Soviet Civil occupation of GPW-veteran

[Christian Zulus]

Civil job of GPW-veteran before and after military service

Gentlemen,

I need some translation advice - my Russian is too bad (almost nonexisting) and my Russian dictionary isn't a great help either in finding jobs.

I am interested to find out the occupation of Sgt. Gnitienko, full cavalier of the Order of Glory http://gmic.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=5536 , before and after his military service during the GPW.

Years ago, someone translated for me, that Gnitienko worked before his military service as a road-construction worker and after the GPW in a steel foundry.

Is it possible, that it is written in his biography, that he had been a crane-operator in a steel foundry ?

That is Sgt. Gnitienko's biography from the reference book "Cavaliers of All Three Classes of the Order of Glory":

Many, many thanks for your translation help in advance .

Best regards

Christian

[Ferdinand]

Hi Christian,

Literally he was a "brigadier of a railroads repair brigade" before the war. After the war he worked as a "crane operator at a fuel depot".

Hope this helps,

Auke

[Christian Zulus]

Dear Auke,

many, many thanks - your translation really helped .

That's really "homogeneous" in Gnitienko's biography:

He worked as a brigadier (= foreman) leading a railroad repair brigade before entering active service in the GPW. I guess, that Gnitienko & his team repaired the ruined tracks, which left the Germans rather destroyed during their withdrawl at the Eastern Front (he joined in november 1943 the Red Army).

During his GPW-duty Gnitienko was Sergeant and a section leader (= almost the same position as a brigadier in civil life, leading a small group of comrades) in a machine-gun company.

After the war (1945) he got - maybe due to his 3 Orders of Glory (3cl, 2cl + another 2cl) - the better paid job of a crane operator at a fuel depot (such jobs are rather well paid in the West and I guess, also in the East). He moved from Polatva to Charkov.

Best regards

Christian

Hi Christian,

Literally he was a "brigadier of a railroads repair brigade" before the war. After the war he worked as a "crane operator at a fuel depot".

Hope this helps,

Auke