Gleb Vladimirovich Baklanov (; – 16 January 1976) was a

Soviet Army The Soviet Ground Forces () was the land warfare service branch of the Soviet Armed Forces from 1946 to 1992. It was preceded by the Red Army. After the Soviet Union ceased to exist in December 1991, the Ground Forces remained under th ...

colonel general Colonel general is a military rank used in some armies. It is particularly associated with Germany, where historically General officer#Old European system, general officer ranks were one grade lower than in the Commonwealth and the United States, ...

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 ...

. Born to a wealthy family, Baklanov was drafted into the

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 ...

and was selected for command positions during the

interwar period In the history of the 20th century, the interwar period, also known as the interbellum (), lasted from 11 November 1918 to 1 September 1939 (20 years, 9 months, 21 days) – from the end of World War I (WWI) to the beginning of World War II ( ...

. He served in staff positions and was wounded during the

Winter War The Winter War was a war between the Soviet Union and Finland. It began with a Soviet invasion of Finland on 30 November 1939, three months after the outbreak of World War II, and ended three and a half months later with the Moscow Peac ...

while a regimental chief of staff. After the

German invasion of the Soviet Union Operation Barbarossa was the invasion of the Soviet Union by Nazi Germany and several of its European Axis allies starting on Sunday, 22 June 1941, during World War II. More than 3.8 million Axis troops invaded the western Soviet Union along a ...

in June 1941, he became a regimental commander but was wounded in fighting in Belarus and did not return to the front until early 1942 as a brigade commander. Baklanov commanded the 299th Rifle Division during the

Battle of Stalingrad The Battle of Stalingrad ; see . rus, links=on, Сталинградская битва, r=Stalingradskaya bitva, p=stəlʲɪnˈɡratskəjə ˈbʲitvə. (17 July 19422 February 1943) was a major battle on the Eastern Front of World War II, ...

, being decorated for his actions, and went on to lead the

13th Guards Rifle Division The 13th Guards Poltava Order of Lenin Twice Red Banner Orders of Suvorov and Kutuzov Rifle Division () was an infantry division of the Red Army that was highly decorated during World War II. Formed in January 1942 from the 87th Rifle Divisio ...

at the

Battle of Kursk The Battle of Kursk, also called the Battle of the Kursk Salient, was a major World War II Eastern Front battle between the forces of Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union near Kursk in southwestern Russia during the summer of 1943, resulting in ...

among other actions. In mid-1944 he was promoted to command a rifle corps, a position in which he ended the war. For his leadership in the capture of

Dresden Dresden (; ; Upper Saxon German, Upper Saxon: ''Dräsdn''; , ) is the capital city of the States of Germany, German state of Saxony and its second most populous city after Leipzig. It is the List of cities in Germany by population, 12th most p ...

in the final weeks of the war Baklanov was made a Hero of the Soviet Union. He held senior command positions after the end of the war, commanding the 13th Army, the

Siberian Military District The Siberian Military District was a Military district of the Russian Ground Forces. The district was originally formed as a military district of the Russian Empire in 1864. In 1924 it was reformed in the Red Army. After the end of World War II the ...

, and the

Northern Group of Forces The Northern Group of Armed Forces (; ) was the military formation of the Soviet Army (Russian Ground Forces starting 1992) stationed in Poland from the end of Second World War in 1945 until 1993 when they were withdrawn in the aftermath of the fa ...

before his retirement during the

Cold War The Cold War was a period of global Geopolitics, geopolitical rivalry between the United States (US) and the Soviet Union (USSR) and their respective allies, the capitalist Western Bloc and communist Eastern Bloc, which lasted from 1947 unt ...

Early life

Baklanov was born on to a wealthy family in

Moscow Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...

. His father Vladimir Baklanov owned a weaving factory and his mother Alexandra had been an actress before bearing children. His sister

Olga Baclanova Olga Vladimirovna Baklanova (; 19 August 1893 – 6 September 1974), known professionally as Olga Baclanova, was a Russian-born actress who found success in Hollywood films, as well as stage roles in the US and the United Kingdom, she was mainly ...

left the Russian SFSR in 1926 and did not return, having chosen to become a naturalized citizen of the United States. After completing secondary school he attended the V.I. Lenin Moscow Polytechnic College before being drafted into the Red Army in November 1932.

Interwar period and Winter War

Baklanov was sent to the 1st Moscow Proletarian Rifle Division and graduated from a one-year command course in December 1933, going on to serve in its 3rd Rifle Regiment as a platoon commander, assistant company commander, battalion chief of staff, chief of chemical defense for the regiment, and assistant regimental chief of staff. He was transferred to the reserve in July 1938 during the

Great Purge The Great Purge, or the Great Terror (), also known as the Year of '37 () and the Yezhovshchina ( , ), was a political purge in the Soviet Union that took place from 1936 to 1938. After the Assassination of Sergei Kirov, assassination of ...

but returned to duty in May 1939 as chief of staff of the 541st Rifle Regiment of the 136th Rifle Division, serving in the

against Finland in late 1939 and early 1940. Wounded in combat during the war, Baklanov received the

Order of the Red Banner The Order of the Red Banner () was the first Soviet military decoration. The Order was established on 16 September 1918, during the Russian Civil War by decree of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee. It was the highest award of S ...

in recognition of his actions, his first decoration. After the end of the Winter War, he completed the first course at the

Frunze Military Academy The M. V. Frunze Military Academy (), or in full the Military Order of Lenin and the October Revolution, Red Banner, Order of Suvorov Academy in the name of M. V. Frunze (), was a military academy of the Soviet and later the Russian Armed Forces ...

, before being appointed chief of staff of the 6th Motor Rifle Regiment of the 1st Moscow Motor Rifle Division in December 1940. Baklanov 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 the same year.

German-Soviet War

Shortly after

Operation Barbarossa Operation Barbarossa was the invasion of the Soviet Union by Nazi Germany and several of its European Axis allies starting on Sunday, 22 June 1941, during World War II. More than 3.8 million Axis troops invaded the western Soviet Union along ...

, the German invasion of the Soviet Union, began, the 1st Motor Rifle Division was rushed to the Western Front in late June 1941. Baklanov was soon promoted to command the 175th Motor Rifle Regiment of the division, but he was wounded near

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 ...

during the border battles. Upon recovery in November he was made commander of a battalion of students at the Omsk Infantry School. Returning to the front in January 1942, Baklanov took command of the 157th Rifle Brigade, part of the 11th Army of the

Northwestern Front The Northwestern Front (Russian: ''Северо-Западный фронт'') was a military formation of the Red Army during the Winter War and World War II. It was operational with the 7th and 13th Armies during the Winter War. It was re-c ...

, distinguishing himself in fighting at

Staraya Russa Staraya Russa (, ) is a types of inhabited localities in Russia, town in Novgorod Oblast, Russia, located on the Polist, Polist River, south of Veliky Novgorod, the administrative center of the oblast. Its population has steadily decreased over ...

. Transferred south to command the 299th Rifle Division in June 1942, he led it in the

as part of the 66th Army. 66th Army commander

Rodion Malinovsky Rodion Yakovlevich Malinovsky (; ; – 31 March 1967) was a Soviet military commander and Marshal of the Soviet Union. He served as Minister of Defence of the Soviet Union from 1957 to 1967, during which he oversaw the strengthening of the Sov ...

evaluated Baklanov as a "personally brave, strong-willed, and demanding commander...quickly acquiring experience in division command...a developing, capable commander." He was awarded the

Order of Alexander Nevsky The Order of Alexander Nevsky () is an Order (distinction), order of merit of the Russia, Russian Federation named in honour of saint Alexander Nevsky (1220–1263) and bestowed to civil servants for twenty years or more of highly meritorious ser ...

and the American Distinguished Service Cross for his actions at Stalingrad, and promoted to major general on 1 March 1943. Baklanov was transferred to command the

in May 1943, leading it in the

and the

Battle of the Dnieper The Battle of the Dnieper was a military campaign that took place in 1943 on the Eastern Front of World War II. Being one of the largest operations of the war, it involved almost four million troops at one point and stretched over a front. Ov ...

as part of the 32nd Guards Rifle Corps of the

5th Guards Army The 5th Guards Army was a Soviet Guards formation which fought in many critical actions during World War II under the command of General Aleksey Semenovich Zhadov. The 5th Guards Army was formed in spring 1943 from the 66th Army in recognition o ...

of the

Voronezh Front The 1st Ukrainian Front (), previously the Voronezh Front (), was a major formation of the Red Army during World War II, being equivalent to a Western army group. They took part in the capture of Berlin, the capital of Nazi Germany. Wartime ...

. During the northern hemisphere winter of 1943–1944 the division transferred to the

2nd Ukrainian Front The 2nd Ukrainian Front () was a front of the Red Army during the Second World War. History On October 20, 1943, the Steppe Front was renamed the 2nd Ukrainian Front. In mid-May 1944 Malinovsky took over the 2nd Ukrainian Front. During t ...

with the army and fought in the

Uman–Botoșani Offensive The Uman–Botoșani offensiveTsouras, p. 244 or Uman–Botoshany offensive () was a part of the Dnieper–Carpathian offensive, carried out by the Red Army in the western Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic against the German 8th Army (Wehrma ...

with the

32nd Rifle Corps The 32nd Rifle Corps was a corps of the Soviet Red Army, Red Army during World War II, formed twice. Each formation was a distinct unit, unrelated to the other. First formation The corps headquarters formed in the Transbaikal Military District ...

; Baklanov received a second Order of the Red Banner for his leadership in the offensive. Corps commander Major General Dmitry Zherebin wrote that he was "bold and decisive in battle...in command of the division he showed exceptional leadership skill." After leading the division during the Lvov–Sandomierz Offensive in the northern hemisphere summer of 1944 following its transfer with the army to the

1st Ukrainian Front The 1st Ukrainian Front (), previously the Voronezh Front (), was a major formation of the Red Army during World War II, being equivalent to a Western army group. They took part in the capture of Berlin, the capital of Nazi Germany. Wartime ...

, he was promoted to command the 34th Guards Rifle Corps of the army in August. Courtney Hodges meets Gleb Baklanov April 1945

Gleb Baklanov Salute 1945 Moscow Victory Parade

Baklanov led the corps during the battles to hold the Sandomierz bridgehead for the rest of the year, in the breakout from the bridgehead during the Vistula–Oder Offensive in early 1945. During the preparation for the offensive, the pursuit of retreating German forces to the

Oder The Oder ( ; Czech and ) is a river in Central Europe. It is Poland's second-longest river and third-longest within its borders after the Vistula and its largest tributary the Warta. The Oder rises in the Czech Republic and flows through wes ...

, the crossing of the river and the expansion of a bridgehead, Baklanov "showed ability and perseverance in organization and leadership of the corps, consistently completing his assigned combat tasks", according to his army commander, Colonel General Aleksey Zhadov. In the subsequent Berlin Offensive, the corps crossed the

Neisse The Lusatian Neisse (; ; ; Upper Sorbian: ''Łužiska Nysa''; Lower Sorbian: ''Łužyska Nysa''), or Western Neisse, is a river in northern Central Europe.

, Spree, and the

Elbe The Elbe ( ; ; or ''Elv''; Upper Sorbian, Upper and , ) is one of the major rivers of Central Europe. It rises in the Giant Mountains of the northern Czech Republic before traversing much of Bohemia (western half of the Czech Republic), then Ge ...

, making one of the first

meetings A meeting is when two or more people come together to discuss one or more topics, often in a formal or business setting, but meetings also occur in a variety of other environments. Meetings can be used as form of group decision-making. Definiti ...

with units of the

First United States Army First Army is the largest OC/T organization in the U.S. Army, comprising two divisions, ten brigades, and more than 7,500 Soldiers. Its mission is to partner with the U.S. Army National Guard and U.S. Army Reserve to enable leaders and deli ...

. It ended the war fighting the Prague Offensive during early May. For his "heroism and skilled leadership of troops in the battle for

" Baklanov was awarded the title

on 29 May. During the

Moscow Victory Parade of 1945 The 1945 Moscow Victory Parade (), also known as the Parade of Victors (), was a victory parade held by the Soviet Armed Forces (with the Color Guard Company representing the First Polish Army) after the defeat of Nazi Germany. This, the longest ...

on 26 June, he commanded the combined regiment representing the

Postwar

After the war, Baklanov continued to command the 34th Guards Rifle Corps when it relocated to the

Kiev Military District The Kiev Military District (; , abbreviated ) was a military district of the Imperial Russian Army and subsequently of the Red Army and Soviet Armed Forces. It was first formed in 1862, and was headquartered in Kiev (Kyiv) for most of its exist ...

, and transferred to command the 20th Guards Rifle Corps of the same district after the former was disbanded. He was promoted to lieutenant general on 5 July 1946. After graduating from Higher Academic Courses at the Military Academy of the General Staff in 1948, he served as head of the Physical Training and Sports Department of the Ground Forces from June of that year. In this capacity, he led a Soviet delegation to the

1948 Summer Olympics The 1948 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XIV Olympiad and officially branded as London 1948, were an international multi-sport event held from 29 July to 14 August 1948 in London, United Kingdom. Following a twelve-year hiatus cau ...

in London to investigate the possibility of Soviet participation in the Olympics. Baklanov became commander of the 13th Army in the

Carpathian Military District The Red Banner Carpathian Military District (, ) was a military district of the Soviet Armed Forces during the Cold War and subsequently of the Armed Forces of Ukraine during the early Post-Soviet period. It was established on 3 May 1946 on the ...

in 1954, first deputy commander and chief of staff of the

in Poland between 1959 and 1960, and commander of the

between May 1960 and September 1964. He was promoted to colonel general on 7 May 1960, and was commander of the Northern Group of Forces from November 1964 to April 1967 before his retirement in June 1967. Baklanov first requested to retire in August 1966, but was denied; his second request in 1967 was accepted. Baklanov died on 16 January 1976 and is buried at the

Novodevichy Cemetery Novodevichy Cemetery () is a cemetery in Moscow. It lies next to the southern wall of the 16th-century Novodevichy Convent, which is the city's third most popular tourist site. History The cemetery was designed by Ivan Mashkov and inaugurated ...

Personal life

Baklanov married Klavdiya Mareyeva and had a son, Andrei, and a daughter, Yelena. He was a deputy of the

Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union The Supreme Soviet of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (SSUSSR) was the highest body of state authority of the Soviet Union (USSR) from 1936 to 1991. Based on the principle of unified power, it was the only branch of government in the So ...

during its sixth and seventh convocations, and a member of the

Soviet Olympic Committee The National Olympic Committee of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics () was the Economy of the Soviet Union, government-funded organization representing the Soviet Union in the International Olympic Committee. The NOC USSR organized Soviet ...

. A Moscow gymnastics champion in his youth, Baklanov served as president of the Gymnastics Federation of the Soviet Union between 1972 and 1975.

Awards

Baklanov received the following awards and decorations: *

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 ...

(3) *

Order of Kutuzov The Order of Kutuzov ( ''orden Kutuzova'') is a military decoration of the Russian Federation named after famous Russian Field Marshal Mikhail Kutuzov, Mikhail Illarionovich Kutuzov (1745–1813). The Order was established during World War II t ...

, 1st class *

Order of Suvorov The Order of Suvorov () is a military decoration of the Russian Federation named in honor of Russian Generalissimo Prince Alexander Suvorov (1729–1800). History The Order of Suvorov was originally a Soviet Union, Soviet award established on ...

, 2nd class * Order of Kutuzov, 2nd class *

Order of the Red Star The Order of the Red Star () was a military decoration of the Soviet Union. It was established by decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of 6 April 1930 but its statute was only defined in decree of the Presidium of the ...

Distinguished Service Cross (United States) The Distinguished Service Cross (DSC) is the United States Army's second highest Awards and decorations of the United States military, military decoration for soldiers who display extraordinary heroism in combat with an armed enemy force. Action ...

* Commander of the

Legion of Merit The Legion of Merit (LOM) is a Awards and decorations of the United States military, military award of the United States Armed Forces that is given for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services and achievemen ...

Czechoslovak War Cross 1939–1945 The Czechoslovak War Cross 1939 (''Československý válečný kříž 1939'' in Czech, ''Československý vojnový kríž 1939'' in Slovak) is a military decoration of the former state of Czechoslovakia which was issued for those who had provide ...

References

Citations

Bibliography

* * *