Pyotr Filippovich Berestov (; , Berestovo – November 26, 1961, Zaporozhye) 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 ...

major general during the

Second World War 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 ...

. Drafted 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 1917, Berestov participated in the

Russian Revolution The Russian Revolution was a period of Political revolution (Trotskyism), political and social revolution, social change in Russian Empire, Russia, starting in 1917. This period saw Russia Dissolution of the Russian Empire, abolish its mona ...

. He was drafted into the

, fighting in 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 ...

and the

Polish–Soviet War The Polish–Soviet War (14 February 1919 – 18 March 1921) was fought primarily between the Second Polish Republic and the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic, following World War I and the Russian Revolution. After the collapse ...

. He became a Red Army officer and served in several positions during the interwar period. Berestov was arrested and released 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 ...

. He fought in 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 ...

as a regimental commander. In the early days 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 ...

, he was given command of a People's Militia regiment, which was converted into a regular regiment. Berestov led the regiment in the early period of the

Battle of Moscow The Battle of Moscow was a military campaign that consisted of two periods of strategically significant fighting on a sector of the Eastern Front during World War II, between October 1941 and January 1942. The Soviet defensive effort frustrated H ...

and transferred to lead a regiment of the 82nd Motor Rifle Division. Berestov became the division's commander and in the spring of 1942 briefly led the

50th Rifle Division The 50th Rifle Division was an infantry division of the Red Army from 1936 to 1946. The division took part in the Soviet invasion of Poland and the Winter War. After Germany launched Operation Barbarossa, the 50th fought in the Battle of Moscow, ...

. In April, he took command of the 331st Rifle Division, which he led during the rest of the war. For his leadership, Berestov was awarded the title

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 ...

in late June 1945. Postwar he commanded the 72nd Guards Rifle Division, which was downsized into a brigade, and the 43rd Guards Rifle Brigade, which became the 113th Guards Rifle Division. Berestov retired in 1955 and lived in

Zaporizhia Zaporizhzhia, formerly known as Aleksandrovsk or Oleksandrivsk until 1921, is a city in southeast Ukraine, situated on the banks of the Dnieper River. It is the administrative centre of Zaporizhzhia Oblast. Zaporizhzhia has a population of ...

until his death in 1961.

Early military career

Born into a large peasant family of Russian ethnicity in the aptly-named village of Berestovo, Berestov obtained an elementary and some secondary education before going to work at age 14 as a

sawyer *A sawyer (occupation) is someone who saws wood. Places in the United States Communities * Sawyer, Kansas * Sawyer, Kentucky * Sawyer, Michigan * Sawyer, Minnesota * Sawyer, Nebraska * Sawyer, New York * Sawyer, North Dakota * Sawyer, Oklahoma ...

. In February, 1917, he was drafted into the

, just as the

was beginning. He was promoted to the rank of junior non-commissioned officer in the 165th Reserve Infantry Regiment at

Simbirsk Ulyanovsk,, , known as Simbirsk until 1924, is a city and the administrative center of Ulyanovsk Oblast, Russia, located on the Volga River east of Moscow. Ulyanovsk has been the only Russian UNESCO City of Literature since 2015. The city wa ...

, and participated in revolutionary demonstrations both there and in

Petrograd Saint Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd and later Leningrad, is the second-largest city in Russia after Moscow. It is situated on the River Neva, at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea. The city had a population of 5,601, ...

. In February, 1918, he was demobilized. Berestov returned home, and worked his father's farm until he was drafted again in November, now into the 38th Rifle Regiment of the Red Army, in the town of

Glazov Glazov ( rus, Глазов, p=ˈɡlazəf; ) is a types of inhabited localities in Russia, town in the Udmurt Republic, Russia, located along the Trans-Siberian Railway, on the Cheptsa River. Population: History It was first mentioned in the 17t ...

. By 1920 he had taken part in fighting against the forces of A.V. Kolchak, done a course for infantry leaders at

Kazan Kazan; , IPA: Help:IPA/Tatar, ɑzanis the largest city and capital city, capital of Tatarstan, Russia. The city lies at the confluence of the Volga and the Kazanka (river), Kazanka Rivers, covering an area of , with a population of over 1. ...

, and served as a machine-gun platoon commander in 4th Rifle Division's 12th Rifle Regiment in the war with Poland. During the war, Berestov became a company commander in August 1920.

Interwar period

Berestov continued his service in the Red Army through the 1920s and '30s. In 1921 he graduated from a battalion commander course held at

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 ...

. In 1924 he graduated from the Higher School of Physical Education in

Leningrad 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 ...

. Later that year he was in command of a battalion of the 4th Rifle Regiment. In November, 1930, he moved to a similar assignment the 54th Rifle Regiment of the

18th Rifle Division The 18th Rifle Division was an infantry division of the Soviet Union's Red Army during the Russian Civil War, Polish–Soviet War, Winter War and World War II. The division was formed a total of five times during this period. First Formation T ...

Yaroslavl Yaroslavl (; , ) is a city and the administrative center of Yaroslavl Oblast, Russia, located northeast of Moscow. The historic part of the city is a World Heritage Site, and is located at the confluence of the Volga and the Kotorosl rivers. ...

. Late the next year he got his first staff assignment in the same regiment, becoming a logistics officer. During Stalin's

in 1937, Berestov fell afoul of the

NKVD The People's Commissariat for Internal Affairs (, ), abbreviated as NKVD (; ), was the interior ministry and secret police of the Soviet Union from 1934 to 1946. The agency was formed to succeed the Joint State Political Directorate (OGPU) se ...

and was arrested. In the course of his interrogation he had all his front teeth smashed out, all of his toes were broken, and he also suffered a broken rib. In 1939 he was released and rehabilitated, having been vouched for by Gen. S.K. Timoshenko. After his release, in August, 1939, he became head of supply in the newly formed 168th Rifle Division. In December he took command of the 402nd Rifle Regiment in that same division. Wounded in late February, 1940, during the

, he continued in command and was soon awarded his first of four

Orders 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 Sovi ...

. On 5 March he was promoted to Colonel. After the end of the war Berestov was sent to the

Vystrel courses The Vystrel course () was the popular name for an officer training course of the Soviet Armed Forces, later part of the Russian Armed Forces, located in Solnechnogorsk. The training course had a one-year curriculum to train battalion and regiment le ...

, from which he graduated in June 1941.

Second World War

In the days after the German invasion, Berestov was appointed commander of the 1st Moscow Peoples' Militia Regiment, recruited from the Leninsky District. Berestov later became commander of the 60th Rifle Division's 1281st Rifle Regiment, leading it at

Yelnya Yelnya () is the name of several inhabited localities in Russia. ;Urban localities * Yelnya, Yelninsky District, Smolensk Oblast, a town in Yelninsky District of Smolensk Oblast; administratively incorporated as Yelninskoye Urban Settlement ;Ru ...

and

Spas-Demensk Spas-Demensk (А. М. Прохоров. "Большой энциклопедический словарь". Москва, 1997, p. 1135.) is a town and the administrative center of Spas-Demensky District in Kaluga Oblast, Russia, located on ...

. In November 1941, Berestov became commander of the 601st Motor Rifle Regiment. He later became commander of the 82nd Motor Rifle Division, defending the Minsk highway near Kubinka station during the

. In 1942 he joined 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 ...

. On Mar. 13, 1942, he was named as the commanding officer of

, a post he held for less than a month, before being reassigned to command of 331st Rifle Division, where he would continue for the duration. The 331st would compile an enviable record during the rest of the war, mostly as a division of 31st Army, where it became known as "the best of the 31st". On 27 June 1945, Berestov was awarded the title

for his leadership.

Postwar service and later life

In his postwar service, Berestov moved to command of the 72nd Guards Rifle Division in the

Central Group of Forces The Central Group of Forces (Russian: Центральная группа войск) was a formation of the Soviet Armed Forces used to incorporate Soviet troops in Central Europe on two occasions: in Austria and Hungary from 1945 to 1955 and tr ...

(

Hungary Hungary is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning much of the Pannonian Basin, Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia and ...

) in July; this division was transferred to

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 ...

in January, 1946. His next assignment, from May until the end of the year, was as commander of 7th Separate Guards Rifle Brigade. During the whole of 1947 he led the

59th Guards Rifle Division The 59th Quartermaster Company is a bulk petroleum company designed to provide semi-portable storage for of fuel and to provide distribution of fuel to military units within a specified geographic area while deployed overseas. Its secondary missi ...

Odessa Military District The Odessa Military District (; , abbreviated ) was a military administrative division of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. This district consisted of Moldavian Soviet Socialist Republic, Moldavia and five Oblasts of Ukraine, Ukrainian oblasts of Odesa ...

. In 1948 he upgraded his command skills 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 ...

, graduating successfully. His last assignment was the command of the 43rd Guards Rifle Brigade in the

Tauric Military District The Taurida Military District was a military district of the Soviet Union. It was formed from the headquarters of the Separate Coastal Army and the 22nd Army in the summer of 1945. The military district controlled troops on the territory of the ...

from December 1948. In October 1953, the brigade was upgraded into the 113th Guards Rifle Division.Feskov et al 2013, p. 149 Berestov retired in December 1955. He lived and worked in the Ukrainian city of

until his death on Nov. 26, 1961. He was buried in the "May Cemetery" in Zaporizhia.

Notes

;Citations

Early military career

Interwar period

Second World War

Postwar service and later life

Notes

References

Further reading