Chernyakhovsky, Ivan Danilovich - biography. Ivan Danilovich Chernyakhovsky

Ivan Danilovich Chernyakhovsky(June 16 (29), 1906 - February 18, 1945) - an outstanding Soviet military leader, army general. Twice Hero Soviet Union (1943, 1944).

Characteristic

• The youngest army general and the youngest front commander in the history of the Soviet Armed Forces.
• “In the person of Comrade. Chernyakhovsky,” said the message of the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks, the Council of People’s Commissars of the USSR and the People’s Commissariat of Defense, “the state has lost one of the most talented young commanders who emerged during the Patriotic War.” (This wording was used only twice. The first time at the funeral of N. F. Vatutin).

Biography

Ivan Danilovich Chernyakhovsky was born in the village of Oksanino, Uman district, Kyiv province (now the village of Oksanina (Ukrainian Oksanina), Uman district, Cherkasy region, Ukraine) in the family of a railway worker. Since 1919 he worked as a shepherd, since 1920 - as a worker at the Vapnyarka railway depot, since 1923 - as a worker at a cement plant in Novorossiysk. Since 1922 he was a member of the Komsomol.

Pre-war service

• In 1924 he volunteered for the Red Army.
• In 1924-1925 - cadet at the Odessa Infantry School,
• in 1925 he transferred to the Kyiv Artillery School and graduated in 1928.
• Member of the CPSU(b) since 1928.

• Since 1928 - commander of a training platoon,
• since 1929 - battery commander of the 17th corps artillery regiment in the Ukrainian Military District.

• In 1931 he entered the Military Technical Academy in Leningrad.
• Since 1932, he was a student at the Military Academy of Mechanization and Motorization of the Red Army, from which he graduated with honors in 1936 with the rank of senior lieutenant.
  • while studying at the academy, a signal was received that I. D. Chernyakhovsky “hidden social background" An important role in the fate of the young commander was played by the intercession of Maria Ilyinichna Ulyanova - she was the head of the Joint Complaints Bureau of the People's Commissariat of the RCI of the USSR and the People's Commissariat of the RCI of the RSFSR.
• Since 1936 - chief of staff of the 2nd tank battalion,
• since 1937 - commander of the 1st tank battalion of the 8th mechanized brigade. Major.
• In 1938-1940 - commander of the 9th separate light tank regiment in the Belarusian Special Military District. Lieutenant colonel.
• In 1940 - commander of a tank brigade in Belarus, in the same year he was appointed deputy commander of the 2nd Tank Division of the Baltic Special Military District.
• On March 11, 1941, he was appointed commander of the 28th Tank Division of the 12th Mechanized Corps in the Baltic States.

The Great Patriotic War

To the Great Patriotic War commanded the 28th Tank Division (in December 1941, reorganized into the 241st Rifle Division) in defensive battles southwest of Siauliai, on the Western Dvina, near Soltsy and Novgorod. In the first months of the war he was awarded military rank colonel.

In June - July 1942, he commanded the 18th Tank Corps on the Voronezh Front.

From July 1942 - until April 1944 - commander of the 60th Army, which took part in the Voronezh-Kastornensky operation, Battle of Kursk, crossing the Desna and Dnieper rivers, in the Kyiv, Zhitomir-Berdichev, Rivne-Lutsk, Proskurov-Chernovtsy operations. For the operation to liberate the city of Voronezh he was presented with the Order of the Red Banner.

At the same time, all other commanders of the Voronezh Front were awarded the Order of Kutuzov, 1st degree. This is due to the fact that the commander of the 2nd German army General G. von Salmuth managed to withdraw most of his units from the encirclement into which they found themselves in the Kastornoye area. However, then it was Chernyakhovsky’s army that played a decisive role in the rapid liberation of Kursk, delivering a deep flank attack that was unexpected for the enemy.

By Decree of the Presidium Supreme Council USSR on October 17, 1943, for his high organizational skills in crossing the Dnieper and his personal heroism, Lieutenant General Ivan Danilovich Chernyakhovsky was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.

Marshal of the Soviet Union A.M. Vasilevsky and Army General I.D. Chernyakhovsky accept the surrender of the German general. Vitebsk, June 28, 1944.

Since April 1944, Chernyakhovsky commanded the troops of the 3rd Belorussian Front. Of all the commanders of the Soviet fronts, he was the youngest in age. The front under his command successfully participated in the Belarusian, Vilnius, Kaunas, Memel, Gumbinnen-Goldap and East Prussian operations.

On June 28, 1944, he was awarded the rank of Army General. Chernyakhovsky became the youngest army general in the Red Army (at 37 years old).

Second Gold Star Medal General of the Army Chernyakhovsky Ivan Danilovich was awarded by the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR dated July 29, 1944 for the successful actions of his troops during the liberation of Vitebsk, Minsk, and Vilnius.

On February 18, 1945, Army General I. D. Chernyakhovsky was seriously wounded by artillery shell fragments on the outskirts of the city of Melzack in East Prussia (now Penenzhno, Poland) and died on the same day. He was buried in Vilnius in one of the central squares.

General Alexander Gorbatov, being at that time the commander of the 3rd Army, transferred to the 3rd Belorussian Army, describes the moment of the death of the command front:

I just returned from Urbanovich, he is one and a half kilometers from the enemy. Due to the systematic shelling, I had difficulty getting out of it. The rest of the corps commanders are in the same position.

I’ll be with you in two hours,” said Chernyakhovsky.

Considering that he would be coming from the east, I warned him that the highway here was being viewed by the enemy and was being shelled by artillery fire, but Chernyakhovsky did not listen and hung up. ...

... Having passed the city, in order not to be late, I hurried to the fork in the highway seven hundred meters east of the city outskirts. Not having reached there about a hundred and fifty meters, I saw a Jeep approaching and heard one shot from the enemy. As soon as the commander's jeep found itself at the fork, a single shell burst was heard. But he was fatal.

The smoke and dust after the explosion had not yet cleared when I was already near the stopped car. There were five people sitting in it: the front commander, his adjutant, the driver and two soldiers. The general was sitting next to the driver, he leaned towards the glass and repeated several times: “I’m mortally wounded, I’m dying.”

I knew that there was a medical battalion three kilometers away. Five minutes later the general was examined by doctors. He was still alive and, when he came to his senses, he repeated: “I’m dying, I’m dying.” The wound from a shrapnel in the chest was truly fatal. He died soon after. His body was taken to the village of Hainrikau. None of the four were injured, and the car was not damaged.

From the headquarters of the 41st Corps, I reported the disaster to the front headquarters and to Moscow. On the same day, a member of the Military Council of the front arrived to us, and the next day representatives of the investigative authorities arrived. Then the body of General Chernyakhovsky was taken away.

There is evidence that I. D. Chernyakhovsky was nominated for the rank of Marshal of the Soviet Union, but died before the promulgation of the Decree.

The troops were notified of the death of the commander. We called for merciless revenge on the enemy for our great loss. It was truly a grave loss for the Red Army - Chernyakhovsky was young, talented and could still give a lot to our Armed Forces.

- Gorbatov A.V. Years and wars. - Military Publishing House. - M., 1989.

In 1992, the ashes of twice Hero of the Soviet Union Chernyakhovsky were reburied in Moscow at the Novodevichy Cemetery.

Dismantled by the Vilnius authorities, the monument to Chernyakhovsky was erected in Voronezh, which was defended at the end of 1942 and liberated in January 1943 by the 60th Army under the command of I. D. Chernyakhovsky. The inscription on the monument read: “I. D. Chernyakhovsky from Voronezh residents.”

Hero of the Liberation of Belarus Ivan Danilovich Chernyakhovsky was the only one from the high Soviet command who, on July 16, 1944 in Minsk, took part in the celebrations marking the liberation of the capital of the BSSR. In the bend of the Svisloch, on the territory of the former hippodrome at the end of Krasnoarmeyskaya Street, a rally and partisan parade took place.

The entire Belarusian leadership, headed by Ponomarenko, was present, the celebration was broadcast on radio, filmed, and the Pravda newspaper devoted a large report to this significant event.

Today we will not speculate why Headquarters did not send Zhukov to participate in the Minsk celebrations. A fact remains in history: Chernyakhovsky was the only one from the high Soviet command in Minsk that day.

In Belarus, this participation of Ivan Danilovich is remembered. In Belarus this participation is valued. And we are biased towards published information about the commander.

And seven months later, Chernyakhovsky died absurdly in East Prussia. The officially accepted version of “from a random fragment” today blooms in the memories of some veterans with details like the following: “The commander of our 3rd Belorussian Front, Chernyakhovsky, died in February 1945 by accident: he did not listen to the traffic controller and came under fire.”.

But there are other versions.

The text fragments published below are not the result of my independent archival and documentary investigation. In Minsk we have no documents from SMERSH counterintelligence about the death of Chernyakhovsky. I can judge responsibly about some other military events, because I examined documents in the National Archive, in the Central Archive of the KGB of the Republic of Belarus. But in this case, a selection of texts is offered that does not contain references to documents of the “fund-inventory-case-list” type. What I bought for is what I sell for. So what to do…

Someday in Russia the materials of the investigation into the death of Chernyakhovsky will be declassified. In the meantime, we have to read free speeches on this topic. They began with an article in the Belarusian newspaper “Banner of Youth” dated May 16, 1995, under the fashionable heading in the era of glasnost “History without blank spots”:

« A new version death of General Chernyakhovsky

In April 1945, Paklya wrote in his diary: “...Everyone loved him - and here is an absurd death. About 10–15 kilometers from the front line, where Ivan Danilovich Chernyakhovsky often visited, a random shell exploded. A large fragment, passing between two adjutants sitting behind him, hit the general in the back. The wound was fatal. The funeral train from Insterburg (East Prussia) headed to Vilnius, which had recently been liberated by troops of the 3rd Belorussian Front. Here, on the main street in a small park, Ivan Danilovich was buried...”

“Tow” is a humorous nickname for Mikhail Ivanovich Savin, a photojournalist for the newspaper of the Belarusian Military District(the correct name in those days was “Belarusian-Lithuanian Military District.” - S.K.)"Krasnoarmeyskaya Pravda". Mikhail Savin went through the Patriotic War, as they say, “from bell to bell.” The lens of his camera captured I.D. Chernyakhovsky lying in a coffin before the general was lowered into a grave in the center of Vilnius. But Paklya did not know, and probably could not know, the true circumstances of the death of the famous commander of the 3rd Belorussian Front.

On a February morning, General Chernyakhovsky, together with his adjutants, accompanied by guards, left in a passenger car for Kovno (Kaunas). The entire front knew that Chernyakhovsky had a luxurious German Opel Admiral, which the commander valued very much. The general, in a captured limousine, was heading to the army hospital where his “combat girlfriend”, a military doctor from the medical service, worked. We had a great time in Kovno: there was a lot of drinking, music, and dancing. In the morning, the black Opel was already rushing the general and his retinue west to the location of the front headquarters. On the way, trouble happened: the driver of the car “caught” a T-34 tank going towards the front. Of course, it was a pity for the Opel: the entire front was dented. The enraged general got out of the car and demanded the commander of the combat vehicle. “Commander of the first tank reconnaissance company, Senior Lieutenant Savelyev,” the tanker introduced himself. Eyewitnesses claim that Chernyakhovsky, drunk since the night before, pulled a pistol from his holster and shot the lieutenant right there on the spot. Then the general got back into the dented limousine and, overtaking the tank column, drove on. A few moments later, Chernyakhovsky, as Paklya described in his diary, was mortally wounded by a shell fragment that exploded next to the retreating Opel Admiral. The orphaned crew of the ill-fated tank fired at the car of the commander of the 3rd Belorussian Front from a distance of about 400 meters... It happened on February 18, 1945.

Our information: Chernyakhovsky Ivan Danilovich. Born in the village of Oksanina, Uman district, Kyiv province (now Cherkasy region of Ukraine) in the family of a railway worker. Soviet military leader, in the Red Army since 1924, army general (1944), twice Hero of the Soviet Union, since April 24, 1944 - commander of the 3rd Belorussian Front. J. Stalin's favorite.

Ales Veter, especially for the newspaper “Banner of Youth”.

A decade and a half after this publication, the tragic events of February 18, 1945 were described in a blog run by a military observer “ Komsomolskaya Pravda» Colonel Victor Baranets:

« How did Chernyakhovsky die?

My old acquaintance is Peter (reserve officer), a man manically in love with military history, sent me material entitled “New version of the death of Chernyakhovsky.” The author is a hereditary officer.

I have my own attitude towards this material. It's contradictory. Probably, it cannot be different if you “test your teeth” with a strong mixture of documents, witness statements and semi-lyrical tales.

But in any case, all this is interesting. Reading the text:

“The army’s favorite Ivan Chernyakhovsky once said: “I don’t want to die in bed, I prefer to die in a hot battle.”

On February 18, 1945, troops of the 3rd Belorussian Front surrounded the city and fortress of Königsberg. On the same day, the front commander, Army General Ivan Danilovich Chernyakhovsky, died in battle...

How did the general die? In the epic film “Liberation,” director Ozerov filmed the scene of the death of the Soviet military leader in some detail. It would seem that what else should be added? But when you start comparing archival documents, memoirs of commanders with the memories of ordinary participants in the war, you come across a lot of contradictions...

February 18, 1945. East Prussia. South-west of the city of Melzak (now Penenzhno, Poland).

...Two staff vehicles were racing along the road towards the front - an Emka and an open Willys behind it. The cars, without slowing down, drove around potholes and craters from bombs and shells. At the same time, the headlights hummed and flashed continuously. Forcing drivers of oncoming trucks to hug the side of the road. But what about it? From everything you can see - high management. And with him - no joke.

A tank column appeared ahead. "Thirty-four" stretched for one and a half kilometers. “Emka” and “Willis” take to the left and immediately begin overtaking. But the horn signal melts into the roar of powerful tank engines and the clanging of tracks. The mechanics sitting behind the levers in their leather headsets do not see the overtaking cars.

The column occupied the lion's share of the roadway. Therefore, cars had to drive along the side of the road.

One of the tanks marching in the column suddenly turned sharply to the left. The driver of the Emka turns the steering wheel sharply to avoid a collision. But the car still clings to the tank’s track with its wing. "Emka" is thrown to the side, it slides into a ditch and falls on its side.

"Willis" manages to slow down. People in the uniform of NKVD officers jump out of it. The three run towards the overturned car. The fourth fires a rocket launcher and stops the tank column. The tankers are ordered to get out of their combat vehicles and form one line on the highway. Nobody understands anything. Why all this fuss? Well, the car fell into a ditch. Well, what's wrong with that? This doesn’t happen at the front. Tea, not a tragedy...

... It turned out to be a tragedy. The general gets out of the overturned car. This is General Chernyakhovsky, commander of the 3rd Belorussian Front. He tears and rushes. The tankers hook the Emka with a cable and pull it onto the highway. The car seems to be fine. He can go further.

Meanwhile, the NKVD captain leads the crew commander of the T-34 tank into the field. The same one that he threw the Emka into the ditch. He talks about treason, about working for the Germans, about espionage. To top it all off, he accuses him of trying to kill the general. After this, he takes out his TT and, in front of the tank crew who does not understand anything, shoots the commander of the combat vehicle.

"Emka" is already on the move. The officers take their places. Who's at Emka? Who's at Willys? But the general continues to swear. He yells at the driver. Then he kicks him out of the car, calling him “a worthless degenerate who doesn’t see where he’s going...”. And he gets behind the wheel. The driver sits in the back with the adjutant. The cars suddenly take off and disappear around the bend.

The tankers stand stunned. Unable to say a word. Then they take their places in the combat vehicles. The engines roar and the column begins to move. Suddenly, the turret of one of the tanks begins to move and turns in the direction where the road turns. And where the cars just disappeared. The barrel changes angle and... the gun fires. The column continues to move as if nothing had happened...

... Emka has already moved quite far from the scene of the accident. Suddenly, a whistling sound was heard.

Shelling! - the adjutant shouts. - Comrade General! Take right!

Explosion. The ground shook. One of the fragments pierces the back wall of the car, pierces the back of the seat of the general sitting behind the wheel and gets stuck in the instrument panel.

The general presses the brakes and, with a groan, falls with his chest on the steering wheel...

Nikolai, save me,” Chernyakhovsky groaned, turning to his driver.

Then the general barely got out of the car. I took two steps and fell...

I heard this story several times from war participants. IN last time- on the eve of the 64th anniversary celebration Great Victory at a meeting with veterans. And for the first time - a very long time ago. Still at school. At the lesson of courage in honor of February 23 - Day Soviet army And Navy. Classroom teacher invited a participant in the Great Patriotic War - the grandfather of our classmate - Andrei Solnintsev. Solnintsev Sr. appeared before us in full regalia - orders, medals. He served as front-line drivers throughout the war. He made one and a half hundred flights along the Road of Life during the siege of Leningrad. He drowned in the ice hole along with his lorry. When he was transporting sacks of flour to a besieged city. Then part of it was transferred to the west. On the roads of East Prussia, he also managed to turn the steering wheel. It was there that I first learned about the strange circumstances of the death of the front commander. SMERSH and the NKVD were furious then. Under threat of being sent to a penal battalion, they were forbidden to talk about it. Because official version looked completely different - the general died on the battlefield as a hero. From an accidentally flying enemy shell. And why the shell was fired from our rear - we were not allowed to delve into such details...”

And here is an even more fictionalized version of the same story about the “revenge of Soviet tank crews” ( Ion Degen. The war never ends):

“... The shooter barely squeezed out the words:

We're tired. Took a nap. And the mechanic trudged along quietly. As you ordered. And the general’s “Jeep” followed us. Who knew him? The road is narrow. There was no way I could overtake him. And when he drove around, he stopped us and let’s scrub. Who, he says, allowed you to sleep on the march? Why, he says, is there no surveillance? For a whole hour, he says, they tricked me. What time is it there? You know it yourself, we just left the forest. The lieutenant, then, is to blame, they say, he was in battle all night, he was tired. And he says - slobs! Why, he says, are the shoulder straps wrinkled? Why isn't the collar buttoned? And let’s go, then, into the mother and into the soul. And the lieutenant say, they say, there is no need to touch the mother. We fight for mothers, they say, and for our homeland. Then the general pulled out a pistol and... And those two, senior lieutenants, had already shot at the dead man, at the lying man. And the driver kicked me off the road. Drunk, apparently.

What were you watching?

What about us? General, after all.

Which general?

Who knows? General Normal. Combined arms.

Lesha was lying face down by the side of the road. puny. Black blood stains, dusted with dust, spread around the holes on the back of the tunic. A lilac-red burdock clung to the sleeve. The feet in boots with wide tops fell into a ditch.

I held on to the towbar. How is this?.. So many attacks and he remained alive. And a letter from mom. And he sent her the certificate. And at school in adjacent beds. And how he fought!

The guys stood silently. The tower was crying, leaning against the armor. I looked at them, seeing almost nothing.

Eh, you! General! They're bastards! Fascists! - I rushed to the tank. It was like lightning struck my crew. A moment - and everyone is in place, faster than me. I didn't even give a command.

The starter howled. The thirty-four rushed down the road like crazy.<…>

"Willis" slipped in front of our noses. I was even able to see these bastards. Somewhere I have already seen the shiny red muzzle of a general. And these are senior lieutenants! Are you scared, you bastards? Scary? Look how they are hung with orders. In battle, you probably won’t live to see such an iconostasis. Warmed up under the general's ass, damned cowards! Is it scary when a tank is chasing you? Even your own. In the crew you would be taught to hide fear to the very bottom of your vile little soul!<…>

Charge!

Yes, shrapnel without a cap!<…>

Calmly. All questions later. Slightly higher than the body. In the interval between senior lieutenants. I tightened the lifting mechanism. Like this. His fingers gently wrapped around the handle. Calmly. Once. Two. Fire!

Rollback. The cartridge clanked. The release handle dug painfully into my palm.

Shattered!

And I still couldn’t tear myself away from the sight. It seemed that what was left of the Jeep was only a few meters away from us.

Dim flame. Black smoke. Brash. Pieces of bloody human flesh. Gray forest, like a German jacket.

Empty. Quiet. Only boiling water bubbles in the radiators.

Noteworthy is one of the reader’s comments to the above text:

“...for the front commander comrade. Stalin (a bloody villain in the opinion of most forum participants) would have crushed this entire regiment, along with the tanks, into powder. And I don’t think that SMERSH hushed up this matter because (if it had happened) that some lieutenant was spanked. Apparently, no one has seen the investigation materials, and in such big company, which was at the scene of death, someone would have made a mistake... The death of the front commander would not have happened without an investigation. The military prosecutor’s office should have dealt with this, and they don’t give a damn about SMERSH, someone should shoot SMERSH too...”

Let's talk about the main thing again. Someday in Russia the materials of the investigation into the death of Chernyakhovsky will be declassified. In the meantime, we have to read speeches like those quoted above.

Ivan Danilovich Chernyakhovsky is the youngest front commander and army general during the Great Patriotic War. Liberator of Kyiv, Minsk, and Vilnius. Twice Hero of the Soviet Union.

Ivan Danilovich Chernyakhovsky was born on June 29, 1906 in the village of Oksanino (now Oksanina), located in the Uman district of the Kyiv province. His father, Danila Chernyakhovsky, was a railway worker in the First World War fought under Brusilov. Among the epidemics that accompanied the Civil War, the typhus epidemic that devastated Southern Ukraine was especially rampant. It took the lives of both Chernyakhovsky’s parents almost simultaneously, leaving both him and his six brothers and sisters orphans.

According to some reports, at a very young age - at the age of 12-13, Ivan Chernyakhovsky had to organize a detachment consisting of his peers, arming it with extracted different ways sawn-off shotguns and hold the line against the Petliurists who were attempting to capture it native village. In the most difficult times Civil War a 12-year-old boy managed to save his brothers and sisters from starvation. He had to do a wide variety of jobs: as a village shepherd, as a laborer, and as an apprentice.

In 1920, Ivan Chernyakhovsky managed to get a job as a worker in the depot at the Vapnyarka railway station. To do this, he credited himself with a year, which he lacked to reach the required age. In 1923, Chernyakhovsky was hired as a worker at a cement plant in the city of Novorossiysk. On next year he joined the Komsomol. However, Ivan wanted to become a military man, for which he trained himself in every way to work and gain knowledge.

Young talent

In 1924, Ivan Chernyakhovsky volunteered for the Red Army. During 1924–1925 he studied military science as a cadet at the Odessa Infantry School, in 1925 he was transferred to the Artillery School in Kyiv, from which he graduated in 1928. From 1928, he became a member of the CPSU (b). Since 1928, Chernyakhovsky commanded a training platoon, and since 1929 he was transferred to the post of battery commander in the 17th corps artillery regiment from the Ukrainian Military District.


Since 1931, Ivan studied at the Leningrad Military-Technical Academy, after 1932 he became a student at the Military Academy of Mechanization and Motorization of the Red Army and in 1936 he graduated with honors, receiving the rank of senior lieutenant. While studying at the academy, the “competent authorities” received a signal: Ivan Danilovich Chernyakhovsky “hidden his social origin.” The case could have ended badly, however, Maria Ilyinichna Ulyanova, who at that time was the head of the Joint Complaints Bureau of the People's Commissariat of the RCI of the USSR and the People's Commissariat of the RCI of the RSFSR, stood up for him.

In 1936, Chernyakhovsky became chief of staff of the 2nd tank battalion, in 1937 he received the rank of major and the position of commander of the 1st tank battalion as part of the 8th mechanized brigade.

The successes of Ivan Danilovich and his rapid career growth cannot fail to impress. At the age of thirty-five, the young commander had already achieved high positions. In 1938–1940, he received the rank of lieutenant colonel and became commander of the 9th separate light tank regiment, which was part of the formations of the Belarusian Military District. In 1940 he became the commander of a tank brigade in Belarus, and in the same year he was transferred to the post of deputy commander in the 2nd Tank Division in the Baltic Military District. Just three months before the start of the Great Patriotic War, in March 1941, Chernyakhovsky was appointed to the post of commander of the 28th Tank Division, which was part of the 12th Mechanized Corps in the Baltic Military District. By the beginning of the war, Ivan Danilovich had acquired certain training as a soldier and commander, but did not yet have experience of a real war.

In pre-war times, Chernyakhovsky’s family lived next to him in Riga. In the summer of 1941, his wife was going to visit her mother in Kyiv and take the children with her, but Ivan Danilovich, who at that time was on training in the Siauliai region, forbade them to leave Riga. Chernyakhovsky’s family literally miraculously managed to evacuate to the east shortly before Nazi troops entered Riga.

In the 41st...

Chernyakhovsky had to come into conflict with the enemy from the very beginning of the war. On the very first day, having received an order to urgently concentrate the 28th motorized division in the Siauliai area, to which the enemy’s mechanized units were heading, Divisional Commander Chernyakhovsky makes a courageous decision: without waiting for help to arrive, organize a counterattack and defeat the enemy. Ivan Danilovich led the attack on a tank, directing the troops from his side via radio. At the same time, his combat crew itself knocked out one of the enemy tanks. In a decisive and fierce battle, his division stopped the enemy advance and destroyed a battalion of German motorized infantry. It was also reported that Chernyakhovsky’s troops disabled 14 German tanks and destroyed two dozen artillery pieces. The Nazis were thrown back to a distance of several kilometers.


Soon after this, Chernyakhovsky was entrusted with the defense of the city of Novgorod, which played the role of the last stronghold on the way to Leningrad. With this operation, the High Command planned to gain time to bring up reserves. On the approaches to Novgorod, Chernyakhovsky’s division lost all its tanks and most of its soldiers, but was able to again delay the enemy for a long time. The division was re-equipped. Chernyakhovsky had the opportunity to fight with her in the most difficult sections of the approaches to Leningrad in the most difficult military autumn - 1941. His skills and determination were appreciated by the command, and for these battles he received his first government award - the Order of the Red Banner.

Turn to the West

By December 1941, the 28th Division, left without tanks, became the 241st Rifle Division and, under a new name, participated in defensive battles in the southwest of Siauliai, on the Western Dvina River, near the cities of Soltsy and Novgorod. In May 1942, following the successful results of these military operations, Chernyakhovsky was awarded the rank of major general. He was appointed to the post of commander in the newly formed tank corps and sent to the Voronezh Front. During this period, the Headquarters of the High Command had already noticed a young promising commander; on the eve of his departure to a new destination, the newly-minted corps commander was personally received by Stalin.

In July 1942, Chernyakhovsky had a new appointment: commander of the 60th Army, a post he held until the April days of 1944. His army was part of the Central Front, which was under the command of the most talented Soviet commander K.K. Rokossovsky. Here Chernyakhovsky had the opportunity to participate first in the defense and then in the operation to liberate Voronezh, for which he was awarded the Order of the Red Banner. Later, his army took part in a successful attack on Kursk and delivered a deep blow to his flank, unexpected for the enemy, which decided the outcome of the battle for this city.

During the Battle of Kursk, Chernyakhovsky's army occupied a position at the top of the ledge and was relatively undamaged, since the main fighting fell on his flanks. In August 1943, the Battle of Kursk was already over, and the troops that formed the Kursk Bulge itself went on the offensive. At this time, Chernyakhovsky ordered to collect all available vehicles and put his infantry on them, while he had to expose the front to a width of almost 90 kilometers. Having provided his army with the support of tank formations, the major general managed to break through the enemy defenses and quickly penetrate almost two hundred kilometers into the territory occupied by the enemy. He forced the enemy to flee, almost without coming into contact with him. At the same time, Chernyakhovsky’s army suffered minimal losses.

Liberator of Capitals

The rapid rise of Chernyakhovsky's military career continued: in February 1943 he was awarded the rank of lieutenant general, in October 1943 he became a Hero of the Soviet Union, in March 1944 Ivan Danilovich was awarded the rank of colonel general.

In 1944, Chernyakhovsky reached the peak of his rapid and brilliant career: The 37-year-old general was appointed to command the 3rd Belorussian Front. Ivan Danilovich is the youngest front commander in the history of the Soviet Union, but he showed himself worthy of fighting side by side with the legendary commanders of the 1st Belorussian Front G.K. Zhukov, 2nd Belorussian Front - K.K. Rokossovsky, 2nd Ukrainian – I. S. Konev. Under the leadership of Chernyakhovsky there were four combined arms, one tank, one air army and many smaller formations, including artillery and engineering troops.

The famous “Bagration” was the first operation in which Ivan Danilovich had the opportunity to participate as a front commander. His exceptional talent and energy, diverse skills, good knowledge of his troops and the whole variety of modern military equipment, ability to skillfully use the experience of other commanders, and deep theoretical knowledge allowed the young front commander to excellently control his troops. During the battle, Chernyakhovsky visited the most critical areas and closely monitored the actions of his troops and enemy forces. He always listened carefully to the opinions of his subordinates. Chernyakhovsky was able to make good use of any useful innovations for training troops and organizing combat operations. He deservedly enjoyed the love and respect of his soldiers, officers and generals, who saw in him an example of humanity and care for personnel, courage and fearlessness, firmness and perseverance in implementing the necessary decisions, directness and simplicity in handling, humanity and endurance, exactingness to yourself and to your subordinates.

The front commanded by Chernyakhovsky was able to successfully carry out, together with other fronts, the Belorussian, Vilnius, Kaunas, Memel, Gumbinnen-Goldap and East Prussian operations. In June 1944 he received the rank of army general. As in the case of front command, Chernyakhovsky becomes the youngest army general in the history of the Red Army.

The newly-minted army general received the second Gold Star medal and the title Hero of the Soviet Union by Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR in July 1944 (just a month after the last promotion in rank!), which thus noted the success of the actions of his troops who liberated Vitebsk, Minsk, Vilnius.

Chernyakhovsky's military art and experience grew from battle to battle. All the years of the war, the formations under the command of Chernyakhovsky were located to the west of their neighbors on military maps. At first, during retreats, he was constantly positioned in the rearguard and covered the retreat of his neighbors, then during offensives, he was the first to break through the enemy front and clear the way for the movement of Red Army troops to the West.

During the fighting of the troops of the Chernyakhovsky Front in Lithuania, he, fighting for the liberation of the Lithuanian capital Vilnius, wanting to protect ancient city, ordered to refrain from bombing or shelling from heavy weapons against him. The city was liberated using outflanking maneuvers and avoided destruction.

During the battles in East Prussia in January-February 1945, together with the forces of Marshal Rokossovsky, Chernyakhovsky’s troops managed to defeat the strongest enemy group defending on a well-fortified and difficult terrain for combat operations. Ivan Danilovich cut it into pieces and surrounded the capital of East Prussia - Koenigsberg.

Died at the peak of fame

On February 18, 1945, Ivan Danilovich Chernyakhovsky was mortally wounded from an artillery shell explosion. This happened in the area of ​​​​the East Prussian city of Melzack, which has now become the Polish city of Penzno. In honor of the deceased front commander, the city of Insterburg has a new name since 1946 - Chernyakhovsk.

During the Great Patriotic War, units and formations under the command of General Chernyakhovsky defended Leningrad, prevented the German attack on Stalingrad, liberated Voronezh and Kursk, and stood on the top Kursk Bulge, paved the way for neighboring armies to Left Bank Ukraine, advanced on Ternopil, cleared the lands of Belarus, Lithuania, and East Prussia, which became part of the RSFSR through his military successes, from the enemy. His troops captured tens of thousands of German soldiers, who were marched through the streets of Moscow in a shameful march in the summer of 1944. More than 10% of the military salutes from the Great Patriotic War were fired in honor of Chernyakhovsky’s victories. His troops drove the enemy out of three of the six capitals of the republics of the Soviet Union captured by the enemy: Kyiv, Minsk and Vilnius. The young commander successfully defeated the troops commanded by four field marshals of the German Wehrmacht, who began their military careers during the First World War: Bush, Reinhardt, Manstein himself and the “defense genius” Model. The Chernyakhovskys did not lose a single battle. He managed to advance even when others had to retreat.

Ivan Danilovich Chernyakhovsky, who selflessly served his Fatherland, enjoyed well-deserved gratitude and people's love. His awards included four Orders of the Red Banner of Battle and other highest military leadership awards: two Orders of Suvorov, 1st class, Orders of Bogdan Khmelnitsky and Kutuzov, 1st class. Twice he deservedly received the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. According to some reports, Army General I. D. Chernyakhovsky was supposed to be awarded a new army rank by February 23, 1945: he could have become the youngest marshal of the Soviet Union.

In 1945, the victorious Red Army was preparing to accept another marshal into its ranks - the youngest in history. According to the widespread version, in February 1945, documents for conferring the military rank of “marshal” to the commander of the 3rd Belorussian Front Ivan Chernyakhovsky were already ready. But less than a week before the official presentation of the new shoulder straps, the 37-year-old commander died under circumstances that to this day many historians consider very strange.

Ivan Chernyakhovsky was much younger. In the years when the dashing cavalryman Georgy Zhukov cut down the Germans for their faith, the Tsar and the Fatherland, Vanya Chernyakhovsky rode on wooden horses, armed with a twig instead of a saber.

To the army - on a Komsomol voucher

He was born on June 29, 1906 in the village of Oksanino, Uman district, Kyiv province, in the family of a railway worker. Studied at primary school, worked as a shepherd, and for some time even worked as a street child. Then, like his father, he began working on the railroad. In 1922, he passed exams for an incomplete course as an external student. high school. In the same year, a 16-year-old boy was elected secretary of the local Komsomol cell.

In the early Soviet period many great careers began with Komsomol vouchers. In 1924, Komsomol member Chernyakhovsky received such a ticket to the Red Army. The young man first became a cadet at the Odessa Infantry School, and then at the Kyiv Artillery School.

Commander of the 60th Army, Lieutenant General Ivan Danilovich Chernyakhovsky (right, center) after presenting the Guards banner to one of the divisions of the 1st Ukrainian Front. Photo: RIA Novosti / Alexander Kapustyansky

In 1928, a graduate of the artillery school, member of the All-Union Communist Party (Bolsheviks) Ivan Chernyakhovsky became a platoon commander of the 17th corps artillery regiment stationed in Vinnitsa.

Along with his military education, Chernyakhovsky also received a regular education - in 1930 he graduated from evening school, receiving a complete secondary education.

After graduating from evening school in 1930, Chernyakhovsky began preparing to enter the Leningrad Military-Technical Academy named after Dzerzhinsky, which he became a student of in 1931. After each year of study, the academy cadets underwent military training. In 1933, Chernyakhovsky, during an autumn internship, acted as a battalion commander, and after the third year he was sent to intern as a deputy chief of staff of a division, where the intern’s abilities and his ability to quickly delve into the very essence of the assigned tasks were highly appreciated.

Lenin's sister saved the young officer's career

While studying at the academy, an unpleasant episode occurred with Chernyakhovsky - a letter was received in which a certain vigilant comrade accused him of hiding his “social origin.” They say that Chernyakhovsky’s father served in the White Army.

On this military career could have ended, but the denunciation was reviewed by the younger sister Lenin Maria Ulyanova, who headed the bureau where such “signals” were sorted out. Ulyanova came to the conclusion that Ivan Chernyakhovsky was not guilty of anything, and he was left alone.

Senior Lieutenant Chernyakhovsky was left in Moscow as chief of staff of a tank battalion, and soon received the rank of captain.

In the future rapid career growth Chernyakhovsky played an important role in Stalin’s “purges” in the army. The places of repressed commanders were taken by young officers.

In 1937, Chernyakhovsky became chief of staff of the tank battalion of the 8th mechanized brigade of the Kyiv Military District, then battalion commander in the same brigade. In 1938, Chernyakhovsky was already a major, commander of a tank regiment in Belarus.

In 1939, he became a lieutenant colonel, and by the beginning of the war, 35-year-old Colonel Chernyakhovsky was the commander of a tank division.

“I’ve lost seventeen kilograms... Even my watch bracelet is slipping off my hand.”

There is a not devoid of logic opinion that the failures of the Red Army in the first months of the war are also due to the fact that the young commanders who made a dizzying career at the end of the 1930s, they turned out to be unprepared for the tasks that were entrusted to them.

Chernyakhovsky - shining example the opposite. In the first days of the war, Colonel Chernyakhovsky's division held back German attacks near Siauliai. The young military leader inflicted significant damage on the enemy with daring counterattacks. The Chernyakhovites also fought to the death during the defense of Novgorod, for battles near which the division commander received his first Order of the Red Banner.

In the fall of 1941, the division, which had suffered heavy losses, was withdrawn for replenishment. Then the Chernyakhovites made their mark in the battles near Demyansk, where they stopped the onslaught of the Germans and did not allow them to transfer reserves to Leningrad.

In December 1941, Chernyakhovsky's tank division was reorganized into the 241st Rifle Division, which became part of the North-Western Front.

For the battles in the Demyansk Cauldron area, Chernyakhovsky was awarded the second Order of the Red Banner. And in May 1942, the division commander was awarded the rank of major general.

Commander "for growth"

In June 1942, the young general took command of the 18th Tank Corps of the Voronezh Front. In heavy battles near Voronezh, Chernyakhovsky was shell-shocked, which did not prevent him from taking over the 60th Army in July of the same year.

War does not give time to unwind; second chances are rarely given here. During the operation to capture Voronezh, the actions of the commander of the 60th Army were assessed as not very successful - in Chernyakhovsky’s area of ​​responsibility, the Germans managed to withdraw most of the units from the encirclement. But the young general learned very quickly and immediately made amendments.

When Kursk was captured, Chernyakhovsky’s army covered 90 km in five days of fighting, liberating more than 350 villages from the Nazis. On the day of the liberation of Kursk, February 8, the general was awarded the Order of Suvorov, first degree, and on February 14 he was awarded the rank of lieutenant general.

During the attack on Kharkov, the 60th Army fought more than 300 km. During the winter battles, the Chernyakhovites managed to destroy about 35,000 Nazis, and over 16,000 were captured.

Liberator of Minsk, savior of Vilnius

Soviet military leaders who observed their younger colleague noted that his professionalism and skill grew from battle to battle.

In October 1943, Chernyakhovsky’s army took part in crossing the Dnieper River, and for his heroism and courage during the fighting, on October 17 he was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. After participating in the battles on the Kiev bridgehead and liberating the territories in the Zhytomyr direction from the Nazis, on January 10, 1944, Chernyakhovsky was again presented with an award - the Order of Bohdan Khmelnitsky, first degree, and in March 1944 he became a colonel general.

Careers are made much faster in war than in peacetime. But Chernyakhovsky’s rise, even against this background, looked fantastic. In the spring of the same 1944, Stalin asked the Chief of the General Staff Vasilevsky: who, in his opinion, could lead the 3rd Belorussian Front? Vasilevsky answered without hesitation: General Chernyakhovsky. So, in April 1944, Ivan Chernyakhovsky became the youngest front commander in the history of the Red Army.

Ivan Chernyakhovsky At the table (from left to right): V.E. Makarov - brigade commissar, Alexander Mikhailovich Vasilevsky - chief of the General Staff, Ivan Danilovich Chernyakhovsky, army general. Photo: RIA Novosti

In the summer of 1944, during Operation Bagration, troops of the 3rd Belorussian Front played an important role in the liberation of Belarus. The front troops led by Chernyakhovsky, together with the 1st Baltic Front, defeated the enemy’s Vitebsk group, and on June 26, 1944, Vitebsk was liberated. Near Minsk, together with the 1st and 2nd Belorussian Fronts, they completed the encirclement of more than 100,000 enemy forces, and on July 3, 1944 they liberated Minsk.

Another city, now the capital of an independent state, owes General Chernyakhovsky the fact that it was not only liberated, but also spared destruction. Also in July 1944, the 3rd Belorussian Front conducted the Vilnius offensive operation. The front commander gave the order: when taking the city, heavy artillery and aviation should not be used, and Vilnius should be saved from destruction. The order was carried out, and happy Lithuanians greeted the liberators who saved the capital with flowers.

Rising star

Even before the capture of Minsk, at the end of June, Ivan Chernyakhovsky became an army general - the youngest in the history of the Red Army. And on July 29, 1944, for the successful actions of the troops during the liberation of Vitebsk, Minsk, and Vilnius, the front commander became twice Hero of the Soviet Union.

At the beginning of August 1944, after the liberation of Kaunas, one of the artillery brigades, which was part of the front commanded by Chernyakhovsky, was the first to begin shelling German territory.

Member of the Military Council of the 3rd Belorussian Front, Lieutenant General Vasily Emelyanovich Makarov, Marshal of the Soviet Union Alexander Mikhailovich Vasilevsky, front commander Army General Ivan Danilovich Chernyakhovsky (from left to right) accept the surrender of the German general. Vitebsk, June 28, 1944. Photo: RIA Novosti / Anatoly Morozov

From mid-October 1944, troops of the 3rd Belorussian Front carried out the Gumbinnen-Goldap operation, and from January 13, 1945, Chernyakhovsky was at the head of the Insterburg-Konigsberg operation, during which his troops reached Konigsberg, blocking a large East Prussian group of Nazis.

His talent was just coming into full force. It seemed like a new one was born Suvorov. Chernyakhovsky, as already mentioned, was much younger than Zhukov, Rokossovsky and other military leaders, and in the future could lead the entire Armed Forces of the USSR. Marshal's shoulder straps were about to sparkle on his shoulders...

“Fatally wounded, I’m dying”

On February 18, 1945, while Chernyakhovsky was touring the units entrusted to him in the area of ​​the Polish city of Melzak (Penenzhno), a shell suddenly exploded next to his car. A fragment, having pierced the wall of the cabin and the seat, mortally wounded Chernyakhovsky in the chest.

This was witnessed by the commander of the 3rd Army, General Gorbatov. “The smoke and dust after the explosion had not yet cleared when I was already near the stopped car. There were five people sitting in it: the front commander, his adjutant, the driver and two soldiers. The general was sitting next to the driver, he leaned towards the glass and repeated several times: “I’m mortally wounded, I’m dying.” I knew that there was a medical battalion three kilometers away. Five minutes later the general was examined by doctors. He was still alive and, when he came to his senses, he repeated: “I’m dying, I’m dying.” The wound from a shrapnel in the chest was truly fatal. He soon died,” Gorbatov recalled.

"Tank Avengers" and the wrath of Comrade Stalin

There was a story going around in the units. The front commander was allegedly driving recklessly on the road, hit one of the tanks of a passing column and ended up in a ditch. The enraged general began to swear at the tank commander, and he responded with something impudent. Then the front commander shot the tankman and then left. The tankers, shocked by the death of their comrade, turned the tank's turret around and fired after the general. He died from this shot.

Another version says that Comrade Stalin personally decided to get rid of Chernyakhovsky, who allegedly did not like him rapid growth the influence of the young general. This assumption looks even less plausible - with all due respect to Chernyakhovsky and his military talents, the general’s political weight was very insignificant and could not be compared with the influence of the same Zhukov or Vasilevsky. If the leader had a desire to get rid of Chernyakhovsky, this could be done through simple removal from office. After this, any measures could be taken against the general, as happened with those who were truly objectionable.

34th fireworks

The most terrible and plausible version is that General Chernyakhovsky really became the victim of a stray enemy shell. In war, no one is immune from such an accident - neither an ordinary person nor the most outstanding military leader.

On February 20, 1945, Ivan Danilovich Chernyakhovsky was buried in front of a large crowd of people in Vilnius, the city he saved, on Ozheshkenes Square.

Since August 1943, the troops of General Chernyakhovsky were noted 34 times as having distinguished themselves in the orders of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief. Each time, fireworks were fired in honor of the distinguished troops in Moscow. The last, 34th salute, was given when the general was no longer alive.

In 1946, the city of Insterburg, Kaliningrad region, was renamed Chernyakhovsk, and a monument to the military leader was erected in the city.

A fragment of a bronze sculptural portrait of twice Hero of the Soviet Union, Army General Ivan Danilovich Chernyakhovsky. The author is sculptor Evgeniy Viktorovich Vuchetich. A fragment of a bronze sculptural portrait of twice Hero of the Soviet Union, Army General Ivan Danilovich Chernyakhovsky. The author is sculptor Evgeniy Viktorovich Vuchetich. Photo: RIA Novosti/Ignatovich. Photo: RIA Novosti /

Gratitude is not always an eternal thing; in some cases it has a statute of limitations.

Lithuanian-Polish revenge

In 1992, after the collapse of the USSR and the declaration of independence of Lithuania, the new authorities of Vilnius reported that the ashes of the man who saved their city were causing them inconvenience, and offered to remove them. The new resting place of General Chernyakhovsky became Novodevichy Cemetery in Moscow. The monument erected to the military leader in Vilnius was transported to Voronezh.

In 2015, the Poles decided to get even with Chernyakhovsky. The 3rd Belorussian Front, under his command, liberated the territory of Poland, and the place of the general’s death is now located on the territory of this country.

The problem, however, is that Polish representatives never presented any documentary evidence that General Chernyakhovsky gave orders for mass repressions against AK fighters.

The monument to him was demolished simply out of hatred for the Russians and from a great desire to rewrite the history of the Second World War.

Let it remain on their conscience. And for us, Ivan Danilovich Chernyakhovsky will always be a hero, whose memory is sacred.

Characteristic

• The youngest army general and the youngest front commander in the History of the Soviet Armed Forces.
• “In the person of Comrade. Chernyakhovsky,” said the message of the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks, the Council of People’s Commissars of the USSR and the People’s Commissariat of Defense, “the state has lost one of the most talented young commanders who emerged during the Patriotic War.” (This wording was used only twice. The first time at the funeral of N. F. Vatutin).

Biography

Ivan Danilovich Chernyakhovsky was born in the village of Oksanino, Uman district, Kyiv province (now the village of Oksanina (Ukrainian Oksanyna), Uman district, Cherkasy region, Ukraine) in the family of a railway worker. Since 1919 he worked as a shepherd, since 1920 - as a worker at the Vapnyarka railway depot, since 1923 - as a worker at a cement plant in Novorossiysk. Since 1922 he was a member of the Komsomol.

Pre-war service

• In 1924 he volunteered for the Red Army.
• In 1924-1925 - cadet at the Odessa Infantry School,
• in 1925 he transferred to the Kyiv Artillery School and graduated in 1928.
• Member of the CPSU(b) since 1928.

• Since 1928 - commander of a training platoon,
• since 1929 - battery commander of the 17th corps artillery regiment in the Ukrainian Military District.

• In 1931 he entered the Military Technical Academy in Leningrad.
• Since 1932, he was a student at the Military Academy of Mechanization and Motorization of the Red Army, from which he graduated with honors in 1936 with the rank of senior lieutenant.
  • During his studies at the academy, a signal was received that I. D. Chernyakhovsky “concealed his social origin.” An important role in the fate of the young commander was played by the intercession of Maria Ilyinichna Ulyanova - she was the head of the Joint Complaints Bureau of the People's Commissariat of the RCI of the USSR and the People's Commissariat of the RCI of the RSFSR.
• Since 1936 - chief of staff of the 2nd tank battalion,
• since 1937 - commander of the 1st tank battalion of the 8th mechanized brigade. Major.
• In 1938-1940 - commander of the 9th separate light tank regiment in the Belarusian Special Military District. Lieutenant colonel.
• In 1940 - commander of a tank brigade in Belarus, in the same year he was appointed deputy commander of the 2nd Tank Division of the Baltic Special Military District.
• On March 11, 1941, he was appointed commander of the 28th Tank Division of the 12th Mechanized Corps in the Baltic States.

The Great Patriotic War

During the Great Patriotic War, he commanded the 28th Tank Division (in December 1941, reorganized into the 241st Rifle Division) in defensive battles southwest of Siauliai, on the Western Dvina, near Soltsy and Novgorod. In the first months of the war, he was awarded the military rank of colonel.

In June - July 1942, he commanded the 18th Tank Corps on the Voronezh Front.

From July 1942 to April 1944 - commander of the 60th Army, which took part in the Voronezh-Kastornensky operation, the Battle of Kursk, crossing the Desna and Dnieper rivers, in the Kyiv, Zhitomir-Berdichev, Rivne-Lutsk, Proskurov-Chernovtsy operations. For the operation to liberate the city of Voronezh he was presented with the Order of the Red Banner:. At the same time, all other commanders of the Voronezh Front were awarded the Order of Kutuzov, 1st degree. This is due to the fact that the commander of the 2nd German Army, General G. von Salmuth, managed to withdraw most of his units from the encirclement into which they found themselves in the Kastornoye area. However, then it was Chernyakhovsky’s army that played a decisive role in the rapid liberation of Kursk, delivering a deep flank attack that was unexpected for the enemy.

By a decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR dated October 17, 1943, Lieutenant General Ivan Danilovich Chernyakhovsky was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union for his high organizational skills during the crossing of the Dnieper and his personal heroism.

Since April 1944, Chernyakhovsky commanded the troops of the 3rd Belorussian Front. Of all the commanders of the Soviet fronts, he was the youngest in age. The front under his command successfully participated in the Belarusian, Vilnius, Kaunas, Memel, Gumbinnen-Goldap and East Prussian operations.

On June 28, 1944, he was awarded the rank of Army General. Chernyakhovsky became the youngest army general in the Red Army (at 38 years old).

The second Gold Star medal was awarded to General of the Army Ivan Danilovich Chernyakhovsky by the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR dated July 29, 1944 for the successful actions of his troops during the liberation of Vitebsk, Minsk, and Vilnius.

On February 18, 1945, Army General I. D. Chernyakhovsky was seriously wounded by artillery shell fragments on the outskirts of the city of Melzack in East Prussia (now Penenzhno, Poland) and died on the same day. He was buried in Vilnius in one of the central squares.

There is evidence that I. D. Chernyakhovsky was nominated for the rank of Marshal of the Soviet Union, but died before the promulgation of the Decree.

In 1992, after the collapse of the USSR, the ashes of twice Hero of the Soviet Union Chernyakhovsky were transported from Vilnius and reburied in Moscow at the Novodevichy Cemetery.

Dismantled by the Vilnius authorities, the monument to Chernyakhovsky was transported to Voronezh, which was defended at the end of 1942 and liberated in January 1943 by the 60th Army under the command of I. D. Chernyakhovsky. The inscription on the monument read: “I. D. Chernyakhovsky from Voronezh residents.”

I just returned from Urbanovich, he is one and a half kilometers from the enemy. Due to the systematic shelling, I had difficulty getting out of it. The rest of the corps commanders are in the same position.

I’ll be with you in two hours,” said Chernyakhovsky.

Considering that he would be coming from the east, I warned him that the highway here was being viewed by the enemy and was being shelled by artillery fire, but Chernyakhovsky did not listen and hung up. ...

... Having passed the city, in order not to be late, I hurried to the fork in the highway seven hundred meters east of the city outskirts. Not having reached there about a hundred and fifty meters, I saw a Jeep approaching and heard one shot from the enemy. As soon as the commander's jeep found itself at the fork, a single shell burst was heard. But he was fatal.

The smoke and dust after the explosion had not yet cleared when I was already near the stopped car. There were five people sitting in it: the front commander, his adjutant, the driver and two soldiers. The general was sitting next to the driver, he leaned towards the glass and repeated several times: “I’m mortally wounded, I’m dying.”

I knew that there was a medical battalion three kilometers away. Five minutes later the general was examined by doctors. He was still alive and, when he came to his senses, he repeated: “I’m dying, I’m dying.” The wound from a shrapnel in the chest was truly fatal. He died soon after. His body was taken to the village of Hainrikau. None of the four were injured, and the car was not damaged.

From the headquarters of the 41st Corps, I reported the disaster to the front headquarters and to Moscow. On the same day, a member of the Military Council of the front arrived to us, and the next day representatives of the investigative authorities arrived. Then the body of General Chernyakhovsky was taken away.

The troops were notified of the death of the commander. We called for merciless revenge on the enemy for our great loss. It was truly a grave loss for the Red Army - Chernyakhovsky was young, talented and could still give a lot to our Armed Forces.

Reviews from colleagues

Marshal A. M. Vasilevsky, appointed after the death of I. D. Chernyakhovsky to the post of commander of the 3rd Belorussian Front, wrote about him in his memoirs:

Ivan Danilovich and I were especially brought closer together by our common work in Belarus. It took place in an atmosphere of mutual trust, respect and desire to help each other. Chernyakhovsky headed one of the leading fronts - the 3rd Belorussian. This was the first front-line operation, which was carried out by the youngest in the Red Army, an exceptionally talented and energetic front commander. Good knowledge of the troops, diverse and complex military equipment, skillful use of the experience of others, and deep theoretical knowledge allowed Chernyakhovsky to excellently control the troops that were part of his front and to solve the most difficult tasks that the Supreme High Command set for him. In battle, Chernyakhovsky was in the most critical sectors, closely monitoring the actions of his troops and the enemy. He listened sensitively to the opinions of his subordinates. He boldly used everything new and useful in training troops and organizing battles. Soldiers, officers and generals loved their commander, first of all, for his humanity and concern for them, for courage and fearlessness, for firmness and perseverance in implementing decisions, for directness and simplicity in handling, for humanity and restraint, for being demanding of himself and others. subordinates. Yes, he was strict and demanding. But I never allowed myself to humiliate a person’s dignity...

K.K. Rokossovsky recalled:

Getting acquainted with the troops of the 60th Army, transferred to us from the Voronezh Front, I looked closely at General I. D. Chernyakhovsky. He was a wonderful commander. Young, cultured, cheerful. Amazing man! It was clear that the army loved him very much. This is immediately noticeable. If people approach the commander to report not with a trembling voice, but with a smile, then you understand that he has achieved a lot. Commanders of all ranks keenly feel the attitude of the senior commander, and, probably, the dream of each of us is to position ourselves in such a way that people will happily carry out all your orders. This is what Chernyakhovsky achieved (perhaps in the same way as Army Commander 65 P.I. Batov).

Family

• Father - Danil Chernyakhovsky, served in Brusilov's army.
• Daughter - Neonila.
• Son - Oleg.

Awards

• Twice Hero of the Soviet Union (10/17/1943, 07/29/1944)
• Order of Lenin (10/17/1943)
• 4 Orders of the Red Banner (01/16/1942, 05/3/1942, 02/4/1943, 11/3/1944)
• 2 Orders of Suvorov, 1st degree (02/8/1943, 09/11/1943)
• Order of Kutuzov, 1st degree (05/29/1944)
• Order of Bohdan Khmelnitsky, 1st degree (01/10/1944)

Memory

• In 1946, a city in the Kaliningrad region was named after him.
• In 1960, a USSR stamp was issued with the image of I. D. Chernyakhovsky
• On June 29, 1986, an artistic stamped envelope of the USSR Ministry of Communications with an original stamp was issued in honor of the 80th anniversary of the birth of I. D. Chernyakhovsky, on the same day a cancellation was carried out with a special postal stamp at the Moscow post office and another special cancellation was carried out at the communication center of the city of Uman Cherkassy areas.
• His sculptural portrait was created by Nikolai Tomsky.
• A monument to I. D. Chernyakhovsky was erected in Vilnius, which was later transported to Voronezh and installed on Chernyakhovsky Square
• The city of Insterburg, Kaliningrad region, was renamed Chernyakhovsk, and a monument to I. D. Chernyakhovsky was erected in the city.
• In Moscow, Nizhny Novgorod, Veliky Novgorod, Tula, Novorossiysk, Lipetsk, Novosibirsk, Kemerovo, Vidny, St. Petersburg, Smolensk, Kaliningrad, Vladimir, Ufa, Vladivostok, Khabarovsk, Perm, Stavropol, Zhitomir, Odessa, Krivoy Rog, Kursk, Irkutsk, Voronezh, Yekaterinburg , Pinsk, Balashikha, Borovsk, Shumerli, Dzerzhinsk, Nesterov, Demyansk, Tulun, Brovary, Kerch, Kiev, Dneprodzerzhinsk, Novomoskovsk, Makeevka, Beltsy, Minsk, Vitebsk, Molodechno, Lida, Petrozavodsk, Dokshitsy, Tsimlyansk, in the village of Zhuravlevka, Belgorod district In the Belgorod region and in the village of Mikashevichi, Belarus, Brest region, streets were named in honor of I. D. Chernyakhovsky. In the city of Chernyakhovsk a street, square and alley are named after him.
• In Odessa, on I. D. Chernyakhovsky Street, his monument is located. A bust of I. D. Chernyakhovsky was erected in Cherkassy.
• In the city of Uman there is a cinema and a recreation park named after I. D. Chernyakhovsky.
• By order of the USSR Minister of Defense No. 57 of May 4, 1954, twice Hero of the Soviet Union I. D. Chernyakhovsky was forever included in the lists of the 1st battery of the Kyiv Artillery School for military services to the Motherland. A memorial plaque was installed on the facade of the building in memory of I. D. Chernyakhovsky’s stay at the school. Now this building is the main building of the National Defense Academy of Ukraine.
• On the outskirts of the Polish city of Pienienzno on