at that time, General Guderian.

Semyon Krivoshein also fought against Finland in 1940. His 29th brigade of two and a half hundred T-26 tanks entered Vyborg on March 13, which has since become Soviet territory. In the same year, after the war, the brigade commander again received a promotion - he was appointed commander of a motorized division. And in the summer of the same year, the government of the Soviet Union adopted a decree on the introduction of general ranks in the army. Semyon Moiseevich Krivoshein becomes Major General.

At the beginning of World War II, an officer takes part in it on the Central Front. Since the fall of 1941, Semyon Krivoshein has been in the rear - he is responsible for the combat training of armored forces. In 1943, the general returned to the front again, in charge of the third mechanized corps. After a while, for its successful actions, this unit will become a guards unit. In August 1943, Semyon Moiseevich Krivoshein was promoted to lieutenant general. However, in the fall, he was overtaken by a serious wound and knocked out the commander until next year.

The general continued the war as commander of the 1st Mechanized Corps. The troops of Semyon Krivoshein especially distinguished themselves during the assault on the capital of Nazi Germany, Berlin, as well as in urban battles on its territory. For personal courage and qualified command of the corps during the period of this operation, the commander became a Hero of the Soviet Union. The decree conferring this rank on the general was issued on May 29, 1945.

After the Victory, Semyon Krivoshein held a number of important posts in the Soviet army, taught at the Frunze Academy, and in 1953 he was transferred to the reserve.
The general died in 1976 in Moscow, where he was buried.

In the homeland of Semyon Moiseevich Krivoshein, in Voronezh, they remember their outstanding countryman. One of the streets of the city bears his name.

If you ask who he is, most will think for a long time. The rest will remember: this is the one who marched in Brest with Guderian ...

Yes, this is probably the most famous page in the biography of Semyon Moiseevich Krivoshein. But it did not start with her and did not end with her.

The son of a Voronezh Jewish handicraftsman Shimon Krivoshein joined the Red Army as a volunteer in 1918. By 1920 he was already a commissar of a cavalry regiment.

After graduating from the Academy. Frunze went on the technical side: in May 1931 he was appointed chief of staff of the 7th Mechanized Regiment (7th Cavalry Division), in February 1933 he served in the Department of Motorization and Mechanization of the Red Army, and in May 1934 he became commander 6th mechanized regiment of the Cossack division. Later he was appointed commander of the 8th mechanized brigade.

Spain

In September 1936, two groups of Soviet volunteer tankers led by brigade commander Pavlov and colonel Krivoshein arrived in Spain. The total number is about 80 people, 50 T-26 tanks. The main task is to train Spanish tankers at the Archena training center (90 km from Cartagena). But the situation, as always, demanded the immediate introduction of tanks into battle.

The first battle took place on 10/29/36 near Sesena, southwest of Madrid. A tank company (15 T-26) under the command of P.M. Arman took part, consisting of 34 Soviet (tank commanders and driver mechanics) and 11 Spanish (tower shooters) tankers. Of the 15 T-26s that entered the battle, 5 vehicles remained in service by 11/17/36.

On November 1, in the same place, near Valdemoro (5 km south of Sesinha), the entire tank group of S. Krivoshein (pseudonym - "Colonel Melle"), consisting of 23 T-26s, six BAI armored cars and three FAIs, struck at the Francoists.

Among the largest attempts at counteroffensive by the Republicans is the raid on November 28-29 from the Valdemoro area to the town of Talavera de la Reina to the rear of the Francoist forces. Krivoshein's tank group took the most active part in it. This offensive reached the city of Talavera. For a couple of days it pulled several divisions away from Madrid, but ended in nothing.

After returning to the USSR in July 1937, Krivoshein was appointed back to the post of commander of the 8th separate mechanized brigade. In 1938, he was sent to the area of ​​the fighting near Lake Khasan as a representative of a commission to investigate the causes of unsuccessful hostilities.

Brest parade

In the fall of 1939, brigade commander Krivoshein commanded the 29th tank brigade in Belarus. During the "liberation campaign" he received a non-trivial task - not only to advance to the city of Brest, but also to force the German units that "slipped" the demarcation line and were now in the "Soviet" part of former Poland to get out of there.

Arriving in Brest in front of his units, Krivoshein met with the commander of the XIX Motorized Corps, General Guderian. The meeting was held in a friendly tone: the two professional soldiers discussed mainly technical issues and tried to touch on slippery politics as little as possible. Krivoshein had heard a lot about Guderian as a theorist and practice of modern tank combat. It quickly became clear that both were fluent in French.

Of course, mister brigade commander, the German troops will leave Brest. Actually, they are already leaving. Even trophies - warehouses in the Brest Fortress - are left red. Why did you cross the dividing line? So carried away by the persecution, the Poles were persecuted. It happens to everyone...

What, Mr. General? The ceremonial transfer of the city? Joint parade ?! (This was just not enough. They will go crazy in GlavPUR !!!) But my troops are just on the way, after a long march. They clearly do not have a ceremonial appearance. No, I'm afraid that the joint parade will not work.

Okay, let's get the German troops out together first. And then we will meet yours.

Somehow we bargained something like this. They put up a tribune. They waved with her pen to the departing German units. The German flag was solemnly lowered. And a few hours later, from the same rostrum, the Red Army units entering the city were greeted. And then the German newsreels, don't be fools, put together the fragments interspersed. And there was a joint parade. Now ours go, then the Germans. And Krivoshein and Guderian are smiling and waving, smiling and waving under the same flagpole (tm).

They were punctured on trifles: a couple of cars that were standing by the side of the road during the German parade - and disappeared, of course, by the time the Russians arrived, got into the shot.

There is also a photograph where our tank and German motorcyclists are clearly present. So maybe there was a joint parade?

Let's take a closer look. Place - yes, the same as in the chronicle. The street is packed with German cars. The flag on the mast (and it was solemnly removed immediately after the German parade). But the tribune has not yet been set (a low platform next to the flagpole). Apparently the photo was taken BEFORE the parade, and the T-26 was from a reconnaissance group or an advanced detachment, who may have arrived with Krivoshein himself.

Perhaps it was this parade that ruined Semyon Moiseevich's entire career. It seems that he himself is not to blame for anything, but the memory remains: "Krivoshein, this is the one who handled with Guderian!" Looking ahead, we note that over the four years of the Great Patriotic War, he only rose in rank in rank (from major generals to lieutenant generals), but in terms of his position he didn’t at all - he started as a corps commander and graduated. He received the title of Hero only after the end of the war, on the personal recommendation of Zhukov - for the fact that his corps was the first to enter Berlin. It was really hard to refuse.

On the other hand, more stars means more bumps. Vaughn DT Pavlov, with whom they began on an equal footing in Spain, was already a colonel-general in 1940, and then an army general ... however, everyone knows how it ended.

Whether Guderian was scolded for hosting the parade together with a Jew - history is silent. He himself, apparently, was not particularly worried about this topic.

Finland

In February 1940, the 29th tank brigade of Krivoshein (256 T-26 tanks) was redeployed from Brest to the Karelian Isthmus, and in March, together with the 34th rifle corps, it took the city of Vyborg by storm. Part of the tanks, together with the infantrymen of Kirponos, bypassed the enemy fortifications on the ice of the Gulf of Finland. One of the tanks that participated in this throw now stands in Vyborg as a monument. In 1940 it fell through the ice, and in 2005 it was raised from the bottom and restored.

After the Finnish war, a great tank restructuring broke out, which actually caused our defeat in 1941. At first, 9 tank corps were formed. They already lacked tanks, personnel, or auxiliary equipment. But this shortage was not yet fatal: after all, an 80% staffed corps is quite a serious force.

But appetite comes with eating, and in the spring of 1941 it was decided to create 20 more buildings! Unclear. The three most informed people at that time gathered - Stalin, Meretskov (the replacement chief of the general staff) and Zhukov (the new chief of the general staff). And they approved the decision, which actually meant: "In 1941, we do not need tank units, and we will not have them." How else to understand the disbandment of ALL existing tank brigades, and the formation of 60 new divisions from scratch, not counting the old 27? By the summer, it was not even possible to staff these monsters: in the corps of the "second wave" often even the headquarters were in half.

Again, among those people who were "herded" into the new corps, the tankers were in the minority. There were simply not so many of them in the whole country. The remaining positions were filled by cavalry and infantry. The existing specialists inevitably made a lightning-fast career, growing from the battalion commanders to the division commander in a year. This, and not the notorious long-forgotten repressions, is the reason for the appalling incompetence of the command staff in 1941.

Our hero in May 1940 became the commander of the 15th mechanized division, in June - the commander of the 2nd tank division, in December - the head of the Armored Directorate of the Baltic Special Military District, and in March 1941 - the commander of the 25th mechanized corps (Kharkiv military district). How much he managed to do at each of the posts - think for yourself.

The war found Krivoshein in Kharkov, the commander of the 25th mechanized corps. On the one hand, he was lucky: the corps was in the deep rear and did not get hit by a sudden blow. On the other hand, being the corps of the "second stage of the second wave", it has just begun its acquisition. There were about 300 tanks, and all of them were T-26s from the combat training park (read, hackneyed to the limit). Trucks have just started arriving. In fact, they did not start training sessions.

Propoisk

It was possible, using the moment, to try to somehow complete the formation. But this is not so interesting, and the under-formed corps instead makes useless marches, first from Kharkov to Kiev, and then back to Novozybkov, finally, entering the order of the Western Front.

By this time, the corps had been replenished with 32 more T-34 tanks, vehicles, and personnel. But the tanks still had to be mastered (the driver-mechanics had several hours of training on old T-26s), and the replenishment (from the broken parts of the 4th Army) was partially susceptible to panic and did more harm than good.

In July 1941, the corps entered battle near the city with the symbolic name Propoisk. The corps had not yet had time to arrive at the place, and orders poured down one after another:

Transfer two battalions - 50 tanks - to the rifle corps (they did not return).

Step simultaneously on Propoisk and Bykhov, i.e. in opposite directions

At the same time, not a single day was allocated for the maintenance of equipment (and the urgent development of new tanks). The terrain for the offensive was often marshy, difficult for tanks to pass. Etc...

By the way, General Petrovsky's "Black Corps" was advancing alongside them. But, of course, in a different direction. Our command failed to coordinate the actions of the strike groups.

It is not surprising that Guderian, already familiar to Krivoshein, pretty much "nibbled" his tankers. Although, to be honest, they began to "pinch" their own. Nevertheless, the case performed well. If most of the "double-digit" corps were capable of only one attack, in which they lost not only all equipment, but also control, then the 25th, after a week of heavy fighting, retained its structure, was able to restore some of the tanks and get out of the planned encirclement. For 41, not the worst result.

Katukov's right hand

After a year of service in the Combat Training Directorate, our hero in February 1943 became the commander of the 3rd Mechanized Corps. Before that, it was commanded by M.E. Katukov. And as part of this corps was the 1st Guards Tank Brigade, which worked wonders together with Katukov near Mtsensk. So the corps is "twice Katukovsky", and to command it after such a commander is a double responsibility. Krivoshein did it.

In the Battle of Kursk in July 1943, the 3rd Mechanized Corps, as part of Katukov's 1st Panzer Army, stood to death on the outskirts of the town of Oboyan against the selected 2nd SS Panzer Corps (Das Reich, Adolf Hitler and Dead Head divisions) ). During July 6, eight times a large force of the Nazis, with the support of aviation, tried to break through its battle formations.

July 8 was a decisive day. From morning until late at night, at the position of the 3rd Mechanized Corps, the German command threw more and more groups of tanks. 12 attacks were launched that day. Hundreds of planes hovered in the sky. Despite colossal efforts, the Germans were unable to break through the defenses in this sector. I had to turn off the pre-designated direction and strike eastward, to Prokhorovka. But three days of such a meat grinder greatly weakened the Germans, the 2nd SS corps lost up to a third of the tanks.

For merits in the Battle of Kursk, the 3rd mechanized corps became the 8th Guards, and Major General Krivoshein became a lieutenant general.

Foreign Legion

At the beginning of 1944, Krivoshein took over the 1st Mechanized Corps. Not guards. Like even a downgrade? Maybe so - someone in the Personnel Directorate remembered inappropriately the old story with the Brest parade. Or maybe they read Stanyukovich - and in one of his stories to Russians it is written in white: "a Jew - he knows all languages." And they gave Semyon Moiseevich a special task: to equip the aforementioned corps with exclusively bourgeois technology.

Lend-Lease vehicles have been used in the Red Army since the Battle of Moscow. And unfortunately, there have always been technical problems with her. And not because it was all so bad - just an unfamiliar, competent specialists the cat cried. There were incidents when, at the most inopportune moment, tanks broke down en masse. This was especially the case in 1941-42. Further experience was gained. They opened special "tutorials" on overseas technology. They formed homogeneous parts: breakthrough shelves on Churchills. Infantry support battalions with Matilds, Valentines and Stewarts. Tank brigades on "Shermans". But on a higher level, everything was still mixed. So we decided to create a special mechanized corps on foreign equipment.

The 1st mechanized man lost almost all his tanks in the operation to completely lift the blockade of Leningrad (January 1944). Was set aside for reforming. I received a new commander (Krivoshein) and new equipment (136 M4A2 Sherman tanks, 44 Valentine IX tanks, five Valentines X, 47 M3 Scout Car, plus our 21 SU-76 self-propelled guns, 21 SU-85 self-propelled guns, 43 armored vehicles BA-64.

The corps took part in the Proskurov-Chernivtsi, Belorussian, Vistula-Oder and Berlin offensive operations. Parts of this corps were the first to invade Germany. In the battles for Berlin, the 1st mechanized corps bypassed the city from the west and closed the encirclement ring. For the last success Krivoshein received the title of Hero - I must say, almost the last of the commanders of his rank.

After the war

And what was there? He continued to command a mechanized corps, as part of a group of forces in Germany. He taught at the Frunze Academy. He was the chief of armored forces in the Odessa military district. Retired. Didn't make a career. But he was also not involved in scandals (and how many there were after the war!), Which is already an achievement. He wrote memoirs, very interesting in places. He had exclusively military awards, the rain of post-war awards "for length of service" poured past him.

This person has something to respect.

He graduated from the seven classes of the Voronezh gymnasium (1917). While studying at the gymnasium from December 1914 to June 1916, he was engaged in tutoring in the city of Ostrogozhsk.

In the RCP (b) since 1919.

He died on September 16, 1978 in Krasnogorsk, Moscow Region. He was buried in Moscow at the Kuntsevsky cemetery (section 9-3).

Education. He graduated from the Novocherkassk cavalry KUKS (1926), VA them. Frunze (1931), VAK at the V.V. Voroshilov (1952).

Military service. In the Red Army, voluntarily since July 1918.

Participation in wars, military conflicts. Civil War (Southern Front, Deninkin, Crimea, Wrangel). Soviet-Polish War (1920). The fight against banditry (Makhno in Ukraine, Ryabokon in the North Caucasus). Spanish Civil War. Polish campaign (1939). Soviet-Finnish war (1939 - 1940). The Great Patriotic War.

Service in the Red Army. From July 1918 he was a Red Army soldier of the 107th Infantry Regiment of the Voronezh province. Since May 1919 - Red Army soldier of the 12th Cavalry Regiment (12th Infantry Division, Southern Front). From November 1919 - military commissar of the squadron of the 34th cavalry regiment of the 6th cavalry division (1st Cavalry Army). From April 1920 he was successively appointed to the post of military commissar in the 31st, 33rd and 34th cavalry regiments. From September to November 1920, he was a temporary military commissar of the 2nd Cavalry Brigade of the 6th Cavalry Division of the 1st Cavalry Army. From November 1920 - instructor of the political department of the 6th Cavalry Division.

From January 1921 - Head of Intelligence of the 2nd Cavalry Brigade of the 6th Cavalry Division (1st Cavalry Army, North Caucasian Military District). From July 1921 - an officer for assignments with the commander of the 1st brigade. From May 1922 - platoon commander, and from January 1923 - squadron commander of the 32nd Cavalry Regiment. From October 1923 - squadron commander of the 27th Cavalry Regiment (5th Cavalry Division, North Caucasian Military District).

From November 1925 to September 1926 - a student of the Novocherkassk cavalry advanced training courses for command personnel.

Since September 1926 - squadron commander of the 27th Cavalry Regiment (5th Cavalry Division, North Caucasian Military District).

From September 1928 to May 1931 - student of the Military Academy named after V.I. M. V. Frunze.

Since May 1931 - Chief of Staff of the 7th Mechanized Regiment of the 7th Cavalry Division (Leningrad Military District). From February 1933 - assistant to the head of the 1st department of the Department of Motorization and Mechanization of the Red Army. Since May 1934 - Commander of the 6th Mechanized Regiment of the 6th Cossack Division (Belorussian Military District).

In 1935 he went on business trips to Czechoslovakia and France, for which he was awarded the Order of the Red Star. From September 1936 to March 1937 he volunteered during the Spanish Civil War, where he commanded a tank detachment and participated, among other things, in the defense of Madrid. For participation in hostilities in Spain, Semyon Moiseevich Krivoshein was awarded the Order of Lenin.

After returning to the USSR, by the order of the NKO No. 02524 dated July 21, 1937, he was appointed commander of the 8th department. mechanized brigade (Kiev VO), in October 1938 transformed into the 29th department. light tank brigade, after which it was redeployed to the Belarusian Military District.

In 1938, on the instructions of Marshal of the Soviet Union K.E. Voroshilov, Krivoshein was sent to the area of ​​the battles near Lake Khasan as a representative of the commission to investigate the causes of unsuccessful hostilities. After returning from a business trip, he was again appointed to the post of commander of the 29th department. light tank brigade.

He took part in hostilities during the Polish campaign, during which on September 22, 1939, together with General G. Guderian, he took part in the transfer of Brest nad Bug to the USSR.

Soon he took part in the Soviet-Finnish war: on February 27, the 29th tank brigade under the command of Krivoshein, consisting of 256 T-26 tanks, was redeployed from Brest, and in March, along with the 34th rifle corps, it took Vyborg by storm.

By order of the NKO No. 02069 dated 05/09/1940, he was appointed commander of the 15th motorized rifle division. NKO by Order No. 0066 of 04/06/1940 - appointed commander of the 2nd Panzer Division (3rd Mechanized Corps). By order of the NCO No. 05504 dated 09.12.1940, he was appointed head of the Armored Directorate of the Baltic OVO. By order of the NKO No. 0012 of 03/11/1941, he was appointed commander of the 25th Mechanized Corps (Kharkov Military District).

Since July 1941, the corps under the command of Krivoshein conducted offensive and defensive operations against enemy troops in the area of ​​the cities of Rogachev, Zhlobin and Gomel. Soon he took part in the defense of Mogilev.

By order of the NKO No. 001056 of 10.10.1941, he was appointed head of the Combat Training Directorate of the Main Armored Directorate of the Red Army. By order of the NKO No. 015 of 01.1943, he was appointed head of the Combat Training Directorate of the Main Directorate of Formation and Combat Training of the BMV of the spacecraft. By order of the NKO No. 0708 of 02/07/1943, he was appointed commander of the 3rd mechanized corps, which took part in the Battle of Kursk, and then in the Belgorod-Kharkov offensive operation.

By order of the NKO No. 306 of 23.10.1943, for the courage and heroism of the personnel, the 3rd Mechanized Corps was transformed into the 8th Guards. mechanized, who soon took part in hostilities during the Zhytomyr-Berdichev offensive operation, during which he walked up to 300 km and participated in the liberation of a number of settlements, including the cities of Kazatin and Berdichev.

By order of the NKO No. 051 dated 02/10/1944, he was appointed commander of the 1st mechanized corps, which took part in the Proskurovsko-Chernivtsi, Belorussian, Vistula-Oder and Berlin offensive operations, during which he distinguished himself when crossing the Shchara River, liberating Slonim, Brest and Berlin.

By the decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of May 29, 1945, Lieutenant General of Tank Forces Semyon Moiseevich Krivoshein was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union with the Order of Lenin and the Gold Star medal (No. 5869) for skillful corps command and personal courage.

After the end of the war, Krivoshein continued to command the 1st Mechanized Corps as part of the Group of Soviet Forces in Germany, which in July 1945 was transformed into the 1st Mechanized Division.

By order of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the USSR No. 0530 dated July 29, 1946 - Head of the Department of Tactics of Armored and Mechanized Forces of the MV Frunze Military Academy. By the order of the Ministry of Internal Affairs No. 01525 of 03.10.1949, from October 12, 1949, he was placed at the disposal of the Main Personnel Directorate of the USSR Armed Forces for referral for treatment with payment of full pay within 6 months.

By order of the Ministry of Internal Affairs No. 01419 of 03/14/1950, he was appointed commander of the armored fighting vehicles of the Odessa Military District. By order of VM # 027u of 12/22/1951 (p "6") for an irresponsible attitude to his official duties and poor management of the training of armored and mechanized troops of the district, he was removed from the post of the commander of the BT and MB of the Odessa Military District. By order of VM No. 034 of 04.01.1952, he was placed at the disposal of the commander of BT and MB SA.

From February to November 1952 - a student of higher academic courses at the Higher Military Academy named after K. E. Voroshilov.

By order of the USSR Ministry of Defense No. 01185 dated 05/04/1953, he was dismissed under Art. 59 paragraph "b" (due to illness) with the right to wear military uniforms with special distinctive marks on the shoulder straps.

Military ranks: colonel (1936), brigade commander (Order of the NKO No. 1555 / p of 04/10/1937), major general (Decree of the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR No. 945 of 04.06.1940), lieutenant general of the t / v (Decree of the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR No. 900 of 21.08. 1943).

Awards: Medal "Gold Star" (No. 5869, 05/29/1945); three Orders of Lenin (1937, 1945, 05/29/1945); three Orders of the Red Banner (02.22.1930, 1944, 1949); Order of Kutuzov I degree (04/06/1945); Order of Suvorov II degree (08/27/1943); Order of Kutuzov, II degree (1944); Order of the Red Star (1935) medals.

Foreign awards: Order of the Grunwald Cross (Poland); two Polish medals.

Honorary Citizen of Brest.