Soviet A rather interesting downgraded citation

[NavyFCO]

All:

Here's a citation I just got for a group that's enroute to me (one of the rare occasions where I have the research BEFORE the group!) It is quite interesting in that he was nominated for the HSU, but it was downgraded to a Red Banner, even though it was approved even up through the front commander (Chuikov!) I find it a bit unusual for an award this late in the War, as it seems (and this is just a "seems") that HSUs were a little more liberally given out during this time in the War rather than earlier when you might see more downgrades like this. I also find it interesting that he was nominated and approved for the HSU, and only received a Red Banner - not just one, but several "steps" down from the initial award. In talking to MONDVOR, it looks like a case where either the "quota" of HSUs was exceeded or he wasn't awarded the decoration because the only previous award he had was the MM. Quite interesting.

Now to wait for my translator for the translation...

Dave

Edited February 5, 2007 by NavyFCO

[NavyFCO]

The reverse of the award document...

[NavyFCO]

A nice photo of the young brave lad...

[slava1stclass]

To all:

As the commander of JS-1 heavy tank # 632 who fought at Seelow Heights, crossed the Landwehr canal into Berlin under fire and was personally involved in the battle to capture/secure Tempelhof airport, what else did this young Guards junior lieutenant need to do?

Regards,

slava1stclass

Edited February 5, 2007 by slava1stclass

[NavyFCO]

Here's my translation of the top part AND now with my translator's translation of the text!

1. Family name, first and patronymic: BLIKANOV, Viktor Danilovich

2. Rank: Guards Junior Lieutenant

3. Position: Commander of IS tank, 106th Guards Heavy Tank Regiment, 7th Independent Guards Heavy Tank Novogrodski, Red Banner, Order of Suvorov and Order of the Red Star Brigade.

RECOMMENDED FOR THE TITLE "HERO OF THE SOVIET UNION"

4. Date of Birth: 1921

5. Nationality: Ukrainian

6. Party: Candidate VKP(b) since 1942

7. Service in the Civil War, in later Battles in Service of the USSR (when and where): In the Patriotic War since July 1941

8. Wounds or contusions received in the Patriotic War: Wounded 29 April 194_

9. Has been in the Red Army: Since October 1940

10. Which call up station: Barvenkovski RVK, Kharkovski Oblast

11. Received Which Awards (from which order): Medal For Military Merit on 25 October 1942

12. Home address: Kharkovskaya Oblast, Barvenskim Raion, Danilovski s/s, Village of Arkhangelovka. Father: Blikanov, Danil Romanovich

Brief and detailed description of a personal deed or achievements

During the battles against German invaders the 632nd IS (Josef Stalin) heavy tank commander Guards Junior Lieutenant Blikanov displayed military professionalism, courage, and valor.

On 16 April 1945 while breaching the enemy defenses at Zeelovsk heights the tank under Comrade Blikanov`s command broke through the second line of trenches and destroyed up to an infantry platoon, two antitank artillery pieces and a mortar battery by delivering fire and using the tracks of their tank. During the battles to capture the city of Berlin Comrade Blikanov displayed exemplary heroism and fearlessness. For example, on 25 April 1945 our tanks were fighting to capture the crossing at Landver canal, near the Zelner machine-building factory. The enemy was delivering a heavy fire on the approaches to the crossing, and at the same time batteries of antitank artillery pieces were firing point-blank at the bridge. Firing a machine gun, Comrade Blikanov made a rapid maneuver, advanced past the bridge and destroyed two antitank artillery pieces at close range.

Being the first to break into the city of Berlin, Comrade Blikanov lead the tanks and advancing infantry units by personal example.

During the battle to capture Tempelhof airport on 26 April 1945 he was the first to break into the airport and fired his tank cannon, destroying three enemy aircraft and an air defense artillery piece together with its crew.

He deserves to be awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union for displaying heroism and inflicting casualties on the enemy.

Guards Lieutenant Colonel ERMOLINKO

Commander, 106th Guards Heavy Tank Regiment

2 May 1945

Edited February 9, 2007 by NavyFCO

[NavyFCO]

As the commander of JS-1 heavy tank # 632 who fought at Seelow Heights, crossed the Landwehr canal into Berlin under fire and was personally involved in the battle to capture/secure Tempelhof airport, what else did this young Guards junior lieutenant need to do?

Well put!

Dave

[Guest Rick Research]

It looks like he took Berlin with only his own tank!!!!!!

[Digger Doug]

That's a fantastic citation. I hope you can bring it to the SOS. As a collector of Oder / Berlin groups, I'd love to see it. Doug

[Bryan]

As the commander of JS-1 heavy tank # 632 who fought at Seelow Heights, crossed the Landwehr canal into Berlin under fire and was personally involved in the battle to capture/secure Tempelhof airport, what else did this young Guards junior lieutenant need to do?

Shitt this is a nice citation! Anything related to the Berlin capture is for me :

What is the number of the Red Banner?

Edited February 6, 2007 by Soviet

[NavyFCO]

Shitt this is a nice citation! Anything related to the Berlin capture is for me :

What is the number of the Red Banner?

The Red Banner is number 272555. It's a pretty late one, but given that the guy had an unnumbered MM and a late RS for long service, I knew it couldn't be a long service one when I saw the group. His only other award is MM 111366.

I'll post the translation of the citation as soon as I get it back.

Dave

[Bryan]

The Red Banner is number 272555. It's a pretty late one, but given that the guy had an unnumbered MM and a late RS for long service, I knew it couldn't be a long service one when I saw the group. His only other award is MM 111366.

I'll post the translation of the citation as soon as I get it back.

Dave

So does it mean that if I'm looking for Red Banners in those numbers, I have more chances to find a long service award than a wartime "German operation" order?

I guess there is no special number range I should look for to get a Battle of Berlin order.

Is the only way to find one, is to look for documented group with a Berlin capture medal?

I just hope my question is understandable. It's written in sloppy English.

[NavyFCO]

So does it mean that if I'm looking for Red Banners in those numbers, I have more chances to find a long service award than a wartime "German operation" order?

Well, from previous experience, I'd say that you'd have better luck finding a Berlin Red Banner in the 220,000 to 240,000 range. The 260,000-290,000 tends to be a really mixed bag of awards - everything from long service to VE awards to Japan awards and more. Strangely enough, they also seem a bit more difficult to find than their lower numbered counterparts. When I first saw the group, I thought the award MIGHT be a Berlin one, but I figured the chances of that were pretty slim. I guess research pays off!

Dave

[order_of_victory]

He did all that and did not even gget awarded properly awarded for it,

Great piece and citation

Order of Victory

[Christian Zulus]

Downgrading

Dear Dave,

congratulations to that outstanding IS-2-group .

Question: You have the original papers from the RF-archives in your hand or copies ?

Downgrading by several steps?

I think, it was practical only one step from the HSU to RB, because a Lenin would have been an extremly odd decoration for an officer of such rank.

I documented at another thread a mass awarding for a battalion at the "Weichsel-Oder-Operation" (1945) with the awards: HSU - RB - Nevsky - Glory http://gmic.co.uk/index.php?s=&showtop...st&p=111519 .

So the downgrading from HSU to RB looks for me rather "normal".

Another point is, what sort of heroic deeds fullfilled or comrade in his IS 2 ?

The fact is, that "Seelower H?hen" had been a fiasco for the Soviet tanks (due to Zhukov's wrong planning). The battle was won by infantry & pioneers. Also that special terrain is very bad for heavy tanks.

The battle inside the city of Berlin was also not THE ideal terrain and environment for a IS 2, I assume. The simple and primitive German "Panzerfaust" had been the biggest threat for the Soviet tanks.

What I want to say is, that our comrade in his IS 2 maybe didn't have the change to take part in an authentic "tank battle" - killing Tigers & Panthers with his "Iosif Stalin No. 2" ?

My humble theory, why the strict Cuikov could have ment, that a RB might be enough for our brave tank commander. I have Cuikov's "Berlin-book" in my library. If you show us the translation of the citation, I can look after, how Cuikov described the actions of his IS-tanks - and maybe of these IS-tanks, where our comrade belonged to - in Berlin.

Best regards

Christian

[NavyFCO]

Just added the rest of the citation to the translation above! WOW! Comments are (of course) welcome.

[Gerd Becker]

Absolutely mindblowing, Dave

Its unbelievable, that he was not made HSU.

Thanks for posting this great research. Excellent little group.

Gerd

Edited February 9, 2007 by Gerd Becker

[slava1stclass]

Absolutely mindblowing, Dave

Its unbelievable, that he was not made HSU.

Thanks for posting this great research. Excellent little group.

Gerd

Gerd,

I guess since he wasn't an Olympic medal winner, he stood no chance - unlike the below lady who was awarded the Hero of Russia for her "leading achievements in sports, courage and heroism displayed at the ХVIII Winter Olympics in 1998." Falling on that very hard ice after a failed triple Lutz jump is especially life threatening you know...

http://www.warheroes.ru/hero/hero.asp?Hero_id=3070

So is das Leben mein Freund.

Regards,

slava1stclass

[Christian Zulus]

A big stain on Cuicov's image

Gentlemen,

after reading that more than outstanding citation of that young heavy-tank commander for 3 different (!) heroic deeds - completly different locations and dates -, I think, that our comrade deserved for:

- Landwehrkanal: HSU (without discussion!)

- Flugplatz Tempelhof: RB (at least)

- Seelower H?hen: RB (at least)

Several thousends (!) of Soviet soldiers received their HSU for crossing the Dnepr. Crossing the Landwehrkanal in the city of Berlin with that heavy tank is something completly different - the resistence of the German forces had been much more fierence inside Berlin, than somewhere in the Ukraine

So getting for 3 outstanding heroic deeds only 1 RB is a big scandal .

BTW: Nevsky or Suvorov 3cl had not been possible for an officer in that position (tank commander).

Just my opinion ...

Best regards

Christian

Edited February 9, 2007 by Christian Zulus

[Christian Zulus]

Original documents ?

Dear Dave,

I asked you, if you have the original documents - as shown at the scans - in your hands or copies?

Best regards

Christian

[Gerd Becker]

Gerd,

I guess since he wasn't an Olympic medal winner, he stood no chance - unlike the below lady who was awarded the Hero of Russia for her "leading achievements in sports, courage and heroism displayed at the ХVIII Winter Olympics in 1998." Falling on that very hard ice after a failed triple Lutz jump is especially life threatening you know...

http://www.warheroes.ru/hero/hero.asp?Hero_id=3070

So is das Leben mein Freund.

Regards,

slava1stclass

wow, thats quite bizarre. What kind of people did approve this HSU? I mean, a Lenin or a HSL would have done it, right?

Thanks for the link slava1stclass Great website

Gerd

[Christian Zulus]

wow, thats quite bizarre. What kind of people did approve this HSU? I mean, a Lenin or a HSL would have done it, right?

Lieber Gerd,

we already had such discussion ...

At least the young lady looks nice .

As you should know, a Lenin or Hero of the Socialist Labour was not possible anymore in post-CCCP Russia .

The fact is, that the "value" of a HSU declined after march 1953 ...

Best regards

Christian

[NavyFCO]

Got the group today! Here are some pictures!

[NavyFCO]

Here's his Red Banner...

[NavyFCO]

And the reverse...

[NavyFCO]

His Red Star...