Vasily Terentev

Vasily Grigorevich Terentev (March 3, 1899 – January 26, 1957) was a Soviet military leader, Lieutenant general (November 2, 1944).

Initial biography Vasily Grigorevich Terentev was born on March 3, 1899, in the village of Ardon.

Military service First World War and Civil War In February 1915, he was drafted into the ranks of the Russian Imperial Army and sent as a private to the Kars Fortress Military Telegraph Office, then served in the 5th Caucasian Border Regiment, with which he took part in hostilities on the Caucasian Front. Having been wounded, he was treated in a military hospital in Tiflis. After recovery, from May 1917 he served in the 268th Infantry Reserve Regiment, stationed in the city of Erivan. In the same month, he was demobilized from the army with the rank of junior non–commissioned officer.

In December 1917, Terentev joined the Mineralnye Vody Red Guard Detachment as a fighter, within which he was soon appointed commander of a platoon of mounted reconnaissance officers. which is currently on display at the Museum of Local History of North Ossetia.

Interwar Time In March 1921, he was sent to study at the Higher Cavalry School of the Workers' and Peasants' Red Army in Leningrad, after which in October 1923 he was sent to the 7th Samara Cavalry Division, where he served together with Georgy Zhukov. He was successively appointed to the positions of squadron commander of the 38th Cavalry Regiment, assistant chief and chief of staff of the 37th Cavalry Regiment, and divizion commander of the 1st Cavalry Regiment.

Post–War Career In June 1945, Terentev was appointed to a position for special assignments under the Commander–in–Chief of the Group of Soviet Occupation Forces in Germany, in May 1946 – for special assignments under the Commander–in–Chief of the Ground Forces, Marshal of the Soviet Union Georgy Zhukov, after which he was sent to Lefortovo Prison, where he shared a cell with David Gofshteyn.

On November 1, 1951, he was sentenced to 25 years by the Military Collegium of the Supreme Court of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. In 1953, after the death of Iosif Stalin and the arrest of Lavrenty Beriya, he was released from prison and rehabilitated.

Awards Order of Lenin (February 21, 1945); Four Orders of the Red Banner (1922; May 11, 1943; November 3, 1944; Order of Suvorov, 2nd Class (July 21, 1944); Order of Kutuzov, 2nd Class (September 28, 1943); Medals.

Foreign awards Knight of the Knightly Order "Virtuti Militari" (Poland) (1945); Order of the Cross of Grunwald, II Degree (Poland) (1945); Medal "For Warsaw, 1939–1945" (Poland) (1945); Medal "For the Oder, Neisse and the Baltic" (Poland) (1945); Medal of Victory and Freedom (Poland) (1945).

Gratitude declared in the Orders of the Supreme Commander–in–Chief For crossing the Pronya River and breaking through enemy defenses. June 25, 1944. No. 117; For crossing the Dnepr River and for the liberation of the large regional center of Belorussiya, the city of Mogilyov, an operationally important center of German Defense in the Minsk Direction, as well as for the capture of the cities of Shklov and Bykhov. June 28, 1944. No. 122; For participation in the battles to liberate the city and fortress of Osovets, a powerful fortified German Defense Area on the Bobr River, covering the approaches to the borders of East Prussia. August 14, 1944. No. 166; For the liberation of the city and fortress of Ostrolenka, an important stronghold of the German Defense on the Narev River. September 6, 1944. No. 184; For the liberation of the city and fortress of Lomzha, an important stronghold of the German Defense on the Narev River. September 13, 1944. No. 186; For the capture of the cities of East Prussia Willenberg, Ortelsburg, Mohrungen, Saalfeld and Freystadt – important communications hubs and strong strongholds of German Defense. January 23, 1945. No. 246; For the capture of the city of Czersk – an important communications hub and a strong stronghold of the German Defense in the northwestern part of Poland. February 21, 1945. No. 283; For the capture of the cities of Bütow and Berent – important junctions of railways and highways and strong strongholds of German Defense on the roads to Danzig. March 8, 1945. No. 296; For the capture of important railway and highway junctions – the cities of Lauenburg and Karthaus. March 10, 1945. No. 298; For the capture of the city and fortress of Danzig – the most important port and first–class naval base of the Germans on the Baltic Sea. March 30, 1945. No. 319; For the capture of the cities of Prenzlau and Angermünde – important strongholds of the German Defense in Western Pomerania. April 27, 1945. No. 348; For the capture of the cities of Eggesin, Torgelow, Pasewalk, Strasburg, Templin – important strongholds of the German Defense in Western Pomerania. April 28, 1945. No. 350; For the capture of the cities of Greifswald, Treptow, Neustrelitz, Fürstenberg, Gransee – important road junctions in the northwestern part of Pomerania and Mecklenburg. April 30, 1945. No. 352; For the capture of the cities of Stralsund, Grimmen, Demmin, Malchin, Waren, Wesenberg – important road junctions and strong strongholds of the German Defense. May 1, 1945. No. 354; For the capture of the cities of Barth, Bad Doberan, Neubukow, Warin, Wittenberge and for the connection on the Wismar–Wittenberge Line with the British Troops allied to us. May 3, 1945. No. 360.

Military ranks Major general (December 20, 1942); Lieutenant general (November 2, 1944).

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