Mikhail Katukov

Mikhail Katukov
Allegiance	Soviet Union
Years of service	1919-1979
Rank	Marshal of the Armored Troops
Unit	Armoured Troops
Commands	4th Tank Brigade/1st Guards Tank Brigade 1st Tank Corps 1st Tank Army/1st Guards Tank Army
Battles/wars	Battle of Moscow Operation Mars Battle of Kursk Operation Bagration Vistula Oder Operation Battle of Berlin
Awards	Hero of the Soviet Union (2) Order of Lenin (3) Order of the Red Banner Distinguished Service Order (UK)
Other work	Commander of Armored Forces of the Group of Soviet Forces in Germany Inspector General of the Army

Marshal of the Armored Troops Mikhail Efimovich Katukov (September 17, 1900 - June 8, 1979) (Russian: Михаил Ефимович Катуков) served as a commander of armored troops in the Red Army during and following World War II. He is viewed as one of the most talented Soviet armor commanders.

Pre-War

Mikhail Efimovich Katukov entered the Red Army as a private in 1919. He served during the Russian Civil War, and later served as a tank formation commander before the war. In 1935 he graduated from the Stalin Military Academy.

Great Patriotic War

His most notable command during the Great Patriotic War was that of 1st Guards Tank Army which he commanded during the Battle of Kursk, Operation Bagration, the Vistula Oder Operation, and the Battle of Berlin. He also commanded 1st Guards Tank Brigade during the Battle of Moscow, and 1st Tank Corps during Operation Mars.

In the defense of Moscow in 1941, it was Katukov's 4th Tank Brigade, part of the 1st Guards Rifle Corps, that checked the advance of Guderian's Panzergruppe 2 near Tula. To honor this achievement it became the 1st Guards Tank Brigade.

Later during Operation Mars in December 1942, Katukov's command managed a deep penetration into the German lines in the Rhzev salient.

In the battle of Kursk, Katukov's command was one of the two armies that were hardest-hit by the initial German advance on the southern shoulder. Through the use of well-defended and sited strong-points, dug in tanks, and judicious use of counter attacks, Katukov managed to extract a high toll from the German attackers breaking through the defensive system.

Mikhail Katukov was awarded the title of the Hero of the Soviet Union twice (September 29, 1944 and April 6, 1945).

Post-War

Following the war he became commander of the mechanized forces of the Group of Soviet Forces in Germany, and later Inspector General of the Army.