Egorka

For the St. george cross the name is, unfortunately, not identifiable.

This is an innocent looking letter. One of many, right? Not quite! First of all, not often one sees a man whose first name is Achilles (Ахилл) like the Greek hero, right? OK, this alone makes my mental alarm beep. But there is more. Much more. Apparently, STALIN made an example of this man and named the guy specifically in one of his decrees in October 1941. But first, the letter, which was written on 01 April 1944 to the wife. The author is Commissar BANKWITZER Achilles L'vovich (1892-1970). "Dear Allya, It is all the same here. I am very worried due to lack of news from you, even though I know for a fact, that it takes 13 days for a letter to arrive from Moscow. So, it takes 26 days to get an answer on my letter. Write me every day at field post 83244 (not field post station - apparently these are not the same). Are there any new about Igorek? It is unbearable to think, he is not alive anymore... I probably will get mad of these thoughts. Allya! I beg you, don't spare my possessions, but sell them to improve your situation. Don't you understand, that your well being is more important to me, than my clothes, books and so on? Write me very detailed about the course of your illness. Any seizures? How often? But don't hide anything. Write how it is! Please, pay for the telephone bill for the next 3 months. We still have snow, rain, and mud up to knees. On one hand, it's good, because the running Germans abandon their equipment. But walking on this damn swamp is terrible. I sincerely, regret KOFTAKOV is free of this troubles. If you only knew, how much I despise all those bastards sitting comfortably in the rear area. All those SMIRNOVs and BALEZINs and others like them! And how they talk patronisingly to us (top-down), when we visit them in the rear area. And how much the old machine-gunner ZELINSKY is bigger, than all of those! He is a real Russian patriot! And those are the patriots of their own bellies. Well, take care of your self, my dear! Write me! Achilles." Igorek, mentioned in the letter, is the veteran's son Igor - a partisan, who was KIA in December 1942 near Leningrad. And now is the most interesting bit. On 04 October 1941, the defence commissar comrade STALIN, issued the decree №0391: "On the facts of replacing pedagogical work with repressions". Here is Google translation it. You will find BANKWITZER's name in the decrees body. "DECREE OF THE PEOPLE'S COMMISSAR OF DEFENCE OF THE USSR No. 0391. 04 October 1941 On the facts of replacing pedagogical work with repressions. Recently, there have been frequent cases of unlawful repression and gross abuse of power by individual commanders and commissars in relation to their subordinates. The lieutenant of the 288 joint venture Komissarov without any reason shot the Red Army soldier Kubica with a shot from a gun. - Former chief of 21 SD Colonel Suschenko SUSCHENKO shot Jr. Sgt. PERSHIKOV because he slowly got off his car due to an illness in his hand. - The platoon commander of the motorized rifle company of the 1026th Infantry Regiment, Lieutenant MIKRYUKOV, shot dead his assistant, the junior platoon commander Ba-Burin, allegedly for not following the order. - The military commissar of the 28th Panzer Division, regimental commissar BANKWITZER, beat up one sergeant for lighting a cigarette at night; he beat up Major Zanoznogo for an impolite conversation with him. - The chief of staff of the 529th Infantry Regiment, Captain SAKUR, without any justification, hit twice with a pistol of Art. Lieutenant Sergeev. Such intolerable facts in the Red Army about the distortion of disciplinary practice, the excess of the granted rights and authorities, lynching and hand-application are explained by the fact that: a) the method of persuasion was incorrectly pushed into the background, and the method of repression against subordinates took first place; b) in some cases, everyday educational work in units is replaced by abuse, repression, and assault; c) the method of clarification and conversation of commanders, commissars, political workers with the Red Army is abandoned and the explanation of questions incomprehensible to the Red Army is often replaced by a cry, abuse and rudeness; d) individual commanders and political workers are lost in difficult battle conditions, panic and cover their own confusion with the use of weapons without any reason; e) the truth is forgotten that the use of repression is an extreme measure, admissible only in cases of direct disobedience and open resistance in a combat situation or in cases of malicious violation of discipline and order by persons who deliberately go to the detachment of orders of the command. Commanders, commissars, and political workers are obliged to remember that without the right combination of persuasion and coercion, it is inconceivable to impose Soviet military discipline and strengthen the political and moral state of troops. Severe punishment in relation to malicious violators of military discipline, accomplices of the enemy and obvious enemies should be combined with an attentive analysis of all cases of violation of discipline, requiring a detailed clarification of the circumstances of the case. Unreasonable repression, illegal executions, arbitrariness and assault by commanders and commissars are a manifestation of lack of will and armlessness, often lead to the opposite results, contribute to the fall of military discipline and the political and moral state of troops and can push unstable fighters to dash to the side of the enemy. I here by command: 1. Restore educational work in the rights, make wide use of the method of persuasion, and not replace the everyday explanatory work with administration and repression. 2. All commanders, political workers and commanders have daily conversations with the Red Army men, explaining to them the need for iron military discipline, honest performance of their military duty, military oath and orders of the commander and chief. In conversations, it should also be clarified that a serious threat loomed over our Homeland, that the greatest self-sacrifice, unwavering stamina in battle, contempt for death and merciless struggle with cowards, deserters, wreckers, provocateurs and traitors to the homeland are needed to defeat the enemy. 3. To explain widely to the commanding staff that lynching, assault and arenas, humiliating the rank of warrior of the Red Army, lead not to strengthening, but to undermining discipline and authority of the commander and political worker. 4. In the most decisive way, right up to bringing the guilty tribunal to trial, to combat all phenomena of unlawful repression, assault, and lynching. An order to declare to the entire commanding staff of the field army up to and including the commander and commissar of the regiment. People's Commissar of Defense I. Stalin Chief of General Staff B. Shaposhnikov" The book written by BANKWITZER about his war years: "The men of our division".

Good work! Well done!!!

SUKHETSKIY Petr Romanovich, 1926. A pontoon layer of the 108 separate pontoon battalion, 18 motorised engineer brigade, 2 Guards tank army. He received a Bravery medal for the battle of Berlin after 16 April for constructing the pontoon bridge across Spandauer Schifffahrtskanal and passing 27 tanks to the other bank, while under enemy fire.

It just takes 10 years, right? But here is something to cheer up a fellow phalerist! Here is the Red Star awarded to aerial gunner TSIRULNIKOV, who flew multiple mission with the pilot SHCHUKIN from 766ShAP! F.ex. here (see image) they flew the mission on 21 Feb 1945 against the enemy concentration at Groß Blumenau (today Kremnevo) near Koenigsberg. Two interesting airforce related awards! Imagine these were once flown on the same airplane ! These are the photos of aerial gunners training at 766ShAP. And here is the regiment commander pilot HSU ERMILOV with the aerial gunners of the regiment. TSIRULNIKOV is among these men.

Thank you for sharing!!!! Great! Nice citation. Here is the map of KLYUCHNIKOV's separate AA artillery squadron in 1943 about the time mentioned in the citation.

That is to punish the ones who aren't wishing to open their eyes to the light from the torch of knowledge. ?

If you hold a torch of knowledge, let others light their candles from it... You can find the torch of knowledge on this medal. ?

Inscription: I present this photo card to dear Klavusya for good memory of my little sister Liza. Devoted to you Mishunya. Signature 28 June 1915 village Ryshkovka. Klavusya = Klavdiya ; Mishunya = Mikhail

pupils of a children's column = inmates of the juvenile detention center

Hello, But is not the tracking number recorded in eBay system after you post?

Hey Erik! Welcome back! Nicely done with research!

I am afraid your suspicion is well founded... You should always be very careful and cautious about the awards appearing last in the award booklet. In these case I see different handwriting for both order of Glory entries. Plus online check shows only Red Star for this female veteran. Could you show the reverses of the Glory orders in good resolution?

Hello Paul! I just got a Bravery medal for a man from 79 blocking detachment (Magnuszew bridgehead). But his SECOND Bravery medal from July 1945 is "for removal of AK officers and their weapons". He is information on his FIRST medal, which I have.

Very interesting! Nice citation. Thank you for sharing!!!

Thank you! I am glad for it too. Always interesting when different layers emerge during research.

OAN 37671 to captain FILIN, head of Intelligence of the 747 rifle regiment. Thank you Matthijs Jansen for the great badge! Captain FILIN Georgy Mitrofanovich, 1918-1962. Chief of Staff assistant for Intelligence of 747 Guards rifle regiment (172 rifle division, 13 army, 1 Ukrainian Front). Awarded OAN in May 1945 for the operation to capture a prisoner, held 06 April 1945 in near the town of Steinbach. Before that, the veteran had a rich combat life: he was in a pocket several times and was a partisan. Then back to the front scout. A native of the village of Krugloye, Dmitrovsky District, Oryol Region. This which played a role in his subsequent partisan engagement. In May 1941 he graduated from Bobruisk infantry school. Since 10 June 1941, a rifle platoon commander of 800rifle regiment, 143 rifle division. From June 11, 143RD was be transferred to the Baranavichy area, where on June 27, 1941, it came under a massive blow of the German troops and began to retreat to the east. By the time the division was disorganized and unfit for action. By June 30, 1941, the division was surrounded and acted in the forests, and on 2-3 July 1941, it started to exit towards Berezina river, and by 05 July 1941, the remnants of the division were concentrated in the Dobrush area, having virtually no armament left. On 26 August 1941 defended town Novgorod-Seversky. During September 1941, leads heavy oncoming fighting in the area of Shatrishche (Sumy region). On 30 September 1941, the enemy troops launched "Typhoon" offensive, and the division was encircled in the Meredino-Budsky area, as were all the troops in the same army army. On the night of 09 October 1941, the division, making up the shock group of the army, went on a breakthrough, attacking settlement Negino and by the evening of the same day went into the forest North-West of Sevsk. On 28 November 1941, after stubborn fighting, the division left the village of Preobrazheniye (south-west of Izmalkovo on the Bolshaya Chernava River) and moved south of Izmalkovo, where it tried to organize defense on the Yasenok and Chernok rivers near the village of Koshkino and the village of Chernok. On 29 November 1941, under pressure from the enemy, the division was forced to abandon its line and took up defenses along the Yasenok River from the Yelets-Izmalkovo railway to the Kazaki-Chernava highway. By that time, the division consisted of only 1615 (instead of 14000) men and just several machine guns. Thus, FILIN's division appeared in the native place of the veteran in November 1941, where it fought out of the encirclements. Apparently, it seems, it is here that FILIN loses his unit and after a while gets to the partisans. From November 1941 he was a platoon commander 1 of the Kursk Partisan Brigade. October 20, 1942 awarded the Order of the Red Star for his partisan work. February 25, 1943 of the Central Front under the command of K.K. Rokossovsky, participating in an operation to destroy the Oryol grouping of the enemy, launched an offensive. A number of settlements were liberated, including Sevsk. The partisans of the 1st and 2nd Kursk Brigades united with the units of the Red Army. How long FILIN in the partisan unit? The last record in his service list states: "11.1941 - 03.1943 commander of a platoon of the 1 Kursk Partisan Brigade". However, in the old record it is noted: "Was surrounded in the area Glukhovo in October 1941. In June 1942 rejoined by the Red Army". Maybe the city Glukhovo means town Glukhov, which is close to the Dmitrovsky district where the 1 Kursk Partisan Brigade operated. From May to July 1943, the deputy rifle company commander of 625 rifle regiment, 143 rifle division (his original division!). July-November 1943 - 27th separate officer regiment. From February 1944 until the end of the war - intelligence officer of 747 rifle regiment, 172 rifle division.

These are issued by NGOs. I even believe, anyone can buy them for himself. Can be purchased here from the manufacturer: http://www.vto-orden.com.ua/ru/catalog/award/znak-narodnoyi-poshani-geroj-chornobilya3

Very nice! Thank you for sharing!

I am quite sure these are not postal stamps. These were used to mark that the membership fee has been payed. Like a receipt.

Hello, This is how the original OAN 7765 looks like

Hello! What do you mean with "it isn’t correctly numbered" ? Is there anything wrong with the engraving?

Getting better day by day...

Great stuff!!!

Please, give an example of your failed search. Maybe we can help.