Alexander Altunin
Encyclopedia
Alexander Terentyevich Altunin was a Soviet
general and politician.
family in the village of Steklyanka in the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic
(now in Omsk Oblast
, Russian Federation).
He joined the Red Army
in 1939 and graduated from an infantry school in Novosibirsk
on 10 June 1941. He joined the Kharkov Military District in the Ukrainian SSR
as a lieutenant
on 22 June 1941, the day of Germany's invasion of the Soviet Union
.
He fought in World War II
and suffered wounds during the battles at Yartsevo
(near Smolensk
) in 1941 and during the 1941-1942 Battle of the Kerch Peninsula
. He caught typhus
while recovering from the latter wound in a military hospital in 1942 and subsequently served as a company training officer in the Volga Military District from April 1942. He joined the Communist Party of the Soviet Union
and rejoined the front lines in 1943.
Altunin received the title Hero of the Soviet Union
in 1944, having organized the established of a foothold across the Vistula
during the Lvov-Sandomierz Offensive
and led his men in tenaciously fighting off the German counterattack while distracting them from the Soviet troops' main landing point.
Promoted to major in November 1944, Altunin was sent to Frunze Military Academy in Bishkek
in March 1945 and graduated in 1948. He served in the Turkestan Military District
in the Uzbek SSR
1948-1955 and graduated from the Academy of the General Staff
in 1957.
He served as commander of the North Caucasus Military District
from June 1968 to October 1970. He was elected to the Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union and made head of the personnel department of the Ministry of Defense of the USSR in 1970.
Altunin became a deputy minister of defense and director of the Civil Defense Forces of the USSR, the Soviet Union's civil defense
and emergency management
program, in 1972, as a colonel-general. He joined the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union
in 1976 and was promoted to General of the Army in February 1977, but was replaced as head of the Civil Defense Forces by Vladimir Govorov after the 1986 Chernobyl disaster
and instead appointed a member of the Group of General Inspectors of the Ministry of Defense.
Altunin was the author of publications dealing with civil defense as well as several works based on his experiences as a World War II officer.
He died in Moscow
on 15 July 1989 and was interred at Novodevichy Cemetery
.
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
general and politician.
Biography
Alexander Altunin was born to a peasantPeasant
A peasant is an agricultural worker who generally tend to be poor and homeless-Etymology:The word is derived from 15th century French païsant meaning one from the pays, or countryside, ultimately from the Latin pagus, or outlying administrative district.- Position in society :Peasants typically...
family in the village of Steklyanka in the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic
Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic
The Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic , commonly referred to as Soviet Russia, Bolshevik Russia, or simply Russia, was the largest, most populous and economically developed republic in the former Soviet Union....
(now in Omsk Oblast
Omsk Oblast
Omsk Oblast is a federal subject of Russia , located in southwestern Siberia. The oblast has an area of and a population of with the majority, 1.15 million, living in Omsk, the administrative center....
, Russian Federation).
He joined the Red Army
Red Army
The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army started out as the Soviet Union's revolutionary communist combat groups during the Russian Civil War of 1918-1922. It grew into the national army of the Soviet Union. By the 1930s the Red Army was among the largest armies in history.The "Red Army" name refers to...
in 1939 and graduated from an infantry school in Novosibirsk
Novosibirsk
Novosibirsk is the third-largest city in Russia, after Moscow and Saint Petersburg, and the largest city of Siberia, with a population of 1,473,737 . It is the administrative center of Novosibirsk Oblast as well as of the Siberian Federal District...
on 10 June 1941. He joined the Kharkov Military District in the Ukrainian SSR
Ukrainian SSR
The Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic or in short, the Ukrainian SSR was a sovereign Soviet Socialist state and one of the fifteen constituent republics of the Soviet Union lasting from its inception in 1922 to the breakup in 1991...
as a lieutenant
Lieutenant
A lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...
on 22 June 1941, the day of Germany's invasion of the Soviet Union
Operation Barbarossa
Operation Barbarossa was the code name for Germany's invasion of the Soviet Union during World War II that began on 22 June 1941. Over 4.5 million troops of the Axis powers invaded the USSR along a front., the largest invasion in the history of warfare...
.
He fought in 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...
and suffered wounds during the battles at Yartsevo
Yartsevo
Yartsevo is a town and the administrative center of Yartsevsky District of Smolensk Oblast, Russia, located on the Vop River northeast of Smolensk. Population:...
(near Smolensk
Smolensk
Smolensk is a city and the administrative center of Smolensk Oblast, Russia, located on the Dnieper River. Situated west-southwest of Moscow, this walled city was destroyed several times throughout its long history since it was on the invasion routes of both Napoleon and Hitler. Today, Smolensk...
) in 1941 and during the 1941-1942 Battle of the Kerch Peninsula
Battle of the Kerch Peninsula
Battle of the Kerch Peninsula was a World War II offensive by German and Romanian armies against the Soviet Crimean Front forces defending the Kerch Peninsula, in the eastern part of the Crimea. It was launched on 8 May 1942 and concluded around 18 May 1942 with the near complete destruction of...
. He caught typhus
Typhus
Epidemic typhus is a form of typhus so named because the disease often causes epidemics following wars and natural disasters...
while recovering from the latter wound in a military hospital in 1942 and subsequently served as a company training officer in the Volga Military District from April 1942. He joined the Communist Party of the Soviet Union
Communist Party of the Soviet Union
The Communist Party of the Soviet Union was the only legal, ruling political party in the Soviet Union and one of the largest communist organizations in the world...
and rejoined the front lines in 1943.
Altunin received the title Hero of the Soviet Union
Hero of the Soviet Union
The title Hero of the Soviet Union was the highest distinction in the Soviet Union, awarded personally or collectively for heroic feats in service to the Soviet state and society.-Overview:...
in 1944, having organized the established of a foothold across the Vistula
Vistula
The Vistula is the longest and the most important river in Poland, at 1,047 km in length. The watershed area of the Vistula is , of which lies within Poland ....
during the Lvov-Sandomierz Offensive
Lvov-Sandomierz Offensive
The Lvov-Sandomierz Offensive or the L'vov-Sandomierz Strategic Offensive Operation was a major Red Army operation to force the German troops from Ukraine and Eastern Poland...
and led his men in tenaciously fighting off the German counterattack while distracting them from the Soviet troops' main landing point.
Promoted to major in November 1944, Altunin was sent to Frunze Military Academy in Bishkek
Bishkek
Bishkek , formerly Pishpek and Frunze, is the capital and the largest city of Kyrgyzstan.Bishkek is also the administrative centre of Chuy Province which surrounds the city, even though the city itself is not part of the province but rather a province-level unit of Kyrgyzstan.The name is thought to...
in March 1945 and graduated in 1948. He served in the Turkestan Military District
Turkestan Military District
The Turkestan Military District was a military district of both the Imperial Russian Army and the Soviet Armed Forces, with its headquarters at Tashkent. The District was first created during the 1874 Russian military reform when by order of Minister D.A. Milyutinym the territory of Russia was...
in the Uzbek SSR
Uzbek SSR
The Uzbek Soviet Socialist Republic , also known as the Uzbek SSR for short, was one of the republics of the Soviet Union since its creation in 1924...
1948-1955 and graduated from the Academy of the General Staff
General Staff Academy (Russia)
The General Staff Academy of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation was founded in 1936 in Moscow by Leonid Govorov. It was the senior Soviet and now Russian professional school for officers....
in 1957.
He served as commander of the North Caucasus Military District
North Caucasus Military District
The North Caucasus Military District was a military district of the Russian Ground Forces, which became in 2010 the Southern Military District and lately also includes the Black Sea Fleet and Caspian Flotilla....
from June 1968 to October 1970. He was elected to the Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union and made head of the personnel department of the Ministry of Defense of the USSR in 1970.
Altunin became a deputy minister of defense and director of the Civil Defense Forces of the USSR, the Soviet Union's civil defense
Civil defense
Civil defense, civil defence or civil protection is an effort to protect the citizens of a state from military attack. It uses the principles of emergency operations: prevention, mitigation, preparation, response, or emergency evacuation, and recovery...
and emergency management
Emergency management
Emergency management is the generic name of an interdisciplinary field dealing with the strategic organizational management processes used to protect critical assets of an organization from hazard risks that can cause events like disasters or catastrophes and to ensure the continuance of the...
program, in 1972, as a colonel-general. He joined the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union
Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union
The Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union , abbreviated in Russian as ЦК, "Tse-ka", earlier was also called as the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party ...
in 1976 and was promoted to General of the Army in February 1977, but was replaced as head of the Civil Defense Forces by Vladimir Govorov after the 1986 Chernobyl disaster
Chernobyl disaster
The Chernobyl disaster was a nuclear accident that occurred on 26 April 1986 at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in Ukraine , which was under the direct jurisdiction of the central authorities in Moscow...
and instead appointed a member of the Group of General Inspectors of the Ministry of Defense.
Altunin was the author of publications dealing with civil defense as well as several works based on his experiences as a World War II officer.
He died in Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
on 15 July 1989 and was interred at Novodevichy Cemetery
Novodevichy Cemetery
Novodevichy Cemetery is the most famous cemetery in Moscow, Russia. It is next to the 16th-century Novodevichy Convent, which is the city's third most popular tourist site. It should not be confused with the Novodevichy Cemetery in Saint Petersburg....
.
Honours and awards
- Hero of the Soviet UnionHero of the Soviet UnionThe title Hero of the Soviet Union was the highest distinction in the Soviet Union, awarded personally or collectively for heroic feats in service to the Soviet state and society.-Overview:...
- Order of LeninOrder of LeninThe Order of Lenin , named after the leader of the Russian October Revolution, was the highest decoration bestowed by the Soviet Union...
, four times - Order of the Red BannerOrder of the Red BannerThe Soviet government of Russia established the Order of the Red Banner , a military decoration, on September 16, 1918 during the Russian Civil War...
, twice - Order of Alexander NevskyOrder of Alexander NevskyThe Order of Alexander Nevsky is an order of merit bestowed by the Russian Federation. It is named in honour ofAlexander Nevsky's struggle with the Teutonic Knights....
- Order of the Patriotic WarOrder of the Patriotic WarThe 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 - Order of the Red StarOrder of the Red StarEstablished 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...
- Order for Service to the Homeland in the Armed Forces of the USSR, 3rd class