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Birth of Andrey Dmitriyevich Frolov, Participant of the Great Patriotic War, Hero of the Soviet Union
Andrey Dmitriyevich Frolov was born on August 24, 1917 in Ik village (currently, Vikulovsky District of Tyumen Region) in a peasant family. After completing 7 years of school, he worked as a tractor driver at a machine and tractor station. In 1938, he was recruited to the Red Army for urgent service. He underwent training in the regimental school of junior commanders. During the Great Patriotic War, he was in the active army since the summer of 1941. He fought in the 7th Separate Army, on the Karelian and 2nd Belorussian Fronts. He was twice injured and once contused. He distinguished himself on the Karelian Front, in polar region, during the Petsamo-Kirkenes offensive.
From October, 1941 Senior Sergeant Andrey Dmitriyevich Frolov fought in the 94th Rifle Regiment of the 21st Infantry Division of the 7th Separate Army in Leningrad Region, in the Petrozavodsk direction. In June 1942, Andrey Dmitriyevich Frolov was awarded the rank of Junior Lieutenant and appointed a deputy commander of the rifle company. In 1943, he completed the retraining courses. From February, 1944 he served as a communication officer of the operational department of the Karelian Front headquarters, from May, 1944 – as a commander of the rifle squad of the 49th Army Penal Rifle Company in polar region, in the 14th Army.
By October, 1944 Guards Senior Lieutenant Andrey Dmitriyevich Frolov was in command of the squad of the anti-tank rifles of the Separate Ski Battalion of the 10th Guards Infantry Division of the 14th Army of the Karelian Front. In the division’s battles on October 7-15, 1944, during the breach of the fortified defences of the enemy, he, accompanied by a group of spies, was the first one to break into the enemy’s territory, destroy the defence headquarters and capture staff documents and prisoners. “He was one of the first ones to force the Titovka River and to get through to the road to Luostari with a group of forty people. This resulted in the enemy’s equipment, staff cars, horse-drawn transport to remain in our possession. The enemy attempted three counterattacks, but did not succeed. Frolov controlled the road until the arrival of divisions of the 28th Guards of the Red Banner Rifle Regiment”.
His award certificate also stated: “While commanding the company of 70 people, comrade Frolov himself was the first one under the enemy’s fire to force the Petsamo-Yoki River and take the company with him. He immediately attacked up to three companies of the enemy, drove them off the western bank, which ensured the river crossing by the Separate Ski Battalion of the 10th Guards Infantry Division. After that, he fought his way to the fork of the Luostari-Petsamo-Western Norway roads. He repulsed two counterattacks of up to 300 enemy soldiers and held it under control until the arrival of the divisions of the 35th Guards of the Red Banner Rifle Regiment. Comrade Frolov has personally destroyed 21 fascists, while his division destroyed 420 German soldiers and officers, captured 2 officers, 29 non-commissioned officers and soldiers”. Under the order of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of March 24, 1945, Guards Senior Lieutenant Andrey Dmitriyevich Frolov was awarded a high title of the Hero of the Soviet Union, along with the Order of Lenin and the Gold Star Medal for “courage and heroism, demonstrated in the Petsamo-Kirkenes offensive”. For his military feats, he was awarded the Order of the Red Banner, the 2nd Class Order of the Patriotic War, the Order of the Red Star, numerous medals.
In 1945, Guards Senior Lieutenant Andrey Dmitriyevich Frolov was discharged. After the war, he worked in the town of Isilkul of Omsk Region as a chauffeur, instructor and deputy director of a vocational school. He was awarded the title of the Honor Student of Vocational Education of the USSR. He conducted a lot of public work and was a head of the local Veterans Council. As a chairman of the veteran organization, Frolov attached a great importance to the restoration and collection of data on historical events that took place in the town and district. He was engaged in local history work. For many years, he published notes about fellow veterans, their military and work journey in the local newspaper Znamya. He died on May 7, 1984.
A street has been named after Andrey Dmitriyevich Frolov in Chebakley village, located on the territory of Vikulovsky rural settlement. A plaque has been installed on the house in Isilkul, where he lived (Pervomayskaya Street, 79).
Lit.: Тюменцы – Герои Советского Союза: 60-летию Победы советского народа в Великой Отечественной войне 1941–1945 гг. посвящается... / сост.: Л. Л. Поливцев, М. М. Никифорова, А. А. Троицких. Тюмень, 2004. С. 142; Адреса Победы: 65-летию Великой Победы посвящается. Тюмень, 2010. С. 291; Герои земли Тюменской: сборник / сост. Н. Т. Вокуев. Тюмень, 1991. С. 171–172; Герои Тюменского края / сост. А. И. Бажин. Ишим, 2015. С. 83; Тереб Н. Герои, родившиеся на территории Тюменской области / Н. Тереб // Тюменские известия. 2017. 25 января. С. 3.
Based on the Presidential Library’s materials:
Память о Великой Победе: [цифровая коллекция].
Based on the article of the Tyumen Region Branch of the Presidential Library