Dmitry Grigorievich Ponomarev (russian: Дмитрий Григорьевич Пономарёв; 3 November 1908 – 26 December 1982) was a Soviet submarine commander who was awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union for actions in the Soviet-Japanese War.

Biography

Born in a

working class The working class (or labouring class) comprises those engaged in manual-labour occupations or industrial work, who are remunerated via waged or salaried contracts. Working-class occupations (see also " Designation of workers by collar colou ...

family in

Arkhangelsk Arkhangelsk (, ; rus, Арха́нгельск, p=ɐrˈxanɡʲɪlʲsk), also known in English as Archangel and Archangelsk, is a types of inhabited localities in Russia, city and the administrative center of Arkhangelsk Oblast, Russia. It lies o ...

, Dmitry graduated from the Arkhangelsk naval college (after named as

Admiral Makarov State Maritime Academy Admiral Makarov State Maritime Academy (russian: Государственная морская академия имени адмирала С. О. Макарова) is a federal institution of higher professional education (ФБОУ ВПО ) whic ...

) in 1929, and started as a sailing-master on

merchant vessel A merchant ship, merchant vessel, trading vessel, or merchantman is a watercraft that transports cargo or carries passengers for hire. This is in contrast to pleasure craft, which are used for personal recreation, and naval ships, which are us ...

. In 1930, he joined the

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 ...

where he served until 1931. From 1933 to 1935, he was a student of educational detachment of diving named by

Sergey Kirov Sergei Mironovich Kirov (né Kostrikov; 27 March 1886 – 1 December 1934) was a Soviet politician and Bolshevik revolutionary whose assassination led to the first Great Purge. Kirov was an early revolutionary in the Russian Empire and membe ...

. In 1935 he started off as an assistant to the commander of submarine of Pacific Fleet, later becoming the submarine commander himself (33rd division and 31st division of submarines in 1939). Since 1940, he was a commander of the Petropavlovsk naval base of Pacific Fleet. Dmitry was a participant in the

Soviet–Japanese War The Soviet–Japanese War (russian: Советско-японская война; ja, ソ連対日参戦, soren tai nichi sansen, Soviet Union entry into war against Japan), known in Mongolia as the Liberation War of 1945 (), was a military ...

in 1945. During the

Invasion of the Kuril Islands The Invasion of the Kuril Islands (russian: Курильская десантная операция, lit=Kuril Islands Landing Operation) was the World War II Soviet military operation to capture the Kuril Islands from Japan in 1945. The inv ...

, he prepared, and in difficult weather conditions, accomplished a transition by the sea, executed landing operation to fortified islands of Shusha and

Paramushir russian: Парамушир ja, 幌筵島 , native_name_link = , nickname = , location = Pacific Ocean , coordinates = , archipelago = Kuril Island , total_islands = , major_islands = , area_km2 = 2053 , length_km = 100 , width_km = 20 ...

, and organized a neutralization of enemy's strong points and weapon placements. For the successful realization of this operation, he was given the rank of the Hero of the Soviet Union. After that, he continued his service to the navy. In 1948, Ponomarev ended the academic courses. Since 1954, he lived in Leningrad, and died in 1982.

Awards

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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

Order of the Patriotic War The Order of the Patriotic War (russian: Орден Отечественной войны, Orden Otechestvennoy voiny) is a Soviet military decoration that was awarded to all soldiers in the Soviet armed forces, security troops, and to partisan ...

1st class *Two Orders of Red Star

References

Bibliography

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Ponomarev, Dmitry 1908 births 1982 deaths Soviet military personnel of World War II Heroes of the Soviet Union Soviet submarine commanders Soviet Navy officers