Vasily Kuznetsov (general)
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Vasily Kuznetsov | |
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| Battles/wars | World War I Russian Civil War World War II |
| Awards | Hero of the Soviet Union |
Vasily Ivanovich Kuznetsov (Russian: Василий Иванович Кузнецов; 15 January [O.S. 3 January] 1894 – 20 June 1964) was a Soviet general and a Hero of the Soviet Union.
Life and career
Kuznetsov was born to a working-class family in Ust-Usolka, Solikamsky Uyezd, Perm Governorate. In April 1915 he was drafted into the Imperial Russian Army, taking part in World War I. In March 1916 he completed officer training in Kazan, attaining the rank of a Podporuchik in July.
In August 1918, after the October Revolution, he joined the Red Army, serving in the Russian Civil War first as a company commander and later as a deputy regimental commander. In October 1923 he was appointed commander of 89th Rifle Regiment.
He joined the
During September 1939, Komkor Kuznetsov participated in the Invasion of Poland as chief of the Vitebsk and Polotsk Army Groups. On 4 June 1940, with the introduction of new ranks, he became a lieutenant general.[1]
World War 2
In February 1942, the Army relocated to the north, taking part in the
Post-war career
On 29 May 1945, Kuznetsov was awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union (Medal no. 6460) for his performance. After the war, he remained the 3rd Army's commander in Germany for a while, then attended the
Honours and awards
- Soviet Union
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Hero of the Soviet Union (29 May 1945) |
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Order of Lenin, twice (21 February 1945, 29 May 1945) |
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Order of the Red Banner, five times (22 February 1928, 22 February 1941, 2 January 1942, 3 November 1944, 20 June 1949) |
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Order of Suvorov, 1st class (28 January 1943) |
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Order of Suvorov, 2nd class (26 October 1943) |
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Medal "For the Defence of Stalingrad" (22 December 1942) |
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Medal "For the Defence of Moscow" (1 May 1944) |
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Medal "For the Liberation of Warsaw" (9 June 1945) |
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Medal "For the Capture of Berlin" (9 June 1945) |
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Medal "For the Victory over Germany in the Great Patriotic War 1941–1945" (9 May 1945) |
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Jubilee Medal "XX Years of the Workers' and Peasants' Red Army" (1938) |
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Jubilee Medal "30 Years of the Soviet Army and Navy" (1948) |
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Jubilee Medal "40 Years of the Armed Forces of the USSR" (1958) |
- Foreign Awards
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Commander of the Legion of Honour (France) |
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Knight's Cross of the Virtuti Militari (Poland) |
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Order of the Cross of Grunwald, 3rd class (Poland) |