Viktor Kazimirovich Urbanovich (; – 2 June 1977) was a Belarusian

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 ...

. Urbanovich worked as a machinist in Riga and was conscripted into the

railway troops Railway troops are soldiers who are also railway engineers. They build, repair, operate or destroy militarily relevant railway lines and their associated infrastructure. History The establishment of railway troops by the great powers followed th ...

of 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 ...

, but was discharged after being gassed. He 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 ...

, resuming his service in the railway troops. Between the wars, Urbanovich rose to command positions in railway units of the OGPU Troops before holding staff positions in the NKVD Border Guards. 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, he became commander of the 257th Rifle Division, but was relieved of command after it was surrounded on the

Northwestern Front The Northwestern Front (Russian: ''Северо-Западный фронт'') was a military formation of the Red Army during the Winter War and World War II. It was operational with the 7th and 13th Armies during the Winter War. It was re-cr ...

. Urbanovich briefly held regimental command and a staff position before taking command of the 252nd Rifle Division at the beginning of 1942. He led the 252nd and then the 186th Rifle Division in the

Battles of Rzhev The Battles of Rzhev (russian: Ржевская битва, Rzhevskaya bitva) were a series of Red Army offensives against the Wehrmacht between January 8, 1942, and March 31, 1943, on the Eastern Front of World War II. The battles took place ...

, and in mid-1943 was promoted to command the 41st Rifle Corps, which he led for the rest of the war in its westward advance. Continuing his command into the early postwar period, Urbanovich commanded the

137th Rifle Corps 137th may refer to: *137th (Calgary) Battalion, CEF, unit in the Canadian Expeditionary Force during the First World War *137th Air Reconnaissance Regiment, air reconnaissance and guidance regiment, part of the SFR Yugoslav Air Force *137th Special ...

in the early 1950s and served as an advisor to the People's Liberation Army, retiring in 1960.

Early life, World War I, and Russian Civil War

Urbanovich was born on in Riga. He worked as an apprentice machinist at the Fenikss railcar factory in Riga. After the factory was evacuated in May 1915 due to

, he became a machinist's assistant at the Main Workshops of the Riga-Oryol Railway. Urbanovich was mobilized for military service in December 1916 and sent to the 5th Operational Railway Regiment of the

as a private. During the retreat from Riga in August 1917, he was

shell-shocked Shell shock is a term coined in World War I by the British psychologist Charles Samuel Myers to describe the type of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) many soldiers were afflicted with during the war (before PTSD was termed). It is a react ...

and gassed. After treatment in a hospital Urbanovich was discharged and placed at the disposal of the head of the steam locomotive depot of the Riga-Oryol Railway in Oryol. Working as a machinist in Oryol, he commanded a railway workers' ''druzhina'' (workers' militia) section there after the

October 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 mome ...

. During the

, in May 1918, Urbanovich joined the

and was assigned to the 21st Roslavl Railway Defense Regiment. With the regiment, he served successively as an assistant platoon commander, platoon commander, assistant chief of the machine gun detachment, and chief of armored vehicles. Urbanovich participated in fighting against the

Revolutionary Insurrectionary Army of Ukraine The Revolutionary Insurgent Army of Ukraine ( uk, Революційна Повстанська Армія України), also known as the Black Army or as Makhnovtsi ( uk, Махновці), named after their leader Nestor Makhno, was ...

, the

Ukrainian People's Army The Ukrainian People's Army ( uk, Армія Української Народної Республіки), also known as the Ukrainian National Army (UNA) or as a derogatory term of Russian and Soviet historiography Petliurovtsy ( uk, Пет� ...

, and the Armed Forces of South Russia in

Chernigov Chernihiv ( uk, Черні́гів, , russian: Черни́гов, ; pl, Czernihów, ; la, Czernihovia), is a city and municipality in northern Ukraine, which serves as the administrative center of Chernihiv Oblast and Chernihiv Raion within t ...

, Kherson, and

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. He transferred to the 86th Separate Railway Defense Battalion in October 1919, serving successively as an assistant company commander and company commander. After fighting against the Armed Forces of South Russia and Polish troops at

, Kiev,

Berdichev Berdychiv ( uk, Берди́чів, ; pl, Berdyczów; yi, באַרדיטשעװ, Barditshev; russian: Берди́чев, Berdichev) is a historic city in the Zhytomyr Oblast (province) of northern Ukraine. Serving as the administrative center ...

, and

Mozyr Mazyr ( be, Мазыр, ; russian: Мозырь ''Mozyr'' , pl, Mozyrz , Yiddish: מאזיר) is a city in the Gomel Region of Belarus on the Pripyat River about east of Pinsk and northwest of Chernobyl. It is located at approximately . The p ...

, Urbanovich became temporary chief of the landing detachment of Armored Train No. 19 in May 1920. With the

14th Army Fourteenth Army or 14th Army may refer to: * 14th Army (German Empire), a World War I field Army * 14th Army (Wehrmacht), a World War II field army * Italian Fourteenth Army * Japanese Fourteenth Army, a World War II field army, in 1944 converted ...

of the Southwestern Front, he served with the armored train in fighting near Kazatin and

Uman Uman ( uk, Умань, ; pl, Humań; yi, אומאַן) is a city located in Cherkasy Oblast in central Ukraine, to the east of Vinnytsia. Located in the historical region of the eastern Podolia, the city rests on the banks of the Umanka River ...

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 (' ...

. Urbanovich entered the 27th Oryol Infantry and Machine Gun Commanders' Courses in August and after completing them in November was appointed a platoon instructor in the 2nd Reserve Machine Gun Battalion. From January 1921 he served first as a machine gun platoon commander, then as assistant chief and chief of the machine gun detachment of the 2nd Regiment of the Cheka. With the Cheka unit, he fought in the suppression of the

Tambov Rebellion The Tambov Rebellion of 1920–1921 was one of the largest and best-organized peasant rebellions challenging the Bolshevik government during the Russian Civil War. The uprising took place in the territories of the modern Tambov Oblast and part ...

, receiving 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 t ...

in 1923 for his actions.

Interwar period

Urbanovich transferred to the 25th Separate Road Transport Battalion of the Cheka in November 1921, temporarily serving as a company commander. The battalion was reorganized as the 5th Volga Railway Regiment in June 1922, and as a result he became a platoon commander and then a battalion adjutant. He transferred to the 5th Nizhegorod Battalion of the OGPU Troops in January 1923, serving as a platoon commander, and from June of that year temporarily served as assistant commander of the battalion for personnel. Released for study in May 1924, he became a student 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 ...

in September after passing the entrance exam. After his graduation from the academy, Urbanovich became an instructor and chief of the main faculty of the Higher Border School of the OGPU in July 1928. From November 1931 he served as temporary chief of the training department of the 1st Voroshilov Border Guard and OGPU Troops School, becoming chief of staff of the school in December of that year. Urbanovich became commander and

military commissar Commissar (or sometimes ''Kommissar'') is an English transliteration of the Russian (''komissar''), which means 'commissary'. In English, the transliteration ''commissar'' often refers specifically to the political commissars of Soviet and Eas ...

of the 9th Railway Brigade of the plenipotentiary representative of the Moscow OGPU District in October 1932, soon transferring to the 4th Railway Brigade in January 1933 to hold the same position. From July of that year he held several positions at the Central Asia Border Guard and OGPU Troops Headquarters, being chief of the third section of the second department, chief of the first section of the combat training department, and chief of the combat training and armament department. After temporarily serving as the chief of the combat training and armament department of the Turkmen SSR Border Guard and OGPU Troops Headquarters from November 1934 he transferred to the Red Banner Far East NKVD Border Troops District in May 1935. With the latter, Urbanovich served as chief of the combat training and armament department and then as chief of staff of the district from February 1937. From January 1940, as a colonel, he temporarily served as chief of the first staff department of the NKVD Troops for railway facilities protection. Urbanovich became deputy chief of the combat training department of the organizational headquarters of the Main Directorate of NKVD Border Troops in April.

World War II

After the beginning of

, the German invasion of the Soviet Union, Urbanovich was appointed commander of the 257th Rifle Division, then forming from NKVD Troops at Tula, in late June. He was soon promoted to major general. After the division finished its formation, it was sent to

Bologoye Bologoye () is the name of several inhabited localities in Russia. ;Urban localities *Bologoye, Tver Oblast, a town in Bologovsky District of Tver Oblast ;Rural localities * Bologoye, Omsk Oblast, a '' selo'' in Rozovsky Rural Okrug of Russko-P ...

, joining the 34th Army of the

Reserve Front The Reserve Front was a major formation of the Red Army during the Second World War. First Formation The Reserve Front describes either of two distinct organizations during the war. The first version was created on July 30, 1941 in a reorganiza ...

(transferred to the

on 6 August) on arrival and participated in the

Staraya Russa Staraya Russa ( rus, Старая Русса, p=ˈstarəjə ˈrusːə) is a town in Novgorod Oblast, Russia, located on the Polist River, south of Veliky Novgorod, the administrative center of the oblast. Its population has steadily decreased o ...

counterattack. The army was forced to retreat to the

Lovat River The Lovat ( be, Ловаць ''Łovać'', ; russian: река́ Ло́вать) is a river in Vitebsk Oblast of Belarus, Usvyatsky, Velikoluksky, and Loknyansky Districts, as well as of the city of Velikiye Luki, of Pskov Oblast and Kholmsky ...

by the counterattack of German reserves. During the withdrawal, the division was part of the rearguard and kept open the retreat of the main forces of the army. The division was surrounded near Lake Ilmen and after it broke out Urbanovich was relieved of command in the second half of September for "unsuccessful actions." He was demoted to command the 295th Rifle Regiment of the 183rd Rifle Division of the 27th Army of the Northwestern Front. After being seconded to the Main Personnel Directorate of the

People's Commissariat of Defense The People's Commissariat of Defense of the Soviet Union () was the highest military department of the Soviet Union from 1934 to 1946. History In the 1920–1930s, the highest military authority of the Russian Socialist Federative Soviet Republic ...

a month later, Urbanovich was appointed chief of the operational department of the 29th Army in November, participating in the Kalinin Defensive and Offensive Operations as part of the

Kalinin Front The Kalinin Front was a major formation of the Red Army active in the Eastern Front of World War II, named for the city of Kalinin. It was formally established by Stavka directive on 17 October 1941 and allocated three armies: 22nd, 29th Army a ...

. He took command of the 252nd Rifle Division of the 29th Army on 5 January 1942, leading it in the

. The division transferred to the 39th Army on 20 January and attacked towards the Osuga railway station south of Rzhev during the Rzhev–Vyazma Offensive, tasked with reaching the Rzhev-Vyazma railway from the west. During the offensive, the division captured the strongpoints of Monchalovo and Popovka, going on the defensive fifteen kilometers southwest of Osuga station. It remained there for four months in the Rzhev salient in semi-encirclement, supplied only by a small corridor in the Nesterovo area. Between 2 and 5 July German forces cut off the 39th Army in

Operation Seydlitz The Battles of Rzhev (russian: Ржевская битва, Rzhevskaya bitva) were a series of Red Army offensives against the Wehrmacht between January 8, 1942, and March 31, 1943, on the Eastern Front of World War II. The battles took place ...

with converging attacks on Nesterovo from Bely and Karskaya. Under these conditions, Urbanovich managed to withdrawal the division from the encirclement, showing "firmness in command" and "personal courage", according to evaluation by superiors. Urbanovich was appointed commander of the 186th Rifle Division of the front's 22nd Army on 30 August. The 186th defended positions on the north bank of the

Molodoy Tud Ivan Ivanovich (also known as, Ivan the Young, Ioann Ioannovich and Ivan Molodoy) (''Иван Иванович'', ''Иоанн Иоаннович'', ''Иван Молодой'' in Russian) (15 February 1458 – 6 March 1490), was the eldest son an ...

, and was transferred to the 39th Army on 5 October. As part of the latter, during a November local offensive in a secondary direction, Urbanovich commanded an operational group that included the division and the 100th Rifle Brigade. He was awarded the

on 8 April 1943 for the division's capture of

Olenino Olenino (russian: Оленино) is the name of several inhabited localities in Russia. Urban localities * Olenino, Tver Oblast, an urban-type settlement in Oleninsky District of Tver Oblast Rural localities * Olenino, Ilyinsky District, Ivanovo ...

during the Rzhev–Vyazma Offensive in late February and early March of that year. The 186th was withdrawn to front reserve on 7 March and then to 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 ...

, being relocated to

Plavsk Plavsk (russian: Плавск) is a town and the administrative center of Plavsky District in Tula Oblast, Russia, located on the Plava River. Population: Administrative and municipal status Within the framework of administrative divisions, ...

, joining the 3rd Army 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 ...

in May. Urbanovich was promoted to command the 41st Rifle Corps of the 3rd Army on 5 July, leading the corps for the rest of the war; he was promoted to lieutenant general on 2 November 1944. 3rd Army commander

Alexander Gorbatov Alexander Vasilyevich Gorbatov (russian: Алекса́ндр Васи́льевич Горба́тов; 21 March 1891 – 7 December 1973) was a Russian and Soviet officer who served as an officer in the Imperial Russian Army during the Fi ...

repeatedly evaluated him as a "skilled organizer and battlefield leader" during this period. He led the corps in

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 ...

, the

Bryansk Offensive The second Smolensk operation (7 August – 2 October 1943) was a Soviet strategic offensive operation conducted by the Red Army as part of the Summer-Autumn Campaign of 1943. Staged almost simultaneously with the Lower Dnieper Offensive (13 Aug ...

, the Rogachev-Zhlobin Offensive, the Bobruysk Offensive, the Minsk Offensive, the Belostok Offensive, the Mlawa-Elbing Offensive, and the East Prussian Offensive as part of the

, the

Central Front The Central Front was a major formation of the Red Army during the Second World War formed on July 24, 1941. The Central Front describes either of two distinct organizations during the war. The first entity existed for just a month during th ...

, and the 1st,

2nd A second is the base unit of time in the International System of Units (SI). Second, Seconds or 2nd may also refer to: Mathematics * 2 (number), as an ordinal (also written as ''2nd'' or ''2d'') * Second of arc, an angular measurement unit, ...

, and

3rd Belorussian Front The 3rd Belorussian Front () was a Front of the Red Army during the Second World War. The 3rd Belorussian Front was created on 24 April 1944 from forces previously assigned to the Western Front. Over 381 days in combat, the 3rd Belorussian Fr ...

s. During this period, the corps participated in the capture of Oryol, Kostyukovichi, Rogachev,

Bobruysk 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 ...

, Novogrudok, Belostok, Ostrolenka, Willenberg, and

Heiligenbeil The term Heiligenbeil can refer to: *The German name of Mamonovo, Russia * Heiligenbeil concentration camp built near Mamonovo *Heiligenbeil Pocket The Heiligenbeil Pocket or Heiligenbeil Cauldron (german: Kessel von Heiligenbeil) was the site o ...

. It went on to fight in the

Berlin Offensive The Battle of Berlin, designated as the Berlin Strategic Offensive Operation by the Soviet Union, and also known as the Fall of Berlin, was one of the last major offensives of the European theatre of World War II. After the Vistula– ...

in April 1945, entering the battle after the breakthrough of the German defensive line and participating in the reduction of the

Halbe pocket The Battle of Halbe (german: Kesselschlacht von Halbe, russian: Хальбский котёл, Halbe pocket) was a battle lasting from April 24 – May 1, 1945 in which the German Ninth Army—under the command of General Theodor Busse—was dest ...

. For his leadership in the latter, Urbanovich received the

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 ...

, 1st class, on 29 May.

Postwar

After the end of the war, Urbanovich continued to command the 41st Rifle Corps in the Minsk (Belorussian from March 1946) Military District. He entered the Higher Academic Courses at the Voroshilov Higher Military Academy in May 1949, and upon graduation a year leader became commander of the

of the

Far Eastern Military District The Far Eastern Military District (russian: Дальневосточный военный округ; Dalʹnevostochnyĭ voennyĭ okrug) was a military district of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. In 2010 it was merged with the Pacific ...

. Sent to the

People's Republic of China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

in April 1953 as the senior military adviser to the commander of a People's Liberation Army military district, he became senior military adviser to the PLA deputy chief of the general staff for combat training. Upon his return to the Soviet Union in July 1957, Urbanovich was seconded to the General Staff for research work, and transferred to the reserve on 3 October 1960. He died in Moscow on 2 June 1977 and was buried at the

Kuntsevo Cemetery The Kuntsevo Cemetery (russian: Ку́нцевское кла́дбище, kúntsevkoye kládbishche) is a cemetery servicing Kuntsevo, Moscow. It is located on the bank of the Setun River, to the south of the Mozhaisk Highway (the continuation ...

Awards and honors

* Two

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 ...

* Four

1st class *

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 Bogdan Khmelnitsky 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 ...

1st class

References

Citations

Bibliography

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Urbanovich, Viktor 1898 births 1977 deaths Soviet military personnel of World War II Soviet lieutenant generals Military personnel from Riga Frunze Military Academy alumni 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 Kutuzov, 1st class Recipients of the Order of Suvorov, 2nd class Recipients of the Order of Bogdan Khmelnitsky (Soviet Union), 2nd class