Aleksey Vladimirovich Nemkov (russian: Алексей Владимирович Немков; 30 March 1919 29 March 1972) was a

Red Army The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army (Russian: Рабо́че-крестья́нская Кра́сная армия),) often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic and, after ...

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

and a

Hero of the Soviet Union The title Hero of the Soviet Union (russian: Герой Советского Союза, translit=Geroy Sovietskogo Soyuza) was the highest distinction in the Soviet Union, awarded together with the Order of Lenin personally or collectively for ...

. Nemkov was awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union and the

Order of Lenin The Order of Lenin (russian: Орден Ленина, Orden Lenina, ), named after the leader of the Russian October Revolution, was established by the Central Executive Committee on April 6, 1930. The order was the highest civilian decoration b ...

for his actions during the Berlin Offensive.

Early life

Alexey Vladimirovich Nemkov was born on 30 March 1919 in

Dzhankoy Dzhankoi or Jankoy is a town of regional significance in the northern part of Crimea, an internationally recognized ''de jure'' part of Ukraine, but since 2014 a ''de facto'' federal subject of the Russian Federation. It also serves as administrat ...

in the

Crimean Socialist Soviet Republic The Crimean Socialist Soviet RepublicHarold Henry Fisher. The Famine in Soviet Russia, 1919-1923: The Operations of the American Relief Administration.' Ayer Publishing, 1971. p. 278. (russian: Крымская Социалистическая � ...

to a working-class family. He graduated from eighth grade and became the assistant secretary of the Dzhankoy branch of the

Communist Party of the Soviet Union "Hymn of the Bolshevik Party" , headquarters = 4 Staraya Square, Moscow , general_secretary = Vladimir Lenin (first) Mikhail Gorbachev (last) , founded = , banned = , founder = Vladimir Lenin , newspaper ...

(CPSU) in 1938. Nemkov became a member of the CPSU in 1939, and was conscripted into the

in October of that year.

World War II

Nemkov fought in combat from September 1941. In 1943, he graduated from a company commanders' course. He became a company commander in the 118th Guards Rifle Regiment of the

37th Guards Rifle Division The 37th Guards Rifle Division was an infantry division of the Red Army which fought during World War II. The division was formed on 2 August 1942 from the 1st Airborne Corps in Lyubertsy, near Moscow. Its most famous action was the defense of the ...

. During

Operation Bagration Operation Bagration (; russian: Операция Багратио́н, Operatsiya Bagration) was the codename for the 1944 Soviet Byelorussian strategic offensive operation (russian: Белорусская наступательная оп� ...

, Nemkov's company reportedly advanced 300 kilometers. On 25 August, his company was reportedly first to break into German trenches during the battle for the village of Zalye. The company reportedly killed 20 German soldiers. While pursuing retreating German troops, Nemkov's company reportedly recaptured one towing vehicle and two mortars. They also captured the village of Lysaya-Gura and cut the Moscow-Warsaw highway. During the fighting for Brok on 27 August, Nemkov's company was again first to enter and cut the German retreat route. In this action, they reportedly killed 25 German soldiers. While in battle on 30 August near

Poręba Poręba is a town in Zawiercie County, Silesian Voivodeship, Poland, with 8,525 inhabitants (2019). The town has the area of , and lies along National Road Nr. 78; it also has a rail station on a line from Miasteczko Śląskie to Zawiercie. Alm ...

, Nemkov's company reportedly killed up to 18 German soldiers. He was lightly wounded in the leg but reportedly did not leave the front and continued to command. During a later action on the western bank of the

Narew The Narew (; be, Нараў, translit=Naraŭ; or ; Sudovian: ''Naura''; Old German: ''Nare''; uk, Нарва, translit=Narva) is a 499-kilometre (310 mi) river primarily in north-eastern Poland, which is also a tributary of the river Vis ...

, Nemkov's company was among the first to attack and capture three German trenches in the village of Lubeneu. They also reportedly killed up to 15 German soldiers and captured 5 mortars, as well as one towing vehicle. By September 1944, he had reportedly killed ten German soldiers during the offensive. He had also been wounded twice. On 23 October 1944, he was awarded the

Order of the Red Star The Order of the Red Star (russian: Орден Красной Звезды, Orden Krasnoy Zvezdy) was a military decoration of the Soviet Union. It was established by decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of 6 April 193 ...

for his actions during the offensive. Nemkov was awarded the

Order of the Red Banner The Order of the Red Banner (russian: Орден Красного Знамени, Orden Krasnogo Znameni) was the first Soviet military decoration. The Order was established on 16 September 1918, during the Russian Civil War by decree of th ...

on the next day for his leadership during the fighting at Zalye, Brok, Poreba and the western bank of the Narew.Order No. 446 65th Army, 24 Oct 1944, available online a
pamyat-naroda.ru
/ref> By March 1945, Nemkov was a battalion commander in the 118th Guards Rifle Regiment of the

. The division fought in the capture of Danzig in late March. On 27 March, German troops launched counterattacks and were reportedly repulsed eleven times by Nemkov's battalion. Due to German losses, the battalion was able to break through the German lines and captured several districts in Danzig. During the fighting in Danzig from 23 to 28 March, Nemkov's battalion reportedly killed 215 and captured 130 German troops. On 20 April during the Berlin Offensive, he led an assault team across the

Oder The Oder ( , ; Czech, Lower Sorbian and ; ) is a river in Central Europe. It is Poland's second-longest river in total length and third-longest within its borders after the Vistula and Warta. The Oder rises in the Czech Republic and flows thr ...

on rubber boats. Under heavy German fire, they crossed the river near

Kołbaskowo Kołbaskowo (formerly german: Kolbitzow, (historically): ''Colbitzow'') is a village in Police County, West Pomeranian Voivodeship, in north-western Poland, close to the German border. It is the seat of the gmina (administrative district) called ...

. After landing on the west bank of the Oder, Nemkov was reportedly among the first to attack the German trenches. When the battalion commander failed in his responsibilities, Nemkov replaced him in command and reportedly organized the holding of the bridgehead. He was wounded but reportedly did not leave the frontline. During the four days of fighting to hold the bridgehead, 1,000 German soldiers were reportedly killed and 15 German tanks reportedly destroyed. He was awarded the Order of Bogdan Khmelnitsky 3rd class on 16 May for his actions during the capture of Danzig.Order No. 531 2nd Belorussian Front 16 May 1945, available online a
pamyat-naroda.ru
/ref> On 29 June, Nemkov was awarded the title Hero of the Soviet UnionHero of the Soviet Union citation, available online a
pamyat-naroda.ru
/ref> and the Order of Lenin for his actions during the Oder crossing.

Postwar

After the end of World War II, Nemkov was demobilized. He lived and worked in Dzhankoy and died on 29 March 1972. Nemkov was buried in Dzhankoy.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nemkov, Alexey 1919 births 1972 deaths People from Dzhankoy Soviet military personnel of World War II Soviet Army officers Heroes of the Soviet Union Recipients of the Order of Lenin Recipients of the Order of the Red Banner Recipients of the Order of Bogdan Khmelnitsky (Soviet Union), 3rd class Communist Party of the Soviet Union members