Title: Sergeant Major. Branch of Service: Army, Air Force (except for Naval Aviation), Coast Guard, NKVD troops, Border Guard. Unit: 90th Guards Vitebsk-Novgorod Double Red Banner Rifle Division. Vladimir Benov was born in 1923, a native of the Barzassky District of the Kemerovo Region, was called up to the front in September 1942 by the Izhmor District Military Commissariat, Kemerovo Region, Izhmor District. He began his service in the military rank of Red Army Guards Private, and was assigned to the machine-gun crew of the 3rd Rifle Battalion of the 272nd Guards Rifle Regiment of the 90th Guards Rifle Division of the 22nd Guards Rifle Corps of the 1st Baltic Front. 25.07.1944. Guards Private Vladimir Benov, who by that time already had three wounds, being the commander of the crew of a heavy machine gun, in offensive battles in the Dvina area, during the enemy counterattack, showed courage and bravery, personally repelling a group of enemy soldiers, destroying five and wounding many, for which he was awarded the medal For Bravery. 15.08.1944. Guards Private Benov, being the commander of the crew of a heavy machine gun of the 3rd Rifle Battalion of the 272nd Guards Rifle Regiment of the 90th Guards Rifle Division of the 4th Shock Army of the 1st Baltic Front, in an offensive battle when crossing the Memele River, under heavy machine-gun fire of the enemy, his crew moved forward and with well-aimed fire suppressed the fire of an enemy machine gun and destroyed its crew. In this battle, his crw destroyed twelve enemy soldiers. For courage and determination in the battle the Guards Private Vladimir Benov was awarded the Order of Glory, 3rd degree. 14.09.1944. In an offensive battle, during the breakthrough of the German defense, South-East of the city of Bauska, the machine-gun crew of the Guards Private Benov, during the attack, supported the advancing infantry with its well-aimed fire. Developing an offensive Guards Private Benov with his crew suppressed the fire of enemy machine guns and destroyed their crews, being wounded, did not leave the battlefield. For his courage and bravery, he was awarded the Order of Glory 2nd degree. 22.02.1945. Guards Sergeant Vladimir Banov, being the Squad Leader of the 3rd Rifle Battalion, 272nd Guards Rifle Regiment, 90th Guards Rifle Divisio,n 4th Shock Army of the 1st Baltic Front, heroically died during the offensive operations of Soviet troops in the area of the farm Dedi, Pakulska Parish, Liepaja District, Latvian SSR. He was buried in Latvia at the Priekul Military Cemetery, Mass grave #5.