Chernyakhovsky's name is inscribed in golden letters in the history of the Great Patriotic War. This energetic and talented general became one of the brightest young military leaders of those years. During the war he visited various fronts: he fought in the Baltic states, defended Novgorod, fought off Voronezh, was among the soldiers during the Battle of Kursk, and liberated Ukraine and Belarus.
Childhood
The future general Ivan Chernyakhovsky was born in the city of Uman, which is located near Kiev, in 1906. His father (Danil Nikolaevich) was a switchman on the railway. When the war with Germany began, he was drafted to the front, where he received a shell shock. Having returned, the head of the family went to the Podolsk province, where he was a coachman at the landowner. The mother of the child was a housewife. Parents died in 1919 due to typhus. So there were six orphans.
Ivan at first briefly grazed cows from local peasants, and in 1920 he began to get homeless in a country destroyed by war. Once at work on the railway, he managed to gain the experience of a locksmith, after which he became a conductor of goods on routes around Odessa.
In the army of the USSR
In 1924, the young man, by order of the Komsomol, was sent to the local infantry school. Thus began the biography of General Chernyakhovsky in the ranks of the Soviet army. Later he studied at the artilleryman in Kiev. This school was graduated in 1928. Then he was credited with the commander of one of the platoons of the 17th corps artillery regiment in the city of Vinnitsa.
On the eve of World War II, the biography of General Chernyakhovsky made another turn. He was appointed to the 28th Panzer Division (commander). She was stationed in the Baltic.
Start of war
In the last days of the world, both the USSR and the Third Reich were preparing for war. However, Stalin believed that the Germans would attack only after a year. Therefore, all preparatory measures were not aimed at mobilization of the moment (even despite intelligence information).
On June 18, Chernyakhovsky’s division received orders to leave their apartments and relocate to a place near the Lithuanian city of Šiauliai. Theoretically, the military should have been engaged in planned exercises. However, already on the 22nd, the Germans crossed the border of the USSR. So it turned out that Chernyakhovsky from the very beginning was in the midst of events, as Lithuania was one of the first to be attacked.
On the second night of the war, the division, led by an officer, overcame 50 kilometers and ended up near the city of Varniai. Problems began with the supply of fuel, because of which the movement stalled. The organizational problems faced by the 28th Panzer Division were pervasive. The Red Army was not ready for the sudden blitzkrieg of the German invaders. In addition, the sky over Lithuania from the very beginning was controlled by German bombers, who delivered tangible strikes on ground units.
The first battle of Chernyakhovsky was an attempt by his division to drive the enemy out of the town of Kaltinenaya. However, the numerical superiority of the enemy led to the logical defeat of Soviet soldiers. Soon, Ivan Danilovich retreated in the general stream of the Red Army.
An important milestone was the Western Dvina, as well as the city of Elipaya, where a bloody battle ensued with the soldiers of the Reich. The division also received an order to cover the crossing of the lagging units in Riga. On July 1, the Western Dvina was forced by enemies , after which the units continuously retreated to the east.
Defense of Novgorod
August 13, 1941 Chernyakhovsky was ordered to take defensive positions in the eastern suburbs of Novgorod. In the organization of defense, the command abilities of the officer showed up. He learned to quickly and efficiently transfer parts from point A to point B, which greatly complicated the task of the enemy. In particular, he taught his division not to take anything superfluous with it, but only ammunition, camping kitchens, etc. This was especially insisted by Chernyakhovsky, whose short biography includes facts about starvation in childhood during the Civil War.
The soldiers carried out earthwork when mortar fire was opened on them. The most capable units were sent to the city Kremlin, which was a strategically important point. The hit of the Nazi army continued to build up due to numerous reserves. By this time, the Reich had occupied almost all of Europe and transferred all its combat-ready armies to the east.
A few days later, a third of the personnel remained from Chernyakhovsky’s division. During this time, the Germans conducted thirteen attacks. On the 16th and 17th, they tried to storm the Novgorod Kremlin and force the Volkhov River. They were watered with machine gun fire and bold counterattacks. The critical situation forced the command to enter into the battle the remaining small reserve. The German attack somewhat weakened after parts of the northwestern front tried to launch a massive counterattack in the area of Staraya Russa. This forced the Nazis to split forces. Some respite gave the 28th division a chance to retreat east of the Volkhov River. The headquarters was moved to the unremarkable village of Kunino. At this time, Chernyakhovsky revealed pneumonia. Due to a difficult diagnosis, he was sent to a front-line hospital.
Voronezh
In May 1942, Chernyakhovsky Ivan Danilovich (whose brief biography is the subject of our review) received the rank of Colonel-General. He wanted to return to the tank unit, because it was to this type of army that he devoted ten years of his career. In the end, he was appointed commander of the 18th Panzer Corps, where he arrived in July 1942. This unit was located on the Bryansk Front — not in the region where the general had fought before.
At this time, the southern direction became the main one in the confrontation between Germany and the USSR. If Leningrad was under siege, and the battles near Moscow assumed a positional character, then the outcome of the war was now decided in the steppes. In July, the Germans captured Rostov-on-Don. In order to occupy the Caucasus, Operation Edelweiss was proposed at Reich headquarters. Hitler needed this ridge in order to cut off the Soviet Union from the economically important oil from Baku and Grozny.
According to the plan, Army Group A was to chase the retreating Don and capture these important cities. At the same time, the formation of "B" was sent to Stalingrad in order to ensure that a safe rear and support. It was in this direction that Chernyakhovsky Ivan Danilovich fell. The biography of the general did not yet contain such operations.
On July 3, armies under the command of Paulus and Weichs surrounded Stary Oskol and went to the Don. There was a danger of the capture of Voronezh. At that moment, Stalin called General Golikov, who informed him that he was giving him reinforcements in the form of the 18th tank corps of Chernyakhovsky. The evacuation of the civilian population of Voronezh. At the same time, tanks of the 18th Corps began to enter the battle. They scattered around the city in scattered groups, trying to prevent the enemy from crossing Don. The rich military experience of General Chernyakhovsky told him not to do this, but Golikov did not listen to him and commanded him as the senior in rank.
Ivan Danilovich himself led one of the brigades near the Udarnik state farm in order to inspire his subordinates, who boldly followed the commander into the battle (14 crews took part in the attack). In this battle, a shell hit his car, because of which he received a shell shock. He should again go to the hospital, but he refused to do so.
On July 7, a new Voronezh Front of 4 armies and 4 tank corps was specially created to protect Voronezh . However, counterattacks did not succeed. The Germans occupied Voronezh, captured Donbass and now threatened the lower Volga.
Led by the 60th Army
On July 25, Chernyakhovsky Ivan Danilovich, whose biography did without failures at the front, was appointed commander in chief of the 60th army, which also fought alongside Voronezh. He was appointed instead of Antonyuk, who could not cope with his tasks.
Army General Chernyakhovsky, whose biography was known to every soldier at the front, immediately took up his duties. He held the defense near Voronezh, periodically imposing his will on the enemy. In late August, the Germans in another direction managed to break through to the Volga. Now the main battles were carried over to Stalingrad, while near Voronezh there was a relative lull.
In winter, when the situation on the Volga began to take shape in favor of the Soviet military, a massive counterattack began to be prepared at Headquarters, in which several armies, including the 60th, were to take part at once. These were parts of the Voronezh and Bryansk fronts. The first attacks began on January 24, 1943.
Ivan Chernyakhovsky was to lead the attack from the eastern side of Voronezh. The military’s biography and successes became the best recommendations for him for Stavka and Stalin. On the 25th, the 60th army entered Voronezh and completely delivered it from the invaders. Between this city and Castor surrounded by significant enemy forces, including two Hungarian corps. In the current situation, an order was received to develop the offensive with maximum efforts, until the front line stabilized. Therefore, the Soviet units, including the army of Chernyakhovsky, moved forward towards Stary Oskol, Kursk and Kharkov. At the same time, the 38th Army was supposed to neutralize the encircled soldiers of the Reich and their allies. Communications of these detachments were cut off, they turned out to be defenseless. Meanwhile, the 60th Army entered Kursk on February 8th. Chernyakhovsky Ivan Danilovich was also there, whose biography was enriched by another successful operation. In March, his soldiers approached the Seym River.
Preparing for the Battle of Kursk
The successes of the Red Army allowed to begin preparations for the Battle of Kursk. On March 26, Ivan Danilovich with his units was reassigned to the Central Front. His commander Rokossovsky was impressed by his acquaintance with the young general. The Pole and later spoke about him only positively.
When the defense of the Kursk Bulge began, the 60th Army was on one of the peaks of the ledge. To her right were units of Lieutenant General Batov, and to the left were soldiers led by Chibisov. While the troops stood in place Chernyakhovsky (whose biography included a variety of travels) traveled all the local villages, which were in the frontline. There was not a single settlement that he did not know. A deep analysis of what is happening and attention to every detail have always been its outstanding features.
Air preparation for the German offensive began on July 6. Commander von Kluge led the attack of the Reich division, but his success was extremely small. They managed to advance only 10 kilometers, which did not even constitute a small part of the prepared front line (about 100 kilometers).
Every morning and evening there were flies of the high command, where army commanders reported on the state of affairs at their station. Among them was General Chernyakhovsky. The military biography was full of such meetings and discussions, when the fate of hundreds and thousands of soldiers was decided.
Counterattack
This was followed by a tank battle near Prokhorovka, where the best parts of the German army were killed. It was the collapse and collapse of the Nazi Citadel plan. Already on the 23rd, Soviet troops in a counterattack returned everything that was captured by the Germans during their bloody attack. On August 5, a month after the start of the Battle of Kursk, the cities of Oryol and Belgorod were returned.
At the same time, the 60th Army remained in the rear and was waiting for its turn to move forward to Left-Bank Ukraine. The soldiers, who spent several months in the trenches, were eager for battle. Chernyakhovsky Ivan Danilovich was also subject to this feeling. A brief biography of the general literally replete with such days of painful expectation in trenches.
Meanwhile, in Moscow, for the first time during the war, salutes were organized to mark the return of Russian cities. Finally, in mid-August, Chernyakhovsky was called up by Rokossovsky and received new instructions about an offensive at the front.
On August 30, with a developing offensive, Glukhov was taken. Ahead was the border with Ukraine. The next day, Chernyakhovsky managed to advance 60 kilometers. The Germans left their positions in a hurry. The general did not know a moment of rest. He constantly traveled from one division to another, argued at headquarters over a map, received instructions on telephone and telegraph lines, which were sometimes installed in remote areas.
In September, other cities were returned: Konotop, Bamach and Nizhyn. In November, the 1st Ukrainian Front was created. Chernyakhovsky, whose biography became a case in point for other military leaders, took part in many operations. The Dnieper was forced, Kiev and hundreds of other settlements of the right-bank Ukraine were liberated.
Commander-in-Chief of the 3rd Belorussian Front
On October 17, 1943, the biography of General Chernyakhovsky was marked by a momentous event. The officer received the title of Hero of the Soviet Union for his courage in crossing the Dnieper. Then the officer at the age of 37 was appointed commander in chief of the 3rd Belorussian Front. He became the youngest man in the Red Army, endowed with such responsibilities. This unsurpassed success was achieved thanks to hard work, courage and ingenuity. The biography of General Chernyakhovsky, in principle, greatly contributed to this appointment.
In the new region, Ivan Danilovich took part in the liberation of such important cities as Vitebsk, Minsk and Vilnius. Chernyakhovsky returned to the same place where he himself met the Great Patriotic War. After the Soviet Baltic was cleared of the invaders, the front moved to German territory.
Death
February 18, 1945 Chernyakhovsky came under fire in his car. This happened on the outskirts of the city of Melzak (located in East Prussia). There were 4 more people in the car with him, but none of them was injured. There was no significant damage to the car.
There is evidence that the biography of I. Chernyakhovsky gave him the opportunity to advance in the service even further. So, for example, a decree was being prepared at Headquarters on awarding him the title of Marshal of the Soviet Union, but premature death did not allow the command to publish a paper. The body of the general was buried in Vilnius. Much later (in 1992) it was moved to their native land, to Moscow.
The memory of Chernyakhovsky
Shortly after the war ended, the German city of Insterburg was renamed in honor of the general, which was called Chernyakhovsk. It was transferred to the USSR, as it was in East Prussia (the current Kaliningrad region).
The personal life of General Chernyakhovsky was completely subordinate to the army and the war. Having found himself in the armed forces from his youth, however, he successfully married. The family had two children - a son and a daughter. Personal life Chernyakhovsky interested many. His dizzying career take-off, stopped by a fatal shard, many detractors attributed to connections in the Headquarters. But this, of course, is not so. The young military man was on the crest of the wave also because on the eve of the war the Red Army lost many of its commanders and marshals during the Stalin purges. As a result, vacant places were occupied by talented and diligent, albeit young, military men of a new generation.
The biography of Chernyakhovsky, whose photo often appeared on the pages of Soviet newspapers during the war, turned out to be excellent material for many patriotic books. The memory of the general was kept in the USSR with particular care, like all that is connected with that terrible time.