Nikolay Ivanovich Vasilyev (russian: Николай Иванович Васильев; 27 October 1906–September 1941) was a

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 ...

colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge o ...

killed in

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

. Drafted into the Red Army in the late 1920s, Vasilyev became a junior officer after graduating from a military school and held command and staff positions during the 1930. Just before the beginning of World War II, Vasilyev became a regimental commander and was decorated for his leadership of the unit during the

Winter War The Winter War,, sv, Vinterkriget, rus, Зи́мняя война́, r=Zimnyaya voyna. The names Soviet–Finnish War 1939–1940 (russian: link=no, Сове́тско-финская война́ 1939–1940) and Soviet–Finland War 1 ...

. After the end of the latter, he became deputy division commander of the

87th Rifle Division The 87th Rifle Division was an infantry division of the Red Army, active before, during the Second World War and afterwards. First formation It formed in the first half of 1936 in the Kiev Military District as the personnel division for the defe ...

, succeeding to command after his division commander was killed in the first days after the beginning of

Operation Barbarossa Operation Barbarossa (german: link=no, Unternehmen Barbarossa; ) was the invasion of the Soviet Union by Nazi Germany and many of its Axis allies, starting on Sunday, 22 June 1941, during the Second World War. The operation, code-named after ...

. Vasilyev was himself killed in the Battle of Kiev.

Early life and prewar service

Vasilyev was born on 27 October 1906 in Zaraysk,

Ryazan Governorate Ryazan Governorate (russian: link=no, Рязанская губерния, ''Ryazanskaya guberniya'', Government of Ryazan) was an administrative division (a '' guberniya'') of the Russian Empire and Russian Socialist Federative Soviet Republic, wh ...

. Drafted into the

in October 1926, he was sent to study at the VTsIK Combined Military School in

Moscow Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 millio ...

. After graduation in October 1929, he was sent to the 47th Rifle Regiment of the 16th Rifle Division in the

Leningrad Military District The Leningrad Military District was a military district of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. In 2010 it was merged with the Moscow Military District, the Northern Fleet and the Baltic Fleet to form the new Western Military District ...

. He served with the regiment for nearly ten years, including as a rifle platoon commander, regimental school platoon commander, machine gun company commander, battalion chief of staff, head of the regimental school, and commander of its training battalion. In March 1939 he was transferred to the 46th Rifle Regiment as assistant regimental commander for personnel. In August of that year he was appointed commander of the 461st Rifle Regiment of the 142nd Rifle Division. During the

the regiment and division fought in heavy combat with the

19th Rifle Corps The 19th Rifle Corps was a corps of the Soviet Red Army. It was part of the 23rd Army. It took part in the Great Patriotic War. Organization * 142nd Rifle Division * 115th Rifle Division Commanders * Kombrig Vsevolod Yakovlev Vsevolod or Ws ...

of the 7th Army on the

Karelian Isthmus The Karelian Isthmus (russian: Карельский перешеек, Karelsky peresheyek; fi, Karjalankannas; sv, Karelska näset) is the approximately stretch of land, situated between the Gulf of Finland and Lake Ladoga in northwestern ...

. For his "skillful command of the regiment, courage, and heroism", Vasilyev, then a major, was awarded the

Order of the Red Banner The Order of the Red Banner (russian: Орден Красного Знамени, Orden Krasnogo Znameni) was the first Soviet military decoration. The Order was established on 16 September 1918, during the Russian Civil War by decree of t ...

. After the end of the war, in May 1940, he was appointed deputy commander and chief of the infantry of the

of the

Kiev Special Military District Kyiv, also spelled Kiev, is the capital and most populous city of Ukraine. It is in north-central Ukraine along the Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2021, its population was 2,962,180, making Kyiv the seventh-most populous city in Europe. Kyi ...

World War II

At the beginning of

on 22 June 1941, the 87th was part of the 5th Army, which became part of the Southwestern Front (formed from the Kiev Special Military District), based in the area of Vladimir-Volynsky. The division was one of the first struck by the German advance, participating in the border battles. Vasilyev became commander of the division after division commander Major General Filipp Alyabushev was killed after stumbling on a German unit while reconnoitering a highway crossing site on 25 June. From 7 July to 20 August it was directly subordinated to the front command, then joined the 37th Army for the Battle of Kiev. After Kiev fell to the German advance on 19 September, the 87th was encircled with the 37th Army in a pocket around

Boryspil Boryspil ( uk, Бориспіль, translit. ''Boryspil'') is a city and the administrative center of Boryspil Raion in Kyiv Oblast (region) in northern (central) Ukraine. It hosts the administration of Boryspil urban hromada, one of the hrom ...

to the southeast of the city. Vasilyev's 87th Rifle Division and the 4th Railway Protection Division of the NKVD formed the rearguard of the army as it attempted to break out of the pocket and escape to the east. After sappers from the 37th Army and the 4th Division blew up the bridges over the Dnieper, the commander of the NKVD division contacted Vasilyev to coordinate further actions. Early in the morning of 20 September, both units reached the eastern edge of the Darnitsky forest. A reconnaissance by the NKVD troops found that the planned escape route via Boryspil was blocked by German troops, and the fighting devolved into increasingly desperate breakout attempts. During the latter, Vasilyev was killed in action north of Piryatin. He was survived by his wife, Anna Georgievna.

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Bibliography

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Vasilyev, Nikolay Ivanovich 1906 births 1941 deaths People from Zaraysky District People from Zaraysky Uyezd Soviet colonels Soviet military personnel of the Winter War Soviet military personnel killed in World War II Recipients of the Order of the Red Banner