Nikolai Vatutin

Nikolai Vatutin
Nikolai Vatutin
	Vatutin c. 1940s
Native name	Николай Фёдорович Ватутин
Nickname(s)	Grandmaster; General Offensive
Born	16 December 1901; Chepukhino, Voronezh Governorate, Russian Empire (now in Belgorod Oblast, Russia)
Died	15 April 1944 (aged 42); Kiev, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union
Allegiance	Soviet Union
Years of service	1920–1944
Rank	Army General
Commands held	Voronezh Front; Southwestern Front; 1st Ukrainian Front;
Battles/wars	Russian Civil War; Second World War Great Patriotic War Battle of Stalingrad; Battle of Kursk; Dnieper–Carpathian Offensive; ; Ukrainian insurgency; ;
Awards	Hero of the Soviet Union; Order of Lenin (2); Order of the Red Banner; Order of Suvorov 1st class ; Order of Kutuzov 1st class
Children	Elena (1930–?); Viktor (1932–?)
Relations	Tatiana Romanovna Vatutina (wife); Jelena (daughter, 1930–2016); Viktor (son, 1932–?)
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Nikolai Fyodorovich Vatutin (Russian: Николай Фёдорович Ватутин; 16 December 1901 – 15 April 1944) was a Soviet military commander during World War II who was responsible for many Red Army operations in the Ukrainian SSR as the commander of the Southwestern Front,^[1] and of the Voronezh Front during the Battle of Kursk.^[2] During the Soviet offensive to retake right-bank Ukraine, Vatutin led the 1st Ukrainian Front, which was responsible for the Red Army's offensives to the west and the southwest of Kiev and the eventual liberation of the city.^[3]

He was ambushed and mortally wounded in February 1944 by the Ukrainian Insurgent Army.