Ed_Haynes

Translated:

I may be missing some things, but this is probably (more than?) enough.

To end the tale, a newspaper article, source and date unknown.

There's much more in the file, but better another photo of him with his mates -- also from http://www.forvalor.com/s98.htm

I have the (untranslated) recommendations for some of his other awards, but as they have gone missing (returned after his death?), I won't add them here.

Instead, a later (low-quality) photo from http://www.forvalor.com/s98.htm

And the dark muddy xeroxed photo from the personnel file.

Part 15 (and last).

Part 14

Part 13

Part 12

Part 11

Part 10

Part 9 (question 30 blank)

Part 8

Part 7

Part 6

Part 5

Part 4.

Part 3.

Part 2.

There are multiple incarnations of service records in the files, but why not go with the most legible (though the longest, sorry).

Hold on tight . . . .

Based on almost illegible light pencil scribblings on the reverse (than the Gods for scanners!), this seems to be from 1928.

An early photo.

Unlike so many of these fascinating documents, however, this one has been translated and is well worth a read:

I was born on 20 January 1900 in the family of a peasant in Minskaya Gubernia (Province) of the Novogrudsky Uezd (District) of the Shersevskaya Volost? (Region) in the village of Pristoino. Until 1915, the entire family and I lived on our own household which consisted of a horse, a cow and about 3 [????] of land. We were a family of six so there wasn?t enough bread for us all to eat and sometimes we had to work as hired hands for local landowners. In 1915, we left as refugees, we lost our household and the entire family started working as hired hands in the Donskaya Region where we were brought by train to the station of Kalach (South-Western railway) and appointed to rich landowners? household as free workforce. From the fall of 1915 and until the Great October Revolution the entire family worked at the village of Peskovatka for a rich landowner. We didn?t just work for bread and salt, as people say it; we got no bread or salt. We received no pay so my mother (step-mother) and grandmother went to church on holidays and asked for alms. After the Great October Revolution the entire family (except for me) was still working as hired hands at the village, and when the Whites advanced the entire family fled to the village of Vertyachi where they stayed until 1920.

In 1920, my father died and my mother (step-mother) with two small children and my grandmother went back to their ?homeland? in Poland when all refugees were being sent home. From that time, I have no information about them, I didn?t have contact with them, I don?t have it now. I didn?t write to them, I don?t write to them now, and I don?t even know if they had left at all.

This way, since 1920, I only have a sister left from my relations. Presently, she is working as a farm worker at the Budenny collective farm in the Stalingrad region of the Gorodischensky area, the Novo-Alexeevsky village council.

From 1916 until the fall of 1918, I lived in Leningrad where I worked as a hired hand as a janitor, stove coal-heaver and storage director. This way, I don?t have a particular profession. I joined the Red Army as a volunteer in 1918. I joined the Artillery Division Squadron of the 1st Morozovskaya Division of the 10th Army. I served in the Morozovskaya Division and the 38th Rifle Division (1st Morozovskaya Division changed its name to the 38th Rifle Division) until December 1919. From December 1919 to March 1920 I was in captivity of the White army. I was taken captive in a battle near the village of Arakantsev in the area of the Katloban railway station of the south-eastern railway. While I was in captivity (for about three months) I didn?t take part in combat against my own troops, and together with my other captive friends was evacuated somewhere behind the frontlines where I worked different jobs under the supervision of the Caucasian Army. In the beginning, I worked in the village of Velikoknyazheskaya (now it is called Proletarskaya) and then for a little while I was in the town of Krasnodar. When the Red Army advanced to Krasnodar, I and two of my comrades hid in the apartment of one the workers and when our troops came I joined by division once again. As a division member, I fought with it until the front was completely liquidated.

After the White army was destroyed, in the fall of 1920, I was commissioned to the 1st Baku commanders? courses, and fought against the White army in Georgia as a member of it. I graduated from the courses in November 1921 in Tbilisi. I have been a commander since 1921. From November 1921 to March 1922 I served as a Commander of the Courses Platoon. From March 1922 to March 1923 I served as the Artillery Platoon Commander in the Batumsky defense area. From March 1923 to November 1926 I served in the Artillery Regiment of the 3rd Caucasian Rifle Division as a Platoon Commander, Aide to the Battery Commander, Battery Commander. From November 1926 to April 1928, I was a student at the Sumskaya artillery school. From April 1928 to December 1933, I served in the 10th Rifle Division as a Battery Commander, Aide to the Squadron Commander, Squadron Commander, Head of Artillery Regiment Headquaters. From December 1933 to February 1936, I was a student at the Artillery Academy but because I didn?t do well in Physics and Mathematics, I volunteered to be transferred to a one-year course at the AKTUS Academy from where I graduated in December 1936. From there, I was commissioned to the 50th Artillery regiment as a General Service Regiment Commander Aide. From April 1938 I commanded the 50th GAUBICHNY artillery regiment. From 19 August 1938 to 18 March 1939, I was in the reserve as I was dismissed from the Red Army by the order of the VO Military District from 20 July 1938 No. 00379 according to Article 43 point ?a?.

From 18 March 1939 and until now, I am the Headquarters Chief of the Artillery of the 33rd Rifle Division (NKO order No. 0342 from 27 January 1939.) As a reservist I lived in Stalingrad and worked in the Osoaviakhim city council as the head of the combat training department. My general education is three years in a village school. While I was in the Red Army I have passed exams for 8 years at school. In some classes, I passed the level of ten years at school. Military education: 1921 ? artillery courses; 1928 ? artillery school; 1930 ? AKUKS, 1936 ? AKTUS. VKP/b/ member since February 1925.

I was accepted as a party member by the party organization of the artillery regiment of the 3rd Caucasian Rifle Division. In 1927, during the DPK 45 party documents exchange, I was assigned to the [social] group of poor peasants. In 1926, I was the secretary of a party unit. From 1929 to 1933 I was a member of the regiment?s party bureau. In 1931, for 8 months I was a member of the area executive committee and the area committee of the VKP/b/. From 1937 to August 1938, I was a member of the regiment?s party bureau. I didn?t and don?t have any complains from the party. I have never been a member of any other party and never did I deviate from the general line of our party, I have always firmly stood, am standing now and will stand in the future for the general line of our party. I have fought against, still fighting now and will fight against all rouges who dare to get in the way of our party, our motherland. I was brought up by the party and the Soviet leadership, and I am prepared to give all that I can to the cause of Lenin and Stalin, to make my party stronger.

Family status: I am married with two children. My wife is the daughter of a worker. Before and after the Great October Revolution he worked at a timber factory in Ufa, and in 1933, when he retired, he got a job as a guard at a bridge over the Belaya river. My wife?s brother served as a volunteer in the Red Army. He died in 1925. My wife?s mother is currently living with us. I have never been convicted or under investigation.

See: http://www.forvalor.com/s98.htm

Now, back to the beginning . . .

The personnel file includes, as do many of this era, several long autobiographies. For example this from 1939:

And the reverses, with slightly different details.