After the beginning of
Operation Barbarossa, the German invasion of the Soviet union, on 22 June 1941, the division and its corps were sent to the front. In July, the corps was broken up and the division became the 104th Separate Tank Division, with Rakhimov's unit being renamed the 104th Motor Rifle Regiment. With the
28th Army, the division fought in the
Battle of Smolensk, participating in fierce fighting in the direction of
Yelnya. Rakhimov was severely wounded in action near the village of Pustysheva on 1 August and was hospitalized until mid-October. He was appointed commander of the 1149th Rifle Regiment of the
353rd Rifle Division on 31 October. On 1 December, he was awarded his second
Order of the Red Banner. During the winter, Rakhimov fought in battles at
Rostov-on-Don and at
Taganrog on the
Southern Front. In January 1942, he was wounded again. After leaving the hospital in May, Rakhimov became the deputy commander of the
395th Rifle Division, and served as temporary commander of the 395th from 1 August. During the summer, he led the division in the defense of the
Don River and the
Kuban. On 4 September he became the division's commander and led it during the
Battle of the Caucasus during the fall. During the
Tuapse Defensive Operation on 15 September, Rakhimov was again wounded. During the operation from 25 September to 20 December, the 395th Rifle Division as part of the
18th Army was able to stop German troops from capturing
Tuapse. In January and February 1943, the division participated in the
Krasnodar Offensive during the
North Caucasus Strategic Offensive. He was promoted to
major general on 19 March. On 8 April, Rakhimov was removed from command and placed at the disposal of the military council of the
North Caucasian Front. Placed at the disposal of the Main Personnel Directorate of the
People's Commissariat of Defense from May, he was sent to
Moscow to enter the accelerated course at the
Vorshilov Higher Military Academy in June. After completing the course in late April 1944, Rakhimov was again placed at the disposal of the Main Personnel Directorate and in July was sent to the
1st Belorussian Front. Upon arrival, he took over the post of deputy commander for drill parts of the
75th Guards Rifle Division of the
65th Army, with which he fought in the
Lublin–Brest Offensive. In this position, Rakhimov was assessed by his superiors as "having performed at his best." As a result, on 8 September he became temporary commander of the
47th Guards Rifle Division, part of the
4th Guards Rifle Corps of the
8th Guards Army. Rakhimov transferred to command the
37th Guards Rifle Division in early November. The division fought in the
East Prussian Offensive as part of the
65th Army. During the capture of
Graudenz, the division broke through German lines on the outskirts of the city during 16 February. The division's attacks distracted the German garrison, allowing other divisions to capture the city on 22 February. During the
East Pomeranian Offensive, the division quickly advanced 150 kilometers within a few days. The division reached the
Baltic Sea coast and isolated the German troops in
Danzig from those on the
Vistula. The division then attacked into Danzig and fought in the street fighting for the city. Rakhimov reportedly frequently led from the front. On 26 March, his observation post suffered a direct hit from a shell fired by a German ship. Rakhimov was mortally wounded by shrapnel in the head and died eight hours later without regaining consciousness. Rakhimov was buried in
Tashkent's Kafanova Park. On 6 May 1965, he was posthumously awarded the title
Hero of the Soviet Union and the
Order of Lenin. == Legacy ==