Sorokin, Vasily Andreevich

He was born in the village of Studenoye in the Orenburg province (according to other sources in Ukraine in the Dnipropetrovsk region and only after the family moved to Studenoye) in a peasant family.

In 1927 he graduated from Ilek evening school. In 1930, drafted into the Red Army . He served in the art regiment of the Moscow Proletarian Rifle Division, a cadet of the regimental school. Since 1931 - a cadet of the Omsk Infantry School , since 1932 - a cadet of the Tomsk Artillery School, which he graduated in 1934. Appointed platoon commander of the 3rd Infantry Regiment. In 1935 he became commander of the 255th Infantry Regiment.

Since May 1935, Vasily Sorokin is a student of courses at the Gorky Automobile Armored School. In December 1936 - May 1937 - student of the Leningrad Red Banner courses.

In 1940, Vasily Sorokin was appointed district military commissar in one of the districts of the Ternopil region .

After the outbreak of war, Sorokin commanded a tank company of the 40th Panzer Division on the Southwestern Front. Since January 1942, the company of Sorokin took part in the Battle of Stalingrad . For these battles he was awarded the Order of the Red Star.

Commanding a company in the 45th tank brigade, he participated in the liberation of Kursk , for which he was awarded the Order of the Red Banner. After the liberation of Left-Bank Ukraine, Sorokin’s company cut the enemy’s communications, occupying the Kiev - Zhytomyr highway, destroying three enemy columns, up to forty vehicles, twelve artillery points and three anti-aircraft guns. Two self-propelled guns, four tanks and up to 85 enemy soldiers and officers were also shot down.

On November 6, 1943, Sorokin’s tank was attacked from the air, Sorokin himself was hospitalized with a serious wound: a fragment fragmented the knee joint of his left leg. He was in hospitals until March 1944, after which he again went to the front in the 107th Tank Brigade.

During the liberation of Poland, the brigade was transformed into the 49th Guards Tank Brigade of the 12th Guards Tank Corps .

During the Vistula-Oder operation on January 18, 1945, the Sorokin company went behind enemy lines, cutting off the withdrawal routes. When attacking an enemy convoy, tankers destroyed 9 guns, 90 cars, 6 mortars, 12 machine guns and up to 440 enemy soldiers. On January 21, a company seized the Inowroclaw railway station, where it destroyed two trains with ammunition and captured four warehouses with military equipment.

For these battles, Vasily Sorokin was awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union.

In preparation for the Berlin operation, taking part in the preparation of the attack near the village of Neu-Rosenthal , the Sorokin tank was shot down, and Sorokin himself was seriously injured.

Relatives received a funeral for his son, but he survived. He underwent several heavy operations in Moscow hospitals, where he remained until March 1947, after which he was dismissed. He lost his sight, but gradually it returned to him.

He worked as a party organizer in his native village, dealt with issues of patriotic education of youth.

He died in 1985.

One of the streets of Ilek is named after Sorokin.

• Hero of the Soviet Union No. 5739 (February 27, 1945);
• Order of Lenin ;
• Order of the Red Banner ;
• Order of the Red Star ;
• ten medals.

Sorokin, Vasily Andreevich (Russian) . Site " Heroes of the country ".

• The memory of him lives .
• Sorokin Vasily Andreevich .