Pavel Filippovich Lagutin (Russian: Павел Филиппович Лагутин; 27 January 1896–31 January 1975) 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 ...

lieutenant general Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the battlefield, who was norma ...

who commanded the 293rd Rifle Division 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 ...

. He led the 293rd from its formation through its fighting in 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, ...

. For its actions at Stalingrad, the division became the 66th Guards Rifle Division. As the battle came to a close, Lagutin was appointed deputy commander of the 21st Army and continued in that position when the army became the 6th Guards Army. He continued in that position for the rest of the war, and served as deputy commander of the 25th Army during the

Soviet invasion of Manchuria The Soviet invasion of Manchuria, formally known as the Manchurian Strategic Offensive Operation or simply the Manchurian Operation () and sometimes Operation August Storm, began on 9 August 1945 with the Soviet Union, Soviet invasion of the Emp ...

Early life, World War I, and Russian Civil War

Lagutin was born on 27 January 1896 in Kalyaninskoye, Zaraysky Uyezd,

Ryazan Governorate Ryazan Governorate () was an administrative-territorial unit (''guberniya'') of the Russian Empire and the Russian SFSR, which existed from 1796 to 1929. Its capital was in Ryazan. Administrative division Ryazan Governorate consisted of the follo ...

in what is now the Lukhovitsky District of

Moscow Oblast Moscow Oblast (, , informally known as , ) is a federal subjects of Russia, federal subject of Russia (an oblast). With a population of 8,524,665 (Russian Census (2021), 2021 Census) living in an area of , it is one of the most densely populate ...

. He lived in

Saint Petersburg Saint Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd and later Leningrad, is the List of cities and towns in Russia by population, second-largest city in Russia after Moscow. It is situated on the Neva, River Neva, at the head of the Gulf of Finland ...

and worked at the Otto Kirchner factory (later named Svetoch) and then the Yakor printing house from 1913. Conscripted into the

Imperial Russian Army The Imperial Russian Army () was the army of the Russian Empire, active from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was organized into a standing army and a state militia. The standing army consisted of Regular army, regular troops and ...

in July 1915, Lagutin was sent to the 24th Reserve Regiment at

Mariupol Mariupol is a city in Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine. It is situated on the northern coast (Pryazovia) of the Sea of Azov, at the mouth of the Kalmius, Kalmius River. Prior to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, it was the tenth-largest city in the coun ...

. After graduating from the training detachment of the regiment in 1916, he served with it as a platoon ''unter-ofitser''. Sent to the front in May 1917, Lagutin became a platoon commander and '' feldfebel'' in the 35th Bryansk Infantry Regiment of the 9th Infantry Division. With the regiment he fought in the Pinsk Marshes near

Baranovichi Baranavichy or Baranovichi is a city in the Brest Region of western Belarus. It serves as the administrative center of Baranavichy District, though it is administratively separated from the district. As of 2025, it has a population of 170,817. ...

, in the area of Krevo and Smorgon, and on the

Romanian Front The Romanian Front (, FR) was a moderate fascist party created in Romania in 1935. Led by former Prime Minister of Romania, Prime Minister Alexandru Vaida-Voevod, it originated as a right-wing splinter group from the mainstream National Peasants' ...

before being demobilized on 20 December 1917. During the

Russian Civil War The Russian Civil War () was a multi-party civil war in the former Russian Empire sparked by the 1917 overthrowing of the Russian Provisional Government in the October Revolution, as many factions vied to determine Russia's political future. I ...

, Lagutin was mobilized 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 ...

on 3 October 1918 and sent as a ''

starshina ( rus, Старшина, p=stərʂɨˈna, a=Ru-старшина.ogg or ) is a senior military rank or designation in the military forces of some Slavs, Slavic states, and a historical military designation. Depending on a country, it had differen ...

'' to the 9th Reserve Battalion at

Ryazan Ryazan (, ; also Riazan) is the largest types of inhabited localities in Russia, city and administrative center of Ryazan Oblast, Russia. The city is located on the banks of the Oka River in Central Russia, southeast of Moscow. As of the 2010 C ...

. As a platoon commander in the 492nd Rifle Regiment of the 56th Rifle Division of the 7th Army of the Northern Front from October 1919, he fought in battles in the region of Yamburg against the Northwestern Army. Completing the Commanders Refresher Course of the 7th Army from 31 December 1919 to 15 May 1920, Lagutin then entered the Vystrel course. in October of that year he was sent to the Southern Front with the 2nd Regiment of the Consolidated Ukrainian Cadet Division as an assistant company commander, fighting against the

Army of Wrangel The Russian Army (), commonly known as the Army of Wrangel (), was a White Army active in South Russia during the Russian Civil War from March to November 1920. It was officially formed on 28 April 1920 from the merger of several White armies, i ...

Interwar period

After the end of the war, Lagutin returned to the Vystrel course in March 1921. After graduating with honors in August of that year, he was sent to the 24th Omsk Infantry School, serving there as a company commander, head of a class and instructor, and battalion commander. Completing the Vystrel course for a second time between September 1926 and August 1927, he was then sent to the 62nd Novorossiysk Rifle Regiment of the 21st Rifle Division of 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 ...

, where he served as assistant regimental commander for personnel and acting regimental commander. Transferred to the Separate Red Banner Caucasus Army in October 1930, Lagutin served there as commander and commissar of the 2nd Caucasian Mountain Rifle Regiment of the 1st Caucasian Mountain Rifle Division. For "success in combat training", the regiment received the

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 ...

on 17 August 1936. Lagutin became chief of the department for command personnel of the

Transcaucasian Military District The Transcaucasian Military District, a military district of the Soviet Armed Forces, traces its history to May 1921 and the incorporation of First Republic of Armenia, Armenia, Azerbaijan Democratic Republic, Azerbaijan, and Democratic Republic ...

in February 1937. By then a ''

kombrig () is an abbreviation of Commanding officer of the brigade (), and was a military rank in the Soviet Armed Forces of the USSR from 1935 to 1940. It was also the designation to military personnel appointed to command a brigade sized formation (X ...

'', he was placed at the disposal of the Red Army Personnel Directorate between 17 August 1938 and December 1939, then appointed chief of a course of the special department of 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 ...

World War II

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 ...

began, on 10 July 1941, Lagutin was appointed commander of the 293rd Rifle Division, forming at

Sumy Sumy (, , ) is a city in northeastern Ukraine. It serves as the administrative center of Sumy Oblast. The city is situated on the banks of the Psel (river), Psel River and has a population of making it the 23rd-largest in the country. The city ...

in the Kharkov Military District. In the second half of August, the division was sent to the Southwestern Front and fought in defensive battles on the Desna north of Konotop as part of the 40th Army, covering the Korop axis. Reduced to a strength of roughly 2,000 to 2,100 personnel by early September, the division subsequently conducted a fighting retreat towards the

Seym The Sejm (), officially known as the Sejm of the Republic of Poland (), is the lower house of the bicameral parliament of Poland. The Sejm has been the highest governing body of the Third Polish Republic since the transition of government ...

and defended for several days in the region of Novosyolov and Mutino. The 293rd was withdrawn to the army reserve on 10 September, and Lagutin appointed commander of a consolidated detachment consisting of the remnants of the division and the detachment of Major General Chesnov. Encircled, the detachment fought in the region of Skunasovka, Buren, and Mikhaylovka, tasked with defending

Vorozhba Vorozhba (, ) is a city in Sumy Raion, Sumy Oblast, in north-eastern Ukraine. Population: In May 2025, the city's population remains at about 2,000. Geography Vorozhba is situated on the left bank of the Vyr River. Adjacent upstream is the to ...

and Belopolye. From 21 September, the division broke out of the encirclement along the Seym, bypassing Belopolye on the Vir. After escaping encirclement by 1 November the division took up defensive positions in the region of Manturovo, Bely Kolodez, and Snutokino, northeast of Tim. From 20 December the division fought in attacks on the

Kursk Kursk (, ) is a types of inhabited localities in Russia, city and the administrative center of Kursk Oblast, Russia, located at the confluence of the Kur (Kursk Oblast), Kur, Tuskar, and Seym (river), Seym rivers. It has a population of Kursk ...

and

Belgorod Belgorod (, ) is a city that serves as the administrative center of Belgorod Oblast, Russia, located on the Seversky Donets River, approximately north of the border with Ukraine. It has a population of It was founded in 1596 as a defensiv ...

axis. Lagutin was promoted to major general on 27 December. The division joined the 21st Army of the front on 20 February 1942 and fought in the

Second Battle of Kharkov The Second Battle of Kharkov or Operation Fredericus was an Axis powers, Axis counter-offensive in the region around Kharkov against the Red Army Izium bridgehead offensive conducted 12–28 May 1942, on the Eastern Front (World War II), Easter ...

and the Battle of Voronezh. In early July it retreated to the Don in the face of advancing German motorized infantry and crossed the river in the region of Korotoyak, then was withdrawn into the army reserve. The 293rd marched to the region of Kolobrodov and Lebyazhye by 20 July, reduced to 505 personnel. The remnants of the regimental headquarters and the division headquarters marched to the region of Bolshoy Lychag which they reached by 4 August. From there, the division command and remnants of the regimental headquarters entrained at Rakovka station and were railed to Buzuluk for rebuilding. In October the rebuilt 293rd returned to the

and joined the 63rd Army of the Don Front in defensive battles on the right bank of the Don in the region of Starokletskaya, Puzinsky, Karamensky, and Severny. Lagutin was awarded his first

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 ...

on 5 November for his leadership of the division during the battles near Manturovo and the Second Battle of Kharkov. The 293rd went on the offensive during

Operation Uranus Operation Uranus () was a Soviet 19–23 November 1942 strategic operation on the Eastern Front of World War II which led to the encirclement of Axis forces in the vicinity of Stalingrad: the German Sixth Army, the Third and Fourth Romani ...

on 19 November and by the morning of 24 November it reached the right bank of the Don in the Kalach region. On the night of 25 November it crossed over the ice on the river in the Golubinsky region and began three days of fighting for Illarionovsky khutor. After clashes with tanks and motorized infantry, the 293rd captured the khutor, reaching the western slope of height 131.5, where it entrenched. The division was withdrawn to the second echelon of the army from 13 December, then from 10 January 1943 fought in Operation Koltso. It was redesignated as the 66th Guards Rifle Division on 21 January, and during the month Lagutin was appointed deputy commander of the 21st Army. On 5 February, he was awarded the

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 for his leadership during the division's breakthrough at Stalingrad. After the end of the fighting at Stalingrad, the army was withdrawn to the

Reserve of the Supreme High Command The Reserve of the Supreme High Command (Russian: Резерв Верховного Главнокомандования; also known as the '' Stavka'' Reserve or RVGK () or RGK ( comprises reserve military formations and units; the ''Stavka'' ...

(RVGK). The division became part of the Central Front on 15 February before joining 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 ...

on 14 March. By 1 May, the army was reorganized as the 6th Guards Army. Lagutin commanded the 23rd Guards Rifle Corps of the front between 31 July and 8 August during 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 ...

and the

Belgorod–Kharkov offensive operation The Belgorod–Kharkov strategic offensive operation, or simply Belgorod–Kharkov offensive operation, was a Soviet strategic summer offensive that aimed to liberate Belgorod and Kharkov, and destroy Nazi German forces of the 4th Panzer Army a ...

, before returning to his previous post. He was awarded the Order of the Patriotic War 1st class on 27 August 1943. The army was withdrawn to the RVGK on 30 September, and in October transferred to the

2nd Baltic Front The 2nd Baltic Front () was a Front (military formation), major formation of the Red Army during the World War II, Second World War. History The 2nd Baltic Front was formed on October 20, 1943 as a result of the renaming of the Baltic Front, it ...

. Conducting a march to the Nevel region, the army took up defensive positions west of the city. Lagutin was wounded and evacuated to a hospital on 3 November, and on his return from 5 April 1944 returned to his duties as army deputy commander. The army fought in

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 ...

, the

Šiauliai offensive The Šiauliai offensive () was an operation of the Soviet forces of the 1st Baltic Front, commanded by General Hovhannes Bagramyan, conducted from 5 July to 29 August 1944, during the Second World War. It was part of the third phase of the Opera ...

, the Riga offensive, and the capture of

Polotsk Polotsk () or Polatsk () is a town in Vitebsk Region, Belarus. It is situated on the Dvina River and serves as the administrative center of Polotsk District. Polotsk is served by Polotsk Airport and Borovitsy air base. As of 2025, it has a pop ...

as part of the

1st Baltic Front The First Baltic Front ( Russian: Пéрвый Прибалтийский фронт) was a major formation of the Red Army during the Second World War. It was commanded by Army General Andrey Yeryomenko, succeeded by Army General Bagramyan. It ...

. He was promoted to Lieutenant general on 13 September and awarded a second Order of the Red Banner on 19 September. In the final weeks of the war in 1945, after fighting in the Memel Offensive, the army and front blockaded the

Courland Pocket The Courland Pocket was a Pocket (military), pocket located on the Courland Peninsula in Latvia on the Eastern Front (World War II), Eastern Front of World War II from 9 October 1944 to 10 May 1945. Army Group North of the ''Wehrmacht'' were ...

. Lagutin commanded the 22nd Guards Rifle Corps on the

Leningrad Front The Leningrad Front () was formed during the 1941 German approach on Leningrad (now Saint Petersburg) by dividing the Northern Front into the Leningrad Front and Karelian Front on August 27, 1941. History The Leningrad Front was immediately ...

between 7 and 26 May. In July 1945, Lagutin was sent to the

Far East The Far East is the geographical region that encompasses the easternmost portion of the Asian continent, including North Asia, North, East Asia, East and Southeast Asia. South Asia is sometimes also included in the definition of the term. In mod ...

to become the deputy commander of the 25th Army. For his leadership during the

, in which the army fought in the Harbin–Kirin offensive as part of the

1st Far Eastern Front The Far Eastern Front ( Russian: Дальневосточный фронт) was a front — a level of military formation that is equivalent to army group — of the Red Army during the Second World War. Early war service Тhe Far Eastern Front w ...

, he was awarded the Order of the Red Banner a third time on 26 August.Order No. 5 of the 1st Far Eastern Front, 28 August 1945, available online a
pamyat-naroda.ru
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Postwar

After the end of the war, Lagutin continued to serve with the army as part of the Primorsky Military District in

Pyongyang Pyongyang () is the Capital city, capital and largest city of North Korea, where it is sometimes labeled as the "Capital of the Revolution" (). Pyongyang is located on the Taedong River about upstream from its mouth on the Yellow Sea. Accordi ...

. After completing the Higher Academic Course at the Voroshilov Higher Military Academy between May 1949 and May 1950, he was appointed a senior instructor at the academy. Retired due to illness on 16 February 1953, Lagutin died in Moscow on 31 January 1975.

Awards

Lagutin was a recipient of 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 ...

(4) *

, 2nd class *

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 ...

, 1st class *

* Medals

References

Citations

Bibliography

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Lagutin, Pavel 1896 births 1975 deaths People from Lukhovitsky District People from Zaraysky Uyezd Soviet lieutenant generals Imperial Russian Army personnel Russian military personnel of World War I Soviet military personnel of the Russian Civil War Soviet military personnel of World War II Recipients of the Order of Lenin Recipients of the Order of the Red Banner Recipients of the Order of Suvorov, 2nd class Recipients of the Order of the Red Star