Stepan Ilyich Oborin (; 15 August 1892 – 16 October 1941) was a
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 ...
major general
Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...
. Oborin served as a gunner in the
Imperial Russian Army
The Imperial Russian Army (russian: Ру́сская импера́торская а́рмия, tr. ) was the armed land force of the Russian Empire, active from around 1721 to the Russian Revolution of 1917. In the early 1850s, the Russian Ar ...
in
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 ...
and subsequently joined the Red Army. He fought in the
Russian Civil War
, date = October Revolution, 7 November 1917 – Yakut revolt, 16 June 1923{{Efn, The main phase ended on 25 October 1922. Revolt against the Bolsheviks continued Basmachi movement, in Central Asia and Tungus Republic, the Far East th ...
and became an artillery officer. He led the artillery of the
19th Rifle Corps 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 ...
. After the end of the war he became commander of the
136th Rifle Division and then the
14th Mechanized Corps. The corps was destroyed in the
Battle of Białystok–Minsk
The Battle of Białystok–Minsk was a German strategic operation conducted by the Wehrmacht's Army Group Centre under Field Marshal Fedor von Bock during the penetration of the Soviet border region in the opening stage of Operation Barbarossa, ...
after the
German invasion of the Soviet Union
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 afte ...
. Oborin was wounded during the battle and flew back to
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 ...
for treatment. He was arrested for desertion, sentenced to death and shot on 16 October 1941. Oborin was posthumously rehabilitated in 1957.
Early life, World War I, and Russian Civil War
Oborin was born on 15 August 1892 in the village of
Kamenka in
Tver Governorate
Tver Governorate (russian: Тверская губерния, ''Tverskaya guberniya'') was an administrative division (a '' guberniya'') of the Russian Empire and Russian SFSR, which existed from 1796 until 1929. Its seat was in Tver. The governo ...
to a working-class family. He graduated from the parish school in 1903 and became a textile worker. In October 1913, he was drafted into the
Imperial Russian Army
The Imperial Russian Army (russian: Ру́сская импера́торская а́рмия, tr. ) was the armed land force of the Russian Empire, active from around 1721 to the Russian Revolution of 1917. In the early 1850s, the Russian Ar ...
. He served as a
Rjadovoy
(russian: Рядово́й) in the Army, Airborne troops, and Air Force of the Russian Federation is the designation of a member of the rank group of enlisted personnel. The rank is equivalent to ''matros'' ( ru , матрос) in the Russi ...
in the
1st Siberian Division. Oborin graduated from a training unit a year later and became a non-commissioned officer. He fought in
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 ...
on the
Western Front in a Siberian Howitzer Artillery Battalion as an
artillery observer
An artillery observer, artillery spotter or forward observer (FO) is responsible for directing artillery and mortar fire onto a target. It may be a ''forward air controller'' (FAC) for close air support (CAS) and spotter for naval gunfire su ...
. He was wounded. Oborin's last rank in the Imperial Army was Junior
Feuerwerker
''Feuerwerker'' (ordnance technician or specialist, literally 'fire worker') are specialists in the armed forces of German-speaking countries responsible for the maintenance of ammunition.
From the late Middle Ages until the Early modern period ...
. In February 1917, Oborin was discharged from the army due to illness. In December, he became chief of intelligence of the 3rd Tver Revolutionary Partisan Group.
Oborin 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 ...
in June 1918, fighting in the
Russian Civil War
, date = October Revolution, 7 November 1917 – Yakut revolt, 16 June 1923{{Efn, The main phase ended on 25 October 1922. Revolt against the Bolsheviks continued Basmachi movement, in Central Asia and Tungus Republic, the Far East th ...
. He fought on the
Eastern Front and the
Southern Front. Oborin became a gun commander of the 1st Light Artillery Battery at the headquarters of the
3rd Army's special units. From April 1919, he served in the
30th Rifle Division as a battery
starshina, platoon commander, and finally assistant battery commander in the howitzer artillery battalion. In May 1919, 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 ...
. From October 1920, Oborin served with the
4th Army fighting 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 ...
in
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
Between 1921 and 1922 Oborin was a battery commander in the 30th Rifle Division. He became a reservist in December 1922 and returned to active duty in March 1923, continuing as a battery commander in the 30th Artillery Regiment. Oborin graduated from the artillery officers' refresher courses in 1926 and became head of the regimental school from January 1927. In November, he became a battalion commander in the 30th Artillery Regiment. In September 1930, Oborin became assistant to the commander of the 123rd Howitzer Artillery Regiment. From September 1931, Oborin was chief of artillery of the
2nd Mechanized Brigade. In November 1933, he became the commander and commissar of the 73rd Artillery Regiment. Oborin again graduated from the artillery officers' refresher courses in 1934 and in March became head of the course. In April 1936, Oborin became commander of the
11th Rifle Division's artillery regiment. In February 1938, he became head of the divisional artillery.
Winter War and World War II
In December 1939, Oborin became head of the
19th Rifle Corps artillery. He fought 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 ...
. Corps commander
Makar Teryokhin
Makar Fomich Teryokhin (; – 30 March 1967) was a Soviet Army lieutenant general and a Hero of the Soviet Union.
Teryokhin became a non-commissioned officer in the Imperial Russian Army during World War I, then joined the Red Army during the Rus ...
recommended him for promotion to
Kombrig
(russian: комбриг) is an abbreviation of Commanding officer of the brigade (russian: командир бригады, komandir brigady; ), and was a military rank in the Soviet Armed Forces of the USSR from 1935 to 1940. It was also the ...
, stating that the artillery under Oborin's leadership had "played a decisive role in breaking through the
Mannerheim Line
The Mannerheim Line ( fi, Mannerheim-linja, sv, Mannerheimlinjen) was a defensive fortification line on the Karelian Isthmus built by Finland against the Soviet Union. While this was never an officially designated name, during the Winter War it ...
". In 1940, Oborin 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 ...
. In May 1940, Oborin became commander of the
136th Rifle Division. On 4 June 1940, he was promoted to
Major General
Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...
.
Resolution No. 945 of the Council of the People's Commissars of the USSR
/ref> In March 1941 he took command of the 14th Mechanized Corps. As part of the 4th Army, the corps was involved in the Battle of Białystok–Minsk
The Battle of Białystok–Minsk was a German strategic operation conducted by the Wehrmacht's Army Group Centre under Field Marshal Fedor von Bock during the penetration of the Soviet border region in the opening stage of Operation Barbarossa, ...
after the German invasion of the Soviet Union
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 afte ...
on 22 June 1941. The corps fought in counterattacks in the area of 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
*Br ...
and Kobryn
Kobryn ( be, Кобрын; russian: Кобрин; pl, Kobryń; lt, Kobrynas; uk, Кобринь, Kobryn'; yi, קאָברין) is a city in the Brest Region of Belarus and the center of the Kobryn District. The city is located in the southwest ...
, in which it suffered heavy losses. He was wounded on 25 June and flew back to Moscow for treatment. On 8 July, Oborin was arrested on charges of desertion. He was also blamed for the losses of the corps during the fighting. On 13 August, he was sentenced to death. Oborin was executed on 16 October at the Kommunarka shooting ground
The Kommunarka firing range (russian: Расстрельный полигон «Коммунарка»), former dacha of secret police chief Genrikh Yagoda, was used as a burial ground from 1937 to 1941. Executions may have been carried out th ...
. On 11 January 1957, Oborin was posthumously rehabilitated.
Notes
References
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Oborin, Stepan
1892 births
1941 deaths
People from Kuvshinovsky District
People from Novotorzhsky Uyezd
Communist Party of the Soviet Union members
Soviet major generals
Russian military personnel of World War I
Soviet military personnel of the Russian Civil War
Soviet military personnel of the Winter War
Soviet military personnel of World War II
Recipients of the Order of the Red Banner
Executed military leaders
Russian people executed by the Soviet Union
Members of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union executed by the Soviet Union
People executed by the Soviet Union by firing squad
Soviet rehabilitations