Berestov, Pyotr Filippovich

Pyotr Filippovich Berestov was born on December 21, 1898 in the village of Berestovo, located in the modern Syumsinsky district of Udmurtia, into a large peasant family.

From the age of 14, he worked as a farm laborer, boots maker, and with his father sawed thick ridges on boards with a longitudinal saw.

World War I and Civil War

In February 1917 he was drafted into the Russian Imperial Army and served as a private in the 165th reserve rifle regiment in the city of Sengile, Simbirsk province . He graduated from the regiment's training team in September 1917, after which he was enlisted as a junior non-commissioned officer at the regiment headquarters, then was appointed junior clerk. He took part in demonstrations in Simbirsk and Petrograd . In February 1918, Berestov was demobilized, after which he returned home and worked for some time on his father's household.

In November 1918 he was drafted into the Red Army and was sent by the Red Army to the 38th Rifle Regiment ( Glazov ). In December 1918, the regiment was included in the 12th Infantry Division , sent to the Eastern Front , where he participated as commander of a machine-gun platoon in battles against the forces of Admiral A.V. Kolchak . Since August 1919 - while studying, in 1920 he graduated from the 1st infantry courses of the red commanders ( Kazan ). Since May 1920, he was the marching company commander, with her he arrived on the Western Front and was appointed platoon commander of the machine gun team of the 12th Infantry Regiment of the 4th Rifle Division , and since August, the company commander . Member of the Soviet-Polish war . In September 1920, he again went to study.

Interwar

In 1921 he graduated from the repeated courses of battalion commanders of the Western Front ( Vitebsk ). From August 1921, he was the company commander of the 18th Rifle Regiment of the 6th Rifle Division , and from June 1922, the company commander of the 4th Rifle Regiment of the 2nd Belorussian Rifle Division ( Minsk ). In 1924 he graduated from the Higher School of Physical Education ( Leningrad ), after which he returned to the 4th Rifle Regiment to the post of battalion commander, and commanded him for almost 6 years.

In December 1931 he was appointed to the 18th Infantry Division as commander of the 54th Infantry Regiment, stationed in Rostov, Yaroslavl Region . In September 1939, Berestov was appointed to the post of supply chief of the emerging 168th Infantry Division , and at the end of December he took command of the 402nd Infantry Regiment of the same division. At this post he took part in the Soviet-Finnish war . On February 28, 1940, while commanding a forward detachment leaving the division, he was wounded, but continued to command the detachment. For this operation he was awarded the Order of the Red Banner . After the hospital, he continued to command the regiment.

In November 1940, Berestov was sent to study at the Higher Rifle and Tactical Refresher Training Courses for the Infantry Officers' Shot " . He graduated with honors a few days before the war.

World War II

On July 2, 1941, Colonel P.F. Berestov was appointed commander of the 1st regiment of the militia of the Leninsky district of Moscow , which on September 26 was transformed into the 1281th rifle regiment of the 60th rifle division . Since July 1941, the regiment was part of the 33rd Army of the Reserve Front , built defensive lines near Spas-Demensky , and from September 9, took direct part in the battles near Yelnya . The hardest tests fell on his lot at the beginning of the German general offensive on Moscow ( Operation Typhoon ). The 33rd Army did not fall into the Vyazemsky Cauldron, but when trying to stop a further German offensive against Moscow, it was at the forefront of the enemy’s strike. In October 1941, Berestov’s regiment fought practically without replenishment, with an acute shortage of ammunition, but stubbornly held on. Three times the regiment fell into the circle of encirclement and three times with a fight broke through to their own. For the fourth time, the enemy managed to cut the weakened regiment into pieces, from the encirclement the soldiers broke through in small groups. One of these groups was led by the regiment commander and crossed with her through the front line already near Tula .

Without respite, on November 8, 1941, Berestov was appointed commander of the 601th Motor Rifle Regiment of the 82nd Motor Rifle Division of the 5th Army of the Western Front . In the defensive phase of the battle of Moscow, the division defended the Minsk highway near the Kubinka station. During the counterattack near Moscow and the general offensive of the Soviet troops, the division, together with other units, participated in the liberation of Dorokhovo , Borodino , Mozhaysk and other settlements. February 10, 1942 P.F. Berestnev was appointed deputy commander of the division. In 1942, Berestov joined the CPSU (B.) .

But already on February 22, 1942 he was appointed commander of the 50th Infantry Division of the 5th Army (the division occupied defense in the Gzhatsk region).

On April 10, 1942, Colonel Berestov was appointed commander of the 331rd Infantry Division , which he commanded until the end of the war. Under the command of Berestov, the division fought as part of various armies in the West , from April 1944 - on the 3rd Belorussian , from April 1945 - on the 1st Ukrainian fronts. The division participated in offensive operations near Moscow, in the Rzhevsko-Sychevskaya , Rzhevsko-Vyazemskaya 1943 , Smolensk , Orsha , Belorussian , Gumbinnen-Goldap , East Prussian and Prague offensive operations. The division was in good standing, in June 1943 it was awarded the Order of the Red Banner for military merits, in September 1943 the division was awarded the honorary name Smolenskaya , in July 1944 it was awarded the 2nd Order of Suvorov for crossing the Berezina River and taking possession of the city of Novo-Borisov degrees, and at the end of July for participating in the liberation of Minsk - the second Order of the Red Banner. Pavel Berestov himself received a strong concussion in September 1943, but abandoned the hospital and continued to lead the division.

The commander of the 331rd Infantry Division ( 31st Army , 3rd Belorussian Front), Major General P.F. Berestov showed exceptional courage in the East Prussian offensive operation. On January 21, 1945, the division broke through the enemy’s defenses and advanced ahead of other parts of the army, taking control of the enemy’s strongholds of the cities of Rastenburg , Rossel , and Heilsberg . On January 31, the division was assigned to take over the city of Landsberg (now Gurovo-Iławieckie , Poland ). Starting the operation at night and taking the enemy by surprise, Berestov led the division into a breakthrough and skillfully moving along the enemy’s rear, on the night of February 2 went to the city, with the help of fighters stormed the city and an important communications center of the enemy. Not resigned to the loss of Landsberg, German troops continuously tried to recapture the city. For three days the division repelled continuous attacks, and on February 7, the enemy with a long-range strike cut off the Soviet units around Landsberg from the main forces of the army. In this situation, Major General Berestov united under his command the 331st and 88th rifle divisions , the 140th artillery brigade and tank regiment, organized a circular defense, and for another three days this group of troops fought stubbornly in complete encirclement, before breaking through to him the main forces of the 33rd army. The swiftness of the actions of General Berestov’s troops at the first stage of the offensive and the staunchness in defense at the second ensured the successful advance of the 33rd Army. For this operation, the army commander P. G. Shafranov introduced General P. F. Berestov to the rank of Hero of the Soviet Union.

By a decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of June 27, 1945 for exemplary fulfillment of command assignments at the front of the struggle against German fascism and courage and heroism shown to this, Major General Pyotr Filippovich Berestov was awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union with the Order of Lenin (No. 52532) and the medal “ The Golden Star ” (No. 7906).

After the defeat of the Prussian group of German troops in April 1945, the 331rd Infantry Division was sent to the 1st Ukrainian Front , where it took part in the Prague operation and the liberation of the cities of Goerlitz , Zonenberg , Frynlyand , Jablonec , completing the military journey, not reaching Prague .

Post-War Career

After the war, P.F. Berestov continued to serve in the Soviet Army. Since July 1945, he commanded the 72nd Guards Rifle Division in the Central Group of Forces ( Hungary ), in January 1946 he redeployed the division to the Kiev Military District . Since May 1946 - commander of the 7th Separate Guards Rifle Brigade in the Kiev Military District. From January to December 1947 - commander of the 59th Guards Rifle Division in the Odessa Military District . In 1948 he graduated from advanced training courses for commanders of rifle divisions at the MV Frunze Military Academy . From December 1948, he was the commander of the 43rd Separate Guards Rifle Brigade ( Tauride Military District ), and from October 1953, the commander of the 113th Guards Rifle Division in the same district.

In December 1955, Major General Peter Filippovich Berestov was sacked. He lived and worked in the city of Zaporozhye ( Ukraine ). He died on November 26, 1961 . He was buried in Zaporozhye at the May Day cemetery.

• Gold Star medal of the Hero of the Soviet Union (06/27/1945);
• Two Orders of Lenin (02.21.1945, 06.27.1945);
• Four Orders of the Red Banner (04/20/1940, 08/28/1942, 11/3/1944, ...);
• Order of Suvorov 2nd degree (09/28/1943);
• Order of Kutuzov , 2nd degree (07/04/1944);
• Order of Bogdan Khmelnitsky (USSR) 2nd degree (04/19/1945);
• Medals.

• Streets of Berestov in the city of Mozhaysk and in the village of Sumsi of the Udmurt Republic are named after the Hero.
• The name of P.F. Berestov is immortalized on the Memorial stele to the Heroes of the Soviet Union at the Eternal Flame in the city of Izhevsk .

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• Berestov, Pyotr Filippovich (Russian) . Site " Heroes of the country ".
• The project of the Udmurt National Library "Udmurt land is proud of them . "