Soviet Lev Gerasimovich Sedin

[RedMaestro]

Hi All,

Now presenting research for MMM #292,895 to Lev Gerasimovich Sedin (thanks Marco ). Any commentary or help translating is very much appreciated!

Thanks!

-Alex

first, the medal

[RedMaestro]

ARC

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page 2

[RedMaestro]

more

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citation

[RedMaestro]

Closeup

Thanks in advance!

-Alex

[Guest Rick Research]

From ARC: Lieutenant Colonel born 1908 in St. Medvedovskaya, Timatshevy Raion, Krasnodarsky Krai. Communist Party member since 1932. Lower ediucation, Russian. In Red Army November 1930 to January 1956

Decorated as Commander of 2nd Department of the Hydrographic Administration of the "VMS."

Currently (15.02.57) not working, residing at 82/I Pashkovskaya Ulitsa, city of Krasnodar.

MMM 292,875 14.06.43 per decree of 3rd Air Army

OPW 1st 75,353 03.08.44 per decree of 3rd Air Army

MMM 1,590, 347 02.11.44 long service

Red Star 1,956,823 06.11.45 long service

Red Banner 344,809 15.11.50 long service

Lenin 321,822 30.12.56 (!!!) long service

Medals for Capture of Königsberg, Victory Over Germany, 1948 Armed Forces Jubilee.

First list is a mass bestowal of awards from 3rd Air Army with him as number 3 at bottom--

Captain, Regimental Navigator 5th Independent Mixed Trainer-Training (Smeshannogo Uchebno-Trenirovochnogo) Aviation Regiment

the actual citation below says on staff of the Kalinin Front air forces since 23.02.42, not wounded.

The text (it's late and my eye can't take the strain of poor lighting here at my computer to adequately wade through all this) is a listing of VAST amounts of non-combat flights (212 at night) by year and number of pilots trained, in a number of different units-- first shown was 684th B(omber?) A(viation) R(egiment) then to the unit above abbreviated as "5th O.S.U.T.A.P." in Russian-- 2,510 aircraft flights on march routes and on special assignments with flying time of 3,166 hours and 11 minutes (!) of which in 1942, 775... and so on.

Although never in combat then, the flying time shown is staggering and surely would have gotten hima Patriotic War later in the war.

[RedMaestro]

Thanks a bunch, Rick!

It's interesting that even though he spent 1,000 hours more in the air than Major Didusenko he only received a Merit Medal whereas the Major was awarded an Order of Lenin (1955) for his flying time. I wonder how that happened. Is that another example of award devaluation or proof that Didusenko did something special? How does this award/citation compare with others for flight time?

Thanks again

-Alex

[Guest Rick Research]

Stark award devaluation--or inflation--by war's end. Reading this, I'd have said "1945 OPW 1st Class."

1942 Red Star = 1945 Red Banner and so on.

Your Captain was grossly under-rewarded here--

but who'd have ever known that without the research? :cheers: