Soviet Little documented CSM-Stalingrad medal group

[Bryan]

I have picked up this small documented Stalingrad group to a Ukrainian woman named Lydia Ivanovna Shmul from the 7th Guards Army. The research is supposed to be on its way to my home.

I have started to translate her Red Army book and I will post some of why "beginner translation" as soon as I will be done with it. I'm still a real beginner with handwritings.

Here Red Army book says so far that she first fought for the Defense of Stalingrad, then for Belgorod, she took part in the Yassy-Kishinev operation (also called Jassy-Kishinev or Iasi-Chisinau) on the Moldavian front and then finally in the Budapest operation.

The Combat Service medal was awarded on October 10th 1943, probably for her service around Belgorod an ex-Romanian city on the Dnestr that was ceded to the Soviet Union following the 1940 Soviet Ultimatum. I will see, I hope soon, if this is from this battle. The Belgorod region was under the Soviet offensive during the Battle of Kursk in July 1943.

The research is suppose to validate that this group is complete. I don't know why she hasn't got the Budapest medal.

So here are my scans of the medals and documents I have so far. I'll throw my English translation next week, even if it's easier for me to translate from Russian to French. There might be some blank from the words I can't decipher.

[Bryan]

Reverse

[Bryan]

Order book #1

[Bryan]

Order book #2

[Bryan]

Red Army book #1

[Bryan]

Red Army book #2

[Bryan]

Red Army book #3

[Bryan]

Red Army book #4

[Bryan]

Red Army book #5

[Bryan]

EDIT: This is not the Belgorod were she fought. Belgorod was part of the counter-offensive which followed the Battle of Kursk.

Edited November 7, 2007 by Bryan

[Paul R]

That is a great grouping! I love seeing combattant groupings to women. I look forward to seeing the translation.

[Riley1965]

Soviet,

That's a nice group you have!! I, too, like medals to women. I look forward to the rest of the translation.

Doc

Edited December 2, 2006 by Riley1965

[Gerd Becker]

Nice little group, Bryan Let us know, what the research says.

Gerd

[Guest Rick Research]

She was born 1 August 1923. Graduated from 54th Railways School, city of Lozovaya, Kharkov Oblast. Called up for military service 4 October 1942.

Book shows her as Junior Sergeant of Administrative Services/Senior Clerk (previously telephonist) in 4th Department (Signals Workshop) 7th Guards Army.

Discharged 23 June 1945. It's VERY messy and difficult to read with the SLOPPY pencilled entries, so don't get discouraged.

[Bryan]

Hehehe, thanks Rick. I had time to translate most of the things you mentioned so far.

However, I have to admit I have some holes in my translation.

The scans I have made are much clearer than what you see. I lost some quality while resizing the files. Hope I'll get the research soon. It will be my first try to translate such documents. It makes fun to translate this thing even if I'm so slow, but I'm afraid there are many terms I'm not able to find in my dictionaries or this is only because I do not decipher all words very well.

I need to practice my Russian a little bit more.

[Bryan]

I forgot to ask why do you think she didn't qualify for a medal for the capture of budapest or even the most common medal for the Victory over Germany. How can you get a medal for the Defense of Stalingrad and a CSM medal without being awarded a the Victory over Germany medal?

[NavyFCO]

How can you get a medal for the Defense of Stalingrad and a CSM medal without being awarded a the Victory over Germany medal?

Pretty easy - she didn't have her service book updated after her discharge, and her Victory medal was given to her after her discharge, perhaps even in late 1945 or even 1946-47.

Dave

[Bryan]

If I understand well, she perhaps got the Victory medal with they are not written in her service book?

Research said she only got those 2 medals. Maybe it's just me and I don't really understand how it worked with the awards.

[Alfred]

If I understand well, she perhaps got the Victory medal with they are not written in her service book?

Research said she only got those 2 medals. Maybe it's just me and I don't really understand how it worked with the awards.

Hello Brian,

sometimes the clerks forgot to mention the Victory over Germany medal or

city related medals in the record card. It is not so rare. I have a group with

a Stalingrad medal and the medal is not mentioned in the award card.

They mentioned the medal in a citation for another award.

So, missing entries to city medals or victory medals sometimes happen.

regards

Andreas

[NavyFCO]

Research said she only got those 2 medals.

It is not unusual at all to see some medals missing on the award card. The primary emphasis of the award card was to document the numbered awards the person received. Depending on when the person received their other awards, their award card may have already been written and stored in the archives before they received their medals. Considering that she was discharged in mid-1945, it may have taken years before her medals got to her.

Can you post up the research?

Dave

[Bryan]

Thanks for the precision guys. So the group is complete in regards to the research, but the group might be incomplete in regards of what I have.

Can you post up the research?

Hope I'll receive it next week or so. I don't know when. The seller said it's in the mail.

[Bryan]

I got the research today.

I'll try to translate what I can before to post it.

[Bryan]

So here is the registration form and the award card. This is my first researched grouping, so I tried to do my best with the translation. However, I do not know if it is accurate, because my mother tongue is French. So I hope you can somewhat understand.

Registration form

1. Family Name : Shmul

2. First and middle name : Lydia Ivanovna

3. Military Rank : Private First Class/lance Corporal

4. Sex : Woman

5. Year of birth : 1923

6. Place of birth : Mozovaya, Khakov Oblast

7. Party membership : 1938, member of the VLKSM (Komsomol)

8. Education: Secondary

9. Nationality : Ukrainian

10. From which time with the

Red Army : October 7th1942 ? August 1st 1945

11. Place of service and post

during the awarding moment: 64th Independent Army Workshop of Signals, 7th Guards Army, Senior Clerk

12. Place of service post now : Kharkov Oblast, Kharkov medicine institute, student

13. Home Address : Kharkov Oblast, city of Lozovaya, Soviet Street # 10

Edited December 6, 2006 by Soviet

[Bryan]

Award card

The award card confirm that she received a Combat Service medal #807967 on the 10.10.1943 by Prikaz of the 7th Army and a Medal for the Defense of Stalingrad on 22.12.1942 by Ukaz.

Could you please tell me why does the document number in the award card and my CSM document are not the same?

Does somebody is able to read what is written beside the stamp where it is written : "Kharkov Oblast". it is difficult for me.

Maybe tomorrow I post the citation. I don't want to look lazy, so I will try to translate what I can before to post it.

Edited December 6, 2006 by Soviet

[NavyFCO]

Could you please tell me why does the document number in the award card and my CSM document are not the same?

It is because she was issued her award document a week after the award card was written. The number on the award card is the number of her temporary award document with the medal. You can see the actual award document number on the front of the award card.

Hope that helps!

Dave