Vasily Mikhailovich Badanov (russian: Васи́лий Миха́йлович Бада́нов;
14 December 18951 April 1971) was a
Soviet
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen nation ...
military officer and general, best known for his leadership in the
Tatsinskaya Raid (1942) and subsequent command of the
4th Tank Army (1943–1944).
Early life
Badanov was born in
Verkhnyaya Yakushka in 1895. Conscripted into the 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 ...
, he graduated from an officers' school in 1916, one year prior to the
Bolshevik Revolution
The October Revolution,. officially known as the Great October Socialist Revolution. in the Soviet Union, also known as the Bolshevik Revolution, was a revolution in Russia led by the Bolshevik Party of Vladimir Lenin that was a key moment ...
. 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 ...
, Badanov was conscripted into 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 ...
in September 1919 and appointed assistant military instructor of the
Kurgansky Uyezd Kurgansky Uyezd (''Курганский уезд'') was one of the subdivisions of the Tobolsk Governorate of the Russian Empire. It was situated in the southwestern part of the governorate. Its administrative centre was Kurgan.
Demographics
At the ...
Military Commissariat
A military commissariat is an institution that is part of military service or law enforcement mechanisms in some European countries. As part of the British Army in the 19th century, military commissariats were used for organisational, accounti ...
in
Tobolsk Governorate
Tobolsk Governorate (russian: Тобольская губерния) was an administrative division (a '' guberniya'') of the Russian Empire, Russian Republic and RSFSR located in the Ural Mountains and Siberia. It existed from 1796 to 1920; its ...
. He became a company commander in the
27th Omsk Rifle Division in October of that year and with the division fought as part of the 5th Army against the forces of
Kolchak Kolchak, Kolçak or Kolčák is a surname. Notable people with the surname include:
* Iliash Kolchak ("Kolchak-Pasha") ( fl. before 1710–1743), Moldavian mercenary and military commander
* Alexander Kolchak (1873–1920), Russian naval commande ...
near
Kurgan
A kurgan is a type of tumulus constructed over a grave, often characterized by containing a single human body along with grave vessels, weapons and horses. Originally in use on the Pontic–Caspian steppe, kurgans spread into much of Central As ...
,
Petropavlovsk,
Omsk,
Barabinsk
Barabinsk (russian: Бара́бинск) is a town in Novosibirsk Oblast, Russia, located in the Baraba steppe on the Trans-Siberian Railway between Omsk and Novosibirsk. Population:
History
It was founded at the end of the 19th century and was ...
, and
Novonikolayevsk
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 2021 Census, ...
. From December of that year Badanov served as assistant military commissar of the Melekessky Uyezd Military Commissariat in
Samara Governorate Samara Governorate (russian: Самарская губерния) was an administrative division (a '' guberniya'') of the Russian Empire and Russian SFSR, located in the Volga Region. It existed from 1850 to 1928; its seat was in the city of Samara ...
. From February 1921 he was chief of staff of a rifle brigade of the supreme commander's reserve, fighting in the suppression of anti-Soviet resistance in Belorussia. Badanov joined the
Russian Communist Party (b) in 1919.
Interwar period
Badanov served as temporary assistant chief of the school of the 21st Separate Brigade of the
Cheka from October 1921, soon transferring to serve in the same position with the 13th Separate Brigade of the Cheka. He became commander and military commissar of the 29th Separate Gomel Battalion of the
OGPU Troops of the
Western Front in June 1922. After serving as commander and military commissar of the 1st Rifle Regiment of the OGPU Troops from December 1923, Badanov entered the
Vystrel course The Vystrel course () was the popular name for an officer training course of the Soviet Armed Forces, later part of the Russian Armed Forces, located in Solnechnogorsk. The training course had a one year curriculum to train battalion and regiment le ...
in October 1926. Upon graduation in November 1927 he was appointed commander and military commissar of the 26th Separate Chapayev Regiment of the OGPU Troops. After being sent to serve as chief of the machine gun course of the
Saratov Reserve Commanders' Retraining School in the
Volga Military District
The Volga Military District (PriVO) was a military district of the Soviet Union and the Russian Federation that existed from 1918 to 1989 and 1992 to 2001.
The district headquarters was located at Kazan, Saratov and Kuibyshev (Samara) at different ...
during January 1930, he completed retraining at the Leningrad Armored Commanders' Improvement Courses between December 1930 and May 1931. After finishing the courses, Badanov became a battalion commander at the
Saratov Armored School.
Badanov completed the
Kazan
Kazan ( ; rus, Казань, p=kɐˈzanʲ; tt-Cyrl, Казан, ''Qazan'', IPA: ɑzan is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Tatarstan in Russia. The city lies at the confluence of the Volga and the Kazanka rivers, covering an ...
Commanders Technical Improvement Course of the Volga Military District between March and September 1932 and entered the Commanders Academic Technical Improvement Course at the
Military Academy of Mechanization and Motorization in March 1934. Upon completion of the course in July of that year, he became commander of a separate battalion of 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 ...
. Badanov served as assistant chief for the training and personnel section of the Military-Automobile Technical School of the Volga Military District from April 1936, and in January 1940 became chief of the
Poltava Military-Automobile Technical School. By then a colonel, he was appointed commander of the
55th Tank Division of the
25th Mechanized Corps of the
Kharkov Military District The Kharkov Military District () was a military district of the Russian Empire, the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic, and the Soviet Union. Throughout its history, the district headquarters was located in the city of Kharkov in northeast ...
in March 1941.
World War II
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 ...
began, Badanov led the division as part of the
21st Army in the
Battle of Smolensk. The division was disbanded in September, and he was appointed commander of the 12th Tank Brigade on the Southwestern Front. From March 1942, he served as acting deputy commander-in-chief of the 56th Army for tank forces, fighting in the battles on the approaches to Taganrog. Badanov took command of the 24th Tank Corps of the Southern Front on 19 April of that year. From July, he led it in heavy defensive battles in the Voronezh sector and in the Great Bend of the Don as part of the Bryansk and Voronezh Fronts.
Noted for his superb command of the
24th Tank Corps
The 2nd Guards Tatsinskaya Tank Corps was a tank corps of the Soviet Union's Red Army that saw service during World War II on the Eastern Front of Europe. The unit's most notable moment was in the raid on Tatsinskaya during Operation Little S ...
in 1942 during the German
Stalingrad campaign, Badanov was promoted to
lieutenant-general (a rank above
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 ...
in the Soviet system) soon after the
Tatsinskaya Raid and became the first recipient of the
Order of Suvorov
The Order of Suvorov () is a military decoration of the Russian Federation named in honor of Russian Generalissimo Prince Alexander Suvorov (1729–1800).
History
The Order of Suvorov was originally a Soviet award established on July 29, 19 ...
, second class, in 1943. Badanov commanded the
4th Tank Army from July 1943, leading it during
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 battles for Right-bank Ukraine. From September the army was in the
Reserve of the Supreme High Command
The Reserve of the Supreme High Command (Russian: Резерв Верховного Главнокомандования; also known as the ''Stavka'' Reserve or RVGK ( ru , РВГК)) comprises reserve military formations and units; the Stav ...
, and in February 1944 joined the
1st Ukrainian Front
The 1st Ukrainian Front ( Russian: Пéрвый Украи́нский фронт), previously the Voronezh Front ( Russian: Воронежский Фронт) was a major formation of the Soviet Army during World War II, being equivalent to ...
. On 6 January 1944 he was awarded the United States
Distinguished Service Cross The Distinguished Service Cross (D.S.C.) is a military decoration for courage. Different versions exist for different countries.
*Distinguished Service Cross (Australia)
The Distinguished Service Cross (DSC) is a military decoration awarded to ...
for "extraordinary heroism".
Badanov was seriously wounded during the
Proskurov-Chernivtsi Offensive during March 1944. After recovering, he served as chief of the Higher Educational Institutions Directorate of the Main Directorate for Formation and Combat Training of the Armored and Mechanized Forces of the Red Army from August of that year.
Postwar
After the end of the war, Badanov continued to serve in his previous position. He served as commander of the Armored and Mechanized Forces of the
Central Group of Forces
The Central Group of Forces (Russian: Центральная группа войск) was a formation of the Soviet Armed Forces used to incorporate Soviet troops in Central Europe on two occasions: in Austria and Hungary from 1945 to 1955 and tr ...
from June 1946. Beginning the Higher Academic Course at the
Voroshilov Higher Military Academy on 30 April 1949, Badanov was appointed chief of the Higher Educational Institutions Directorate of the Armored and Mechanized Forces of the Soviet Army after his graduation in July 1950. He retired on 8 June 1953 and died in Moscow on 1 April 1971, being buried in the
Novodevichy Cemetery.
Honours and awards
*
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 ...
*
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 t ...
, three times
*
Order of Suvorov
The Order of Suvorov () is a military decoration of the Russian Federation named in honor of Russian Generalissimo Prince Alexander Suvorov (1729–1800).
History
The Order of Suvorov was originally a Soviet award established on July 29, 19 ...
, 2nd class
*
Order of Kutuzov
The Order of Kutuzov (russian: орден Кутузова ''orden Kutuzova'') is a military decoration of the Russian Federation named after famous Russian Field Marshal Mikhail Illarionovich Kutuzov (1745–1813). The Order was established ...
, 2nd class
*
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 partisa ...
, 2nd class
*
Order of the Red Star
*
*
Medal "For the Defence of Stalingrad"
The Medal "For the Defence of Stalingrad" (russian: Медаль «За оборону Сталинграда») was a World War II campaign medal of the Soviet Union.
Medal history
The Medal "For the Defence of Stalingrad" was established on ...
*
*
*
*
Jubilee Medal "30 Years of the Soviet Army and Navy"
The Jubilee Medal "30 Years of the Soviet Army and Navy" (russian: Юбилейная медаль «30 лет Советской Армии и Флота») was a state military commemorative medal of the Soviet Union established on February 22 ...
*
*
References
Citations
Bibliography
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Badanov, Vasily
1895 births
1971 deaths
People from Ulyanovsk Oblast
People from Simbirsk Governorate
Bolsheviks
Soviet military personnel of the Russian Civil War
Recipients of the Order of Lenin
Recipients of the Order of the Red Banner
Recipients of the Order of Suvorov, 2nd class
Recipients of the Order of Kutuzov, 2nd class
Russian military personnel of World War I
Soviet lieutenant generals
Soviet military personnel of World War II
Recipients of the Distinguished Service Cross (United States)