Soviet Red Star to a mess hall Major

[Ferdinand]

This Red Star was awarded to Major Kuzma Avraamovich Zhivotchenko, the assistent commander for supplies of an independent liaison to the government brigade of the NKVD.

Interestingly, the award sheet mentions that he served during the Civil War, fighting Yudenich, Denikin and Petlyura.

First of all, the award itself...

[Ferdinand]

Record card, obverse:

Edited October 30, 2009 by Ferdinand

[Ferdinand]

Reverse and translation:

Translation:

Order booklet nr. 373563

1. Last name: Zhivotchenko

2. First name and patronymic: Kuzma Avraamovich

3. Military rank: Major

4. Sex: Male

5. Year of birth: 1897

6. Place of birth: Kharkov Oblast, Staroverovo Raion, village of Karavan

7. Party membership: VKP(b) member since 1921

8. Education: Elementary

9. Nationality: Ukrainian

10. In the Red Army since: Since 1919

11. Place of service (name of the unit) and duty position at the time of the awarding: Assistant commander for materiel supplying of the 9th Independent Szczecin Order of the Red Star Liaison to the Government Brigade of the NKVD

12. Current place of service and duty position: Assistant commander for materiel supplying of the 9th Independent Szczecin Order of the Red Star Liaison to the Government Brigade of the NKVD

13. Home address of awardee: Kostanai Oblast, Toguzak Station, village of Komsomolets, nr. 11, apartment 27

14. Record of all awards presented:

- Order of the Red Star, nr. 905668, temporary certificate nr. G-478649, by Order of the 2nd Belorussian Front nr. 0549 of 15 December 1944

- Order of Lenin, nr. 36607, temporary certificate nr. 167758, by Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of 12 May 1945

- Order of the Red Banner, nr. 224800, temporary certificate nr. 167759, by Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of 15 January 1945

- Medal for 20 years of RKKA, unnumbered, certificate nr. 023410, by Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of 22 February 1938

- Medal for the Defense of Stalingrad, unnumbered, certificate nr. F-29825, by Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of 22 December 1942

- Medal for the Victory over Germany, unnumbered, certificate nr. B-00051223, by Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of 9 May 1945

Signature of the awardee [signature]

Commander of the 9th Independent Szczecin Order of the Red Star Liaison to the Government Brigade of the NKVD

Colonel [signature] /Volodkevich/

29 January 1946

Edited October 31, 2009 by Ferdinand

[Ferdinand]

Award sheet, obverse:

[Ferdinand]

Lower part:

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Reverse:

Edited October 30, 2009 by Ferdinand

[Ferdinand]

And:

Translation:

1. Last name, patronymic and first name: Zhivotchenko, Kuzma Avraamovich

2. Military rank: Major

3. Duty position, unit: Assistant commander for supplies of the 9th Independent Order of the Red Star Regiment of Government Signals of the NKVD

Recommended for: Order of the Patriotic War 2nd Class

4. Year of birth: 1897

5. Nationality: Ukrainian

6. Party membership: VKP(b) member since 1921

Participation in the Civil War, the subsequent combat actions for the defense of the USSR, and the Patriotic War (where and when): In the Civil War against Yudenich, Denikin and Petlyura from 1919-1920. In the Patriotic War with the Southern, Stalingrad, 2nd Ukrainian and 2nd Belorussian Front since June 1941

8. Wounds or contusions suffered in the Patriotic War: No

9. In the Red Army since: Since 1919

10. Drafted by which RVK: Voluntarily attended two commander’s courses in Kharkov for red commanders

11. Which earlier awards: Medal for 20 years of RKKA by Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of 22 February 1938

12. Permanent home address of recommendee and the address of his family: Kostanai Oblast, Toguzak Station, village of Komsomolets, house 53, apartment 27. Wife: Olga Petrovna Zhivotchenko

Short, concrete description of personal combat feat or merits:

In the period that he was working as assistant commander of the regiment for supplies, he managed to reorganise the activities of the economic apparatus of the regiment within a short period of time. Without considering his personal time and leisure, he tirelessly exercises supervision over the supplying of goods and the nutrition of personnel. During the period that comrade Zhivotchenko served in the regiment, the food in the mess hall has improved substantially because of the skillful use of products and the correct arrangement of the personnel. He carefully responds to all inquiries of regimental personnel and as a result, the regimental personnel staff is healthy, vigorous and able to carry out any assigned task.

He pays much attention to managing the activities of the subordinated units. In the Patriotic War he repeatedly participated in combat with the German occupiers with the Southern Front near Korytno and Uman.

For skillfully leading his units concerning supplying the regiment by all kinds of provisions, as a result of which the regiment has not had a single irregularity in provision, he deserves the governmental award “Order of the Patriotic War 2nd Class”.

Commander of the 9th Independent Order of the Red Star Liaison to the Government Regiment of the NKVD

Colonel [signature] /Volodkevich/

25 October 1944

I recommend comrade Zhivotchenko for the governmental award “Order of the Patriotic War 2nd Class”.

Chief of the liaison to the government section of the NKVD of the 2nd Belorussian Front

Colonel [signature] /Khomyak[?]/

7 November 1944

By Order of the 2nd Belorussian Front nr. 0549 of 15 December 1944 awarded the Order of the Red Star

[?] [?] personnel section of the 2nd Belorussian Front

Captain [signature] /U[?]in/

Edited October 31, 2009 by Ferdinand

[Ferdinand]

Service record:

[Ferdinand]

And:

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And:

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And:

[Ferdinand]

And:

[Ferdinand]

And the last one, a close-up of our Major. He look like he is 80 years old, but I guess this picture was taken in the late 40s or early 50s, so he is actually in his early fifties.

[Guest Rick Research]

:Cat-Scratch: A scrawny supply officer!!!

Well, nobody could accuse HIM of eating the men's rations!!! (Contrast him with Major Mekh )

Note that, for whatever weird omission, he received his long service Red Banner only on 15 January 1945, not in the mass Ukaz of 3 November 1944! (???)

Also, "liaison to the government brigade" is not correct. What it actually says--and is most clearly written on the citation, not his Awards Record Card-- is "...of 9th Section 'Order of the Red Star' (honorific 'Stettinsky' added later obviously)Brigade of Government Signals (Pravitel'stvo Svyazhi) of the NKVD."

Svyazhi is signals in this military context. "Government" is a bit awkward and must have meant CLASSIFIED signals rather than "normal" communications.

As an "Old Chekhist," I'm amazed he didn't fall victim to the Great Purge. ESPECIALLY since he was for many long years there in Border Guards units in "obvious" contact with Suspicious Foreigners!!! But not a hiccup in his service time!!!

As for his ancient appearance-- the record gives only birth YEAR-- 1897, no month or date. He was Major 15.11.41 and retired per Section 46 (age/rank) on 19 April 1947-- so this decrepit old man was 49 or 50!

Great research!!! :cheers:

[Ferdinand]

Thanks for your input Rick. Your comments are always really appreciated. I also had to think about Mekh when translating Zhivotchenko's documents. Mekh's citation was horrible, but also unique in its own way.

Also, I think Zhivotchenko's Red Banner is actually a 'real' award, while his Lenin is for long service, since he joined the Red Army in 1919. Interestingly, according to Echoes of War, Order of Lenin #36605 (two (!) numbers lower) was awarded for long service to Marshal Rokossovsky on 21 February 1945. :catjava:

[Ferdinand]

And since the Red Star was awarded at front level (probably because the regiment was an independent one, subordinated more or less directly to the front), the prikaz has the signature of Marshal Rokossovsky: