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Nikolai Petrovich Volkov
File:Nikolai Volkov.jpg Volkov commanding his platoon, 1942
Nickname	Kolya
Born	1917 (age 108–109) Leningrad, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union
Allegiance	Soviet Union Soviet Union
Branch	NKVD Border Troops (1936–1941) Red Army (1941–present)
Rank	Guards leytenant (Lieutenant)
Unit	Guards badge 13th Guards Rifle Division 42nd Guards Rifle Regiment 1st Battalion 2nd Company 1st Platoon
Conflicts	World War II Eastern Front Battle of Stalingrad
Awards	Medal “For Battle Merit” Ribbon: Order of the Red Star Order of the Red Star

Nikolai Petrovich Volkov (Russian: Николай Петрович Волков; born 1917) is a Soviet officer, serving as a Guards leytenant (Lieutenant) with the 42nd Guards Rifle Regiment of the 13th Guards Rifle Division. Noted for reconnaissance skill and tactical command during the defensive chaos of 1941, he is known for an unorthodox leadership style and sharp criticism of military bureaucracy.

Biography

Early life

Volkov grew up in a cramped apartment in Leningrad, where “the smell of cheap tobacco and stale tea seemed permanently soaked into the walls.” His father, Pyotr Volkov, worked as a defense lawyer, taking whatever cases came to him—from petty thieves to black marketeers. Nikolai often recalled his father working late into the night, assembling elaborate legal arguments for men who, to the boy’s mind, clearly deserved punishment.

At age twelve, struggling with the moral paradox of watching his father defend a violent man, he received an answer that stayed with him: “Because someone has to do it, Kolya. The moment we decide that some people don’t deserve a defense is the moment we stop being civilized.” Yet that principle collided with harsh economic reality: while Pyotr frequently worked pro bono for desperate clients, Nikolai’s mother rationed food and patched his school uniform beyond repair.

NKVD Border Troops (1936–1941)

Driven by a desire to stand “on the right side of justice,” and frustrated by idealism that did not put bread on the table, Volkov enlisted in the NKVD Border Troops in 1936. He imagined countering spies and saboteurs along the Finnish border; the reality proved far more mundane.

The job consisted largely of paperwork and routine checks on local peasants, worsened by endemic corruption. His direct superior, Captain Surikov, ran an extortion scheme targeting travelers. When Volkov attempted to report the abuse, he was silenced due to the captain’s political ties in Moscow. Disillusioned with a system serving itself rather than the people, Volkov resigned from border service in early 1941 and joined the regular Red Army, hoping combat would offer a more honest meritocracy.

Military career in World War II

Germany’s invasion in June 1941 (Operation Barbarossa) brought the action Volkov had sought. During the disastrous retreats of 1941, his natural talent for terrain reading and reconnaissance became evident. By identifying routes through marshes and forests thought impassable, he repeatedly led remnants of his unit out of German encirclements.

Commission and command style

In August 1942, Volkov received his commission and took command of 1st Platoon, 2nd Company, 1st Battalion, 42nd Guards Rifle Regiment. Though respected for tactical competence, he maintained tense relationships with other officers. With a sharp tongue inherited from his lawyer father, Volkov openly despised political officers and what he saw as incompetence in higher command.

Conversely, he was known for fiercely defending his men—clashing with logistics to secure better rations and equipment for his platoon. Inverting his father’s ethic of sacrifice for difficult clients, Volkov fought for soldiers he believed were the only ones truly worthy of protection, while “Party favorites collected medals safely to the rear.”

Awards and decorations

Image	Ribbon	Name and citation	Date awarded
Medal “For Battle Merit”		Medal “For Battle Merit” Order of Battalion Command No. 016/н For excellent conduct during reconnaissance actions and for maintaining unit cohesion under enemy fire.	23 August 1942
	Ribbon of the Order of the Red Star	Order of the Red Star Order of Regimental Command No. 087/о For personal courage in leading a platoon counterattack and for skillful use of terrain to outflank fortified enemy positions.	26 August 1942