Semen Osadchiy Commander of a tank platoon of the Spanish Republican troops, lieutenant, Hero of the Soviet Union. Country: Spain

Biography of Semyon Osadchy

Semyon Osadchy was born in 1904 in Moldova, in a working-class family. He was of Ukrainian descent and lived in the village of Slavyanoserbka, which is now part of the Velikomikhailovsky district in the Odessa region of Ukraine. After completing elementary school and a railway school, he worked as a locksmith.

In 1926, Semyon Osadchy was conscripted into the Red Army, and during his service, he graduated from an armored tank school. In 1928, he joined the Communist Party. In 1936, he participated in the Spanish Civil War.

On October 29, 1936, Osadchy took part in the world's first tank battle as part of Paul Arman's company near the settlement of Seseniya, located 30 km south of Madrid. In this battle, Lieutenant Osadchy, nicknamed "Simon" by the internationalist warriors, rammed an Italian tankette named "Ansaldo" with his T-26 tank, making it the world's first tank collision. He was wounded in the battle but remained in action.

On November 3, 1936, Osadchy's crew destroyed two artillery batteries and six machine gun nests in battle, killing over 200 infantrymen. In this battle, a direct hit from an enemy shell severed both of Semyon Osadchy's legs. He passed away on November 13, 1936, in a hospital in Madrid due to gangrene.

On December 31, 1936, by the decree of the Central Executive Committee of the USSR, Semyon Kuzmich Osadchy was posthumously awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union for his exemplary execution of special tasks assigned by the government to strengthen the defense capabilities of the Soviet Union and the heroism he displayed in this endeavor. He was also awarded the Order of Lenin.

In honor of Semyon Osadchy, a street and a school in the village of Slavyanoserbka were named after him.