Kuzma Yevdokimovich Grebennik (
Russian: Кузьма Евдокимович Гребенник; 18 February 1900 – 22 September 1974) was a
Red Army
The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army (Russian language, Russian: Рабо́че-крестья́нская Кра́сная армия),) often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist R ...
lieutenant general
Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a three-star military rank (NATO code OF-8) used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the ...
and
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 ...
. Grebennik served in the
Soviet Border Troops
The Soviet Border Troops (russian: Пограничные войска СССР, Pogranichnyye voyska SSSR) were the border guard of the Soviet Union, subordinated to the Soviet state security agency: first to the '' Cheka''/OGPU, then to NK ...
both before and after
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 World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...
.
During World War II, he commanded the
15th
15 (fifteen) is the natural number following 14 (number), 14 and preceding 16 (number), 16.
Mathematics
15 is:
* A composite number, and the sixth semiprime; its proper divisors being , and .
* A deficient number, a smooth number, a lucky ...
and
37th Guards Rifle Divisions.
Early life
Kuzma Grebennik was born on 18 February 1900 in the village of
Bryansk
Bryansk ( rus, Брянск, p=brʲansk) is a city and the administrative center of Bryansk Oblast, Russia, situated on the River Desna, southwest of Moscow. Population:
Geography Urban layout
The location of the settlement was originally ...
in Slavyanoserbsk Uyezd in the
Yekaterinoslav Governorate
The Yekaterinoslav Governorate (russian: Екатеринославская губерния, Yekaterinoslavskaya guberniya; uk, Катеринославська губернія, translit=Katerynoslavska huberniia) or Government of Yekaterinos ...
in a working-class family of
Russian ethnicity. His father worked as a miner in the coal mines of the
Donbass
The Donbas or Donbass (, ; uk, Донба́с ; russian: Донба́сс ) is a historical, cultural, and economic region in eastern Ukraine. Parts of the Donbas are controlled by Russian separatist groups as a result of the Russo-Ukrai ...
. Grebennik graduated from elementary school and became a sorter at the coal mine at the age of 10. In 1914, his family moved to the village of Kremen in
Kharkov Governorate
The Kharkov Governorate ( pre-reform Russian: , tr. ''Khárkovskaya gubérniya'', IPA: xarʲkəfskəjə ɡʊˈbʲernʲɪjə ) was a governorate of the Russian Empire founded in 1835. It embraced the historical region of Sloboda Ukraine. From ...
, where Grebennik graduated from a two-year college in 1915. In 1916, he became a worker at the Donets-Rubezhnyi Factory. Grebennik returned to the Donbass and became a worker at a coal mine in 1918.
In May 1919, Grebennik was drafted into the
Red Army
The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army (Russian language, Russian: Рабо́че-крестья́нская Кра́сная армия),) often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist R ...
and served with the
42nd Rifle Division. He caught
typhus
Typhus, also known as typhus fever, is a group of infectious diseases that include epidemic typhus, scrub typhus, and murine typhus. Common symptoms include fever, headache, and a rash. Typically these begin one to two weeks after exposure. ...
and after recovery in January 1920 became a clerk at the Ekaterinoslav Governorate recruiting office. Grebennik joined the
Communist Party of the Soviet Union in September. In October, he transferred to the
Cheka and served in the Krasny Kommunistychesky Battalion of the Cheka Donetsk Division's 1st Regiment. With the regiment, Grebennik fought against the
White Army
The White Army (russian: Белая армия, Belaya armiya) or White Guard (russian: Бѣлая гвардія/Белая гвардия, Belaya gvardiya, label=none), also referred to as the Whites or White Guardsmen (russian: Бѣлогв ...
commanded by
Pyotr Nikolayevich Wrangel.
Interwar
In April 1922, Grebennik became an instructor with the 455th Rogozhsko-Simonovsky Regiment of the
51st Rifle Division
The 51st Rifle Division was an infantry division of the Soviet Army, formed twice. Its first formation was formed during the Russian Civil War and fought in the Perekop-Chongar Offensive in 1920. It also fought in the Soviet invasion of Poland, Wi ...
. He transferred to the border troops of the
OGPU
The Joint State Political Directorate (OGPU; russian: Объединённое государственное политическое управление) was the intelligence and state security service and secret police of the Soviet Union ...
in October 1922 as a commissar of the Ochakovo Border battalion. Grebennik graduated from the Graduate School of the USSR Border Troops in 1924. In September, he became a platoon commander of the Odessa School of border troops regiment. He became the head of border troops at the Polish border and the motorized group of the Moldovan border detachment. In November 1929, he became the assistant chief of the drill for the 21st Yampolsky Border Detachment. Grebennik was appointed commander of the 5th Mechanized Regiment of the Order of Lenin Separate Mechanized Division of special purpose troops in December 1931. In July 1935, he graduated from the courses at the
of the Red Army. Grebennik was promoted to colonel in April 1936.
Grebennik became the commander of the 59th Border Detachment of the NKVD Border Troops in the
Primorsky Krai
Primorsky Krai (russian: Приморский край, r=Primorsky kray, p=prʲɪˈmorskʲɪj kraj), informally known as Primorye (, ), is a federal subject (a krai) of Russia, located in the Far East region of the country and is a part of t ...
near
Posyet in November 1937. In August 1938, he led the border detachment in repelling the first Japanese attacks during the
Battle of Lake Khasan.
For his leadership in the battle, Grebennik 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 ...
.
World War II
Grebennik continued to command the border detachment until November 1942, when he was appointed deputy commander of the Far Eastern NKVD Rifle Division in the
Urals Military District. In February 1943, the division was renamed the
102nd Rifle Division and was sent to the
Central Front
The Central Front was a major formation of the Red Army during the Second World War formed on July 24, 1941.
The Central Front describes either of two distinct organizations during the war.
The first entity existed for just a month during th ...
as part of the
70th Army. He served with the division during the Sevsk offensive in
Operation Kutuzov. In August, Grebennik became the commander of the
15th Rifle Division. The division advanced during the
Chernigov-Pripyat Offensive during August and September. During the fall, it fought in the Gomel-Rechitsa Offensive. In January 1944, the division fought in the Kalinkovichi-Mozyr Offensive. In June,
Operation Bagration
Operation Bagration (; russian: Операция Багратио́н, Operatsiya Bagration) was the codename for the 1944 Soviet Byelorussian strategic offensive operation (russian: Белорусская наступательная оп ...
was launched and the division advanced through Belorussia.
During the
East Prussian Offensive in early 1945, the division fought as part of
65th Army's
18th Rifle Corps
18 (eighteen) is the natural number following 17 and preceding 19.
In mathematics
* Eighteen is a composite number, its divisors being 1, 2, 3, 6 and 9. Three of these divisors (3, 6 and 9) add up to 18, hence 18 is a semiperfect number. ...
. Around this time, Grebennik's son Vladimir joined the division as a lieutenant in the medical battalion.
On 30 March, Grebennik took over command of the 37th Guards Rifle Division from acting commander Colonel
Nikolai Onoprienko
Nikolai Nikolayevich Onoprienko (russian: Николай Николаевич Оноприенко, uk, Микола Миколайович Онопрієнко; 19 December 1911 – 12 November 1979) was a Red Army colonel and World War II Hero o ...
after Major General
Sobir Rakhimov was killed during the assault on
Danzig. Grebennik led the division through the rest of the
East Pomeranian Offensive. He organized the division's crossing of the
Oder
The Oder ( , ; Czech language, Czech, Lower Sorbian language, 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 ri ...
on 20 April and established a bridgehead over the river during the
Berlin Offensive. The division captured
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) ca ...
, southwest of
Szczecin
Szczecin (, , german: Stettin ; sv, Stettin ; Latin: ''Sedinum'' or ''Stetinum'') is the capital and largest city of the West Pomeranian Voivodeship in northwestern Poland. Located near the Baltic Sea and the German border, it is a major s ...
. By 2 May, the division had advanced 150 kilometers and was on the
Baltic Sea
The Baltic Sea is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that is enclosed by Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Sweden and the North and Central European Plain.
The sea stretches from 53°N to 66°N latitude and fr ...
northeast of
Rostock
Rostock (), officially the Hanseatic and University City of Rostock (german: link=no, Hanse- und Universitätsstadt Rostock), is the largest city in the German state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and lies in the Mecklenburgian part of the state, ...
. Grebennik 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 ...
on 29 May for his actions during the Berlin Offensive.
Postwar
On 1 December, the division became the 27th Mechanized Division. It was reduced to regimental strength a year later. In 1946, he served as a witness at the
Tokyo War Crimes Tribunal.
Grebennik continued to command the division throughout these changes but returned to the Border Troops in August 1947. He was appointed deputy head of the Border Troops in the Transcarpathian Border District. Grebennik was appointed head of the Border Troops of the Ukrainian Border District in December. While in that position, he participated in the fighting against the
Ukrainian Insurgent Army
The Ukrainian Insurgent Army ( uk, Українська повстанська армія, УПА, translit=Ukrayins'ka povstans'ka armiia, abbreviated UPA) was a Ukrainian nationalist paramilitary and later partisan formation. During Worl ...
. Between 1950 and 1954, he was a deputy of the
Supreme Soviet
The Supreme Soviet (russian: Верховный Совет, Verkhovny Sovet, Supreme Council) was the common name for the legislative bodies (parliaments) of the Soviet socialist republics (SSR) in the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USS ...
. In November 1951, Grebennik was appointed head of the border troops of the Leningrad District. He became a senior advisor to the Albanian
Ministry of Interior Affairs in October 1953. Grebennik became the head of the 1st Department of the Main Directorate of Border and Internal Troops of the USSR in October 1956. During the crushing of the
Hungarian Revolution of 1956
The Hungarian Revolution of 1956 (23 October – 10 November 1956; hu, 1956-os forradalom), also known as the Hungarian Uprising, was a countrywide revolution against the government of the Hungarian People's Republic (1949–1989) and the Hung ...
in Operation Whirlwind, Grebennik commanded the Soviet forces in the Budapest region and was wounded.
From April 1957, he was the chief of staff and first deputy chief of the KGB Border Troops. In July, he was promoted to
lieutenant general
Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a three-star military rank (NATO code OF-8) used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the ...
and became the head of the KGB Border Troops in the Southwestern Frontier District. From January 1960, Grebennik was the head of the operational group of the KGB Border Troops in the
Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic
The Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic ( uk, Украї́нська Радя́нська Соціалісти́чна Респу́бліка, ; russian: Украи́нская Сове́тская Социалисти́ческая Респ ...
.
In December 1961, Grebennik was discharged. He lived in Kiev and was a member of the Ukrainian People's Control Committee.
He died on 22 September 1974. Grebennik is buried in the
Baikove Cemetery.
In 1978, his writings were posthumously published as "''Хасанский дневник''", or ''Khasan Diary'' in English.
Awards and honors
;USSR
*Honorary State Security Officer (8 April 1934)
;Foreign
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Grebennik, Kuzma
1900 births
1974 deaths
People from Brianka
People from Yekaterinoslav Governorate
Russians in Ukraine
Communist Party of the Soviet Union members
Third convocation members of the Soviet of the Union
Soviet lieutenant generals
Russian coal miners
Soviet coal miners
Soviet border guards
Soviet military personnel of the Russian Civil War
Soviet military personnel of World War II
Heroes of the Soviet Union
Recipients of the Order of Lenin
Recipients of the Order of the Red Banner
Recipients of the Order of the Red Star
Recipients of the Order of Suvorov, 2nd class
Recipients of the Order of Kutuzov, 2nd class
Commanders of the Virtuti Militari
Burials at Baikove Cemetery