Viktor Grigoryevich Zholudev (Russian: Ви́ктор Григо́рьевич Жо́лудев; 22 March 1905 – 21 July 1944)[1] was a Red Army major general and posthumous Hero of the Soviet Union.

After completing lower secondary education, he began working as a log driver at age 14 on the Volga River.

German forces composed of Army Group South quickly advanced into the Kiev Fortified Region.

On 6 August, Zholudev led the 6th Airborne Brigade in encircling German troops in Zhuliany airfield and the village, resulting in the capture of the objectives.

[citation needed] On the next day, German troops attacked the airborne positions ten times but were repulsed.

German troops captured the airfield after four days but were driven back by an offensive by the 3rd Airborne Corps on 13 August.

[5][3] In late August, the corps was transferred to the line of the Seym River north of Konotop to repulse the attacks of the 2nd Panzer Army.

German troops crossed the river on 9 September under cover of a five-hour long artillery and aerial bombardment.

In August 1942, the corps became the 37th Guards Rifle Division[1] and was subordinated to the 4th Tank Army at the Stalingrad Front.

[7] The division repulsed German attempts to cross the Don River and itself established a bridgehead at the village of Trehostrovskoy.

On 14 October, German troops launched a massive attack and aerial bombardment, which inflicted heavy casualties on the division.

[9] At noon, 30 German bombers bombed the ravine behind the tractor factory, which contained Zholudev's command post.

[16][3] After finishing its reformation, the division was sent to the 65th Army of the Central Front and participated in an offensive in the direction of Bryansk during the spring.

During the Bobruysk Offensive, the corps broke through German defenses and crossed the Drut, Olza and Berezina rivers.

[18] On 21 July, Zholudev and 3rd Army commander Alexander Gorbatov, along with a group of officers, came under artillery fire east of Vawkavysk while trying to reach an observation post of the 323rd Rifle Division.

On 11 November, Zholudev was posthumously awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union, as well as the Order of Lenin.