They showed the Germans that even in the era of tanks, cavalry can still unpleasantly surprise the enemy. Lev Dovator In August 1941, Major General Lev Dovator's cavalry operational group raided the German rear in the Smolensk region, destroying two and a half thousand German soldiers and officers, nine tanks, and two hundred vehicles. The fearless commander was always in the front ranks of his troops, which ultimately led to his demise. On December 19, 1941, Dovator was killed by German machine-gun fire near the village of Palashkino in the Moscow region. Two days later, he was posthumously awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. Pavel Belov In July 1941, Major General Pavel Belov's 2nd Cavalry Corps staunchly defended Soviet Moldova and even thwarted the enemy's swift capture of Chisinau. During the battles near Moscow in January 1942, Belov's corps broke through German positions and embarked on a five-month raid in the enemy's rear. "We moved mainly at night, and during the day we hid from enemy aviation in dense forests. Along the way... we destroyed German garrisons in villages and towns," the commander recalled. After returning in June 1942, Belov left the cavalry and took command of the 61st Army, with which he marched to Berlin. Issa Pliev In the summer of 1941, Colonel Issa Pliev's 50th Cavalry Division caused havoc in the German rear in the Smolensk region. "We wreaked havoc on enemy transport on the roads, blew up bridges, and disrupted communications," recalled one of the participants in those raids. Later, Pliev commanded various cavalry corps and cavalry-mechanized groups, participating in the Battle of Kursk, the crossing of the Dnieper, the liberation of Ukraine, the capture of Budapest and Prague, and the defeat of the Japanese Kwantung Army. The commander was twice awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.