Konstantin Koroteyev

Konstantin Apollonovich Koroteyev (Константи́н Аполло́нович Короте́ев; 25 February 1901–4 January 1953) was a Soviet Army colonel general and a Hero of the Soviet Union.

Koroteyev was born on 25 February 1901 in the village of Shcheglovka (now in Bogodukhov) in Kharkov Governorate, then part of the Russian Empire, to a working-class family.

He graduated from primary school and worked as a laborer at the Shcheglovka mine.

Koroteyev volunteered for the Imperial Russian Army in August 1916 during World War I and was sent to the Southwestern Front as a ryadovoy.

He became a grenadier in the 290th Lipetsk Infantry Regiment, serving until the Imperial Army collapsed following the Russian Revolution in December 1917.

Koroteyev returned home and became a laborer at the mine again.

In February 1918, Koroteyev joined a Red Guard detachment formed from Shcheglovka mine workers during the Russian Civil War.

After completing its formation, the detachment was reorganized as the 1st Lugansk Battalion, and Koroteyev was elected commander of its 2nd Company.

In April, the battalion became part of Kliment Voroshilov's 2nd Ukrainian Soviet Army, participating in the defense of Lugansk and in battles against German troops on the Southern Front.

He then fought in the suppression of a Don Cossack uprising and the retreat to Tsaritsyn.

In June, the 1st Communist Rifle Division was formed there, and Koroteyev became a platoon commander in its 2nd Communist Regiment.

After the Red Army's retreat from Tsaritsyn, Koroteyev was sent to study at the Saratov Infantry and Machine Gun Courses in September 1919.

As part of a cadet detachment, he helped suppress the Sapozhkov Uprising in the Ural steppes before graduating in July 1920.

He participated in battles with the White movement near Lugansk, Millerovo, Belaya Kalitva and Tsaritsyn (later Stalingrad, now Volgograd).

In July 1920, Koroteyev was appointed a platoon commander in the 4th Reserve Regiment, stationed in Roslavl.

He was transferred to become a platoon commander in the 4th Rifle Division's 31st Rifle Regiment in January 1921, and in June of the same year transferred to the 11th Rifle Regiment.

Koroteyev graduated from the Western Front's courses for midlevel commanders in Smolensk in July 1924, serving successively as an assistant company commander, company commander, and rifle battalion commander.

In October 1926, he graduated from the Vystrel commanders' improvement courses.

Koroteyev was appointed chief of staff of the 14th Rifle Regiment in January 1934 before becoming regimental commander in March 1935.

He was appointed chief of staff of the 27th Rifle Division, part of the Belorussian Military District's 4th Rifle Corps, in July 1937, and became division commander in February 1938.

In the same year, he joined the Communist Party of the Soviet Union.

Koroteyev led the 27th Division in the Soviet invasion of Poland in September 1939, during which it advanced into Polish territory annexed to the Soviet Union as western Belorussia.

During the Winter War he was a division commander.

In March 1940, he was appointed inspector of the infantry of the Leningrad Military District before taking command of the Kiev Special Military District's 55th Rifle Corps in March 1941, which he commanded at the beginning of Operation Barbarossa, the German invasion of the Soviet Union, on 22 June.

From the beginning of the invasion, Koroteyev led the corps in the border battles as part of the Southwestern Front.

In October 1941 he was appointed commander of the front's 12th Army, after it failed to hold Dnepropetrovsk and the defensive line on the Dnieper.

Koroteyev led 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.

He led it in the defense of Rostov and a counteroffensive against German troops during the Battle of Rostov.

In March 1942, Koroteyev was made assistant commander of the Southern Font.

In early September 1942, Koroteyev was appointed commander of the 9th Army, leading it in the Battle of the Caucasus.

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 Koroteyev went on the offensive, pursuing the "running away" from the Caucasus enemy.

In January, the 9th Army liberated Elkhotovo, Cool, Pyatigorsk, Nevinnomyssk and Armavir.

He became colonel-general in 1944 and was awarded the title “Hero of the Soviet Union” on April 6, 1945.

In August, he took command of the 11th Guards Rifle Corps, part of the Transcaucasian Front's 9th Army, leading it in the defense of positions in the direction of Ordzhonikidze.

Koroteyev commanded the left-flank group of the 15th Army of the North-Western Front and led the fighting on the mastery of the islands, Petäjäsaari and Maksimansaari in Lake Ladoga.

In July, it fought in fierce fighting in defense of the Dniester line as part of the Southern Front's 18th Army, but was forced to retreat beyond the Southern Bug by Axis troops.

In August the corps was disbanded, and he was made deputy commander of the 18th Army for the rear.