| Dmitry Lavrinenko | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1914 stanitsa of Besstrashnaya, Kuban Oblast, Russian Empire |
| Died | 1941 |
| Allegiance | Red Army |
| Years of service | 1938 - 1941 |
| Rank | Senior Lieutenant |
| Unit | 1st Guards Tank Brigade, 15th Armored Division |
| Awards | Order of Lenin Gold Star of the Hero of the Soviet Union |
| Other work | Teacher, statistician, cashier |
Dmitry Fyodorovich Lavrinenko (Russian: Дми́трий Фёдорович Лаврине́нко, September 10, 1914—December 18, 1941) was a successful Soviet tanker and a Hero of the Soviet Union.
Lavrinenko finished the education at Ulyanovsk Tank Academy in May, 1938. He took part in Soviet campaigns in Poland 1939 and Bessarabia 1940.
In 1941, he commanded the new T-34/76 tank, which was superior to all German types of the time. With 58 tanks and self-propelled guns eliminated in 1941 during Operation Barbarossa on the Eastern Front of World War II, he is considered to be the top Soviet tank ace despite early death in 1941. Unlike many other Soviet tank commanders in that year, he managed to take advantage of the abilities of the T-34 and the inferiority of contemporary German tanks and anti-tank guns, while surviving for half a year against the otherwise superior German tactics or Stuka dive bombers.
On May 5, 1990 Lavrinenko was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union posthumously.
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