Born to a wealthy family, Baklanov was drafted into the Red Army and was selected for command positions during the interwar period.

For his leadership in the capture of Dresden in the final weeks of the war Baklanov was made a Hero of the Soviet Union.

His father Vladimir Baklanov owned a weaving factory and his mother Alexandra had been an actress before bearing children.

His sister Olga Baclanova left the Russian SFSR in 1926 and did not return, having chosen to become a naturalized citizen of the United States.

[4] Shortly after Operation Barbarossa, the German invasion of the Soviet Union, began, the 1st Motor Rifle Division was rushed to the Western Front in late June 1941.

He was awarded the Order of Alexander Nevsky and the American Distinguished Service Cross for his actions at Stalingrad,[3] and promoted to major general on 1 March 1943.

During the preparation for the offensive, the pursuit of retreating German forces to the Oder, the crossing of the river and the expansion of a bridgehead, Baklanov "showed ability and perseverance in organization and leadership of the corps, consistently completing his assigned combat tasks", according to his army commander, Colonel General Aleksey Zhadov.

For his "heroism and skilled leadership of troops in the battle for Dresden" Baklanov was awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union on 29 May.

[4] After graduating from Higher Academic Courses at the Military Academy of the General Staff in 1948, he served as head of the Physical Training and Sports Department of the Ground Forces from June of that year.