hospital, where he remained until July. Having recovered, he returned to the 58th Guards, which he commanded for the rest of its existence, being promoted to major general on 13 September 1944. Rusakov led the division as part of the 34th Guards Rifle Corps of the 5th Guards Army in the Sandomierz–Silesian Offensive, the Lower Silesian Offensive, the Upper Silesian Offensive, the Berlin Offensive, and the Prague Offensive. The division was decorated for its breakthrough of German defenses near Oppeln and capture of a bridgehead on the Oder, and the crossing of the Neisse. Pursuing retreating German troops, the division was the first in the corps to reach the Elbe in the vicinity of Riesa and Torgau and link up with American troops from the 69th Infantry Division in what became known as Elbe Day on 25 April. On the next day, Rusakov met his 69th Division commander Major General Emil F. Reinhardt, in the first official link-up ceremony. The division ended the war in the Prague Offensive, participating in the capture of Dresden on 8 May. Postwar After the end of the war, Rusakov continued to command the division as part of the Central Group of Forces until it was disbanded, after which he was appointed commander of the 34th Separate Vyborg Brigade of the MVD Troops in July 1946. He completed the one-year Improvement Courses for Rifle Division Commanders at the Frunze Academy in February 1950, after which he was appointed commander of the 63rd Rifle Division of the Primorsky Military District. Suffering from a terminal illness, Rusakov died in Moscow on 12 October 1951. Awards and honors Rusakov was a recipient of the following awards and decorations: Order of Lenin Order of the Red Banner (2) Order of Suvorov, 2nd class Order of Kutuzov, 2nd class Order of Bogdan Khmelnitsky, 2nd class Order of the Red Star Medals Foreign orders and medals References Citations Bibliography 1909 births 1951 deaths People from Smolensk Governorate Soviet major generals Soviet military personnel of World War II Recipients of the Order of Lenin Recipients of the Order of the Red Banner Recipients of the Order of Suvorov, 2nd class Recipients of the Order of Kutuzov, 2nd class Recipients of the Order of Bogdan Khmelnitsky (Soviet Union), 2nd class Frunze Military Academy alumni