Viktor Zholudev

Viktor Grigoryevich Zholudev (Russian: Ви́ктор Григо́рьевич Жо́лудев; 22 March 1905 – 21 July 1944) was a Red Army major general and posthumous Hero of the Soviet Union. Zholudev fought in the 1929 Sino-Soviet conflict, the Battle of Lake Khasan in 1938 and the 1939 Battles of Khalkhin Gol, as well as World War II. Zholudev commanded the 37th Guards Rifle Division during its defense of the Stalingrad tractor factory during the Battle of Stalingrad.

Early life Viktor Zholudev was born on 22 March 1905 in Uglich in the Yaroslavl Governorate in a working-class family. After completing lower secondary education, he began working as a log driver at age 14 on the Volga River. In 1921, Zholudev moved to Moscow and worked on the Moskva River. The division repulsed German attempts to cross the Don River and itself established a bridgehead at the village of Trehostrovskoy. Elements of the division crossed the Mokraya Mechyotka river and pushed back German troops from several streets near the Stalingrad Tractor Factory, reinforcing the 112th Rifle Division, 42nd Rifle Brigade and the 308th Rifle Division. At noon, 30 German bombers bombed the ravine behind the tractor factory, which contained Zholudev's command post. He was wounded in the bombing after his bunker collapsed and buried him. The German assault was too much for the remnants of the division, so the Tractor Factory was lost. However, several German divisions suffered heavy losses around the Tractor Factory. The division was moved to defend the Barrikady and Krasny Oktyabr factories. During these battles, the division was mostly destroyed.

After Operation Uranus, the remnants of the division were withdrawn from the battlefield, leaving behind a consolidated unit formed from the remnants of the division and the 138th Rifle Division's 118th Rifle Regiment. Zholudev became commander of the 63rd Army's 35th Rifle Corps on 25 June 1943.

On 21 July, Zholudev and 3rd Army commander Alexander Gorbatov, along with a group of officers, came under artillery fire east of Vawkavysk while trying to reach an observation post of the 323rd Rifle Division.

He was posthumously awarded the Order of Kutuzov 1st class on 23 July. On 11 November, Zholudev was posthumously awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union, as well as the Order of Lenin.