Vasily Shatilov

Vasily Mitrofanovich Shatilov (Russian: Васи́лий Митрофа́нович Шати́лов; 17 February 1902 - 16 February 1995) was a Soviet general who commanded the 150th Rifle Division during the Battle of Berlin.

Early life
Born to a peasant family, Shatilov joined the Red Army at 1924, becoming a member of the Communist Party three years later. On 1928 he graduated from the Tiflis Infantry School, and matriculated from the Mechanization and Motorization faculty of the Frunze Academy at 1938. Shatilov took part in the Soviet invasion of Poland.

Soviet-German War
Until May 1941, Shatilov served as chief of staff to Colonel Ivan Chernyakhovsky, commander of the 28th Tank Brigade in Riga. Then he was transferred to the same post in the Dnipropetrovsk-based 196 Infantry Division, under General Konstantin Kulikov, not long before the commencing of Operation Barbarossa. When Kulikov was ambushed and taken prisoner at September, Shatilov replaced him.

On August 1942 he was put in charge of the 182nd Infantry Division. The Division fought in the Baltics, not far from Leningrad, and advanced from Demyansk to the Velikaya River while under Shatilov. On May 1944 he was appointed commander of the 150th Rifle Division, a unit of the 79 Rifle Corps in the 3rd Shock Army, itself a formation within the 1st Belorussian Front.

Battle of Berlin
On 16 April 1945, the Division crossed the Oder in the vicinity of Wriezen, reaching Berlin on the 21. It was tasked with hoisting the Victory Banner on the Reichstag. On the morning of 30 April, after days of heavy fighting in the streets of the German capital, the Division stormed the building. Soldiers of the Division hoisted several Soviet flags atop the structure, one of which - placed by Meliton Kantaria, Mikhail Yegorov and Alexei Berest - was eventually proclaimed the official Victory Banner (Though the first flag was probably hoisted by the Division's soldier Mikhail Minin).

Post-war years
On the 29 of May, Shatilov was awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union (Medal no. 6735). He graduated from the General Staff Academy at 1949, becoming the first deputy commander of the Far East Military District. He retired from the Armed Forces at 1964, soon after being promoted to the rank of Colonel-General.