Vasily Badanov


Vasily Mikhaylovich Badanov was a Soviet military officer and general, best known for his leadership in the Tatsinskaya Raid and subsequent command of the 4th Tank Army.

Early life

Badanov was born in Verkhnyaya Yakushka in 1895. Conscripted into the Russian Army during World War I, he graduated from an officers' school in 1916, one year prior to the Bolshevik Revolution. Serving as a commissar and a staff officer in the Red Army during the Russian Civil War, Badanov joined the Bolshevik Party in 1919.

Interwar period

Badanov served as temporary assistant chief of the school of the 21st Separate Brigade of the Cheka from October 1921, soon transferring to serve in the same position with the 13th Separate Brigade of the Cheka. He became commander and military commissar of the 29th Separate Gomel Battalion of the OGPU Troops of the Western Front in June 1922. After serving as commander and military commissar of the 1st Rifle Regiment of the OGPU Troops from December 1923, Badanov entered the Vystrel course in October 1926. Upon graduation in November 1927 he was appointed commander and military commissar of the 26th Separate Chapayev Regiment of the OGPU Troops. After being sent to serve as chief of the machine gun course of the Saratov School Reserve Commanders' Retraining School in the Volga Military District during January 1930, he completed retraining at the Leningrad Armored Commanders' Improvement Courses between December 1930 and May 1931. After finishing the courses, Badanov became a battalion commander at the Saratov Armored School.

World War II

Noted for his superb command of the 24th Tank Corps in 1942 during the German Stalingrad campaign, Badanov was promoted to lieutenant-general soon after the Tatsinskaya Raid and became the first recipient of the Order of Suvorov, second class, in 1943. Badanov commanded the 4th Tank Army in 1943-1944, which he led during the Battle of Kursk.
On 6 January 1944 he was awarded the United States Distinguished Service Cross for "extraordinary heroism".
Badanov was seriously wounded during the Lvov–Sandomierz Offensive, and was assigned to the task of preparing the Soviet tank and mechanized forces for the front line for the remaining portion of the war. He served as the commanding officer of the Central Group of Forces' tank units in 1946-1950.
Badanov retired from the active-duty armed forces in 1953. He died in Moscow in 1971.

Honours and awards