Ivan Timofeyevich Mokrousov (Russian: Иван Тимофеевич Мокроусов; 4 August 1919 – November 1972) was a Red Army soldier during World War II and Hero of the Soviet Union. Mokrousov was awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union and the Order of Lenin for his actions during the Chernigov-Pripyat Offensive in September 1943.[1][2]

Ivan Timofeyevich Mokrousov
Native name
Иван Тимофеевич Мокроусов
Born4 August 1919
Rakhmanivka village, Kerensky Uyezd, Penza Governorate, Russian Empire
DiedNovember 1972
Proletarsky District, Rostov Oblast, Soviet Union
Allegiance Soviet Union
Service/branchRed Army
Years of service1939–1945
RankPrivate
Unit37th Guards Rifle Division
Battles/warsWorld War II
AwardsHero of the Soviet Union

Early life edit

Ivan Mokrousov was born on 4 August 1919 in Rakhmanivka village in Kerensky Uyezd of the Penza Governorate[3] to a peasant family of Russian ethnicity.[4] Mokrousov graduated from elementary school and worked on the tractor farm. In October 1939,[5] he was in the Red Army.[1][2]

World War II edit

Mokrousov was in combat from the beginning of the war on 22 June 1941. In 1943, he joined the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. By September, he was a private[3] in the machine gun company of the 114th Guards Rifle Regiment in the 37th Guards Rifle Division. On the night of 12 September, during the Chernigov-Pripyat Offensive, Mokrousov crossed the Desna River near Novhorod-Siverskyi. He reportedly took the lead in his company and threw grenades into the German trenches. Despite being wounded, he reportedly stayed on the front line,[3] helping to repulse counterattacks. He was awarded the Order of the Patriotic War 1st class on 31 October for his actions on the night of 12 September.[5]

On 15 January 1944, Mokrousov was awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union[6][7] and the Order of Lenin for his actions during the battle on the Desna.[1][2][8] By April 1945, he was a sergeant in the 221st Guards Rifle Regiment of the 77th Guards Rifle Division. He distinguished himself in two separate actions on 19 and 22 April, for which he was awarded the Order of the Red Star on 30 June.[9]

Postwar edit

After the end of World War II, Mokrousov was demobilized. He worked as a mechanic on the Sukhovsky state farm in the Proletarsky District of Rostov Oblast. He died in November 1972[3] and was buried on the Sukhoi farm in the same district.[1][2]

References edit

  1. ^ a b c d "Мокроусов Иван Тимофеевич" [Mokrousov Ivan Timofeyevich]. www.warheroes.ru (in Russian). Retrieved 2016-01-01.
  2. ^ a b c d "Библиотека – Люди и книги" [Library – Users and books]. www.az-libr.ru (in Russian). Retrieved 2016-01-01.
  3. ^ a b c d "РАХМАНОВКА (Архангельское) Вадинского района Пензенской области" [Rakhmanivka (Arkhangelsk) Vadinsky District Penza region]. inpenza.ru (in Russian). Retrieved 2016-01-01.
  4. ^ Герои Страны
  5. ^ a b Order No. 29 of the 19th Rifle Corps, 65th Army 31 Oct 1943, available online at pamyat-naroda.ru
  6. ^ Указ Президиума Верховного Совета СССР «О присвоении звания Героя Советского Союза генералам, офицерскому, сержантскому и рядовому составу Красной Армии» от 15 января 1944 года // Ведомости Верховного Совета Союза Советских Социалистических Республик : газета. — 1944. — 23 января (№ 4 (264)). — С. 1.
  7. ^ Hero of the Soviet Union citation, available online at pamyat-naroda.ru
  8. ^ Khristophorov, N.V. (1964). Пензенская партийная организация в годы Великой Отечественной войны, 1941–1945: сборник документов и материалов [Penza party organization during the Great Patriotic War, 1941–1945: collection of documents and materials] (in Russian). Privolzhskoye book publishing house.
  9. ^ Order No. 104 77th Guards Rifle Division, 30 Jun 1945, available online at pamyat-naroda.ru