Ivan Zatevakhin

Ivan Ivanovich Zatevakhin (; 17 July 1901 – 6 April 1957) was a Red Army Lieutenant general who commanded the Soviet Airborne Forces (VDV) from 1944 to 1946.

Early life Ivan Zatevakhin was born on 17 July 1901 in Kobylinka village, Efremov County, Tula Governorate. His father was a blacksmith. On 6 November 1919, he joined the Red Army. Zatevakhin fought in the Russian Civil War, where he commanded a platoon, a company and a battalion. In October, he became a platoon commander in the 50th Rifle Regiment of the 17th Rifle Division. In 1924, he graduated from the Lenin Higher Military School in Leningrad. In 1933, Zatevakhin graduated from Frunze Military Academy. In September, Zatevakhin became the commander of the 2nd Airborne Brigade. In October 1938, he became the commander of the 212th Airborne Brigade.

World War II After Operation Barbarossa, Zatevakhin led the 212th Airborne Brigade during the Battle of Kiev. During the Battle of Kiev, troops of the brigade allegedly repelled German attempts to cross the Desna River. In September, the brigade defended the Konotop sector, where it was temporarily surrounded but broke out after 5 days. Zatevakhin was awarded a second Order of the Red Banner for his actions there. In January 1942, he became the deputy head of the Airborne Forces Formation and Staff Directorate. In May, he was appointed the deputy commander of the Soviet Airborne Forces. He commanded the airborne corps during the Dnieper Airborne Operation. In August 1944, Zatevakhin became the commander of the Separate Airborne Army and the commander of the Soviet airborne, replacing Alexander Kapitokhin. On 5 November, he was promoted to lieutenant general.

Postwar

In April 1946, Zatevakhin was replaced as the commander of the Soviet airborne for "poor organization during the transition to peace", which had allegedly led to the death of Colonel Amintayev during a training exercise.

Family Son — Igor Ivanovich Zatevakhin (born February 20, 1936), a specialist in vascular surgery, academician of the Russian Academy of Medical Sciences and the Russian Academy of Sciences, and laureate of the Government of the Russian Federation Prize.

Grandson — Ivan Igorevich Zatevakhin (born September 7, 1959), a Russian television and radio presenter and Candidate of Biological Sciences.