Soviet Order of Nevsky - Sr. Lt. Grigori Vasilievich Trushkov

[JimZ]

Not yet quite sure quite how common Nevsky's really are for the Japan offensive. But here's a Nevsky awarded to one Senior Lieutenant Grigori Vasilievich Trushkov. Born in 1915 in the Village of Taza, Saltonsky Area, Altai Region, he was attached to the 18th Rifle Corps of 3rd Rifle division of 2nd Far Eastern Front.

Awarded Order of Nevsky for 39771:

"In the battle for height 321.5 he managed with mastery his company at the battlefield. In Military battles the company destroyed up to 60 persons including Japanese soldiers and officers. He was remarkably brave and courageous in battle. He showed himself as one of the best company commanders in battle. Deserves the government award: Order of Nevsky"

[JimZ]

Award Citation

[JimZ]

[JimZ]

AWARD CITATION:

Name: Trushkov Grigori Vasilievich

Rank: Senior Lieutenant

Billet: Commander of Infantry of 18th Red Banner Rifle Corps

Date and place of Birth: 1915, Village Taza, Saltonsky Area, Altai Region

Nationality: Russian

Party Affiliation: Member of VKPB 1944

Joined Red Army: October 1937

Officer Since: May 1939

Participation in battles (where and when): Taking part in battles against Japanese occupants since 9th August 1945

Wounds and contusions: No

Previous awards: None

Drafted: Tochul?ski Rayvoyenkomat of Altai Region

Permanent home and family address: a) of awardee: Field post 35251

b) family: Village Klyuchi of Konstantinovsky Region of Amur Region

In the battle for height 321.5 he managed with mastery his company at the battlefield. In Military battles the company destroyed up to 60 persons including Japanese soldiers and officers. He was remarkably brave and courageous in battle. He showed himself as one of the best company commanders in battle. Deserves the government award: Order of Nevsky

Date 31st August 1945

Commander of 18th Rifle Corps Lieutenant Colonel Vahonin

Conclusion of Higher Ranking Officers: Deserves the government award: Order of Nevsky

Commander of 3rd Rifle division: Colonel Shein

5th September 1945

III CONCLUSIONS OF THE ARMY

Deserves to be Awarded: Order of Nevsky

Commander of 2nd Red Banner Army General-Lieutenant of Tanks Teryokhin

Member of Military Soviet General Major ???

29th September 1945

Awarded Order of Alexander Nevsky by Decree of 2nd Red Banner Army 2DF 051/N of 29.9.45

[JimZ]

Award List:

[JimZ]

[JimZ]

Order book: V#709129

1. Surname: Trushkov

2. Name and patronym: Grigori Vasilievich

3. Rank: Senior Lieutenant

4. Sex: Male

5. Year of Birth: 1915

6. Place of Birth: Village Taza, Saltonsky Area, Altai Region

7. Member of party (from): Member of VKPB 1944

8. Education: Lowest

9. Nationality: Russian

10. In Red Army since: October 1937 till July 1946

11. Place of Service (Unit Name) and military rank at time of award: 18th Rifle Regiment of 3rd Rifle division of 2nd Far Eastern Front. Company commander

12. Place of service and present rank: Barnaoul, Glavparfumer. Merchandiser

13. Home address: Barnaoul, Neprohodnoi number 48

14. List of awards:

Name of order/Medal: Alexander Nevsky

Serial #: 39771

Document # V/?303901

Basis of award: Decree of 2nd Red Banner 051/N 29.09.1945 686196d65661301

Signature: Trushkov

I witness all the details and the signature of the awardee: Oktyabirsky Regional Military Committee (Rayvoyenkom)

Title and signature: Potapov

25 December 1950

Stamp: Oktyabirsky Rayvoyenkomat Barnaoul

Edited September 8, 2007 by JimZ

[JimZ]

So our Senior Lieutenant has joined the red army in 1937, become an officer in 1939, and has received no awards other than a late war Nevsky for being one of the best company commanders. I do not fully get it where was he during the rest of the war and what was he doing.

Sadly there seems to be no further research as I was half hoping to get more from his file.

I would also tend to believe that he would have received medals for Victory over Japan and Victory over Germany. Other post war commemoration medals perhaps?

Can anyone help unravel more about this Nevsky?

Jim

Edited September 8, 2007 by JimZ

[Ed_Haynes]

Oh, a really nice one, Jim! Thanks for sharing it.

Let me see if I can find anything to add.

[Riley1965]

CONGRATULATIONS Jim!!! That's a GREAT Citation and Nevsky The Nevsky is my favorite Soviet Order. However, I have yet to add one to my collection.

Doc

[Guest Rick Research]

He must have spent the entire war on the inactive Mongolian border facing Japan. As such, he would have received the Victory Over Japan Medal, which just isn't entered on his ARC. maybe he still hadn't received it in 1950, having been discharged in 1946.

This is a very very odd award. Granted, sometimes they can be... laconic... in the citation texts

but this looks to me like a Red Star because-you're-an-officer-and-thanks-for-showing-up level citation, NOT a Nevsky!

This suggests maybe a greater latitude in being able to bestow strange things (perhaps OVER-decorating to compensate for having all done "nothing" 1941-45? ), and shows how

It All Depended

on what a specific chain of command felt like handing out.

We've seen people UNDER-decorated again and again and again. But this sure reads as waaaaaaaay over-decorated!

[Ed_Haynes]

Good points, Rick. This seems to suggest that there were quotas by front, by army, or whatever. ("Everyone gets 'x' Nevskys this half-year per 'y' eligible folks deployed." -- other armies did it pretty much the same way in WWII.) If you had a lot to do you'd get a lesser award than the same deed would receive in an area where there wasn't much happening and there were "spare" awards to distribute.

[Paul R]

This is one for the books!! I am sure that not many Nevsky s were awarded for that front!

[JimZ]

Thanks guys.

I was expecting something a bit more impressive myself in the citation and was somewhat disappointed not to find any Red Stars or OGPWs! The 1950 award date does also indeed seem to be a bit late.... 5 years after the actual action took place! On the other hand this Nevsky is not missing any other orders (although that still does not impress me!)

Can anyone throw any light on what his unit was doing during the war? Was it really sitting pretty on the far Eastern Front doing nothing until 1945?

Paul, I gather that not too many Nevsky's have been awarded on this front. How frequently do orders awarded on this front crop up?

Doc, catch up with those Nevsky's before the price is totally out of reach!

Thanks for your comments!

Jim

[Guest Rick Research]

Oddly enough, 3rd Rifles Division was in action in FINLAND in 1940, its only action outside the Far East.

[Ferdinand]

He served in the 18th Rifle Regiment (not "rifle corps", incorrect translation!) of the The 3rd Rifle Division (in 1945 commanded by Major-General Pavel Petrovich Demin). It spent the entire war, from november 1939 to september 1945, in the 2nd Army (Lieutenant-General of Tank Troops Makar Fomich Terekhin) of the Far Eastern Front (Army General Maksim Alekseyevich Purkayev). All this time it did nothing, it was only in the Active Army from 9 Aug 1945 to 3 Sep 1945.

And Trushkov was NOT a "commander of rifle corps" but a company commander!

Edited September 8, 2007 by Ferdinand