Pavel Alexeyevich Belov | |
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| Born | 18 February 1897 Shuya, Vladimir Governorate, Russian Empire |
| Died | 3 December 1963 (aged 66) Moscow, Soviet Union |
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| Rank | Colonel General |
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Pavel Alexeyevich Belov (Russian: Павел Алексеевич Белов; 18 February 1897 – 3 December 1963) was a Soviet Army colonel general and a Hero of the Soviet Union. He was nicknamed the "Fox" by the Germans and personally led the longest successful war raid, lasting five months behind the German lines. He has earned legendary status and could be considered one of the greatest cavalry generals. Considering his accomplishments from 1941-1945, his adaptation of combining horses, tanks, artillery, and aircraft on a modern battlefield resulted in the victory against a more technologically advanced enemy, often in the most desperate parts of the Eastern Front.
At the beginning of the war, Belov commanded the 2nd Cavalry Corps. During the Battle of Moscow on 26 November, it was renamed and given the honor of becoming the 1st Guards Cavalry Corps, the divisions also received 'Guards' designations. The newly established cavalry corps was pivotal in stopping Guderian's Panzers in 1941 on the southern outposts of Moscow near the town of Kashira. His unit was the first to start the counterattack in the Battle of Moscow. Following the winter counterattack, they penetrated deep into the enemy rear, getting cut off from the rest of the army. During the Battle of Rzhev, Belov would lead a successful five-month raid with the 1st Guards Cavalry Corps behind Army Group Center.
After returning from the raid in the summer of 1942, he was promoted and given command of the 61st Army, which he led for the rest of the war. Finishing the war in the Battle of Berlin on the Elbe River; his successor of the Corps became Viktor Kirillovich Baranov. Belov's command of the Army included the Battle of Kursk in 1943. Later he took part in Operation Bagration, where his units helped to liberate the Fortress of Brest. Later the units participated in the Riga Offensive in the Courland Pocket, followed by the defeat of the German Pomeranian offensive in early 1945. The 61st Army, alongside the 1st Polish Army, was responsible for encircling the German capital from the north, meeting the Americans on the Elbe in the Battle of Berlin. Overall he is considered one of the most talented and daring generals of the Second World War. General Belov is mentioned more than any Allied General in the memoir of Franz Halder the chief of staff of the Army High Command (OKH) in Nazi Germany.
Belov was one of the few generals not affected by Stalin's military purges despite having a Polish wife. From the first days, he demonstrated effective tactics against the onslaught of the Blitzkrieg, along with Lev Dovator earning the first tactical victories for the Red Army. Due to the constant retreats of 1941, the unit played rear guard duties, especially during the Uman disaster. The unit additionally played a rescue role for the many trapped troops in the Battle of Kyiv, which Belov's forces unsuccessfully tried to save. Stalin called his unit the "Fire Squad," as they were often thrown into the most challenging positions, expecting to save the situation.
Pavel Belov was greatly respected among his peers as a general who truly cared about his soldiers. He often refused to send his units into pointless attacks that his superiors often demanded. This could explain why he was only awarded the Gold star in 1944, considering his admiration by the foe along with his accomplishments on the battlefield.