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Stepan BunkovSoviet military leader, lieutenant general
Date of Birth: 23.12.1900
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Content:
- Stepan Mikhailovich Bunkov: A Soviet Military Leader
- The Interwar Period
- The Great Patriotic War
- Leading the 12th Guards Rifle Corps
- Post-War Service and Legacy
- Awards
- Order of Lenin
Stepan Mikhailovich Bunkov: A Soviet Military Leader
Stepan Mikhailovich Bunkov, a renowned Soviet general, was born on December 23, 1900, in the village of Gaevka in present-day Sverdlovsk Oblast, Russia. He embarked on his military career in the Red Army in September 1919, serving in various capacities within the 3rd Army during the Russian Civil War.
The Interwar Period
Bunkov's military career continued in the interwar years. In 1921, he enrolled in the 45th Vitebsk Infantry Command Course. Upon graduation, he held an array of positions within the border guard units of the OGPU, including commander of a detachment in the 5th Karelian Border Regiment. In 1925, he became assistant commandant of the 5th Sestroretsk Border Detachment. Bunkov progressed steadily, serving as commander of a separate division of OGPU troops, commander of the 154th Regiment of NKVD troops, and chief of staff of the 1st Koleval Border Detachment. In September 1938, he assumed command of the 8th Border Detachment in Gdov.
The Great Patriotic War
With the outbreak of the Great Patriotic War, Bunkov was appointed commander of the 22nd Motorized Rifle Division of the NKVD troops. He defended the Baltic and Oranienbaum bridgehead. In September 1941, he became chief of security for the 23rd Army (Leningrad Front). Subsequently, he led the separate brigade of NKVD border troops, which was renamed the 27th Separate Rifle Brigade.
In December 1941, Bunkov assumed command of the 56th Rifle Division. Under his leadership, the division defended southeast of Leningrad and participated in the Sinyavino and Leningrad-Novgorod operations. Bunkov skillfully guided the division in the liberation of Pushkin and Slutsk, earning the division the honorary title "Pushkin" and himself the Order of Kutuzov, 2nd Class. For capturing the city of Luga, the division received the Order of the Red Banner.
Leading the 12th Guards Rifle Corps
On July 29, 1944, Bunkov became commander of the 12th Guards Rifle Corps. The corps participated in the Tartu and Riga offensive operations, liberating the cities of Valga, Valka, and Valmiera. Subsequently, it fought in the Warsaw-Poznań, East Pomeranian, and Berlin offensive operations. For his leadership, Bunkov was awarded the Orders of the Red Banner, Lenin, and Bogdan Khmelnitsky, 2nd Class.
Post-War Service and Legacy
After the war, Bunkov enrolled in the Voroshilov Military Academy. Upon graduating in February 1946, he briefly commanded the 2nd Guards Rifle Division before joining the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MVD). Bunkov held various appointments within the MVD, including chief of the Border Guard Service in the Khabarovsk District and deputy chief of the Main Directorate of Internal and Convoy Troops. From 1955 to 1957, he commanded the MVD troops in East Germany. General-Lieutenant Stepan Mikhailovich Bunkov retired in 1959 and passed away on September 19, 1970, in Moscow. His remains were interred in the columbarium at Novodevichy Cemetery.
Awards
Bunkov received numerous awards in recognition of his service, including:
Order of Lenin
Four Orders of the Red BannerOrder of Kutuzov, 2nd Class
Order of Bogdan Khmelnitsky, 2nd Class
Order of the Patriotic War, 1st Class
Order of the Red Star
Various medals
