Pyotr Mikhaylovich Gavrilov (russian: Пётр Миха́йлович Гаври́лов; 30 June 1900 – 26 January 1979) was a

Soviet The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...

officer known as the hero of the

Defense of Brest Fortress Defense or defence may refer to: Tactical, martial, and political acts or groups * Defense (military), forces primarily intended for warfare * Civil defense, the organizing of civilians to deal with emergencies or enemy attacks * Defense industr ...

.Heroes of Soviet Union
Гаврилов Пётр Михайлович

Biography

Pyotr Gavrilov was an ethnic Kryashen and a major in command of the 44th Motor Rifle Regiment of the

42nd Rifle Division The 42nd Rifle Division was a unit of the Red Army during the Great Patriotic War. The division, first formed in 1940, was nearly destroyed in the opening days of the Operation Barbarossa defending the Brest Fortress. Disbanded in late Decembe ...

. On 23 July 1941 he was taken captive by the Germans after holding out for 31 days and was held captive until his release after the end of the war in May 1945. After his release from captivity he was restored to the army in the same rank, but his party membership was not restored due to the loss of his membership card and stay in captivity. He was reassigned as the chief of camp for Japanese prisoners of war in

Siberia Siberia ( ; rus, Сибирь, r=Sibir', p=sʲɪˈbʲirʲ, a=Ru-Сибирь.ogg) is an extensive geographical region, constituting all of North Asia, from the Ural Mountains in the west to the Pacific Ocean in the east. It has been a part of ...

in 1946–1947. Afterwards, he moved to

Krasnodar Krasnodar (; rus, Краснода́р, p=krəsnɐˈdar; ady, Краснодар), formerly Yekaterinodar (until 1920), is the largest city and the administrative centre of Krasnodar Krai, Russia. The city stands on the Kuban River in southern ...

. In 1956 he was reunited with his first wife and adopted son, whom he had not seen since the first day of the war. After Sergey Smirnov's book The Brest Fortress («Брестская крепость») was published in 1956, Gavrilov's party membership was reinstated. He was awarded the

Order of Lenin The Order of Lenin (russian: Орден Ленина, Orden Lenina, ), named after the leader of the Russian October Revolution, was established by the Central Executive Committee on April 6, 1930. The order was the highest civilian decoration b ...

and title

Hero of the Soviet Union The title Hero of the Soviet Union (russian: Герой Советского Союза, translit=Geroy Sovietskogo Soyuza) was the highest distinction in the Soviet Union, awarded together with the Order of Lenin personally or collectively for ...

in 1957. From 1968 until his death in 1979 he lived in Krasnodar at the address Svetlaya street, 103 (in 1980 the street was renamed Gavrilova). He died in

on 26 January 1979 and was buried in Brest.

Notes

1900 births 1979 deaths Heroes of the Soviet Union Recipients of the Order of Lenin Soviet prisoners of war Soviet military personnel of World War II Tatar people of Russia World War II prisoners of war held by Germany Frunze Military Academy alumni {{hero-USSR-stub