Mariakhin, Sergei Stepanovich

Born Sept. 24 (Oct. 7), 1911, in the village of Totorshevo, now in Ardatov Raion, Gorky Oblast; died June 15, 1972, in Moscow. Soviet military leader; general of the army (1968). Member of the CPSU from 1931.

Until 1930, Mariakhin was a worker. He joined the Soviet Army in 1931. He graduated from the Saratov Armor School in 1932, the M. V. Frunze Military Academy in 1941, and the K. E. Voroshilov Higher Military Academy in 1950. During the Great Patriotic War of 1941-45 he was commander of a tank battalion, chief of staff of a tank regiment and a tank brigade, section chief and chief of staff of the directorate of the commander of armored and mechanized troops of a front, chief of the operations section of a tank army, and commander of a detached tank brigade.

After the war Mariakhin occupied important posts in the armed forces and in the Military Academy of the General Staff (1945-60); subsequently, he was first deputy commander (1960-63) and commander (1963-64) of the Northern Group of Forces, commander of troops of the Byelorussian Military District (1964-67), first deputy chief of rear services for the USSR armed forces (1967-68), and deputy minister of defense and chief of rear services for the USSR armed forces (1968-72). Between 1966 and 1971 he was a candidate member of the Central Committee of the CPSU and in 1971 became a full member. He was a deputy to the Supreme Soviet of the USSR at the seventh and eighth convocations.

Mariakhin was awarded three Orders of Lenin, two Orders of the Red Banner, the Order of Suvorov Second Class, the Order of Bogdan Khmel’nitskii Second Class, the Order of the Patriotic War First Class, two Orders of the Red Star, and various medals.