Mikhail Katukov
| Mikhail Katukov | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born | 17 September 1900 Bolshoe Uvarovo, (now Moscow Oblast) |
| Died | 8 June 1976 (aged 75) Moscow |
| Allegiance | Soviet Union |
| Years of service | 1919–1963 |
| Rank | Marshal of the armored troops |
| Unit | Armoured Troops |
| Commands held | |
| Battles/wars |
Battle of Moscow Operation Mars Battle of Kursk Operation Bagration Vistula Oder Operation Battle of Berlin |
| Awards | |
| Other work | Commander of Armored Forces of the Group of Soviet Forces in Germany Inspector General of the Army |
Marshal of Armoured Troops Mikhail Efimovich Katukov (17 September 1900 – 8 June 1976) (Russian: Михаил Ефимович Катуков) served as a commander of armored troops in the Red Army during and following World War II. He is viewed as one of the most talented Soviet armor commanders.
Katukov was born on 17 September 1900 in the village of Bolshoe Uvarovo in Kolomensky Uyezd, Moscow Governorate, now in the Ozyory Urban Okrug of Moscow Oblast, to an impoverished peasant family of five children. From a young age he worked on the local landowner's dairy farm. Katukov graduated from the primary rural school. In 1912 he was sent to relatives in Saint Petersburg, where he worked as a messenger boy in a dairy shop, and later in the factories of the city. Katukov participated in the October Revolution in 1917, after which he returned to Bolshoe Uvaravo to take care of his family after his mother's death.
Katukov entered the Red Army as a private in 1919. He served during the Russian Civil War, and later served as a tank formation commander before the war. In 1935 he graduated from the Stalin Military Academy and in July 1936 he was promoted to captain. In October 1938 came his first major command as acting commanding officer of the 5th Light Tank Brigade of the 45th Mechanized Corps. He survived the purges.
His most notable command during the German-Soviet War was that of 1st Guards Tank Army which he commanded during the Battle of Kursk, Operation Bagration, the Vistula Oder Operation, and the Battle of Berlin. He also commanded 1st Guards Tank Brigade during the Battle of Moscow, and 3rd Mechanised Corps during Operation Mars.
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