Leonid Ivanovich Shcherbakov | |
|---|---|
 Shcherbakov in 1989 | |
| Native name | Леонид Иванович Щербаков |
| Born | 12 October 1936 Bannovskoye, Stalino Oblast, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union |
| Died | 29 May 2021 (aged 84) Moscow, Russia |
| Buried | |
| Allegiance |  Soviet Union Russia |
| Service/ | Soviet Tank Forces Soviet Airborne Forces |
| Years of service | 1954–1992 |
| Rank | Lieutenant General |
| Awards | Hero of the Russian Federation Order of the Red Banner Order of the Red Star Medal "For Impeccable Service" - 1st, 2nd and 3rd classes |
Leonid Ivanovich Shcherbakov (Russian: Леонид Иванович Щербаков; 12 October 1936 – 29 May 2021) was a Soviet and later Russian military officer who held a number of posts in the Soviet Army, reaching the rank of lieutenant general, and being awarded the title of Hero of the Russian Federation.
Orphaned by the Second World War, Shcherbakov entered the Soviet Armed Forces in the early 1950s, and trained at the Kiev Tank Technical School. This began a long association with the technical side of armoured warfare. Initially serving with the Soviet Tank Forces as part of the North Caucasus Military District, and rising through the ranks to greater responsibilities, he deepened his knowledge with studies at the Military Academy of the Armoured Forces, which included practical experiences of tank factories in Kharkov and Nizhny Tagil. He was then assigned to the 38th Research Institute of Armoured Vehicles in Kubinka as a test engineer, and carried out trials on fifteen different Soviet and foreign vehicles.
Shcherbakov became particularly involved in trials of the BMD-1, an armoured vehicle intended to be able to be dropped by aircraft. It was during these tests that he made his first parachute jump, triggering an interest and subsequent move to the Soviet Airborne Forces, where he worked in its scientific and technical committee. Initially the BMD-1 was to be dropped separately from its crew, who would locate it after landing. This proved unsatisfactory, and Shcherbakov became involved in trials of parachute and rocket-braking systems to allow members of the crew to be aboard the vehicle during its descent. In January 1976 he and Major Aleksandr Margelov became the first in the world to make an experimental landing inside the BMD-1. Both were nominated for the award of Hero of the Soviet Union, but this was not acted upon and Shcherbakov only received the lesser Order of the Red Banner. His later career included important positions as deputy commander of the North Caucasus Military District and deputy commander in chief of the Group of Soviet Forces in Germany. He continued to evaluate and test military equipment during the Soviet–Afghan War, and ended his career as Inspector-General of Equipment and Armaments in the Main Inspectorate of the Ministry of Defence. Only in retirement was his work fully rewarded, with the award of the title of Hero of the Russian Federation in 1996. He died in 2021 at the age of 84.