Soviet Major Ivan Markovich Avramenko

[Eric B]

Here, finally, is the fruit of the labors of many regarding Comrade Avramenko, the political worker. Thanks to everyone who helped! First, his order book:

[Eric B]

His awards:

[Eric B]

[Eric B]

[Eric B]

[Eric B]

The award card:

[Eric B]

Order booklet A 408030

1. Last name: Avramenko

2. Name and Patrionymic: Ivan Markovich

3. Rank: Major

4. Sex: Male

5. Birthyear: 1904

6. Birthplace: Dnepropetrovsk Oblast, city of V. Dneprovosk

7. Party Membership: since 1928

8. Education: mid-level

9. Nationality: Ukrainian

10. Service in the Red Army: 1926-1929 and 6.1941-2.1946

11. Place of service and duty position at time of awarding: 107 Rifle Corps, 60 Army, 4 Ukrainian Front ? Corps Political Section Inspector

12. Place of service and duty position at the current time: V. Dneprovsk Executive Committee, Regional Soviet of Workers Deputies - Chairman

13. Home of Record: Dnepropetrovsk Oblast, city of V. Dneprovsk, Luxemburg St.

14. Awards

Award - Serial Number - Awarder

Patriotic War II - 179.739 - 1 Guards Army dated 5.7.44

Patriotic War I - 210.569 - 60 Army dated 27.5.45

VoG Medal - none - Edict dated 9.5.45

Verified 11 September 1946

[Eric B]

Biographical information, p1:

[Eric B]

Biographical information, p2:

:

[Eric B]

And its translation:

1. Last name, name, and patrionymic: Avramenko, Ivan Markovich

2. Born: 7 February 1904, V. Dneprovsk, Dnepropetrovsk Oblast

3. Nationality: Ukrainian

4. Knowledge of foreign languages: n/a

5. Social position: office worker

6. Party membership: non-party member, expelled from party in 9.1947

7. Education: 1 Course, Teacher Seminary in 1921 in V. Dneprovsk, Deputy Political Leaders Courses at the Lenin Political Academy in Shadrinsk 2.43-7.43

8. Combat experience: SW Front JUL-DEC 1941, Voronezh Front DEC 41-FEB 43, 4 Ukrainian Front NOV 43-MAY 45

9. Wounds and shell-shock: shell-shocked twice in August and October 1942

10. Decorations: OPW I in 1945, OPW II in 6.44, and VoG Medal in 1945

11. POW or encircled information: n/a

12. Prip:

13. On record: V. Dneprovsk Regional Military Comissariat, Dnepropetrovsk Oblast

14. Promotions: Captain, Major by 1 Ukrainian Front on 22.3.44

15. Specialty: Quartermaster, 3d Category

16. Branch: #247

17. Health: reduced profile II class

18. Continued diagnosis:

19. Present employment: Chief of Textbook Process, city of V. Dneprovsk

20. Family status: married ? wife ? Evdokiya Aleseevna Perevyazko, b. 1902, son Oleg, b. 1929, son Vladislav b. 1933, son Yurii b. 1937, daughter Olga b. 1941 ? V. Dneprovsk, Bazaar Alley #4

21. Special Remarks: Military ID Ya 00209

22. Military Service

Deputy Platoon Leader, 1 Zaporozhe Cavalry Division, 1 Red Cossack Corps, 11.1926-11.1928

Released on long-term leave 23.11.1928

Assistant Regimental Commissar, 59 Reserve Rifle Regiment, 113 Rifle Brigade, 7.41-12.41

Regimental Party Bureau Inspector, 661 Artillery Regiment, 206 Rifle Division, 12.1941-2.1943

Student, Lenin Academy, 7.1943

Political Cadre Reserve, 7.1943-9.1943

Corps Political Section Inspector, 107 Rifle Corps, 4 Ukrainian Front, 9.43-10.45

Secretary of the Party Commission, 501 Artillery Brigade, 318 Guards Rifle Division (city of Mukachevo), 10.45-1.46

23. Released into the Reserves, 3 Category

[Eric B]

Citation for the OPWII:

[Eric B]

And its translation:

Award Sheet

1. Last name, name, and patrionymic: Avramenko, Ivan Markovich

2. Rank: Major

3. Duty position: Senior Instructor of the Political Section, 107 Drogobych Rifle Corps

Application for the Order of the Patriotic War II Class

4. Birthyear: 1904

5. Nationality: Russian

6. Time in the Red Army: since 1941

7. Party membership: since 1928

8. Participation in combat: since June 1941

9. Wounds or contusions: Shell-shocked twice in 1941 and 1942

10. Earlier Awards: n/a

11. Inducted by: Stanislav Regional Military Commissariat, Ukrainian SSR

12. Home of record: Verkhne-Dneprovsk, Dnepropetrovsk Oblast, New Plans, Short Street #3 ? Evdokia Alekseevna Perevyazko

Short description of personal combat feat or service

Comrade Avramenko has been in the active Red Army since the first day of the Patriotic War. He has been in the 107 Rifle Corps Political Section since October 1943.

He is a bold, courageous, and modest political worker. He has corrected earlier-identified personal shortcomings, i.e. lack of initiative, cases of selfishness, etc., however since January 1944 he has worked honestly, extending the work in instilling order in the political section?s administration and its subordinate organizations. He loves his assigned work and feels a great responsibility for it. He has repetitively accomplished important missions during the Corps? defensive and offensive fighting.

He has significantly helped the Party organizers and political workers of the 328 and 127 Rifle divisions in the organization of their political work in the fighting for Zhitomir, Proskurov, and other areas. Repeatedly under fire and risking his life, he has helped instill order and discipline among the enlisted personnel, leading discussions with communists and helping distribute Party documents.

He is fully deserving of the Order of the Patriotic War II class for courage displayed in combat and good mission accomplishment as Corps Senior Political Instructor.

Signed Chief of the Political Section, 107 Rifle Corps, Colonel Kozlov on 25 May 1944

Endorsed Commander, 107 Rifle Corps, General-Major Gord(?) on 31 May 1944

Endorsed Guards General-Colonel Grechko and Guards General-(?) in June 1944

Endorsed Commander, Chief of the Political Section, 1 Guards Army, Guards Colonel Sorokin on 25 June 1944

Endorsed Commander, 1 Guards Army, Guards General-Colonel Grechko and Member of the Military Council Guards General-Major Vasileev on 18 July 1944

Awarded Order of the Patriotic War II Class by Order of the 1 Guards Army dated 5.7.44

[Eric B]

Citation for the OPWI - note that it didn't start out that way :

[Eric B]

And its translation. Apparently it's a good thing to be in Comrade Grishaev's good graces:

Award Sheet

1. Last name, name, and patrionymic: Avramenko, Ivan Markovich

2. Rank: Major

3. Duty position: Political Section Inspector, 107 Drogobych Rifle Corps

Application for the Order of the Red Star

4. Birthyear: 1904

5. Nationality: Ukrainian

6. Time in the Red Army: since 1941

7. Party membership: since 1928

8. Participation in combat: since 1941

9. Wounds or contusions: Shell-shocked/light

10. Earlier Awards: Order of the Patriotic War II Class in 1944

11. Inducted by: Kiev Municipal Military Commissariat

12. Home of record: Verkhne-Dneprovsk, Dnepropetrovsk Oblast, Lenin Prospekt

Short description of personal combat feat or service

Comrade I.M. Avramenko has worked as the Corps Political Section Inspector, simultaneously fulfilling the duties of the Corps Party Commission Secretary. In the fierce fighting in the Carpathians and for Moravska-Ostrava he capably focused the Party political workers and communist to the accomplishment of their combat missions.

He has made great strides in strengthening discipline among the communists of the Corps? section.

He is a principled Bolshevik.

He is deserving of the Order of the Red Star.

Signed Chief of the Political Section, 107 Drogobych Rifle Corps, Colonel Kozlov on 14.5.45

Endorsed Commander, 107 Rifle Corps, General-Lieutenant Gordeev on 11 May 1945

Recommended upgrade to Order of Patriotic War I Class by Chief of the Political Section, 60 Army, General-Major Grishaev on 20 May 1945

[Eric B]

Storage, portability and presentation are all important, and I?ve settled on this method to display my researched awards. Being that almost no one who is shown these reads Russian it?s important to present information in English. As well, the historian in me likes the narrative aspect of research. But without carrying around a separate book detailing the people and actions I was at a loss as to how to present (hell, remember!), the details of the story behind the awards. So I put together a blurb about the person and his awards, taken from the research and displayed along side the awards. The frame is a Riker case, with a piece of red felt placed in the batting, and the awards placed on top of the felt (with any appropriate holes punched). The glass top is then pinned in place and holds everything in place. A title is put on the top ?spine? of the case, so they can be stored, stacked horizontally, in the safe yet be identifiable without digging through the entire collection. The net effect is something easy to store, easy to transport, relatively secure (short of someone walking off with the whole thing of course), yet attractive and (hopefully) fun to look at and read.

[Eric B]

This group bears a striking resemblance to this group. Another over awarded political soldier.

[Guest Rick Research]

Perhaps if he'd "overcome selfishness" sooner (or better) he'd have bumped up another grade OPW! (Still an extremely nice variant OPW2 is the collectors' result! )

But whoa whoa WHOA---

EXPELLED FROM THE PARTY SEPTEMBER 1947 !!!!!!

That was IT! His life was O-V-E-R.

Very interesting civilian shirt personnel file photo, too.

[Eric B]

Yes, being expelled kind of jumps out! Complete speculation, but I tend towards his flaws being mundane. Hence his length of time in service without simply being taken out and shot. Rather than a 'real' anti-social, or "wrecker", or or coward or criminal, something along the lines of just being drunk too much.

[Guest Rick Research]

"Selfish" is an odd word and presumably had some political connotation (in the way that "cosmopolitan" after the war meant "Jewish") that would have been instantly recognized by a insider reading that. So I agree.. maybe he didn't pay his rounds at the officers' club, or bummed cigarettes more often than he gave any out.

SOMEWHERE in an earlier researched group thread we saw an officer's life unravel over two automobile tires appropriated for his personal use.

[ANZAC]

Very nice set with interesting research!

Brendan

[Ed_Haynes]

SOMEWHERE in an earlier researched group thread we saw an officer's life unravel over two automobile tires appropriated for his personal use.

Yes: David Mironovich Sup'yan -- http://gmic.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=3728