Ivan Andreyevich Flyorov (russian: Иван Андреевич Флёров; 24 April 1905 – 7 October 1941), was a captain in the

Red Army The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army ( Russian: Рабо́че-крестья́нская Кра́сная армия),) often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic and, afte ...

in command of the first

battery Battery most often refers to: * Electric battery, a device that provides electrical power * Battery (crime), a crime involving unlawful physical contact Battery may also refer to: Energy source *Automotive battery, a device to provide power t ...

of 8 '' Katyushas'' (BM-8), which was formed in

Lipetsk Lipetsk ( rus, links=no, Липецк, p=ˈlʲipʲɪtsk), also romanized as Lipeck, is a city and the administrative center of Lipetsk Oblast, Russia, located on the banks of the Voronezh River in the Don basin, southeast of Moscow. Populat ...

and on 14 July 1941, who was deployed in a battle against the

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

army at

Orsha Orsha ( be, О́рша, Во́рша, Orša, Vorša; russian: О́рша ; lt, Orša, pl, Orsza) is a city in Belarus in the Vitebsk Region, on the fork of the Dnieper and Arshytsa rivers. History Orsha was first mentioned in 1067 as Rsha ...

Belarus Belarus,, , ; alternatively and formerly known as Byelorussia (from Russian ). officially the Republic of Belarus,; rus, Республика Беларусь, Respublika Belarus. is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by ...

, with devastating effect on the enemy causing massive casualties: a single salvo destroyed several German freight trains with ammunition, fuel, and tanks, annihilating the station itself. The second blow destroyed a bridge across the river Orshica, that connected to Minsk-Moscow highway, simultaneously the German 17th Panzer Division got under a shocking fire blow, as a result of shock damage the 17th Panzer Division of

Wehrmacht The ''Wehrmacht'' (, ) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the ''Heer'' (army), the '' Kriegsmarine'' (navy) and the ''Luftwaffe'' (air force). The designation "''Wehrmacht''" replaced the previo ...

was unable to recover its forces for more than three days. In autumn 1941, Flyorov's battery was surrounded in the swamps by the Ugra River and heavily shelled by mortars. After running out of ammunition, Captain Flyorov ordered his men to destroy the remaining weaponry. During the battle Flyorov was killed together with over 75% of his command. In an interview with the newspaper '' Trud'',

Matvey Blanter Matvey Isaakovich Blanter (russian: Матве́й Исаа́кович Бла́нтер) (27 September 1990) was a Soviet composer, and one of the most prominent composers of popular songs and film music in the Soviet Union. Among many other work ...

, composer of the song " Katyusha", said that while visiting the place of the event, he found a tree with a ''Katyusha'' guiding rail stuck in the trunk, and had it placed in the

Museum of the Great Patriotic War, Moscow The Museum of the Great Patriotic War, also known as the Victory Museum ( Russian: ''Музей Победы'') is a history museum located in Moscow at Poklonnaya Gora. The building was designed by architect Anatoly Polyansky. Work on the museum ...

. On 21 June 1995, in honor of the 50th anniversary of victory over Germany, he was posthumously awarded the Hero of the Russian Federation.Герои страны
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References

External links

A Song for which a Monument was Erected
('' Trud'' newspaper, June 22, 2000) 1941 deaths Soviet people of World War II Russian people of World War II Soviet military personnel killed in World War II Heroes of the Russian Federation 1905 births {{Russia-mil-bio-stub