Vladimir Viktorovich Kryukov (; – 16 August 1959) 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 ...

and a

Hero of the Soviet Union The title Hero of the Soviet Union (russian: Герой Советского Союза, translit=Geroy Sovietskogo Soyuza) was the highest distinction in the Soviet Union, awarded together with the Order of Lenin personally or collectively for ...

. Kryukov joined 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 ...

after the beginning of

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 ...

, fighting 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 becoming an officer by his demobilization in December 1917. He commanded a

Red Guard Red Guards () were a mass student-led paramilitary social movement mobilized and guided by Chairman Mao Zedong in 1966 through 1967, during the first phase of the Cultural Revolution, which he had instituted.Teiwes According to a Red Guard lead ...

detachment during the early stages of 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 ...

, but soon transferred to 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 ...

. Kryukov commanded cavalry units on the Southern Front, and continued his service during the interwar period. He led a rifle regiment 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 ...

, and after its end became a rifle brigade commander. Soon after this promotion Kryukov received the rank of

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 spring of 1941 he became commander of the 10th Mechanized Corps' 198th Motorized Division. Kryukov led the division during the Leningrad Strategic Defensive in the summer and fall of 1941, in which it was converted into a rifle division. Between January and February 1942 Kryukov commanded the 10th Cavalry Corps. From March of that year he commanded the

2nd Guards Cavalry Corps The 3rd Cavalry Corps was a corps of the Soviet Red Army. History As part of the 11th Army, it took part in the Soviet invasion of Poland in 1939. The Corps was recreated on November 20, 1941 on the basis of the Dovator Cavalry Group. For i ...

. Shortly after taking command of the corps, Kryukov met folk singer

Lidia Ruslanova , birth_date = , birth_place = Chernavka, Serdobsky Uyezd, Saratov Governorate, Russian Empire , death_date = , death_place = Moscow, USSR , genre = russian folk music , instrument = singing , background = solo_singer Lidia Andreyevna Ru ...

, whom he married soon afterwards. He led the corps through the rest of the war, and was awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union for his leadership in the Vistula–Oder Offensive and the East Pomeranian Offensive. Postwar, Kryukov became commander of a cavalry school and deputy commander of a rifle corps. In September 1948 he and his wife

were arrested for looting during their time in East Prussia. In November 1951 Kryukov was sentenced to 25 years in the

Gulag The Gulag, an acronym for , , "chief administration of the camps". The original name given to the system of camps controlled by the GPU was the Main Administration of Corrective Labor Camps (, )., name=, group= was the government agency in ...

, and deprived of his rank and decorations. After

Stalin Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin (born Ioseb Besarionis dze Jughashvili; – 5 March 1953) was a Georgian revolutionary and Soviet political leader who led the Soviet Union from 1924 until his death in 1953. He held power as General Secretar ...

died, Kryukov was pardoned, and his rank and decorations were restored. He graduated from courses at the Military Academy of the General Staff and became deputy chief of the Red Army Military Law Academy. Kryukov retired in 1957 and died two years later.

Early life, World War I, and Russian Civil War

Kryukov was born on 15 July 1897 in

Buturlinovka Buturlinovka (russian: Бутурли́новка) is a town in Voronezh Oblast, Russia, on the Ossered River, a tributary of the Don. It serves as the administrative center of Buturlinovsky District. Its population as of 2021 was 24,397. History ...

Voronezh Governorate Voronezh Governorate (russian: Воронежская губерния, ''Voronezhskaya guberniya''; uk, Воронізька губернія) was an administrative division (a '' guberniya'') of the Tsardom of Russia, the Russian Empire, and th ...

to a peasant family. In 1914, he graduated from a

technical school In the United States, a technical school is a type of two-year college that covers specialized fields such as business, finance, hospitality, tourism, construction, engineering, visual arts, information technology and community work. Associa ...

Ryazan Ryazan ( rus, Рязань, p=rʲɪˈzanʲ, a=ru-Ryazan.ogg) is the largest city and administrative center of Ryazan Oblast, Russia. The city is located on the banks of the Oka River in Central Russia, southeast of Moscow. As of the 2010 Census ...

. Kryukov volunteered for the Imperial Russian Army in December, after the beginning of World War I. He graduated from a training unit of a reserve regiment in Ryazan and the 2nd Moscow

Warrant Officer Warrant officer (WO) is a rank or category of ranks in the armed forces of many countries. Depending on the country, service, or historical context, warrant officers are sometimes classified as the most junior of the commissioned ranks, the mos ...

's School in 1915. From September he fought on the Western Front, initially serving as a platoon commander in the 26th Siberian Rifle Regiment. Kryukov later became head of cavalry reconnaissance (''razvedka'') of the 57th Siberian Rifle Regiment. He was promoted to the rank of

Lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations. The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often sub ...

and was demobilized in December 1917 after Russia withdrew from World War I. On arrival in

Kryukov joined the

detachment of

Grigory Petrov Grigory Constantinovich Petrov (russian: Григорий Константинович Петров) (1892-20 September 1918) was a Russian Left Socialist-Revolutionary activist in Baku, Azerbaijan, during the Russian Civil War. Petrov became on ...

. In June 1918 he was appointed adjutant of the detachment commander, and then commander of a company. He fought on the Southern Front 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 ...

, taking part in battles in the area of

Povorino Povorino (russian: Пово́рино) is a town and the administrative center of Povorinsky District in the east of Voronezh Oblast, Russia. Population: History It emerged as a settlement around the eponymous railway station in 1870 and was gran ...

Uryupinsk Uryupinsk (russian: Урю́пинск) is a town in Volgograd Oblast, Russia, located northwest of Volgograd on the Khopyor River. Population: Etymology There are two theories of the historical background for the town's name. One is that it i ...

, and several stanitsas in the

Don Host Oblast The Province (Oblast) of the Don Cossack Host (, ''Oblast’ Voyska Donskogo'') of Imperial Russia was the official name of the territory of Don Cossacks, coinciding approximately with the present-day Rostov Oblast of Russia. Its site of admini ...

. In October 1918 the detachment joined the Baku Red Army and was relocated to Baku. As chief of a combat sector Kryukov fought against Ottoman troops and the units of Lazar Bicherakhov. He fell ill with typhus and after recovery went on short-term leave. In early December he was sent by the Ryazan

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, accountin ...

as a platoon commander in a separate cavalry battalion to the 2nd Rifle Division. In March and April the battalion fought against the Whites in Siberia near

Buguruslan Buguruslan (russian: Бугурусла́н) is a types of inhabited localities in Russia, town in Orenburg Oblast, Russia. Population: History It was founded in 1748. Administrative and municipal status Within the subdivisions of Russia#Admin ...

Sterlitamak Sterlitamak ( rus, Стерлитама́к, p=stʲɪrlʲɪtɐˈmak; ba, Стәрлетамаҡ, translit=Stärletamaq; ) is the second largest city in the Republic of Bashkortostan, Russia, located on the left bank of the Belaya River (Kama's ...

, and

Ufa Ufa ( ba, Өфө , Öfö; russian: Уфа́, r=Ufá, p=ʊˈfa) is the largest city and capital of Bashkortostan, Russia. The city lies at the confluence of the Belaya and Ufa rivers, in the centre-north of Bashkortostan, on hills forming the ...

, and later on the Southern Front against the

Don Army The Don Army (russian: Донская армия, ) was the military of the short lived Don Republic and a part of the White movement in the Russian Civil War. It operated from 1918 to 1920, in the Don region and centered in the town of Novocher ...

in the Defense of Tsaritsyn. In September 1919 the battalion was reorganized into the Separate Cavalry Brigade, in which Kryukov served as a squadron commander, chief of the supply detachment, and assistant chief of staff for the operational section. Later he was appointed assistant commander of a cavalry ''

sotnya Sotnia (Ukrainian and ) was a military unit and administrative division in many Slavic countries. Sotnia, deriving back to 1948, has been used in a variety of contexts in both Ukraine and Russia to this day. It is a helpful word to create sh ...

'' (company) in the army depot of the 10th Army of the Southern Front. From May 1920 he served at the Military Commissariat of the Kavkazsky otdel in

Nalchik Nalchik (russian: Нальчик, p=ˈnalʲtɕɪk; Kabardian: //; krc, Нальчик //) is the capital city of the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic, Russia, situated at an altitude of in the foothills of the Caucasus Mountains; about northwe ...

as assistant commander and commander of a squadron. In August as chief of a consolidated detachment of special purpose he took part in the suppression of anti-Soviet forces in the area of Nalchuk and the disarmament of stanitsas and

auls Auls is a settlement in the administrative district of Gmina Kuźnica, within Sokółka County, Podlaskie Voivodeship, in north-eastern Poland, close to the border with Belarus. It lies approximately west of Kuźnica, north-east of Sokółka, a ...

near

Vladikavkaz Vladikavkaz (russian: Владикавка́з, , os, Дзæуджыхъæу, translit=Dzæwdžyqæw, ;), formerly known as Ordzhonikidze () and Dzaudzhikau (), is the capital city of the North Ossetia-Alania, Republic of North Ossetia-Alania, Ru ...

. From September he commanded a separate squadron of the guard battalion in

Kropotkin Pyotr Alexeyevich Kropotkin (; russian: link=no, Пётр Алексе́евич Кропо́ткин ; 9 December 1842 – 8 February 1921) was a Russian anarchist, socialist, revolutionary, historian, scientist, philosopher, and activist ...

Interwar period

In January 1921, Kryukov was appointed acting commander of a regiment of the 40th Separate Cavalry Brigade (the 1st Cavalry Regiment of the Internal Service Troops). From March 1921 Kryukov commanded the separate squadron of the 39th Rifle Brigade 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, ...

, and from August served as assistant commander of the 82nd Cavalry Regiment of the 14th Cavalry Division. In 1922 he was sent to study at the Higher Cavalry School in Petrograd. On graduation in September 1924 he was appointed chief of the regimental school of the 67th Cavalry Regiment of the 3rd Cavalry Brigade of the North Caucasus Military District. From June 1925 he served in the 11th Cavalry Division as chief of the regimental school of the 89th Cavalry Regiment, and from March 1928 as chief of staff of its 68th Cavalry Regiment. In March 1931 he was transferred to serve as chief of the 1st section of the staff of the 6th Cavalry Division of the

Belorussian Military District , image = Soviet Union Belorussian Military District.svg , image_size = 300px , caption = The territory of the Byelorussian Military District in 1991. , dates = 28 November 1918 – 6 May 1992 , country = (1918–1920) (1920–1991) (1922� ...

. In June 1933 he was appointed commander of the 20th Red Banner Cavalry Regiment of the 4th Cossack Cavalry Division. In October 1937 then-Colonel Kryukov was transferred to serve as a tactics instructor at the Red Banner Cavalry Commanders Improvement Courses in Novocherkassk. During the

, he commanded the 306th Rifle Regiment of the

62nd Rifle Division The 62nd Rifle Division was an infantry division of the Soviet Union's Red Army, formed four times and active during World War II and the postwar period. The division was formed in 1936 and fought in the Winter War and Soviet occupation of Bessarabi ...

. For distinguishing himself in the breakthrough of 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 ...

he 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 b ...

. In May 1940 then-Kombrig Kryukov was appointed commander of the 8th Rifle Brigade 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. Hi ...

, based on the

Hanko peninsula The Hanko Peninsula ( fi, Hankoniemi; ), also spelled Hango, is the southernmost point of mainland Finland. The soil is a sandy moraine, the last tip of the Salpausselkä ridge, and vegetation consists mainly of pine and low shrubs. The peninsu ...

. In March 1941 he took command of the 198th Motorized Division.

World War II

After the German invasion of the Soviet Union began Kryukov continued to command the division. As part of the 54th Army of the Northern Front (the

Leningrad Front The Leningrad Front (russian: Ленинградский фронт) was formed during the 1941 German approach on Leningrad (now Saint Petersburg) by dividing the Northern Front into the Leningrad Front and Karelian Front The Karelian Front ...

from August), he took part in defensive battles near Leningrad. On 12 February 1942 he was appointed commander of the 10th Cavalry Corps of the

. On 6 March Kryukov took command of the 2nd Guards Cavalry Corps, which as part of the Bryansk Front took part in 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 ...

. Later, the corps as part of the 61st Army of the

1st Belorussian Front The 1st Belorussian Front (Russian: Пéрвый Белорусский фронт, ''Perviy Belorusskiy front'', also romanized " Byelorussian") was a major formation of the Soviet Army during World War II, being equivalent to a Western army ...

operated in the

Lublin–Brest offensive The Lublin–Brest Offensive (russian: Люблин‐Брестская наступательная операция, 18 July – 2 August 1944) was a part of the Operation Bagration strategic offensive by the Soviet Red Army to clear the Nazi ...

, the Warsaw–Poznan Offensive, and the East Pomeranian offensives. For his skillful command of the corps during the operations in Poland, Kryukov was made a

Postwar

After the end of the war, then-Lieutenant General Kryukov continued to command the corps in the Special Military District at

Königsberg Königsberg (, ) was the historic Prussian city that is now Kaliningrad, Russia. Königsberg was founded in 1255 on the site of the ancient Old Prussian settlement ''Twangste'' by the Teutonic Knights during the Northern Crusades, and was named ...

. After the reduction of the corps to a division, Kryukov was appointed chief of the Budyonny Higher Officers Cavalry School in May 1946. He was transferred to serve as deputy commander of the 36th Guards Rifle Corps in October 1947. In 1948 he was arrested by the MGB, deprived of his rank and imprisoned. In August 1953 he was released. On 10 August of that year he was restored in rank before being fully rehabilitated on 28 August. Kryukov was sent to complete the Higher Academic Courses at the Voroshilov Higher Military Academy in November 1953. After completing the courses, Kryukov served as deputy chief of the Military Legal Academy for tactical and drill instruction. On 22 April 1957 he was retired. Kryukov died on 16 August 1959 and was buried in the

Novodevichy Cemetery Novodevichy Cemetery ( rus, Новоде́вичье кла́дбище, Novodevichye kladbishche) is a cemetery in Moscow. It lies next to the southern wall of the 16th-century Novodevichy Convent, which is the city's third most popular tourist ...

Decorations

Kryukov was a recipient of the following: *

(3) *

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 ...

(2) *

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, 1942 ...

, 1st 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 du ...

, 1st class *

, 2nd class (2)

References

Citations

Bibliography

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Kryukov, Vladimir 1897 births 1959 deaths Burials at Novodevichy Cemetery People from Buturlinsky District People from Bobrovsky Uyezd Communist Party of the Soviet Union members Soviet lieutenant generals Imperial Russian Army personnel 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 Military Academy of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Soviet Union alumni Heroes of the Soviet Union 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 Recipients of the Order of Suvorov, 2nd class Recipients of the Virtuti Militari (1943–1989)