Alexander Fyodorovich Belov (

Russian Russian(s) may refer to: *Russians (), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries *A citizen of Russia *Russian language, the most widely spoken of the Slavic languages *''The Russians'', a b ...

: Александр Фёдорович Белов; 30 November 1923 – 5 April 1980) was a

Red Army The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army, often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Republic and, from 1922, the Soviet Union. The army was established in January 1918 by a decree of the Council of People ...

Sergeant Sergeant (Sgt) is a Military rank, rank in use by the armed forces of many countries. It is also a police rank in some police services. The alternative spelling, ''serjeant'', is used in The Rifles and in other units that draw their heritage f ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

and a

Hero of the Soviet Union The title Hero of the Soviet Union () was the highest distinction in the Soviet Union, awarded together with the Order of Lenin personally or collectively for heroic feats in service to the Soviet state and society. The title was awarded both ...

. Drafted into the Red Army, Belov fought in combat from 1942 and was awarded the title for raising a red flag on the

East Prussia East Prussia was a Provinces of Prussia, province of the Kingdom of Prussia from 1772 to 1829 and again from 1878 (with the Kingdom itself being part of the German Empire from 1871); following World War I it formed part of the Weimar Republic's ...

border. Postwar, he worked as a driver after being demobilized.

Early life

Belov was born on 30 November 1923 in the village of Dushilovo,

Ivanovo Oblast Ivanovo Oblast () is a federal subject of Russia (an oblast). It had a population of 927,828 as of the Russian Census (2021), 2021 Russian Census. Its three largest types of inhabited localities in Russia, cities are Ivanovo (the administrat ...

to a peasant family. After graduating from primary school, he worked as a drill operator at the casting and mechanical plant in Furmanov.

World War II

Alexander Fyodorovich Belov HSU citation

Belov was drafted into the

during

in 1942. Late that year he saw his first combat at

Rzhev Rzhev ( rus, Ржев, p=ˈrʐɛf) is a town in Tver Oblast, Russia, located southwest of Staritsa and from Tver, on the highway and railway connecting Moscow and Riga. It is the uppermost town situated on the Volga River. Population: Hist ...

, going on to fight in the Battle of Smolensk in 1943 and

Operation Bagration Operation Bagration () was the codename for the 1944 Soviet Byelorussian strategic offensive operation (), a military campaign fought between 22 June and 19 August 1944 in Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic, Soviet Byelorussia in the Eastern ...

in 1944. He participated in the capture of

Orsha Orsha (; , ; ) is a city in Vitebsk Region, Belarus. It is situated on the fork of the Dnieper, Dnieper River and Arshytsa River, and it serves as the administrative center of Orsha District. As of 2025, it has a population of 101,662. History ...

Vitebsk Vitebsk or Vitsyebsk (, ; , ; ) is a city in northern Belarus. It serves as the administrative center of Vitebsk Region and Vitebsk District, though it is administratively separated from the district. As of 2025, it has 358,927 inhabitants, m ...

Kaunas Kaunas (; ) is the second-largest city in Lithuania after Vilnius, the fourth largest List of cities in the Baltic states by population, city in the Baltic States and an important centre of Lithuanian economic, academic, and cultural life. Kaun ...

, and the crossing of the

Neman Neman, Nemunas or Niemen is a river in Europe that rises in central Belarus and flows through Lithuania then forms Lithuania–Russia border, the northern border of Kaliningrad Oblast, Russia's western exclave, which specifically follows its s ...

during the latter. At Orsha, after a machine gun broke down, Belov and several other soldiers rolled out a cannon and used it against German troops in direct fire mode. In another battle, he was reported to have been wounded in the head by a splinter, but did not leave the battlefield. He received the

Order of Glory The Order of Glory () was a military decoration of the Soviet Union established by Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet on November 8, 1943. It was awarded to soldiers and non-commissioned officers of the Red Army as well as to aviation ...

, 3rd class for his actions on 2 May, while a sergeant leading a squad of the 1st Battalion, 346th Rifle Regiment in the

63rd Rifle Division 63rd may refer to: ;Metro stations *Ashland/63rd (CTA station), on the Green Line *East 63rd-Cottage Grove (CTA), on the Green Line *63rd (CTA Red Line), on the Red Line *63rd Street station (SEPTA Market–Frankford Line) on the Market-Frankford L ...

. For his actions between 15 and 19 July during Operation Bagration, Belov was awarded the

Order of the Patriotic War The Order of the Patriotic War () is a Soviet Union, Soviet military Order (decoration), decoration that was awarded to all soldiers in the Soviet armed forces, security troops, and to Partisan (military), partisans for heroic deeds in the Easte ...

, 2nd class, on 22 August; by this time he had become an assistant platoon commander and been promoted to senior sergeant. After the crossing of the Neman, his unit advanced to the border of

. On 17 August, Belov was reported to have distinguished himself by capturing a trench with a group of soldiers and personally killing six German soldiers. He was reported to have raised a red flag on the

Šešupė The Šešupė (); ; ; ) is a 298 km long riverŠešupė
''VLE'' that flows through Poland (27 km), Lithuania (158 ...

river on the former location of a Soviet border marker. There, the platoon was reported to have held the position after the repulse of five counterattacks. For his actions, Belov was awarded the title

and the

Order of Lenin The Order of Lenin (, ) was an award named after Vladimir Lenin, the leader of the October Revolution. It was established by the Central Executive Committee on 6 April 1930. The order was the highest civilian decoration bestowed by the Soviet ...

on 24 March 1945. Belov became a member of the

Communist Party of the Soviet Union The Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU),. Abbreviated in Russian as КПСС, ''KPSS''. at some points known as the Russian Communist Party (RCP), All-Union Communist Party and Bolshevik Party, and sometimes referred to as the Soviet ...

in late 1944.

Postwar

Belov was demobilized in 1945 and returned to Furmanov, where he worked as a driver in the rail industry. He did not receive his Gold Star and Order of Lenin at the

Kremlin The Moscow Kremlin (also the Kremlin) is a fortified complex in Moscow, Russia. Located in the centre of the country's capital city, the Moscow Kremlin (fortification), Kremlin comprises five palaces, four cathedrals, and the enclosing Mosco ...

until March 1947. Belov died on 5 April 1980 and was buried in the military section of the Furmanov cemetery. A street in Furmanov was named for him and a plaque was placed on the house where he lived.

References

Citations

Bibliography

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Belov, Alexander 1923 births 1980 deaths People from Furmanovsky District Communist Party of the Soviet Union members Heroes of the Soviet Union Recipients of the Order of Glory Recipients of the Order of Lenin Recipients of the Order of the Patriotic War, 2nd class Soviet military personnel of World War II