Soviet Guards Private David Samuilovich Lezhava

[Eric B]

This is a group that was almost not researched. Well, not really; I?d bought it with research in mind, even with the questions it raised. Still, when it came to it I didn?t know whether it would be worth it.

The first issue is the order book. Dated 1964, with very faint stamps (barely visible in the photo; they are clearer when seen in person), it?s not your standard wartime award book. I?d never seen a ?catch up? award, so couldn?t evaluate if this was such.

Second was the MMM; it ?shouldn?t? have an s/n according to Mondvor. It?s a late issue medal, which would make sense for the booklet, but there?s that odd looking s/n.

Third was the K?nigsberg document. It was dated 1947. The veteran had it, but not his earlier awards and booklet?

Still, except for the MMM s/n the awards themselves looked fine. As well the gentleman I bought it from is a paragon; if there was any problem with it I knew I could return it. He had purchased it from a trustworthy source, and had no reason to think it faked or ?enhanced?. So I picked it up, and submitted it for research. Here?s the result.

[Eric B]

The group

[Eric B]

The Com? er, Military Merit Medal

[Eric B]

The OG III

[Eric B]

The K?nigsberg Medal & Doc

[Eric B]

The Order Book

[Eric B]

The Award Card

[Eric B]

1. Award card

Order booklet D 731968

1. Last name: Lezhava

2. Name and Patrionymic: David Samuilovich

3. Rank: Private

4. Sex: Male

5. Birthyear: 1925

6. Birthplace: Tbilisi

7. Party Membership: n/a

8. Education: mid-level technical school

9. Nationality: Georgian

10. Service in the Red Army: 8.1943-4.1946

11. Place of service and duty position at time of awarding: Senior Telephone Operator ? 157 Mortar Regiment, 44 Mortar Brigade

12. Place of service and duty position at the current time: city of Tskhaltubo, Mezhkolkhozstroi ? collective farm worker

13. Home of Record: Tbilisi, Borzhomi St. #2

14. Awards

Award / Serial Number / Awarder

Combat Service Mdl / 1.786.433 / 153(sic?) Mortar Regiment dated 30.10.44

Glory III / 718.903 / 10 Artillery Division dated 4.4.45

Verified 5 May 1964

[Eric B]

The MMM citation

[Eric B]

2. Award Citation for Combat Service Medal

5. Senior Telephone Operator 5 Battery, Private David Samushovich(sic) Lezhava who under enemy artillery fire repaired eight breaks in a telephone line.

B. 1925, Georgian, non-party member, inducted in 1943 by Stalin Regional Military Commissariat ? Tbilisi, home of record: Tbilisi, Plekhanov St. #175

Signed Commander, 157 Mortar Regiment, Lieutenant Colonel Asatiani and Chief of Staff, Major Kostenko

[Eric B]

The OG III citation

[Eric B]

Award Citation for Order of Glory III Class

Award Sheet

1. Last name, name, and patrionymic: Lezhava, David Samuilovich

2. Rank: Guards Private

3. Duty position: Senior Telephone Operator, 157 Mortar Regiment, 44 Mortar Brigade, 10 Artillery Divison, RGK

Application for the Order of Glory III Class

4. Birthyear: 1925

5. Nationality: Georgian

6. Time in the Red Army: since 23 September 1941

7. Party membership: Comsomol in 1944

8. Participation in combat: since 10 October 1944 on the 3 Belorussian Front

9. Wounds or contusions: wounded 18.2.45

10. Earlier Awards: Combat Service Medal

11. Inducted by: Stalin Regional Military Commissariat, Tbilisi

12. Home of record: Georgian SSR, Tbilisi, Plekhanov #175. Mother ? Ketavale Yakovlevna

Short description of personal combat feat or service

During fighting in East Prussian he has proven himself a bold and valorous communicator.

On 18 February of this year near Welau while under heavy artillery, mortar and small-arms fire, in the course of one day he repaired 30 telephone line breaks and during this, was wounded by shrapnel. Comrade Lezhava bandaged himself and did not leave the battlefield, continuing to accomplish his combat mission.

He is deserving of the Order of Glory III Class.

Signed Commander, 157 Mortar Regiment, Lieutenant Colonel Asatiani on 11 March 1945

Endorsed Brigade Commander, Colonel Petrushko on 15 March 1945

Endorsed Commander, 10 Breakthrough Artillery Division, RGK Guards Colonel (?) on 27 March 1945

[Eric B]

Interesting things about the research. First and foremost it appears the 1964 booklet is valid. For some reason it took about 20 years for Lezhava to get his awards squared away. (?)

In the detail Lezhava was Georgian (which jibes with the story of its purchase, in Georgia from a Georgian family), apparently drafted immediately when he came of age at 18. He became a Comsomol while in the army. He was assigned to a ?Breakthrough? artillery division, the big guns and typically in Army, Front or even STAVKA reserve, they were used to pulverize the defenses before major attacks. (Artillery divisions were an innovation of the Soviets.) Welau (aka ?Wehlau,? present day ?Znamensk??) is about 50km east of K?nigsberg on the Pregel River and Masurian Canal. It was fortified, part of a defense line in East Prussia on the approach to K?nigsberg. So it makes sense the 10th was brought into play.

There?s an obvious mistake ? his ?time in the army? is given as from 1941, ie, when he was 16, while his Award Card references 1943. The Award Card must the truth. Another, perhaps, mistake: he is referenced as a ?Guards Private? in the OG citation, though the 10th wasn?t a Guards unit from what I?ve read. Still, I like to think that he was given the honorific (and have a guards badge to display with the group!) And though he won the OG he wasn?t a stormer-of-trenches, instead he was ?just? a telephone operator / lineman.

Anyway, even with the research I still have two questions.

1) These aren?t ?catch up? awards. The citations are from the 40s. Yet no paperwork was done till the 60s. Or was there (probably) some prior paperwork superceded by the 1964 work?

2) The MMM is a late issue, yet with a stamped s/n. Since it seems that the Order Book is legitimate, backed up by the archives (which one would assume a forger wouldn?t have access to when creating an Order Book entry), does this indicate that the MMM was legitimately stamped with the s/n? But the s/n is in the range of Nov, 1944, before this version of the MMM was produced. Was there (probably) an original issued, and is this a replacement?

[Guest Rick Research]

I don't understand what you mean about the Military Merit Medal being in any way odd. That's a standard in-range straight hilt type, nothing strange about it.

He must have ACTUALLY received that MMM at the time it was awarded. He would have either had a Temporary Certificate for it, or had a Medals Book issued for it. Then when he got his long delayed OG3 in 1964, it was added in on THAT Book.

It is VERY interesting to see how the late awards of the OG3 slowed down. From the verified dated serial numbers list posted here, 713,759 was issued 21 August 1958. Yet almost 6 years later, your fellow's number was only up about 5,000 numbers.

The only "D" edition (printed 1957) Orders Book I have seen before yours was for an award made in 1966. It's a very unusual edition Orders Book to find.

[Eric B]

It?s not the hilt that tipped me off, it is the suspension ring. It?s part of the medal shaped into a circle, not soldered on, and from the Mondvor site (and the Red Bible, iirc) it?s a post war version. Could be wrong, of course. In fact, being wrong would make perfect sense in this case!

[Lapa]

It's not the hilt that tipped me off, it is the suspension ring. It's part of the medal shaped into a circle, not soldered on, and from the Mondvor site (and the Red Bible, iirc) it's a post war version. Could be wrong, of course. In fact, being wrong would make perfect sense in this case!

Eric,

You are right, this type of medal was usually issued unnumbered. In this case, it was a catch up issue for a medal that was awarded during WW2. In other words, this is a legitimate duplicate issue.

Marc

[Eric B]

Thanks Rick and Marc, word is always appreciated.

It just struck me the number of steps involved in this pursuit. From the initial looking and purchase, identifying and cataloging the pieces and paper, getting research, translation, looking up unit histories and geography, displaying... and at each step potentially bouncing ideas off others. The time and energy spent on one little group can be more than one would think. Fun stuff.