Stepan Fedorovich Shutov - Soviet tank officer, one of the almost forgotten heroes of the Great Patriotic War. He also took part in the First World War and the Civil War, several breakthrough battles, for which he was awarded many awards.
Early biography
Stepan Shutov was born in 1902 in the small Bobruisk district in Belarus. He was brought up in a poor peasant family, which is why he practically did not even receive a primary school education (he received basic knowledge already as an adult in courses on the elimination of illiteracy). From an early age, Stepan worked part-time as a shepherd, then as a laborer. In 2017, the October Revolution broke out, and Shutov voluntarily joined the Red Guard. A year later, during the period of the country's participation in the First World War, he was in a partisan detachment.
Subsequently, Stepan Shutov fought for the Red Army until he was discharged due to illness in 1919. Released from service, he held leading positions in various state farms, but again returned to partisan sorties when the Bobruisk district was occupied by Polish troops. In 2020, he joined the Red Army again and fought on the civil front as a mounted scout until he was fired due to deteriorating health. Stepan returned to his native farm and continued to lead it, putting up with the instability of the new state - the USSR.
The Great Patriotic War
In 1941, Shutov, as an experienced military man, was assigned to the 104th Panzer Division and transferred to the front. He led one of the tank battalions, in which he took part in the defense of Smolensk, as well as the battle for Moscow. Stepan also took part in the Kiev offensive, having managed to take important positions in the vicinity of the city. In 1944, the gallant colonel received the title of Hero of the Soviet Union, as well as several awards.
After that, Stepan Shutov performed in such operations as Proskurovsko-Chernivtsi, Korsun-Shevchenkovskaya and Yassko-Kishinevskaya. His tank corps managed to defeat several dozen enemy tanks, as well as cover hundreds of kilometers, liberating the cities of Ploiesti, Rymnik, Fokshani, Byrlad and others. The hero was awarded the "Golden Star" and assigned to the 9th Guards Mechanized Corps. Soon, in one of the fierce battles, Stepan lost his arm and in 1945 was dismissed.
Post-war time
Over the years, Stepan Shutov lived in Minsk and Kiev, held the prestigious posts of a member of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Belarus and a deputy of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR. Little is known about his personal life: he was married, raised children. The grandson of the retired colonel, Alexander Shutov, who was also a military man and rose to the rank of major general, having taken a leading position in the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, became quite famous.
In 1963, Stepan Shutov died of a long illness and was buried at the Baikovo cemetery in the Ukrainian capital. After himself, the hero of several wars, who was also fond of creativity, left his memoirs "Always in the ranks" and "Red arrows", released in 1950 and 1963.
