Soviet Screwback Order of the Red Banner

[Paul R]

Here is what the grouping would look like, it all of it's glory.

The Red Star, MM medal, and the Victoryover Germany Medal came from my Abramov grouping(for scanning/display purposes only).

I had an extra Stalingrad Medal, that now has a new place in this grouping. The condition of this medal matches that of the ORB!

If anyone has an unnumbered MM and an extra Victory over Germany, I might be interested! I unless there in a unissued(un numbered) Red Star out there, that one will have to stay lost.

Dave and Rick,

Thank you for all of the hard work you put into this for me. I very much appreciate it.

[Guest Rick Research]

On Nizov's Award Record Card, made out 1 October 1946, it says he was at that time Chief of the Wood-Preparing Unit of the Third UkrTorgLesoTara, which if I am reading the impenetrable Soviet compound abbreviations right, comes out to "Ukrainian Trade Wood Packing" (Unspecified Factory or whatever).

Lived in Kiev at Apartment 7, House #10 Vasodavsky Ulitsa with his wife Vera Feodorevna Nizova. No children, apparently.

One version of his two "short form" wartime type personnel cards says he was wounded-- four times.

Senior Lieutenant 1935 (day and month illegible).

Captain 26 September 1942. Deputy Commander of his Regiment's Scouts per 31st Guards Rifles Corps of 9.9.44, and Senior Deputy Commander of same per 4th Guards Army 15.1.45.

Discharged to Kiev City Veterans Commissariat 8.8.45 for "reduction in forces." He was an OLD Captain-- 41, up from the ranks, obviously troublesome-- certainly underdecorated and underpromoted given his crucial troop command and heroic war record (wounded 4 times in 2 years, as regimental scouts officer!!!!).

First went into the Red Army 9 November 1926 as a Private in 133rd Rifles Regiment.

There is the typical sadly too dark postage stamp sized photo on his service record, which perhaps Paul can enlarge and crop.

9.10.27 Commander of a squad

1.11.29 Deputy Commander of a platoon

19.5.30 "Vtorshnik." (Your guess is as good as mine. I have a SOVIET dictionary. No such word.)

1.9.30 Cadet at School for NCOs

1931 Squad Commander 6th Independent Machine Gun Battalion

5.12.32 Commander of Instruction Platoon 27th Independent Machinegun Battalion

13.??.33 something I can't read about since 1929

1935 Company Commander (!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! did I mention !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!) 49th Machine Gun Battalon

1.8.37 as Company Commander

uhhhhhhh ohhhhhhhhhhhh

waaaaaaaaaaaaaaait forrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr it!

"discharged to the reserves"

Yup, that ever--popular Soviet doublespeak for Arrested In The Great Purge.

Signed off on at that point by a Senior Lieutenant of the Reserve, who must have been awaiting arrest himself. Can't read the unit stamp, but dated in the city of Kiev, so that must have been where Nizov's unit was.

Notice that he was a company commander-- a captain's slot-- in 1935-- and never advanced higher. Obviously BLOCKED following his arrest, because he was in the most dangerous, into-enemy-lines, crucial posting in any infantry regiment after that.

NEXT entry is dated...

31.3.42 (although his short cards say "participant in Patriotic War since June 1941"--- ??? rankless? Penal Battalion? Or just shoddy record ckeeping for a "marked" man?) 134th Reserve Infantry Regiment as Company Commander

25.7.42 Deputy Commander of a Rifles Battalion in that

29.11.43 Deputy Battalion Commander 911th Rifles Regiment, 244th Rifles Division

12.12."42" (sic-- 1943? 1944?) Deputy Commander of STAFF 911th Rifles Regiment 244th Rifles Division (so it was NOT lack of aptitude, talent OR personal reliability that held him back,was it?)

15.1.45 To 4th Guards Army Reserve of Officers

There are a lot of things which do not gibe in the three sets of records. Much that was left... unsaid. Glossed over. Gaze averted. Move along, nothing to see here Comrades stuff.

I don't "see" anything in his personnel record "bare bones" that accounts for his continued involvement in such a vital position of absolute MILITARY trust. His Lichnoe Delo must be a doozy, though.

[Gerd Becker]

VERY very nice, Paul

Edited August 29, 2006 by Gerd Becker

[Paul R]

Wow Rick... Thank you for the further translation! Do you think that his personel file will ever be found?

Thank you Gerd, for your kind words. I am so excited about this one...

[Paul R]

Seven years now... is there a chance that this personnel record will show up? :-)

[Paul R]

A good friend just retrieved the attached documents from the Russian Database site! It is his CSM citation!!!! Can anyone translate?

[Ferdinand]

Seven years now... is there a chance that this personnel record will show up? :-)

I've bugged my contacts for years about this, but they kept seeing that the archive department with personnel files was inaccessible. First the department was being moved, then it was reorganized, then it was moved again, and then I gave up...

[Paul R]

No worries. I do appreciate the efforts.

In the post above, I was able to obtain the CSM citation. Can anyone translate it?

[Paul R]

Per above- can anyone translate (even roughly) the most recent document above- PLEASE?

[Ferdinand]

Captain Nizov served as assistant chief of staff for reconnaissance of the 911th Rifle Regiment. In February 1943 his scouts detected a large concentration of enemy infantry tanks in the regiment's area of operations and Nizov's timely report enabled the regiment to take up defensive positions and prepare itself to repel the attack. During the fighting for another village his scouts once again provided intelligence about the location of the enemy.