Gurianov, Mikhail Alekseevich

Gur’ianov, Mikhail Alekseevich 

Born Sept. 18 (Oct. 1), 1903, in the village of Pokrovskoe, in present-day Istra Raion, Moscow Oblast; died Nov. 27, 1941, at Ugodskii Zavod. One of the first heroes of the partisan movement during the Great Patriotic War (1941–45). Hero of the Soviet Union (Feb. 16, 1942). Member of the CPSU from 1930.

Gur’ianov was born into a working-class family. He was a farm laborer for a while and later an industrial worker. In 1934 he graduated from courses on Soviet construction. From 1934 to 1937 he was chairman of the Dedovsk settlement soviet in Istra Raion, and in 1938 became chairman of the executive committee of the Ugodskii Zavod Raion soviet. In October 1941, after the raion had been occupied, he joined a partisan detachment. On the night of Nov. 23, 1941, Gur’ianov, as part of a combined unit of partisans and soldiers of the 17th Rifle Division, took part in a raid on the German garrison in Ugodskii Zavod. He fought bravely against the enemy, killing 20 Hitlerites. He was wounded twice as his detachment retreated and was seized by the enemy. Despite tortures, he revealed no information and was hanged.