Ferdinand

The award sheet (Navy style):

This Red Star was awarded to Ivan Nefedovich Mishanin, a Chief Petty Officer on the Black Sea Fleet destroyer "Boiky". Unfortunately no record card could be found, only the award sheet.

Unfortunately there was no service record for her. I also have the citations for the MMM and OPW2, but they are pretty much the same as the one above. They all mention that she escaped out of an encirclement and is an accurate and honest worker.

It an original piece, produced in June 1945 by the MZPP (Moscow Platinapribor Factory) and probably awarded somewhere in the spring of 1945.

Award sheet 1. Last name, first name and patronymic: Verzhbilovskaya, Aleksandra Georgiyevna 2. Military rank: Captain of Administrative Service 3. Duty position, unit: Secretary of the military procurator's office of the 60th Army Recommended for: Order of the Red Star 4. Year of birth: 1903 5. Nationality: Russian 6. Party membership: Not a party member 7. Participation in the Civil War, the following combat actions for the defense of the USSR, and the Patriotic War (where, when): Didn't participate in the Civil War. Participates in the Patriotic War since June 1941 8. Suffered wounds or contusions during the Patriotic War: No 9. Since when in the Red Army: Since February 1923 10. Drafted by which military commissariat of a raion: Voluntarily 11. Which earlier awards (for which merits): Combat Merits Medal 12. Permanent home address of the recommendee and the address of his family: City of Kuibyshev, 9 Krasnoarmeiskaya Street, apartment nr. 1 Short, concrete description of personal combat feat or merits: Comrade Verzhbilovskaya is working in the military procurator's office since December 1922. In February 1923 she became part of the higher cadre of the Red Army and was part of this until October 1926. Because the military procurator's office of the Volga Military District was downsized in October 1926, she became a freelancer, while she stayed with the same procurator's office. In April 1931 she once again became part of the higher cadre of the Red Army and since then she is uninterruptedly part of the higher cadre. Her entire period of service in the Red Army is 17 years and 3 months. Since October 1942 comrade Verzhbilovskaya is working as secretary of the military procurator's office of the 60th Army. She serves with military procurator's offices in the Active Army since 1941. As secretary of the military procurator's office of the 21st Army, comrade Verzhbilovskaya, together with the apparatus of the procurator's office, got encircled by the enemy, where se behaved herself honestly and courageously - she destroyed the secret files, took the seals and stamps of the procurator's office with her and after 21 days with a weapon and in military uniform got out of the encirclement. Comrade Verzhbilovskaya works exceptionally honestly and capably, takes initiatives and completely guarantees all technical affairs of the procurator's office. Completely devoted to her work, comrade Verzhbilovskaya doesn't pay attention to the time, now and then forgetting basic personal interests. For her highly honest work she has been awarded the Combat Merits Medal. She is dedicated to the cause of the Party of Lenin and Stalin. The current duty position absolutely suits her. For seventeen years and three months of service with the higher cadre of the Red Army - as the situation is in November - comrade Verzhbilovskaya completely deserves the Order of the Red Star. military procurator of the 60th Army Colonel of Judiciary [signature] /Fefelov/ 31 July 1944 Comrade Verzhbilovskaya deserves the Order of the Red Star. Commander of the 60th Army Colonel General [signature] /Kurochkin/ Member of the military counsil of the 60th Army Major General [signature] /Olenin/ 5 August 1944

Award sheet:

Record card Order booklet nr. 382296 1. Last name: Verzhbilovskaya 2. First name and patronymic: Aleksandra Georgiyevna 3. Military rank: Major of Administrative Service 4. Sex: Female 5. Year of birth: 1903 6. Place of birth: City of Buzuluk 7. Party membership (since which year): Not a party member 8. Education: Secondary 9. Nationality: Russian 10. Since which year in the Red Army: February 1923 - October 1926 and since April 1931 11. Place of service (name of unit) and duty position at the time of the awarding: Military procurator's office - Secretary of the Military procurator's office 12. Current Place of service and duty position: Military procurator's office of the Kuban Military District - Senior secretary of the military procurator's office 13. Home address of the awardee: City of Krasnodar, 55 Kuznechnaya Street 14. Record of all awards presented: - Combat Merits Medal #167688, temporary certificate nr. 366666, by Order of the 60th Army nr. 05/N of 17 February 1943 - Order of the Red Star #854680, temporary certificate nr. 068888, by Decree of 3 November 1944 - Order of the Patriotic War 2nd Class #248396, temporary certificate nr. G-152773, by Order of the 60th Army nr. 0225/N of 6 November 1944 - Victory over Germany Medal, unnumbered, certificate nr. B-0187023, by Decree of 9 May 1945 - Order of the Red Banner #305709, by Order of 6 November 1947 - Order of Lenin #203711, by Decree of 20 April 1953 - Medal for 30 Years of Soviet Army and Fleet Signature of the awardee: [signature] I confirm the correctness of the data and the signature of the awardee: Chief of the 3rd section of the personnel department of the Kuban Military District Major of Administrative Service [signature] /[?]larov/ 17 January 1946

Record card, obverse:

Patience my friend, the documents will be posted in a minute :beer:

And the booklet. Unfortunately I only have her long service RS

This Red Star for 15 years of service was awarded to Captain of Administrative Service Aleksandra Georgiyevna Verzhbilovskaya, the (female) secretary of the military procurator's office of the 60th Army.

Very nice group!

Thanks! It seems I attract NKVD / MVD / Smersh awards, this is already my fifth award to a member of one of these organizations! :whistle:

And finally especially for Bill a nice scan of the first Red Star:

Some information from the service record: He was promoted to Junior Lieutenant of State Security by an NKVD order of 6 March 1944, Major by an NKVD order of 27 August 1944 and Lieutenant Colonel by an MVD order of 26 October 1951. Neither of his record cards mention the Red Banner the order booklet does, but the service record does list it as a 1952 award. He finished the University of Marxism and Leninism in 1953. When the service record was written up, he didn't work because he was an invalid of the 2nd category. He was married to Tatyana Tseplyayeva and they had three children: daughter Margarita in 1931, son Stanislav in 1939 and daughter Tatyana in 1950. His assignments between December 1933 and February 1955 are summarized as "serving with the MVD and the police". He was transferred to the reserves on 9 March 1955.

There was no citation for the second Red Star, most probably because it was awarded for 15 years of service (in the MVD). So, over to the service record:

Award sheet Last name, first name and patronymic: Tseplyayev, Georgy Danilovich Military rank: Captain Duty position, unit: Chief of the 2nd group of the counterintelligence section "Smersh" of the 67th Army Recommended for: Order of the Red Star 1. Year of birth: 1911 2. Nationality: Russian 3. Since when in the Red Army: Since 1931; with the NKVD since 1933 4. Party membership: Member of the VKP(b) since 1932 5. Participation in combat (where and when): Near Sinyavino during the breakthrough of the Leningrad blockade and near the stations Mga and Krasnyi Gor 6. Suffered wounds or contusions: One minor wound 7. Which earlier awards (for which merits): Medal for the Defense of Leningrad 8. Drafted by which military commissariat of a raion: Personnel section of the Special Department of the Leningrad Front NKVD 9. Permanent home address of the recommendee or his family: City of Leningrad, 4 Volodarsky Prospekt Short, concrete description of personal combat feat or merits: Since the beginning of the Patriotic War comrade Tseplyayev serves with the Leningrad Front. He repeatedly participated in combat and was wounded on his head. Working as a group head, comrade Tseplyayev showed himself an honest and accurate worker, that knows the Chekist work well. Capably leading the apparatus of the group, comrade Tseplyayev personally unmasked a German spy. In the period February-March the operational personnel of the group under his personal command unmasked three German intelligence agents, five traitors and betrayers towards the motherland, and an anti-Soviet element, and brought them before the military tribunal. Furthermore he apprehended at the end of March and armed group of six deserters. By systematically going to the objects that were maintained by the operational personnel, he provided them practical assistance in organizing their operational work with the objects. Capably leading the operational personnel of the group in unmasking counter-revolutionary elements in the enemy rear areas, comrade Tseplyayev achieved good results in cleaning the army's rear of unreliable elements within the military personnel. In March and April of this year the operational personnel of the group, led by comrade Tseplyayev, discovered the disorderly behaviour, chaos at work and the decommissioning of transport vehicles by the senior personnel of the 60th Automobile Battalion and Sorting Evacuation Hospital 262, whose management was relieved of its duty by the command of the 67th Army. Comrade Tseplyayev deserves the Order of the Red Star. Deputy commander of the rear of the 67th Army Major General [signature] /Pukanov/ 28 April 1944

Record card Order booklet nr. 420202 1. Last name: Tseplyayev 2. First name and patronymic: Georgy Danilovich 3. Military rank: Major 4. Sex: Male 5. Year of birth: 1911 6. Place of birth: Village of Novo-Mikhailivka, Tatarsk Raion, Novosibirsk Oblast 7. Party membership (since which year): Member of the VKP(b) since 1932 8. Education: Elementary 9. Nationality: Russian 10. Since which year in the Red Army: From 1931 to 1933 11. Place of service (name of unit) and duty position at the time of the awarding: Chief of the MVD section of the Ordynskoye Raion, Novosibirsk Oblast 12. Current Place of service and duty position: Chief of the MVD section of the Ordynskoye Raion, Novosibirsk Oblast 13. Home address of the awardee: Village of Ordynskoye, Novosibirsk Oblast 14. Record of all awards presented: - Order of the Red Star #474007, order booklet nr. 420202, by Order of 11 March 1944 - Order of the Patriotic War 2nd Class #125754, order booklet nr. 420202, by Order of 22 October 1944 - Combat Merits Medal #1615402, order booklet nr. 420202, by Decree of 3 November 1944 - Order of the Red Star #2750750, order booklet nr. 420202, by Order of 21 May 1947 Signature of the awardee: [signature] I confirm the correctness of the data and the signature of the awardee: Deputy chief of the [?] [?] [signature] /Starkov/ 28 July 1947

Record card Order booklet nr. 420202 1. Last name: Tseplyayev 2. First name and patronymic: Georgy Danilovich 3. Military rank: Major 4. Sex: Male 5. Year of birth: 1911 6. Place of birth: Novosibirsk Oblast, Tatarsk Raion 7. Party membership (since which year): Since 1932 member of the VKP(b) 8. Education: Secondary, not finished 9. Nationality: Russian 10. Since which year in the Red Army: Since 1931 11. Place of service (name of unit) and duty position at the time of the awarding: Counterintelligence section "Smersh" - Group head 12. Current Place of service and duty position: Counterintelligence department "Smersh", West Siberian Military District - Section head 13. Home address of the awardee: City of Novosibirsk, 73 Maksim Gorky Street, apartment nr. 20 14. Record of all awards presented: - Order of the Red Star #474007, certificate nr. 976667, by Order of the 67th Army nr. 0230/N of 4 May 1944 - Order of the Patriotic War 2nd Class #125754, certificate nr. V-767785, by Order of the 67th Army nr. 0541/N of 22 October 1944 - Combat Merits Medal #1615402, certificate nr. 037006, by Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of 3 November 1944 - Defense of Leningrad Medal, certificate nr. A-25734, by Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of 22 December 1942 Signature of the awardee: [signature] I confirm the correctness of the data and the signature of the awardee: Chief of the 3rd section of the personnel department of the West Siberian Military District Major of Administrative Service [signature] /Pavlov/ 18 December 1945

Here's a close-up of the picture. He's a Major in this 1945 picture: And his service record picture from a couple of years later: Translations of the archive documents will follow. :cheers:

And the booklet, with picture: And the inside. It lists Red Star #474007, OPW2 #125154, MMM #1615402, Red Star #2750750, and Red Banner #313466. The privileges started in November 1944 and the booklet was filled in on 19 December 1945:

These two Red Stars and their order booklet once belonged to Georgy Danilovich Tseplyayev. A Red Banner, OPW2, numbered MMM, Defense of Leningrad Medal, and Victory over Germany Medal are missing from the group. I'm still working on the English translation of the research, but in the meantime here's the hardware: And the reverses. You can easily see the differences between the early star (#474004) with flat and sharp edges and the later star (2750750) with flared and smooth edges:

They were indeed not awarded as long service awards, but they were awarded as wounds awards. These pop up somewhere in the 400K range, but especially in the 700K they are not uncommon. Most are awarded by the 7 November 1947 wounds decree, that also awarded OPW2s and BMs.