Ivan Grigorevich Zakharkin (russian: Васи́Иван Григорьевич Захаркин) (January 27, 1889 – October 15, 1944) was a Soviet
colonel general
Colonel general is a three- or four-star military rank used in some armies. It is particularly associated with Germany, where historically general officer ranks were one grade lower than in the Commonwealth and the United States, and was a ra ...
in 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 ...
during
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 ...
, commander of the
49th Army
"Thank God for Mississippi" is an adage used in the United States, particularly in the South, that is generally used when discussing rankings of U.S. states. Since the U.S. state of Mississippi commonly ranks at or near the bottom of such rankings ...
during the
Battle of Moscow
The Battle of Moscow was a military campaign that consisted of two periods of strategically significant fighting on a sector of the Eastern Front (World War II), Eastern Front during World War II. It took place between September 1941 and January ...
.
Early life
Zakharkin was the son of a poor peasant and was a worker until joining the army in 1910.
World War I
During World War I, Zakharkin was a noncommissioned officer. He managed to graduate from an ensign training school, and advanced to second lieutenant. He was deployed on the
South-Western Front as a junior offi
r.
The Russian Revolution and Civil War
He volunteered in the Red Army in May 1918 and fought on the southern front against the White Army. There, he debuted as a commander with a battalion and at some point an entire regiment. But later that year, he was wounded and stayed away from the front.
Inter-war period
He graduated from the
Military Academy of the Workers’ and Peasants’ Red Army in 1921 and from the Military Political Academy in 1930. From 1937 to 1941, he was chief of staff of the
Moscow Military District and later became deputy commander.
World War II
In 1939, he commanded the
10th Army during the
Polish campaign
The invasion of Poland (1 September – 6 October 1939) was a joint attack on the Republic of Poland by Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union which marked the beginning of World War II. The German invasion began on 1 September 1939, one week afte ...
. As of 1941, he was deputy commander of the
Central
Central is an adjective usually referring to being in the center of some place or (mathematical) object.
Central may also refer to:
Directions and generalised locations
* Central Africa, a region in the centre of Africa continent, also known as ...
and
Byelorussian fronts and he commanded the
49th Army
"Thank God for Mississippi" is an adage used in the United States, particularly in the South, that is generally used when discussing rankings of U.S. states. Since the U.S. state of Mississippi commonly ranks at or near the bottom of such rankings ...
of the Soviet Union, playing a key role early on during the
Battle of Moscow
The Battle of Moscow was a military campaign that consisted of two periods of strategically significant fighting on a sector of the Eastern Front (World War II), Eastern Front during World War II. It took place between September 1941 and January ...
in late 1941. There, he was placed by
Zhukov in
Kaluga
Kaluga ( rus, Калу́га, p=kɐˈɫuɡə), a city and the administrative center of Kaluga Oblast in Russia, stands on the Oka River southwest of Moscow. Population:
Kaluga's most famous resident, the space travel pioneer Konstantin Tsiol ...
as part of the Mozhaisk Defence Line, which contributed greatly in slowing down the German advance toward Moscow. They were able to stop the
XIII Army Corps
XIII Army Corps (German: ''XIII. Armeekorps'') was a corps of the German Army during World War II. Made up of several divisions, which varied from time to time, it was formed in Nuremberg on 1 October 1937.
Soon after the general mobilisation of ...
near
Serphukov and by mid-December, they were able to launch a counteroffensive. During the Soviet counterattack in early 1942, he led his troops in
Tula
Tula may refer to:
Geography
Antarctica
*Tula Mountains
*Tula Point
India
*Tulā, a solar month in the traditional Indian calendar
Iran
* Tula, Iran, a village in Hormozgan Province
Italy
* Tula, Sardinia, municipality (''comune'') in the pr ...
, Kaluga, and
Rzhev
Rzhev ( rus, Ржев, p=ˈrʐɛf) is a types of inhabited localities in Russia, town in Tver Oblast, Russia, located southwest of Staritsa (town), Tver Oblast, Staritsa and from Tver, on the highway and railway connecting Moscow and Riga. It ...
. During the
Rzhev-Vyazma operation, the 49th Army liberated the city of
Yukhnov and by 20 April had reached the
Ugra river. In March 1943, the army under the command of Zakharkin participated in the
Rzhev-Vyazma offensive (1943), advancing in the direction of the
Spas-Demensk
Spas-Demensk (russian: Спас-Де́менскА. М. Прохоров. "Большой энциклопедический словарь". Москва, 1997, p. 1135.) is a town and the administrative center of Spas-Demensky District in ...
. On 18 September 1943 Zakharkin was promoted to colonel general. On 23 March he was appointed commander of the
Odessa Military District
The Odesa Military District (russian: Одесский военный округ, ОВО; , abbreviated ) was a military administrative division of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. In 1998 most of its territory was transformed into the Southern Operat ...
. He died in a car crash on 15 October 1944 and was buried in Odessa.
[The Great Soviet Encyclopedia, 3rd Edition (1970-1979). © 2010 The Gale Group, Inc]
Notes
References
*
* Литвинов А.И. Под Серпуховом // Битва за Москву. М.: "Московский рабочий", 1966.
* Антипенко Н.А. На главном направлении. М.: "Наука", 1967. С. 59-82.
* Михеенков С.Е. Серпухов. Последний рубеж. М.: "Центрполиграф", 2011.
* Михеенков С.Е. Кровавый плацдарм. М.: "Центрполиграф", 2012.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Zakharkin, Ivan
1889 births
1944 deaths
People from Ryazan Oblast
People from Tambov Governorate
Communist Party of the Soviet Union members
Soviet colonel generals
Imperial Russian Army officers
Frunze Military Academy alumni
Russian military personnel of World War I
Soviet military personnel of the Russian Civil War
People of the Soviet invasion of Poland
Soviet military personnel of World War II
Russian people of World War II
Recipients of the Cross of St. George
Recipients of the Order of the Red Banner
Recipients of the Order of Suvorov, 2nd class
Road incident deaths in the Soviet Union