At the German invasion of the Soviet Union on 22 June 1941, Zhilin was in the army reserve. In the early days of the war he was evacuated to Omsk where he worked in the tire plant. He was recalled to active service in December 1941. On 2 February 1942 he was sent to the front, where he served in a heavy mortar battery in the 872nd Infantry Regiment of the 282nd Infantry Division in the northern sector of the front. He participated in battles at Velikiye Luki and Nevel and was wounded on 3 September 1943.