Ed_Haynes

The marvelous bundle of paperwork insludes his temporary award certificate, both the one given with his award and the one filed away in the archives, only to be xeroxed much later by our trusty researchers.

Translation from http://www.forvalor.com/s98.htm

AWARD CITATION

1. Last Name, First Name, Middle Name: Sharikalov, Gavriil Kupriyanovich.

2. Military Rank: Guards Colonel.

3. Place of Service: Commander of the Artillery of the 130 Rifle Lithuanian Corps.

Recommended for: The order of Great Patriotic War 1st Class.

4. Year of Birth: 1900.

5. Nationality: Belarussian.

6. Party Membership: Member of the VKP/b/.

7. Service in the Civil War, in later Battles in Service of the USSR and in the GPW (when and where): In the Civil War from 1918 to 1921, in the Great Patriotic War from 22 June 1941 on the Western OZ and the 2nd Baltic Fronts.

8. Have any Wounds or Contusions in the Great Patriotic War: Wounded and shell-shocked in 1942 at the North-Western Front.

9. From Which Time with the Red Army: From 1918, as a volunteer.

10. Which Call-Up Station:

11. Received Which Awards (from which order): The order of Red Banner (Decree No. 43/? [??] from 12 March 1944) in 1944; the order of the Great Patriotic War of the 1st Class in 1943; Red Star in 1942 and the medal Twenty Years to the Red Army, in 1938.

12. Home Address: Omskaya Oblast, town of Ishim, Ordzhenikidzenskaya Street, 4. Wife is Sharikalova, Maria Ivanovna.

Short Concrete Description of Excellent Military Action or Service.

Guards Colonel Comrade Sharikalov has been working as the Artillery Commander of the 130th Rifle Lithuanian Corps since 6 June 1944. He is working exceptionally hard to provide military training for his staff as well as ensure order and discipline across units.

From 3 July to 1 August 1944, Comrade Sharikalov supervised military planning for the artillery offensive of the 6th Guards Artillery Division and the entire artillery reinforcement as part of six artillery and mortar regiments and one cannon brigade.

Comrade Sharikalov was present personally at watch points, and he personally directed the artillery fire in the right directions. He massed the artillery fire and directed it on the cross-points of enemy resistance, thus providing the advance of Russian troops with minimal losses. After enemy defense line was penetrated on 2 August 1944 and the infantry crossed over the defense line, the 6th Guards Artillery Division left from under the command of the Artillery Corps Commander and Army reinforcement artillery was the only one left. Under Comrade Sharikalov?s immediate leadership, strong artillery fire and by direct pointing of guns, the army destroyed firing spots and personnel at resistance points, which allowed the infantry to approach the Ayvekste river.

Despite fuel shortage, Comrade Sharikalov was able to move the cannons forward on time and mobilized all horse-drawn carriages from the inhabitants of two closest areas. He used the carriages to move ammunition, which served as a main success factor for our units on 4 and 5 August 1944.

Owing to Comrade Sharikalov?s skillful leadership, a breakthrough into enemy defense to a distance of 65 kilometers and access to the bank of the Ayvekste river were gained. In the course of action, units from the 23rd and 165th German infantry divisions had been destroyed.

In these combats Comrade Sharikalov showed himself as a brave and courageous soldier in the struggle against German occupants.

For able leadership of the artillery, personal courage and bravery in combat, Comrade Sharikalov deserves to be awarded the Order of the Great Patriotic War of the 1st Class. (posthumously).

Artillery Commander of the 23rd Army

Guards Colonel Pontus

And, finally.

Up the chain of command.

Part 2.

To begin at the end of the story, the recommendation for this OPW 1.

Guards Colonel Gavriil Kupriyanovich Sharikalov, Commander of the Artillery of the 130 Rifle Lithuanian Corps

This one has been mentioned in other threads here and presented at http://www.forvalor.com/s98.htm but I think this award and the surrounding record deserves full and focused treatment. It may take some time to get it all up, though.

First his OPW 1, #80328.

The reverse. One-piece steel.

To add to this very interesting thread (which has sort of slipped out of view), I recently had the opportunity to acquire a treasure trove of ribbons and suspensions. Hidden in this lot were some real gems, including this skeleton of the sort of group which we can only dream about:

Lovely!!

Thanks (and I know how hard it is to scan the rims).

A shame the clasps are gone, but you wonder if he tinkered them for German-style wearing during the seven years he was allowed to wear the medal?

How (exactly) is the medal named??

An exciting find!!!

Thanks for this, Bob. How could we have missed it? But it is QUITE uncommon!

Thanks, Dave!

Inside.

See http://gmic.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=23226 for his son, ? Nikolaiovich Vasilets

Again, not really "researched", but the grandson of Private Ivan Samsonovich Vasilets

See: http://gmic.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=23221

And son of Nikolai Ivanovich Vasilets

See: http://gmic.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=23223

I need lots of reading/translating help here!

Just one medal.

And the inside.

And 50.

Probably worth showing the outside here?

Stamp/signature area.

40

Stamp/signature.

30

Closeup on stamp/signature area.

And the documents.

20

For his son, Nikolai Ivanovich Vasilets, see http://gmic.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=23223