Pavel Alexeyevich Belov

Pavel Alexeyevich Belov
Belov in 1945
Personal details
Born Pavel Alexeyevich Belov
18 February 1897
Shuya, Vladimir Governorate, Russian Empire
Died 3 December 1963(1963-12-03) (aged 66)
Soviet Union
Nationality

 Russian Empire

 Soviet Union
Political party Communist Party of the Soviet Union
Profession Soldier
Military service
Allegiance  Russian Empire
 Soviet Union
Service/branch Russian Imperial Army
Soviet Army
Years of service 1916-60
Rank Colonel General
Commands 1st Guards Cavalry Corps
61st Army
Battles/wars World War I
Russian Civil War
World War II

Pavel Alexeyevich Belov (18 February 1897 – 3 December 1963) was a colonel general in the Red Army during World War II. He is mostly known for his role in the Battle of Kursk in 1943 and for stopping Heinrich Himmler's Pomeranian offensive in early 1945.

Biography

Early life

Born in Shuya on 18 February 1897, Pavel Alexeyevich Belov joined the Imperial Russian Army in 1916, two years after the outbreak of World War I, as a private and eventually became a praporshchik.[1] In 1919, he moved into politics, joining the Communist Party of the Soviet Union and also the Red Army.[1] He commanded a cavalry squadron during the Russian Civil War.[1]

World War II

From 1922 to 1929, Belov led a cavalry regiment.[1] He became a graduate of the Frunze Military Academy in 1934 and served as a commander of a cavalry division.[1] From 1935 to 1940, Belov was given command of his own cavalry corps.[1] He played a key role in stopping Operation Typhoon, the German codename for the assault on Moscow, in the final months of 1941 while serving as commander of the 2nd Cavalry Corps, later redesignated as the 1st Guards Cavalry Corps.[1] Belov took charge of the 61st Army in June 1942 and was promoted to lieutenant general.[1] With this army, he played a key role in the Battle of Kursk, the largest tank battle in military history, and also the fighting around Voronezh.[1] Promoted to colonel general in July 1944, Belov participated in the liberation of Ukraine, Poland and finally in the Battle of Berlin.[2][1][3]

Later life

After World War II, he commanded the South Ural Military District for ten years.[1] He then chaired the Voluntary Association for Support of the Army, Air Force, and Navy (DOSAAF).[1] Belov retired from the military in 1960 and died on 3 December three years later.[1]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 Tucker 2011.
  2. ↑ Buttar 2012, p. 244.
  3. ↑ The Battle for Germany 2011.

Sources

Printed

  • Buttar, Prit (2012). Battleground Prussia: The Assault on Germany's Eastern Front 1944-45. Osprey Publishing. ISBN 978-1849087902.

Online

  • Tucker, Spencer (2011). "Belov, Pavel Alekseyevich (1897 - 1962)". ABC-CLIO. Retrieved 29 May 2015.

Media

  • Grazhdan, Anna (director); Artem Drabkin & Aleksey Isaev (writers); Valeriy Babich, Vlad Ryashin, et. al (producers) (2011). The Battle for Germany (television documentary). Soviet Storm: World War II in the East. Star Media's Official YouTube Channel. Retrieved 29 May 2015.
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