Stepan Fedorovich Shutov is a Soviet tank officer, one of the almost forgotten heroes of the Great Patriotic War. He also participated in the First World War and the Civil War, several breakthrough battles, for which he was awarded many awards.
Early biography
Stepan Shutov was born in 1902 in a small Bobruisk district in Belarus. He was brought up in a poor peasant family, because of which he actually did not even receive primary school education (he gained basic knowledge as an adult in literacy courses). From an early age, Stepan worked as a shepherd or as a laborer. In 2017, the October Revolution broke out, and the Shutov voluntarily joined the Red Guard. A year later, during the country's participation in the First World War, he was a partisan detachment.
Subsequently, Stepan Shutov fought for the Red Army until he received his dismissal due to illness in 1919. Having freed himself from service, he held leading posts at various state farms, but again returned to partisan sorties when the Polish troops occupied Bobruisk Uyezd. In 2020, he again joined the Red Army and fought on the civilian front as a horse reconnaissance until he was fired due to poor health. Stepan returned to his native state farm and continued to lead him, putting up with the instability of the new state - the USSR.
The Great Patriotic War
In 1941, Shutov as an experienced military was assigned to the 104th Panzer Division and transferred to the front. He led one of the tank battalions, in which he took part in the defense of Smolensk, as well as the battle for Moscow. Stepan also participated in the Kiev offensive, having managed to occupy important positions around the city. In 1944, the brave colonel received the title of Hero of the Soviet Union, as well as several awards.
After that, Stepan Shutov performed in such operations as Proskurovsko-Chernivtsi, Korsun-Shevchenkovskaya and Iasi-Chisinau. His tank corps managed to defeat several dozen enemy tanks, as well as pass more than one hundred kilometers, freeing the cities of Ploiesti, Rymnik, Fokshani, Barlad and others. The hero was awarded the Golden Star and identified in the 9th Guards Mechanized Corps. Soon, in one of the fierce battles, Stepan lost his hand and in 1945 was dismissed.
