Aleksandra Samusenko
Encyclopedia
Aleksandra Grigoryevna Samusenko was a Soviet Ukrainian commander of the T-34
tank and a liaison officer
during World War II
. She was the only female tankman in the 1st Guards Tank Army.
Samusenko was awarded the Order of the Patriotic War
1st class and the Order of the Red Star
, which she received for bravery in the Battle of Kursk
.
as a private of infantry platoon. Later she successfully finished the tank academy. Samusenko received her Order of the Red Star, when her tank crew defeated three German Tiger I
tanks. Later Samusenko participated in the Lvov–Sandomierz Offensive.
Samusenko died from wounds in then German village Zülzefirz (70 km from Berlin
), during the East Pomeranian Offensive
, and according to World War II veteran Pyotr Demidov, under the caterpillar track
s of a tank, which did not notice the accompanying people in the darkness. She was buried in Łobez, Poland
, near the monument to William I
.
Another World War II veteran and writer Fabian Garin
, in his book Tsvety na tankakh (The Flowers on Tanks), mentions an episode from Samusenko's personal life, when a certain Mindlin, who fell in love with her, asked her "not to smoke and drink". Samusenko parried with "Maybe you have fallen in love?", kissed him in the head and stopped smoking thereafter.
In his 1975 book the Russian author Y. A. Zhukov wrote that Samusenko was a veteran of the Spanish Civil War
and the Winter War
, though Garin discounted this rumor in Tsvety na tankakh. According to Garin, it came from a certain soldier named Balandin, who told battalion commander Zhukov that Samusenko had fought in Spain:
Zhukov then asked, why does she conceal and Balandin replied that he does not know, "but for some reason many don't want to reveal that fought in Spain". Garin, however, further cites Samusenko's boyfriend Mindlin, who lately said that "she has never been there".
T-34
The T-34 was a Soviet medium tank produced from 1940 to 1958. Although its armour and armament were surpassed by later tanks of the era, it has been often credited as the most effective, efficient and influential design of World War II...
tank and a liaison officer
Liaison officer
A liaison officer or LNO is a person that liaises between two organizations to communicate and coordinate their activities. Generally, they are used to achieve the best utilization of resources or employment of services of one organization by another. In the military, liaison officers may...
during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. She was the only female tankman in the 1st Guards Tank Army.
Samusenko was awarded the Order of the Patriotic War
Order of the Patriotic War
The Order of the Patriotic War is a Soviet military decoration that was awarded to all soldiers in the Soviet armed forces, security troops, and to partisans for heroic deeds during the German-Soviet War, known by the former-Soviet Union as the Great Patriotic War.- History :The Order was...
1st class and the Order of the Red Star
Order of the Red Star
Established on 6 April 1930, the Order of the Red Star was an order of the Soviet Union, given to Red Army and Soviet Navy personnel for "exceptional service in the cause of the defense of the Soviet Union in both war and peace". It was established by Resolution of the Presidium of the CEC of the...
, which she received for bravery in the Battle of Kursk
Battle of Kursk
The Battle of Kursk took place when German and Soviet forces confronted each other on the Eastern Front during World War II in the vicinity of the city of Kursk, in the Soviet Union in July and August 1943. It remains both the largest series of armored clashes, including the Battle of Prokhorovka,...
.
Life
Samusenko began her tour of dutyTour of duty
In the Navy, a tour of duty is a period of time spent performing operational duties at sea, including combat, performing patrol or fleet duties, or assigned to service in a foreign country....
as a private of infantry platoon. Later she successfully finished the tank academy. Samusenko received her Order of the Red Star, when her tank crew defeated three German Tiger I
Tiger I
Tiger I is the common name of a German heavy tank developed in 1942 and used in World War II. The final official German designation was Panzerkampfwagen Tiger Ausf. E, often shortened to Tiger. It was an answer to the unexpectedly formidable Soviet armour encountered in the initial months of...
tanks. Later Samusenko participated in the Lvov–Sandomierz Offensive.
Samusenko died from wounds in then German village Zülzefirz (70 km from Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
), during the East Pomeranian Offensive
East Pomeranian Offensive
The East Pomeranian Strategic Offensive operation was an offensive by the Red Army in its fight against the German Wehrmacht on the Eastern Front...
, and according to World War II veteran Pyotr Demidov, under the caterpillar track
Caterpillar track
Continuous tracks or caterpillar tracks are a system of vehicle propulsion in which modular metal plates linked into a continuous band are driven by two or more wheels...
s of a tank, which did not notice the accompanying people in the darkness. She was buried in Łobez, Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
, near the monument to William I
William I, German Emperor
William I, also known as Wilhelm I , of the House of Hohenzollern was the King of Prussia and the first German Emperor .Under the leadership of William and his Chancellor Otto von Bismarck, Prussia achieved the unification of Germany and the...
.
Another World War II veteran and writer Fabian Garin
Fabian Garin
Fabian Abramovich Garin was a Russian writer and World War II veteran. He had graduated from the Kyiv Polytechnic Institute in 1924, but lived and worked in Moscow. Among his works are documentary and belletristic books Towards the Pole , The Expulsion of Napoleon , Vasily Blücher and The Flowers...
, in his book Tsvety na tankakh (The Flowers on Tanks), mentions an episode from Samusenko's personal life, when a certain Mindlin, who fell in love with her, asked her "not to smoke and drink". Samusenko parried with "Maybe you have fallen in love?", kissed him in the head and stopped smoking thereafter.
In his 1975 book the Russian author Y. A. Zhukov wrote that Samusenko was a veteran of the Spanish Civil War
Spanish Civil War
The Spanish Civil WarAlso known as The Crusade among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War among Carlists, and The Rebellion or Uprising among Republicans. was a major conflict fought in Spain from 17 July 1936 to 1 April 1939...
and the Winter War
Winter War
The Winter War was a military conflict between the Soviet Union and Finland. It began with a Soviet offensive on 30 November 1939 – three months after the start of World War II and the Soviet invasion of Poland – and ended on 13 March 1940 with the Moscow Peace Treaty...
, though Garin discounted this rumor in Tsvety na tankakh. According to Garin, it came from a certain soldier named Balandin, who told battalion commander Zhukov that Samusenko had fought in Spain:
My [Balandin's] submachine gunner Kolka... approached her and says: "[...] I saw you already under HuescaHuescaHuesca is a city in north-eastern Spain, within the autonomous community of Aragon. It is also the capital of the Spanish province of the same name and the comarca of Hoya de Huesca....
... ¡No pasarán!" And she replies: "I don't remember you" [...]
Zhukov then asked, why does she conceal and Balandin replied that he does not know, "but for some reason many don't want to reveal that fought in Spain". Garin, however, further cites Samusenko's boyfriend Mindlin, who lately said that "she has never been there".