Background
He was born on December 15, 1913 in Lyitizh village now Komarichsky district, Bryansk region, Russia in a poor peasant family
He was born on December 15, 1913 in Lyitizh village now Komarichsky district, Bryansk region, Russia in a poor peasant family
Il'ya studied at Leningrad High Officer’s Armored School in 1947.
When Il'ya was 15 he worked as a laborer in the village, since 1930 he went to the Shcherbinovsky mine (now Toretsk town, Donetsk region, Ukraine). He worked as a kongoni, miner, machinist of the cutting machine and gaffer.
In 1935, he was drafted into the Red Army for the passage of emergency service and sent to the 2nd Red Banner motorized rifle regiment, NKVD (Habarovsk).
He graduated from 1-year-courses of junior commanders. During this time he took the positions of the deputy platoon commander and the sergeant major of the company. After, he finished courses of junior lieutenants and was appointed as the commander of the platoon.
In 1942, the part of the 2nd Red Banner motorized rifle regiment was sent to the standing army (4th Red Banner motorized rifle regiment, the 13th motorized rifle division, NKVD). In February 1942 Lieutenant Antonov arrived in Voronezh. Here he was appointed to the position of the Deputy Commander, the 7th detachment. In the end of March, he participated in offensive operation on the west bank of the Bolshaya Babka river and was injured.
Till June 1942, the detachment was reformed. According to the General Headquarters’ command, they were sent to the Red Army as the 95th rifle division.
In August 1942, the division was sent to the defensive fightings in Stalingrad.
Antonov was a participant of the defensive operation near Mamayev Kurgan as the commander of the 7th detachment.
In December 1942, he got First Lieutenant title and was appointed to the position of the 1st battalion, the 90th rifle regiment. He participated in defensive operations against enemies till February 1943.
He participated in the Battle of Kursk as a part of the 212th Guard rifle battalion.
Autumn, 1943, the 75th Guard rifle division (the 30th Rifle Corps, the 60th Army) crossed the Dnieper river. On September 23-25, the division led by Antonov were keeping the bridgehead in hard fightings until the main forces came.
Together with his battalion, Antonov participated in the Liberation of the Ukraine and Belarus, battles near Riga, the breakthrough of enemy defenses on the Vistula River, the defeat of the Warsaw Group of German troops, the crossing of the Oder River and the seizure of the bridgehead on its western shore.
In January 1944, I.S. Antonov was badly injured and confused. After six-month-therapy, he returned to the army and was appointed to the post of the chief of the reserve officers, the 65th Army.
After the war, he continued his service in the Red Army. He was the commander of the motorized rifle battalion, Belarusian War district.
Since 1954, he was the Commandant of the Pecheneg garrison of the Northern Military District, Murmansk region.
Since 1962, Lieutenant Colonel I.S. Antonov was dismissed. He lives in Grodno.
He died on February 3, 1981.
By the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR’s Decree, October 17, 1943, Il’ya Antonov was awarded Hero of the Soviet Union title “for the successful crossing of the Dnieper River, securing a bridgehead on the west bank and courage and heroism shown at that time” and received the Gold Star and Order of Lenin.
