Soviet Nice little wartime group

[Alfred]

Hello,

on friday I got this litte nice wartime group in. Nothing spectacular but nice

From Major MAJOR GOLOVCHENKO, PIOTR SEMIONOVITCH 10 awards with documents.

1. Order of the Red Banner s/n 503730 (mot likely a long service award from the end of the 60?s)

2. Order of the Great Patriotic War 2nd Class s/n 447963 (variation with brass hammer and sickle - looks like mint made)

2. Two Order of the Red Star s/n 613098 and 3069897

3. Medal for Combat Service witrhout s/n

4. Medal for Victory over Germany and a few aniversary medals

Hi Gerd, that was the group you missed.

regards

Andreas

Edited July 3, 2005 by Alfred

[Alfred]

The red banner

[Alfred]

and the "Order of the Great Patriotric War" with brass hammer and sickle.

[Alfred]

and at least the award book

[Gerd Becker]

AAAAARRRGGHHHH......

very very nice group, Andreas. I was very disappointed, that i missed it, but on the other hand i am glad, that a friend got it though.

Fantastic Red-Banner. It seems to be flawless and in great condition. So he probably got the Red-Banner, the Military Merit Medal and one of the Red-Stars for Long-Service, but additionally the OGPW and the other Red-Star for "something".

You gonna let this research? I know, i would, if this had been mine.

Thanks for sharing it here on the forum.

all the best,

Gerd

[Guest Darrell]

Most unusual Patriotic War 2nd Class. The edging around the star looks different from the reverse. I've never heard of Brass hammer and sickle before. I always had thought they were gold?

[Gerd Becker]

Most unusual Patriotic War 2nd Class. The edging around the star looks different from the reverse. I've never heard of Brass hammer and sickle before. I always had thought they were gold?

←

Yes, they are supposed to be Gold and they normally are. Though sometimes these OGPW?s with Brass H&S pop up. Some people say, they are trench-shop replacements and some say, these were produced by Cheliabinsk Tractor Factory, when they had no gold ones available.

[Guest Rick Research]

The first Red Star is from May 1944, since the Orders Book shows privileges began in June. The Patriotic War is a 1945 serial number, the second Red Star for 15 years long service 1952/53 and the Red Banner is a 1956 number-- IN FACT THE ACTUAL BESTOWAL DECREE IS NOTED ON THE BOOK BUT I AM NOT SURE IF I AM SEEING IT CLEARLY,

[attachmentid=5386]

almost certainly for 20 years service at that time. I have never seen a late 1950s date like this entered in an earlier no-dates Book, but this looks absolutely legitimate and period to me-- a GREAT unusual "extra!"

The Military Merit Medal without serial number must have been for 10 years long service, and I am surprised NOT serial numbered, since from the ORS and ORB, it should have come along in 1947, when they were still numbered.

There seems to have been a LOT of odd arithmetic in when "routine" long services were ACTUALLY handed out!

Do you have award booklets for the medals, showing what units he was in and what branch of service?

[Alfred]

Hello Rick,

(IN FACT THE ACTUAL BESTOWAL DECREE IS NOTED ON THE BOOK BUT I AM NOT SURE IF I AM SEEING IT CLEARLY)

you are right there are two letter and a date looks like уи 30.02.56 (not sure with the month)

Yes I have documents for the medals. I will post it soon. Maybe you can figure out the unit and the branch of services of Major GOLOVCHENKO.

Thanks and best regards

Andreas

1. Document 40th aniversary of Soviet Armed Forces

The stamp says: War unit 13709

Edited July 3, 2005 by Alfred

[Alfred]

and the 100 years Lenin aniversary medal

[Alfred]

and the medal for 30 years of Soviet Army and Navy.

Stamp says: War unit 23501

[Guest Rick Research]

That is "Yk" for "Ukaze" (Decree) of the 1956 date.

In 1970 he was living in that district of the city of Lvov.

13709 is SO familiar, I am SURE I have that among my own documents!

Colonel General Polynin is, I believe, bomber aviation, Hero of the Soviet Union (1938/39 while a "Chinese" advisor with Chiang Kai-Shek, YES, secret advisor with the Kuomintang against the Japanese) Feodor Petrovich Polynin, born 1906, Red air force 1928, Colonel General 1946 as commander of the POLISH (!) air force, and later Deputy Commander in Chief, Air Force.

I do not have the "Heroes Catalog" so I can't tell where he was in 1958. Dim memory is associating "13709" with a Military District.

No initials after your Major's rank title?

[Alfred]

Victory over Germany

Sorry no chance to get the stamp clearer. It is very weak and bleached out.

Edited July 3, 2005 by Alfred

[Guest Rick Research]

Victory-- 267th Battalion (?Officers) Something. If the stamp was clearer, that would help me to decipher the scribbled Cyrillic. Please show me the whole stamp, and try to darken the color contrast?

[Alfred]

and the last document.

20th aniversary of victory over Germany

The last title in the documents is MAJOR and his full name is GOLOVCHENKO, PIOTR SEMIONOVITCH.

in 1946 he was a first lieutenant (victory over Germany)

in 1949 he was a captain (30 years army)

and in 1958 he was a major (40 years army)

best regards

Andreas

[Guest Rick Research]

That last one shows he was a resident of a "Leninsky district" of some unspecified city whose name is not in the Veterans Commissariat stamp.

The Soviets were excruciatingly tedious in their city-district names, so God knows this could have been ANYWHERE.

[Guest Rick Research]

Back after three days out of contact getting computer repaired--

I have a 1949 ID for "Unit 13709" signed by air force Colonel General Goryunov-- I think this number = 5th Air Army.

[byf]

Wonderful cool stuff. Keep up the good work.

byf

[Alfred]

So,

here is a picture of Major Golovchenko:

He joined Army on 1st September 1939 and was dismissed on 31 August 1961. His last rank was major in the

57th Air Army. He served as a Chief Commander of Landing troops.

During the war he was a Motor transport platoon commander and a Motor company commander in the

15th Air Army.

in June 1941 he was military technican 2nd rank

in March 1942 he was Lieutenant-technican

in June 1945 he was Senior Lieutenant

in July 1949 he was Captain

in December 1952 he was Major

[Alfred]

Here is his award card, a first surprise to me was that he got a Medal for the defence of Moscow. Unfortunately, the document was not in the group as I bought it.

[Alfred]

I only researched the Red Star and the OGPW 2nd class. Here are the citations:

For the Red Star s/n: 613.098

[Alfred]

and here is the citation for the OGPW s/n: 447.963

[Alfred]

As I bought the group I thought his Military merit medal, his Red Star and his Red Banner are long

service awards. For 10, 15 and 20 years of service, so I olny researched the first Red Star and the OGPW 2nd class.

But the dates of the three awards (Military merit, Red Star, Red Banner) do not apply/match totally.

He joined the army on September 1939

so for 10 years service he should get the military merit medal in 1949 (June 1949)

In 1954 and 1959 he should get the Red Star and the Red Banner for long service but

he got them in 1953 and 1956.

Any comments to that ? Was it usual to get these awards as long service medals earlier ?

or is there a chance that they are not long service medals?

regards

Andreas

[Guest Rick Research]

Yes, those are for long service-- notice how they are just entered with the Decree (Ukaz) DATE and not from any UNIT-- that is an indication of one of the semi-annual mass long service awards bestowals.

When and why there were delays or premature bestowals of long service Orders I can't figure out.

But 20 April 1953 we have indeed identified as a mass long service Ukaz date for Red Stars and 30 December 1956 was the last huge long service awards date for Red Banners.

We are building up quite a data base, and every researched group like this expands our knowledge and adds certainty to what we know.

[Alfred]

Thanks Rick,

for the information !