Maxim Ivanovich Grabovenko (Russian: Максим Иванович Грабовенко; 11 August 1923 – 12 November 1980) was a Ukrainian

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 ...

senior sergeant 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 ...

. Grabovenko 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 Battle of the Dnieper.

Early life

Grabovenko was born on 11 August 1923 in the village of Marinovka in Ananiv Raion in

Kherson Oblast Kherson Oblast ( uk, Херсо́нська о́бласть, translit=Khersónsʹka óblastʹ, ), also known as Khersonshchyna ( uk, Херсо́нщина, ), is an oblast (province) in southern Ukraine, currently claimed and partly occupied ...

to a peasant family. He graduated from the village seven-year secondary school. In 1940, he moved to

Novosibirsk Novosibirsk (, also ; rus, Новосиби́рск, p=nəvəsʲɪˈbʲirsk, a=ru-Новосибирск.ogg) is the largest city and administrative centre of Novosibirsk Oblast and Siberian Federal District in Russia. As of the Russian Census ...

and became a carpenter at a construction site. He moved to Stalinsk in early 1941. Grabovenko worked as a carpenter in the construction of the Kuznetsk Metallurgical Combine and the Ordzhonikidze mine.

World War II

In December 1941, Grabovenko was drafted into the Red Army and sent to the 455th Rifle Division, forming in the Kemerovo Oblast. The division soon was renamed the

237th Rifle Division The 237th Rifle Division was an infantry division of the Red Army, originally formed in the months just before the start of the German invasion, based on the ''shtat'' (table of organization and equipment A table of organization and equipment (TO ...

. In April 1942, he was transferred along with the division to

Vologda Vologda ( rus, Вологда, p=ˈvoləɡdə) is a types of inhabited localities in Russia, city and the administrative center of Vologda Oblast, Russia, located on the river Vologda (river), Vologda within the watershed of the Northern Dvina. ...

in the Arkhangelsk Military District. In July 1942, the division was sent into combat during the Battle of Voronezh. In January 1943, he fought in the Voronezh-Kastornoye Operation. In February and March, he fought in the

Third Battle of Kharkov The Third Battle of Kharkov was a series of battles on the Eastern Front of World War II, undertaken by Army Group South of Nazi Germany against the Soviet Red Army, around the city of Kharkov between 19 February and 15 March 1943. Known to ...

. During July and August, he fought in the

Battle of Kursk The Battle of Kursk was a major World War II Eastern Front engagement between the forces of Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union near Kursk in the southwestern USSR during late summer 1943; it ultimately became the largest tank battle in history. ...

. From August, the division fought in the Battle of the Dnieper. By this time, Grabovenko was a gunner in the division's 691st Artillery Regiment. He was awarded the Medal "For Courage" on 14 August. On 25 September, his battery was involved in fighting near Grebeni village in Kaharlyk Raion. On 28 September, Grabovenko helped repulse 3 German counterattacks against the Dnieper bridgehead for 10 hours. During the fighting, he was wounded but reportedly did not leave the guns. Despite the German troops sometimes being as close as 60 to 100 meters to the guns, Grabovenko reportedly continued to fight and killed numerous German soldiers. Grabovenko fired the guns until he ran out of shells, then fought with his personal weapon. He was wounded, but reportedly did not leave the frontline. For his actions, Grabovenko was awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union and the Order of Lenin on 24 December.Hero of the Soviet Union citation, available online a
pamyat-naroda.ru
/ref> In 1944, he joined 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 ...

Postwar

In 1945, Grabovenko was demobilized. He lived in the village of Novooleksiyivka in

Vradiivka Raion Vradiivka Raion ( uk, Врадіївський район) was a subdivision of Mykolaiv Oblast of Ukraine. Its administrative center was the urban-type settlement of Vradiivka. The raion was abolished on 18 July 2020 as part of the administrativ ...

. Grabovenko worked as the head of the Pobeda collective farm. He later became the head of the collective farm's apiary. Grabovenko was killed in an accident on 12 November 1980. He was buried in Novoaleksiyivka.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Grabovenko, Maxim 1923 births 1980 deaths People from Mykolaiv Oblast Communist Party of the Soviet Union members Soviet military personnel of World War II from Ukraine Heroes of the Soviet Union Recipients of the Order of Lenin Recipients of the Medal "For Courage" (Russia) Accidental deaths in the Soviet Union