Ryzhikov, Efim Vasilyevich

Efim Vasilievich Ryzhikov was born on October 15, 1899 in the village of Pechersk (now Smolensk District, Smolensk Region).

Civil War

In June 1919, he was drafted into the ranks of the Red Army , after which he was sent to the 16th reserve regiment of the Western Front , where he served as platoon commander, assistant commander and company commander. In 1919 he joined the ranks of the RCP (b) . Soon he was sent to the 1st Smolensk infantry courses of commanders, after which from March 1921 he served as commander of a platoon and company of a separate guard battalion.

Interwar Time

From September 1921, Ryzhikov served on the Western Front as a platoon commander in the 163rd Infantry Regiment and a special battalion to combat banditry .

In November 1922, he was sent to study at the Higher Military School of the Volga Military District , and then at the Kiev United Military School , after which in October 1923 he continued to serve on the Western Front, in April 1924, transformed into the Western , and in October 1926 - In the Belarusian Military District , at the posts of company commander of the 14th rifle regiment, a separate company of the Karachevsky separate guard battalion, the 30th separate company of local rifle troops, and since February 1927 - at the posts of company commander and assistant officer Headquarters of the 15th Rifle Regiment.

In October 1929, he was sent to study for reconnaissance courses at the 4th directorate of the Red Army Headquarters , after which in June 1930 he was appointed assistant chief of the 1st unit of the 5th Vitebsk rifle division .

After graduating from the Military Academy named after MV Frunze in May 1934, he was appointed to the post of chief of the 1st unit of the headquarters of the 80th rifle division , and in August 1935 to the post of secretary of the military attaché at the USSR Plenipotentiary Representative in Poland .

From July 1937 Ryzhikov was at the disposal of the Red Army Intelligence Directorate and in January 1938 he was appointed head of the intelligence department of the headquarters of the Belarusian Military District, after which he took part in a campaign in Western Belarus , and from January 1940 , being the head of intelligence Department of Staff of the 34th Rifle Corps ( 7th Army , North-Western Front ), participated in the Soviet-Finnish war .

In August 1940, he was appointed to the post of chief of staff of the Arkhangelsk fortified area , in August - to the post of assistant chief of the 1st division, and then served as chief of the 2nd division of the operational division of the Arkhangelsk military district headquarters.

In October 1940, Efim Vasilyevich Ryzhikov was sent to study at the Academy of the General Staff of the Red Army .

Great Patriotic War

Since the beginning of the war in July 1941, Ryzhikov was in the position for particularly important operational missions under the commander-in-chief of the Western strategic forces, and from September of the same year served as deputy chief of staff - head of the operational department of the 16th army headquarters ( Western front ), after which took part in the battle of Moscow .

On October 15, 1942, he was appointed commander of the 217th rifle division , which in March 1943 took part in an offensive operation in the direction of the cities of Zhizdra and Sukhinichi ( Kaluga region ), and in July - in the course of the Orel offensive operation .

In September 1943 he was appointed commander of the 16th Guards Rifle Division , which took part in the defeat of the enemy at Nevel . Soon the division left north of Vitebsk and from January to February took part in the fighting outside the city. For the differences in these battles, the division was awarded the Order of the Red Banner , and Major General Efim Vasilievich Ryzhikov was awarded the Order of the Patriotic War of 1 degree. From January to March 1944 the division was withdrawn to the reserve of the front south-west of Nevel for staffing. During the Vitebsk-Orsha offensive operation, the division, after breaking through the enemy defenses, took part in the liberation of Orsha .

From October 16, 1944 to January 6, 1945, Ryzhikov temporarily served as commander of the 36th Guards Rifle Corps , who took part in defeating the enemy on the approaches to East Prussia and in the Gumbinnensky offensive operation . For the successful fulfillment of the tasks of command, skillful command of the corps in this operation, Major General E. V. Ryzhikov was awarded the Order of Suvorov, 2 degrees.

In January 1945, he was appointed deputy commander of the 36th Guards Rifle Corps, after which he took part in defeating the enemy in the areas of the cities of Gumbinnen and Insterburg , as well as on the outskirts of Königsberg . From February, he served as commander of the 26th Guards Rifle Division , and then in March of the same year he returned to the post of deputy commander of the 36th Guards Rifle Corps.

Post War Career

After the end of the war, Major General Ryzhikov served in the Special (city of Konigsberg ) and the Baltic military districts , where he temporarily served as commander of the 83rd Guards Rifle Division ( 11th Army ), in May 1946 he was appointed deputy commander of the 36th Guards Rifle Corps , and in July - to the post of commander of the 16th Infantry Division .

In June 1948, he was sent to study at the Higher Academic Courses at the Higher Military Academy named after KE Voroshilov , after which from April 1949 he served in the Volga and Far Eastern military districts as commanders of the 123rd and 56th rifle corps. In July 1953, he was appointed to the Odessa Military District as the commander of the 10th Guards Rifle Corps , commanded until 11 June 1956.

Lieutenant-General Efim Vasilievich Ryzhikov in June 1956 went to the reserve. He died on September 18, 1968 in Chisinau .

• Order of Lenin ;
• Four Orders of the Red Banner ;
• Order of Suvorov 2 degrees;
• Order of Kutuzov 2 degrees;
• Order of the Patriotic War, 1 degree;
• Order of the Red Star ;
• Medals

The team of authors . Great Patriotic: Komkory. Military Biographical Dictionary / Under the general editorship of M. G. Vozhakina . - M. Zhukovsky: Kuchkovo Pole, 2006. - T. 1. - p. 492-494. - ISBN 5-901679-08-3 .

• Biography E. V. Ryzhikov on the site " Chronos "
• Photos of gravestones in the Armenian cemetery from Billiongraves.com