Anatoly Petrakovsky
Anatoly Iosifovich Petrakovsky (29 December 1901 – 3 September 1969) was a Ukrainian Soviet Army major general and a Hero of the Soviet Union. He joined the Red Army in 1922, trained as an officer, and became a Communist Party member in 1932. In the Winter War he led a battalion in the 13th Rifle Division and earned the title Hero of the Soviet Union and the Order of Lenin for breaking through Finnish defenses near Khotinen.
In World War II, Petrakovsky commanded the 395th Rifle Division as it formed near Voroshilovgrad and fought in the defense of Mariupol and Rostov, earning the Order of the Red Banner twice. He was promoted to major general in July 1942 but was relieved from command for failing to follow orders. He then held various posts, including command of an operational group in the North Caucasian Front, deputy commander of the 47th Army, commander of the Tuapse Defence Area, and later commander of the 57th Rifle Corps, taking part in the Battle of the Dnieper. He fell ill in January 1944 and spent time in hospital, receiving the Order of Suvorov 2nd class. After recovery, he studied at the Military Academy of the General Staff and, after graduation in 1945, became deputy commander of the 16th Army and fought in the Invasion of South Sakhalin, earning the Order of Kutuzov 2nd class.
Postwar, Petrakovsky held senior staff and instructional roles, including leading infantry refresher courses, directing the Soviet Military Administration in Germany, and later heading the military department at the Sverdlovsk Law Institute. He retired from the army in 1956 and lived in Rostov-on-Don. In 1968 he was named an honorary citizen of Lugansk. He died on 3 September 1969.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 01:42 (CET).