Dankov, Fedor Trofimovich

He was born on February 16 (according to other sources - August 9), 1913 in the village of Spasskoye-Lutovinovo (now Mtsensky District, Oryol Region ) in a peasant family. Russian. Education is incomplete secondary. He lived in Leningrad , worked as a plumber in the Vyborg rayzhilsoyuz ^[1] .

In the Red Army since 1935. The service was carried out first by the driver of the car in the auto battalion. Since August 1938 - driver of the BT-5 tank in the 11th Order of Lenin tank brigade them. Yakovleva . A participant in the battles on the Khalkhin-Gol River in 1939, as part of his battalion, served as a tank technician. In December 1939 he graduated from junior lieutenant courses and was sent to the 82nd motorized infantry division as a platoon commander in the 159th motor battalion. In 1939 he became a member of the CPSU (b) ^[1] .

Member of World War II since October 1941. He fought on the Kalinin , Stepnoy and 2nd Ukrainian fronts. In the Battle of Kursk, in just one day of fighting in the vicinity of the settlements of Step and Aleksandrovka, the Dankov company destroyed 11 Tiger tanks, 9 Panthers , and 4 Ferdinand self-propelled guns. Subsequently, she participated in the Korsun-Shevchenkovsky and Uman-Batoshansk operations, in the liberation of Ukraine and Moldova ^[1] .

On March 5, 1944, Captain Fyodor Dankov, commander of a tank company of the 107th Tank Brigade ( 16th Panzer Corps , 2nd Panzer Army , 2nd Ukrainian Front ), crossed the Gorny Tikych River along with the company, crossed the enemy’s defensive line and pursued backward parts ^[1] . Moving at the forefront of parts of the 16th Panzer Corps, Captain Dankov’s tank company with minimal losses liberated many settlements on the way to the city of Uman, Cherkasy region of Ukraine. Trophies were captured: 150 vehicles, 18 heavy and 23 medium tanks, as well as 4 fuel depots. In addition, the crew of Dankov in the area of ​​the village of Mankovo defeated the headquarters of two German units and captured their banners and documents ^[1] . In these battles, his crew recorded 8 enemy tanks destroyed and destroyed on his battle account: four Tigers, one Panther and three PzKpfw IV ^[2] .

On March 10, 1944, the tankers of Captain Dankov, bypassing Uman from the rear, were the first to break into the city and fight for two hours with the enemy until our main forces arrived ^[1] .

Then captain Dankov took part in the liberation of Moldova. In early April 1944, he was one of the first to cross the Dniester River , liberate Floresti and rush with his company to the city of Balti . On the outskirts of the city they suppressed an anti-tank battery, several firing points and during the day, because street battles liberated Balti ^[1] .

On April 7, Captain Dankov accepted the position of deputy commander of the battalion and received an order with the newly arrived marching company to occupy the station of Pyrlitsa, Ungensky District . According to intelligence, there should have arrived a train with " tigers " ^[1] .

Four tanks of Captain Dankov broke into the station, but the German railway workers had already unloaded the train. The forces were unequal: against the four tanks of Dankov, the Germans threw over 30 tanks and self-propelled guns. For two days, the tankers held the village, reflecting the enemy’s attacks. When the ammunition ran out, the battle was fought only with small arms. Captain Dankov died on April 9, raising the remaining fighters in the final attack. He was buried in a mass grave in the village of Pirlitsa in the Ungheni district of Moldova ^[1] .

By a decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of September 13, 1944, "for exemplary performance of command missions at the front of the struggle against Nazi invaders and courage and heroism shown at the same time, Captain Dankov Fyodor Trofimovich was posthumously awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union ^[1] . By the same Decree, the title of Hero was awarded to the mechanic-driver Sergeant B.V. Makeev , who had passed the combat path in the crew of Dankov from the Kursk Bulge to Moldova, and only thanks to the case that did not take part in the last battle ^[1] .

• Hero of the Soviet Union (September 13, 1944, posthumously);
• Order of Lenin (September 13, 1944, posthumously);
• Order of the Red Banner (July 14, 1943).

A bust of F. T. Dankov is installed in his homeland and in the city of Mtsensk . The ship of the Ministry of Fisheries (MPX) is named after F. T. Dankov. In the village of Spasskoye-Lutovinovo, one of the pioneer detachments bore the name of the Hero ^[1] .

• Heroes of the Soviet Union: A Brief Biographical Dictionary / Prev. ed. collegium I. N. Shkadov . - M .: Military Publishing , 1987.- T. 1 / Abaev - Lyubichev /. - 911 p. - 100,000 copies. - ISBN comp., Reg. RCP No. 87-95382.
• Heroes-liberators of Cherkasy. - Dnepropetrovsk: Promin, 1980.
• Korenev A.A. Password is a feat. - Chisinau, 1968.
• Frolov P.I., Pirogov V.A., Makushev A.F. Battle constellation of Orlovites. - Tula, 1985.
• Tkachev V.A. Soldiers // In the battles for Moldova. - Chisinau: Cartya Moldovenenasca, 1988 .-- S. 201-208. - 241 p.

• Dankov, Fedor Trofimovich (Russian) . Site " Heroes of the country ".