I.A. Pliyev

Issa Alexandrovich Pliyev
Born	25 November 1903 Stariy Batakoyurt, Russian Empire (now North Ossetia, Russia)
Died	2 February 1979 (aged 75)
Allegiance	Soviet Union
Years of service	1926 - 1968
Rank	General of the Army
Commands held	5th Cavalry Division 2nd Guards Cavalry Corps 1st Guards Cavalry Mechanized Group Mobile Group Pliyev Soviet Mongolian Cavalry Mechanized Group 13th Army North Caucasus Military District Soviet Ground Forces in Cuba
Battles/wars	Battle of Moscow Battle of Romania (1944) Battle of Debrecen Invasion of Manchuria
Awards	Twice Hero of the Soviet Union

Issa Alexandrovich Pliyev (Ossetian: Плиты Алыксандры фырт Иссæ; Russian: Исса Александрович Плиев) (also spelled as Pliev) (25 November [O.S. 12 November] 1903 — 2 February 1979) was a Soviet military commander, Army General (1962), twice Hero of the Soviet Union (16 April 1944 and 8 September 1945), Hero of the Mongolian People's Republic (1971).

During World War II, Pliyev commanded several mechanized cavalry units, ranging from regiments to army corps. The military historians David Glantz and Jonathan House described Pliyev as a "great practitioner of cavalry operations in adverse terrain". Pliyev became known in the West largely for his involvement in the Cuban Missile Crisis.

Issa Pliyev started his military career in the Red Army in 1922. He graduated from the Leningrad Cavalry school in 1926, from the Frunze Military Academy in 1933 and from the Soviet General Staff Academy. He joined the Communist party in 1926.

At the start of the invasion of the Soviet Union, Pliyev commanded the 50th Cavalry Division (renamed 3rd Guards Cavalry Division). His unit participated in the Battle of Moscow and the Battle of Stalingrad. Pliyev commanded cavalry-mechanized group consisting of 4th Guards Cavalry Corps and 4th Mechanized Corps during the Bereznegovataia-Snigirevka Operation along the Black Sea coast, as part of the 3rd Ukrainian Front under Army General Rodion Malinovsky.

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