On March 11, 1943, the Ural Volunteer was created tank corps under the command of General Rodin.
History of creation:

The Ural Volunteer Tank Corps (UDTK) is a unique tank formation that was created by overtime work of Ural workers with voluntary contributions from residents of three regions - Sverdlovsk, Chelyabinsk and Molotov (now - Perm region).

The idea of ​​​​creating a tank corps arose in the Urals during the days of the completion of the defeat of Nazi troops at Stalingrad. In the newspaper "Ural Worker" January 16, 1943. a note “Tank Corps Beyond Plan” was published, which talked about the initiative of tank building teams: to produce in the first quarter of 1943. in excess of the plan, as many tanks and self-propelled guns as necessary to equip the tank corps; at the same time train combat vehicle drivers from among their own volunteer workers.

To the Chairman State Committee A letter was sent to the Defense Ministry in which the Ural workers asked permission to form a special volunteer Ural Tank Corps named after Comrade Stalin. February 24, 1943 A telegram in response came from Moscow: “We approve and welcome your proposal to form a special volunteer Ural Tank Corps. I. Stalin." February 26, 1943 Commander of the Ural Military District, Major General A.V. Katkov issued a directive on the formation of UDTK. 110 thousand applications were submitted voluntarily, which was 12 times more than was required to complete the corps, and 9,660 people were selected.

The combat route of the UDTK was over 5,500 km, of which 2,000 km included battles, from Orel to Prague. During the two years of participation in the Great Patriotic War, the tank corps liberated hundreds of cities and thousands of settlements. For the skillful fighting, heroism, courage and bravery of the Ural volunteers Supreme Commander-in-Chief I.V. Stalin expressed gratitude to the corps and units 27 times. The corps was awarded the Order of the Red Banner, the Order of Suvorov, II degree, and the Order of Kutuzov, II degree. During the Great Patriotic War 42,368 orders and medals were awarded to the soldiers of the corps, 27 soldiers and sergeants became full holders of the Order of Glory, 38 guardsmen of the corps were awarded the title of Hero Soviet Union, and Colonel M.G. Fomichev was awarded this high title twice.

Since 1945 units of the division began planned combat training as part of a group Soviet troops in Germany (GSVG), carried out combat missions to support the activities of the Government of the GDR. Throughout its entire time on German soil, the division was considered one of the best tank formations of the GSVG.

Battle on Kursk Bulge.

The soldiers of the 4th Tank Army received their baptism of fire north of Orel in the summer of 1943, in the battle of the Kursk Bulge. The army arrived on the Bryansk Front on the eve of the fighting that began on July 5, 1943, and during the counter-offensive of Soviet troops it was brought into battle in the Oryol direction.

The Ural Volunteer Tank Corps had the task of advancing from the Seredichi area to the south, to cut off the enemy's communications between Volkhov and Khotynets, to reach the area of ​​the village of Zlyn, and then to straddle the Orel-Bryansk railway and highway and cut off the escape routes of the Oryol group of Nazis to the west. And the Urals completed their task.

The actions of the Ural Tank Corps, together with other front formations, created a threat of encirclement of the enemy’s Oryol group and forced it to retreat.

The first salute of the Motherland on August 5, 1943 - to the valiant troops who liberated Orel and Belgorod - was also in honor of the Ural volunteers.

Shakhovo-Bryansk forests - Unecha.

Due to the fact that the corps was tasked with capturing the Shakhovo station and, by cutting the Orel-Bryansk railway, cutting off the paths of the retreating enemy, it was transferred during August 5-6 to the area north of the village of Ilyinskoye. Once again the tankers came into combat contact with the enemy.

The order was carried out - the corps broke through the deeply layered defense of the Nazis, liberated dozens of settlements and cut the Orel-Bryansk railway. The Sovinformburo report for August 9, 1943 reported: “West of Orel, our troops, continuing to advance forward, occupied railway station Shakhovo (34 km west of Orel) and a number of settlements. In battles in this sector, the enemy suffers heavy losses in manpower and equipment. Captured enemy soldiers and officers reported that their 253rd Infantry Division had lost up to half of its personnel in battle over the past three days."

The next day, parts of the corps crossed the Orel-Bryansk highway and continued the offensive to the southwest, contributing to the liberation of the city of Karachev.

On August 29, 1943, the corps was put into reserve to be replenished with personnel and equipment. Only the Sverdlovsk Tank Brigade, supplemented by men and the remaining combat vehicles of the Chelyabinsk and Perm brigades, received the task: supporting the actions of the 63rd Army to break through the enemy’s defenses, cut the Bryansk-Lgov, Bryansk-Kyiv railways, and, having made a roundabout maneuver behind enemy lines, assist liberation of Bryansk and Bezhitsa.

In September 1943, units of the corps participated in the liberation of a number of settlements in the Bryansk region. The 30th motorized rifle brigade of the corps, reinforced with tanks, came under the temporary command of the mobile group of troops of the Bryansk Front, which had the task of cutting off enemy communications Bryansk - Pochep, Unecha - Klintsy, Novozybkov - Gomel with a swift strike.

On September 23, together with other units, the 30th Motorized Rifle Brigade stormed the city of Unecha. To commemorate this victory, the brigade was given the honorary name "Unechskaya". It became the first unit of the corps and the 4th Tank Army to receive such an honor.

Less than three months after the Ural volunteers entered their first battle, the People's Commissar of Defense of the USSR, by order of October 26, 1943 No. 306, transformed the 30th Ural Volunteer Tank Corps into the 10th Guards Ural Volunteer Tank Corps. All units of the corps were given the name Guards.

On November 18, 1943, units and formations of the corps were solemnly awarded the Guards Banners. Delegations from Ural workers took part in this event. The guardsmen reported to their fellow countrymen about their first military successes.

Volochysk - Kamenets-Podolsky.

In January 1944, Soviet troops completed preparations for the second stage of the battle for the liberation of Right Bank Ukraine from the Nazi invaders. The 1st Ukrainian Front, which included the 4th Tank Army, was given the task of defeating two enemy tank armies and building on success in the southwestern direction. Tank crews were called upon to play a responsible role in carrying out this task.

On the eve of the offensive, the Ural Tank Corps received an order: enter the breakthrough in the 60th Army zone, quickly straddle the Proskurov-Ternopil railway and highway in the Volochisk area and cut off the escape routes of the Proskurov enemy group to the west.

On March 4, the corps began carrying out a combat mission in the Yampol area. The Sverdlovsk tank brigade was moving in the vanguard. The offensive took place in difficult conditions of the spring thaw, which caused great difficulties in maneuvering artillery and led to a lag in the rear.

The enemy, with superior forces of tanks and infantry, launched continuous counterattacks on the tankers' positions. The Nazis managed to break through to the sugar factory and cut off the guards from the main forces of the corps. Volunteers from the Sverdlovsk Tank Brigade, the Unech Motorized Rifle Brigade, and two batteries of a self-propelled regiment repelled the onslaught of enemy tanks, self-propelled guns, and infantry for six days, destroying and knocking out 40 Tigers, Ferdinands, and many other equipment.

On March 10, Major General Evtikhiy Emelyanovich Belov, deputy commander of the 4th Tank Army, was appointed corps commander. He took over the formation from Lieutenant General of the Tank Forces Georgy Semenovich Rodin. In the first days of the war, the new corps commander commanded a tank regiment and even then proved himself to be a courageous and skillful commander. General E.E. Belov first of all took all necessary measures to ensure that the corps held the line railway on the section Fridrikhovka - Voitovtsy. The enemy, who had previously pushed back parts of the corps, was driven back 15-17 kilometers.

The Chelyabinsk tank brigade, after stubborn fighting, reached the Romanovka area and, in cooperation with the soldiers of the 60th Army, repelled the fierce attacks of the Nazis from Ternopil. Thus ended the first stage of the operation.

On March 21, the Urals received an order to continue the offensive and capture the city of Kamenets-Podolsky. After a short artillery barrage and an air strike, units of the corps broke through the enemy’s defenses and, having repelled three counterattacks, captured a number of populated areas. The Chelyabinsk Tank Brigade especially distinguished itself in this battle.

The Sverdlovsk and Perm tank brigades liberated the city of Gusyatin, capturing three trains with tanks and artillery, warehouses with food, uniforms and ammunition.

On March 24, the Chelyabinsk tank brigade, in cooperation with the mechanized brigade of the 6th Guards Mechanized Corps, captured the town of Skala on the river. Zbruch, defeating several units and rear institutions of the enemy army group "South", capturing large trophies and cutting off the enemy's escape route from Kamenets-Podolsk in a southwestern direction.

Tanks of the Sverdlovsk Tank Brigade at top speed, with headlights on, firing from cannons and machine guns, burst into the village of Zinkovtsy, on the outskirts of the city. The stunned enemy fled in disarray, leaving behind about 50 guns and mortars and other military equipment.

The Unecha motorized rifle brigade and the Guards mortar regiment on the morning of March 25 reached the northwestern outskirts of the city. Other units of the 4th Tank Army approached the city from the north and south.

On March 25 at 17.00, a simultaneous assault on the city from the north, south and west began with a salvo of guards mortars. The attack was so swift that the Nazis did not have time to blow up all the mined bridges, the power plant and a number of enterprises. Only the bridge connecting the Old and New Towns was blown up.

By the morning of March 26, the guardsmen of the Ural Tank and 6th Mechanized Corps completely cleared Kamenets-Podolsky of the enemy, but the fighting for it continued for another 6 days. The enemy group, surrounded northeast of the city, began to make its way to the west through the battle formations of the 4th Tank Army at the end of March. The enemy tried to drive the Soviet troops out of the city, but he failed, despite his superiority in manpower and equipment. The defenders of Kamenets-Podolsk fought to the death.

The enemy launched sixteen attacks in a week and retreated to their original positions sixteen times. For these battles, the Sverdlovsk Tank Brigade was awarded the Order of the Red Banner. More than five thousand soldiers were awarded orders and medals.

Ural-Lvovsky.

In the summer of 1944, the Ural Tank Corps took part in the offensive operation in the Lvov direction.

On July 17, the commander of the 4th Tank Army assigned the corps the task of entering the breakthrough and advancing after the 3rd Guards Tank Army, destroying enemy reserves. Carrying out this task, the corps captured the town of Olshanitsy by July 18.

In connection with the changed situation, the front command set the 4th Army the task of “capturing the city of Lvov with a swift strike bypassing the city of Lvov from the south in cooperation with the 3rd Guards Tank Army.” This was a new task - not to bypass Lviv, but to storm it. The offensive was planned for the morning of July 20. But the enemy transferred reinforcements, and the stubborn resistance of the enemy troops did not allow our tankers to capture the city on the move. Only on July 23, the corps began fighting on the southern outskirts of Lvov.

Through the joint efforts of the 4th Panzer and the 60th Panzer, the city of Lvov was completely liberated.

On the same day, Moscow saluted the troops. The volunteer corps became the Ural-Lvov Corps. The Guards Sverdlovsk Tank Brigade, the 72nd Heavy Tank Regiment, the 359th Anti-Aircraft Regiment and the 1689th Anti-Tank Fighter Regiment also received the name Lvovsky.

Continuing the offensive, the corps reached the Dniester River in the Rudka area, but here it met stubborn enemy resistance. For several days, the 4th Tank Army pinned down a large enemy group here, and on August 7 it struck in the direction of the city of Sanok, pushing the enemy to the Carpathians. This played a significant role in holding the Sandomierz bridgehead, captured on the left bank of the Vistula by the main forces of the 1st Ukrainian Front.

In the period from August 11 to 15, the corps, like other formations of the 4th Tank Army, was transferred to the Sandomierz bridgehead to strengthen its defense. Operating in the zone of the 5th Guards Army, the corps, together with combined arms formations, struck at enemy units that had launched a counteroffensive and thwarted their attempts to reach the Vistula. In September the defense became stable. On October 21, 1944, Colonel N.D. Chuprov was appointed commander of the corps, and General E.E. Belov again returned to the post of deputy commander of the 4th Tank Army.

At the end of 1944, the 1222nd Novgorod self-propelled artillery regiment, later renamed the 425th Guards Regiment, became part of the corps.

From Vistula to Oder.

On January 12, 1945, the Vistula-Oder operation began. The fascist command created a powerful defense across the Vistula and pulled reserves from the depths of Germany.

The 4th Tank Army received the task of building on the success of the 13th Army and, smashing the enemy’s reserves, entering the path of his Kielce-Radom group.

On January 12, the army commander ordered the commanders of the Ural Tank and 6th Mechanized Guards Corps to begin moving to break through the main forces. The forward detachment of the corps, consisting of the Chelyabinsk tank brigade with two companies of the 72nd heavy tank regiment, two batteries of the 426th light artillery regiment and an engineer company of the 131st separate engineer battalion, overtaking the infantry battle formations, came into contact with the enemy.

By the end of January 12, the enemy’s defenses were broken through and the Chelyabinsk Tank Brigade continued its successful offensive.

Despite numerous enemy counterattacks, parts of the corps continued to advance forward. The soldiers of the Perm Tank Brigade under the command of SA Colonel Denisov made a great contribution to the destruction of the Kielce-Radom group of fascist troops. The brigade crossed the Czarna Nida River in the Moravipa area and contributed to the liberation of the city of Cologne, a major administrative and economic center of Poland.

In connection with the capture of the city of Kielce, the Supreme Commander-in-Chief announced on January 15, 1945, gratitude to the personnel of the corps; the Perm brigade received the name “Kelecka”.

On January 18, units of the corps crossed the river. Pilica and, together with units of the 6th Guards Mechanized Corps, captured the city of Piotrkow. The Chelyabinsk tank brigade, which took an active part in the liberation of the city, received the name "Petrokovskaya".

On January 19, the corps captured the cities of Belchatow and Werszow. The Sverdlovsk tank brigade quickly reached the Warta River near the city of Burzenin and captured it.

On January 24, all parts of the corps reached the Oder. Five hundred kilometers were left behind, covered from the Sandomierz bridgehead in 12 days.

The attempt to take the city of Steinau on the move failed. The command resorted to a workaround maneuver. On January 26, south of the city, the Oder River was crossed by the Unecha motorized rifle brigade using improvised means under heavy enemy fire, capturing a bridgehead in the area of ​​​​the settlements of Tarksdorf and Diban.

For reliable support of motorized rifles, an urgent transfer of tank units of the corps to the Keben area was organized. After the successful completion of the crossing, the corps struck from the west to the enemy's rear. On January 30, Steinau was taken and the tankers reached the bridgehead occupied by motorized riflemen.

In Silesia.

In February - March 1945, battles broke out in Lower and Upper Silesia. The 1st Ukrainian Front was given the task of defeating the enemy's Silesian group, reaching the Neisse River line and taking more advantageous starting positions for subsequent attacks in the Berlin and Dresden directions.

On February 8, front troops began the Lower Silesian operation from bridgeheads on the Oder. The Ural Tank Corps was ordered, together with formations of the 13th Army, to strike at Sorau, Forst. After the capture of Sorau, parts of the corps continued their offensive and reached the Neisse River near the city of Forst. On February 21, the corps, like other formations and units of the 4th Tank Army, was withdrawn to the front reserve for replenishment with people and equipment.

For the successful completion of combat missions during the Lower Silesian operation, the Supreme Commander-in-Chief twice expressed gratitude to the corps personnel on February 14 and 15, 1945.

On March 15, 1945, the 1st Ukrainian Front began the Upper Silesian operation, the purpose of which was to defeat the Oppeln-Ratibor group of fascist German troops opposing the southern wing of the front. To accomplish this task, two strike groups were created: northern and southern. The northern group included the 4th Tank Army.

The army command assigned the Ural Tank Corps the task: together with the 117th Rifle Corps of the 21st Army, strike the enemy and reach the Neustadt-Sulz area.

On March 17, the corps crossed the river. Neisse. After completing the crossing, the corps moved to Neustadt and part of its forces to Sulz. By the evening of March 18, the Sverdlovsk tank brigade captured the city of Neustadt on the move.

The main forces of the corps reached the Sülz area, where they linked up with units of the 7th Guards Mechanized Corps. The encirclement of the enemy Oppeln group was completed.

On the same day, March 18, a telegram was received from the Supreme Commander-in-Chief about the transformation of the 4th Tank Army into the 4th Guards Tank Army. This news was received by the tankers with great enthusiasm.

The surrounded Nazi formations and units made desperate attempts to escape from the cauldron. An order was received to destroy the enemy.

By the morning of March 22, the encircled enemy group was completely eliminated. Following the destruction of the enemy Oppeln group, the troops of the 1st Ukrainian Front were to capture Ratibor, a stronghold and industrial center of Upper Silesia. The 4th Guards Tank Army took part in solving this combat mission together with the 60th Army. The Ural tank crews were ordered to concentrate in the Leobschütz area on the night of March 24-25. On March 25, the corps was brought into battle to build up the attack of the 5th Guards Mechanized Corps.

Trying at all costs to retain the western part of the Upper Silesian basin, the only coal and metallurgical base remaining after the loss of the Ruhr, the Nazi command brought here several formations withdrawn from other sectors of the front, including the 16th and 17th tank divisions, the tank SS division "Fuhrer's Guard".

Heavy fighting ensued. The SS division "Fuhrer's Guard", on which the German command placed special hopes, acted against the Urals. The Ural tank crews once again showed their ability to successfully fight with the best enemy formations. The enemy defenses began to fall apart.

Together with the 5th Guards Mechanized Corps, volunteer tankers took part in the encirclement of two fascist divisions in the area of ​​​​the city of Biskau. The Sverdlovsk tank brigade - all the remaining tanks of other brigades of the corps were brought into it - went to the rear of the enemy's Ratibor group and captured the city of Reisnitz. Here, the tankmen of the guard battalion of Captain V.A. Markov, who were the first to break into the city, especially distinguished themselves.

On March 31, together with the 60th Army, our tankers began an assault on Ratibor and the enemy could not withstand the onslaught of Soviet troops. The enemy group ceased to exist.

On March 31, 1945, the Supreme Commander-in-Chief announced gratitude to the corps personnel, including the soldiers of the Guards Sverdlovsk Tank Brigade, for excellent military operations during the capture of the cities of Ratibor and Biskau.

With the loss of the last operating arms forge – Upper Silesia – fascist Germany lost the ability to continue the fight for any length of time.

The Urals storm Berlin.

In the Berlin operation, which began on April 16, 1945, the 1st Ukrainian Front was given the task of defeating the enemy in the Cottbus area and south of Berlin, and with the right wing to assist the troops of the 1st Belorussian Front in capturing Berlin. In accordance with the instructions of the front commander to introduce forward detachments into the breakthrough to speed up the breach of the tactical depth of the enemy’s defense, the corps was given the task of assigning two brigades to the forward detachment and advancing in the direction of Beeskov. After crossing the river. Neisse infantry, immediately introduce an advanced detachment, break through the enemy’s defenses, bypass his battle formations and cross the river on the move. Spree.

Parts of the corps defeated up to two regiments of the tank divisions "Fuhrer's Guard" and "Bohemia" and captured the headquarters of the SS division "Fuhrer's Guard". The enemy on this section of the front was defeated.

On the night of April 18, the 1st Ukrainian Front received instructions from the Supreme High Command to turn part of its forces in the direction of Berlin. The corps was ordered to develop an offensive in the direction of Potsdam, cross the Teltow Canal and capture the southwestern part of Berlin on the night of April 17. On April 18, tankers of the Sverdlovsk Tank Brigade crossed the river. Spree. The defense in the Neisse-Spree interfluve was broken through and the corps broke into operational space, striking the enemy day and night. In four days of fighting, the cities of Kalau, Luckau, Luckenwalde, and Sarmund were taken.

The Sverdlovsk tank brigade reached the Frankfurt-on-Oder-Hanover highway and, having overcome it, occupied the south-eastern part of Potsdam, linking up with units of the 1st Belorussian Front. The complete encirclement of Berlin was completed.

During these same days, the main forces of the corps began fighting on the southwestern outskirts of Berlin. On April 23, the Perm tank brigade broke into the village of Stansdorf, located on the immediate approaches to Berlin. Then the Chelyabinsk tank and Unecha motorized rifle brigades came here. Motorized riflemen attempted to force the Teltow Canal, which encircles almost the entire southern outskirts of Berlin. The corps' soldiers showed exceptional heroism, but met strong enemy resistance. Having broken through to the northern bank of the canal, they were unable to hold the captured bridgehead.

At the direction of the front commander, in order to avoid unnecessary losses, the motorized rifle brigade, having advanced eastward to the city of Teltow, crossed the canal along pontoon sites placed by units of the 3rd Guards Tank Army. Following the motorized rifles, tankers of the Perm Tank Brigade burst into Berlin.

After crossing the Teltow Canal, units of the corps crushed the Nazis in the Berlin Steglitz area, and by the end of the day on April 25, they almost completely captured the Zehlendorf area. For several days, tankers of the Perm brigade and motorized riflemen, together with soldiers of the 359th Infantry Division of the 13th Army, fought fierce battles with a twenty-thousand-strong enemy group in the western part of the Zehlendorf region, which offered stubborn resistance.

The Chelyabinsk tank brigade captured the city of Babelsberg on April 26, where it liberated 7 thousand concentration camp prisoners. On the same day, it was sent to help the 5th Guards Mechanized Corps, which was engaged in prolonged battles with Wenck’s 12th Army at the Beelitz-Treienbritzen line and with the remnants of the enemy group encircled southeast of Berlin breaking through to the west. The Sverdlovsk Tank Brigade and a number of other formations of the 4th Guards Tank Army were also urgently sent here. Fierce fighting ended in the complete defeat of the enemy. During these same days, the remaining units of the corps continued to conduct combat operations in Berlin and the success they achieved was highly appreciated by the command.

During the Berlin operation, Ural volunteers were noted four times in the orders of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief. The corps and all its brigades were awarded military orders.

Just as quickly, the tankers drove the enemy out of the town of Zarmund, broke into the southern part of Potsdam, throwing the enemy behind the Havel River. A week later, in the town of Beelitz, they demonstrated the highest heroism and fortitude, repelling the attacks of the remnants of the German group encircled southeast of Berlin, desperately rushing to the west.

Convinced of the futility of attempts to break through, the Nazis began to surrender. The vast field of eastern Beelitz was densely littered with the corpses of Nazis, destroyed by German vehicles.

March-maneuver to Prague.

After the end of the Battle of Berlin, the corps was withdrawn to the Dame area. On the night of May 6, 1945, it became known that the corps, among other units of the 1st Ukrainian Front, would take part in the liberation of Czechoslovakia and its capital, Prague.

The Chelyabinsk tank brigade, reinforced by the 72nd separate heavy tank regiment of Major A. A. Dementyev and the motorized rifles of the Unecha motorized rifle brigade, was assigned to the forward detachment of the 4th Tank Army.

Having secretly completed a night march, parts of the corps concentrated in the Oschatz-Riesa area, northwest of Dresden, on the morning of May 6, and began an offensive in the afternoon. Breaking the enemy's resistance, by the evening the Urals reached the area of ​​Neukirchen, Tanneberg, Sendischbor, Starbach, and the advance detachment - to the area of ​​​​the city of Nossen, 35 kilometers west of Dresden.

On the second day of the offensive, having defeated the Nazi group in the Freiberg area, the Urals advanced 45 kilometers in rugged mountainous terrain. Overcoming the low but steep slopes of the forested Ore Mountains, moving along narrow roads and over cliffs was fraught with great difficulties. But the offensive impulse of the guards was high. Everyone understood: the lives of hundreds of thousands of civilians, the fate of Prague depended on the swiftness and skill of each unit, each warrior.

By the end of May 8, parts of the corps reached the line Most - Teplice - Shanov. Prague is 80 kilometers away. On the night of May 8-9, the Urals crossed the mountain range and poured into the plain in an avalanche. The main forces, led by the Chelyabinsk brigade, rush to Louni and Slani. On the left, along its own route, the Sverdlovsk tank brigade was advancing.

At 3 o'clock on May 9, 1945, tanks of the Chelyabinsk Tank Brigade burst into Prague. At 4 o'clock the main forces of the corps entered the city, and soon other formations of the 4th Tank Army. From the northwest and north, formations of the 3rd Guards Tank Army entered Prague in the morning, and formations of the 13th and 3rd Guards Armies in the afternoon. The first to rush into Prague were the crew of the T-34 tank of the Chelyabinsk tank brigade under the command of Lieutenant I. G. Goncharenko from the platoon of Lieutenant L. E. Burakov.

Soon after the Ural Volunteer Corps was in the capital of Czechoslovakia, the first military commandant of the Prague garrison, corps commander E. E. Belov, gave the first peace order to the troops in the first hour of peace.

Back in 1942, when there was war on the battlefields Battle of Stalingrad, in the work collectives of the Sverdlovsk factories a proposal was born: to make a gift to the front - to create our own, Ural, tank formation. On the initiative of tank builders, the newspaper “Ural Worker” on January 16, 1943 published the material “Tank Corps - Above Plan”: tank builders of the Urals pledged to exceed production plans for the production of military products, work for free and, above the plan, regularly deduct part of their earnings to equip the corps with combat weapons. cars, weapons, uniforms.

The patriotic initiative of Sverdlovsk residents was picked up by the Chelyabinsk and Molotov regions. A letter was sent to the Chairman of the State Defense Committee, which stated:

“...Expressing the noble patriotic desires of the Urals people, we ask you, Comrade Stalin, to allow us to form a special volunteer Ural Tank Corps in your name in honor of the 25th anniversary of the Red Army...”

“YOUR PROPOSAL TO FORM A SPECIAL VOLUNTEER URAL TANK CORPS IS APPROVED AND WELCOME. THE ORDER HAS BEEN GIVEN TO THE GABTU TO PROVIDE YOU WITH ASSISTANCE IN SELECTION OF COMMANDS. J.STALIN."

On February 26, 1943, the Commander of the Ural Military District, Major General Katkov, issued a directive stating that on the territory of the Ural Military District, by decision of the Sverdlovsk, Chelyabinsk and Molotov regional committees of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks, approved by the People's Commissar of Defense, Marshal of the Soviet Union Comrade Stalin, a special Ural Volunteer Tank Corps with a strength of 9,661 people is formed. The commanders of units and formations were instructed to begin training personnel as they arrived, without waiting for regular staffing.

In the very first days after receiving Comrade Stalin’s telegram, a stream of applications poured into the military registration and enlistment offices from volunteers wishing to become soldiers of the corps. More than 100 thousand applications were submitted by factory workers. 12 people applied for one place in the corps. Commissions were created at enterprises and military registration and enlistment offices. They selected physically strong, healthy people who knew how to operate equipment and those whose specialties were applicable in tank forces. At the same time, voluntary fundraising for the fund for the creation of the corps continued throughout the Urals. We collected over 70 million rubles. This money was used to buy military equipment, weapons and uniforms from the state.

Based on local conditions and resources of the regions, formations and corps units were formed in Sverdlovsk, Molotov, Chelyabinsk, Nizhny Tagil, Alapaevsk, Degtyarsk, Troitsk, Miass, Zlatoust, Kus and Kyshtym.

On March 18, 1943, Lieutenant General of the Tank Forces, front-line soldier Georgy Semenovich Rodin, was appointed to command the corps. Junior commanders and enlisted personnel arrived to staff the corps units and formations, mainly by April 1, 1943.

On April 24, 1943, the corps command turned to the District Military Council with a request to petition the Supreme Soviet of the USSR to produce battle flags for the corps units and formations. On May 1, 1943, in all units and formations of the corps, volunteers solemnly took the military oath and were presented with military weapons. On May 9, 1943, at the Sverdlovsk Opera House, the working Urals advised the volunteers of the corps units and formations formed in Sverdlovsk to battle the enemy, and presented the corps with its ORDER: “Do not disgrace the centuries-old military traditions of the Urals, defeat the enemy, take revenge on him for his desecration native land, return to your native Urals only with victory.” The corps was presented with the CHEF'S banner. The corps commander, Lieutenant General G.S. Rodin, bowed his knee. The volunteers vowed to fulfill the NAND of the Urals people.

On June 2, 1943, units and formations of the corps with personnel, tanks, vehicles and ammunition were loaded into trains and redeployed to the Moscow region. In the act of transferring the 30th UDTK to the Kosterevsky tank camp, it was noted that the corps personnel were satisfactorily prepared. The middle ranks of the command staff were staffed by tank schools and KUKS. Junior commanders and rank and file are Ural volunteers. Out of 8,206 people. The corps personnel are only 536 people. had military experience. Women also served in units and formations of the corps: 123 privates and junior commanders, 249 signalmen and radio operators.

On July 17, 1943, the material part of the corps consisted of: T-34 tanks - 202, T-70 - 7, BA-64 armored vehicles - 68, self-propelled 122 mm guns - 16, 85 mm guns - 12, M-13 installations - 8, 76 mm guns - 24, 45 mm guns - 32, 37 mm guns - 16, 120 mm mortars - 42, 82 mm mortars - 52.

The material part of the combat vehicles and artillery weapons received by the corps was completely new. Having arrived at the Kosterevsky tank camp (Cuban branch), the units and formations of the corps began combat training under the program “Bringing together tank brigades and corps and tank military camps.”

By order of the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command, the 30th Ural Volunteer Tank Corps became part of the 4th Tank Army of Lieutenant General of Tank Forces Vasily Mikhailovich Badanov. At the beginning of July 1943, a commission of the Main Directorate for the Formation and Training of Armored and Mechanized Troops of the Red Army, under the leadership of Marshal Fedorenko, checked the combat readiness of units and formations of 30 UDTK, noting its good preparation.

By order of the USSR NKO No. 306 of October 23, 1943, the 30th Ural Tank Corps was transformed into the 10th Guards Ural Tank Corps.

In the active army:

• from 07/20/1943 to 09/29/1943

1 Hello. I am Anastasia Markova, an 11th grade student at school No. 3 in Aramil. Allow me to present to your attention the project “Ural Volunteer Tank Corps”.

2 Before starting work, I set a goal for myself: to study the history of the UDTK and its combat path and defined the tasks: to study the history of the creation and formation of the UDTK, its preparation for military operations; study the combat path of the UDTK and evaluate its contribution to the military operations of the Great Patriotic War; consider the personal contribution of the Ural heroes to the cause of victory; find out the view of our contemporaries on the military exploits of the Urals.

3 By decree of Governor Evgeny Kuyvashev, a significant date was established in the Middle Urals - “The Day of National Feat for the formation of the Ural Volunteer Tank Corps during the Great Patriotic War.” This holiday will be celebrated on March 11th. In the year of the anniversary of the formation of the corps and its baptism of fire, the significance of this topic acquires the greatest relevance.

4 At my school, I conducted a survey among grades 9–11 and found out that only a small part of students know about UDTC. I felt very offended, because modern youth have become little interested in the history of their country. This topic is also significant because there are fewer and fewer veterans every year, and they are the only source from which reliable information about the events of the war can be obtained. Their memories acquire special value. The memory of the difficult war, of the victory hard won by the Soviet people, must be eternal. That is why it is necessary to be interested in the history of the country, communicate with participants in the war, in order to subsequently pass on these memories to other generations.

5 The Ural Volunteer Tank Corps, its creation, formation and equipment is an unusually vivid manifestation of the best features of the Soviet people. In three Ural regions - Sverdlovsk, Chelyabinsk, Perm, in big cities, workers' settlements, villages and hamlets, the idea arose to form a tank corps. This was a massive desire of the Urals people to take a direct part in the defeat of the enemy. The volunteer corps was born from the heart of the people.

6 The patriotic initiative of Sverdlovsk residents was picked up by the Chelyabinsk and Molotov regions. A letter was sent to the Chairman of the State Defense Committee requesting permission to form a volunteer tank corps.

On February 24, 1943, a response telegram came from Moscow with approval and greeting of this initiative.

7 The UDTK began its combat career at the Battle of Kursk. His path to victory was long and very difficult. The corps liberated hundreds of cities and thousands of settlements from the Nazi invaders, and rescued tens of thousands of people from Hitler’s slavery. The Ural tank crews caused enormous damage to the Nazi army in manpower and equipment. The last battles were for the liberation of Prague.

8 Mothers, sisters, children and wives, seeing off Soviet soldiers to the front, gave them their instructions. They were worried, but they believed with all their hearts that the Russian people were capable of a great victory, that their power was great and they could not resist it. Nazi invaders. From the words of the order it is clear that relatives and friends not only wished the military success, they believed that Russia would not be left without victory, that the volunteers of the Urals would show their military discipline, organization, perseverance and defend their Motherland. Before starting to carry out their tasks, before the start of hostilities, the soldiers, commanders and political workers of the Ural Volunteer Tank Corps took an oath: We swear: to cleanse our sacred Soviet land from the German occupiers, to take revenge on the enemy for his atrocities and abuses of our people. We swear: each of us will not spare our lives and blood in the name of victory over the enemies of all mankind.

9 The soldiers of the 4th Tank Army received their baptism of fire north of Orel in the summer of 1943, in the battle of the Kursk Bulge. The army arrived on the Bryansk Front on the eve of the fighting that began on July 5, 1943, and during the counter-offensive of Soviet troops it was brought into battle in the Oryol direction. The Ural Volunteer Tank Corps had the task of advancing from the Seredichi area to the south, to cut off the enemy's communications between Volkhov and Khotynets, to reach the area of ​​the village of Zlyn, and then to straddle the Orel-Bryansk railway and highway and cut off the escape routes of the Oryol group of Nazis to the west. And the Urals completed their task.

11 In the Berlin operation, which began on April 16, 1945, the task was set: to defeat the enemy in the Cottbus area and south of Berlin, to assist the troops of the 1st Belorussian Front in capturing Berlin.

12 After the end of the Battle of Berlin, the corps was withdrawn to the Dame area. On the night of May 6, 1945, it became known that the corps, among other units of the 1st Ukrainian Front, would take part in the liberation of Czechoslovakia and its capital, Prague.

13 Movie

14, 15, 16, 17 The combat path of the Ural Volunteer Tank Corps was long and very difficult. During the two years of participation in the Great Patriotic War, the Ural Volunteer Tank Corps covered over 5,500 kilometers from Orel to Prague, including more than 2,000 kilometers in battles. The corps liberated hundreds of cities and thousands of settlements from the Nazi invaders, and rescued tens of thousands of people from Hitler’s slavery. The Ural tank crews caused enormous damage to the Nazi army in manpower and equipment.

18 38 of the best soldiers of the corps were awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.

19 For the excellent fighting, heroism, courage and bravery of the Ural volunteers, Moscow saluted them 27 times. “The Orders of the Red Banner, Suvorov and Kutuzov of the 2nd degree shone on the guards banner of the corps, and 51 military orders appeared on the banners of the units. The soldiers of the corps were awarded 42,368 orders and medals, 27 soldiers and sergeants became full holders of the Order of Glory. Monuments to the Ural tank crews were erected in Berlin and Prague, in Lvov and Kamenets-Podolsk, in Sverdlovsk and Perm, in many settlements that were liberated by volunteers.

20 I talked with the history teacher of our school, Elena Andreevna Serebrennikova. From her story I learned that she studied at school No. 21 in Pervouralsk. There was a museum of the history of the Urals at the school. In 1973, as part of the museum’s work, a group of students was invited to celebrate the 30th anniversary of UDTK in Orel. Then they went to the places of military glory of the tank corps. In the Oryol region, where military operations took place, schoolchildren met with local residents who shared their memories and showed one of the most mass graves of our soldiers and officers - the Krivtsovsky memorial.

And of course, the greatest impression was made by the meeting with retired general, former commander of UDTK Rodin G.S.

The story made an indelible impression, especially since it was accompanied by a display of photographs of that time.

21 I conducted classroom hours in high school, during which I gave a presentation about UDTK, talked with students, gave a quiz, and showed videos. I hope that the guys gained a lot of new knowledge that they will retain in their memory. After some time, I plan to conduct a survey again and check whether the children have learned the material I told them well.

22 At school No. 3 in the village of Aramil, a volunteer team has been formed, whose members are very happy to help veterans or their families, and the elderly. As a participant in this movement, I want to say that it is very pleasant to help and listen to older people. They talk with great sincerity about the events of their past life.

23 In the future I am planning performances at classroom hours in high school; Participation in the city scientific and practical conference; Meetings with veterans of the Great Patriotic War living in the village of Aramil; Celebrating the “Day of National Feat for the formation of the Ural Volunteer Tank Corps during the Great Patriotic War” at school, inviting veterans to festive concerts; In-depth study of the history of war.

24 UDTK is an example of true people's patriotism, selfless love for the Fatherland, and selflessness of the Soviet people. The soldiers of the Ural Volunteer Tank Corps deserve respect and eternal memory. Wanting to save their homeland from the enemy, they sacrificed their lives, health, and gave everything they had. The idea of ​​​​creating the corps, its glorious military deeds, are an example of the powerful unity of the Soviet Army and the people. IN Lately Special attention is paid to the patriotic education of youth. I believe that my personal contribution in this direction can be expressed by this work. In the year of the 70th anniversary of UDTK, a number of events will be held at my school to coincide with this event. It is planned to speak at classes in high school, participate in a city scientific and practical conference, and meet with veterans of the Great Patriotic War living in the village of Aramil. Such events help preserve the inextricable connection between generations. Nothing can replace live communication between young people and representatives of the older generation who have vast life experience.

On March 11, Russia celebrates the Day of National Feat for the formation of the Ural Volunteer Tank Corps during the Great Patriotic War.

This memorable date, marking the feat of the Soviet people during the war, appeared on the calendar in 2012, when the governor of the Sverdlovsk region issued a corresponding decree, where the first paragraph reads: “Set a significant date for the Sverdlovsk region “Day of National Feat” for the formation of the Ural Volunteer Tank Corps in years of the Great Patriotic War" and celebrate it annually on March 11."

The historical event that served as the basis for the establishment of the holiday occurred in 1943. The Ural Volunteer Tank Corps was formed in 1943 and was equipped with equipment manufactured by the workers of the Sverdlovsk, Chelyabinsk and Molotov regions (now the Perm Territory) with unpaid labor in excess of the plan and through voluntary contributions. When formed (February), the formation was called the Special Ural Volunteer Tank Corps named after I.V. Stalin, from March 11 - the 30th Ural Volunteer Tank Corps. Thus, on March 11, 2013, the Ural Volunteer Tank Corps turned 70 years old. In connection with this, a holiday was established.

The Ural Tank Corps is known for the fact that 3,356 Finnish knives (“black knives”) were specially produced for it in Zlatoust. The tankers received HP-40 knives - “Army knife of the 1940 model.” The knives differed in appearance from the standard ones: their handles were made of black ebonite, and the metal on the sheath was blued. Similar knives were previously part of the equipment of paratroopers and reconnaissance officers; in some units they were awarded only for special merits. These short blades with black handles, which were in service with our tank crews, became legendary and inspired fear and respect in our enemies. “Schwarzmesser Panzer-Division”, which translates as “Tank Division of Black Knives” - this is what German intelligence called the Ural Corps on the Kursk Bulge in the summer of 1943.

The Ural tank crews took the nickname given to them by the Nazis with pride. In 1943, Ivan Ovchinin, who later died in the battles for the liberation of Hungary, wrote a song that became the unofficial anthem of the Black Knife Division. It also contained these lines:

The fascists whisper to each other in fear,
Hiding in the darkness of the dugouts:
Tankers appeared from the Urals -
Black Knife Division.

Squads of selfless fighters,
Nothing can kill their courage.
Oh, they don’t like fascist bastards
Our Ural steel black knife!

T-34-85 tank of the 29th Guards Motorized Rifle Brigade of the 10th Guards Ural Volunteer Tank Corps on Prague Square

From the case

The Ural Volunteer Tank Corps is the only tank formation in the world created entirely with funds voluntarily collected by residents of three regions: Sverdlovsk, Chelyabinsk and Molotov. The state did not spend a single ruble on arming and equipping this corps. All combat vehicles were built by Ural workers overtime, after the end of the main working day.

The idea of ​​making a gift to the front - creating a Ural tank corps - was born in 1942. It arose in the factory teams of the Ural tank builders and was picked up by the entire working class of the Urals in the days when our country was under the impression of the decisive and victorious Battle of Stalingrad. The Urals, who at that time produced the bulk of tanks and self-propelled guns, were rightfully proud of the victory on the Volga, where the armored forces showed the irresistible striking force of the Red Army. It became clear to everyone: the success of the upcoming battles and the final victory over Nazi Germany largely depend on the number of our magnificent combat vehicles, combined into large tank formations. The workers of the stronghold of the Soviet state decided to give the front-line soldiers another unique gift - a volunteer tank corps.

On January 16, 1943, the newspaper “Uralsky Rabochiy” published the article “Tank Corps Beyond Plan.” It spoke of the obligation of the largest teams of tank builders in the Urals to produce in the first quarter, in excess of the plan, as many tanks and self-propelled guns as required per corps, while at the same time training vehicle drivers from among their own volunteer workers. The slogan was born on the factory floors: “Let’s make above-plan tanks and self-propelled guns and take them into battle.” The party committees of the three regions sent a letter to Stalin, in which they stated: “... Expressing the noble patriotic desire of the Urals, we ask that we be allowed to form a special volunteer Ural Tank Corps... We undertake the obligation to select selflessly loyal to the Motherland into the Ural Tank Corps the best people Ural - communists, Komsomol members, non-party Bolsheviks. We undertake to fully equip the Volunteer Tank Corps of the Urals with the best military equipment: tanks, planes, guns, mortars, ammunition - produced in excess of the production program.” Joseph Stalin approved the idea, and work began to boil.

Everyone responded to the cry raised by Uralmash tank builders, who contributed part of their salaries to the construction of tanks. Schoolchildren collected scrap metal to send it to furnaces for melting down. Ural families, who themselves lacked funds, gave away their last savings. As a result, residents of the Sverdlovsk region alone managed to collect 58 million rubles. Not only were combat vehicles built with people's money, but also the necessary weapons, uniforms, and literally everything were purchased from the state. In January 1943, a recruitment of volunteers for the Ural Corps was announced. By March, over 110 thousand applications had been submitted - 12 times more than was necessary.

Volunteers represented the best part of the workforce, among them there were many skilled workers, specialists, production managers, communists and Komsomol members. It is clear that it was impossible to send all the volunteers to the front, since this would damage production and the entire country. Therefore, they made a tough selection. Party committees, factory committees, and special commissions often selected one of 15–20 worthy candidates with the condition that the staff recommend who should replace the one leaving for the front. Selected candidates were reviewed and approved at work meetings. Only 9,660 people were able to go to the front. In total, 536 of them had combat experience, the rest took up arms for the first time.

On the territory of the Sverdlovsk region the following were formed: corps headquarters, 197th tank brigade, 88th separate reconnaissance motorcycle battalion, 565th medical platoon, 1621st self-propelled artillery regiment, 248th rocket mortar division ("Katyusha" ), the 390th communications battalion, as well as units of the 30th motorized rifle brigade (brigade command, one motorized rifle battalion, reconnaissance company, control company, mortar platoon, medical platoon). On the territory of the Molotov (Perm) region the following were formed: the 243rd tank brigade, the 299th mortar regiment, the 3rd battalion of the 30th motorized rifle brigade, the 267th repair base. In the Chelyabinsk region the following were formed: the 244th tank brigade, the 266th repair base, the 743rd engineer battalion, the 64th separate armored battalion, the 36th fuel and lubricants delivery company, an engineering mortar company, a motor transport company and units of the 30th motorized rifle brigades (2nd motorized rifle battalion, anti-tank rifle company, motor transport company and brigade technical support company).

Thus, the 30th Tank Corps was formed in a surprisingly short time. By order of the People's Commissar of Defense of March 11, 1943, it was given the name - 30th Ural Volunteer Tank Corps.

The first commander of the corps was Georgy Semenovich Rodin (1897-1976). Georgy Rodin had extensive combat experience: he began serving in the Russian imperial army in 1916, rose to the rank of senior non-commissioned officer, then joined the ranks of the Red Army. He began his service as a platoon commander and fought with whites and bandits. After Civil War served as a platoon commander, assistant company commander, deputy battalion commander, and battalion commander. Since 1930, he served as assistant commander and commander of the 234th Infantry Regiment, and since December 1933, as commander of a separate tank battalion and head of the armored service of the 25th Infantry Division. In 1934, he completed academic courses for technical improvement of the command staff of the Red Army, and in 1936, for the excellent combat training of the unit, he was awarded the Order of the Red Star. He took part in the campaign in Western Belarus and fought with the Finns.

Before the start of the Great Patriotic War, he commanded the 47th Tank Division (18th Mechanized Corps, Odessa Military District). The division under the command of Rodin covered the retreat of the 18th and 12th armies of the Southern Front; during the fighting in the area of ​​​​the city of Gaysin, the division was surrounded, during the exit from which it inflicted significant damage on the enemy. During the fighting for Poltava, Rodin was seriously wounded. In March 1942, he was appointed commander of the 52nd Tank Brigade, and in June - to the post of commander of the 28th Tank Corps, which at the end of July took part in a frontal counterattack against the enemy who had broken through to the Don north of the city of Kalach-na- Don. In October, he was appointed head of the Automotive Armored Troops of the Southwestern Front, and in April 1943, he was appointed commander of the 30th Ural Volunteer Tank Corps.

The commander of the 30th Ural Volunteer Tank Corps, Lieutenant General of Tank Forces Georgy Semenovich Rodin (1897-1976), awards Guard Junior Sergeant Pavlin Ivanovich Kozhin (1905-1973) with the medal “For Military Merit”

Since the spring of 1944, the corps was commanded by Evtikhiy Emelyanovich Belov (1901-1966). He also had extensive combat experience. He began serving in the Red Army in 1920. He served as a squad commander, platoon commander, assistant company commander, rifle battalion commander, and tank battalion commander. In 1932 he completed armored tank advanced training courses for command personnel, and in 1934 - in absentia Military Academy named after M.V. Frunze. Before the start of the war, he was the commander of the 14th Tank Regiment (17th Tank Division, 6th Mechanized Corps, Western Special Military District). After the start Great War took part in the border battle, participated in the counterattack in the Bialystok-Grodno direction, and then in defensive battles in the Grodno, Lida and Novogrudok regions. In September 1941, Evtikhiy Belov was appointed commander of the 23rd Tank Brigade (49th Army, Western Front). In July 1942, he was appointed to the post of deputy commander of tank forces of the 20th Army (Western Front), while there he took part in the Rzhev-Sychevsk offensive operation, and then in the defense of the army of the Rzhev-Vyazma defensive line. In January 1943, he was appointed deputy commander of the 3rd Tank Army. In May 1943, he was appointed to the post of deputy commander of the 57th Army, in July - to the post of deputy commander of the 4th Tank Army, and in March 1944 - to the post of commander of the 10th Guards Ural Volunteer Tank Corps.

Medium tanks T-34, manufactured above plan for the Ural Volunteer Tank Corps. The stamped turret for the tank in the photo was produced at the Ordzhonikidze Ural Heavy Engineering Plant (UZTM) in Sverdlovsk

An echelon of the Ural Volunteer Tank Corps heading to the front. On the platforms there are T-34-76 tanks and SU-122 self-propelled guns

On May 1, 1943, the soldiers of the corps took the oath, vowed to return home only with Victory, and soon received orders to go to the front. The Ural Corps became part of the 4th Tank Army and on July 27 received a baptism of fire on the Kursk Bulge, north of the city of Orel. In battles, Soviet tank crews showed incredible stamina and unparalleled courage. The unit was awarded the honorary title of Guards Corps. By order of the People's Commissar of Defense of the USSR No. 306 of October 26, 1943, it was transformed into the 10th Guards Ural Volunteer Tank Corps. All units of the corps were given the name Guards. On November 18, 1943, units and formations of the corps were solemnly awarded the Guards Banners.

The corps' combat route from Orel to Prague was over 5,500 kilometers. The Ural Volunteer Tank Corps participated in the Oryol, Bryansk, Proskurov-Chernivtsi, Lviv-Sandomierz, Sandomierz-Silesian, Lower Silesian, Upper Silesian, Berlin and Prague offensive operations. In 1944, the corps was awarded the honorary title “Lvov”. The corps distinguished itself during the crossing of the Neisse and Spree rivers, the destruction of the enemy's Kotbu group and in the battles for Potsdam and Berlin, and on May 9, 1945, it was the first to enter Prague. The corps was awarded the Order of the Red Banner, Suvorov II degree, Kutuzov II degree. In total, there are 54 orders on the battle banners of the units that were part of the 10th Guards Ural-Lvov, Red Banner, Orders of Suvorov and Kutuzov Volunteer Tank Corps.

A group of Soviet T-34 medium tanks from the 10th Guards Ural Volunteer Tank Corps follows along a street in Lvov

Outstanding masters tank battle 12 corps guards showed themselves, destroying 20 or more enemy combat vehicles. Lieutenant M. Kuchenkov's Guard has 32 armored units, Captain N. Dyachenko's Guard has 31, Sergeant Major N. Novitsky's Guard has 29, Junior Lieutenant M. Razumovsky's Guard has 25, Lieutenant D. Maneshin's Guard has 24, Guard Captain V. Markov and Guard Senior Sergeant V. Kupriyanov - 23 each, Guard Sergeant S. Shopov and Guard Lieutenant N. Bulitsky - 21 each, Guard Sergeant M. Pimenov, Guard Lieutenant V. Mocheny and Guard Sergeant V. Tkachenko - 20 armored units each.

During the Prague operation, the crew of the T-34 tank No. 24 of the 63rd Guards Chelyabinsk Tank Brigade under the command of Guard Lieutenant Ivan Goncharenko became famous. At the beginning of May 1945, during the campaign against Prague, I. G. Goncharenko’s tank was included in the lead marching column and was among the first three reconnaissance tanks of the guard of junior lieutenant L. E. Burakov. After three days of forced march, on the night of May 9, 1945, the advanced units of the corps approached Prague from the northwest. From memory former commander 63rd Guards Tank Brigade of M. G. Fomichev, the local population greeted the Soviet tankers with jubilation, with national and red flags and banners “At Zhiye Ore Armada! Long live the Red Army!

On the night of May 9, a reconnaissance platoon of three tanks, Burakov, Goncharenko and Kotov, with scouts and sappers on armor, was the first to enter Prague and found out that Czech rebels were fighting with the Germans in the city center. An assault group was formed in Prague - the tank of the company commander Latnik was added to the reconnaissance platoon. The assault group under the command of Latnik was given the task of capturing the Manesov Bridge and ensuring the exit of the main forces of the tank brigade to the city center. On the approaches to Prague Castle, the enemy put up strong resistance: at the Charles and Manesov bridges over the Vltava River, the Nazis set up a barrier of several assault guns under the cover of a large number of faustians. Ivan Goncharenko’s tank was the first to reach the Vltava River. During the ensuing battle, Goncharenko’s crew destroyed two enemy self-propelled guns and began to break through the Manesov Bridge, but the Germans managed to knock out the T-34. From the award sheet: “While holding the crossing, Comrade Goncharenko destroyed 2 self-propelled guns with the fire of his tank. The tank was hit by a shell and caught fire. T. Goncharenko was seriously wounded. Being seriously wounded, the brave officer, bleeding, continued to fight. Comrade Goncharenko was killed by a second hit in the tank. At this time, the main forces arrived and began a rapid pursuit of the enemy.” Goncharenko was posthumously awarded the Order of the Patriotic War, 1st degree. Crew members I. G. Goncharenko - A. I. Filippov, I. G. Shklovsky, N. S. Kovrigin and P. G. Batyrev - were seriously wounded in battle on May 9, 1945, but survived. The remaining tanks of the assault group, having broken the resistance of the German troops, captured the Manesov Bridge, preventing the enemy from blowing up the bridge. And then we walked along it to the center of Prague. On the afternoon of May 9, the capital of Czechoslovakia was liberated from German troops.

Guard lieutenant, tanker Ivan Grigorievich Goncharenko

In honor of the tank, as the first to come to the aid of the rebel Prague, a monument with an IS-2 tank was erected in the capital of Czechoslovakia. The monument to Soviet tank crews in Prague on Stefanik Square stood until the “Velvet Revolution” in 1991, when it was repainted pink, then dismantled from its pedestal and is now used as a “symbol of the occupation of Czechoslovakia by Soviet troops.” Thus, in the Czech Republic, as throughout Europe, the memory of the Soviet soldier-liberator was basically destroyed, and the black myth of “ Soviet occupation».

Soviet tank IS-2, stationed in 1948-1991. in Prague as a monument to the T-34 tank I. G. Goncharenko

In total, on the fronts of the Great Patriotic War, Ural tank crews destroyed and captured 1,220 enemy tanks and self-propelled guns, 1,100 guns of various calibers, 2,100 armored vehicles and armored personnel carriers, and destroyed 94,620 enemy soldiers and officers. In total, during the war, 42,368 orders and medals were awarded to the soldiers of the corps, 27 soldiers and sergeants became full holders of the Order of Glory, and 38 guardsmen of the corps were awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.

After the end of the Great Patriotic War, the corps was transformed into the 10th Guards Tank Division. The division is part of the Group of Soviet Forces in Germany (GSVG, ZGV). It is part of the 3rd Combined Arms Red Banner Army. After the withdrawal of troops from Germany in 1994, the division was redeployed to Voronezh region, namely the city of Boguchar (Moscow Military District). In 2001, the division took part in hostilities in the North Caucasus. In 2009, the division was disbanded and the 262nd Guards base for storing weapons and equipment (tank) was formed on its base. In 2015, on the basis of the storage base, the 1st separate tank brigade was formed, with the transfer of the honorary title of the 10th Guards Tank Division to it. This is the glorious path of the Ural Volunteer Tank Corps.

Soldiers of the 63rd Guards Chelyabinsk Tank Brigade on Wenceslas Square in Prague

Application. Oath of soldiers, commanders and political workers of the Ural Volunteer Tank Corps.