Kurluk, Dmitry Nikolaevich

Born October 18, 1920 in the city of Glukhov , now Sumy region of Ukraine, in a working class family. Ukrainian .

In 1938 he graduated from the 9th grade of the Glukhov secondary school No. 2.

In the Red Army since October 1939 .

In 1941 he graduated from the Rostov Military Infantry School, in 1943 - courses "Shot" .

Member of the Great Patriotic War on August 25, 1943 . He fought on the Bryansk Front .

Member of the CPSU (b) since 1943 .

On November 25, 1943, during the Gomel-Rechitsa offensive operation in the battle for the village of Khatovnya in the Rogachev district of the Gomel region of the Belorussian SSR , the acting commander of the infantry battalion of the 1018th infantry regiment of the 269th infantry division of the 3rd Army of the Belorussian Front, senior lieutenant Kurluk captured by forces of his battalion a heavily fortified enemy defensive point and immediately knocked out the enemy from the north-eastern part of the village of Kanava , capturing 4 German soldiers. Subsequently, he held the captured bridgehead, repulsing the fierce counterattacks of the enemy. Being directly in the battle formations of the battalion under strong enemy fire, Kurluk raised the soldiers to attack and burst into settlements with small losses. He was presented to the Order of the Patriotic War of the 1st degree ^[1] , however, the division commander Colonel Kubasov lowered the degree of the award to the Order of the Patriotic War of the 2nd degree , which Kurluk was awarded with Order for the 3rd Army No. 153 of 08/08/1943.

On January 4, 1944, the commander of the rifle battalion of the 1018th rifle regiment of the 269th rifle division, senior lieutenant Kurluk, carrying out the command assignment, prepared a group of soldiers and sergeants in his battalion to participate in the tank landing. Being on the tank, he boldly led the battle, showing personal courage and fearlessness. As a result of skillful maneuvering and entering the enemy’s rear, the task of breaking through the enemy’s defense and reaching the Obidovichi village of Bykhov district of the Mogilev region of Belarus on the Mogilev - Gomel highway and to the Dnieper River was successfully and prematurely completed. In this combat operation, over 100 German soldiers and officers were destroyed by the Kurluk battalion ^[2] .

By order of the 3rd Army dated January 13, 1944, Kurluk was awarded the Order of the Red Star .

On February 21, 1944, while crossing the Dnieper River in the Elenovo region of the Rogachev district of the Gomel region of Belarus, the commander of the rifle battalion of the 1018th rifle regiment of the 269th rifle division, senior lieutenant Kurluk, together with his battalion, was the first to force the Dnieper , breaking into the enemy’s forward trenches, knocking out troops from them the enemy and capturing 13 German soldiers, 4 weapons, 2 tractors, a car, a large number of ammunition. Continuing the offensive, the Kurluk battalion captured the second line of enemy trenches and entrenched in them and, taking on the main blow of the enemy, repelled the counterattack of seven self-propelled guns of the enemy, thereby contributing to the advancement of the remaining units of the regiment. On February 24, 1944, the commander of the 1018th infantry regiment, Lt. Col. Bichan, was introduced to the rank of Hero of the Soviet Union , but the division commander, Major General Kubasov, again reduced the award to the Order of the Red Banner ^{[3] [4]} , with which Kurluk was awarded the order of 3- Army No. 219 of 09/09/1944.

In June 1944, the troops of the 1st Belorussian Front launched an offensive operation to liberate Belarus . The 269th Infantry Division was tasked with breaking through the enemy’s defenses at the boundary of the Drut River in the Mogilev direction. Here the Nazis created a deeply echeloned defense. The city of Mogilev was turned into a major hub. Defensive lines passed along the banks of the rivers Drut , Berezina , Svisloch and Neman , along the prevailing heights. All settlements in the offensive zone were fortified. Before the start of the general offensive, the rifle battalion of the 1018th rifle regiment of the 269th rifle division of the 3rd Army of the 1st Belorussian Front, under the command of Captain Kurluk, was instructed to conduct reconnaissance in battle, to identify the enemy's fire system in the division area. The soldiers of the battalion acted successfully, and this allowed on the very first day to break through the enemy defenses. On June 24, the battalion burst into the fortified enemy defense point and destroyed the Nazi garrison. Following this, the settlements of Manki and Franulevo were liberated. The Nazis threw in a counterattack against the Soviet soldiers more than two infantry battalions and several assault guns. Captain Kurluk, acting decisively and courageously, organized a solid defense. His unit successfully repelled the onslaught of superior enemy forces and, on the attack, forced the Germans to retreat. By personal example, the commander inspired Soviet soldiers to combat exploits. On June 25 , having crossed the Ola River in the vicinity of the village of Dvoryanovichichi, Kirovsky District, Mogilev Region of Belarus, Soviet soldiers defeated the enemy infantry battalion and captured its commander. From June 23 to 30, the rifle unit of Captain Kurluk destroyed up to seven hundred and captured more than three hundred Nazi soldiers and officers. It was also captured 41 guns, 97 machine guns, 573 rifles, 4 walkie-talkies, 78 vehicles with military cargo, 150 horses. The successful operations of the battalion made it easier for our main forces to break through the enemy defenses. For this feat, the commander of the 1018th Infantry Regiment, Lt. Col. Bichan, represents Kurluka to the rank of Hero of the Soviet Union ^[5] .

On July 26, 1944, the soldiers of the Kurluk battalion participated in the battle for the city of Bialystok . Under the onslaught of the enemy they had to retreat to the starting line . Until the enemy infantry battalion with tanks, our soldiers counterattacked. In difficult times of battle, Captain Kurluk acted skillfully and courageously. The enemy was stopped by fire, and soon the battalion went on the attack. In this battle, the courageous battalion commander Kurluk was hit by an enemy bullet ^[6] .

He was buried in the village of Grabovka ( Polish. Grabówka, Białystok County) ^[7] , now a district within the city of Bialystok , Poland ^[8] .

By decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of March 24, 1945, for the exemplary performance of command missions on the front of the struggle against Nazi invaders and the courage and heroism shown to this, Captain Kurluk Dmitry Nikolaevich was awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union (posthumous).

• Medal "Golden Star" of the Hero of the Soviet Union (03.24.1945).
• Order of Lenin (03.24.1945).
• The Order of the Red Banner (09.03.1944, introduced himself to the title of Hero of the Soviet Union ).
• Order of the Patriotic War of the 2nd degree (12/08/1943, submitted to the Order of the Patriotic War of the 1st degree ).
• Order of the Red Star (01/13/1944).

• In the city of Glukhov , a street was named after him, and a memorial plaque was installed on the building of secondary school No. 2, in which Kurluk studied.
• The name of the Hero is carved in gold letters in the Hall of Glory of the Central Museum of the Great Patriotic War in Victory Park in Moscow .

• 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.
• On a trip to Sumy region. Kharkov, 1979.
• Grichenko I.T., Golovin N.M. Feat. 3rd ed., Revised. and add. Kharkov, 1983. / Pp. 249-250;
• History of cities and villages of the Ukrainian SSR. Sumy region. Kiev, 1980.
• Forever in the heart of the people. 3rd ed., Ext. and rev. Minsk, 1984. / pp. 284-285.

• Kurluk, Dmitry Nikolaevich (Russian) . Site " Heroes of the country ".
• Library - People and books. Kurluk Dmitry Nikolaevich .