Prokofy Logvinovich Romanenko (; – 10 March 1949) was a
Ukrainian Soviet Army
uk, Радянська армія
, image = File:Communist star with golden border and red rims.svg
, alt =
, caption = Emblem of the Soviet Army
, start_date ...
colonel general.
Serving in the
Imperial Russian Army during
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
, Romanenko 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, afte ...
during the
Russian Civil War
{{Infobox military conflict
, conflict = Russian Civil War
, partof = the Russian Revolution and the aftermath of World War I
, image =
, caption = Clockwise from top left:
{{flatlist,
*Soldiers ...
, becoming a cavalry commander. He quickly moved up in rank during the interwar period, fighting in the
Spanish Civil War
The Spanish Civil War ( es, Guerra Civil Española)) or The Revolution ( es, La Revolución, link=no) among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War ( es, Cuarta Guerra Carlista, link=no) among Carlists, and The Rebellion ( es, La Rebelión, link ...
as an adviser and in the
Winter War
The Winter War,, sv, Vinterkriget, rus, Зи́мняя война́, r=Zimnyaya voyna. The names Soviet–Finnish War 1939–1940 (russian: link=no, Сове́тско-финская война́ 1939–1940) and Soviet–Finland War 1 ...
as commander of the
10th Tank Corps
The 10th Tank Corps was a tank corps of the Red Army, formed twice.
First Formation
In May–June 1938, the 7th Mechanized Corps headquarters was relocated from Novy Petergof to Luga and converted into the 10th Tank Corps when the Red Army ...
. After commanding a rifle corps and the
1st Mechanized Corps, he led the
17th Army in the
Soviet Far East
The Russian Far East (russian: Дальний Восток России, r=Dal'niy Vostok Rossii, p=ˈdalʲnʲɪj vɐˈstok rɐˈsʲiɪ) is a region in Northeast Asia. It is the easternmost part of Russia and the Asian continent; and is admini ...
from early 1941. He was sent west to command the
3rd Tank Army in May 1942, leading it during the failed
Kozelsk Offensive in the summer. Afterwards, Romanenko was transferred to lead the
5th Tank Army
5th Tank Army is the name of several Soviet units during World War II (not to be confused with the 5th Guards Tank Army).
Its first formation occurred on 5 June, 1942, commanded by Major-General Alexander Lizyukov, serving under the Bryansk Front ...
in
Operation Uranus
Operation Uranus (russian: Опера́ция «Ура́н», Operatsiya "Uran") was the codename of the Soviet Red Army's 19–23 November 1942 strategic operation on the Eastern Front of World War II which led to the encirclement of Axis ...
, the Soviet counteroffensive in the
Battle of Stalingrad. After the end of the battle in February 1943, he became commander of the
2nd Tank Army
The 2nd Guards Tank Army () was a large military formation of the Red Army and later the Soviet Army, now part of the Russian Ground Forces of the Russian Federation.
The army was originally formed in early 1943 as the 2nd Tank Army. It was the ...
, but after an unsuccessful attack became commander of the
48th Army in March. Romanenko led the 48th Army until December 1944, including 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 ...
and
Operation Bagration
Operation Bagration (; russian: Операция Багратио́н, Operatsiya Bagration) was the codename for the 1944 Soviet Byelorussian strategic offensive operation (russian: Белорусская наступательная оп ...
. He was replaced in command as a result of declining health, and postwar commanded the
East Siberian Military District
The East Siberian Military District was a Military district of the Russian Empire and the Soviet Union, which existed between 1865—1884, 1920—1923 and 1945—1953.
Between 1884-1919, it was known as the Irkutsk Military District.
History
Th ...
before his 1949 death.
Early life and World War I
Romanenko was born on 25 February 1897 at his peasant family's ''
khutor
A khutor ( rus, хутор, p=ˈxutər) or khutir ( uk, хутiр, pl. , ''khutory'') is a type of rural locality in some countries of Eastern Europe; in the past the term mostly referred to a single- homestead settlement. '' in
Poltava Governorate
The Poltava Governorate (russian: Полтавская губерния, Poltavskaya guberniya; ua, Полтавська Губернія, translit=Poltavska huberniia) or Poltavshchyna was a gubernia (also called a province or government) in t ...
's
Romensky Uyezd (now the village of
Khustyanka in
Buryn Raion). He fought in the
Imperial Russian Army during
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
, volunteering for the
14th Orenburg Cossack Regiment in 1914 and becoming a
sergeant (''uryadnik'' in the Cossack rank system) and then
senior sergeant. Romanenko fought on the
Southwestern Front as commander of a half-company, and was awarded four
Crosses of St. George for his actions. In 1917, he graduated from the 5th Kiev
Praporshchik
( rus, Пра́порщик, 3=ˈprapərɕːɪk, ) is a rank used by the Russian Armed Forces and a number of former communist states. The rank is a non-commissioned officer's and is equivalent to in navies. It is usually equivalent to Warrant ...
School, and was promoted to praporshchik, becoming a junior officer in the
155th Reserve Infantry Regiment.
Russian Civil War
After the dissolution of the Imperial Army, in January 1918, Romanenko was elected a member of the
Blagodatnentsky Volost
Volost ( rus, во́лость, p=ˈvoləsʲtʲ; ) was a traditional administrative subdivision in Eastern Europe.
In earlier East Slavic history, '' volost'' was a name for the territory ruled by the knyaz, a principality; either as an absolute ...
executive committee
A committee or commission is a body of one or more persons subordinate to a deliberative assembly. A committee is not itself considered to be a form of assembly. Usually, the assembly sends matters into a committee as a way to explore them more ...
in
Stavropol Governorate
The Stavropol Governorate was a Governorate (province) of the Russian Empire. It roughly corresponded to most of present-day Stavropol Krai. It was created in 1847 out of the territories of Caucasian peoples and disbanded in Russian SFSR in 1924.
...
, and in March became its military commissar. In June, he organized a partisan detachment, fighting against the
Volunteer Army
The Volunteer Army (russian: Добровольческая армия, translit=Dobrovolcheskaya armiya, abbreviated to russian: Добрармия, translit=Dobrarmiya) was a White Army active in South Russia during the Russian Civil War from ...
on the
Southern Front of the Russian Civil War
The Southern Front of the Russian Civil War was a theatre of the Russian Civil War.
Don revolts and formation of the Volunteer Army
In the aftermath of the October Revolution, politicians and army officers hostile to the Bolsheviks gravitated ...
. In August, after joining 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, afte ...
, the unit became the 4th Stavropol Regiment, and became part of the
2nd North Stavropol Division in September, being renamed the 12th Rifle Regiment. Romanenko transferred to become commander of a cavalry squadron in the
6th Cavalry Division's 33rd Cavalry Regiment in June 1919, later serving as the assistant regimental commander. In 1918 and 1919, Romanenko participated in the fight against White Cossacks and
Anton Denikin
Anton Ivanovich Denikin (russian: Анто́н Ива́нович Дени́кин, link= ; 16 December Old_Style_and_New_Style_dates">O.S._4_December.html" ;"title="Old_Style_and_New_Style_dates.html" ;"title="nowiki/>Old Style and New St ...
's White troops in Stavropol Governorate, the
Voronezh-Kastornensk Offensive, the
Kharkov Operation, and the
Donbass Offensive. Towards the end of the year the 6th Division was assigned to the
1st Cavalry Army __NOTOC__
The 1st Cavalry Army (russian: Первая конная армия, Pervaya konnaya armiya) was a prominent Red Army military formation. It was also known as "Budyonny's Cavalry Army" or simply as ''Konarmia'' (Кона́рмия, "Horse ...
. Taking command of the regiment in June 1920, he led it during the
Polish–Soviet War
The Polish–Soviet War (Polish–Bolshevik War, Polish–Soviet War, Polish–Russian War 1919–1921)
* russian: Советско-польская война (''Sovetsko-polskaya voyna'', Soviet-Polish War), Польский фронт (' ...
in the
Battle of Lwów on the
Southwestern Front, and in the fall fought in the
Perekop-Chongar Offensive, driving
Pyotr Nikolayevich Wrangel
Baron Pyotr Nikolayevich Wrangel (russian: Пётр Никола́евич барон Вра́нгель, translit=Pëtr Nikoláevič Vrángel', p=ˈvranɡʲɪlʲ, german: Freiherr Peter Nikolaus von Wrangel; April 25, 1928), also known by his ni ...
's White troops out of
Crimea
Crimea, crh, Къырым, Qırım, grc, Κιμμερία / Ταυρική, translit=Kimmería / Taurikḗ ( ) is a peninsula in Ukraine, on the northern coast of the Black Sea, that has been occupied by Russia since 2014. It has a pop ...
.
Interwar period
After the end of the civil war, in May 1921, Romanenko became commander of the
14th Cavalry Division's 83rd Cavalry Regiment, part of the
North Caucasus Military District
The North Caucasus Military District was a military district of the Russian Armed Forces, which became in 2010 the Southern Military District and lately also included the Black Sea Fleet and Caspian Flotilla.
It comprised the Republic of Adygeya, ...
. In 1925 he graduated from commander's refresher courses (KUKS) at the
Leningrad
Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...
Higher Cavalry School, becoming commander of the
10th Maikop Cavalry Division's 59th Cavalry Regiment in October 1926. Romanenko transferred to command the 10th Verkhneuralsk Red Cossack Cavalry Regiment of the
2nd Red Cossack Cavalry Division. In 1930, he graduated from Officer Improvement Courses (
KUVNAS
The Courses of Improvement for Higher Officers of the Red Army (), also translated as the Course for Perfecting Red Army Command Cadre and commonly known by their Russian acronym KUVNAS, were a training course for senior officers of the Red Army du ...
) at the
Frunze Military Academy
The M. V. Frunze Military Academy (russian: Военная академия имени М. В. Фрунзе), or in full the Military Order of Lenin and the October Revolution, Red Banner, Order of Suvorov Academy in the name of M. V. Frunze (rus ...
, and graduated from the academy itself in May 1933. He then became an assistant chief of the 3rd Department in the
Directorate for Motorization and Mechanization, and in May 1935 became the
13th Mechanized Brigade's chief of staff in the
Moscow Military District
The Order of Lenin Moscow Military District was a military district of the Soviet Armed Forces and the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. The district was awarded the Order of Lenin in 1968. In 2010 it was merged with the Leningrad Military D ...
. In April 1937, Romanenko took command of the
Leningrad Military District
The Leningrad Military District was a military district of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. In 2010 it was merged with the Moscow Military District, the Northern Fleet and the Baltic Fleet to form the new Western Military District ...
's
11th Mechanized Brigade. He was sent to Spain as an adviser to the
Spanish Republican Army
The Spanish Republican Army ( es, Ejército de la República Española) was the main branch of the Armed Forces of the Second Spanish Republic between 1931 and 1939.
It became known as People's Army of the Republic (''Ejército Popular de la Rep ...
during the
Spanish Civil War
The Spanish Civil War ( es, Guerra Civil Española)) or The Revolution ( es, La Revolución, link=no) among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War ( es, Cuarta Guerra Carlista, link=no) among Carlists, and The Rebellion ( es, La Rebelión, link ...
, and was awarded 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 ...
for his actions there. Upon his return to the Soviet Union in February 1938, Romanenko took command of the
7th Mechanized Corps in the Leningrad Military District, which was later converted into the
10th Tank Corps
The 10th Tank Corps was a tank corps of the Red Army, formed twice.
First Formation
In May–June 1938, the 7th Mechanized Corps headquarters was relocated from Novy Petergof to Luga and converted into the 10th Tank Corps when the Red Army ...
, leading it during the
Winter War
The Winter War,, sv, Vinterkriget, rus, Зи́мняя война́, r=Zimnyaya voyna. The names Soviet–Finnish War 1939–1940 (russian: link=no, Сове́тско-финская война́ 1939–1940) and Soviet–Finland War 1 ...
in the fighting around
Kiviniemi and the repulse of a Finnish counterattack northeast of Boboshino. In May 1940 he took command of the
34th Rifle Corps
The 34th Rifle Corps was a corps of the Soviet Red Army. It was part of the 19th Army. It took part in the Great Patriotic War. Organization
* 129th Rifle Division
* 158th Rifle Division
* 171st Rifle Division Commanders
* Divisional comm ...
in the North Caucasus Military District, but was appointed commander of the new
1st Mechanized Corps in June. Romanenko became commander of the
17th Army of the
Transbaikal Military District
The Transbaikal Military District (russian: Забайкальский военный округ) was a military district of first the Soviet Armed Forces and then the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, formed on May 17, 1935 and included the ...
in January 1941.
World War II
After spending the first months after
Operation Barbarossa
Operation Barbarossa (german: link=no, Unternehmen Barbarossa; ) was the invasion of the Soviet Union by Nazi Germany and many of its Axis allies, starting on Sunday, 22 June 1941, during the Second World War. The operation, code-named after ...
, the German invasion of the Soviet Union, in the Far East, Romanenko was sent west to command the newly formed
3rd Tank Army in May 1942. In late August, the army became part of the
Western Front and fought in the unsuccessful
Kozelsk Offensive against the
2nd Panzer Army
The 2nd Panzer Army (german: 2. Panzerarmee) was a German armoured formation during World War II, formed from the 2nd Panzer Group on October 5, 1941.
Organisation
Panzer Group Guderian (german: Panzergruppe Guderian) was formed on 5 June 19 ...
. After the offensive ended in September, he became deputy commander of the
Bryansk Front
The Bryansk Front (russian: Брянский фронт) was a major formation of the Red Army during the Second World War.
First Formation (August - November 1941)
General Andrei Yeremenko was designated commander of the Front when it first f ...
. Romanenko was transferred to command the reformed
5th Tank Army
5th Tank Army is the name of several Soviet units during World War II (not to be confused with the 5th Guards Tank Army).
Its first formation occurred on 5 June, 1942, commanded by Major-General Alexander Lizyukov, serving under the Bryansk Front ...
in November, leading it in
Operation Uranus
Operation Uranus (russian: Опера́ция «Ура́н», Operatsiya "Uran") was the codename of the Soviet Red Army's 19–23 November 1942 strategic operation on the Eastern Front of World War II which led to the encirclement of Axis ...
, the Soviet counteroffensive in the
Battle of Stalingrad during late November. In January 1943, he took command of the
2nd Tank Army
The 2nd Guards Tank Army () was a large military formation of the Red Army and later the Soviet Army, now part of the Russian Ground Forces of the Russian Federation.
The army was originally formed in early 1943 as the 2nd Tank Army. It was the ...
, fighting in
Central Front's unsuccessful offensive on
Oryol and
Bryansk
Bryansk ( rus, Брянск, p=brʲansk) is a types of inhabited localities in Russia, city and the administrative center of Bryansk Oblast, Russia, situated on the Desna (river), River Desna, southwest of Moscow. Population:
Geography Urban la ...
during February. Romanenko then became commander of the
48th Army in the same month, leading it during 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 ...
,
Operation Kutuzov
Operation Kutuzov was the first of the two counteroffensives launched by the Red Army as part of the Kursk Strategic Offensive Operation. It commenced on 12 July 1943, in the Central Russian Upland, against Army Group Center of the German '' He ...
, and the
Chernigov-Pripyat Offensive in the summer and early fall of 1943. From November 1943, the army fought in the
Gomel-Rechitsa Offensive, during which it captured
Gomel
Gomel (russian: Гомель, ) or Homiel ( be, Гомель, ) is the administrative centre of Gomel Region and the second-largest city in Belarus with 526,872 inhabitants (2015 census).
Etymology
There are at least six narratives of the o ...
. 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 ...
, the Soviet offensive that recaptured Belarus and eastern Poland, which began in late June 1944, the army fought in the
Bobruysk Offensive, seizing
Zhlobin
Zhlobin ( be, Жло́бін; russian: Жло́бин, pl, Żłobin, lt, Žlobinas) is a city in the Zhlobin District of Gomel Region, Belarus, located on the Dnieper river. As of 2017, the population was 76,078.
The city is notable for being ...
,
Bobruisk
Babruysk, Babrujsk or Bobruisk ( be, Бабруйск , Łacinka: , rus, Бобруйск, Bobrujsk, bɐˈbruɪ̯s̪k, yi, באָברויסק ) is a city in the Mogilev Region of eastern Belarus on the Berezina River. , its population was 209 ...
, and
Slonim. In July, Romanenko was promoted to
Colonel General,
but was replaced in command in December 1944 due to declining health.
Postwar
From July 1945, Romanenko commanded the
East Siberian Military District
The East Siberian Military District was a Military district of the Russian Empire and the Soviet Union, which existed between 1865—1884, 1920—1923 and 1945—1953.
Between 1884-1919, it was known as the Irkutsk Military District.
History
Th ...
. In February 1947 he became a student at the Higher Academic Courses of the
Higher Military Academy, but in December transferred to the 2nd Main Courses of the academy, graduating in 1948. Romanenko was a deputy of the Second Convocation of the
Supreme Soviet before his death on 10 March 1949 as a result of a serious illness. He was buried in
Novodevichy Cemetery.
References
Citations
Bibliography
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Romanenko, Prokofy
1897 births
1949 deaths
People from Sumy Oblast
People from Romensky Uyezd
Communist Party of the Soviet Union members
Second convocation members of the Soviet of the Union
Soviet colonel generals
Frunze Military Academy alumni
Military Academy of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Soviet Union alumni
Ukrainian people of World War I
Russian military personnel of World War I
Soviet military personnel of the Russian Civil War
Soviet people of the Spanish Civil War
Soviet military personnel of the Winter War
Soviet military personnel of World War II from Ukraine
Recipients of the Cross of St. George
Recipients of the Order of Lenin
Recipients of the Order of the Red Banner
Recipients of the Order of Suvorov, 1st class
Recipients of the Order of Kutuzov, 1st class
Burials at Novodevichy Cemetery