Years of service 1920–41 Died 26 June 1941 Service/branch Red Army | Commands held 2nd Tank Division Rank Major general | |
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Native name Егор Николаевич Солянкин Battles/wars World War II
Battle of Raseiniai Battles and wars World War II, Battle of Raseiniai | ||
Yegor Nikolaevich Solyankin (Russian: Егор Николаевич Солянкин; 1901–26 June 1941) was a Red Army major general. Solyankin led the 2nd Tank Division during the Battle of Raseiniai, a Soviet counterattack after the German invasion of the Soviet Union. He was killed in action during the defeat of his division.
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Early life
Solyankin was born on 21 April 1901 in Moscow. He was orphaned at age four and was sent to be raised in a peasant family in a village in Gzhatsky Uyezd. Solyankin was a shepherd in the village. From the age of twelve he worked as a blacksmith in Moscow. In June 1920, he was drafted into the Red Army.
Military career
Solyankin, originally an infantryman, transferred to armor in 1932. In 1936, he served as commander of a tank battalion of the 1st Rifle Division at Kazan. From July 1938, he commanded the 2nd Tank Brigade in the Leningrad Military District. Solyankin became commander of the 18th Light Tank Brigade in 1939, when it was stationed in Estonia at Uuemõisa as a result of the Soviet–Estonian Mutual Assistance Treaty, and participated in the Soviet annexation of Estonia in June 1940. During the annexation, the brigade advanced into Tallinn. On 4 June 1940, he was promoted to Major General. He then served as deputy commander of the 1st Mechanized Corps. Solyankin became commander of the 2nd Tank Division, part of the 3rd Mechanized Corps, on 9 December. In the early summer of 1941 he arranged for the evacuation of the families of officers, although this was not officially permitted.
World War II
During the invasion of Russia, the 3rd Mechanized Corps mounted a counterattack against the advancing XXXXI Panzer Corps in what become known as the Battle of Raseiniai. The 2nd Tank Division had marched a hundred kilometers from Kėdainiai on 23 June to make its planned assault the following day. The division had six different types of tanks, including 32 KV-1s, 19 KV-2s, and 50 T-34s. Nearly half of the KVs broke down during the march. The KV tanks and T-34s of the division surprised the troops of the 6th Panzer Division, who were unaware of the existence of the Soviet tanks. The attack caused temporary panic, but the German forces counterattacked when the 2nd Tank Division ran out of fuel and ammunition after making six attacks. The 1st Panzer Division and the 36th Infantry Division flanked Solyankin's division and its rear area was captured after the 8th Panzer Division took Kėdainiai. On 25 June, Solyankin led a breakout attempt with the remaining heavy tanks leading. The division was destroyed and Solyankin was killed on 26 June. The location of his burial is unknown. He was survived by his wife, Varvara Vasilievna, a daughter, Raisa, and a son, Alexander.