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Mitrofan VlasovMachine gun platoon commander of the 86th rifle regiment, lieutenant, Hero of the Soviet Union
Date of Birth: 20.12.1915
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Content:
Early Life and Education
Born in 1915 in the village of Bogdanovka, Voronezh Governorate, Lieutenant Ivan Potapov completed school in 1933. He subsequently worked as a printer in a local newspaper's printing house.
Military Service
Enlisting in the Red Army from 1937-1939, Potapov returned to military service in 1941 upon the outbreak of the Great Patriotic War. In 1942, he graduated from a junior lieutenant course and became a member of the Communist Party in 1943.
Heroic Actions
As the commander of a machine gun platoon in the 86th Rifle Regiment, Potapov participated in the Battle of the Dnieper in October 1943. During the battle, he led his platoon in a successful crossing of the river. However, in the process, he sustained severe wounds and died on October 17, 1943.
Legacy and Honors
Lieutenant Ivan Potapov was posthumously awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union on October 29, 1943. He was also bestowed with the Orders of Lenin and the Red Star, as well as several medals. Potapov's remains were interred in a mass grave in the village of Starye Petrovtsy, Ukraine.
