Ponomarenko, Arkady Iosifovich

Arkady Iosifovich Ponomarenko was born on September 16 ( September 3 - old style ) in 1903 in the county town of Zhytomyr, Volyn province of the Russian Empire (now the city, the administrative center of the Zhytomyr region of Ukraine ) in a working class family. Ukrainian . He graduated from high school. April 10, 1920 as a volunteer joined the Red Army . He fought on the fronts of the Civil War for the formation of Soviet power in Ukraine. After the end of the Civil War, he remained in the army. In 1929 he graduated from the Odessa Artillery School named after M.V. Frunze. In 1939 he entered the F.E.Dzerzhinsky Military Academy . Before the start of World War II, he managed to finish two courses.

In the army, Major A.I. Ponomarenko from October 15, 1941 on the Western Front . Since November 23, 1941 in the post of commander of the 138th cannon artillery regiment of the 16th army . Member of the battle for Moscow on the Mozhaisk defense line and the Istrian direction. As part of the Red Army counterattack near Moscow, the regiment under the command of Major A. I. Ponomarenko participated in the Klinsko-Solnechnogorsk offensive operation . During the breakthrough of enemy defenses from December 6 to 9, 1941, the Ponomarenko artillerymen destroyed 1 artillery and 12 mortar batteries, 8 machine gun points, 19 tanks, 37 vehicles with ammunition, and up to the German infantry battalion. Before the beginning of the January 1942 offensive near Moscow, the 138th cannon artillery regiment was transferred to the 20th Army of the Western Front. Supporting the actions of the 331rd Infantry Division , the regiment provided a breakthrough of the enemy’s defense on the Lama River in the area of ​​the Ludin Gora settlement and the division’s exit to the Gzhatsk region. During the operation, artillerymen destroyed 12 bunkers , suppressed 6 machine-gun points and destroyed the enemy’s manpower battalion. For the difference in the course of the Moscow battle, the 128th cannon artillery regiment was transformed on April 28, 1942 into the 67th guards artillery regiment. Arkady Iosifovich was awarded the Order of the Red Banner and promoted to lieutenant colonel .

Until the summer of 1943, the 67th Guards Artillery Regiment participated in the bloody battles of the Battle of Rzhev . In June 1943, he was removed from the 20th Army and transferred to the Bryansk Front , where he defended on the northern front of the Kursk Bulge north-east of the city of Bolkhov as part of the 61st Army . In anticipation of the summer advance of the Bryansk Front on the Kursk Bulge of Guard, Colonel A. I. Ponomarenko, the forces of the regiment conducted an effective reconnaissance of the enemy’s defense to its entire depth, as a result of which up to 10 enemy artillery batteries, 16 separate guns and mortars, about 28 bunkers and 8 were found machine gun points. The obtained intelligence provided success in breaking through the enemy defenses in the Bolkhov direction near the village of Krutogorye . On July 12 and 13, 1943, the 67th Guards Artillery Regiment, firing direct fire and from closed positions, destroyed 45 enemy firing points, destroyed 8 bunkers and crushed 7 artillery batteries. As a result, units of the 61st Army in this sector overcame the enemy’s defense with virtually no loss. In the course of the further offensive, skillfully maneuvering the fire of his regiment, the guard Colonel A.I. Ponomarev ensured the fulfillment of combat missile infantry missions.

On August 15, 1943, the 61st Army was withdrawn to the reserve of the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command . On September 7, it was included in the Central (from October 20, 1943 - Belorussian ) front and participated in the Battle of the Dnieper as part of the Chernihiv-Pripyat operation . On September 28, 1943, the 67th Guards Artillery Regiment was introduced to the bridgehead on the right bank of the Dnieper River , captured by assault battalions of the 61st Army, and participated in battles to expand it. During the period from September 28 to October 15, 1943, the Ponomarenko artillerymen destroyed 4 enemy tanks and self-propelled guns , 4 artillery batteries, 21 military vehicles, 24 firing points, and up to 450 Wehrmacht soldiers and officers, and also put down 32 more artillery batteries. During the Gomel-Rechitsa operation, the 67th Guards Artillery Regiment supported the advance of the 12th Guards and 81st Rifle Divisions, ensuring the capture of settlements Glushets , Novaya Lutava , Bragin , Khoiniki and Yurovichi , which the Germans turned into heavily fortified defense units. During the Kalinkovich-Mozyr operation, the artillery regiment of the Guard Colonel A.I. Ponomarenko provided fire support to the 12th and 76th Guards Rifle Divisions and contributed to the capture of settlements Aleksandrovka and Kalinkovichi . At the end of January 1944, skillfully suppressing the enemy’s firepower, the Ponomarenko artillery ensured the army units of the Ptich River forced the forces. Subsequently, the 67th Guards Artillery Regiment participated in the Polesie offensive operation of the 2nd Belorussian Front , and then acted along the right bank of the Pripyat River in the Stolin direction. For the difference in the Kalinkovichi-Mozyr operation, the 67th Guards Artillery Regiment was given the honorary name Kalinkovichi.

On April 17, 1944, the 61st Army was subordinated to the 1st Belorussian Front and began preparations for Operation Bagration . June 18, 1944 on the basis of the 67th Guards Artillery Regiment was formed in the 38th Guards Artillery Brigade . Guard Colonel A.I. Ponomarenko was appointed commander of the artillery compound. Under his leadership, the team participated in the Lublin-Brest operation , liberated the cities of Pinsk and Brest-Litovsky . For the liberation of the city of Pinsk, the 38th Guards Artillery Brigade was awarded the Order of the Red Banner. At the end of July 1944, the 61st Army was withdrawn to the reserve of the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command and on September 13 joined the Riga operation as part of the 3rd Baltic Front . The Brigade of the Guard Colonel Ponomarenko participated in the liberation of the capital of the Latvian SSR, the city ​​of Riga . Since October 17, 1944, the 61st Army operated on the 1st Baltic Front and participated in the blockade of Army Group North on the Courland Peninsula. On December 25, 1944, she returned to the 1st Belorussian Front and was introduced to the Magnushevsky bridgehead .

In January-February 1945, A. I. Ponomarenko participated in the Warsaw-Poznan operation , and in February - April 1945, in the East Pomeranian operation . During the defeat of the German army group Wisla, the guard brigade of Colonel Ponomarenko distinguished himself in the liquidation of the well-fortified German defense units Arnswalde and Stargard . Then she assisted the rifle units in the capture of the city and the fortress of Masses and the city of Altdamma . After the operation in Pomerania was completed, the 61st Army returned to the Berlin direction, taking up positions in the area of Zeden on the eve of the Berlin operation . Guard Colonel A.I. Ponomarenko was particularly distinguished in the battles of April 17-21, 1945 when crossing the Oder River near the village of Hohenvutzen and breaking through the heavily fortified defense line on its western shore. He was constantly at the observation posts of the artillery units of his brigade, Arkady Iosifovich skillfully organized artillery fire on the enemy, ensuring the crossing of the river and the capture of the bridgehead by assault battalions. Together with his guard brigade, Colonel Ponomarenko crossed the Oder under enemy fire and, organizing close interaction with the rifle units, repelled two Germans' counterattacks and crushed the knots of their resistance. In breaking through the enemy line of defense, the Ponomarev artillerymen provided effective fire support to the rifle units, destroying 40 bunkers, suppressing 31 artillery batteries and destroying up to 300 Wehrmacht soldiers and officers. Arkady Iosifovich repeatedly showed personal courage, being directly in the fighting positions of his brigade.

Having broken down the enemy’s resistance, units of the 61st Army bypassed Berlin from the north and by May 7, 1945 reached the Elbe south-east of the city of Wittenberg . Here A.I. Ponomarenko ended his military career. By a decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of May 31, 1945, for the exemplary performance of command missions at the front of the struggle against the German invaders and the courage and heroism of the guard shown to Colonel Ponomarenko Arkady Ivanovich, he was awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union. After the end of World War II, Arkady Iosifovich completed his academic education, graduating from higher academic courses in 1947. Colonel A.I. Ponomarenko served in the Soviet Army until 1952. After being transferred to the reserve, he lived and worked in Krasnodar . April 6, 1963 Arkady Iosifovich died. He was buried at the All-Holy Cemetery of the city ​​of Krasnodar.

• The Gold Star Medal (05/31/1945);
• two orders of Lenin (05/31/1945; ??);
• four orders of the Red Banner (02/22/1942; 11/03/1944; 06/18/1945; ??);
• Kutuzov Order of the 2nd degree (09.25.1944);
• Order of Alexander Nevsky (08/14/1943);
• Order of the Patriotic War of the 1st degree (05/08/1944);
• medals.

• Heroes of the Soviet Union: A Brief Biographical Dictionary / Prev. ed. collegium I. N. Shkadov . - M .: Military Publishing , 1988. - T. 2 / Love - Yashchuk /. - 863 s. - 100,000 copies. - ISBN 5-203-00536-2 .

• Public electronic document bank “The Feat of the People in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945” (neopr.) . Date of treatment October 25, 2012. Archived March 13, 2012.

Presentation to the title of Hero of the Soviet Union (Neopr.) . Date of treatment October 25, 2012. Archived December 18, 2012.

Decree of the USSR PVS on conferring the title of Hero of the Soviet Union (Neopr.) . Date of treatment October 25, 2012. Archived December 18, 2012.

Information from the list awarded by decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Council of May 31, 1945 (neopr.) . Date of treatment October 25, 2012. Archived December 18, 2012.

Order of the Red Banner (award sheet and award order dated 02.22.1942) (neopr.) . Date of treatment October 24, 2012. Archived December 18, 2012.

Order of the Red Banner (award sheet and award order dated 06/18/1945) (neopr.) . Date of treatment October 25, 2012. Archived December 18, 2012.

Kutuzov Order of the 2nd degree (award sheet and decree of the USSR PVS on awarding) (neopr.) . Date of treatment October 25, 2012. Archived December 18, 2012.

Order of Alexander Nevsky (award sheet and award order) (neopr.) . Date of treatment October 25, 2012. Archived December 18, 2012.

Order of the Patriotic War of the 1st degree (award sheet and award order) (neopr.) . Date of treatment October 25, 2012. Archived December 18, 2012.

• Ponomarenko, Arkady Iosifovich (Russian) . Site " Heroes of the country ".
• Ponomarenko Arkady Iosifovich on www.az-libr.ru (neopr.) . Date of treatment October 25, 2012. Archived December 18, 2012.