Demidov, Ivan Grigorievich

Before conscription

Ivan Grigorievich Demidov was born in 1919 ^{[1] [2] [3] [4]} into a peasant family in the village of Nagorsky Utyatsky volost of the Kurgan district in the territory of the Tyumen province of the RSFSR formed in April 1918 (now the village of Nagorsky is the center of the Nagorsky village council of the Toboln district of Kurgan region of the Russian Federation ). Russian ^{[1] [3]} .

Before conscription, he worked as a loader at the Chelyabinsk Ferroalloy Plant (now the Chelyabinsk Electrometallurgical Plant ) ^{[2] [4] [5] [6]} .

On the fronts of World War II

Soviet armored train of the beginning of World War II

I. G. Demidov was called up to the ranks of the Workers 'and Peasants' Red Army by the Stalin District Military Commissariat of the city of Chelyabinsk in September 1939 ^{[4] [7] [8]} . In the army, the Red Armyman I. G. Demidov from June 1941 ^{[1] [3] [4] [6]} . Not later than in May 1942 he fought as a storekeeper in the 39th separate division of armored trains on the Bryansk and then Voronezh fronts ^[8] . The armored train , on which the Red Army soldier Demidov served, covered the objects of railway infrastructure from enemy air raids, conducted restoration work on damaged sections of the railway, and also provided fire support to rifle units. In July 1942, under the Stary Oskol division was surrounded. By order of his commander, armored trains were blown up, and their personnel were forced to break out of the ring ^on their own ^[9] . Ivan Grigoryevich nailed down to one of the rifle regiments of the 160th rifle division , who also fell into operational surroundings, and with it went to his own. In August 1942, he participated in defensive battles on the Don , where on the 17th he was seriously wounded and evacuated to the hospital ^[7] .

In Kursk

Ivan Grigorievich spent several months in a hospital bed, then from the recovering battalion he was sent to artillery courses. Again in the army, Junior Sergeant I. G. Demidov from March 1943 ^[2] as a gunner of the 566th artillery regiment of the 160th rifle division of the Voronezh Front, which was transformed on April 18 into the 196th Guards in the 89- th Guards Rifle Division . On the eve of the Battle of Kursk, the guardsmen of Colonel M.P. Seryugin took up positions at the Shopino - Khokhlovo line north of Belgorod . On July 9, the enemy on the defense site of the 196th Guards Artillery Regiment threw into battle up to two infantry battalions with the support of 15 Tiger heavy tanks and self-propelled artillery installations . This was the first meeting of Ivan Grigoryevich with heavy German tanks, which he remembered for his whole life. The head German car was advancing directly on his gun. She was already very close to the firing position of the Guard Junior Sergeant Demidov, when the gun commander gave the command "Fire!". The first shell ricocheted from the Tiger’s sturdy frontal armor, but the artillery guards did not panic. The calculation worked quickly and smoothly, and Ivan Grigorievich destroyed the German car with a second shot ^[10] .

A fierce battle in the Khokhlovo region, and later at Chursino and Shakhovo lasted several days. In the calculation, in the composition of which the junior sergeant I. G. Demidov fought the guard, only two fighters remained. Ivan Grigoryevich had to work for a gunner, a loader and a carrier of shells, but his gun worked smoothly. By July 14, he recorded on his battle account another destroyed German tank and self-propelled artillery, and also inflicted great damage to the enemy in manpower ^[11] . Nevertheless, the German forces managed to suppress the rifle units, and the gunners had to withdraw from the semicircle to pre-prepared positions. On July 18, the 89th Guards Rifle Division as part of the 69th Army was transferred to the Steppe Front and on August 3 went on the offensive as part of the Belgorod-Kharkov operation . As part of his unit, I. G. Demidov took part in the liberation of Belgorod and Kharkov . After the operation “Commander Rumyantsev” was completed, the guard division of Colonel M. P. Seryugin became part of the 37th Army and took part in the Poltava-Kremenchug Battle of the Dnieper operation .

Battle of the Dnieper

Having defeated German troops on the Kursk Bulge, the Red Army began the liberation of Left-Bank Ukraine . Throughout the journey from the Merefa River to the Dnieper of the Guard, Junior Sergeant I.G. Demidov was in the battle formations of the infantry and the well-aimed fire of his guns repeatedly helped to repel enemy counterattacks and suppressed enemy firepower, which interfered with the advancement of rifle units. Having broken through the last defensive line of the Germans on the approaches to the Dnieper at the Salovka - Karpovka line , on September 29, 1943, the advanced units of the 89th Guards Rifle Division reached the riverbank in the vicinity of the settlement of Celebird , and having crossed the water barrier , they captured a small bridgehead near Lake Chervyakovo-Rechitsa in the village of Uspenka . The command of the division was well aware that it would be extremely difficult to maintain a bridgehead with an assault detachment without the support of artillery. Despite the absence of ferry facilities in the division, the commander of the 196th Guards Artillery Regiment, MajorA.I. Ludvinovsky received an order in any way to transport the guns to the right bank of the Dnieper. The tools at hand went into action. Gun Commander 5th Battery Guard Sergeant A.D. Bazarov and the gunner of the guard Junior Sergeant I.G. Demidov built a raft of empty barrels and several logs and in the evening of October 1, under intense shelling from the enemy’s side, crossed a water barrier. On the morning of October 2, the enemy threw large infantry forces with the support of several tanks to eliminate the bridgehead. A fierce battle with a numerically superior enemy lasted all daylight hours. Almost all of the ammunition was consumed by Demidov’s gun, knocking out two tanks and destroying a large number of German infantry. By the evening, only two fighters remained at the 2nd gun of the 5th battery - Bazarov and Demidov, but the enemy could not advance one meter. With the onset of darkness, the Germans stopped attacking, and the main forces of the division began to cross the bridgehead held by the guards ^{[6] [11]} .

In 1943 or 1944 Ivan Grigorievich Demidov was admitted to the CPSU (B.), In 1952 the party was renamed the CPSU .

Liberation of Right-Bank Ukraine and Moldova

By significantly improving their positions during the Lower Dnieper operation and repelling the enemy’s counterattack near Kiev , Soviet troops created favorable conditions for a further attack on the Right-Bank Ukraine . In the winter and spring of 1944, the 89th Guards Rifle Division fought on the 2nd and 3rd Ukrainian fronts. Guard Junior Sergeant I. G. Demidov took part in the Kirovograd , Korsun-Shevchenkovsky and Uman-Botoshansk operations. By mid-April, the division’s divisions reached the border of the Reut River on the Orhei – Furchen section, and during June-July 1944 they significantly expanded the bridgehead on its southern shore. From here, on the early morning of August 23, 1944, the guards in the 5th shock army went on the offensive as part of the Iasi-Chisinau operation . Having broken through the strongly fortified enemy defenses, on the evening of the same day, on the shoulders of the retreating enemy, they broke into Chisinau from the north. By the morning of August 24, the capital of the Moldavian SSR was completely cleared of the enemy ^[12] .

Continuing the offensive to the west, the 89th Guards Rifle Division was faced with fierce resistance from units of the 6th Wehrmacht army that fell into the operational environment east of Chisinau. Relying on pre-prepared positions in the area of Vasieni village, on August 25 the Germans launched a large-scale counterattack. In the difficult military environment of the guard, Junior Sergeant I.G. Demidov took the initiative: putting forward his gun for direct fire , he opened heavy fire on the advancing German infantry, inflicting great damage to the enemy in manpower. To suppress the Demidov’s gun, the enemy, in turn, put forward a direct-fire 75 mm gun. In an artillery duel, the calculation of Ivan Grigoryevich turned out to be faster and more accurate. The enemy gun was broken. Having lost only from the actions of the calculation of the guard of the younger sergeant Demidov to 40 people killed and wounded, the Germans rolled back to their original positions ^{[1] [7]} .

The next morning, the guardsmen of Major General Seryugin began the assault on the stronghold of the German defense. In the battle for the village of Vasiyen, gunner of the 5th battery gun I.G.Demidov with accurate shots destroyed two enemy machine guns that interfered with the advancement of rifle units, knocked out 3 vehicles with infantry and cargo, and exterminated up to 30 enemy soldiers and officers, thereby contributing to the liberation of the village ^[7] . For military valor and courage shown in battle, by an order of September 1, 1944, Ivan Grigoryevich was awarded the Order of Glory of the 3rd degree (No. 21542) ^[2] .

At 1st Belorussian

After the completion of the Iasi-Chisinau operation, the 5th strike army was transferred to the 1st Belorussian Front . By the beginning of 1945, I. G. Demidov received the rank of sergeant guard and was appointed to the post of artillery commander of the 5th battery of the 196th guards artillery regiment. During the Warsaw-Poznan strategic operation that began on January 14, 1945, the strategic Wislo-Oder plan, Ivan Grigoryevich, with the help of gun fire and wheels, helped to advance the rifle units of his division to the west. His calculation contributed to the breakthrough of the enemy’s defensive lines in the area of ​​the settlements of Strzyżyna, Augustów, Boże and Krzemień. On January 15, along with the advanced units of the 26th Guards Rifle Corps of the Guard, Sergeant Demidov with his fighters crossed the Dygu River and entered the battle with an enemy barrier covering the approaches to the Pilice River near the settlement of Budy Michałowskie. The enemy tried to counterattack parts of the corps. A group of German tanks and self-propelled artillery units circumvented the position of the guards from the flank and attacked them from the rear, but the gunners quickly deployed guns and opened fire on enemy armored vehicles. The calculation of the guard of sergeant Demidov was knocked out by a German tank, a nearby gun of the guard of sergeant Bazarov incapacitated the self-propelled guns. The remaining enemy vehicles hastily retreated ^{[13] [14]} .

Reflecting the enemy’s counterattack and crushing his barrier at Buda Mikhailovskaya, the units of the 89th Guards Rifle Division reached Pilitsa and, crossing the water barrier, secured themselves on the left bank of the river. After the rifle units, artillerymen of the 196th Guards Artillery Regiment crossed over to the bridgehead, who immediately went into battle with the enemy’s counterattack tanks and infantry. During a fierce battle, the calculation of the guard of sergeant I. G. Demidov with accurate shots knocked out the enemy’s tank and armored personnel carrier , suppressed artillery battery fire and exterminated 20 Wehrmacht soldiers and officers ^{[13] [14]} . By the middle of the day, the guards significantly expanded the bridgehead in depth, reaching the approaches to the settlement of Gurna (Michałów Górny). The enemy created a powerful defense center here and with heavy fire from large-caliber anti-aircraft mounts and anti-aircraft guns of the ShVAK type pressed the advancing Soviet infantry to the ground. Having rolled out the cannons for direct fire, the gun commanders of the 5th battery, Demidov and Bazarov, for two destroyed and suppressed two anti-aircraft artillery installations and 7 ShVAK, destroying up to 30 German soldiers and officers ^{[13] [15]} . By the end of the day, units of the 89th Guards Rifle Division broke down the enemy’s resistance and went to the flank of the units of the 8th German Army Corps defending in the Promna area, which facilitated the advance of the units of the neighboring 32nd Guards Rifle Corps and created favorable conditions for entering battle of the 2nd Guards Tank Army . In contrast to the battles on the Pilica River, by order of the Guard of March 29, 1945, Sergeant I. G. Demidov was awarded the Order of Glory of the 2nd degree (No. 15100) ^[2] .

Berlin operation

On January 31, 1945, the advanced units of the 5th shock army reached Oder northwest of the fortified city of Kustrin . Until April, the 89th Guards Rifle Division fought for the retention and expansion of the bridgehead on the right bank of the river, dubbed the " Kyustrinsky ". From this milestone on April 15, the day before the official start of the Berlin operation , the guardsmen of Major General Seryugin launched an attack on Berlin . Having broken through the Oder front, on April 22, units of the division reached the approaches to the German capital from the northeast. In the area of ​​the settlements of Eihe and Martsan ^{[16], the} enemy stopped the advance of the rifle unit with barrage artillery and mortar fire, after which, with the help of up to two companies of machine gunners, with the support of several armored personnel carriers, launched a counterattack. The sergeant I. G. Demidov, who was in the battle formations of his infantry of the guard, boldly advanced the gun to meet the enemy and opened deadly fire on the counterattacking enemy, in a short time destroying armored personnel carriers, 3 machine-gun points and more than 10 enemy soldiers, which contributed to repelling the counterattack ^{[1] [14 ] ]} . The next day, the guardsmen were already fighting on the streets of Berlin. The calculation of Ivan Grigoryevich, who accompanied one of the assault groups, with targeted shooting suppressed the enemy’s fire weapons, destroyed his fortifications, helped the infantrymen to knock out German submachine gunners and Fausters from strong points. During the day, Demidov with his soldiers under heavy fire five times moved to an open position and eliminated enemy resistance nodes using direct fire. The coordinated combat work of artillerymen and infantrymen allowed the unit to clear three city blocks from the enemy troops in a day ^{[1] [17]} . On April 26, a gun of the sergeant Demidov’s guard was fired from an ambush from the upper floors of one of the buildings. It was impossible to get the enemy with artillery fire. Armed with machine guns and grenades, Ivan Grigorievich with several fighters burst into the building. In a fierce battle, artillerymen destroyed up to 30 enemy soldiers, 7 of which Demidov personally exterminated, and also captured 10 faustpatrons and three machine guns as trophies ^{[1] [17]} . A few days later, Ivan Grigoryevich was seriously injured ^{[2] [18]} . He had to meet Victory Day in the hospital. In contrast to the Berlin operation, by decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of May 15, 1946, Sergeant I. G. Demidov was awarded the Order of Glory of the 1st degree (No. 1060) ^[2] .

After the war

After prolonged treatment at the hospital in 1946, Ivan Grigorievich was demobilized ^{[1] [3]} . He lived in the city of Kurgan . For a long time he worked as a blacksmith at the Kurgan plant of road machines ^{[1] [2] [17]} . He was a drummer of labor, a mentor of youth.

Ivan Grigorievich Demidov died on May 6, 1968 ^{[1] [2] [3] [4]} . Buried in the mound .

• Order of Glory 1st degree No. 1060 (June 15, 1945);
• Order of Glory of the 2nd degree No. 15100 (March 29, 1945) ^[19] ;
• Order of Glory of the 3rd degree No. 21542 (September 1, 1944) ^[20] ;
• medals, including:
  • medal "For the victory over Germany in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945." ;
  • medal "For the capture of Berlin . "

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

Order of Glory of the 2nd degree (archive props 24212325) (neopr.) .

Order of Glory 3rd degree (archive props 43521732) (neopr.) .

• The generalized database “Memorial” (neopr.) . Archived on May 10, 2012.

TsAMO, f. 58, op. 818883, d. 695 (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. 90-92. - 352 p.
• Aizov Yu. K. Soldier Glory. - Chelyabinsk: South Ural book. Publishing House, 1975. - S. 18-20. - 49 p.
• Aizov Yu.K. Cavalier of soldier's Glory // Through the flame of war / comp .: G. A. Saunin, E. G. Pankratova, L. M. Chuprova. - Kurgan: Sail - M, 2000. - S. 29-31. - 400 p. - ISBN 5-86047-129-7 .
• Ushakov A.P. In the name of the Motherland: Tales of Chelyabinsk citizens - Heroes of the Soviet Union and full knights of the Order of Glory. - Chelyabinsk, 2004 .-- 600 s. - ISBN 5-7688-0896-5 .

Demidov, Ivan Grigorievich (Russian) . Site " Heroes of the country ".