Alexander Ivanovich Yeremenko

The Early Years

Alexander Yeremenko was born in Markovka, near Kharkov. He was drafted into the Imperial Army in 1913, serving on the Southwestern and Romanian Fronts during World War I. On the outbreak of the Civil War in 1918, he joined the Red Army, serving in the legendary 'Budenny Cavalry' unit. In 1924 he attended the Higher Cavalry School in Leningrad and then later in 1934 enrolled on a two-year course at the Frunze Military Academy in Moscow, from which he graduated in 1936.
In 1939, Yeremenko was placed in command of the 6th Cavalry Corps, one of the formations that took part in the invasion of Eastern Poland. The operation was characterized by poor organization and command. At one point Yeremenko had to request an emergency airlift of fuel so as to continue his advance. Following the completion of the Polish campaign he held a number of commands, including control of the Transbaikal Military District, the post he held when Operation Barbarossa began on 22nd June 1941.

Barbarossa Begins

On the 30th of June, Yeremenko was recalled to Moscow where he was given command of the Western Front, two days after its original commander was executed for incompetence. Yeremenko was thrust into a very precarious position, as a large proportion of the Western Front had been destroyed. However, Yeremenko was able patch together what remaining forces he had, and was able to halt the German offensive just outside of Smolensk. During this vicious defensive battle, Yeremenko was wounded. Following a short period of convalescence, he was given command of the newly created Bryansk Front and tasked with plugging the gap between the Western and Central Fronts. In August 1941, Yeremenko was ordered to launch a series of concerted counterstrokes against the 2nd Panzer Army along the Smolensk-Yelnia-Novozybkov axes. This action began before the Front had completed its formation and facing strong German opposition, it suffered heavy losses, forcing the offensive to be halted on the 21st of August. On the 25th of August, Yeremenko was ordered to renew the offensive and use the 43rd Army to capture Roslavl. Yeremenko suffered considerable supply problems and difficulty regrouping his forces for the operation. He was also berated by an impatient STAVKA, desperate for results, 'the entire STAVKA is dissatisfied with your results! Pochep and Starodub remain in enemy hands. Until this is done all your assurances of success will have no value'. By the 6th of September the Fronts mobile group was encircled and desperately fighting to save itself. Yeremenko asked for permission to extract the encircled group. He was again berated by STAVKA, 'This could only have occurred because of your bad management'! Despite Yeremenko's best efforts, the 141st Tank Brigade was all but destroyed and on the 8th of September in the face of heavy resistance and mounting losses the offensive was finally halted.
In October the Germans launched Operation Typhoon, an offensive operation aimed at capturing Moscow. Yeremenko's Front was pushed back by the 2nd Panzers Army's rapid advance, so much so, that his HQ was surprised and captured on the 6th of October to the south of Bryansk. Yeremenko and his adjutant managed to escape and reach the safety of the encircled 3rd Army's lines. On the 8th of October, Yeremenko's Armies began to withdraw eastwards. On the 13th of October, Yeremenko was once again wounded during a German air strike, this time severely. He was evacuated to a military hospital in Moscow, where he spent several weeks recovering. In January 1942, he was appointed commander of 4th Shock Army, which was a part of the Northwestern Front. His Army took part in an offensive against the German 9th Army in the Rzhev salient. During the Russian winter counteroffensive, Yeremenko was again wounded on the 20th of January, when German planes launched a bombing raid on his headquarters. He refused to go to a hospital until the fighting around him abated.

Defender of Stalingrad

He was then transferred to the Southwestern Front, where in August 1942 he launched a number of counterattacks against the Wehrmacht during Operation Blue, the German offensive into southern Russia and the Caucasus. On the 2nd of August, Stalin gave him command of the Southwestern Front and assigned him with the defence of Stalingrad. Yeremenko arrived in the city on the 4th of August, meeting with his political commissar, Nikita Kruschev. They established their HQ in a concealed bunker in the Tsaritsa Gorge and worked hard to prepare the defence of the city. On the 28th of September, the Southwestern Front was renamed the Stalingrad Front and Yeremenko moved his HQ to the eastern bank of the Volga. During Operation Uranus in November 1942, Yeremenko's Front broke through the 4th Rumanian Armies defences to the south of the city and then linked up with the 5th Tank Army at Kalach on the Don. Manstein's subsequent attempt to breakthrough to the Stalingrad pocket was halted and then driven back by the 2nd Guards and 51st Armies of Yeremenko's Front.

The Tide Turns

On the 1st of January 1943, the Stalingrad Front was renamed the Southern Front and took part in the drive towards Rostov and the Mius River. Yeremenko's 2nd Guards Army attempted to drive a wedge between the 4th Panzer Army and Army Detachment Hollidt. On the 20th of January the leading elements crossed the Manych River and thrust towards Bataysk. However German forces counter attacked and reduced the bridgehead at Manychskaya, halting Yeremenko's forces and holding open an escape route for Army Group A, which was withdrawing from the Caucasus.
In March 1943, Yeremenko was transferred north to the Kalinin Front. In August his Front took part in an offensive in conjunction with the Western Front to liberate Smolensk. Strong German defences and poor coordination between the Fronts saw the offensive falter and it was the 7th of September before Smolensk finally fell.
In October that year, his Front launched a small, but successful offensive capturing the city of Nevel and cutting communications between Army Groups Centre and North.
In December, Yeremenko was once again sent south, this time to take command of the Independent Coastal Army, tasked with recapturing the Crimea. The German17th Army was forced back to the Parpach line by the 12th of April. By the 15th of April, German forces had retreated into the fortress city of Sevastopol where some were evacuated by sea.
In April 1944, he was once again sent north, to command the 2nd Baltic Front. During the summer campaign, his Front advanced westwards and was able to capture Riga. On the 26th of March 1945, Yeremenko was transferred to command the 4th Ukrainian Front, which was deployed in eastern Hungary. On the 6th of May it opened an offensive into Czechoslovakia, in conjunction with the 1st and 2nd Ukrainian Fronts. The offensive in between the other two Fronts pressured German defences and on the 8th saw the capture of Olomouc. On the 10th of May Prague was liberated and the forces of Army Group Centre capitulated.

The Post War Years

After the war, Yeremenko held three major commands. Between 1945 and 1946, he was the Commander in Chief of the Carpathian Military District, then from 1946 to 1952 he became Commander in Chief of the West Siberian Military District and from 1953 to 1958 he was the Commander in Chief of the North Caucasus Military District. On the 11th of March 1955, Yeremenko, along with five other noteworthy commanders, was given the rank of Marshal of the Soviet Union. He was made Inspector General for the Ministry of Defence in 1958, a largely ceremonial role that allowed Yeremenko to retire that same year. He died in Moscow in November 1970, received a state funeral and his ashes were placed in the Kremlin wall.