Soviet Research Order of the Red Banner Nr. 369.473

[Gerd Becker]

Hello,

this is the second Order, for which i got the research today. The translation is in progress and more Information will be posted soon.

Order of the Red Banner Number 369.473, awarded on the 15.11.1950 as a Long-Service award for 20 years service.

[Guest Rick Research]

Colonel (7.4.55) Pavel Ivanovich YENBEKOV was born at a place called Min'yarsky Zabod, Min'yarsky Raion, Chelyabinsk Oblast, 16 June 1910. (Russian Archives managed to entangle this by sending TWO sets of records for TWO different men with the SAME names, born in the SAME place, in the SAME year -- but the other "wrong" man was a Junior Lieutenant born on 25 October 1910, oy!) Of working class origin, completed 7th Class education 1925, and joined the Red Army in 1929...

as an Officer Cadet at the Vladikavkaz Infantry School. He seems to have transferred into the air force and somehow ended up in base management (though NOT "of administrative branch") by the late 1930s, spending the Winter War 1939-40 as a base commander in Leningrad. Am working through his assigments 1929-60.

Member of the CPSU since 1940, member number 1,259,509. Wife Ekaterina Andreevna (Vnykova?) born 1912-- they had sons Vladimir (19330 and Boris (1937).

This Red Banner was bestowed for 20 years long service when he was a Lieutenant Colonel (since 10.8.44), holding the position of a Deputy Divisional Commander and Commander of Rear Area Base of the 35th Something illegible-Transport (thought it said "Desantno" -Transportnaya but better scan of the record, now I can only read that it is something ELSE*** see below)Aviation Division, which was then stationed in Lithuania since his home address at that time was in Kaunus.

Interestingly enough, Gerd got TWO Award Record Cards for the correct Comrade Yenbekov (as well as another for the WRONG Comrade Yenbekov)--

BOTH the correct ARCs are keyed at top to Orders Book number 419917. The first one shows then Lt.Col. Yenbekov's awards as of 1946, and the later one is from 1956 in his Parachute-Transport command.

Gerd also got the Ukaz from the Supreme Soviet listing THIS Red Banner, part of a long list of other officers receiving long service Orders.

Here is a summary of his service assignments and commands, with a few current gaps due to being unsure of bad handwriting etc--

Lieutenant-- date not s[ecified

Senior Lieutenant 37.3.37

Captain 20.2.40

Major 5.3.42

Lieutenant Colonel 10.8.44

Colonel 2.4.55

October 1929: Officer Cadet at Vladikavkaz Infantry School

September 1931: Officer Cadet at Baku "in the name of Ordzkhonikidze" Infantry School

1.3.32: Rifle Platoon CO & Deputy Battalion Staff Chief, 91st Rifles Regiment of 31st Rifles Division (Baltic Military District)

January 1934: Commander of a Battalion Instruction Platoon, 91st/31st

25.5.36: Deputy Chief of Staff of 1st Battalion of 103rd Tifles Regiment of 35th Rifles Division

28.12.36: Commander for Food and Forage of 103rd Rifles Regiment of 35th Rifles Division of the O.K.D.V.A.

11.12.37: Deputy Commander "for MO" (= ??) of 45th Fighter Aviation, V.V.S. of the O.K.V.D.A. (= "military Air Forces of the Far Eastern Military Command")

16.6.38: Commander of Front Administration Services of 180th Aviation Base of the "Lazerevo OK(illegible letter)"

26.2.40: On Service Staff at the Higher Military School for Staff Services

12.10.40: Chief of Staff, 157th Aviation base, Leningrad Military District

9.6.42: Chief of Staff, 82nd District (the Russian local term "Raion" is used) Aviation Base

3.10.42: Chief of Base Services, 68th Raion Aviation Base

31.3.43: 69th Illegible Illegible Battalion Commander at 68th Raion Aviation Base (after the lifting of the Leningrad Siege, per his service record elsewhere, with 2nd Ukrainian Front then until end of war so this "base" MOVED)

17.12.45: Commander 31st Aviation Technical Battalion of the V.V.S., Kharkov Military District

4.7.47: Commander 176th Independeny Aviation Technical Battalion of the 6th Guards Aviation Transport Division

30.6.50: (records relist same job under slightly different terms on 28.11.52 and 24.11.54 too) Deputy Divisional Commander "for MTO" (= "? Technical Services ???) and Chief of Base Services of the 35th (something illegible in one version of title) Military Aviation Transport Division

4.3.58: Commander of base services 30th (obscured under rubber stamp of above) of the 54th Military Transport Aviation Division.

He retired to the reserves on 9 January 1960-- six weeks before Khrushchev's enormous 2 1/2 MILLION man budgetary purge of the Soviet armed forces. That is the final paperwork mention I have been able to read so far.

*** I know why my brain was "seeing" "Desanno" in the Transport Aviation title (it is possibly a battle honors place name)--

"Suvorov" states that Military Transport Aviation was entirely the carrying arm of, indeed, parachute attack forces. Aeroflot was considered the civilian reserve for this strike force. So it WAS a parachutist unit!!!

[Guest Rick Research]

Now, Gerd always wants to know what the Order recipient's correct insignia looked like-- and I have to confess that regarding Colonel Yenbekov

I do not know!!!!!!

His service records indicate COMBATANT arms rank titles, NOT administrative (ranks with "i/s" after them) or engineer technical (ranks with "its" suffices) And yet he commanded "technical" units once he left the infantry.

So were his boards silver topped with gold stars like (narrow)administrative/technical (normal width) officers? Or did he wear gold topped air force boards... without flying wings branch insignia?

I have no idea!

But in 1950, when his ORB above was awarded, his M1949 air force "zoot suit" collar tabs would have looked like this-- either way

[attachmentid=6545]

and this would have been his dress uniform ("scrambled eggs" on visor) cap as non-aircrew:

[attachmentid=6544]

I have a M1949 Air Force Technical Lieutenant Colonel "zoot suit" tunic, but it's too hot and sweaty at the moment to wrestle it out of storage and scan the silver topped 4 sided sew on boards-- the FIRST use of that style.

[Gerd Becker]

Rick, thats great. Thank you so much.

One question to the visor: With scrambled eggs you mean the silver squiggled stuff right on the "sunscreen"? Forgive me, i don?t know the right terms for uniforms and headgear.

So he made a decent career and even made it to Major and Divisional Commander. Thats great.

Rick, don?t strain your eyes too much with these blurry copies. They are already packed up to be shipped to you soon.

Thanks again, my friend. I owe you.

Gerd

Edited July 20, 2005 by Gerd

[Guest Rick Research]

Normal service dress hats did not have the "Bl?tter" on the visor, so this is how you can tell a 1949-55 dress cap.

And here (before it got too hot here again TODAY in the Northern Sahara) is a Lieutenant Colonel of air force technical or administration board from my M1949 "zoot suit" (extremely wide Frankenstein shoulders, huge silly lapels, and tight waist:

[Gerd Becker]

Normal service dress hats did not have the "Bl?tter" on the visor, so this is how you can tell a 1949-55 dress cap.

And here (before it got too hot here again TODAY in the Northern Sahara) is a Lieutenant Colonel of air force technical or administration board from my  M1949 "zoot suit" (extremely wide Frankenstein shoulders, huge silly lapels, and tight waist:

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Great. These should not be impossible to find.

Rick, i have the other scans ready. Give me a sign and i will send them to you.

Gerd

[Guest Rick Research]

Here are a few words circled my poor tired brain and sweaty eyes are just not GETTING!

[Gerd Becker]

Rick,

i posted this on another forum and someone said this:

First two circles " airfield service"  second "landing" (airborne)  and last one is abbreviation for "second in command on rear"

[Gerd Becker]

Ok, a few questions crossed my mind:

Commander of Food and Forage? What is that? Did he got this position because he didn?t well? Or because he changed the unit and had to start in a lower position? Or was that an important position?

On Service Staff, what does that mean? The active staff?

Chief of Staff or Commander of Staff translates with the german Stabschef or Chef des Stabes?

Commander of Base Service was the Commander of the Base Service-Staff?

So he were in the Army and switched to the Air Force in 1937?

When you have a little spare-time, could you write down his ranks in Russian, if possible? I try to find the german equivalents to them.

Thanks

Gerd

Edited July 22, 2005 by Gerd

[Guest Rick Research]

You've been.... to some OTHER (gasp!) forums?????

My thanks to the decipherer of Cyrillic scribbles!

I didn't "see" "po tylu" in that last line-- my poor tired brain was running it into one word, not two! "Tyl" is a strange word to translate from Russian-- "Rear," "Base"... those seem too specific. More like the German "Etappen" which was EVERYTHING related to lines of communication and getting the "rear area base" materials, communications, and so on forward.

"Commander of Food and Forage? What is that? Did he got this position because he didn?t well? Or because he changed the unit and had to start in a lower position? Or was that an important position?"

{{{Every Soviet unit had to feed itself-- there doesn't seem to have been any "reason" for this change in his duties-- except SOMEBODY needed to do it. Apparently he must have been GOOD at it! }}}

"On Service Staff, what does that mean? The active staff?"

{{{ THAT is what is confusing me, and why I am not sure whether he had "gold top boards" or "silver top boards"!!! NONE of his RANKS ever indicate "of administrative branch" or "of technical branch" even though he held such jobs! As far as I can tell, he was a "combatant" officer who oversaw headquarters staff!!! Now he was NOT "General Staff" or "Operational Staff" but more what would be in German "Ordonnanz" matters, taking care of the daily running OF the headquarters, not making military decisions about attacks and so on. Nor was he a COMMISSAR. }}}

"Chief of Staff or Commander of Staff translates with the german Stabschef or Chef des Stabes?"

{{{ Yes-- exactly as given in his records! }}}

"Commander of Base Service was the Commander of the Base Service-Staff?"

{{{ Yes. The Soviets LOVED saying the SAME THING ore than once! }}}

"So he were in the Army and switched to the Air Force in 1937?"

{{{Yes. What that did to his uniform.... I still don't understand!}}}

"When you have a little spare-time, could you write down his ranks in Russian, if possible? I try to find the german equivalents to them."

Leitenant = Leutnant = 2nd Lieutenant

Starshy Leitenant = Oberleutnant = 1st Lieutenant

Kapitan = Hauptmann = Captain

Maior = Major = Major

Podpolkovnik = Oberstleutnant = Lieutenant Colonel

Polkovnik = Pberst = Colonel

The Russians and Soviets had a rank of Mladshy (Junior) Leitenant which did not exist in other armies-- an "Unterleutnant" or "3rd Lieutenant" if such a thing had existed, but Yenbekov was never one of those. He graduated from a Leitenants school.

Starshy means "Senior"

Polkovnik is literally "leader of a Polk," "polk" being Russian for Regiment. "Pod-" is "Under," so that is literally "Under-Colonel."

[Gerd Becker]

Ahem, i just ran into the Communist-Forum, posted that in record time and logged out again in less than 250 Milliseconds! I didn?t even look at other forums. I promise...

Thanks so much for explanations and the list with the ranks. I wasn?t sure about some of them, so thats clear now.

[Guest Rick Research]

Any more Min'yarsky Zabod home boys out there?

http://gmic.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=2470

[Gerd Becker]

Any more Min'yarsky Zabod home boys out there?

http://gmic.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=2470

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Yes, indeed Chertov was about 10 years older than Yenbekov. It was only a question of time, that we have Soldiers from the same region or even town, but this was really quick

"Its a small world after all"

Thanks for posting that