Bondarev Andrei Leontievich is a famous Soviet military leader. Participated in the Soviet-Finnish and World War II. Holder of the honorary title of Hero of the Soviet Union.
Biography
The future military man was born in August 1901 on the twentieth of the small farm Bondarev in the Kursk province. Andrei's parents were peasants and could not provide a decent education for their son. Bondarev Jr. limited himself to receiving only primary education, and the rest of the time he worked in the household of his family. Before being drafted into the army, he managed to work in the local village council as a secretary, and it is worth noting that it was a pretty good career for a person who almost did not study.
Military career
When Bondarev was 19 years old, he was drafted into the Red Army. After serving six months, he got to the command courses in Kremenchug, where the education of the command staff was carried out. Andrey Leontievich successfully graduated from them in 1922.
After the courses he was appointed commander of a squad in the 74th rifle regiment. At various times, he also served as platoon commander and first assistant commander. Andrei Leontyevich received his first combat experience during the Civil War. His detachment took part in military operations against the military units of Nestor Makhno.
After the end of the difficult war years, Bondarev continued his army education in Kiev. In August 1927 he was transferred to the 166th rifle regiment of the Leningrad district, to the post of platoon commander. Later he was appointed political instructor. In August 1939, Bondarev received the 168th Infantry Division under his command. In this post, he went through the entire Soviet-Finnish.
In the summer of 1941, Andrei Bondarev's division was based in Sortavala, and its main task in the first months of the Great Patriotic War was to contain the Finnish troops. For two months, the fighters successfully coped with the assigned tasks, but in August the soldiers were partially surrounded, and the division was on the verge of complete annihilation.
Only the clever actions of the divisional commander, Bondarev, saved the formation from inevitable death. The surviving soldiers crossed Lake Ladoga and occupied the island of Valaam, where the enemy troops no longer posed a serious threat. A little later, Bondarev, who had established himself as a competent commander, received a major general. In the fall of 1941, Andrei Leonievich fought on the Neva bridgehead.
Six months later, he was removed from office, as the troops could not cope with the assigned tasks and went from offensive actions to the defensive. From the end of 1942 to April 1943 he studied at the Higher Military Academy. After training, Andrei Leontyevich was appointed commander of the corps, which took part in the Battle of the Kursk Bulge. Later, his troops made a huge contribution to the liberation of Ukraine.
Post-war life and death
In October 1955, due to serious health problems, Bondarev was dismissed from the armed forces. In 1960 he took up the post of chairman of a collective farm in the Belgorod region. A year later, the outstanding general died of a cerebral hemorrhage.
