Soviet Smersh Captain Tseplyayev

[Ferdinand]

These two Red Stars and their order booklet once belonged to Georgy Danilovich Tseplyayev. A Red Banner, OPW2, numbered MMM, Defense of Leningrad Medal, and Victory over Germany Medal are missing from the group.

I'm still working on the English translation of the research, but in the meantime here's the hardware:

And the reverses. You can easily see the differences between the early star (#474004) with flat and sharp edges and the later star (2750750) with flared and smooth edges:

Edited July 28, 2010 by Ferdinand

[Ferdinand]

And the booklet, with picture:

And the inside. It lists Red Star #474007, OPW2 #125154, MMM #1615402, Red Star #2750750, and Red Banner #313466. The privileges started in November 1944 and the booklet was filled in on 19 December 1945:

[Ferdinand]

Here's a close-up of the picture. He's a Major in this 1945 picture:

And his service record picture from a couple of years later:

Translations of the archive documents will follow. :cheers:

[Ferdinand]

Record card

Order booklet nr. 420202

1. Last name: Tseplyayev

2. First name and patronymic: Georgy Danilovich

3. Military rank: Major

4. Sex: Male

5. Year of birth: 1911

6. Place of birth: Novosibirsk Oblast, Tatarsk Raion

7. Party membership (since which year): Since 1932 member of the VKP(b)

8. Education: Secondary, not finished

9. Nationality: Russian

10. Since which year in the Red Army: Since 1931

11. Place of service (name of unit) and duty position at the time of the awarding: Counterintelligence section "Smersh" - Group head

12. Current Place of service and duty position: Counterintelligence department "Smersh", West Siberian Military District - Section head

13. Home address of the awardee: City of Novosibirsk, 73 Maksim Gorky Street, apartment nr. 20

14. Record of all awards presented:

- Order of the Red Star #474007, certificate nr. 976667, by Order of the 67th Army nr. 0230/N of 4 May 1944

- Order of the Patriotic War 2nd Class #125754, certificate nr. V-767785, by Order of the 67th Army nr. 0541/N of 22 October 1944

- Combat Merits Medal #1615402, certificate nr. 037006, by Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of 3 November 1944

- Defense of Leningrad Medal, certificate nr. A-25734, by Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of 22 December 1942

Signature of the awardee: [signature]

I confirm the correctness of the data and the signature of the awardee: Chief of the 3rd section of the personnel department of the West Siberian Military District

Major of Administrative Service [signature] /Pavlov/

18 December 1945

Edited July 30, 2010 by Ferdinand

[Ferdinand]

Record card

Order booklet nr. 420202

1. Last name: Tseplyayev

2. First name and patronymic: Georgy Danilovich

3. Military rank: Major

4. Sex: Male

5. Year of birth: 1911

6. Place of birth: Village of Novo-Mikhailivka, Tatarsk Raion, Novosibirsk Oblast

7. Party membership (since which year): Member of the VKP(b) since 1932

8. Education: Elementary

9. Nationality: Russian

10. Since which year in the Red Army: From 1931 to 1933

11. Place of service (name of unit) and duty position at the time of the awarding: Chief of the MVD section of the Ordynskoye Raion, Novosibirsk Oblast

12. Current Place of service and duty position: Chief of the MVD section of the Ordynskoye Raion, Novosibirsk Oblast

13. Home address of the awardee: Village of Ordynskoye, Novosibirsk Oblast

14. Record of all awards presented:

- Order of the Red Star #474007, order booklet nr. 420202, by Order of 11 March 1944

- Order of the Patriotic War 2nd Class #125754, order booklet nr. 420202, by Order of 22 October 1944

- Combat Merits Medal #1615402, order booklet nr. 420202, by Decree of 3 November 1944

- Order of the Red Star #2750750, order booklet nr. 420202, by Order of 21 May 1947

Signature of the awardee: [signature]

I confirm the correctness of the data and the signature of the awardee: Deputy chief of the [?] [?]

[signature] /Starkov/

28 July 1947

Edited July 30, 2010 by Ferdinand

[Ferdinand]

[Ferdinand]

Award sheet

Last name, first name and patronymic: Tseplyayev, Georgy Danilovich

Military rank: Captain

Duty position, unit: Chief of the 2nd group of the counterintelligence section "Smersh" of the 67th Army

Recommended for: Order of the Red Star

1. Year of birth: 1911

2. Nationality: Russian

3. Since when in the Red Army: Since 1931; with the NKVD since 1933

4. Party membership: Member of the VKP(b) since 1932

5. Participation in combat (where and when): Near Sinyavino during the breakthrough of the Leningrad blockade and near the stations Mga and Krasnyi Gor

6. Suffered wounds or contusions: One minor wound

7. Which earlier awards (for which merits): Medal for the Defense of Leningrad

8. Drafted by which military commissariat of a raion: Personnel section of the Special Department of the Leningrad Front NKVD

9. Permanent home address of the recommendee or his family: City of Leningrad, 4 Volodarsky Prospekt

Short, concrete description of personal combat feat or merits:

Since the beginning of the Patriotic War comrade Tseplyayev serves with the Leningrad Front. He repeatedly participated in combat and was wounded on his head.

Working as a group head, comrade Tseplyayev showed himself an honest and accurate worker, that knows the Chekist work well. Capably leading the apparatus of the group, comrade Tseplyayev personally unmasked a German spy.

In the period February-March the operational personnel of the group under his personal command unmasked three German intelligence agents, five traitors and betrayers towards the motherland, and an anti-Soviet element, and brought them before the military tribunal.

Furthermore he apprehended at the end of March and armed group of six deserters.

By systematically going to the objects that were maintained by the operational personnel, he provided them practical assistance in organizing their operational work with the objects.

Capably leading the operational personnel of the group in unmasking counter-revolutionary elements in the enemy rear areas, comrade Tseplyayev achieved good results in cleaning the army's rear of unreliable elements within the military personnel.

In March and April of this year the operational personnel of the group, led by comrade Tseplyayev, discovered the disorderly behaviour, chaos at work and the decommissioning of transport vehicles by the senior personnel of the 60th Automobile Battalion and Sorting Evacuation Hospital 262, whose management was relieved of its duty by the command of the 67th Army.

Comrade Tseplyayev deserves the Order of the Red Star.

Deputy commander of the rear of the 67th Army

Major General [signature] /Pukanov/

28 April 1944

[Ferdinand]

There was no citation for the second Red Star, most probably because it was awarded for 15 years of service (in the MVD).

So, over to the service record:

Edited July 28, 2010 by Ferdinand

[Ferdinand]

[Ferdinand]

Some information from the service record:

He was promoted to Junior Lieutenant of State Security by an NKVD order of 6 March 1944, Major by an NKVD order of 27 August 1944 and Lieutenant Colonel by an MVD order of 26 October 1951.

Neither of his record cards mention the Red Banner the order booklet does, but the service record does list it as a 1952 award. He finished the University of Marxism and Leninism in 1953. When the service record was written up, he didn't work because he was an invalid of the 2nd category. He was married to Tatyana Tseplyayeva and they had three children: daughter Margarita in 1931, son Stanislav in 1939 and daughter Tatyana in 1950.

His assignments between December 1933 and February 1955 are summarized as "serving with the MVD and the police". He was transferred to the reserves on 9 March 1955.

[Ferdinand]

And finally especially for Bill a nice scan of the first Red Star:

Edited July 28, 2010 by Ferdinand

[Alfred]

In the period February-March the operational personnel of the group under his personal command unmasked three German intelligence agents, five traitors and betrayers towards the motherland, and an anti-Soviet element, and brought them before the military tribunal

Nice citation. "If you read these citations you can come to the conclusion the whole Red Army was filtrated by german spy´s."

best regards

Andreas

[Bill Garvy]

Thank you, Ferdinand; an outstanding group!

The years had not been kind to Comrade Tseplyayev. . .

Edited July 29, 2010 by Bill Garvy

[Paul R]

That is an outstanding grouping. This must have been the guy behind the bright light asking(or pounding) the questions out of captured suspects. I bet that he was a truly feared man.

[Wild Card]

A very interesting group.

Congratulations and thank you for sharing.

Wild Card

[Ferdinand]

Thanks!

It seems I attract NKVD / MVD / Smersh awards, this is already my fifth award to a member of one of these organizations! :whistle: