Alexander Vologin

Alexander Dmitriyevich Vologin (; October 8, 1924 – October 17, 1943) was a Soviet soldier who was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union posthumously on January 15, 1944, for his actions during Operation Kutuzov and the Battle of the Dnieper, almost three months after being during the Battle of the Dnieper in modern-day Belarus.

Early life Vologin was born on October 8, 1924, into a peasant family in the village of Pechersk, in Samara Oblast in the then-Russian SFSR of the Soviet Union. Graduating from junior high school in 1940, he became an apprentice lathe operator at the Pervomaysk asphalt plant. He joined the Komsomol in the same year.

Eastern Front (World War II) He was conscripted into the Red Army in 1942, and became a machine gunner in the 118th Guards Rifle Regiment of the 37th Guards Rifle Division.

Vologin and his unit fought in the Chernigov-Pripyat Offensive, part of the Battle of the Dnieper. On the night of August 26, 1943, he and his assistant gunner crossed the Desna River, which the battalion was planning to cross the following day. Vologin and his assistant gunner concealed themselves in vegetation. When the battalion crossed, they were met by strong machine-gun fire from German positions. Vologin destroyed the positions with his machine gun. He was buried in a mass grave in Teruha, near Gomel in modern-day Belarus.

Posthumous honours In Samara, Russia, a middle school and a street are named after him. At the house in Pechersk where he lived, there is a plaque remembering him, as well as a monument at the local boarding school. He was made a permanent member of the roll call of the 65th Army.