Zhidenko, Alexander Yakovlevich

Born on March 12, 1907 in the city of Elisavetgrad, Kherson Province.

He worked in a private bakery and in a flour mill, from June 1926 as a mechanic's assistant at the Krasnaya Zvezda agricultural machinery factory, and from August, a roller mill at the district union mill in the city of Elisavetgrad.

In December 1926 he entered the Ukrainian cavalry school named after S. M. Budyonny in the city of Elisavetgrad, where he was a cadet and assistant. platoon commander.

In 1927, admitted to the CPSU (b) .

In September 1929, after graduation, he was placed at the disposal of the plenipotentiary representative of the GPU in the ZSFSR and then served in Transcaucasia as an assistant to the head of the outpost of the 44th Lenkoran border detachment.

Since February 1930 - the platoon commander of the school of the junior command staff of the 8th regiment of troops of the Transcaucasian GPU.

from June 1932 - assistant commander of the division for the combat unit of the district school of the junior command personnel of the Transcaucasian GPU (in Tiflis), since December - instructor of shooting training of the 41st Nakhichevan border detachment.

Since August 1933 - commander of the cavalry division of the 82nd Ganja cavalry regiment of the NKVD troops.

Since February 1934 - commander of the saber division, head of the regimental school and assistant. Chief of Staff of the 20th Ganja Cavalry Regiment of the NKVD Border Troops of the Azerbaijan District (Kirovabad).

Since May 1940 - Chief of Staff of the 42nd Jebrail Border Detachment of the same district (metro station Gadrup of the Azerbaijan SSR).

As part of these units, he took part in the elimination of banditry in the Caucasus. By order of the College of the Transcaucasian GPU dated 04.15.1930, he was awarded a nominal watch with the inscription "For the difference in the fight against banditry" and a letter.

He graduated from the 3 courses of the correspondence department of the Military Academy. M.V. Frunze (1941).

In the Great Patriotic War, from August 1941, as part of the 42nd Jabrayil border detachment, he participated in a campaign in Iran, and from September 10, took over the post of head of this border detachment.

On November 6, 1942, by order of the NKVD, he was appointed commander of the 194th Red Banner Tashkent Rifle Regiment of the Central Asian Rifle Division as part of the Separate NKVD Army. The division was formed in the cities of Tashkent and Zlatoust (from February 5, 1943). In mid-February, it was renamed the 162nd Infantry and retreated to the Central Front, with arrival it was included in the 70th Army. As part of it, she fought in the Sevsky direction, as a result of which the northern face of the Kursk ledge was formed. At the beginning of July 1943, she, as part of the same 70th army, participated in the Battle of Kursk, the Kursk defensive, and the Orel offensive operations. On August 13, he was included in the 65th army and participated in the Chernihiv-Pripyat offensive operation. For the liberation battles of Novgorod-Seversky, she was given the name "Novgorod-Seversky" (September 16, 1943).

September 28, 1943 when crossing the river. Sozh in the Gomel region, regiment commander Colonel Zhidenko was seriously injured and was treated at the hospital until January 29, 1944. Upon recovery, he was sent to the disposal of the Military Council of the Belarusian Front (from February 24 - 1st Belorussian) and from March 11, 1944 he was admitted to the post of deputy. commander for the combatant part of the 49th Infantry Roslavl Division, who was at that time in the second echelon of the 70th Infantry Corps. In June, she entered the 33rd Army and fought with her on the 2nd, 3rd (from July 6) and 1st (from October 19) Belorussian fronts. Its units were active during the Belorussian, Minsk, Mogilev, Vilnius, Kaunas, Wislo-Oder, Warsaw-Poznan offensive operations. Since February 14, 1945 he served as deputy. commander of the 222nd Rifle Smolensk-Brandenburg Red Banner Order of the Suvorov Division of the 62nd Rifle Corps of the same 33rd Army, and from March 28 he took command of the division and fought with it until the end of the war. In the last position he participated with the division in the Berlin offensive operation. For skillful leadership of the units in the battles at the final stage of the war, Colonel Zhidenko was awarded the Order of the Red Banner and Suvorov 2nd degree.

After the war, from June 1945, upon the dissolution of the division, it was at the disposal of the Military Council of the GSOVG and GUK NPO, then from January 1946 he was enrolled as a student in the Higher Military Academy named after K.E. Voroshilova. Upon completion in April 1948, he was left in it and held the position of senior lecturer in the departments of operational art and tactics of higher formations.

Since June 24, 1958, it was at the disposal of the 10th Directorate of the General Staff of the USSR Armed Forces (on a business trip to China).

November 30, 1960 he was transferred to the reserve, he lived in Moscow.

Died April 28, 1982, was buried in Moscow.

USSR

• Order of Lenin (1951 ^[1] )
• four orders of the Red Banner (12/05/1943, 04/08/1945, 1946 ^[1] , 1956 ^[1] )
• Order of Suvorov, II degree (05/29/1945)
• Order of Suvorov III degree (08/20/1943)
• two orders of the Red Star (06/14/1943, 11/02/1944 ^[1] )
• Medals of the USSR

Orders (thanks) of the Supreme Commander in which Zhidenko A. Ya. Was noted ^[2]

• For the liquidation of a group of German troops surrounded southeast of Berlin. May 2, 1945. Number 357

Foreign Awards

• Sino-Soviet Friendship Medal ( PRC )

• Public electronic document bank “Feat of the People in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945”

• Team of authors . World War II: Divisional Commanders. Military Biographical Dictionary. - M .: Kuchkovo field, 2014 .-- T. 3 .-- S. 975-976. - 1000 copies. - ISBN 978-5-9950-0382-3 .