Pyotr Alekseyevich Morgunov (; 25 January 1902 – 29 September 1985) was an officer of the

Soviet Navy The Soviet Navy was the naval warfare Military, uniform service branch of the Soviet Armed Forces. Often referred to as the Red Fleet, the Soviet Navy made up a large part of the Soviet Union's strategic planning in the event of a conflict with t ...

. He worked in the navy's coastal defence branch and reached the rank of

Lieutenant General Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a military rank 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 battlefield, who was norma ...

. Born into a working-class family in

Moscow Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...

in 1902, Morgunov joined the Bolsheviks after the

October Revolution The October Revolution, also known as the Great October Socialist Revolution (in Historiography in the Soviet Union, Soviet historiography), October coup, Bolshevik coup, or Bolshevik revolution, was the second of Russian Revolution, two r ...

and fought with the Red forces during the

Russian Civil War The Russian Civil War () was a multi-party civil war in the former Russian Empire sparked by the 1917 overthrowing of the Russian Provisional Government in the October Revolution, as many factions vied to determine Russia's political future. I ...

. He specialised in artillery, undertaking studies in the theory and practice of gunnery, and served in the naval coastal defences in the

Black Sea The Black Sea is a marginal sea, marginal Mediterranean sea (oceanography), mediterranean sea lying between Europe and Asia, east of the Balkans, south of the East European Plain, west of the Caucasus, and north of Anatolia. It is bound ...

. By the early 1930s he was in command of Armoured Coastal Battery #35 on the

Crimea Crimea ( ) is a peninsula in Eastern Europe, on the northern coast of the Black Sea, almost entirely surrounded by the Black Sea and the smaller Sea of Azov. The Isthmus of Perekop connects the peninsula to Kherson Oblast in mainland Ukrain ...

n coast, eventually rising to command the region's coastal defences prior to the Axis invasion of the Soviet Union in June 1941. Charged with defending

Sevastopol Sevastopol ( ), sometimes written Sebastopol, is the largest city in Crimea and a major port on the Black Sea. Due to its strategic location and the navigability of the city's harbours, Sevastopol has been an important port and naval base th ...

from the advancing forces, Morgunov directed the fire of coastal artillery and the building of defences as the Siege of Sevastopol began. Morgunov played an important role in the subsequent months before the city finally fell to Axis forces in 1942. Morgunov then served as deputy commander of the Black Sea Fleet for ground forces, and then chief of the Black Sea Fleet's coastal defence. He took part in the recapture of Sevastopol in 1944 in the Crimean offensive, and in May he was awarded the Order of Nakhimov, 1st degree, becoming the first of 82 people to receive this in the history of its award. Morgunov became commanding officer of the Black Sea Fleet Coastal Defences after the war, going on to be appointed head of the Coastal Artillery, Naval Infantry and Ground Units Combat Training Directorate, of the Main Combat Training Directorate, of the Naval Staff, and later head of coastal defence for the entire Soviet Navy. Retiring in 1955, he retired and wrote an account of the defence of Sevastopol before his death in 1985. Having received a number of awards over his career, Morgunov was portrayed in film in ', based partly on Morgunov's book. The ''Ivan Gren''-class

landing ship An amphibious warfare ship (or amphib) is an amphibious vehicle warship employed to land and support ground forces, such as marines, on enemy territory during an amphibious assault. Specialized shipping can be divided into two types, most crud ...

''Pyotr Morgunov'' is named in his honour.

Early years and education

Morgunov was born on 25 January 1902 in

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire that spanned most of northern Eurasia from its establishment in November 1721 until the proclamation of the Russian Republic in September 1917. At its height in the late 19th century, it covered about , roughl ...

, into the family of a worker at the . Morgunov also worked at the Dynamo Plant for a time, before joining the

Red Army The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army, often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Republic and, from 1922, the Soviet Union. The army was established in January 1918 by a decree of the Council of People ...

ranks after the

in 1917. He took part in the storming of the

Kremlin The Moscow Kremlin (also the Kremlin) is a fortified complex in Moscow, Russia. Located in the centre of the country's capital city, the Moscow Kremlin (fortification), Kremlin comprises five palaces, four cathedrals, and the enclosing Mosco ...

, and went on to see action in the

near

Oryol Oryol ( rus, Орёл, , ɐˈrʲɵl, a=ru-Орёл.ogg, links=y, ), also transliterated as Orel or Oriol, is a Classification of inhabited localities in Russia, city and the administrative center of Oryol Oblast, Russia, situated on the Oka Rive ...

, and in the

and around

. He completed the Odessa Artillery Courses in 1921, and was appointed platoon commander of one of the coastal batteries. He continued to specialise in shore-based gunnery, graduating from the Higher Courses of Special Purpose Artillery in 1925, and then from the Higher Special Courses of the

Naval Academy A naval academy provides education for prospective naval officers. List of naval academies See also

* Military academy {{Authority control Naval academies, Naval lists ...

. In the early 1930s he was placed in command of Armoured Coastal Battery #35, and then assistant commandant of the Crimean fortified area in February 1937. In June 1939, he was assigned the post of commandant of the Crimean Fortified Area, and then commanding officer of Coastal Defences and the main base of the

Black Sea Fleet The Black Sea Fleet () is the Naval fleet, fleet of the Russian Navy in the Black Sea, the Sea of Azov and the Mediterranean Sea. The Black Sea Fleet, along with other Russian ground and air forces on the Crimea, Crimean Peninsula, are subordin ...

Second World War

Following the Axis invasion of the Soviet Union in June 1941, enemy forces began approaching Sevastopol by land. Morgunov, promoted to major-general on 21 May 1941, oversaw the installation of naval guns by coastal defence artillerymen, and the preparing of three defensive lines. The siege of Sevastopol began in earnest in October, after attempts by German General

Erich von Manstein Fritz Erich Georg Eduard von Manstein (born Fritz Erich Georg Eduard von Lewinski; 24 November 1887 – 9 June 1973) was a Germans, German Officer (armed forces), military officer of Poles (people), Polish descent who served as a ''Generalfeld ...

to capture it on the move were frustrated. Initial German attacks were from the north by the 132nd Infantry Division, with the 50th Infantry Division coming up in support, seeking to encircle and bypass the city. They were opposed by the coastal defence batteries under Morgunov, buying time for the

Separate Coastal Army The Separate Coastal Army (), also translated to English as Independent Coastal Army, was an army-level unit in the Red Army that fought in World War II. It was established on July 18, 1941, by the order of the Southern Front from the forces of ...

to reach the city. On the arrival of reinforcements in November, Morgunov became deputy commander of the Sevastopol defensive region for coastal defence under the commander of the Black Sea Fleet

Filipp Oktyabrsky Filipp Sergeyevich Ivanov (; – 8 July 1969), more popularly known as Filipp Sergeyevich Oktyabrsky (), was a Soviet naval commander. He began service in the Baltic Fleet in 1918. From 1925–27 he studied at the Naval Academy in Leningrad ...

, and a member of the City Defence Committee. He oversaw the formation of defensive units and the supply of equipment and materials to the troops. In winter of 1941, he was faced with the problem of having nothing to warm the troops in the trenches. Lacking stores of vodka, a million bottles of champagne from the city warehouses were instead distributed. The soldiers asked instead for vodka, arguing that "This fizzy stuff will only make you freeze!" The situation was somewhat alleviated with the discovery of several tons of raw alcohol in the navy warehouses. Order of Pavel Nakhimov 1st class

The city held out for over eight months, finally being taken by Axis forces in July 1942. Morgunov was among those escaping the city before its fall, and in July he was appointed deputy commander of the Black Sea Fleet for ground forces. That autumn he took part in Vice-Admiral 's commission studying the defence of Sevastopol, and in early 1943 he became chief of the Black Sea Fleet's coastal defence. Promoted to on 10 April 1944, he took part in the recapture of Sevastopol in 1944 in the Crimean offensive. In May he was awarded the Order of Nakhimov, 1st degree, becoming the first of 82 people to receive this in the history of its award. Also in 1944, he was appointed a Commander of the

Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

Post-war

Morgunov remained in service after the war, serving as commanding officer of the Black Sea Fleet Coastal Defences until July 1950, when he was appointed head of the Coastal Artillery, Naval Infantry and Ground Units Combat Training Directorate, of the Main Combat Training Directorate, of the Naval Staff. He was given the rank of

lieutenant-general Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a military rank 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 battlefield, who was normall ...

on 5 May 1952, and in August 1953, was appointed head of coastal defence for the entire Soviet Navy. He remained in service until 1955, when he retired due to illness. He wrote an account of the defence of Sevastopol, published as ''Heroic Sevastopol''. Morgunov died in Moscow on 29 September 1985 and was buried in the Kuntsevo Cemetery.

Awards and honours

Over his career Morgunov was awarded the

Order of Lenin The Order of Lenin (, ) was an award named after Vladimir Lenin, the leader of the October Revolution. It was established by the Central Executive Committee on 6 April 1930. The order was the highest civilian decoration bestowed by the Soviet ...

, three Orders of the Red Banner, two Orders of the Red Star, the Orders of Nakhimov, and the Patriotic War First Classes, the Order "For Personal Courage", and various medals. He was also appointed a Commander of the

in 1944. There is a plaque on the house in Sevastopol where Morgunov lived, and a street in the city was named after him in 2008. In 1970, the Soviet film ' was released, based partly on Morgunov's book. Morgunov was played by in the film. In 2015 the ''Pyotr Morgunov'', of the ''Ivan Gren''-class

s built for the

Russian Navy The Russian Navy is the Navy, naval arm of the Russian Armed Forces. It has existed in various forms since 1696. Its present iteration was formed in January 1992 when it succeeded the Navy of the Commonwealth of Independent States (which had i ...

, was laid down. She was commissioned into service in 2020.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Morgunov, Pyotr Alekseyevich 1902 births 1985 deaths Military personnel from Moscow Soviet lieutenant generals Soviet military personnel of the Russian Civil War Soviet military personnel of World War II Communist Party of the Soviet Union members 20th-century Russian memoirists N. G. Kuznetsov Naval Academy alumni Recipients of the Order of Lenin Recipients of the Order of the Red Banner Recipients of the Order of Nakhimov, 1st class Recipients of the Order of the Patriotic War, 1st class Recipients of the Order of the Red Star Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Burials at Kuntsevo Cemetery