Tank Rider: Into the Reich with the Red Army

CHRONOLOGY

1941

22 June — Germany invades the Soviet Union

16 July — The Germans reach Smolensk

9 August — Drafted into Red Army, to Chebarkulski military camp

16 November — Transferred to Kamyshlov military infantry academy

1942

July — Assigned to 365th Reserve Rifle Brigade at Surok station

19 November — The Soviet counteroffensive at Stalingrad begins

1943

31 January — The Germans surrender at Stalingrad

Late May — Transferred to personnel section, Moscow

5 July — The battle of Kursk begins

July — Assigned to Bryansk front

August — Joined 4th Tank Army, assigned to 6th Guards Mechanized Corps, 49th Mechanized Brigade, 1st Motor Rifle Battalion, appointed 2nd platoon leader

September — Fighting in the Orel offensive

October–December — Into reserve at Karachev

6 November — Kiev is recaptured

1944

January — 4th Tank Army transferred to Kiev

February — Transported by train to Polonnoe, marched to Shepetovka, by truck to Slavuta

4 March — Spring offensive is launched in the Ukraine

March–April — Fighting in the Kamenets-Podolsk campaign (brigade awarded title of 49th Mechanized Kamenets-Podolsk Brigade)

May–June — Into reserve at Kopychintsy

July–September — Fighting in the Lvov-Sandomir operation

October–November — Into reserve at Sandomir

December–January — Fighting in the Vistula-Oder operation, through Poland to the German border

1945

February — Fighting to the Neisse bridgehead

March–April — Into reserve at Oberau

April — The march on Berlin, wounded in action

30 April — Hitler commits suicide

2 May — Berlin surrenders to the Red Army

8 May — Keitel signs German surrender at Zhukhov’s Headquarters

9 May — Prague falls to the Red Army

May — Discharged from hospital, rejoined battalion at Prague; end of the Great Patriotic War