Sergei Georgievich Trofimenko (10 (22) September 1899 in Ryovny – 16 October 1953 in

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 ...

) was a Soviet military commander, active in 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 ...

and the

Second World War 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 opposi ...

. His final rank was colonel-general. He had been promoted to major general 4 June 1940, lieutenant-general 13 June 1942, and colonel-general 13 September 1944.

Early life

Trofimenko was born in Ryovny (now in Bryansk Oblast) to a working-class family. He graduated from high school and two-year railway school. With the death of his father, he was head of a family with six brothers and sisters. At age 10 began working in the railway depot Bryansk-2 as a messenger.

Military career

Russian Civil War

He took an active part in the revolutionary events of 1917 in Bryansk, where the depot was one of the organizers of the

Komsomol The All-Union Leninist Young Communist League (russian: link=no, Всесоюзный ленинский коммунистический союз молодёжи (ВЛКСМ), ), usually known as Komsomol (; russian: Комсомол, links=n ...

. In 1918 he joined the

Communist Party A communist party is a political party that seeks to realize the socio-economic goals of communism. The term ''communist party'' was popularized by the title of '' The Manifesto of the Communist Party'' (1848) by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engel ...

(b), and when Denikin's army approached the city, he joined the

Red Army The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army (Russian language, Russian: Рабо́че-крестья́нская Кра́сная армия),) often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist R ...

. During the Civil War he served as a private, squad leader, platoon leader, and assistant chief of the machine-gun platoon infantry regiment in the

41st Rifle Division The 41st Rifle Division was an infantry division of the Soviet Union's Red Army during World War II. The First Formation was initially established as the Krivorozhskaya Territorial Rifle Division (Криворожская территориал ...

, 14th Army. He fought in the

South South is one of the cardinal directions or compass points. The direction is the opposite of north and is perpendicular to both east and west. Etymology The word ''south'' comes from Old English ''sūþ'', from earlier Proto-Germanic ''*sunþa ...

, Southwest,

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 maj ...

, fought against the

Armed Forces of South Russia The Armed Forces of South Russia (AFSR or SRAF) () were the unified military forces of the White movement in southern Russia between 1919 and 1920. On 8 January 1919, the Armed Forces of South Russia were formed, incorporating the Volunteer Arm ...

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

Polish Army The Land Forces () are the land forces of the Polish Armed Forces. They currently contain some 62,000 active personnel and form many components of the European Union and NATO deployments around the world. Poland's recorded military history stre ...

Interwar period

In 1926 he graduated from the courses: " Vystrel" in 1932 - the Frunze Military Academy in 1937 - the General Staff Academy. After September 1923 he served as chief of the machine-gun team, and from February 1924, the 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 E ...

of the 132nd Rifle Regiment, 44th Donetsk Rifle Division in the Ukrainian Military District; from September 1926, commander of an infantry battalion of the 7th Caucasus (then 133rd Rifle, 135th Rifle) Regiment, 45th Rifle Division in the same district after May 1932, chief of staff of the 61st Rifle Division of the Volga Military District; from December 1935, chief of the 1st (operational) staff of that district; from June 1937, of the Kiev military district; from July 1938, chief of staff of Army Group forces Zhitomir; and in September 1939, the 5th Army of the Kiev Special Military District.

World War II

In September 1939 he took part in the campaign in Poland, and was deputy chief of staff of the 7th Army in the Russo-Finnish War. In August 1940 he was appointed chief of staff of the North Caucasus, from January 1941 to the position of commander of the Central Asian Military District. With the onset of the

Great Patriotic War The Eastern Front of World War II was a theatre of conflict between the European Axis powers against the Soviet Union (USSR), Poland and other Allies, which encompassed Central Europe, Eastern Europe, Northeast Europe (Baltics), an ...

, he went on to command the district, and at the same time, from August to October 1941, the 53rd Army, which took part, with Soviet forces from the Transcaucasus, in the Anglo-Soviet invasion of Iran. From December 1941 to March 1942 he commanded a task force of impressed prisoners gathered from gulags in the Medvezhiegorsky area (1941–1942) on the Karelian front; from March to June 1942, the 32nd Army; from July 1942 to January 1943, the 7th Army; and from January 1943 until the end of the war, the 27th Army. Troops under his command participated in defensive battles in

Karelia Karelia ( Karelian and fi, Karjala, ; rus, Каре́лия, links=y, r=Karélija, p=kɐˈrʲelʲɪjə, historically ''Korjela''; sv, Karelen), the land of the Karelian people, is an area in Northern Europe of historical significance fo ...

, the Demyansk operations in 1943, the

Battle of Kursk The Battle of Kursk was a major World War II Eastern Front engagement between the forces of Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union near Kursk in the southwestern USSR during late summer 1943; it ultimately became the largest tank battle in history ...

and Belgorod-Kharkov operation, in the liberation of the

Ukraine Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian inva ...

. During the Second Jassy–Kishinev Offensive as the 27th Army chief, he effected an attack in the area of the 2nd Ukrainian Front in the

Iași Iași ( , , ; also known by other alternative names), also referred to mostly historically as Jassy ( , ), is the second largest city in Romania and the seat of Iași County. Located in the historical region of Moldavia, it has traditionally ...

area, breaking through the enemy defense in depth and advancing into the breach of the

6th Panzer Army The 6th Panzer Army (german: 6. Panzerarmee) was a formation of the German Army, formed in the autumn of 1944. The 6th Panzer Army was first used as an offensive force during the Battle of the Bulge, in which it operated as the northernmost element ...

. After Romania switched sides on 23 August 1944, the army under the command of General Trofimenko advanced rapidly into

Romania Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern, and Southeast Europe, Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, S ...

, for the first nine days of fighting passed about three hundred kilometers, while cutting apart the rear of the German-Romanian Army Group "South Ukraine"; this move took possession of the cities of Adjud, Focșani, Buzău, and

Ploiești Ploiești ( , , ), formerly spelled Ploești, is a city and county seat in Prahova County, Romania. Part of the historical region of Muntenia, it is located north of Bucharest. The area of Ploiești is around , and it borders the Blejoi commun ...

. General Trofimenko is thought to be responsible for the great loss of Romanian soldiers, whom he later had in command, during the battle of Oarba de Mureș, in Romania. By Decree No. 4262 of the

Presidium of the Supreme Soviet The Presidium of the Supreme Soviet (russian: Президиум Верховного Совета, Prezidium Verkhovnogo Soveta) was a body of state power in the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR).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 ...

with the award of the Order of Lenin and medal "Gold Star" .

Post-war service

From 1945 to 1946 he was commander of

Tbilisi Tbilisi ( ; ka, თბილისი ), in some languages still known by its pre-1936 name Tiflis ( ), is the capital and the largest city of Georgia, lying on the banks of the Kura River with a population of approximately 1.5 million pe ...

, from 1946 to 1949, Belorussian and from 1949 to 1953, the North Caucasus Military District. In 1949 he graduated from the higher academic courses at the Voroshilov Higher Military Academy He was chosen deputy to the

Supreme Soviet The Supreme Soviet (russian: Верховный Совет, Verkhovny Sovet, Supreme Council) was the common name for the legislative bodies (parliaments) of the Soviet socialist republics (SSR) in the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USS ...

in 1946 and 1953. Trofimenko died on October 16, 1953 in Moscow, 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 touris ...

Honours and awards

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 ...

* Four Orders of Lenin *

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 ...

, 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, 1942 ...

, 1st class, twice *

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 * Order of Bogdan Khmelnitsky, 1st class A street is named for him in Bryansk, and there is a memorial plaque at the Bryansk locomotive depot-2.

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Trofimenko, Sergei 1899 births 1953 deaths People from Bryansk Oblast Soviet colonel generals Soviet military personnel of the Russian Civil War Soviet military personnel of World War II 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 Bogdan Khmelnitsky (Soviet Union), 1st class Frunze Military Academy alumni Military Academy of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Soviet Union alumni Burials at Novodevichy Cemetery Commanders of the Legion of Merit