Soviet Private Nikolai Gavrilovich Zherebtsov

[Ed_Haynes]

Private Nikolai Gavrilovich Zherebtsov, 100th Cavalry Regiment

Just a single Glory III, #710249

Edited December 8, 2007 by Ed_Haynes

[Ed_Haynes]

Undocumented, but researched. Though the research is only incompletely translated.

Record card 1.

[Ed_Haynes]

Reverse.

The Glory was a late 1958 award with no noted companions.

Details untranslated

[Ed_Haynes]

Glory recommendation (though not originally a Glory!), part 1.

[Ed_Haynes]

Part 2.

[Ed_Haynes]

And the recommendation gets reshaped by the bosses . . .

[Ed_Haynes]

. . . and.

[Ed_Haynes]

The "core" of the recommendation has been translated.

[Ed_Haynes]

Not quite my image of what happened to POWs upon "liberation". (Thank you Al -- not Jon -- Stewart!)

Thouigh there does seem to be a ten-year "gap"?

Other wisdom, please . . . ???

Edited December 8, 2007 by Ed_Haynes

[Ferdinand]

Hi Ed,

His rank is Private. He was a 'former cavalryman' in the 100th Cavalry Regiment, Leningrad Front. He was born in 1913, was of Russian nationality and had primary education. He served in the Red Army from 21 May 1935 to 25 September 1937 and from 15 July 1941 to 5 April 1945. On 14 August 1941 he was heavily wounded by granate shell fragments on the left part of his breast, both feet and his left buttock.

He was recommended for a Medal for Military Merit but was awarded a Glory 3, S/N 710249, Order Booklet nr. D-789223 per decree of 27 January 1958.

[Ed_Haynes]

Thanks!

[Guest Rick Research]

The delay was, it must be, an indication of the Khruschev thaw following the "secret speech" of 1956.

One thing that strikes me with the couple like this that we've seen is that the civilian job references sound and would have been much more appropriately rewarded by the existing LABOR merit medals.

Being a conscientious carburetor adjuster had zip to do with a war record suddenly unstigmatized.

Another odd thing with several of these that we have seen is that the OTHER stereotype we all have of

No Prisoners Taken

obviously did not universally apply.

Zherbetsov was obviously in no condition to be moved, yet he was taken back, medically tended, transported to Germany and... having miraculously survived all that-- actually lived for the next 3 1/2 years under Nazi captivity.

A bullet, rifle butt to the head, or simply being... left to die... are what we "expect" to hear about.

Thirdly-- look at the 1967-69 "jubilee" era awards we've seen, basically for the exact same thing-- late war wound rewards.

All things considered, the ones who got warm Khruschev decorations did not make out anywhere near as well as they got from cold Brezhnev!

[Ed_Haynes]

The picture I'm getting (and I have posted a few other similar awards that have escaped notice and have a few more POW awards to go) is that

-- nothing was done until post-1956

-- there will usually be a few years "missing" from the resume

-- a wound (verfified with care postwar by the proper governmental bodies) is needed

-- going on to become a good worker and equally good communist in your postwar (and post-reeducation) life is a necessary credential

Edited December 9, 2007 by Ed_Haynes