Soviet Paperwork For The Purged: "Lost" Generals

[Guest Rick Research]

These odds and ends were among a HUGE pile of award documents that reputedly came out of the Foreign Ministry in Moscow some years back, awards from friendly foreign governments to WW2 Soviet military personnel who could

"not be found" so their awards and paperwork (only the latter seen by me) were stored until Things Fell Apart. Being rather difficult, to say the least, to "misplace" Generals in a dictatorship, one can onloy surmise that these Very Senior Comrades all came to a sticky but classified end soon after the war. I have ZERO information on any of them.

First up, a Commander grade of the Bulgarian Military Merit Order ("2nd Class with War Decoration") to Major General "of the Soviet forces" Vladimir Vasilievich Sosnovikov. Per a decree of 16 May 1945, document issued at Sofia 9 September 1947 and numbered 335. Reverse annotation on the document "discharged" ("Уволeн")

[attachmentid=9305]

Yup, "discharged" and they didn't have a forwarding address. Riiiiiiiiiight.

[Guest Rick Research]

Next, a Polish Communist regime "Medal for Victory and Freedom" document, filled in in Polish but with typical Soviet Cyrillic transcription annotations, to "Gen. brygady" (General-maior/Major General) Fiodor Olejnik (Fyodor Oleynik/Фёдoр Oлeйинк), note Cyrillic commentary to right of "Dyplom" heading, which I know I had previously deciphered, but did not note, and now can't read the pencilled scribble again :

[attachmentid=9306]

just not getting anything out of the scribble. maybe tomorrow with a freshly rested brain:

[attachmentid=9312]

A a

Б б

В в

Г г

Д д

E e

Ё ё

Ж ж

З з

И и

Й й

К к

Л л

M м

H н

O о

П п

P р

C с

T т

У у

Ф ф

X х

Ц ц

Ч ч

Ш ш

Щ щ

Ъ ъ

Ы ы

ь Ь

Э э

Ю ю

Я я

[Guest Rick Research]

Last but NOT least, a Polish "Oder, Neisse, Baltic Medal" to "General lejtnant" (General-leitenant/Lieutenant General) "Piotr s.Ilii Rumiancew" (Pyotr Iliich Rumyantsev/Пётp Ильч Pумянцeв)

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[attachmentid=9308]

Now losing some one with the rank of a Corps commander WAS quite "careless!"

No "editorial comment" made on this document, though.

[kimj]

Hi Rick

Nice documents!

I found a little info on your guys at:

http://www.generals.dk

Oleinik

Fedor I., Major-General

( - )

1943 - 1945Political Commissar 38th Army

Rumiantsev

Petr I., Major-General

( - )

Sosnovikov

Vladimir V., Major-General

( -1967)

1941 Political Commissar 23rd Army

1942 Political Commissar 8th Army

1942 - 1943Political Commissar 2nd Tank Army

1943 - 1944Political Commissar 37th Army

A bit thin when it came to Rumiantsev. But no info is also info..

Perhaps they are all political officers?

/Kim

[Guest Rick Research]

God, the internet is wonderful, especially for old pre-internet dusty, moldy archives crawlers like me!!!!

MANY thanks indeed for the astonishing information (that Sosnovikov SURVIVED amazes me... poor guy never got his medal! My suspicion would still be he was in the Gulag at the time.... wow)

That website link is FANTASTIC. I asked about the Divisional Commander who signed my Lastovka award recommendations and got his first name, middle initial, and divisional commands. That website will be an amazingly useful resource for us in figuring out who the people who signed WW2 medal award booklets and award citations were--

if you would please start a new topic on "Essential Websites for Soviet Research" with that website above, I will "pin" it up top of this forum.

Now for all my OTHER "hopeless" Soviet Generals!!! Rick

[Guest Rick Research]

Such as...

another orphan single document, for Major General of Signals Vyacheslav Nikolaevich Dubovko's Victory Over Germany Medal

[attachmentid=9371]

This is one of those "exceptions to the rule" medal award booklets which does NOT bear an officer's "A" serial number, but a "B" (" Б ")

[attachmentid=9372]

Before Kim posted the link, I had nothing else on him. BUT!!!! ------->

[Guest Rick Research]

Thanks to the amazing

http://www.generals.dk

website and ? to its owner Steen Ammentorp

Dubovko TOO was a purge survivor:

[attachmentid=9374]

Some of my generals (signatures, photos) are there only as names, others aren't there (yet) but

what a GREAT reference website for Soviet general indormation!!!!

[kimj]

Glad you liked it Rick. Hope you find something usefull.

Here is another place you could find some info. Only in Russian but worth looking at. http://www.rkka.ru/

I especially like the uniform section with uniforms modeled on real people. Makes for a more alive history experience.

/Kim

[Guest Rick Research]

The plot thickens. I have had THIS for years, obtained from a different source.

SAME MAN, or simply a coincidence of names and initials? (I can discount the spellings of Fedor/Fyodor since one was some Soviet clerk transcribing from Polish-- and he never received THAT one!)

Defense of Moscow Medal document to

[attachmentid=9426]

Fedor Ivanovich Oleynik, 31 July 1944, issued at the Frunze Military Academy and signed by the commandant, Hero of the Soviet Union Colonel-General Nikandr Yelampievich "Chibisov" (1892-1959)...

who had been Commander of 38th Army at the legendary crossing of the Dnieper in 1943.

[attachmentid=9427]

I think I have me a PAIR, obtained years and states apart from two different dealers!

[Gerd Becker]

Kim, thats an awesome Website, thanks a million for the link.

Rick, I would love to see more docs, if you have.

best,

Gerd