Ivan Panfilov

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Ivan Vasilyevich Panfilov (Панфилов Иван Васильевич) (1892–1941) was a Russian general and Hero of the Soviet Union 1942 (posthumously).

During the Battle of Moscow in November 1941 Panfilov, commander of the Soviet 316th Rifle Division, died in fierce self-sacrificial infantry combat against German tanks. During the battle, Panfilov received an order from Marshal Zhukov, stating that if he retreated he would face a firing squad.^[1] Only a handful of heavily wounded Soviet soldiers survived the carnage. Large numbers of German soldiers and tanks were killed and disabled as well. It was because of this action that the term Panfilovtsy was coined.

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