Grishin enlisted in the Red Army during the Russian Civil War and fought against the Tambov Rebellion.
In October 1940, he became the commander of the 137th Rifle Division, which he led through the World War II battles of Smolensk and Moscow.
Ivan Grishin was born on 16 December 1901 in the village of Vnukovichi to a peasant family.
[1][4] The division participated in the district's demonstration exercises and Grishin was awarded the Order of the Red Star for his leadership.
[2] When Operation Barbarossa began on 22 June 1941, the 137th Rifle Division was stationed at their summer camp of Gorokhovetsky.
The division was sent to the front and fought in the Battle of Smolensk in early July, part of the 13th Army.
Near Shkloŭ, the division defended the Dnieper crossing and delayed advancing German troops for seven days.
The division then defended the Sozh River line and held south of Trubchevsk for two weeks.
[5] In December, the division participated in the Yelets Offensive and reportedly advanced 150 kilometres (93 mi) to the west.
On 30 January 1943, Grishin was awarded the Order of the Red Banner for his leadership of the 137th Rifle Division.
The army also captured Spas-Demensk, Roslavl, Krichev, Khislavichi, Mstislavl and Bogdanovo, a German strongpoint on the Desna.
During the offensive, 49th Army had captured Grishin's home village of Vnukovichi, where he learned that German troops had shot his father, mother and other relatives.
[7] During the advance towards Minsk, the army helped surround a large group of German troops.
During the Bialystok Offensive, the army broke through strong German resistance on the Svislach River.
On 10 April, Grishin was awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union and the Order of Lenin for his leadership.
It then fought in the Berlin Offensive from 16 April, part of the front's main strike force.
At the reception after the parade, Stalin named Grishin an outstanding leader along with other generals such as Zhukov, Konev, Beloborodov, Batov, Bagramyan, Gorbatov and others.