Stepan Markovich Bondarev (; 9 April 1923 9 June 2016) was a

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 ...

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 ...

. He fought in

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 ...

as a tank company commander. Postwar, he was commander of the 29th Army and deputy commander of the North Caucasus Military District and the Northern Group of Forces.

Early life

Bondarev was born on 9 April 1923 in the village of Lenino in Terekhovsky District (now Dobrush District). He graduated from school in the village. He then took nine-month training courses for fifth to seventh grade teachers at the Gomel Pedagogical Institute. Bondarev graduated in 1940 and was sent to

Brest Brest may refer to: Places *Brest, Belarus **Brest Region **Brest Airport **Brest Fortress *Brest, Kyustendil Province, Bulgaria *Břest, Czech Republic *Brest, France **Arrondissement of Brest **Brest Bretagne Airport ** Château de Brest *Brest, ...

. He became a teacher in the village of Lyubischitsy.

World War II

Bondarev fought in World War II from its early days, initially as a

private Private or privates may refer to: Music * " In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation'' * Private (band), a Denmark-based band * "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorde ...

. He was a sergeant and squad leader of the Borisov Tank School on the

Western Front Western Front or West Front may refer to: Military frontiers *Western Front (World War I), a military frontier to the west of Germany *Western Front (World War II), a military frontier to the west of Germany *Western Front (Russian Empire), a majo ...

and the Southwestern Front. Bondarev graduated from the 3rd Saratov Tank School in 1943 and became a cadet platoon commander. He fought in

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

as a tank company commander in the 3rd Guards Tank Brigade of the 3rd Tank Corps. On 1 July he participated in the capture of

Borisov Borisov or Borisova may refer to: Places * Barysaw, or Borisov, Belarus ** Borisov Arena, a football stadium ** Battle of Borisov, 1812 * Borisov, Volgograd Oblast, Russia * Borišov, a mountain in Slovakia * Borisova, Perm Krai, Russia * Boriso ...

and two days later the capture of

Minsk Minsk ( be, Мінск ; russian: Минск) is the capital and the largest city of Belarus, located on the Svislach and the now subterranean Niamiha rivers. As the capital, Minsk has a special administrative status in Belarus and is the admi ...

Postwar

He graduated from the Military Armored Forces Academy in 1954. Bondarev commanded a tank battalion, tank regiment, and the

16th Guards Tank Division The 16th Guards Tank Division was a tank division of the Soviet Army and later the Russian Ground Forces. The division traced its lineage back to the World War II 3rd Tank Corps, formed in the spring of 1942. The corps received its baptism of f ...

. In 1970, he graduated from the Military Academy of the General Staff. On 13 May 1970, Bondarev became commander of the 29th Army at

Ulan-Ude Ulan-Ude (; bua, Улаан-Үдэ, , ; russian: Улан-Удэ, p=ʊˈlan ʊˈdɛ; mn, Улаан-Үд, , ) is the capital city of the Republic of Buryatia, Russia, located about southeast of Lake Baikal on the Uda River at its confluence wi ...

, a position he held until 12 June 1972. In 1973 he was appointed deputy commander of the North Caucasus Military District for combat training, and later held the same position in the Northern Group of Forces. He retired in 1984 with the rank of lieutenant general. On 11 March 1985, Bondarev was awarded the

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. Bondarev became a member of the Presidium of the Council of Veterans of the Republic of Belarus. He lived in

Moscow Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...

's Arbat District. He became a member of the Presidium of the Council of War Veterans, Labor, Armed Forces, and Law Enforcement of the Arbat District. Bondarev was an honorary veteran of Moscow. In 2008, Bondarev became one of the first people to receive the title "Honorary Resident of the Arbat District". On 25 February 2015, he was awarded the

Jubilee Medal "70 Years of Victory in the Great Patriotic War 1941–1945" The Jubilee Medal "70 Years of Victory in the Great Patriotic War 1941–1945" (russian: Юбилейная медаль «70 лет Победы в Великой Отечественной войне 1941–1945 гг.») is a state commemorativ ...

. Bondarev died on 9 June 2016.

Notes

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Bondarev, Stepan 1923 births 2016 deaths People from Dobrush District People from Gomelsky Uyezd Soviet lieutenant generals Soviet military personnel of World War II Recipients of the Order of the Red Banner Burials in Troyekurovskoye Cemetery