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Petr BabichevCommander of the foot reconnaissance platoon of the 116th Guards Rifle Regiment, Guards Lieutenant
Date of Birth: 21.02.1922
Country:  Operator |
Content:
Early Life and Military Service
Petr Alekseyevich Babichev was born on February 21, 1922, in the village of Borki, now part of the Khanty-Mansi Autonomous District in Tyumen Oblast. He was the son of a fisherman and a member of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1945. After graduating from high school, Babichev worked in a fishing artel before joining the Red Army in July 1941.
Combat Experience
In 1942, Babichev graduated from the Omsk Infantry School and was assigned as a mortar squad commander in the Siberian Rifle Division. He fought in the Battle of Stalingrad, where he was wounded. After returning to service, he became a reconnaissance platoon commander in the 116th Guards Rifle Regiment of the 40th Guards Rifle Division.
In September 1943, Babichev was wounded again during the crossing of the Molochnaya River. On December 1, 1944, while in Hungary, he was tasked with capturing and holding a bridgehead on the opposite bank of the Danube River near the town of Dunapataj.
Heroism on the Danube
Babichev's platoon crossed the Danube on three boats while under enemy fire. Using stealth tactics, they silently eliminated the enemy's security guard. They then stormed the enemy's trenches, throwing grenades and shouting "Hurrah!" They held the bridgehead until the arrival of reinforcements. Babichev's platoon destroyed up to 60 enemy soldiers and officers, captured around 80 Nazis along with their equipment, and repelled numerous enemy attacks.
Post-War Life
After the war, Babichev completed the Advanced Officer Training Courses in 1947 and served in the Ishim and Tobolsk military commissariats. He retired from the military in 1965 with the rank of major. Babichev then worked as the director of the Tobolsk City Food Combine before moving to Tyumen after his retirement. He passed away on August 15, 1993, and is buried in the Alley of Heroes at the Chervishevskoye Cemetery in Tyumen.
Awards and Honors
Hero of the Soviet Union (1945)Order of Lenin
Three Orders of the Red Star
Order of the Patriotic War, 1st Class
Medal "For Victory over Germany in the Great Patriotic War 1941-1945"
Jubilee Medals for the 20th, 30th, and 40th Anniversaries of Victory in the Great Patriotic War
