Soviet Major Grigory Yakovlevich Ivanov

[Ed_Haynes]

Stopped. And, yes, much chicken-scratching. No Revolutionary Penmanship Classes?

And the ribbon bar . . . yes, noted that.

Thanks.

[Guest Rick Research]

They shot the teachers first. Barbers too, to judge by personnel photos. Enamellers made it through hard times OK, though.

What is truly frightening is how many career officers over there only went to school until the age of 12 or 14. THAT explains a lot.

On the other hand, we just heard from a teacher whose high school juniors and seniors (in remediual reading, of course) were perplexed-- what is that funny stuff onthe blackboard?

"Handwriting?" What's that? We never had THAT! We do all our homework on computers andprint it out

B L O C K P R I N T IN G is OK. But they have never learned, literally, to WRITE!

[Bryan]

I see that you have the original documents in your possession. I find it very sad that those archives were stolen in Russia. They are now not available for further research in Russia.

[Ed_Haynes]

No, scans, photos, from the original documents. What one gets from many of those doing research today. I, too, would feel quite obscenely sick if I had the originals!

[Bryan]

Sorry for thinking they were stolen. I wasn't aware of this new method from the researchers. That way research can arrive much faster I guess. It seems like a spy movie with microfilm from Soviet documents.

[Guest Rick Research]

Living color scans are much better than xeroxes, especially for the personnel file photos, which are about the size of postage stamps, literally.

One of the many horrors of my imagination is that someday the entire Podolsk archive may go up like the Great Library of Alexandria, and be forever lost... except what we have copies of.

[Ed_Haynes]

I agree that the whole photo approach does sound a little "spy-camera" to me too, but it gives us more options in tweaking the images for legibility, though focus can be a problem at times. And the photos are photos, not mud.

The other recommendations - The OPW1:

[Ed_Haynes]

Next.

[Ed_Haynes]

And the recommendation completed.

[Ed_Haynes]

And it moves up the chain of command.

[Ed_Haynes]

Until.

[Ed_Haynes]

And the Nevsky.

[Ed_Haynes]

And the (reinforced and thickly bound ) recommendation:

[Ed_Haynes]

And.

[Ed_Haynes]

And the award is upgraded.

[Ed_Haynes]

Thanks in advance for translation/summary assistance.

[Guest Rick Research]

His OPW1 was submitted as an ORB. As major and Deputy CO of Aerial Gunnery Service (VSS) of 295th Fighter Aviation "Novo-Moskovsky Order of the Red Banner" Division.

Gist of citation--

at the front since 1.1.43. In this time shown himself determined, renergetic, and resolute commander, excellent disciplined and political reliable officer devoted to the Party of lenin and Stalin and his Socialist homeland, a patriot of the homeland....

Deputy CO for AGS of the division since 1.10.43. Senior pilot, excellenmt theoretical readiness, organized readiness of pilot personnel in tactics and combat quality of enemy planes and operational tactics....

Trained 85 new pilots for combat gunnery with excellent results in preparedness...

In the period of conducting combat operations, Comrade Ivanov six times crossed the foremost lines for ground attacks and for radio station operation of our aviation over the field of battle. By his training, our pilots knocked down 14 enemy planes.

Great work in period from 5.7.43 to 1.7.44 in tactics and methods and enemy methods, instructing pilot personnel. In Bessarabian operations, in the 6 days from 20 to 26 August 1944, division made 1,180 effective combat flights and did great damage to the enemy. He himself flew 51 combat missions in I16s and LA5s, of which flights 35 were ground attacks on the enemy.

Deserves ORB, (day off page) October 1944, Commander of 295th Ftr Av Div, Lt Col Shatilin

Concur 4.10.44 CO of 9th Mixee Aviation "Odess" Corps, Aviation Lt Gen Tolstikov

Per 17th Air Army 17.12.44 OPW 1 (Scribble)

[Guest Rick Research]

Nevsky is a SURPRISE

gist =

Same as above for position and rank. Entire first paragraph is the same sort of boilerplate about being at the front since... devoted to party of L&S, disciplined, energetic yada yada.

In the period of participation in the Patriotic War made 51 combat flights in I16s and LA5s, without losing any aircraft.

Since last decorated, he has not made any combat flights in view of the fact that in this period he has taken part in ground combat and represented himself with impressive quality for coordination and cooperation of aviation with ground forces. In the period of Vienna operations with the 9th Motorized-Mechanized Corps for calls to aviation from the field of battleand directing them onto enemy fire points for support of our ground forces. At the end of March, lightly wounded in the right leg by enemy aircraft in attacks on our tanks.

Deserves to be awarded ORB....

16 May 1945 CO of 295th, Lt Col Aritov

126.76.45 ( ) downgraded to Nevsky by 17th Air Army, Major of 2nd Dept Velichko

So... he was a forward air coordinator with ARMORED forces, calling down air strikes, and was himself wounded on the ground by German counterparts of his own branch!

Whoooooooooooooooooooooooooo ever expected a senior pilot to be riding around in a TANK?

[Ed_Haynes]

Thanks!

[Ed_Haynes]

The main group just arrived. Perhaps you can see why I was worried?

Some logical flow will be lost, but here goes with posting the group.

Edited December 6, 2007 by Ed_Haynes

[Ed_Haynes]

The award booklet.

[Ed_Haynes]

Closeup on photo.

[Ed_Haynes]

And the awards page.

[Ed_Haynes]

The awards are mainly familiar, but with some damage (serious on the OPW2, minor on the ORB).

The OPW2 is, however, sufficiently interesting -- I think -- to deserve its own closeup? It has had a hard life, but seems to have survived the conversion experience mostly unscathed.

[Ed_Haynes]

The Caucasus certificate, it has also had a hard life.