Anatoli Kacharava
Anatoli Kacharava (Georgian: ანატოლი კაჭარავა, 15 August, 1910 – 8 May, 1982) was a Soviet and Georgian sea captain serving in the Soviet Navy. He is known for taking part in the arctic theater of the Second World War where he commanded a Soviet icebreaker A. Sibiryakov until its destruction by a German cruiser Admiral Scheer on August 24, 1942. Kacharava was severely wounded but survived, and was one of 22 of the ship's company that were captured by the Germans.
Anatoli Kacharava | |
|---|---|
| Born | August 15, 1910 Sukhumi, Georgia |
| Died | May 8, 1982 (aged 71) Batumi, Georgian SSR |
| Allegiance | Soviet Union |
| Service/ | .svg.png.webp){kind=small} Soviet Navy |
| Years of service | 1927–1967 |
| Rank | Captain 1st rank, prior senior lieutenant |
| Battles/wars | Arctic naval operations of World War II |
| Awards | Order of the Red Banner Order of the Red Banner of Labour Order of Lenin |
| Spouse(s) | Nato Vachnadze |
Early life and naval career
Kacharava was born in the summer of 1910 in a coastal town of Sukhumi, Georgia, then part of the Russian Empire. His parents, Aleksei Kacharava and Natalia Kavtaradze, were traders. He received education in several technical and maritime schools, namely Sukhumi Industrial College, Kherson Maritime School and Fishery College of the Far-East. Afterwards, he joined the navy aboard Soviet icebreaker A. Sibiryakov as a senior lieutenant. He was later promoted to a captain during the Second World War.
His grave is in Batumi.
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References
- "Operation Wunderland, August 1942". allworldwars.com. Retrieved 23 March 2016.
- History of Georgian seafaring — Merab Megrelishvili, Shota Makharadze, 2012, Tbilisi