KOSENKO PYOTR TIMOFEYEVICH

KOSENKO PYOTR TIMOFEYEVICH

staff sergeant, a participant in World War II, Full cavalier of the Order of Glory (March 24, 1945)

Born on February 23, 1924 in the village of Sarah, Orsky district, Orenburg province, now Kuvandyk district of the Orenburg region. From a peasant family. Ukrainian. In 1930, the family moved to the city of Ura-Tyube, Ura-Tyube district of the Tajik SSR, now the city of Istaravshan, Sogd region of the Republic of Tajikistan. Since 1931 he studied at the Ura-Tyube Secondary School named after the Third International.
In 1936 the family moved to the city of Chirchik, Tashkent region. He graduated from 10 classes of Chirchik secondary school named after K.E.Voroshilov in 1941. Shortly after the outbreak of World War II, in October 1941, he was drafted into the Red Army and enrolled as a cadet at the Caspian Higher Naval School (Baku).
In June 1942 he was expelled for health reasons and was sent to study at the 1st Kharkiv Tank School named after I.V. Stalin. However, it could not be completed. Member of World War II since August 1943. He was enlisted in a foot reconnaissance platoon of the 344th Infantry Regiment of the 138th Infantry Division, in the ranks of which he went all his battle path. As a former cadet, he was awarded the rank of sergeant and he was appointed commander of the department. He fought on the Voronezh, Stepnoy, 1st, 2nd and 4th Ukrainian fronts. He distinguished himself for the first time in late autumn 1943 on a bridgehead beyond the Dnieper, when, under artillery and mortar shelling, he executed an order for reconnaissance of the enemy’s defense and revealed several firing points. The first award was the “For Courage” medal.
The commander of the foot reconnaissance unit of the 344th Infantry Regiment (138th Infantry Division, 18th Army, 1st Ukrainian Front) Sergeant Kosenko Pyotr Timofeevich distinguished himself on May 30, 1944. During the preparation of the Soviet troops for the offensive, his detachment was tasked with capturing a control prisoner.
In the area of the village of Vyzhenka (now Vizhenka, Kitsmansky district) of the Chernivtsi region, the group secretly made their way to the rear of the enemy, established the location of the enemy troops and silently captured a Hungarian soldier. However, when they returned to their own, scouts were attacked by a gang of Bandera. Covering the withdrawal of his subordinates with a prisoner to the location of Soviet troops, Sergeant Kostenko with a light machine gun entered the battle and destroyed 5 Bandera. The others, having received a rebuff, retreated, and Kostenko himself safely crossed the front line.
Sergeant Kosenko Pyotr Timofeevich was awarded the Order of Glory of the 3rd degree for the exemplary fulfillment of the combat missions of the Command at the front of the fight against the German invaders and the valor and courage shown by order of the units of the 138th Infantry Division of June 15, 1944.
The assistant commander of the foot reconnaissance platoon of the 344th Infantry Regiment (138th Infantry Division, 18th Army, 1st Ukrainian Front) Sergeant Kosenko Pyotr Timofeevich on June 11, 1944, at the head of the reconnaissance group, successfully completed a combat mission and captured a German officer. However, when the prisoner was delivered to his reconnaissance group, he encountered an enemy. In the battle, Sergeant Kostenko killed up to 10 German soldiers with machine gun fire. The prisoner was delivered to the location of our troops.
In a new reconnaissance on July 10, 1944, scouts tracked down and captured the liaison commander of the German battalion with documents containing valuable information about German defense.
For the exemplary performance of the combat missions of the Command at the front of the struggle against the German invaders and the valor and courage shown by order of the troops of the 18th Army dated July 12, 1944, Sergeant Kosenko Pyotr Timofeevich was awarded the Order of Glory of the 2nd degree.
September 18, 1944, distinguished himself in battle in the vicinity of the village of Vorokhta, Stanislavsk Oblast, Ukrainian SSR.
When the superior forces of the Hungarian forces attacked the Soviet battalion, the scouts were ordered to hold the bridge over the Prut River in the rear of the defending troops. When the enemy managed to break through to the bridge, in the battle he personally destroyed 4 enemy soldiers, captured a light machine gun and opened fire on him from the enemy. The attack was repelled. Moreover, two enemy soldiers were captured. A few days later he secretly led the infantry battalion to the rear of the enemy. As a result, the enemy garrison was completely destroyed in the village of Arzhelyuzha, Stanislavskaya Oblast, the village was liberated.
By decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR dated March 24, 1945 “For the exemplary performance of command assignments in battles against Nazi invaders”, Staff Sergeant Kosenko Pyotr Timofeevich was awarded the Order of Glory of the 1st degree.
In the battles for the liberation of Czechoslovakia and Poland, he was immediately injured three times one after another. The most difficult was the last, in the battle of March 13, 1945. He was treated in a hospital in the city of Krivoy Rog, Dnipropetrovsk region of the Ukrainian USSR, from which he was discharged after the Victory, in July 1945.
Died April 20, 1999. He was buried in Novorossiysk.