Potapov, Vasily Abramovich

Vasily Abramovich Potapov was born on March 27, 1918 in a peasant family in the village of Bortnoye in the Mtsensk district of the Oryol province of Soviet Russia (now the village of the Zalegoschensky district of the Oryol region of the Russian Federation ). Russian Secondary vocational education . Prior to conscription, he worked as a mechanic at the Mokhov machine and tractor station .

In the ranks of the Workers 'and Peasants' Red Army V. A. Potapov was called up by the Mokhovsky ^[1] district military enlistment office of the Oryol region in 1938. He began his military service as a private near Novograd-Volynsky in the 24th light tank brigade of the Kiev Special Military District . In September 1939, as part of the Volochisky (later Eastern ) army group of the Ukrainian Front, he participated in the liberation campaign in Western Ukraine . After the end of his military service, Vasily Abramovich decided to stay on extra-long service and was sent to tank technician courses at the Leningrad Auto-Technical School. During his studies, the Soviet armored forces were reformed, and junior technician V.A. Potapov returned to the service of the 15th Tank Regiment of the 8th Panzer Division of the 4th Mechanized Corps of the 6th Army . In June-July 1940, he took part in the operation to join Bessarabia and Northern Bukovina to the USSR. Before the start of World War II, the 15th Tank Regiment was stationed in the suburbs of the city of Lviv .

In battles with the Nazi invaders and their Romanian allies, V. A. Potapov from June 22, 1941 on the South-Western Front . Participated in cross-border battles. On June 24, 1941, the 8th Panzer Division was transferred to the 15th Mechanized Corps and participated in a tank battle in the Dubno-Lutsk-Brody area . After the defeat of the troops of the Southwestern Front in the battle, Vasily Abramovich retreated to Kiev on foot with battles, where in September 1941 he was surrounded. At the end of October 1941, he managed to cross the front line. After checking the bodies of the NKVD of the USSR, he was sent to a tank school ^[2] . Again in the army, Lieutenant V. A. Potapov from December 18, 1942 on the Southwestern Front as commander of a medium tank company of the 290th tank battalion of the 99th tank brigade of the 2nd tank corps of the 3rd Guards Army . Vasily Abramovich participated in the operation "Small Saturn" , during which the attempts of the Germans to release the 6th Wehrmacht army surrounded in Stalingrad were reflected. In January-February 1943, troops of the Southwestern Front carried out the Voroshilovgrad operation . During the offensive battles, the company of senior lieutenant V.A. Potapov destroyed 13 enemy tanks, 5 armored personnel carriers, 2 self-propelled artillery pieces, 4 artillery pieces, 15 machine gun points, 12 vehicles with infantry and military cargo, and up to 300 enemy soldiers and officers.

After the operation "Jump", the 2nd Tank Corps was withdrawn to the front reserve, where it was until June 1943. In early July 1943, the corps was urgently deployed to the Voronezh Front . July 8, 1943 he was introduced into the battle in the vicinity of the station Prokhorovka . Senior Lieutenant V. A. Potapov participated in the first encounter battle on the Prokhorov field, which occurred on that day between units of the 2nd Panzer Corps and parts of the SS Panzer Divisions “Dead Head” and “Das Reich . ” Reflecting the onslaught of the enemy, Soviet tankmen secured themselves in defensive positions near Prokhorovka. In the period from June 9 to June 12, 1943 they fought heavy battles with superior enemy forces. During this period, the tank company of Senior Lieutenant Potapov demonstrated courage and stamina, stopping German tanks at the Mikhailovka - Vasilyevka line . In fierce battles of many hours, the Potapov company destroyed 3 heavy ^[3] and 7 medium tanks of the enemy, 2 mortar batteries and up to 250 Wehrmacht troops. July 12, 1943 Vasily Abramovich commanded his company in a tank battle near Prokhorovka . In August 1943, Senior Lieutenant V. A. Potapov participated in the final defeat of the Nazi forces on the southern front of the Kursk Bulge during the Belgorod-Kharkov operation , liberated the city of Lebedin . For the mass heroism of the personnel in the Battle of Kursk, the 2nd Panzer Corps was transformed ^[4] into the 8th Guards , and the 99th Panzer Brigade became the 59th Guards . V. A. Potapov was awarded the Order of the Red Banner and was appointed commander of the 290th tank battalion.

In pursuit of the Nazi troops retreating to the Dnieper , units of the Voronezh Front began the liberation of Left-Bank Ukraine . During the Sumy-Prilutsk offensive operation, the tank battalion of senior lieutenant V. A. Potapov acted at the forefront of the corps. Breaking through the enemy’s defenses on the Grun River on September 9, 1943, Potapov and his tankers rushed behind the rear of German troops. Sweeping away enemy barriers and suppressing the knots of resistance, on September 11, 1943 he went to the village of Konovalovo , where he defeated a large column of German troops. In this battle, Vasily Abramovich personally destroyed 9 anti-tank guns, 1 self-propelled guns, up to 10 vehicles with cargo and about 150 enemy soldiers. On September 22, 1943, the battalion of V.A. Potapov was the first of the corps to reach the Dnieper north of Kanev . On September 25, 1943, in five hours, under continuous artillery fire and bombing of enemy aircraft, Vasily Abramovich carried out the transfer of his battalion to the right bank of the river near the village of Zarubentsy ^{[5] of the} Kanevsky District of Cherkasy Region , without losing a single vehicle. Immediately, with the support of motorized infantry, tankers captured an important stronghold of German defense. By the middle of the day on September 29, the efforts of the Potapov battalion, the bridgehead , called Bukrinsky , were expanded to 15 square kilometers. The enemy, pulling up significant reserves, on September 28, 1943 launched a counterattack. For two days, with the help of two infantry regiments with the support of tanks, self-propelled artillery and aviation, he tried to push Soviet troops back beyond the Dnieper. Only on September 29, Potapov’s battalion repelled 9 German attacks. During fierce two-day battles, the 290th tank battalion destroyed 2 enemy self-propelled guns , 12 field guns, more than 25 machine guns, 6 mortar batteries and more than 600 German soldiers and officers. In October 1943, units of the Red Army stationed at the Bukrinsky bridgehead fought hard for its expansion. In an effort to improve their positions for the subsequent offensive, the troops on the bridgehead repeatedly launched attacks on enemy positions north of Veliky Bukrin , but each time they got stuck in his deeply echeloned defense. The 290th tank battalion of the guard of senior lieutenant V.A. Potapov thrown into battle on this site on October 13, 1943, with a swift attack broke the enemy’s resistance and captured the strategically important stronghold of German defense - the village of Khodorov . The success of the Potapov battalion made it possible to expand the bridgehead to 5 kilometers in depth and strengthen the position of the Soviet troops. For the exemplary performance of the combat missions of the command on the front of the fight against the German invaders and the courage and heroism shown by the decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of June 3, 1944, the senior lieutenant Potapov Vasily Abramovich was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.

In mid-November 1943, after the liberation of Kiev, the 8th Guards Tank Corps, which suffered heavy losses, was withdrawn for a long time to the reserve of the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command . Until the summer of 1944, unit commanders trained young recruits. The corps was thrown into battle in mid-July 1944 on the 1st Belorussian Front during the Lublin-Brest operation . Soon after the start of the operation, the corps was included in the 2nd Panzer Army . The 2nd tank battalion ^{[6] of the} guard Captain V. A. Potapov marched from the Western Bug to the outskirts of Warsaw , destroying 9 German tanks, 17 anti-tank guns, 24 vehicles with military cargo, more than 30 machine gun points and more than 800 soldiers and officers the enemy. Vasily Abramovich participated in street battles for the cities of Lublin and Minsk-Mazowiecki , liberated Prague - the right-bank suburb of Warsaw. In October 1944, his battalion as part of the brigade reflected the counterattacks of German troops on the Serotsky bridgehead . In late November 1944, the 8th Guards Tank Corps was withdrawn to the front line reserve and began preparations for a new offensive.

On the night of January 14-15, 1945 he was introduced to the Pultus bridgehead and at dawn thrown into battle in the offensive zone of the 2nd shock army of the 2nd Belorussian Front . During the Mlava-Elbing frontal operation , carried out as part of the East Prussian strategic operation , the troops of the front had to seize the enemy’s Mlava defense area. On the night of January 17, 1945, the 2nd tank battalion under the command of the Captain V.A. Potapov's guard attacked the enemy airfield near the city of Ciechanow . As a result of the attack, the battalion defeated a large group of the enemy, preparing to launch a counterattack. In the battle, tankers destroyed 41 artillery pieces, 2 tanks, 8 mortars, 2 anti-aircraft mounts and up to 450 enemy soldiers and officers, 1 tank and fuel depot were captured. 52 Wehrmacht soldiers surrendered. On January 22, 1945, the battalion participated in the assault on the city of Deutsch-Eylau , a strategically important German defense hub, which the German troops were ordered to retain at all costs. In honor of the units participating in the assault on the city, fireworks were fired in Moscow, and gratitude was announced to the tankers of the 8th Guards Tank Corps on behalf of the Supreme Commander . For the difference in the Mlava-Elbing operation, V. A. Potapov was awarded the Order of the Red Banner and promoted to majors.

On February 10, 1945, troops of the 2nd Belorussian Front began the East Pomeranian operation with the goal of defeating the German army group Wisla . After the regrouping, the 8th Guards Tank Corps joined the operation in mid-February 1945. Having launched an offensive from the bridgehead on the left bank of the Vistula north of Graudenz , corps units broke through the enemy’s defenses and, bypassing the German defense strongholds, rushed to Danzig . The guard battalion of Major V.A. Potapov was at the forefront of the corps. On February 19, 1945, the city of Meve fell. On March 6, the 59th Guards Tank Brigade took part in the assault on the city of Preisish-Stargard . On March 23, 1945, the Potapov battalion defeated the strongest German strongholds in Gross Belkau and Leblau, and on the night of March 25-26, 1945, daringly broke into Emaus, a suburb of Danzig. The successful operations of Potapov’s tank battalion were reflected in the report of the Sovinformburo on March 25, 1945. During street battles for Danzig Guard, Major V. A. Potapov competently organized interaction with rifle and artillery units. Acting decisively and skillfully, Potapov’s tankmen quickly advanced to the city center and captured the crossings through the canals. Clearing quarter after quarter from the enemy, the 2nd Tank Battalion on March 30, 1945 went to the eastern outskirts of the city. During street battles in Danzig, Potapov’s tankers destroyed 6 strong strongholds of German defense, 8 tanks, 18 artillery pieces, 6 mortar batteries and up to 600 enemy soldiers and officers. During the Berlin operation, the 8th Guards Tank Corps made up the reserve of the commander of the 2nd Belorussian Front and did not participate in battles. The major ended the battlefield in Germany near the city of Prenzlau .

After the end of World War II, V. A. Potapov was sent to study at the Leningrad Higher Officer Armored School . Upon its completion in 1946, Vasily Abramovich continued to serve in the Soviet Army . In 1956, with the rank of colonel, he retired. He lived and worked in the city of Melitopol . August 5, 1996, Vasily Abramovich died. He was buried in Melitopol, Zaporizhzhya region of Ukraine .

• Medal "Golden Star" (06/03/1944);
• Order of Lenin (06/03/1944);
• three orders of the Red Banner (08/20/1943; 10/10/1943; 02/06/1945);
• Order of Alexander Nevsky (08/14/1944);
• two orders of the Patriotic War of the 1st degree (05/10/1945; 03/11/1985)
• two orders of the Red Star (03/05/1943; ??)
• medals.
• Honorary citizen of the city of Melitopol (03/23/1995).

• 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 .
• Your countrymen are famous for their feat: stories about the Heroes of the Soviet Union. - Zaporozhye: Book and newspaper publishing house, 1962. - S. 235-237. - 351 p.
• Frolov P.I., Pirogov V.A., Makushev A.F. Battle constellation of Orlovites. - Tula: Prioksky Book Publishing House, 1985. - S. 241-242. - 367 p.

• Public electronic document bank “The Feat of the People in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945” (neopr.) . Date of treatment February 5, 2013. Archived March 13, 2012.

Submission to the title of Hero of the Soviet Union and the decree of the USSR PVS on conferring the title (neopr.) . Date of treatment February 5, 2013. Archived February 14, 2013.

Order of the Red Banner (a fragment of the award sheet and data from the registration card on awarding the order of 08/20/1943) (neopr.) . Date of treatment February 5, 2013. Archived February 14, 2013.

Order of the Red Banner (award sheet and award order dated 10/10/1943) (neopr.) . Date of treatment February 5, 2013. Archived February 14, 2013.

Order of the Red Banner (award sheet and award order dated 02/06/1945) (neopr.) . Date of treatment February 4, 2013. Archived February 14, 2013.

Order of Alexander Nevsky (award sheet and award order) (neopr.) . Date of treatment February 5, 2013. Archived February 14, 2013.

Order of the Patriotic War of the 1st degree (award sheet and award order) (neopr.) . Date of treatment February 5, 2013. Archived February 14, 2013.

Order of the Patriotic War, 1st degree (information from the card awarded to the 40th anniversary of the Victory) (unopened) . Date of treatment February 5, 2013. Archived February 14, 2013.

Order of the Red Star (award sheet and award order dated 03/05/1943) (neopr.) . Date of treatment February 5, 2013. Archived February 14, 2013.

• Potapov, Vasily Abramovich (Russian) . Site " Heroes of the country ".
• Potapov, Vasily Abramovich at www.az-libr.ru (neopr.) . Date of treatment February 5, 2013. Archived February 14, 2013.
• Memory of the Oryol land (neopr.) . Date of treatment February 5, 2013. Archived February 14, 2013.