In a short event which officially ended the Pacific War, Lieutenant-General Derevyanko representing the Soviet Union signs the instrument of surrender aboard USS Missouri.

Kuzma Nikolayevich Derevyanko (Russian: Кузьма́ Никола́евич Деревя́нко, Ukrainian: Кузьма Миколайович Дерев'янко, Kuzma Mykolaiovych Derevianko; November 14 (O.S. 1), 1904 – December 30, 1954) was a Ukrainian Lieutenant General in the Soviet Army.

Life

Derevyanko was born on November 14, 1904, in the village of Kosenivka, Umansky Uyezd, Kiev Governorate, Russian Empire (now Ukraine). Derevyanko (at the time Chief of Staff of the 35th Army) was the representative of the Soviet Union at the ceremonial signing of the written agreement that established the armistice ending the Pacific War and with it World War II.[1] The Soviet delegation joined other Allied representatives on the battleship USS Missouri which was anchored in Tokyo Bay.[2] Together, the waiting Allies silently acknowledged the representatives of the Japanese Emperor and the representative of the Imperial Japanese Army, who were the last to arrive. The proceedings began when General MacArthur stepped before a single microphone. The 23-minute surrender ceremony was broadcast worldwide.[3] Derevyanko signed the Japanese Instrument of Surrender at precisely 9:17 a.m. in Tokyo Bay on September 2, 1945.[4] He served as Soviet representative at MacArthur's headquarters during the US occupation of Japan.

He died on December 30, 1954, and was buried on January 3, 1955, at Novodevichy Cemetery.[5] In 2007, he was posthumously awarded the title of Hero of Ukraine.[6]

Award

He was awarded:

Notes

  1. ↑ Australian War Memorial: AWM Photo ID 040968. Archived September 30, 2012, at the Wayback Machine
  2. ↑ Mooney, James L. (1976). "USS Missouri" Archived 2010-04-09 at the Library of Congress Web Archives in Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. Vol. 4, pp. 393–395. Washington, DC: United States Navy.
  3. ↑ Battleship Missouri Memorial: "Educator Resources," p. 5. Archived August 20, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
  4. ↑ Broom, Jack. "Memories on Board Battleship," Seattle Times. May 21, 1998.
  5. ↑ "Кузьма Дерев'янко. Українець, що поставив крапку у війні | Історична правда". 2015-09-04. Archived from the original on 2015-09-04. Retrieved 2023-07-14.
  6. 1 2 "PRESIDENT.GOV.UA". 2008-01-21. Archived from the original on 2008-01-21. Retrieved 2023-07-14.

References

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