Soviet Interesting Single Red Star

[NavyFCO]

I just received research back today on an interesting Red Star group I picked up this week.

This is Red Star number 3763323, awarded to Nikolai Ivanovich Vavenko. When the research came back, he had not one, but three Award Cards! Unfortunately, I cannot get access to the citation for this Red Star at this time, but will keep trying!

First, the inside of his order book. Front page:

[NavyFCO]

Yes, my scanner does suck, thus the reason you won't see any photos of his Red Star here. (What can I expect? I live in a hotel room with a combo printer-scanner-copier!) Anyway, inside the order book:

[NavyFCO]

Here's his first award card.

This is for a Red Star, awarded on 3 March 1966

At the time, he was a Senior Lieutenant who had been in the Soviet Army since 12 November 1957, and at the time of the award was the commander of a training platoon of the 103rd Independent Tank Training Regiment. The Red Star was awarded under Ukaz dated 22 February 1966. Given that it was a "Day of the Soviet Army" award, I'm guessing (and this is just a guess) that he had the top performing platoon in the Regiment. Or, maybe he saved someone's life. Who knows?

[NavyFCO]

Award card number 2 was the award card for this Red Star that I have. Here, we fast forward to 29 July 1981, when this award card was filled out - about 15 years after his first decoration! (Sounds like the British army!)

This one was filled out in the "city of Kabul" (don't need to explain where that is) and he's here as a Lieutenant Colonel now in something (I can't translate the word correctly!) with unit 44708. This Ukaz was dated 4 June 1981.

[NavyFCO]

Now we have his final award card. This one is a bit interesting as he's now a full Colonel who was awarded his Homeland 3rd on 17 November 1982. BUT there's one minor issue. His "place of service" lists him as having died on 23 October 1983, with his location as being buried in Lukyanovskom Cemetery in Kiev! There's also no number for his Homeland 3rd, and interestingly, this award card was filled out three months exactly from his date of death. Now if that's not a mystery for Rick, I don't know what is...

[Paul R]

WOW!!!!

Why would the order not be numbered? Awarded on paper only?

[Gerd Becker]

Very cool

[order_of_victory]

That has to be one most facinating award cards around

Order of Victory

[Guest Rick Research]

I'd take "v rasporyazhenniye" to be "in command of"

1) Unit 44708 =========================

http://gmic.co.uk/index.php?s=&showtop...ost&p=97506

annnnnnnnnnnnnnnnd

2) 10th M ain Admin istration of the G eneral S taff of the A rmed F orces of the USSR

... whatever THAT was.

I'd also be wondering, suspicious Lil Ol Me, what an "independent" tank "training" regiment was doing.

[Mondvor]

Military Unit 44708 in Russian would have that official name

Представительство 10-го Главного Управления Министерстав Обороны - почтовый ящик 515-Б, аппарат Главного Военного Советника в Кабуле.

In English it would be something like that

Local Office of 10th Main Department of Ministry of Defence - mailbox 515-B, Headquarters of Chief Military Advisor in Kabul.

I want to add that 10th Main Department of Ministry of Defence was a structure responsible for International Military Cooperation between the countries of Warsaw Block. It became extinct in 1992.

So our guy most likely was one of the Military Advisors (probably in tank troops).

[Paul L Murphy]

Gentlemen,

Is there any reference source (in English or Russian) which allows you to identify what unit was behind the five digit unit number ? I have a number of military gramata sets from the 1960s and 70s and would love to find out in which units the recipients served but this is only identified by number.

Regards,

Paul

[Mondvor]

Gentlemen,

Is there any reference source (in English or Russian) which allows you to identify what unit was behind the five digit unit number ? I have a number of military gramata sets from the 1960s and 70s and would love to find out in which units the recipients served but this is only identified by number.

Regards,

Paul

Paul, I have full list of "Polevaya Pochta" ("Field Post-Office") military unit numbers, that were used in 1943-45. But for the post-war numbers there is no such information available. Probably this data is still classified, because many units still exist in moredn Russian Army. But some of them you can trace through the internet (like I did to find some information about 44708 unit).

Edited August 16, 2006 by Mondvor

[Ed_Haynes]

As Spock would say: FASCINATING!!

Thanks, all.

[Mondvor]

Sorry Ed, who is Spock?

[Ed_Haynes]

Sorry Ed, who is Spock?

Star Trek. Original series. I am sure THIS has made it into every world language by now?

[Mondvor]

Oh, sure! I've heard about "Star Trek" and saw couple of episodes on TV...

[Ed_Haynes]

For the medal, see: http://gmic.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=8627&st=39

[NavyFCO]

Top half of his citation...

[NavyFCO]

And the bottom...

[Guest Rick Research]

"Officer-Operator" falls THUNK on English-thinking ears. So that is for staff organization, improving defense plans, improving offensive actions against the "mutineers" as basically the Eminence Gris actually giving the orders to an unspecified--

and that seems to be SOP from what we've seen so far of Afghan War advisor research--

Afghan military formation.