Veniamin Lvovich Beylin (; 25 August 1904 – 16 March 1982) 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, after ...

major general Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...

Early life and prewar service

Veniamin Lvovich Beylin was born to

Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

parents on 25 August 1904 in Barvenkovo,

Kharkov Governorate The Kharkov Governorate ( pre-reform Russian: , tr. ''Khárkovskaya gubérniya'', IPA: �xarʲkəfskəjə ɡʊˈbʲernʲɪjə ) was a governorate of the Russian Empire founded in 1835. It embraced the historical region of Sloboda Ukraine. From ...

. The son of a railroad employee, Beylin graduated from primary school and worked on the railroad. He joined the

in September 1923 by volunteering as a cadet at the 4th Kiev Artillery School. After graduating from the school in October 1927, Beylin was appointed to the 80th Light Artillery Regiment of the

80th Rifle Division The 80th Rifle Division (russian: 80-я стрелковая дивизия) was a rifle division of the Red Army, formed twice. The division was first formed in 1923 and was stationed in eastern Ukraine. It was destroyed in mid-1941 in the Battl ...

of the

Ukrainian 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 ...

at Artemovsk. With the regiment, he served as a platoon commander and acting battery commander, and as a battalion. In June 1931 he transferred to the Sumy Artillery School to serve as a battalion chief of reconnaissance. In December 1932 Beylin was appointed assistant chief of staff of the 24th Artillery Regiment of the 24th Rifle Division at

Vinnytsia Vinnytsia ( ; uk, Вінниця, ; yi, װיניצע) is a city in west-central Ukraine, located on the banks of the Southern Bug. It is the administrative center of Vinnytsia Oblast and the largest city in the historic region of Podillia. A ...

. Between May 1934 and October 1937 he received advanced training at the

Frunze Military Academy The M. V. Frunze Military Academy (russian: Военная академия имени М. В. Фрунзе), 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 (rus ...

, then served with the

100th Rifle Division The 100th Rifle Division was an infantry division of the Soviet Union's Red Army during World War II, formed twice. In November 1923 in the Belaya Tserkov area of the Ukrainian Military District, the 45th Territorial Rifle Division was established. ...

of the

Belorussian Military District , image = Soviet Union Belorussian Military District.svg , image_size = 300px , caption = The territory of the Byelorussian Military District in 1991. , dates = 28 November 1918 – 6 May 1992 , country = (1918–1920) (1920–1991) (1922� ...

as chief of staff of the 100th Artillery Regiment. He became chief of staff of the division artillery in April 1938 and a month later became chief of artillery of the division. From November 1938 Beylin served as chief of the 1st section of the artillery directorate and chief of artillery of the Vitebsk Army Group of Forces, then served in the same position at the headquarters of the

North Caucasus Military District The North Caucasus Military District was a military district of the Russian Armed Forces, which became in 2010 the Southern Military District and lately also included the Black Sea Fleet and Caspian Flotilla. It comprised the Republic of Adygeya, ...

. He was sent to study at the Red Army General Staff Academy in December 1939.

World War II

After

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 ...

began, Beylin was released from the academy in July 1941 and placed at the disposal of the Military Council of the

Northwestern Front The Northwestern Front (Russian: ''Северо-Западный фронт'') was a military formation of the Red Army during the Winter War and World War II. It was operational with the 7th and 13th Armies during the Winter War. It was re-cre ...

, where he was appointed senior assistant chief of the operations department of the staff of the 27th Army. In this position, he fought in defensive battles on the

Western Dvina , be, Заходняя Дзвіна (), liv, Vēna, et, Väina, german: Düna , image = Fluss-lv-Düna.png , image_caption = The drainage basin of the Daugava , source1_location = Valdai Hills, Russia , mouth_location = Gulf of Riga, Baltic Se ...

, on the

Velikaya The Velikaya () is a river in Novosokolnichesky District, Novosokolnichesky, Pustoshkinsky District, Pustoshkinsky, Sebezhsky District, Sebezhsky, Opochetsky District, Opochetsky, Pushkinogorsky District, Pushkinogorsky, Ostrovsky District, Pskov ...

on the line of Vybori and

Opochka Opochka (russian: Опо́чка) is a town and the administrative center of Opochetsky District in Pskov Oblast, Russia, located on the Velikaya River, south of Pskov, the administrative center of the oblast. Population: ; 9,902 (2019 estimat ...

, and on the Lovat in the area of Kholm. In August the army fought in the Staraya Russa counterattack. Subsequently, its units fought in defensive battles in the

Demyansk Demyansk (russian: Демя́нск) is an urban locality (a work settlement) and the administrative center of Demyansky District of Novgorod Oblast, Russia, located along the Yavon River. Municipally, it is incorporated as Demyanskoye Urban Se ...

sector and by the beginning of October halted the German offensive on the line of Lake Velye and

Lake Seliger Seliger ( rus, Селиге́р, p=sʲɪlʲɪˈgʲɛr) is a lake in Ostashkovsky District of Tver Oblast and, in the extreme northern part, in Demyansky District of Novgorod Oblast of Russia, in the northwest of the Valdai Hills, a part of the Vo ...

. From 14 January 1942, then-Lieutenant Colonel Beylin served as deputy chief of staff of the

4th Shock Army The 4th Shock Army was a combined arms army of the Soviet Armed Forces during World War II. The Army was formed from the 27th Army on 25 December 1941 (1st formation) within the Northwestern Front. On 1 October 1942 it included the 249th, 332 ...

, which fought in the

Toropets–Kholm offensive The Toropets–Kholm offensive was a military operation conducted south of Lake Ilmen by the Red Army during World War II, from 9 January–6 February 1942. The operation contributed to the formation of the Kholm Pocket and the encirclement of ...

as part of the

Kalinin Front The Kalinin Front was a major formation of the Red Army active in the Eastern Front of World War II, named for the city of Kalinin. It was formally established by Stavka directive on 17 October 1941 and allocated three armies: 22nd, 29th Army a ...

. Between 18 May 1942 and September 1943, he was chief of staff of the 2nd Guards Rifle Corps on the Kalinin Front, part of the 3rd Shock, 22nd, and 29th Armies. Then-Colonel Beylin served as temporary corps commander between 29 September and 24 October 1942, leading it in battles in the Nevel sector as part of the 3rd Shock Army. Between November 1942 and January 1943, the corps fought in the Velikiye Luki Offensive. On 23 September 1943, Beylin took command of the

91st Guards Rifle Division The 91st Guards Rifle Division was reformed as an elite infantry division of the Red Army in April 1943, based on the 2nd formation of the 257th Rifle Division, and served in that role until after the end of the Great Patriotic War. It ended the w ...

, which he led until being transferred to serve as chief of staff of the 3rd Shock Army on 14 October. He was promoted to major general on 20 December. In the latter position, he participated in the

Nevel Offensive The Battle of Nevel was a successful military operation conducted by the Red Army in the Pskov Oblast of western Russia and in northern Belarus during World War II, from October 6 to roughly December 16, 1943 although fighting persisted in the a ...

and the offensive towards

Idritsa Idritsa (russian: Идрица) is an urban locality (a work settlement) in Sebezhsky District of Pskov Oblast, Russia, located on the Idritsa River, a left tributary of the Velikaya River. Municipally, it is incorporated as Idritsa Urban Settle ...

during the winter and spring of 1944, and in the Rezhitsa–Dvinsk Offensive and

Madona Offensive Madona (; german: Modohn) is a town with town rights in the Vidzeme region of Latvia and is the center of the Madona municipality. History The surrounding area of Madona had been populated in earlier times, which is confirmed by discoveries ...

. On 12 August 1944 Beylin was relieved of his position by front commander

Army General Army general is the highest ranked general officer in many countries that use the General officer#French (Revolutionary) system, French Revolutionary System.　 In countries that adopt the general officer four rank system, it is rank of genera ...

Andrey Yeryomenko , birth_date = , death_date = , image = Маршал Советского Союза Герой Советского Союза Андрей Иванович Ерёменко (cropped).jpg , image_size = , caption = Y ...

for "loss of command control" and the slow pace of the advance of the 3rd Shock Army. Beylin was sent to the

, where he spent the rest of the war as a senior instructor in the operations training department.

Postwar

After the end of the war, Beylin continued to serve at the academy. He became a senior instructor in the operational arts department on 14 November 1945, and was transferred to the Kuybyshev Military Engineering Academy in April 1949. There, Beylin served as deputy chief of the general tactics and operations training department before retiring on 15 February 1955. He died in Moscow on 16 March 1982.

Awards

Beylin was a recipient of the following decorations: *

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 ...

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 th ...

(2) * Order of Bogdan Khmelnitsky, 2nd class *

Order of the Patriotic War The Order of the Patriotic War (russian: Орден Отечественной войны, Orden Otechestvennoy voiny) is a Soviet military decoration that was awarded to all soldiers in the Soviet armed forces, security troops, and to partisan ...

, 1st class * Order of the Combat Red Banner * Medals

References

Citations

Bibliography

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Beylin, Veniamin 1904 births 1982 deaths People from Kharkiv Oblast People from Izyumsky Uyezd Soviet Jews in the military Soviet major generals Frunze Military Academy alumni Academic staff of the Frunze Military Academy Military Academy of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Soviet Union alumni Soviet military personnel of World War II from Ukraine Recipients of the Order of Lenin Recipients of the Order of the Red Banner Recipients of the Order of Bogdan Khmelnitsky (Soviet Union), 2nd class