Ivan Vasilievich Panfilov
About museum
Ivan Vasilievich Panfilov was a Soviet military leader, Major General, and Hero of the Soviet Union. Ivan Vasilievich Panfilov was born in Petrovsk, Saratov Oblast. In 1915 he was conscripted into the army and took part in World War I. After the October Revolution Panfilov voluntarily joined the Red Army and became a soldier in the Saratov Infantry Regiment of the Chapaev Division.
During the Civil War Panfilov actively participated in combat operations, commanding a platoon and a company, and fought against White Guard forces. After the end of the war, in 1923, he graduated from the Kiev Military School and served in the Central Asian Military District for almost eighteen years. He took part in the fight against the Basmachi and commanded various military units. In 1937 Panfilov became head of a department of the district staff, and in 1938 he was appointed Military Commissar of the Kyrgyz SSR.
At the beginning of the Great Patriotic War Panfilov took part in the formation and command of the 316th Rifle Division on the Northwestern and Western Fronts. In October–November 1941 his division fought fierce battles near Moscow, employing innovative methods of anti-tank defense. Major General Panfilov was killed in action on 18 November 1941 near Moscow. For courage and heroism he was posthumously awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union.
Date of birth
01 January 1893
Date of death
18 November 1941
Occupation
Military