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Mikhail Andreevich Pronin
Mikhail Andreyevich Pronin (; 1 October 1892 – 26 November 1978) was a Soviet Army major general and a Hero of the Soviet Union. Pronin served as a sapper in the Imperial Russian Army during World War I and was drafted into the Red Army during the Russian Civil War, serving in artillery units. Between the wars, he held various staff positions in artillery and later infantry units, rising to regimental and then division command in the late 1930s. Pronin commanded the 144th Rifle Division for two years after Operation Barbarossa began and was demoted in mid-1942 to brigade command, then tried for incompetence. He returned to brigade command after the case was dropped later that year. During 1943, Pronin commanded two divisions and a corps and spent much of 1944 away from the front due to illness and further military education. In late 1944 he returned to the front and became commander of the 16th Guards Rifle Division, being made a Hero of the Soviet Union for his leadership of i ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
352nd Rifle Division (Soviet Union)
The 352nd Rifle Division started forming in August 1941, as a standard Red Army rifle division, at Bugulma in Tatarstan. When it entered the fighting it was assigned to the Western Front before Moscow, and it would remain in that Front for most of the war; when Western Front was dissolved the division went to one of its successor Fronts and served there until the last few weeks. It took part in the first Soviet winter counteroffensive, then played peripheral roles in the battles around the Rhzev salient, before advancing in the offensive that liberated Smolensk in the summer of 1943. After a series of frustrating attempts during the autumn and winter of 1943-44, the city of Orsha was finally liberated in the opening days of Operation Bagration, and the 352nd was recognized for its role in the battle. Soon after it was further decorated for its part in the liberation of Grodno. In the winter of 1945 the 352nd took part in the invasion of East Prussia and the capture of Königsberg, b ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |