Pyotr Mikhailovich Gavrilov

Pyotr Mikhailovich Gavrilov was a Soviet officer, a major, a participant in the defense of the Brest Fortress in 1941, and a Hero of the Soviet Union (1957). He was born in the Tatar village of Alvidino in the Kazan Governorate and lost his father in early childhood. In his youth he worked as a hired farmhand. At the age of fifteen he moved to Kazan, found work at a factory and took part in the establishment of Soviet power. In the spring of 1918 he voluntarily joined the ranks of the Red Army. He fought on the Eastern Front against Kolchak's forces, then against Denikin and insurgents in the North Caucasus. After the end of the Civil War he continued to serve.

In 1922 Gavrilov joined the RCP(b) (Russian Communist Party (Bolsheviks)); in 1925 he graduated from the Vladikavkaz Infantry School. He married and adopted an orphaned boy. In 1939 Gavrilov graduated from the Frunze Military Academy. With the rank of major he commanded the 44th Rifle Regiment of the 42nd Rifle Division and took part in the Soviet-Finnish War. After the outbreak of the Great Patriotic War (World War II) Gavrilov led the defense of the Brest Fortress. He was taken prisoner; after his release in 1945 he lived in Krasnodar. For courage and heroism he was awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union. Pyotr Mikhailovich Gavrilov died on 26 January 1979 and was buried in the memorial cemetery in Brest.