The Ural Volunteer Tank Corps is a gift to the front. Ural Volunteer Tank Corps

Many years have passed since the Great Patriotic War ended.

The people of the Urals played a major role in the defeat of the Nazi invaders. From the first days of the war, thousands of our fellow countrymen left cities and villages to go to the front.

In 1941-1942. Equipment from more than 700 enterprises was evacuated to the Urals, which significantly strengthened the military-industrial potential of the region.

URAL TANK

During the war, at the direction of the State Defense Committee, three tank giants were created in the Urals: in Chelyabinsk, Nizhny Tagil, and Sverdlovsk.

From the Urals to the West at alarming times

Such huge chariots rushed,

That enemy cars of any cut

We were not happy to meet them in battle!

Are you interested in knowing the correct answer to a question? Then read on!

Evacuee to Nizhny Tagil from Kharkov tank plant, which began work at the production site of Uralvagonzavod, receiving equipment from the Moscow Machine Tool Plant named after. Ordzhonikidze and Mariupol armored plants, established mass production of T-34 tanks.

Uralmash, which placed equipment from Izhora (Leningrad), Bryansk “Red Profintern”, Kyiv “Bolshevik” and other factories on its premises, organized the production of tank corps and towers, T-34 tanks and self-propelled artillery units (self-propelled guns).

As a result of the merger Chelyabinsk tractor plant with the Leningrad Kirov and Kharkov diesel engine plants, a plant (Tankograd) was formed, producing heavy KV and IS tanks, self-propelled guns. First-class cars from Leningrad and Kharkov, the experience of mass production from the Urals created the necessary preconditions for the rapid growth of tank production.

URAL VOLUNTEER TANK CORPS

...It was the third year of the war. The Battle of Stalingrad ended victoriously.

January 16, 1943 In 2010, the newspaper “Uralsky Rabochiy” published the article “Tank Corps Beyond Plan.” It announced the obligation of the largest tank building teams in the Urals: to produce in the first quarter, in addition to the most intense tasks of the State Defense Committee, as many tanks and self-propelled guns as required for the corps. At the same time, train volunteer car drivers from among your own workers. A slogan appeared on the factory floors: “Let’s make above-plan tanks and self-propelled guns and take them into battle!”

The initiative of the people was taken up by the Sverdlovsk, Perm and Chelyabinsk regional party committees. They turned to the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks and the State Defense Committee with a request for permission to form and send to the front Ural Volunteer Tank Corps. Moscow responded: “We welcome and approve!”

FORMATION OF REGIMENTS AND BRIGADES

February 26, 1943 . The leadership of the regional party committees, together with the Military Council of the Ural Military District, began forming regiments and brigades.

The news of this spread throughout the Urals. And a flood of statements poured in! In a short period of time, more than 100 thousand applications were submitted to party and Komsomol organizations and military registration and enlistment offices with a request to enroll in the corps. But only about 9 thousand people, the most prepared and worthy, were selected. The most physically strong and resilient were selected. First of all, communists and Komsomol members with military training and combat experience were enrolled.

Among the volunteers there were many skilled workers, specialists, production commanders, active communists and Komsomol members. They couldn’t let everyone go to the front, because... this would harm the fulfillment of orders from the front. Worthy candidates were selected by special commissions, under the conditions that the team would replace those leaving for the front.

ARMOR STRENGTH

Schoolchildren made their contribution to the common cause. They collected and sold scrap metal.

Ore was mined on Mount Vysokaya and Mount Grace. The metal for the tanks was smelted and rolled by blast furnace workers and steelworkers in the cities of Sverdlovsk, Tagil, Pervouralsk, and others.

Rare Ural metals made the armor invulnerable. Workers of Revda, Kamensk-Uralsky, Kirovgrad were supplied with copper and aluminum. Tank builders received engines, instruments, guns, radio transmitters, and ammunition from other factories in the Urals.

The finished tanks were loaded onto railway platforms made in Tagil, and coal, which was mined by the miners of Egorshino and Bogoslovsky, was poured into the furnaces of the locomotives.

Clothes for the tankers were made from Aramil cloth, and shoes were made at the Uralobuv factory.

Many Urals residents contributed their personal savings. This was also a feat, because... people were malnourished, and everyone needed money. In total, residents of the Sverdlovsk region contributed 58 million rubles to the formation of the corps.

REVDI ANTI-TANK ARTILLERY BATTERY

The brigade was organized Revdinskaya anti-tank artillery battery. It consisted of 55 volunteers - workers and employees of eight city enterprises, including 10 people from Degtyarsk. When the brigade went to the front, the Revda and Degtyarsk residents saw off their volunteers from the Degtyarsk builders' club (school No. 30 is now located there).

1st Secretary of the Revdinsky CPSU Civil Code Mukhin handed over to the brigade leadership banner of our working city, giving the order: to carry his honor high. On the banner, Revda craftswomen lovingly embroidered: “Workers of all countries, unite!” In the center are 4 proud letters “USSR” and the country’s coat of arms, below is the war slogan: “Death to the German occupiers”

The banner returned to Revda in victory.

BIRTHDAY OF THE URAL VOLUNTEER TANK CORPS

A headquarters was formed in Sverdlovskcorps, 197th tank brigade, 88th separate reconnaissance motorcycle battalion, 565th medical and sanitary platoon.

Major General of Tank Forces G.S. Rodin was appointed commander of the corps.

March 11, 1943 The People's Commissar of Defense assigned the name to the corps - the 30th Ural Volunteer Tank Corps. In a solemn atmosphere, the volunteers were presented with weapons and military equipment. This day is considered his birthday.

Combat and political preparations began. People were preparing themselves for the upcoming battles with the Nazi invaders.

OUR TANKS ARE FAST

In early June 1943. By order of the Main Command, the UDTK was redeployed from the Urals to the Moscow region, and on July 24, in the Kozelsk region, as part of the 4th Tank Army, it entered the battle for the liberation of Orel and the Bryansk region.

In just 22 months, the corps covered a distance of 3800 km, 2000 km with battles. During this time, they destroyed more than 1,100 tanks, 1,100 guns of various calibers, 2,125 machine guns, 2,100 armored vehicles, 649 aircraft and more than 95 thousand fascists.

We walked forward in familiar places,

Left on the high bank

A car with singed crosses,

With broken tracks in the snow.

And next to us, slowly and menacingly,

All covered in wounds and scars, without a tractor,

A Ural tank walked across the frosty ground,

Rattling with undefeated steel.

BATTLE OF KURSK-ORYOLOV

For courage, bravery, and military skill, about 2,000 soldiers, sergeants and officers were awarded orders and medals of the Soviet Union. For participation in the Battle of Kursk-Oryol on October 23, 1943, the corps was awarded the title “Guards”.

FIRST UKRAINIAN FRONT. KAMENETS-PODILSK OPERATION

In February 1944, after a short rest and further formation, the Ural Corps was included in the 1st Ukrainian Front and participated in the Kamenets-Podolsk operation. Despite the spring thaw, the lack of roads, and the resulting lag in wheeled vehicles and rear units, the corps units acted in swift throws, destroying small enemy barriers on the move. In the battles near Volochinsk, the Nazis, having recovered from surprise, blocked our units with superior forces.

Especially in these battles The tank crew of Lieutenant Grigory Chesak became famous. Having entered into single combat with nine Tiger tanks, he won, knocking out three of them and putting the rest to flight. He destroyed a convoy of vehicles and destroyed more than one hundred enemy soldiers and officers. And when his tank was hit, the crew moved into the damaged Tiger and continued the battle until their own troops arrived. The brave commander of the thirty-four, Lieutenant Grigory Chesak, was the first in the corps to be awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.

The enemy stubbornly resisted, trying to drive our troops out of Kamenets-Podolsk. The volunteers fought to the death. At the most dangerous moment, when fascist tanks broke through to the positions of the mortarmen of the Unech brigade, former blacksmith of the Degtyarsky mine of the Guard, private Ivan Nikolaevich Dolgov secured an anti-tank grenade with his belt on his chest, and, rising to his full height, shouted: “For the Motherland!” At the cost of the life of the brave guardsman, the Tiger was destroyed. Inspired by Dolgov’s feat, the mortar men stopped and then drove back the enemy. The fascist tanks did not get through.

FIRST UKRAINIAN FRONT. LIBERATION OF LVIV

In the summer of 1944, the Ural Guards Tank Corps took part in the offensive operation of the 1st Ukrainian Front in the Lviv direction. He was faced with the task of preventing the enemy from retreating to the southwest of Lvov.

Forever went down in history feat of the crew of the T-34 tank "Guardsman". He was given the task of breaking through to the city center and hoisting a red flag on the Lviv City Hall. The tank, fighting, approached the very entrance of the town hall. Radio operator Alexander Marchenko with a group of machine gunners, having destroyed the enemy guards, burst into the building, climbed the tower and hoisted it ontoshe has a scarlet flag. The Nazis, seeing the Soviet banner, opened fire on the town hall and the tank. Marchenko was killed. The Gvardeisky tank fought in the city for six days before the arrival of the main units.

On July 27, Moscow saluted the troops for the liberation of Lvov. The corps became the Ural-Lvov Corps, its units were awarded orders. Over 6 thousand soldiers of the corps were awarded orders and medals. 6 volunteers became Heroes of the Soviet Union.

LIBERATION OF EUROPE

Having successfully completed the battles for Lvov, the Urals continued to advance to the west. In the fall of 1944, the liberation of Europe began.

Despite the fierce resistance of the enemy, in stubborn heavy battles, units of the Ural Volunteer Tank Corps rapidly moved forward. Friendship, close interaction between various branches of the military, and mutual assistance helped the people of the Urals in the most seemingly hopeless situation.

Gun crew Ivan Dmitrievich Smirnyagin, volunteer of the Degtyarsky mine, crossed the ice of the Odera with his cannon. Before they had time to gain a foothold on the shore and properly equip a firing position, 10 German tanks moved towards them. Behind them are infantry. Smirnyagin’s artillerymen did not flinch and entered the battle. They set fire to 4 tanks, but at that moment an enemy shell destroyed the gun. They used machine guns and machine guns. It was necessary to hold on to the shore at any cost until the arrival of the crews making their way to help. The bridgehead for further offensive was preserved. Ivan Dmitrievich was awarded a military order for his courage and resourcefulness in this battle.

The road of war was getting closer and closer to the lair of the fascists. On the path of the Soviet soldiers, the enemy created a powerful defense system. This was favored by serious water boundaries - the Oder, Neisse, Spree, large lakes - forests, canals surrounding Berlin.

The enemy has filled all populated areas, road junctions, and passages in forest areas to the limit with anti-tank weapons. But the Ural tankers once again showed their ability to destroy the best enemy formations.

OPERATION BERLIN

The command assigned the responsible task to the corps during the assault on Berlin: to encircle the Berlin group together with all the advancing Soviet troops and prevent it from leaving for the West.

Overcoming swamps, mined forest rubble, tank ambushes, parts of the corps rapidly moved forward. Capturing fortified settlements along the way, freeing Soviet prisoners of war.

For the successful completion of combat missions in the Berlin operation, the corps was awarded the Orders of Suvorov and Kutuzov, 2nd degree.

LIBERATION OF PRAGUE

May 6, 7, 8 The Urals advanced rapidly in rugged mountainous terrain. We walked along the low but steep slopes of the Ore Mountains. On the night of May 8-9, the Urals descended like an avalanche onto the plain several tens of kilometers from Prague. The corps commander, General E.E. Belov, ordered the headlights of all vehicles to be lit in order to blind the Nazis and instill fear in them. It was an amazing sight. A long ribbon of fire stretching over tens of kilometers, twisting like a mountain stream, rushed rapidly, sweeping away the enemy in its path.

Thousands of Czechs greeted the liberators.

The guards continued to rush forward. There are a lot of Czechs on the Ural tanks. They, together with our tank crews, wanted to liberate their capital. By 10 o'clock in the morning on May 9, Prague was liberated from the Nazis.

GLORY TO THE HEROES!

The Ural Guards Volunteer Tank Corps participated in the Great Patriotic War for two years. During this time, he fought over 5,500 kilometers from Orel to Berlin and Prague. He liberated hundreds of cities and thousands of settlements from the Nazis. Caused enormous damage to the Nazi army in manpower and equipment.

The Motherland highly appreciated the military merits of the corps, awarding it the Order of the Red Banner, Kutuzov and Suvorov, 2nd degree. There are 51 military orders on the banners of units and formations of the corps.

42,368 orders and medals were awarded to corps soldiers. 27 soldiers and sergeants became Full Knights of the Order of Glory. 38 of the best were awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.

Monuments were erected to tank soldiers in the cities they liberated, as well as in Yekaterinburg, Perm, and Nizhny Tagil.

Did you know that...

The Urals also made a significant contribution to the feat of arms performed by the country during the war. On its territory it was formed 533 military units and formations. Among them are 3 corps, 78 divisions, a large number of individual brigades, regiments, battalions and companies. Ural units took part in many major battles. Most of them, having shown heroism and valor, became guardsmen and received government awards. Almost all units and formations formed in the Urals were given the honorary names of the cities they liberated: Lvov, Vitebsk, Kiev, Leningrad, Nikolaev, Sumy, Kharkov, Pskov, Budapest, Berlin, Prague.

In military battles, the Urals showed personal courage and bravery. 1005 of our fellow countrymen were awarded the highest title of Hero of the Soviet Union. Among them are I. Zolin, A. Burdenok, who directed their damaged planes at accumulations of enemy equipment and soldiers, Y. Paderin, G. Kunavin, who covered the embrasures of enemy pillboxes with their bodies, twice Heroes of the Soviet Union, fearless pilots K. Evstigneev, G. Rechkalov , E. Kungurtsev, M. Odintsov, G. Sivkov, tank crews S. Khokhryakov, V. Arkhipov.

During the war years, 24 billion rubles were received into the Motherland Defense Fund and for the construction of military equipment for the front. The contribution of the Urals residents amounted to approximately 2,208 million rubles. At the expense of the workers of the Urals, three tank columns “Sverdlovsk Komsomolets”, two tank columns named after V.P. Chkalov, tank columns “Chelyabinsk Collective Farmers”, “Collective Farmers of Udmurtia”, named after the Chelyabinsk Komsomol, a squadron of aircraft “Bashkir Fighter” were built and transferred to the army. , “Komsomolets of Bashkiria”, “Komsomolets of Udmurtia”, “Sverdlovsk collective farmer”, “Named after the Komsomol of the Molotov region”, “Kurgan state farms”, “Molotov Osoaviakhimovets”, 16 artillery batteries from the workers of the Molotov region, the submarine “Chelyabinsk Komsomolets”, from the Orenburg residents link of boats “Sea Hunter” and others.

How the Urals created a tank corps that beat the Nazis from Kursk to Prague

On March 11, Russia celebrates the Day of National Feat for the formation of the Ural Volunteer Tank Corps during the Great Patriotic War.

This memorable date, marking the feat of the Soviet people during the war, appeared on the calendar in 2012, when the governor of the Sverdlovsk region issued a corresponding decree, where the first paragraph reads: “Set a significant date for the Sverdlovsk region “Day of National Feat” for the formation of the Ural Volunteer Tank Corps in years of the Great Patriotic War" and celebrate it annually on March 11."

The historical event that served as the basis for the establishment of the holiday occurred in 1943. The Ural Volunteer Tank Corps was formed in 1943 and equipped with weapons and equipment manufactured by the workers of the Sverdlovsk, Chelyabinsk and Molotov regions (now the Perm Territory) with unpaid labor in excess of the plan and through voluntary contributions. When formed (February), the formation was called the Special Ural Volunteer Tank Corps named after I.V. Stalin, from March 11 - the 30th Ural Volunteer Tank Corps. Thus, on March 11, 2013, the Ural Volunteer Tank Corps turned 70 years old. In connection with this, a holiday was established.

The Ural Tank Corps is known for the fact that 3,356 Finnish knives (“black knives”) were specially produced for it in Zlatoust. The tankers received HP-40 knives - “Army knife of the 1940 model.” The knives differed in appearance from the standard ones: their handles were made of black ebonite, and the metal on the sheath was blued. Similar knives were previously part of the equipment of paratroopers and reconnaissance officers; in some units they were awarded only for special merits. These short blades with black handles, which were in service with our tank crews, became legendary and inspired fear and respect in our enemies. “Schwarzmesser Panzer-Division”, which translates as “Tank Division of Black Knives” - this is what German intelligence called the Ural Corps on the Kursk Bulge in the summer of 1943.

The Ural tank crews took the nickname given to them by the Nazis with pride. In 1943, Ivan Ovchinin, who later died in the battles for the liberation of Hungary, wrote a song that became the unofficial anthem of the Black Knife Division. It also contained these lines:

The fascists whisper to each other in fear,
Hiding in the darkness of the dugouts:
Tankers appeared from the Urals -
Black Knife Division.
Squads of selfless fighters,
Nothing can kill their courage.
Oh, they don’t like fascist bastards
Our Ural steel black knife!

T-34-85 tank of the 29th Guards Motorized Rifle Brigade of the 10th Guards Ural Volunteer Tank Corps on Prague Square

From the history of the corps

The Ural Volunteer Tank Corps is the only tank formation in the world created entirely with funds voluntarily collected by residents of three regions: Sverdlovsk, Chelyabinsk and Molotov. The state did not spend a single ruble on arming and equipping this corps. All combat vehicles were built by Ural workers overtime, after the end of the main working day.

The idea of making a gift to the front - creating a Ural tank corps - was born in 1942. It arose in the factory teams of the Ural tank builders and was picked up by the entire working class of the Urals in the days when our country was under the impression of the decisive and victorious Battle of Stalingrad. The Urals, who at that time produced the bulk of tanks and self-propelled guns, were rightfully proud of the victory on the Volga, where the armored forces showed the irresistible striking force of the Red Army. It became clear to everyone: the success of the upcoming battles and the final victory over Nazi Germany largely depend on the number of our magnificent combat vehicles, combined into large tank formations. The workers of the stronghold of the Soviet state decided to give the front-line soldiers another unique gift - a volunteer tank corps.

On January 16, 1943, the newspaper “Ural Worker” published the article “Tank Corps Beyond Plan.” It spoke of the obligation of the largest teams of tank builders in the Urals to produce in the first quarter, in excess of the plan, as many tanks and self-propelled guns as required per corps, while at the same time training vehicle drivers from their own volunteer workers. The slogan was born on the factory floors: “Let’s make above-plan tanks and self-propelled guns and take them into battle.” The party committees of the three regions sent a letter to Stalin, in which they stated: “... Expressing the noble patriotic desire of the Urals people, we ask that we be allowed to form a special volunteer Ural Tank Corps... We undertake the obligation to select the best who are selflessly devoted to the Motherland into the Ural Tank Corps people of the Urals - communists, Komsomol members, non-party Bolsheviks. We undertake to fully equip the Volunteer Tank Corps of the Urals with the best military equipment: tanks, aircraft, guns, mortars, ammunition, produced in excess of the production program.” Joseph Stalin approved the idea, and work began to boil.

Everyone responded to the cry raised by Uralmash tank builders, who contributed part of their salaries to the construction of tanks. Schoolchildren collected scrap metal to send it to furnaces for melting down. Ural families, who themselves lacked funds, gave away their last savings. As a result, residents of the Sverdlovsk region alone managed to collect 58 million rubles. Not only were combat vehicles built with people's money, but also the necessary weapons, uniforms, and literally everything were purchased from the state. In January 1943, a recruitment of volunteers for the Ural Corps was announced. By March, over 110 thousand applications had been submitted - 12 times more than needed.

Volunteers represented the best part of the workforce, among them there were many skilled workers, specialists, production managers, communists and Komsomol members. It is clear that it was impossible to send all the volunteers to the front, since this would damage production and the entire country. Therefore, they made a tough selection. Party committees, factory committees, and special commissions often selected one of 15-20 worthy candidates with the condition that the staff recommend who would replace the one leaving for the front. Selected candidates were reviewed and approved at work meetings. Only 9,660 people were able to go to the front. In total, 536 of them had combat experience, the rest took up arms for the first time.

On the territory of the Sverdlovsk region the following were formed: corps headquarters, 197th tank brigade, 88th separate reconnaissance motorcycle battalion, 565th medical platoon, 1621st self-propelled artillery regiment, 248th rocket mortar division ("Katyusha" ), the 390th communications battalion, as well as units of the 30th motorized rifle brigade (brigade command, one motorized rifle battalion, reconnaissance company, control company, mortar platoon, medical platoon). On the territory of the Molotov (Perm) region the following were formed: the 243rd tank brigade, the 299th mortar regiment, the 3rd battalion of the 30th motorized rifle brigade, the 267th repair base. In the Chelyabinsk region the following were formed: the 244th tank brigade, the 266th repair base, the 743rd engineer battalion, the 64th separate armored battalion, the 36th fuel and lubricants delivery company, an engineering mortar company, a motor transport company and units of the 30th motorized rifle brigades (2nd motorized rifle battalion, anti-tank rifle company, motor transport company and brigade technical support company).

Thus, the 30th Tank Corps was formed in a surprisingly short time. By order of the People's Commissar of Defense of March 11, 1943, it was given the name - 30th Ural Volunteer Tank Corps.

The first commander of the corps was Georgy Semenovich Rodin (1897-1976). Georgy Rodin had extensive combat experience: he began serving in the Russian Imperial Army in 1916, rose to the rank of senior non-commissioned officer, and then joined the ranks of the Red Army. He began his service as a platoon commander and fought with whites and bandits. After the Civil War, he served as a platoon commander, assistant company commander, deputy battalion commander, and battalion commander. Since 1930, he served as assistant commander and commander of the 234th Infantry Regiment, and since December 1933, as commander of a separate tank battalion and head of the armored service of the 25th Infantry Division. In 1934, he completed academic courses for technical improvement of the command staff of the Red Army, and in 1936, for the excellent combat training of the unit, he was awarded the Order of the Red Star. He took part in the campaign in Western Belarus and fought with the Finns.

Before the start of the Great Patriotic War, he commanded the 47th Tank Division (18th Mechanized Corps, Odessa Military District). The division under the command of Rodin covered the retreat of the 18th and 12th armies of the Southern Front; during the fighting in the area of the city of Gaysin, the division was surrounded, during the exit from which it inflicted significant damage on the enemy. During the fighting for Poltava, Rodin was seriously wounded. In March 1942, he was appointed commander of the 52nd Tank Brigade, and in June - to the post of commander of the 28th Tank Corps, which at the end of July took part in a frontal counterattack against the enemy who had broken through to the Don north of the city of Kalach-na- Don. In October, he was appointed head of the Automotive Armored Troops of the Southwestern Front, and in April 1943, he was appointed commander of the 30th Ural Volunteer Tank Corps.

The commander of the 30th Ural Volunteer Tank Corps, Lieutenant General of Tank Forces Georgy Semenovich Rodin (1897-1976), awards Guard Junior Sergeant Pavlin Ivanovich Kozhin (1905-1973) with the medal “For Military Merit”

Since the spring of 1944, the corps was commanded by Evtikhiy Emelyanovich Belov (1901-1966). He also had extensive combat experience. He began serving in the Red Army in 1920. He served as a squad commander, platoon commander, assistant company commander, rifle battalion commander, and tank battalion commander. In 1932 he graduated from armored tank advanced training courses for command personnel, and in 1934 he completed the M.V. Frunze Military Academy in absentia. Before the start of the war, he was the commander of the 14th Tank Regiment (17th Tank Division, 6th Mechanized Corps, Western Special Military District).

After the start of the Great War, he took part in the border battle, participated in the counterattack in the Bialystok-Grodno direction, and then in defensive battles in the Grodno, Lida and Novogrudok regions. In September 1941, Evtikhiy Belov was appointed commander of the 23rd Tank Brigade (49th Army, Western Front). In July 1942, he was appointed to the post of deputy commander of tank forces of the 20th Army (Western Front), while there he took part in the Rzhev-Sychevsk offensive operation, and then in the defense of the army of the Rzhev-Vyazma defensive line. In January 1943, he was appointed deputy commander of the 3rd Tank Army. In May 1943, he was appointed to the post of deputy commander of the 57th Army, in July - to the post of deputy commander of the 4th Tank Army, and in March 1944 - to the post of commander of the 10th Guards Ural Volunteer Tank Corps.

Medium tanks T-34, manufactured above plan for the Ural Volunteer Tank Corps. The stamped turret for the tank in the photo was produced at the Ordzhonikidze Ural Heavy Engineering Plant (UZTM) in Sverdlovsk

An echelon of the Ural Volunteer Tank Corps heading to the front. On the platforms there are T-34-76 tanks and SU-122 self-propelled guns

On May 1, 1943, the soldiers of the corps took the oath, vowed to return home only with Victory, and soon received orders to go to the front. The Ural Corps became part of the 4th Tank Army and on July 27 received a baptism of fire on the Kursk Bulge, north of the city of Orel. In battles, Soviet tank crews showed incredible stamina and unparalleled courage. The unit was awarded the honorary title of Guards Corps. By order of the People's Commissar of Defense of the USSR No. 306 of October 26, 1943, it was transformed into the 10th Guards Ural Volunteer Tank Corps. All units of the corps were given the name Guards. On November 18, 1943, units and formations of the corps were solemnly awarded the Guards Banners.

The corps' combat route from Orel to Prague was over 5,500 kilometers. The Ural Volunteer Tank Corps participated in the Oryol, Bryansk, Proskurov-Chernivtsi, Lviv-Sandomierz, Sandomierz-Silesian, Lower Silesian, Upper Silesian, Berlin and Prague offensive operations. In 1944, the corps was awarded the honorary title “Lvov”. The corps distinguished itself during the crossing of the Neisse and Spree rivers, the destruction of the enemy's Kotbu grouping and in the fighting for Potsdam and Berlin, and on May 9, 1945, it was the first to enter Prague. The corps was awarded the Order of the Red Banner, Suvorov II degree, Kutuzov II degree. In total, there are 54 orders on the battle banners of the units that were part of the 10th Guards Ural-Lvov, Red Banner, Orders of Suvorov and Kutuzov Volunteer Tank Corps.

A group of Soviet T-34 medium tanks from the 10th Guards Ural Volunteer Tank Corps follows along a street in Lvov

12 corps guards proved themselves to be outstanding masters of tank combat, destroying 20 or more enemy combat vehicles. The Guard of Lieutenant M. Kuchenkov has 32 armored units, the Guard of Captain N. Dyachenko has 31, the Guard of Sergeant Major N. Novitsky has 29, the Guard of Junior Lieutenant M. Razumovsky has 25, the Guard of Lieutenant D. Maneshin has 24, Guard Captain V. Markov and Guard Senior Sergeant V. Kupriyanov - 23 each, Guard Sergeant S. Shopov and Guard Lieutenant N. Bulitsky - 21 each, Guard Sergeant M. Pimenov, Guard Lieutenant V. Mocheny and Guard Sergeant V. Tkachenko - 20 armored units each.

During the Prague operation, the crew of the T-34 tank No. 24 of the 63rd Guards Chelyabinsk Tank Brigade under the command of Guard Lieutenant Ivan Goncharenko became famous. At the beginning of May 1945, during the campaign against Prague, I. G. Goncharenko’s tank was included in the lead marching column and was among the first three reconnaissance tanks of the guard of junior lieutenant L. E. Burakov. After three days of forced march, on the night of May 9, 1945, the advanced units of the corps approached Prague from the northwest. According to the recollections of the former commander of the 63rd Guards Tank Brigade M. G. Fomichev, the local population greeted the Soviet tank crews with jubilation, with national and red flags and banners “At Zhie Ruda Armada! Long live the Red Army!

On the night of May 9, a reconnaissance platoon of three tanks, Burakov, Goncharenko and Kotov, with scouts and sappers on armor, was the first to enter Prague and found out that Czech rebels were fighting with the Germans in the city center. An assault group was formed in Prague - the tank of the company commander Latnik was added to the reconnaissance platoon. The assault group under the command of Latnik was given the task of capturing the Manesov Bridge and ensuring the exit of the main forces of the tank brigade to the city center. On the approaches to Prague Castle, the enemy put up strong resistance: at the Charles and Manesov bridges over the Vltava River, the Nazis set up a barrier of several assault guns under the cover of a large number of faustians. Ivan Goncharenko’s tank was the first to reach the Vltava River. During the ensuing battle, Goncharenko’s crew destroyed two enemy self-propelled guns and began to break through the Manesov Bridge, but the Germans managed to knock out the T-34. From the award sheet: “While holding the crossing, Comrade Goncharenko destroyed 2 self-propelled guns with the fire of his tank. The tank was hit by a shell and caught fire. T. Goncharenko was seriously wounded. Being seriously wounded, the brave officer, bleeding, continued to fight. Comrade Goncharenko was killed by a second hit in the tank. At this time, the main forces arrived and began a rapid pursuit of the enemy.” Goncharenko was posthumously awarded the Order of the Patriotic War, 1st degree. Crew members I. G. Goncharenko - A. I. Filippov, I. G. Shklovsky, N. S. Kovrigin and P. G. Batyrev - were seriously wounded in battle on May 9, 1945, but survived. The remaining tanks of the assault group, having broken the resistance of the German troops, captured the Manesov Bridge, preventing the enemy from blowing up the bridge. And then we walked along it to the center of Prague. On the afternoon of May 9, the capital of Czechoslovakia was liberated from German troops.

Guard lieutenant, tanker Ivan Grigorievich Goncharenko

In honor of the tank, as the first to come to the aid of the rebel Prague, a monument with an IS-2 tank was erected in the capital of Czechoslovakia. The monument to Soviet tank crews in Prague on Stefanik Square stood until the “Velvet Revolution” in 1991, when it was repainted pink, then dismantled from its pedestal and is now used as a “symbol of the occupation of Czechoslovakia by Soviet troops.” Thus, in the Czech Republic, as throughout Europe, the memory of the Soviet soldier-liberator was basically destroyed, and the black myth of the “Soviet occupation” was transformed by the enemies of Russian civilization.

Soviet IS-2 tank, in service from 1948 to 1991. in Prague as a monument to the T-34 tank I. G. Goncharenko

In total, on the fronts of the Great Patriotic War, Ural tank crews destroyed and captured 1,220 enemy tanks and self-propelled guns, 1,100 guns of various calibers, 2,100 armored vehicles and armored personnel carriers, and destroyed 94,620 enemy soldiers and officers. In total, during the war, 42,368 orders and medals were awarded to the soldiers of the corps, 27 soldiers and sergeants became full holders of the Order of Glory, and 38 guardsmen of the corps were awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.

After the end of the Great Patriotic War, the corps was transformed into the 10th Guards Tank Division. The division is part of the Group of Soviet Forces in Germany (GSVG, ZGV). It is part of the 3rd Combined Arms Red Banner Army. After the withdrawal of troops from Germany in 1994, the division was redeployed to the Voronezh region, namely the city of Boguchar (Moscow Military District). In 2001, the division took part in hostilities in the North Caucasus. In 2009, the division was disbanded and the 262nd Guards base for storing weapons and equipment (tank) was formed on its base. In 2015, on the basis of the storage base, the 1st separate tank brigade was formed, with the transfer of the honorary title of the 10th Guards Tank Division to it. This is the glorious path of the Ural Volunteer Tank Corps.

Soldiers of the 63rd Guards Chelyabinsk Tank Brigade on Wenceslas Square in Prague

Presentation of the Order from the workers of the Southern Urals to representatives of the Ural Volunteer Tank Corps

To the 70th anniversary of the Ural Volunteer Tank Corps

The formation of the Ural Volunteer Tank Corps is a special page in the annals of the Great Patriotic War, in the history of the Urals. The idea of creating a large tank formation of volunteers arose in the work collectives of the Ural factories in the days when the country was under the impression of the defeat of the Nazis at Stalingrad. The Urals, who at that time produced the bulk of tanks and self-propelled guns for the front, were rightfully proud of the successes of our troops on the Volga, where armored forces showed their striking power.

The workers of the “supporting edge of the state” decided to give the front-line soldiers a unique gift - to form a tank corps from volunteers, providing it with everything necessary at the expense of their personal savings and unpaid work outside of school hours. And this despite the fact that mostly women and teenagers worked at the enterprises, and for 12-18 hours a day. In the newspaper "Ural Worker" on January 16, 1943, the article "Tank Corps Above Plan" was published, which talked about the initiative of tank building teams: to produce in the first quarter of 1943, above plan, as many tanks and self-propelled guns as necessary to equip the tank corps, at the same time train combat vehicle drivers from among their own volunteer workers. The initiative was warmly supported by the people of the Urals and received the approval of the State Defense Committee. Already in February 1943, in the Sverdlovsk, Perm and Chelyabinsk regions, together with the Ural Military District, they began to form and equip corps regiments and brigades.

Everyone who was involved in the great feat worked intensely, sometimes without leaving the workshops for several days. This was truly massive labor heroism of the working people of the Urals.

The corps was staffed in a special way. Thousands of people challenged each other for the right to leave home, family and go into the thick of war, from which many were not destined to return. Party and Komsomol committees and military commissariats received over 110 thousand applications from the working people of the Urals.

Volunteers represented the best part of the work collectives, among them there were many qualified specialists, active communists and Komsomol members. Special commissions selected one of 10-15 worthy candidates, with the condition that the team recommend who would replace the employee leaving for the front. Candidates were approved at work meetings, meetings of party and Komsomol committees. As a result of careful selection, 9,660 people, the best of the best, were included in the lists of corps personnel.

A large tank formation was formed in a surprisingly short time. By order of the People's Commissar of Defense of March 11, 1943, it was given the name - 30th Ural Volunteer Tank Corps. Major General of Tank Forces G.S. Rodin, who returned to duty after being seriously wounded, was appointed corps commander.

Rodin G. S.

The corps liberated hundreds of cities and thousands of settlements from the Nazi invaders, and rescued tens of thousands of people from Hitler’s slavery. The Ural tank crews caused enormous damage to the Nazi army in manpower and equipment. 1,110 tanks and self-propelled guns, 1,100 guns of various calibers, 589 mortars, 2,125 machine guns, 2,100 armored vehicles and armored personnel carriers, 649 aircraft, 20,684 rifles and machine guns, 68 anti-aircraft guns were captured and destroyed. 7,711 Faust cartridges and anti-tank rifles, 583 tractors, 15,211 motor vehicles, 1,747 motorcycles, 24 radio stations, 293 warehouses with ammunition, food, fuel and equipment, 3 armored trains, 166 steam locomotives, 33 trains with military equipment. 94,620 enemy soldiers and officers were destroyed, 44,752 Nazis were captured.

For excellent military operations, heroism, courage and bravery of the Ural volunteers, the Supreme Commander-in-Chief expressed gratitude to the Corps and its units 27 times. The corps was awarded the orders of the Red Banner, Suvorov II degree and Kutuzov II degree. For military merits, courage and bravery, 38 soldiers of the formation were awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union, and 44,329 tank crews were awarded orders and medals.

The homeland highly appreciated the heroic deeds of the Urals people. The Sverdlovsk region gave the country 251 Heroes of the Soviet Union, 50 of them were students of the Komsomol. Among the Heroes who were twice awarded this title are brave falcons - pilots Grigory Rechkalov and Mikhail Odintsov, legendary intelligence officer Nikolai Kuznetsov and others.

In memory of the patriotic deeds of workers during the war and the unprecedented feat of tank crews of the Ural Volunteer Corps, monuments were erected in Berlin and Prague, in Lvov and Kamenets-Podolsk, in Sverdlovsk and Perm, Chelyabinsk and Nizhny Tagil, in many settlements that were liberated by volunteers. The names and exploits of volunteer tankers who died in battles are inscribed in golden letters in the history of the state, immortalized on obelisks and steles in settlements of the Urals. In February 1962, a monument to a tanker and a worker was erected on the square of the railway station in Yekaterinburg.

On the pedestal there is an inscription:
To the Heroes of the Great Patriotic War 1941-1945

To the soldiers of the Ural
volunteer tank corps
from the workers of the Sverdlovsk region

The contribution of Irbitsk residents to the Victory of the Great Patriotic War was high. Irbit became a forge of weapons and equipment for the front. Under the leadership of the city party organization, Irbitsk residents quickly reorganized the work of industrial enterprises. The trailer plant immediately added a building for the production of trailers. At a meeting in the assembly shop of a trailer plant, Stakhanovite Kuzma Bulanov pledged to collect 5 percent above the target daily.

On the second day of the war, 20 Irbitsk women came to the factory management of the trailer plant and asked to be sent to work instead of their husbands going to the front. Soon, at the trailer plant, women became blacksmiths, cupola workers, and foundry workers.

The first volunteers came to the assembly point: the blacksmith of the city committee E. Vyatchin, the teacher of the orphanage A. Godov. A worker at a trailer plant, P. Derevnin, wrote in a statement: “I ask you to enlist in a tank or machine-gun unit: I have both specialties.”

The small Ural city of Irbit had to fulfill urgent orders from the front for the production of ammunition.

The Irbit glass factory, the only one in the country, had the opportunity to produce insulators for spark plugs of internal combustion engines.

At this time, high-speed automatic welding was being introduced at the Ural tank factories, which made it possible to increase labor productivity by almost 40 times. The uninterrupted operation of automatic welding machines was hampered by a shortage of electrodes. An electrode cannot be made without liquid glass. And the glass factory receives an important government assignment. An incredibly short period of 20 days was given for the design and construction of a new workshop. It was forty degrees below zero. But people did not leave the construction site for days. The work was supervised by T.N. Okalnik and D.T. Melvilenko. During the high-speed construction of the workshop, engineer A. Sokolov, masons V. Sumin, Ya. Konev, pipeline operator F. Poluyanov, blacksmith P. Duganov, and mechanic Ya. Molochkov especially distinguished themselves.

The front needed powerful searchlights. In January 1943, the glass factory received another urgent task - to master the production of glass for searchlights. 3a, a record time, even for that time - on the eighth day, the shift of master N. Nazarov produced the first glass.

On December 3, 1941, trains with equipment and materials for the motorcycle plant arrived. After two months, the plant was obliged to give the front cars. The task is almost impossible. The city carried it out front-line. It is no coincidence that a group of workers were awarded the Order of the Red Star. During the war years, in incredibly difficult conditions, Irbit produced about 10 thousand motorcycles, so necessary at the front.

All factories in the city were operating at full capacity. Front-line brigades worked honorably at the factories. There were 44 of them in our city in October 1943, and more than 100 in December.

The Korchagin movement was organized at the glass factory. For nine months in a row, the team held the Challenge Banner of the State Defense Committee, more than once won the banners of the All-Union Central Council of Trade Unions Ministry, the 3rd Guards Volkhov Rifle Division, and the city was awarded the banner of the 10th Guards Ural Volunteer Tank Corps.

The competition between the rear and the front was effective. Tukhanov’s brigade was particularly persistent. If necessary, she did not leave the factory for days. Having learned about this, front-line tankers of one of the Ural divisions called Tukhanov’s front-line brigade and Alexandra Barmina’s trailer plant brigade to the competition through the newspaper.

For the reconnaissance battalion of the Ural Volunteer Tank Corps, by March 1943, the motor factory produced 160 combat vehicles - M-72, which were purchased with personal savings and funds from Irbitsk residents. City residents contributed about three thousand rubles to the fund for the creation of the Corps.

Two months later, the battalions left Sverdlovsk for the front under their own power, and in the fall of the same year, together with other units of the Corps, they received the rank of Guards. “War chariot”—that’s what the fighters lovingly called our motorcycle. Motorcycles, lovingly made by the hands of Irbitsk residents, passed the fiery Oryol-Kursk arc, fought near Kamenets-Podolsk and Lvov, on the territory of Poland, Germany and reached Berlin and Prague in a victorious march.

Three orders - the Red Star, Alexander Nevsky and Bogdan Khmelnitsky - were awarded to the 7th separate guards motorcycle battalion of corps reconnaissance officers, named “Prague”.

In November 1943, a delegation of workers from the Sverdlovsk region went to the front to join their fellow countrymen, the Urals, in the 10th Guards Ural Volunteer Tank Corps. Irbitsk residents were represented by Maria Alexandrova, organizer of the first Komsomol youth brigade of the motorcycle plant. The meeting was joyful, especially with the Irbitsk residents - the best intelligence officer of the unit, Viktor Grishin, and his comrades; on November 6, rallies were held in the Corps unit. The warriors, speaking, swore an oath to fight to the last drop of blood. The delegates assured their fellow countrymen of even greater support from the rear.

Maria Alexandrova

From Masha’s memoirs: “...Pictures of unprecedented destruction pass before our eyes: villages burned by the Germans, blown up bridges, destroyed, once beautiful city buildings. And against this background – healthy, cheerful, cheerful faces, fit, slender figures of our Ural front-line soldiers...
...Our arrival coincided with a great event in the life of front-line soldiers: on November 18, the Ural Tank Corps was awarded the Guards Banner.

By order of the motorized battalion, “the delegate of the city of Irbit, Maria Stepanovna Alexandrova, for good work with the personnel during her stay in the unit...” was presented with a German captured machine gun No. М-Р-40-1408. Now this machine gun is kept in the Sverdlovsk Regional Museum of Local Lore.

After Alexandrova’s arrival, her team decided to carry out the same shift assignments with a reduced staff. Instead of 12, there are 5 people left. Turners and milling operators began to service 2 machines each, Maria herself - 3. And having developed a clear schedule, reviewing the organization of work, the team began to exceed the norms by 2-3 times. And a year later, team members Nadya Malyutina and Valya Vyatchina were already servicing 7 machines.

Irbit grain growers did not have a year without fulfilling the state grain delivery plan. Supplies of potatoes and vegetables doubled compared to pre-war times. But there are almost no men left in the village: out of every 10 machine operators, nine went to the front as drivers and tank crews.

For an unprecedented feat, tanker Alexander Nikolaevich Bunkov, a former tractor driver of the Irbitsk MTS, was awarded the Order of Lenin. He took away our heavy tank, captured by the Nazis, from the enemy’s position, taking the enemy’s one at the same time.

In a fiery arc, the 375th Ural Rifle Division stood in the way of the armored wedge. The gun of senior sergeant Irbitsk resident Andrei Dorokhin did not miss the enemy. The feat of our fellow countryman is described in the book by S. Ainutdinov “At the Oboyanskoye Highway.”

Thus, the residents of Irbitsk, with their labor and feats of arms, helped the Ural Volunteer Tank Corps defeat the insidious enemy.

Bibliography:

Ural Volunteer Tank Corps / L. Tetyutskikh // Irbit trading. - 2012. - November 19 - 26. – P. 4.

Back in 1942, when the Battle of Stalingrad was taking place on the battlefields, a proposal was born among the workers of the Sverdlovsk factories: to make a gift to the front - to create our own, Ural, tank formation. On the initiative of tank builders, the newspaper “Ural Worker” on January 16, 1943 published the material “Tank Corps - Above Plan”: tank builders of the Urals pledged to exceed production plans for the production of military products, work for free and, above the plan, regularly deduct part of their earnings to equip the corps with combat weapons. cars, weapons, uniforms.

The patriotic initiative of Sverdlovsk residents was picked up by the Chelyabinsk and Molotov regions. A letter was sent to the Chairman of the State Defense Committee, which stated:

“...Expressing the noble patriotic desires of the Urals people, we ask you, Comrade Stalin, to allow us to form a special volunteer Ural Tank Corps in your name in honor of the 25th anniversary of the Red Army...”

“YOUR PROPOSAL TO FORM A SPECIAL VOLUNTEER URAL TANK CORPS IS APPROVED AND WELCOME. THE ORDER HAS BEEN GIVEN TO THE GABTU TO PROVIDE YOU WITH ASSISTANCE IN SELECTION OF COMMANDS. J.STALIN."

On February 26, 1943, the Commander of the Ural Military District, Major General Katkov, issued a directive stating that on the territory of the Ural Military District, by decision of the Sverdlovsk, Chelyabinsk and Molotov regional committees of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks, approved by the People's Commissar of Defense, Marshal of the Soviet Union Comrade Stalin, a special Ural Volunteer Tank Corps with a strength of 9,661 people is formed. The commanders of units and formations were instructed to begin training personnel as they arrived, without waiting for regular staffing.

In the very first days after receiving Comrade Stalin’s telegram, a stream of applications poured into the military registration and enlistment offices from volunteers wishing to become soldiers of the corps. More than 100 thousand applications were submitted by factory workers. 12 people applied for one place in the corps. Commissions were created at enterprises and military registration and enlistment offices. They selected physically strong, healthy people who knew how to operate equipment and those whose specialties were applicable in tank forces. At the same time, voluntary fundraising for the fund for the creation of the corps continued throughout the Urals. We collected over 70 million rubles. This money was used to buy military equipment, weapons and uniforms from the state.

Based on local conditions and resources of the regions, formations and corps units were formed in Sverdlovsk, Molotov, Chelyabinsk, Nizhny Tagil, Alapaevsk, Degtyarsk, Troitsk, Miass, Zlatoust, Kus and Kyshtym.

On March 18, 1943, Lieutenant General of the Tank Forces, front-line soldier Georgy Semenovich Rodin, was appointed to command the corps. Junior commanders and enlisted personnel arrived to staff the corps units and formations, mainly by April 1, 1943.

On April 24, 1943, the corps command turned to the District Military Council with a request to petition the Supreme Soviet of the USSR to produce battle flags for the corps units and formations. On May 1, 1943, in all units and formations of the corps, volunteers solemnly took the military oath and were presented with military weapons. On May 9, 1943, at the Sverdlovsk Opera House, the working Urals advised the volunteers of the corps units and formations formed in Sverdlovsk to battle the enemy, and presented the corps with its ORDER: “Do not disgrace the centuries-old military traditions of the Urals, defeat the enemy, take revenge on him for the desecration of his native land, return to our native Urals only with victory.” The corps was presented with the CHEF'S banner. The corps commander, Lieutenant General G.S. Rodin, bowed his knee. The volunteers vowed to fulfill the NAND of the Urals people.

On June 2, 1943, units and formations of the corps with personnel, tanks, vehicles and ammunition were loaded into trains and redeployed to the Moscow region. In the act of transferring the 30th UDTK to the Kosterevsky tank camp, it was noted that the corps personnel were satisfactorily prepared. The middle ranks of the command staff were staffed by tank schools and KUKS. Junior commanders and rank and file are Ural volunteers. Out of 8,206 people. The corps personnel are only 536 people. had military experience. Women also served in units and formations of the corps: 123 privates and junior commanders, 249 signalmen and radio operators.

On July 17, 1943, the material part of the corps consisted of: T-34 tanks - 202, T-70 - 7, BA-64 armored vehicles - 68, self-propelled 122 mm guns - 16, 85 mm guns - 12, M-13 installations - 8, 76 mm guns - 24, 45 mm guns - 32, 37 mm guns - 16, 120 mm mortars - 42, 82 mm mortars - 52.

The material part of the combat vehicles and artillery weapons received by the corps was completely new. Having arrived at the Kosterevsky tank camp (Cuban branch), the units and formations of the corps began combat training under the program “Bringing together tank brigades and corps and tank military camps.”

By order of the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command, the 30th Ural Volunteer Tank Corps became part of the 4th Tank Army of Lieutenant General of Tank Forces Vasily Mikhailovich Badanov. At the beginning of July 1943, a commission of the Main Directorate for the Formation and Training of Armored and Mechanized Troops of the Red Army, under the leadership of Marshal Fedorenko, checked the combat readiness of units and formations of 30 UDTK, noting its good preparation.

By order of the USSR NKO No. 306 of October 23, 1943, the 30th Ural Tank Corps was transformed into the 10th Guards Ural Tank Corps.

In the active army:

from 07/20/1943 to 09/29/1943

History of the creation of the Ural Volunteer Tank Corps.

The idea of creating a tank corps arose in the Urals during the days of the completion of the defeat of Nazi troops at Stalingrad. In the newspaper "Ural Worker" on January 16, 1943, the article "Tank Corps Above Plan" was published, which talked about the initiative of tank building teams: to produce in the first quarter of 1943, above plan, as many tanks and self-propelled guns as necessary to equip the tank corps ; at the same time train combat vehicle drivers from among their own volunteer workers. A letter was sent to the Chairman of the State Defense Committee in which the Ural workers asked permission to form a special volunteer Ural Tank Corps named after Comrade Stalin. On February 24, 1943, a response telegram arrived from Moscow: “We approve and welcome your proposal to form a special volunteer Ural Tank Corps. I. Stalin."

February 26, 1943 Commander of the Ural Military District, Major General A.V. Katkov issued a directive on the formation of a tank corps.

110 thousand applications were submitted voluntarily, which is 12 times more than was required to complete the corps, of which 9,660 people were selected. Among the volunteers there were many skilled workers, specialists, production commanders, active communists and Komsomol members. It was impossible to let everyone go to the front, as this would harm the fulfillment of front orders. Special commissions selected worthy candidates with the condition that the team would replace those leaving for the front. Selected candidates under the age of 40 were considered and approved at working meetings. The party layer made up 50 percent of the total number of all soldiers and commanders of tank brigades. Selection for the Ural Volunteer Tank Corps was carried out very strictly. At Uralmash, out of 2,250 who wished to join the tank corps, only 200 volunteers were selected, in Nizhny Tagil, out of 10,500 who applied, 544 people were selected, in Verkhnyaya Salda, out of 437, 38 people were selected, etc.

On the territory of the Sverdlovsk region the following were formed: in the city of Sverdlovsk - the corps headquarters, the 197th tank brigade, the 88th separate reconnaissance motorcycle battalion, the 565th medical platoon; in Nizhny Tagil - 1621st self-propelled artillery regiment, 248th rocket mortar division ("Katyusha"); in Alapaevsk - the 390th communications battalion. The city of Degtyarsk became the site of the formation of the 30th motorized rifle brigade (brigade control, 1st motorcycle battalion, reconnaissance company, control company, mortar platoon, medical platoon).

On the territory of the Molotov region the following were formed: in the city of Molotov (now Perm) - the 299th mortar regiment, the 3rd battalion of the 30th motorized rifle brigade, the 267th repair base; in Kungur - 243rd Tank Brigade.

On the territory of the Chelyabinsk region the following were formed: in Chelyabinsk - the 244th tank brigade, the 266th repair base, an engineering mortar company and a vehicle company of the 30th motorized rifle brigade; in the city of Zlatoust - the 2nd battalion of the 30th motorized rifle brigade; in the city of Kyshtym - the 36th fuel and lubricants delivery company, an anti-tank rifle company and a technical support company of the 30th motorized rifle brigade. The place where the 743rd engineer battalion was formed was the city of Troitsk, and the 64th separate armored battalion was formed in the city of Miass.

At the same time, voluntary fundraising for the fund for the creation of the corps continued throughout the Urals; over 70 million rubles were collected. With this money, military equipment, weapons and uniforms were purchased from the state. A huge contribution to the common cause was made by the Komsomol youth front-line brigades born at the Uralmashplant: teams of electric welders Alexandra Rogozhkina, Polina Pavlova, Felixa Grzhibovskaya, Polina Stepchenko, machine operators Anna Lopatinskaya, revolver workers Mikhail Popov, “five-hundred” and “thousander” Anatoly Chugunov, Vasily Pakhnev , Dmitry Sidorovsky, Grigory Kovalenko, Ivan Litvinov, Timofey Oleinikov, Alexandra Podberezina.

At Uralelectrotyazhmash, the teams of Maria Prusakova, Anna Lagunova, Valentina Boyarintseva, Taisya Arzamastseva, Leonid Vavilov, Mikhail Laryushkin were famous for their work performance.

The teams of Maria Zhlobich and Vera Ilyina worked at the turbo engine plant. Automatic machine mechanic Fyodor Kosmynin, turners Nikolai Petrov and Konstantin Orlov, Klara Verzilova, Lyudmila Kucherova, driller Evgenia Zemskova, and assembly fitter Andrei Shevtsov worked without regard for time.

At the machine-building plant named after. In Kalinin, mechanics Alexander Ushakov and Pyotr Ivanov, turners-borers Vladimir Tarpenko and Vasily Andryunin, milling machine operator Alexey Kuznetsov, and turner Boris Ryabchikov worked selflessly.

Revolver operator Klara Pechenitsyna and turner Pyotr Katkov worked in workshop No. 125 of Uralvagonzavod. At military plant No. 50, turner Olga Konyaeva, grinder Emilia Chubykina, and mechanic Sergei Nikitin showed labor heroism. Claudia Shanenkov sewed soldiers' caps, Vera Samokhina sewed overcoats, Tamara Vasilyeva prepared crackers for the soldiers.

Ore was mined on Mount Vysokaya and Mount Grace. The metal for the tanks was smelted and rolled by steelmakers and blast furnace workers from Sverdlovsk, Nizhny Tagil, Serov, Pervouralsk, Alapaevsk, and Kushva. Rare Ural metals made the armor invulnerable. The workers of Krasnouralsk, Kirovgrad, Revda, Kamensk-Uralsky were supplied with copper and aluminum. From other factories in the Urals, tank builders received engines, guns, instruments, units, radio transmitters, and ammunition. They loaded the finished tanks onto railway platforms made in Tagil, and poured coal mined by Yegorshinsky and Theological miners into the furnaces of the locomotives. The Ural tank boys were dressed in uniforms made of Aramil cloth, and were wearing boots from the Uralobuv factory.

tanks T-34 - 202, T-70 - 7;
BA-64 armored vehicles – 68;
self-propelled 122-mm guns – 16;
85 mm guns – 12;
M-13 installations – 8;
>76 mm guns – 24;
45 mm guns – 32;
37 mm guns – 16;
120 mm mortars – 42;
82 mm mortars - 52.

Zlatoust gunsmiths gave a unique gift to the tank crews: for each volunteer, a steel knife was made at the Zlatoust Tool Plant, which received the unofficial name “black knife.” For these knives, the UDTK received the name “Schwarzmesser Panzer-Division” from the enemy (German - “tank division of black knives”).

By order of the People's Commissar of Defense dated March 11, 1943, the corps was given the name - 30th Ural Volunteer Tank Corps. Since then, March 11 has been considered the birthday of UDTK. On March 18, 1943, Lieutenant General of Tank Forces Georgy Semenovich Rodin was appointed to command the corps, and B.F. was appointed chief of staff. Eremeev, head of the political department - Colonel S.M. Kuranov.

The first secretaries of the Sverdlovsk, Chelyabinsk and Perm regional party committees, on behalf of the working people of the Urals, read out an order to the volunteers. In Sverdlovsk, the order was announced at the Opera and Ballet Theater on May 9, 1943:

“Our dear sons and brothers, fathers and husbands!.. As we accompany you to the battle with the fierce enemy of our Motherland, we want to admonish you with our instructions. Accept it as a battle banner and carry it with honor through the fire of harsh battles, as the will of the people of your native Urals... We equipped a volunteer tank corps with our own funds, with our own hands we lovingly and carefully forged weapons for you. We worked on it day and night. In this weapon are our cherished and ardent thoughts about the bright hour of our complete victory, in it is our will, as firm as the Ural stone: to crush and exterminate the fascist beast. Carry this will of ours with you into hot battles. Remember our order. It contains our parental love and a stern order, marital parting words and our oath... We are waiting for you with victory!”

The volunteers vowed to fulfill the order of the Urals people.

Trains with personnel and military equipment arrived in the Moscow region on June 10, 1943. Here the corps included the 359th anti-aircraft artillery regiment, other units and subunits.

The 30th Ural Volunteer Tank Corps became part of the 4th Tank Army, commanded by Vasily Mikhailovich Badanov.

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