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Peter GudymenkoLieutenant General, member of the CPSU
Date of Birth: 11.01.1898
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Content:
- Early Life and Military Career
- Participation in the Civil War
- Interwar Period and Military Education
- Prewar Service
- World War II
- Postwar Career and Death
- Military Ranks
- Order of Kutuzov, 2nd degree (November 18, 1944)
Lieutenant General Pavel Gudymenko: A Military Commander in the Great Patriotic War
Early Life and Military Career
Pavel Evseevich Gudymenko was born into a peasant family in the village of Popova-Sloboda, Russian Empire (present-day Ukraine), on January 11, 1898. He joined the Russian Imperial Army in February 1917 amidst the turmoil of World War I and served as a telegraphist in the 2nd Telegraph Battalion. After the October Revolution and the collapse of the imperial army, Gudymenko returned to his hometown in December 1917.
Participation in the Civil War
In February 1918, Gudymenko joined the 2nd Putivl partisan detachment, fighting against German and Austrian forces. The detachment was later inducted into the Red Army. Gudymenko served in the East during the Civil War, engaged in combat against Czechoslovakian rebels, the forces of Ataman Dutov, and Admiral Kolchak. In 1920, he fought in Turkestan against the Emir of Bukhara.
Interwar Period and Military Education
After the Civil War, Gudymenko joined the Communist Party in 1919. In 1921, he graduated from the Kiev Higher Combined School. He held various positions in the 1st Turkestan Division, including artillery battery commander and divisional artillery chief. From 1925 to 1930, Gudymenko pursued advanced military education at the Military-Technical Academy of the Red Army and the Frunze Military Academy.
Prewar Service
Following graduation from the Frunze Military Academy, Gudymenko commanded an artillery regiment in the 100th Infantry Division. In 1937, he entered the air defense forces as chief of staff of the Baku Air Defense Control Center. In 1938, he became the commander of the 3rd Air Defense Corps, where he oversaw innovative anti-aircraft exercises.
World War II
With the outbreak of World War II, Gudymenko commanded the 3rd Air Defense Corps, which was later transformed into the Baku Air Defense Corps Area. As commander of the Transcaucasian Air Defense Zone from December 1941, he played a crucial role in organizing air defense for cities such as Baku, Grozny, and Batumi. He also directed the air defense of troops on the Main Caucasian Ridge and in the Ordzhonikidze area.
Postwar Career and Death
After the war, Gudymenko held various senior positions in air defense formations. He retired from service due to ill health in October 1949. Pavel Evseevich Gudymenko passed away in Moscow on March 21, 1953, and was laid to rest in the Vagankovskoye Cemetery.
Military Ranks
Colonel (January 24, 1936)Combrig (October 31, 1938)
Major General of Artillery (June 4, 1940)
Lieutenant General of Artillery (May 3, 1942)
Awards and Decorations
Order of Lenin (February 21, 1945)
Three Orders of the Red Banner (February 22, 1943; November 3, 1944; 1947)
Order of Kutuzov, 2nd degree (November 18, 1944)
Order of the Red Star (1941)Medal "For the Defense of the Caucasus"
Other medals
