L Avrinenko Dmitry Fedorovich - company commander of the 1st Guards Tank Brigade (16th Army, Western Front), Guard Senior Lieutenant.
Born on October 14, 1914 in the village of Fearless, now Otradnensky district, Krasnodar Territory, in a peasant family. Russian. In 1931 he graduated from the school of peasant youth in the village of Voznesenskaya, then teacher's courses in the city of Armavir. In 1931-1933 he worked as a teacher at a school on the Sladky farm in the Armavir region, in 1933-1934 he worked as a statistician at the head office of a state farm, then as a cashier at a savings bank in the village of Novokubanskoye.
In 1934 he volunteered for the Red Army and was sent to the cavalry. A year later he entered the Ulyanovsk Armored School, which he graduated in May 1938. Junior Lieutenant Lavrinenko took part in a campaign in Western Ukraine in 1939, and in June 1940 in a campaign in Bessarabia. Member of the CPSU (b) since 1941.
The beginning of the Great Patriotic War, Lieutenant Lavrinenko met in the position of platoon commander of the 15th Panzer Division, which was stationed in the city of Stanislav on the territory of Western Ukraine. It was not possible to excel in the first battles, his tank was damaged. During the retreat, the young officer showed character and flatly refused to destroy his faulty tank. Only after the remaining personnel of the division was sent to reorganize, Lavrinenko handed over his faulty car for repair.
In September 1941, he arrived in the newly formed 4th (from November 11 - 1st Guards) tank brigade of the colonel Katukova and since October 4 he has already fought near the city of Mtsensk. On October 6, during a battle near the village of Perviy Voin, Lieutenant Lavrinenko's tank group, consisting of four T-34 tanks, decisively attacked a column of German tanks. Constantly changing firing positions, appearing in different places, four thirty-fours made the impression on the Germans of the actions of a large tank group. In this battle, the tank crews destroyed 15 enemy tanks, four of which were on the account of Lavrinenko. By October 11, the brave tanker had 7 tanks, an anti-tank gun and up to two platoons of German infantry on his account.
From the end of October, the tank brigade fought on the outskirts of the capital, in the Volokolamsk direction. Here again, senior lieutenant Lavrinenko distinguished himself. On November 7, near the village of Lystsevo, his group of three T-34 tanks and three BT-7 tanks entered the battle with 18 German tanks. In this battle, the Germans lost 7 tanks.
Soon, the brave tanker fought a unique battle with an enemy tank group that broke through to our rear. Senior Lieutenant Lavrinenko secretly brought his T-34 towards the German tank column near the highway leading to Shishkino. He ambushed his tank in an open field, taking advantage of the fact that the tank was painted in white and was almost invisible on the snow-covered field. One tank Lavrinenko, practically point-blank, shot from the flank a column of 18 tanks, destroying 6 of them. By his actions, he allowed the troops that were under the threat of encirclement to leave. On November 19, near the village of Gusenevo, in an oncoming battle with seven shells, he destroyed seven tanks.
On December 5, 1941, the Guard Senior Lieutenant Lavrinenko was nominated for the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. The award list noted "... carrying out combat missions of the command from October 4 to the present, he was continuously in battle. During the period of battles near Orel and in the Volokolamsk direction, Lavrinenko's crew destroyed 37 heavy, medium and light enemy tanks ..."
The brave tanker spent his last battle on December 18 on the outskirts of Volokolamsk, near the village of Goryuny. Attacking the enemy that had broken through our positions, he destroyed his 52nd German tank, 2 anti-tank guns and up to fifty German soldiers. On the same day, after the battle, Senior Lieutenant Dmitry Fedorovich Lavrinenko was struck by a mine fragment.
For two and a half months of fierce battles, the hero-tanker took part in 28 battles and destroyed 52 Nazi tanks. He became the most productive tanker in the Red Army, but did not become a Hero. On December 22, he was awarded the Order of Lenin.
Already in peacetime, numerous performances for the hero's award at the highest levels (Marshal Katukov, General of the Army Lelyushenko) had an effect on the bureaucratic routine.
Have By the decree of the President of the USSR of May 5, 1990, Lavrinenko was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union posthumously for the courage and heroism shown in battles with the Nazi invaders.
The Hero's relatives were awarded the Order of Lenin and the Gold Star medal (No. 11615).
He was buried at the site of the battle, near the highway, between the villages of Pokrovsky and Goryuny. Later he was reburied in a mass grave in the village of Denkovo, Volokolamsk District, Moscow Region.
School number 28 in the village of Fearless, streets in his native village, Volokolamsk, Krasnodar are named after the Hero.
One combat episode
Katukov left Lavrinenko's tank at the request of the command of the 50th Army to guard its headquarters. The command of the army promised the brigade commander not to detain him for a long time. But four days have passed since that day. Katukov and the head of the political department, senior battalion commissar I.G. Derevyankin rushed to call at all ends, but they could not find traces of Lavrinenko. Emergency was brewing.
At noon on October 20, a thirty-four drove up to the brigade headquarters, clanking its tracks, followed by a German staff bus. The hatch of the tower opened and from there, as if nothing had happened, Lavrinenko climbed out, followed by the members of his crew - the loading private Fedotov and the gunner-radio operator Sergeant Borzykh. At the wheel of the staff bus sat the driver-mechanic Senior Sergeant Poorny.
The angry chief of the political department Derevyankin attacked Lavrinenko, demanding an explanation of the reasons for the delay, it is not known where the lieutenant and his crew members were all this time. Instead of answering, Lavrinenko took a paper from the breast pocket of his tunic and handed it to the head of the political department. The paper read the following:
"To Colonel Comrade Katukov. The commander of the car, Dmitry Fedorovich Lavrinenko, was detained by me. He was given the task of stopping the enemy who had broken through and helping to restore the situation at the front and in the area of the city of Serpukhov. He not only fulfilled this task with honor, but also showed himself heroically. For exemplary performance of the combat mission The Military Council of the Army expressed gratitude to all the personnel of the crew and presented them with a government award.
Commandant of the city of Serpukhov, brigade commander Firsov ".The point turned out to be the following. The headquarters of the 50th Army released Lavrinenko's tank literally following the departed tank brigade. But the road turned out to be clogged with vehicles and, no matter how hurried Lavrinenko, he failed to catch up with the brigade.
Arriving in Serpukhov, the crew decided to shave in a hairdresser. As soon as Lavrinenko sat down in a chair, suddenly a breathless Red Army soldier ran into the hall and told the lieutenant to urgently come to the commandant of the city, brigade commander Firsov.
Appearing to Firsov, Lavrinenko learned that along the highway from Maloyaroslavets to Serpukhov was a German column up to a battalion. The commandant had no forces at hand to defend the city. The units for the defense of Serpukhov were about to come up, and before that all hope for Firsov remained on the one and only tank Lavrinenko.
In the grove, near Vysokinichy, T-34 Lavrinenko ambushed. The road was well visible in both directions. A few minutes later a German column appeared on the highway. Motorcycles rattled ahead, then a command vehicle, three trucks with infantry and anti-tank guns went. The Germans were extremely self-confident and did not send intelligence ahead.
Having let the convoy go 150 meters, Lavrinenko shot the convoy point-blank. Two guns were immediately destroyed, the third German gunners tried to turn around, but Lavrinenko's tank jumped out onto the highway and crashed into trucks with infantry, and then crushed the gun. Soon an infantry unit approached and finished off the stunned and bewildered enemy.
The crew of Lavrinenko handed over to the commandant of Serpukhov 13 assault rifles, 6 mortars, 10 motorcycles with sidecars and an anti-tank gun with full ammunition. Firsov allowed the staff vehicle to be taken to the brigade. It was under its own power that the driver-mechanic Poor, who had moved from the thirty-four, drove it. The bus contained important documents and maps, which Katukov immediately sent to Moscow.
Dmitry Lavrinenko
Tanker number 1 in the Red Army is considered to be the company commander of the 1st Guards Tank Brigade of the Guard, Senior Lieutenant Dmitry Fedorovich Lavrinenko.
He was born on October 14, 1914 in the village of Fearless, now Otradnensky district, Krasnodar Territory, in a peasant family. Member of the CPSU (b) since 1941. In 1931 he graduated from the school of peasant youth in the village of Voznesenskaya, then teacher's courses in the city of Armavir. In 1932–1933 he worked as a teacher at a school on the Sladkiy farm in the Armavir region, in 1933–1934 as a statistician at the head office of a state farm, then as a cashier at a savings bank in the village of Novokubinskoye. In 1934 he volunteered for the Red Army and was sent to the cavalry. A year later he entered the Ulyanovsk Armored School, which he graduated in May 1938. Junior Lieutenant Lavrinenko took part in a campaign in Western Ukraine in 1939 and in June 1940 - in a campaign in Bessarabia.
The beginning of the Great Patriotic War, Lieutenant Lavrinenko met in the position of platoon commander of the 15th Panzer Division, which was stationed in the city of Stanislav, on the territory of Western Ukraine. He failed to distinguish himself in the first battles, as his tank was damaged. During the retreat, the young officer showed character and flatly refused to destroy his faulty tank. Only after the remaining personnel of the division was sent to reorganize, Lavrinenko handed over his car for repair.
In September 1941, in the Stalingrad region, on the basis of the personnel of the 15th and 20th tank divisions, the 4th tank brigade was formed, the commander of which was appointed Colonel M.E. Katukov. In early October, the brigade entered heavy battles near Mtsensk with units of the 2nd German tank group, Colonel-General Heinz Guderian.
Soviet light armored car BA-20
On October 6, during a battle near the village of Perviy Voin, the brigade's positions were attacked by superior forces of German tanks and motorized infantry. Enemy tanks suppressed the anti-tank guns and began ironing out the motorized rifle trenches. To the aid of infantrymen M.E. Katukov sent a group of four T-34 tanks under the command of Senior Lieutenant Lavrinenko. "Thirty-fours" jumped out of the forest across the enemy tanks and opened a hurricane of fire. The Germans never expected the appearance of Soviet tanks. From the brigade's OP it was clearly visible how several enemy vehicles flared up, how the rest stopped and then, snapping fire, backed away in confusion. Lavrinenko's tanks disappeared as suddenly as they appeared, but after a few minutes they appeared to the left, because of the hillock. And again, flames flashed from their cannons. As a result of several rapid attacks, 15 German vehicles remained on the battlefield, engulfed in orange flames. The soldiers of the motorized rifle battalion began to gather around their tanks. Having received the order to withdraw, Lavrinenko put the wounded on the armor and returned to the ambush site - at the edge of the forest. In this battle, Lavrinenko opened his battle score, knocking out four enemy tanks.
By October 11, the brave tanker had seven tanks, an anti-tank gun and up to two platoons of German infantry on his account. The driver-mechanic of his tank, senior sergeant Ponomarenko, described one of the combat episodes of those days in the following way: “Lavrinenko told us this way:“ We can't return alive, but help out the mortar company. Clear? Forward!"
We jump out onto the hillock, and there German tanks dart around like dogs. I stopped.
Lavrinenko - blow! A heavy tank. Then we see a German medium tank between our two burning light tanks BT - they broke it too. We see another tank - it runs away. Shot! Flame ... There are three tanks. Their carriages are dispersed.
In 300 meters I see another tank, I show it to Lavrinenko, and he is a real sniper. From the second shell I smashed this, the fourth in a row. And Kapotov is a fine fellow: he also got three German tanks. And Polyansky killed one. So the mortar company was saved. And themselves - without a single loss! " It should be clarified that Kapotov and Polyansky, mentioned in the story of the tanker, are tank commanders from a platoon commanded by Lavrinenko. The heavy tank in question is not at all an invention of the tanker - until 1943, according to the German classification, the Pz.IV tank was considered heavy.
Twice Hero of the Soviet Union, General of the Army D.D. Lelyushenko, in his book "Dawn of Victory", told about one of the techniques that Lavrinenko used in the battles near Mtsensk: “I remember how Lieutenant Dmitry Lavrinenko, carefully camouflaging his tanks, installed logs on the position that looked like the barrels of tank guns. And not in vain: the Nazis opened fire on false targets. Letting the Nazis at an advantageous distance, Lavrinenko rained down on them devastating fire from ambushes and destroyed 9 tanks, 2 guns and many Nazis. "
However, there is still no exact data on the number of German tanks knocked out by D. Lavrinenko's crew in the battles for Mtsensk. In the book by Ya.L. Livshits "1st Guards Tank Brigade in the Battles for Moscow", published in 1948, says that Lavrinenko had seven tanks. Army General D.D. Lelyushenko claims that only during the defense of the railway bridge across the Zusha River near Mtsensk, Lavrinenko's crew destroyed six German tanks (by the way, the KB crew of the senior political instructor Ivan Lakomov, who also participated in the defense of this bridge, knocked out four enemy tanks). Other sources report that the thirty-fours of Lieutenant Lavrinenko and Senior Sergeant Kapotov came to the aid of the tank of their battalion commander, Captain Vasily Gusev, who was covering the withdrawal of the 4th Tank Brigade across the bridge. During the battle, the crews of Lavrinenko and Kapotov managed to destroy only one tank each, after which the enemy stopped his attacks. There is also a statement that Dmitry Lavrinenko destroyed 19 German tanks in the battles near Mtsensk. Finally, in the military-historical essay "Soviet Tank Forces 1941-1945" it is reported that in the battles near Orel and Mtsensk within four days, Lavrinenko's crew destroyed 16 enemy tanks. Here is a typical example of how at that time the number of destroyed enemy vehicles was kept, even within the same brigade.
However, there are also absolutely reliable facts. These include an episode related to the defense of Serpukhov. The fact is that on October 16, 1941, the 4th tank brigade received an order to redeploy to the area of the village of Kubinka in the Moscow region, and then to the area of the Chismen station, which is 105 km from Moscow along the Volokolamskoe highway. It was then that it turned out that Lavrinenko's tank had disappeared. Katukov left him at the request of the command of the 50th Army to guard its headquarters. The army command promised the brigade commander not to detain Lavrinenko for a long time. But four days have passed since that day. M.E. Katukov and the head of the political department, senior battalion commissar I.G. Derevyankin rushed to call at all ends, but they could not find any traces of Lavrinenko. Emergency was brewing.
German light armored car Sd.Kfz.221
At noon on October 20, a T-34 drove up to the brigade headquarters, clanking its tracks, followed by a German staff bus. The hatch of the tower opened, and from there, as if nothing had happened, Lavrinenko got out, followed by the members of his crew - the loading private Fedotov and the gunner-radio operator Sergeant Borzykh. At the wheel of the staff bus sat the driver-mechanic Senior Sergeant Poorny.
The angry chief of the political department Derevyankin attacked Lavrinenko, demanding an explanation of the reasons for the delay, it is not known where the lieutenant and his crew members were all this time. Instead of answering, Lavrinenko took a paper from the breast pocket of his tunic and handed it to the head of the political department. The paper read the following: “Colonel Comrade. Katukov. The commander of the car Lavrinenko Dmitry Fedorovich was detained by me. He was tasked with stopping the enemy that had broken through and helping to restore the situation at the front and in the area of the city of Serpukhov. He not only fulfilled this task with honor, but also heroically proved himself. For the exemplary performance of the combat mission, the Military Council of the Army expressed gratitude to all the crew members and presented them with a government award. Commandant of the city of Serpukhov, brigade commander Firsov.
The point turned out to be the following. The headquarters of the 50th Army released Lavrinenko's tank literally following the departed tank brigade. But the road turned out to be clogged with vehicles and, no matter how hurried Lavrinenko, he failed to catch up with the brigade. Arriving in Serpukhov, the crew decided to shave in a hairdresser. As soon as Lavrinenko sat down in a chair, suddenly a breathless Red Army soldier ran into the hall and told the lieutenant to urgently come to the commandant of the city, brigade commander Firsov
Appearing to Firsov, Lavrinenko learned that along the highway from Maloyaroslavets to Serpukhov was a German column up to a battalion. The commandant had no forces at hand to defend the city. The units for the defense of Serpukhov were about to come up, and before that all hope for Firsov remained on the one and only tank Lavrinenko.
Soviet medium armored vehicles BA-10
In the grove, near Vysokinichy, T-34 Lavrinenko ambushed. The road was well visible in both directions. A few minutes later a German column appeared on the highway. Motorcycles rattled ahead, then a command vehicle, three trucks with infantry and anti-tank guns went. The Germans were extremely self-confident and did not send intelligence ahead. Letting the convoy go 150 meters, Lavrinenko shot it point-blank. Two guns were immediately destroyed, the third German gunners tried to turn around, but Lavrinenko's tank jumped out onto the highway and crashed into trucks with infantry, and then crushed the gun. Soon an infantry unit approached and finished off the stunned and bewildered enemy.
The crew of Lavrinenko handed over to the commandant of Serpukhov 13 assault rifles, 6 mortars, 10 motorcycles with sidecars and an anti-tank gun with full ammunition. Firsov allowed the staff car to be taken to the brigade. It was under its own power that the driver-mechanic Poor, who had moved from the thirty-four, drove it. The bus contained important documents and maps, which Katukov immediately sent to Moscow.
From the end of October, the 4th tank brigade fought on the outskirts of the capital, in the Volokolamsk direction as part of the 16th army. November 10, 1941 M.E. Katukov was awarded the rank of Major General, and the next day, the order of the People's Commissar of Defense No. 337 on the transformation of the 4th Tank Brigade into the 1st Guards Tank Brigade was published.
German heavy armored car Sd.Rfz.231 (8-Rad)
In the November battles in the Volokolamsk direction, senior lieutenant Lavrinenko again distinguished himself. On November 17, 1941, near the village of Lystsevo, his tank group, consisting of three T-34 tanks and three BT-7 tanks, was allocated to support the 1073
rifle regiment of the 316th rifle division of Major General I.V. Panfilov.
Having agreed with the commander of the rifle regiment about interaction, Senior Lieutenant Lavrinenko decided to build his group in two echelons. The first was BT-7 under the command of Zaika, Pyatachkov and Malikov. In the second echelon - "thirty-fours" Lavrinenko, Tomilin and Frolov.
About half a kilometer remained to Lystsevo, when Malikov noticed German tanks at the edge of the forest near the village. Calculated - eighteen! The German soldiers, who had previously crowded at the edge of the forest, ran to their cars: they noticed our tanks going on the attack.
A battle began between six Soviet tanks and eighteen German ones. It lasted, as it turned out later, for exactly eight minutes. But what were these minutes worth! The Germans set fire to the cars of Zaika and Pyatachkov, knocked out the T-34s of Tomilin and Frolov. However, our tankers also inflicted great damage on the enemy. Seven German cars burned, engulfed in flames and soot. The rest evaded further battle and went into the depths of the forest. The assertiveness and well-aimed fire of the Soviet tankers confused the enemy ranks, which was immediately used by our two surviving tanks. Lavrinenko, followed by Malikov, rushed into the village of Lystsevo at high speed. Our infantrymen followed after them. Only German submachine gunners remained in the village. Hiding in stone buildings, they tried to resist, but the tankers and riflemen quickly eliminated the foci of the enemy defense.
Having occupied Lystsevo, the infantrymen, without wasting time, began to dig in on the outskirts of the village.
Lavrinenko reported on the radio to General Panfilov's headquarters that the tank group had completed the task assigned to it. But there was no time for that at the headquarters. While Lavrinenko and his comrades were fighting for Lystsevo, the Germans, who occupied the village of Shishkine, made a new breakthrough on the right flank of the Panfilov division. Building on their success, they went to the rear of the 1073rd Infantry Regiment. Moreover, the Nazis threatened to cover other parts of the division with a deep roundabout maneuver. From short negotiations with the headquarters, Lavrinenko learned that the enemy tank column was already moving in the rear of the division's combat formations.
What to do? There was essentially nothing left of the tank group. There are only two tanks in service. In such conditions, the only way out of the situation is to use the method of hostilities favorite in the 1st Guards Tank Brigade - to ambush. Lavrinenko secretly brought his "thirty-four" through ravines and copses to meet the tank column of the Nazis. In the carriage with him, as always, were his comrades in arms Bedny, Fedotov, Sharov.
A thirty-four got up not far from the road. Lavrinenko opened the hatch and looked around. There are no convenient shelters. But he immediately realized that a snowy virgin land for a tank, painted white, can serve as a good cover. In the snow-whitened field, the Germans will not immediately notice his tank, and he will fall on the enemy with cannon and machine-gun fire before the Germans figure out anything.
German medium armored personnel carrier Sd.Kfz.251
The German column soon crawled out onto the road. Dmitry Fedorovich calculated - there are 18 tanks in the column. Near Lystsevo there were 18, and now the same number. True, the balance of forces has changed, but again not in favor of Lavrinenko. Then there was one tank for three, and now the guards crew had to fight alone with 18 enemy vehicles. Without losing his composure, Lavrinenko opened fire on the sides of the leading German tanks, transferred fire on the trailing ones, and then, not allowing the enemy to recover, gave several cannon shots to the center of the column. Three medium and three light enemy vehicles were knocked out by the guards' crew, and he himself imperceptibly, again in ravines and copses, escaped pursuit. Lavrinenko's crew managed to stop the further advance of German tanks and help our units to systematically withdraw to new positions, saving them from the encirclement.
On November 18, Lavrinenko arrived in his tank in the village of Gusenevo, where by that time General Panfilov's headquarters had moved. There Lavrinenko met with Malikov. The BT-7 crew also operated with full combat load the day before. All night, he covered the withdrawal of artillery units to new positions.
On the morning of November 18, two dozen tanks and motorized infantry chains began to surround the village of Gusenevo. The Germans fired at her with mortars, but the fire was indirect and ignored. Near the headquarters dugout, General I.V. was mortally wounded by a mine fragment. Panfilov.
At that moment, Dmitry Lavrinenko was just near the Panfilov command post. He saw how the staff commanders, bare their heads, carried the general's body on their overcoats, heard how an elderly Red Army soldier from the headquarters security who jumped out from behind the hut shouted, clutching his head: "The general was killed!"
And at that moment, eight German tanks appeared on the highway near the village.
- Into the tank! Quickly! - Shouted Lavrinenko to the driver-mechanic Poor.
What happened next could happen only at the moment of the highest emotional intensity. The tankers were so shocked by the death of Panfilov that they probably acted at that moment not by tactical calculation, but rather obeying the instinct of revenge. Like possessed they rushed towards the German cars. The enemy tankers were at a loss for a moment. It seemed to them that the Soviet tank was going to ram. But suddenly the car stopped a few tens of meters from the enemy column as if rooted to the spot. Seven point-blank shots - seven foul torches. Lavrinenko came to his senses when the trigger mechanism of the gun stuck and he could not make a shot at the escaping eighth car.
In the triplex, it was seen how the Nazis jumped out of the burning cars, ride in the snow, extinguishing the flames on overalls, and flee to the forest. Opening the hatch with a jerk, Lavrinenko jumped out of the tank and chased the Nazis, firing a pistol on the move.
The crew of Dmitry Lavrinenko (far left) at their T-34 tank. Autumn 1941
Shout of the radio operator Sharov "Tanks!" made Lavrinenko return. As soon as the hatch was slammed shut, several shells exploded nearby. Shrapnel rattled fractionally on the armor. Ten enemy vehicles were moving along the virgin snow from the forest. The driver grabbed the levers, but then there was an explosion in the tank. There was a ragged hole in the side armor. When the smoke cleared, Lavrinenko saw blood flowing down the Poor's temple. The driver was dead. Another splinter hit the radio operator Sharov in the stomach. With difficulty they pulled him out through the top hatch. But Sharov died immediately. The poor man could not be endured: shells began to explode in the flaming car. Lavrinenko was very upset by the death of his military friends, with whom he went through so many tests on the Mtsensk borders, on the snow-covered Volokolamsk highway.
On December 5, 1941, the Guard Senior Lieutenant Lavrinenko was nominated for the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. In the award list it was noted: “... fulfilling the combat missions of the command from October 4 to the present, he was continuously in battle. During the period of battles near Orel and in the Volokolamsk direction, Lavrinenko's crew destroyed 37 heavy, medium and light enemy tanks ... "
On December 7, 1941, the offensive of Soviet troops began in the Istra direction. Tank brigades of the 16th Army (145th, 1st Guards, 146th and 17th), advancing in close cooperation with the infantry, broke into the enemy's defenses and, overcoming his stubborn resistance, moved forward. The most fierce battles in the first day took place behind the Kryukovsky resistance center, where the 5th Panzer and 35th Infantry Divisions of the Wehrmacht defended. All attempts by the enemy to hold onto Kryukovo at any cost were unsuccessful. Parts of the 8th Guards Rifle Division. I.V. Panfilov and the 1st Guards Tank Brigade inflicted a strong blow on the enemy at night, and soon this important road junction and large settlement was liberated.
By December 18, units of the 1st Guards Tank Brigade reached the approaches to Volokolamsk. Especially fierce battles broke out in the area of the villages of Sychevo, Pokrovskoye, Gryady, Chismena.
On that day, the tank company of Senior Lieutenant D.F. Lavrinenko operated in the advance detachment of the mobile group in the Chismen Ridge area. The company was given a detachment of sappers who cleared the routes of tank movement from mines. In the village of Gryady, our tankers descended at dawn, taking the Germans by surprise. They ran out of the huts in what they came under fire from machine guns and cannons of Soviet military vehicles. Success, as you know, always excites blood, and Dmitry Lavrinenko decided, without waiting for the approach of the main forces of the task force, to attack the Germans who had settled in the village of Pokrovskoye.
But then the unexpected happened. The Germans pulled up to the highway ten tanks with infantry troops and anti-tank guns. Moving towards the village of Goryuny, the enemy tank group began to enter the rear of our forward detachment. However, Lavrinenko figured out in time what trap the enemy was preparing for him, and immediately turned his tanks towards him. Just at that moment, the main forces of the brigade approached the Goryuny. As a result, the Germans themselves fell into the pincers.
The defeat was complete. And again he distinguished himself in battle Lavrinenko. He destroyed a heavy enemy tank, two anti-tank guns and up to fifty German soldiers. Saving their skin, the German tankmen and infantrymen, those who survived in a short battle, threw their cars, weapons and fled.
Having failed, the enemy unleashed heavy mortar fire on the Goryuny. Dmitry Lavrinenko was struck by a fragment of an enemy mine. And it happened like this. Colonel NA. Chernoyarov, the commander of the 17th Tank Brigade, which was part of our mobile group, summoned Senior Lieutenant Lavrinenko to clarify the situation and coordinate further actions. Having reported the situation to Colonel Chernoyarov and having received the order to move forward, Lavrinenko, not paying attention to the explosions of mines, went to his tank. But, not reaching him just a few steps, he suddenly fell into the snow. The driver of his crew, the Red Army soldier Solomyannikov, and the tank commander, senior sergeant Frolov, instantly jumped out of the car, rushed to the company commander, but they could no longer help him.
For two and a half months of fierce fighting, the 27-year-old hero tanker took part in 28 battles and destroyed 52 Nazi tanks. He became the most productive tanker in the Red Army, but the title of Hero of the Soviet Union was never awarded to him. On December 22, 1942, he was awarded the Order of Lenin.
T-34 tanks of the 1st Guards Tank Brigade on the march. 1941 year
Dmitry Fedorovich Lavrinenko was buried at the site of the battle, near the highway, between the villages of Pokrovskoye and Goryuny. Later he was reburied in a mass grave in the village of Denkovo, Volokolamsk District, Moscow Region.
In the post-war years, Marshal Katukov and General of the Army Lelyushenko applied to the title of Hero of the Soviet Union, but only 50 years later they had an effect on the bureaucratic routine.
By the decree of the President of the USSR of May 5, 1990 for courage and heroism shown in battles with the Nazi invaders, Dmitry Fedorovich Lavrinenko was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union posthumously. His relatives were awarded the Order of Lenin and the Gold Star medal (No. 11 615). School number 28 in the village of Fearless, streets in his native village, Volokolamsk and Krasnodar are named after the Hero.
Summing up a short essay on the combat activities of D.F. Lavrinenko, I would like to draw the reader's attention to the tactics he used. In general, it fit within the framework of the tactics used by the 4th Panzer Brigade. She combined ambush actions with short surprise attacks from a strike group, with well-placed reconnaissance. All available descriptions of battles with the participation of Lavrinenko indicate that, before attacking the enemy, he carefully studied the terrain. This made it possible to correctly choose both the direction of the attack and the type of subsequent maneuver. Using the advantage of the T-34 over German tanks in cross-country ability in the autumn thaw, Lavrinenko actively and confidently maneuvered on the battlefield, hiding behind the folds of the terrain. Having changed his position, he again attacked from a new direction, giving the enemy the impression that the Russians had several groups of tanks. At the same time, according to the testimony of colleagues, Lavrinenko conducted artillery fire from the tank masterfully. But even being a well-aimed shooter, he strove to get close to the enemy at a distance of 150-400 m at maximum speed and hit for sure. Summarizing all this, it can be argued that D.F. Lavrinenko was a good cold-blooded tactician, which allowed him to achieve success.
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Dmitry Lavrinenko - tank assault No. 1 in the Red Army.
Lavrinenko again distinguished himself in the battle for the city of Mtsensk, when the 4th Panzer Brigade of Colonel Mikhail Katukov repelled the fierce attacks of the German 2nd Panzer Group of Colonel General Heinz Guderian. In October 1941, during a battle near the village of First Voin, a platoon of tanks under the command of Lavrinenko rescued a mortar company from destruction, into whose position German tanks had almost burst. From the story of the tank driver, senior sergeant Ponomarenko:
“Lavrinenko told us this:“ Don't return alive, but help out the mortar company. Clear? Forward!"
We jump out onto the hillock, and there German tanks dart around like dogs. I stopped.
Lavrinenko - blow! A heavy tank. Then we see a German medium tank between our two burning light tanks BT - they broke it too. We see another tank - it runs away. Shot! Flame ... There are three tanks. Their carriages are dispersed.
In 300 meters I see another tank, I show it to Lavrinenko, and he is a real sniper. From the second shell I smashed this, the fourth in a row. And Kapotov is a fine fellow: he also got three German tanks. And Polyansky killed one.
So the mortar company was saved. And themselves - without a single loss! "
Twice Hero of the Soviet Union, General of the Army D. D. Lelyushenko, in his book "Dawn of Victory", told about one of the techniques that Lieutenant Dmitry Lavrinenko used in the battles near Mtsensk:
“I remember how Lieutenant Dmitry Lavrinenko, having carefully camouflaged his tanks, installed logs on the position that outwardly resembled the barrels of tank guns. And not in vain: the Nazis opened fire on false targets. Letting the Nazis at an advantageous distance, Lavrinenko rained down on them devastating fire from ambushes and destroyed 9 tanks, 2 guns and many Nazis. "
On October 19, 1941, one single Lavrinenko tank defended the city of Serpukhov from the invaders. His thirty-four destroyed the enemy motorized column, which was advancing on the highway from Maloyaroslavets to Serpukhov. On November 17, 1941, near the village of Lystsevo, a tank group of senior lieutenant Lavrinenko, which consisted of three T-34 tanks and three BT-7 tanks, entered into battle with 18 German tanks. Lavrinenko's group in this battle destroyed 7 enemy tanks, but at the same time she herself irrevocably lost two BT-7s and two T-34s destroyed. The next day, already one tank Lavrinenko, being ambushed by the highway leading to the village of Shishkino, again entered into battle with a German tank column, which again consisted of 18 vehicles. In this battle, Lavrinenko destroyed 6 German tanks. On November 19, 1941, in the village of Gusenevo, Lavrinenko witnessed the death of the commander of the 316th rifle division, General I.V. Panfilov (According to other sources, D.F. At that moment, 8 German tanks appeared on the highway. His thirty-four immediately entered into battle with enemy tanks, and Lavrinenko managed to destroy 7 German combat vehicles with 7 shells, the eighth tank hastily retreated. Almost immediately, another column appeared, consisting of 10 German tanks. This time Lavrinenko did not have time to shoot: the blank pierced the side of his thirty-four, the driver-mechanic and the radio operator were killed.
Lavrinenko destroyed his last 52nd tank in battles on the outskirts of Volokolamsk on December 18, 1941. On the same day, the most productive tanker of the Red Army was killed by a stray fragment of a mine that hit his temple.
Lavrinenko had a chance to participate in 28 tank battles, burn three times in a tank, and as a result - 52 tanks destroyed.
Lavrinenko destroyed his 52 tanks in just 2.5 months of fierce fighting.
Only two and a half months of WWII battles were enough for tank crews under the command of D.F. Lavrinenko to destroy 52 enemy tanks. Until the end of the war, this figure could not be surpassed by any crew of the Red Army.
Favorite teacher
The homeland of the future Hero of the Soviet Union Dmitry Fedorovich Lavrinenko is the Kuban village of Fearless. The father was killed in the civil war, the mother raised her son alone. After graduating from teacher's courses, Dmitry Fedorovich taught at the farm school. According to the recollections of the students, the young teacher was a talented teacher, the students loved him.
First a cavalryman, then a tanker
Dmitry Lavrinenko enrolled in the army voluntarily, began service in the cavalry troops. In the late 30s - early 40s, after graduating from a tank school, he took part in the transfer of troops when the geopolitical situation in the USSR changed, as a result of which Western Ukraine and Bessarabia were annexed to the Soviet Union. Even then, the command distinguished the young tanker for his desire to master equipment and for his "sniper's eye".
Retreat and re-formation
In the summer of 41, D. F. Lavrinenko was a platoon commander of a tank division of a mechanized corps stationed in one of the Ukrainian cities. The unit where the future tank ace served did not take part in battles for a long time, retreating from the western borders of the USSR. In one of the battles, Lavrinenko's tank was damaged, but the officer was able to convince the authorities not to abandon the combat unit, but to send it to repair. In August 41, near Stalingrad, the 4th tank brigade was formed, the commander of which was appointed Colonel M.E. Katukov. The Stalingrad Tractor Plant delivered new KV t T-34 tanks to the brigade, one of the "thirty-fours" went to the crew of Lavrinenko.
First victories
The first four German tanks destroyed by the crew of Dmitry Lavrinenko were the combat vehicles of the Guderian group, our tankers knocked them out in the battles near Mtsensk in October 1941. A group of four "thirty-fours" under the command of Dmitry Fedorovich suddenly attacked an enemy tank formation, in that battle Soviet tankers destroyed fifteen pieces of equipment. In total, the crew of Dmitry Lavrinenko in the battles near Mtsensk knocked out, according to various sources, from seven to nineteen Nazi tanks - an accurate record of the knocked out equipment was not kept then.
How tankers Serpukhov defended
When the 4th tank brigade was transferred to Volokolamsk, Lavrinenko's tank was left to guard the headquarters of the 50th Army, and he did not arrive on time at the location of his unit - the retreating transport filled the road. Stopping in Serpukhov, the crew of Lavrinenko's tank decided to shave in a hairdresser. This delay subsequently played a decisive role in the defense of the city from the Germans. The Nazis took advantage of the fact that the approaches to Serpukhov were practically open, and sent a large reconnaissance unit in the direction of the city. Serpukhov defended himself only by the forces of an ineffective combatant battalion, which consisted of militias. Upon learning that there was a Soviet T-34 in the city, the command ordered Lavrinenko's crew to take up defensive positions and smash the German column. Having taken a convenient position in the suburb of Serpukhov, the tankers waited for the German intelligence and completely defeated it, shooting at point-blank range. The case was completed by the approaching militia from the extermination battalion. The tankers collected good trophies on the battlefield - the armament of the Serpukhov garrison was replenished with an anti-tank gun, for which there was a full ammunition load, a dozen motorcycles with sidecars, machine guns and mortars were also captured. Plus, along with the T-34, a German bus arrived at the brigade headquarters, where the enemy documents and maps were located. Then Katukov sent all this documentation to the headquarters of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief.
The battles near Volokolamsk
In the area of the Skirmanovsky T-34 bridgehead, Lavrinenko was knocked out, a radio operator was wounded. The brigade, where Dmitry Fedorovich served, suffered many combat losses in these battles. In November 1941, three "thirty-fours" of platoon D. Lavrinenko were included in the support unit of the rifle regiment of the IV Panfilov division. Near one of the villages of the Volokolamsk region, Soviet tankmen knocked out seven Nazi tanks and liberated the settlement itself from the Germans. Meanwhile, the German troops, as a result of the maneuver, went into the rear of the Soviet riflemen. Lavrinenko decided on his own, with his own tank, to detain and, if possible, destroy a group of enemy tanks. During that battle, the crew of the T-34 disabled six of the eight tanks. Then our "thirty-four" quietly retreated, thereby allowing the infantry to avoid the encirclement. A day later, a large number of German tanks and motorized infantry began an assault on the village of Gusenevo, as a result of a mortar attack, the legendary Major General Panfilov was killed. Shocked by this death, Lavrinenko's tankmen destroyed seven Nazi tanks in a desperate oncoming battle. But soon ten more units moved to replace those knocked out on the battlefield, and a shell hit Lavrinenko's tank. The entire crew of the T-34, except for the commander, died.
Awarded after half a century
Senior Lieutenant Lavrinenko was nominated for the title of Hero of the Soviet Union on December 5, 1941. At that time, on the account of the crews of his T-34 there were already 37 knocked out enemy tanks. Over the next 13 days, Lavrinenko's T-34 knocked out 12 more, and on December 18, the heroic Soviet tank ace died from a mine fragment. D.F. Lavrinenko was posthumously awarded the Order of Lenin. At the end of the 60s, Moscow schoolchildren found the burial place of D.F. After lengthy bureaucratic delays, Lavrinenko was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union only in 1990. A school and a street in his native village, as well as streets in 5 cities, including Moscow, are named after the hero.
(died in December 1941)
In the future, an outstanding tanker and hero of the USSR Dmitry Fedorovich Lavrinenko met the war as the commander of a tank platoon, which was part of the fifteenth tank division. For the first time, his division faced the enemy in July 1941 in the Ukraine. It was opposed by units of the 1st German Panzer Group under the command of Edward von Kleist, who were developing an offensive to the east with great speed. The 15th Panzer tank suffered heavy losses, retreated for a long time and was eventually destroyed. In those heavy defensive battles, Dmitry Lavrinenko managed to survive, his tank was damaged during the retreat and sent for repairs after reaching his own. In August 1941, the fourth tank brigade under the command of Colonel Katukov was formed from the remnants of the former 15th Panzer Division, as well as the 20th Panzer Division. Lavrinenko receives a new T-34 tank and again begins to command a tank platoon
In the fall of 1941, his tank brigade engages in battle with the Nazis near Mtsensk. This time, the Soviet tankmen are opposed by Guderian's 2nd Panzer Group. Near the village of First Voin, German tank units with the support of infantry, having a serious numerical superiority, attacked the defensive front of the 4th tank brigade. Soviet anti-tank guns were quickly suppressed by dense fire from superior enemy forces. In the defensive zone, our infantry was left face to face with German tanks and the enemy's superior manpower. Katukov reacts immediately and pushes a thirty-four platoon to the village under the command of Dmitry Lavrinenko... A sudden oncoming attack by Soviet tanks weakened the onslaught of the Germans. Lavrinenko divided his forces and attacked the enemy several times from several directions, as a result of which the commander of the German tank division, Major General Langerman, had the impression that sufficiently large forces of Soviet tanks were acting against him. In addition, Langerman, for some unknown reason, neglected to cover his troops during the march and did not pay enough attention to reconnaissance, which is why the attacks of the tanks of the 4th and 11th Soviet tank brigades on the flanks of the German troops inflicted sensitive losses on the Nazis.
According to various sources, during the battles near Mtsensk, the crew of Dmitry Lavrinenko disabled up to 19 enemy tanks, of which at least 6 tanks were irretrievably lost by the Germans. It was the successful strikes of the Soviet tank brigades, in one of which Lavrinenko fought, that did not allow the Germans to immediately launch an offensive on Tula. Near Mtsensk, according to Guderian, the Germans for the first time "in a sharp form" felt the technical superiority of Soviet tanks. The crew of Dmitry Lavrinenko also distinguished himself in the battle near Serpukhov, where he organized an ambush on the head reconnaissance detachment of the Nazis, destroying three guns, a large number of enemy manpower with the support of his infantry, capturing prisoners and part of the enemy's ammunition. Among the trophies, there was even one intact gun with full ammunition and a German command bus.
In October 1941, Dmitry Lavrinenko, as part of his 4th tank brigade, defended the Volokolamsk direction and took part in a counterattack on the Skirmanovsky bridgehead, which was occupied by the 10th tank division of the Germans. In the village of Skirmanovo, Lavrinenko's tank was disabled by the fire of a German anti-tank gun. The entire crew survived, only the radio operator was wounded and was sent to the hospital. On November 17, 1941, a consolidated group of 6 tanks, whose commander was appointed Lavrinenko, provided fire support to the rifle regiment of Panfilov's 316 division, which stormed the village of Lystsevo. Half a kilometer from the village, Lavrinenko's advancing group of 6 tanks (3 BT-7 and 3 T-34) collided with 19 German tanks. The Germans were not completely ready for battle - some of the crews did not have time to occupy the tanks. At the cost of the loss of two BT-7s and two thirty-fours, 7 German vehicles were destroyed, the rest began a rapid retreat.
The two remaining tanks in Lavrinenko's group, with the support of the infantry, occupied Lystsevo, knocking out the enemy manpower, which was sweeping away without covering their tanks, from there. Meanwhile, a critical situation arose in the defense zone of the Soviet troops in this direction - from the other flank, the Germans broke through the defensive positions and moved to the rear of several Soviet divisions. Lavrinenko gives the order to the crew of the second surviving tank to go to the headquarters, and he himself moves to the highway, with the aim of attacking the German column alone from an ambush. And the courage of the Soviet tanker was rewarded - a convoy of 8 German tanks that appeared on the highway was confused when the lead vehicle flared up from the hit of a Soviet tank shell. The Nazis were confused, and Lavrinenko's tank fired continuously, destroying 5 more vehicles and only after that secretly left the ambush. The next day, near the village of Gusenevo, Lavrinenko, who had returned to the location of his units, again entered the battle, where 7 Nazi vehicles were destroyed by the fire of his tank, but a shell from a German tank hit the side of Lavrinenko's thirty-four and it caught fire. The driver-mechanic M. I. Bedny and the radio operator Sharov were killed. However, the commander Lavrinenko and the loader Fedorov were able to survive.
The last battle in his life was fought by the legendary tanker Dmitry Lavrinenko in the outbreak of the Soviet counteroffensive near Moscow in December 1941. On the approaches to Volokolamsk, his tank company, without waiting for the approach of the main forces of the army, rapidly attacked the village of Pokrovskoye and, having occupied it, without giving the enemy a chance to come to his senses, moved to the village of Goryuny, where German motorized units and tanks retreated in panic. All of them were later completely defeated. This battle was the last for the amazingly talented tanker Dmitry Lavrinenko, and in it he knocked out his last 52 tank. Death in war can come from an unexpected direction and Lavrinenko was not destined to die in a tank battle. After the breakthrough and destruction of German equipment near Goryunovo at the position of Lavrinenko's company, panicked fascists launched artillery and mortar shelling. Lavrinenko, who came out of the tank, moved with a report to the commander of the brigade and the explosion of a mortar shell with a shrapnel cut off his life famous Soviet tanker... In just two and a half months of fighting, Lavrinenko was able to destroy more than 50 enemy tanks, becoming the most effective tanker of the Red Army in the Great Patriotic War, and if he managed to survive and go through the entire war to the end, then the number of destroyed enemy tanks would undoubtedly have been much greater. He was buried between Pokrovsky and Goryuny, and only at the end of the 60s was his grave found by a search party. Then he was solemnly reburied in a mass grave in the village of Denkovo, Moscow Region.