Vyatkin, Sergey Leontyevich

Before the war

Sergei Leontyevich (Lvovich) Vyatkin was born on June 1 (May 19 - old style) 1917 ^{[1] [2] [3]} in the village of Zakhlamino ^{[4] [5]} Omsk district of the Akmola region of the Russian Republic ^[6] (now in Soviet administrative district of the city ​​of Omsk, Russian Federation ) in a working class family. Russian ^[1] . He graduated from elementary school ^{[1] [7]} . He began his career as a combine operator on the collective farm named after March 8th. Then he worked as an auxiliary worker in the backwater named after Stalin, later transformed into the Omsk Shipyard, and a sailor in the Irtysh River Shipping Company ^{[1] [7] [3]} .

S. L. Vyatkin was drafted into the ranks of the Workers 'and Peasants' Red Army by partial mobilization by the Kaganovichi District Military Commissariat of the Omsk Region in May 1941 ^{[7] [8]} . At the beginning of World War II, he was training at a summer military training camp.

On the fronts of World War II

At the end of June 1941, the Red Army soldier S. L. Vyatkin was enlisted as an artillery scout in the 432th howitzer artillery regiment formed in the Siberian Military District , which soon left for the Western Front as part of the 178th Infantry Division . In the army S.L. Vyatkin since July 13, 1941. In battles with the Nazi invaders since July 24. He received baptism of fire near the city of Bely . Fighting on the Western and Kalinin fronts, he participated in the Kalinin defensive and Kalinin offensive operations of the Battle of Moscow , the bloody battles of the Battle of Rzhev ^[9] .

In the fall of 1942, the 432th howitzer artillery regiment was transferred to the Bryansk Front , where until the summer of 1943 it participated in defensive and offensive battles near Zhizdra . During the two years of the war, the Red Army soldier Vyatkin became indispensable for his 7th battery. When the infantrymen hid in trenches and dugouts during an artillery raid from the enemy’s side, Sergey Leontyevich from his observation post at the front line recorded the firing points of the enemy. Many times he had to advance to German positions and carry out reconnaissance of the enemy's defensive line, penetrate the German rear and specify the coordinates of the German artillery and mortar batteries. The data obtained by the scout was always accurate and reliable, and allowed the gunners to deliver devastating blows to the enemy ^[10] . The artillery reconnaissance Vyatkin demonstrated his combat skills in battles for the Hotynets station and the city of Karachev during the Orel operation of the Battle of Kursk . Thanks to intelligence obtained by Sergei Leontyevich, howitzers of the 7th battery destroyed the enemy mortar battery, up to five machine gun points and about 70 soldiers and officers of the Wehrmacht ^[9] .

In September 1943, the 18th howitzer artillery brigade for breaking through the RGK , which included the 432th howitzer artillery regiment, was withdrawn to the reserve and, after understaffing, was transferred to the Belorussian Front . In January 1944, S. L. Vyatkin participated in the Kalinkovich-Mozyr operation , and as part of his unit liberated the city of Kalinkovichi . By the summer of 1944 he received the rank of corporal. He particularly distinguished himself in the battles near Kovel during Operation Bagration .

In the battles of Kovel

On July 5, 1944, the troops of the left wing of the 1st Belorussian Front went on the offensive in the Kovel direction. The regiments of the 18th howitzer artillery brigade of the breakthrough of the RGC with gun fire and wheels facilitated the advance of the parts of the 129th Rifle Corps of the 47th Army to the west and the liberation of Kovel. Since the beginning of the offensive, Corporal S. L. Vyatkin has always been in the battle formations of the infantry and timely identified enemy firing points that impeded the advancement of rifle units. So, on July 7, the advancing units of the Red Army met fierce resistance near the village of Krasnoduby , west of Kovel. The artillery reconnaissance Vyatkin quickly identified the firing points of the enemy and transmitted the exact coordinates of the targets to the command post of the regiment. Two regiment machine guns were destroyed by direct regiment howitzer fire and another machine-gun point was suppressed. Thanks to the precise work of the gunners, the rifle units broke down the enemy’s resistance and advanced several kilometers ahead and reached the previously prepared German defense line at the Smedyn – Paryduba line ^{[1] [7] [11]} .

The Soviet troops failed to break open the defensive orders of the Germans immediately. While the command of the 47th Army was tightening reserves, Corporal S. L. Vyatkin did a lot of work on reconnaissance of the German front line between July 8 and 17. So, on July 8, he managed to thwart an enemy counterattack in the vicinity of the village of Paryduby. He timely discovered the place of concentration of enemy forces and gave target designation to the command post of the artillery division. Enemy infantry was dispersed by howitzer fire. His loss in manpower amounted to at least 12 people. On July 17, on the eve of the resumption of the offensive, Vyatkin advanced to the front line of the Germans in order to clarify their firing positions and, during reconnaissance, found three machine gun nests, two fortified dugouts, and an observation post. During the artillery preparation on July 18, all the targets found by the scout were destroyed and suppressed, thanks to which the rifle units broke through the German defenses with minimal losses. Corporal S. L. Vyatkin, who participated in the attack together with the infantry, was wounded by a shell fragment, but did not leave the battlefield. After providing first aid, he continued to be in the forefront of the advancing, and "his every step ... was marked by courage and courage." Together with the advanced units of the infantry, Sergey Leontyevich crossed the Western Bug , and adjusting the fire of the batteries of his regiment from the left bank, helped to consolidate the coastal bridgehead ^{[1] [7] [11]} . For exemplary performance of combat missions by order of August 24, 1944, Corporal Vyatkin was awarded the Order of Glory of the 3rd degree (No. 203984) ^[2] .

Vistula fights

After reaching the Vistula River, the 6th artillery division of the breakthrough of the RGK , which included the 18th howitzer artillery brigade of the RGK, was transferred to the commander of the 8th Guards Army . In August-September 1944, Corporal S. L. Vyatkin participated in the battles to consolidate the bridgehead on the left bank of the Vistula in the Magnushev area. After the situation stabilized at the Magnushevsky bridgehead , units of the division were deployed north of Warsaw in order to help rifle units break into the enemy’s highly fortified defenses between the Vistula and Narew rivers. The 432th howitzer artillery regiment was attached to one of the 47th Army rifle divisions, operating at the Rembelszczyzna line — Michałów-Grabina. On October 10, 1944, during an assault on enemy fortifications, the artillery reconnaissance Vyatkin was in the battle formations of the infantry and from his observation post monitored German positions. He managed to detect the location of artillery and mortar batteries, as well as one machine-gun point, which interfered with the advancement of rifle units. As a result of an artillery strike of regimental howitzers, the discovered targets were partially suppressed, partially destroyed, which allowed the Soviet infantry to wedge themselves into the defensive orders of the Germans and take control of one of the key heights with a mark of 96.6. The enemy, not resigned to the loss of advantageous lines, fiercely counterattacked, but each time received a rebuff, so the German command decided to transfer a large tank group to the area of ​​height. However, far-reaching plans of the enemy were disrupted by corporal Vyatkin. Having advanced to the front line of the Germans, he discovered the concentration site of the enemy’s armored vehicles, and quickly returning to his observation post, transmitted the coordinates of the target to the batteries of the regiment. As a result of the fire raid, the accumulation of enemy tanks was completely dispersed. During the next shelling by the enemy, Sergei Leontyevich was shell-shocked , but did not leave the battlefield and continued to fulfill his duties until nightfall ^{[1] [7] [12]} . For the difference in battle, by an order of November 11, 1944, he was awarded the Order of Glory of the 2nd degree (No. 4225) ^[2] .

In the late autumn of 1944, the 432th howitzer artillery regiment returned to the Magnushevsky bridgehead and took up positions in the second echelon of the 94th Guards Rifle Division . On the eve of the Warsaw-Poznan operation, Corporal S. L. Vyatkin did a great job of reconnaissance of the enemy’s heavily fortified defensive line in the area of ​​the village of Grabów nad Pilicą. The senior reconnaissance officer Vyatkin during the period of intensive artillery and mortar shelling from the enemy’s side three times advanced to the front line of the Germans in order to clarify the enemy’s fire system and identify its defenses. Demonstrating personal courage and skill of the artillery reconnaissance, Sergey Leontyevich revealed 3 machine gun nests, two 105-mm artillery batteries, 2 bunkers and a well-camouflaged anti-tank artillery in the offensive zone of the division. On January 14, 1945, during twenty-five-minute artillery preparation, which announced the beginning of the Vistula-Oder operation , all discovered targets were suppressed and destroyed. Thanks to this, the rifle units broke through the German defense, and having crossed the Pilitsa river south of the city of Varka , they advanced significantly west ^{[1] [7] [8]} . For the exemplary performance of the combat missions of the command and the valor and courage shown on January 17, 1945, the regiment commander ColonelP. I. Darchuk introduced corporal S. L. Vyatkin to the Order of Glory of the 1st degree ^[8] . The high award number 1308 was awarded to Sergey Leontyevich by decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of March 24, 1945 ^[2] .

From Vistula to Elba

By the beginning of February 1945, during the Vistula-Oder operation, the right wing troops of the 1st Belorussian Front reached the pre-war Polish-German border in Pomerania . In this direction, the Vistula Army Group , which was defeated as part of the East Pomeranian operation, opposed the Soviet forces. Corporal S. L. Vyatkin took part in the breakthrough of the German defense in the area of ​​the city of Schneidemühl , defeated the enemy group surrounded in the Arnswalde area. Especially distinguished himself in the capture of the city of Gollnov in the battles of March 5-7, 1945. Researchers of this period of the Great Patriotic War, Colonels A. S. Zavyalov and T. E. Kalyadin noted:

The city of Gollnov is located among the forests that cover the approaches to it from all sides. Forests are largely boggy. Four highways converge in the city. Terrain conditions did not allow for a wide maneuver. In addition, the enemy created many engineering structures and artificial barriers, which further complicated the actions of our troops in this area.

- Zavyalov A. S., Kalyadin T. E. East Pomeranian offensive operation of the Soviet troops. Page 187 ^[13]

Before the start of the decisive assault on the city, the senior reconnaissance officer Vyatkin spent several hours “painstakingly and carefully” observing the enemy. He compiled a diagram of the defensive orders of the Germans at the near approaches to Gollnov, northeast of the city, was used in drawing up a plan for the assault on the settlement. Vyatkin’s revealed in this area enemy firepower (three machine gun nests and a 75 mm artillery gun), as well as its observation post, were destroyed by artillery fire in the first minutes of the offensive. As a result of an artillery raid in the enemy defenses, a breach was breached, through which the rifle units broke into Gollnov and captured its northern part. During street battles, Sergei Leontyevich was part of an assault group and his actions contributed to the elimination of enemy resistance nodes. According to his target designation, the gunners destroyed two machine-gun points that interfered with the advancement of Soviet soldiers, along with calculations ^[14] .

After the completion of the East Pomeranian operation, units of the 6th artillery division were transferred to the Kustrin region. On April 16, 1945, the 432th howitzer artillery regiment, under intense artillery fire from the enemy, crossed the Oder northwest of the city and launched an offensive in the Berlin direction . The battle path of Corporal S. L. Vyatkin passed through Vritsen , Bernau , Glienicke , Hennigsdorf , Elstal , Brandenburg and Rathenov and ended on May 8, 1945 on the banks of the Elbe River in the area of ​​the village of Tangermeinde .

After the war

After the end of World War II, S. L. Vyatkin was in military service for another year. Demobilized in May 1946 ^[7] with the rank of Junior Sergeant ^[10] . Later, he was awarded the rank of retired foreman ^[7] . After leaving the army, he lived in Omsk . Having mastered the profession of crane operator , before retiring, he worked as a specialist in the production association Omsknefteorgsintez ^[7] . Sergey Leontyevich died on February 19, 1986 ^{[1] [2]} . He was buried in the Northeast cemetery ^[2] .

• Order of the Patriotic War of the 1st degree (12/23/1985) ^[15]
• Order of the Red Star (03/20/1945) ^[14]
• Order of Glory 1st degree (03.24.1945) ^[8]
• Order of Glory 2nd degree (11/11/1944) ^[12]
• Order of Glory 3rd degree (08.24.1944) ^[11]
• Medals, including:

Medal "For Courage" (08/27/1943) ^[9]

Medal "For the victory over Germany in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945."

• The name of S. L. Vyatkin is immortalized at the Glory to Heroes memorial on Victory Boulevard in Omsk ^[16] .

• Public electronic document bank “The Feat of the People in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945” (neopr.) . Numbers in the database:

Order of the Patriotic War, 1st degree (archive props 1512375903) (neopr.) .

Order of the Red Star (archive props 24543613) (neopr.) .

Order of Glory of the 1st degree (archive props 46541928) (neopr.) .

Order of Glory of the 2nd degree (archive props 32702715) (neopr.) .

Order of Glory 3rd degree (archive props 32327431) (neopr.) .

Medal "For Courage" (archival props 18010574) (neopr.) .

• Cavaliers of the Order of Glory of three degrees: A Brief Biographical Dictionary / Prev. ed. collegium D. S. Sukhorukov. - M .: Military Publishing House, 2000 .-- 703 p. - ISBN 5-203-01883-9 .
• Loboda V.F. Soldier Glory. Prince 2. - M .: Military publishing house, 1967. - S. 66. - 352 p.
• The terrible valor of the fathers. - Omsk: West Siberian Book Publishing House, 1978. - S. 35-43. - 208 p.

• Vyatkin, Sergey Leontyevich (Russian) . Site " Heroes of the country ".