Who Was The Prototype Of Brigade Commander Serplin?

Fyodor Fyodorovich Serpilin, the main character of Konstantin Simonov’s trilogy “The Living and the Dead”, was a composite image.

In him, one could guess the features and destinies of the legendary generals-commanders Alexander Gorbatov and Ivan Grishin, but the main prototype was Colonel Semyon Fyodorovich Kutepov, whom the writer Simonov (at that time – a war correspondent) met at the front in the summer of 1941.

Konstantin Mikhailovich was greatly impressed by both the personality of the commander of the 388th rifle regiment and the feat accomplished on July 12 during the defense of Mogilev. In one day, Kutepov’s subordinates in a 14-hour battle destroyed 39 fascist tanks on the Buinichi field. On July 20, the entire Soviet people were informed about this historical event by Konstantin Simonov’s essay in the Izvestia newspaper.

In fact, for the first time, it was documented that the enemy was suffering heavy losses. At the end of July 1941, Semyon Kutepov went missing while breaking out of encirclement. There are several versions of his death, but there is no confirmation of them. Where he is buried (and whether he is buried at all?) is also unknown. On August 10, 1941, Colonel Kutepov was awarded the Order of the Red Banner. One of the streets in Mogilev is named in his honor.