redoctober

"Last year I did get it in the KGB archives. Nothing was any different than what you would get in Podolsk except that he did time in the gulag in the late 30s." Normsky, Can we see this award?! I've been searching for awards to people who have been in the Gulag since i started collecting and i've never seen one before! Exciting stuff!

Award sheet 1. Last name, first name and patronymic: Lakiza, Yuri Mikhailovich 2. Rank: Private 3. Position and unit: Medical platoon leader in the 2nd Rifle Battalion of the 944th Rifle Regiment, 259th Artyomovsk Rifle Division Nominated for: Order of the Red Star 4. Year of birth: 1924 5. Nationality: Ukrainian 6. Party affiliation: Not a member 7. Participation in the Civil War, the subsequent combat actions to defend the USSR, and the Patriotic War (where and when): On the Southwestern Front from September 1943 through October 1943, on the 4th Ukrainian Front from October 1943 through February 1944, and on the 3rd Ukrainian Front since February 1944 8. Wounds and contusions received during the Patriotic War: No 9. Since when in the Red Army: Since September 1943 10. Drafted by which military commissariat: Military Commissariat of the city of Zaporozhe 11. Awards received previously: None 12. Permanent home address of the prospective awardee and the address of his family: ______________ Short, concrete description of his combat feat or merits: During the combat operations that started on April 14, 1944 and were aimed at expanding the bridgehead near the village of Olăneşti on the right shore of the Dniester River, comrade Lakiza carried 45 wounded soldiers and their weapons from the battlefield, despite withering enemy machine-gun and mortar fire. For bravery and courage displayed on the battlefield I apply for comrade Lakiza to be awarded the Order of the Red Star. Commander of the 944th Rifle Regiment Guards Lieutenant Colonel [signed] /Korenysov/ April 23, 1944 I award the Order of the Red Star. Commander of the 259th Artyomovsk Rifle Division Major General [signed] /Vlasenko/ April 30, 1944 Hope you like it! Tom

Record card Record card Order booklet nr. A-581568 1. Last name: Lakizo 2. First name and patronymic: Yuri Mikhailovich 3. Military rank: No rank 4. Sex: Male 5. Year of birth: 1924 6. Place of birth: City of Krivoi Rog 7. Party membership (since which year): Member of the Komsomol since 1944 8. Education: Secondary 9. Nationality: Ukrainian 10. Since which year in the Red Army: From September 1943 through June 1946 11. Place of service (name of the unit) and position occupied at the time of the award: Senior medic in the 944th Rifle Regiment, 259th Rifle Division 12. Current place of service and position: Student at Lvov Medical Institute 13. Home address of the awardee: 10 Solodovaya Street, apartment 52, city of Lvov 14. Record of all awards received: Name of the order or medal Serial number Number of the document Ground of award Order of the Red Star 619573 Temporary certificate nr. B-389435 Order of the 259th Rifle Division nr. 16/N of May 8, 1944 Medal for Courage 2014453 D-803573 Order of the 259th Rifle Division nr. 33/N of September 6, 1944 Signature of the awardee: [signed] I confirm the correctness of the data and the signature of the awardee (position and signature): Military commissar of the Stalin Raion Lieutenant Colonel [signed] /Koshchavka/ May 16, 1947

In my opinion awards citations mentioning the names of the locations such as stalingrad, Leningrad, Moscow, kursk etc are all as rare as each other. The sheer size of the areas covered in ww2 means much more action took place "between" or "on the way to" these places. Its yet another hazy line in collecting.

Ive just put a request in for a Red Star. Molly dog is excited!

Greg, Deepest sympathies for your loss. Though the kids today may not understand the extent of their grandparents & great grandparents self sacrifice and courage, our world simply wouldn't exist as it does today if it weren't for people like your Cousin. This means in some way, he has affected every single life that has existed since the war, even if they dont know it. I believe the modern world is our gift from the Greatest Generation and its our duty to preserve and share their stories. I say thank you to your Cousin and all who fought the good fight and may they all rest as heroes. Tom

Norm, Read jumping Joe Beyrles book, decorated by the US and Soviets in WW2 a true survivor of ever there was one. He has a wiki page too. Tom

It looks like the writing at the bottom says "National Society Depot" So yeah, Jeff's pretty much on the button! Cheers, Tom

It's not exactly a "Dream" piece or anything, but i am looking forward to one day getting a researched piece which includes a picture of the recipient as so far none of mine have one.

The 2 scratches on the reverse are in line with each other. Couple that with the flattened post, it looks like its been run over with by a piece of farming equipment perhaps? Whilst furrowing a field. The person who found it may have then taken the gold hammer and sickle for themselves and sold the award. Who knows!

Pin them to their unit flag i think?

My budget tends to make me dissapointed some times. But! it also stops me buying everything in sight when i really can't afford to! Medal hunting on a budget is an exercise in patience, but when that patience pays off and you can jump on a nice piece for a good price, it's all worth while.

Nice piece! It just goes to show that catch up and wound awards can be cool too! Tom

Yup, you can get in line behind me! Haha I can't wait for the day i can hold my first one .

Reichstag awards will undoubtedly be incredibly scare, but i bet the write up would be incredible, if harrowing.

Have you ever seen a Reichstag write up Norm? Theyvmust be out there, but i'd imagine their serial numbers are all jumbled within the multitude of awardings at the tail end if the war. Tom

Haha fair point! Never mind! Tom

Were they the night bombers Auke? Id like to read to read your article if you have a copy?

Anything to a dog handler, hands down. Also something to a tanker at Kursk (or tanker anywhere for that matter) Also some more Heavy Bomber bits . Something for storming the Reichstag would be cool too Not much then haha. Tom

Never mindski! Still one brave guy . Another reason for me to get the order of battle series!

Whoah, i didn't know that, awesome! Cheers man!

Thanks guys, its one of my favourite pieces. Hopefully one day i'll find his Glory too. Tom

Order Order nr. 06/N Of the 64th Guards Artillery Regiment, 31st Guards Rifle Division, Western Front March 11, 1943 On behalf of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, I award:The Medal for Courage to: […] 4. Guards Private Ivan Aleksandrovich Kotochigov, telephone operator in the 2nd Battery, for the fact that he on March 2, under systematic enemy fire, on three occasions repaired a large number of breaks in the telephone line near the village of Krestyanskaya Gora, which secured the battery’s continuous communications when the enemy tanks attacked. Born in 1907, member of the Communist Party, Russian, drafted into the Red Army on August 28, 1941 by the Military Commissariat of the Lyubim Raion, Yaroslavl Oblast. Home address: Village of Bugry, Lyubim Raion, Yaroslavl Oblast. Wife: Anna Ivanovna Kotochigova. Regimental commanderGuards Lieutenant Colonel [signed] /Vasilyev/Chief of staff Guards Captain [signed] /Novikov/__________________

Record card Order booklet nr. B-4919171. Last name: Kotochigov 2. First name and patronymic: Ivan Aleksandrovich 3. Military rank: Private 4. Sex: Male 5. Year of birth: 1907 6. Place of birth: Kostroma Raion, Kostroma Oblast 7. Party membership (since which year): Not a member 8. Education: Elementary 9. Nationality: Russian 10. Since which year in the Red Army: From August 24, 1941 to June 12, 1944 11. Place of service (name of the unit) and position at the time of the award: Signaller in the 64th Guards Artillery Regiment 12. Current place of service and position: Farmer at the Aktivist Kolkhoz, Pustynsky Rural Municipality, Kostroma Raion 13. Home address of the awardee: Village of Bugry, Pustynsky Rural Municipality, Kostroma Raion, Kostroma Oblast 14. Record of all awards received: Names of the orders and medals Their numbers Numbers of the documents Ground of award Order of Glory, 3rd Class 559347 Order of the 31st Guards Rifle Division nr. 025/N of March 26, 1944 Signature of the awardee: [signed]I confirm the correctness of the data and the signature of the awardee (position and signature):Officer of the 3rd Section of the Military Commissariat of the Kostroma OblastSenior Lieutenant [signed]October 29, 1947__________________