Soviet Guards Sappers Major Kremnev: OPW1 & OPW2

[Guest Rick Research]

Here's my next to be researched project: ALEKSANDR IVANOVICH KREMNEV

1) Order of the Patriotic War 1st Class, Type 2 Variation One. Weapons on gold star retain full gray oxidized finish. Screw post slightly off center as viewed. Two word mint mark. Serial number 77,294.

2) Temporary Award Certificate for OPW 1st Class #77, 294 above. Certificate # B (Б )293,937 issued per order of the 39th Army on 4 July 1944 and filled in on 6 August 1944 to Major Aleksandr Ivanovich Kremnev of 32nd Engineer-Sappers Brigade. Signed by Guards Colonel ?Parkhomchuk,? Brigade Commander. From this date, award made for the June 1944 offensive from Vitebsk to Bobruisk.

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3) Order of the Patriotic War 2nd Class, Flatback reverse type. Weapons on silver star retain full gray oxidized finish. Mint mark below screw post. Serial number 743,163.

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4) Temporary Award Certificate for OPW 2nd Class #743,163 above, Certificate # Z (З ) 863,205 issued per order of Trans-Baikal Front on 23 September 1945 and filled in on 30 November 1945 to Guards Major Aleksandr Ivanovich Kremnev of 32nd Engineer-Sapper ?K?nigsberg, Red Banner, Order of Kutuzov? Brigade. Signed by Deputy Brigade Commander for Political Affairs, Lt. Col. ?Degtyarev.? From this date, award made for Manchurian offensive in August 1945. Issuance by the Brigade Commissar may indicate Kremnev was also a Political Officer.The Brigade was probably still in 39th Army, 5th Guards Rifles Corps, which went from Mukden in 1945, to Port Arthur in 1946, and was still on the Kwantung Peninsula, Chin-hsien, China in 1947.

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Sappers were combat assault engineers--clearing enemy minefields, blowing up defense line obstacles, and providing specialized flame-thrower and assault bridging battalion personnel and the like. Kremnev was either one of these battalion COs or Deputy COs, or was on the Brigade Staff. Research will reveal whether he was a political commissar or an engineer officer.

[Ed_Haynes]

Research . . . research . . . research.

Oh . . . that's your middle name . . .

[Guest Rick Research]

The OPW1

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Temporary Certificates-- bearing rank, unit, award decree date, issuing authority, and serial number-- are so "informatioally superior" to the no-data Orders Books that it is a wonder more "temporary" documents do not survive.

I wonder if these mean Kremnev did not live to turn them in (?) for an Orders Book...?

5 & 6) Medal for Victory Over Germany, with Award Booklet Document # B ( ) 13,067 issued on

29 November 1945 to Guards Major Aleksandr Ivanovich Kremnev of 32nd Engineer-Sapper

Brigade (honorific titles as above). Signed by Brigade CO Guards Colonel ?Parkhomchuk.?

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7 & 8) Medal for Capture of K?nigsberg, with Award Booklet Document # A 49,228 issued on

29 November 1945, exactly as above.

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Four documents, four awards. I'd think he also qualified for the Victory Over Japan, possibly the mongolian Victory Over Japan, and maybe even the Liberation of (North) Korea...

but only research will tell.

[Stogieman]

Impressiv Evil One?... one does not see the temporary certs. very often!

[Guest Rick Research]

I hope that research will be POSSIBLE from them, since have never tried except from Orders Books... but the serial numbers should suffice, in any case.

[NavyFCO]

I have the research in my hot little hand.

He was also awarded:

Red Banner 81085 Ukaz date 16.10.42

Nevsky 23194 Prikaz 39th Army 17.2.45

Looks like it's a split group, Rick. You had better sell it to me NOW.

Dave

[Guest Rick Research]

THAT sadly missing ORB #81,085 is a mere 67 numbers off from Colonel Agiton's "swallowtail" #81,018 bestowed on 2/2/44!

for that swallowtail, see:

http://gmic.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=5410

Now, out of all the groups I've got, most have lived to a ripe old age. (OK, OK, so it helps when I buy groups with jubilee medals up to the 1980s/90s as "clues," duh). My sole previous Bad Ending was a ruthless, nasty Commissar who came down with an accelerated case of lead poisoning in the summer of 1950-- there was a lot of that going around at the time:

whoops, it seems I haven't posted THAT one here.

[Mondvor]

I have the research in my hot little hand.

He was also awarded:

Red Banner 81085 Ukaz date 16.10.42

Nevsky 23194 Prikaz 39th Army 17.2.45

Looks like it's a split group, Rick. You had better sell it to me NOW.

Dave

That is very interesting. In according with my information, Red Banner 81085 was awarded to another person - master-sergeant Fatkin V.V. from 181st Special Scout Group, Intelligence Department of Northern Fleet. He was awarded on Jan. 15, 1944 by the Prikaz of Northern Fleet commander.

Are you sure that first digit is 8?

[Guest Rick Research]

Yes, 6 1,XXX would seem a better match to the period.

OK, BOTH of you Show Us The Cards!!!!! And is the NAVAL 81,085 a "swallowtail conversion" suspension?

C'mon Evil Dave, spill the ARC...you know "the check's in the mail!"

[Mondvor]

Yes, 6 1,XXX would seem a better match to the period.

OK, BOTH of you Show Us The Cards!!!!! And is the NAVAL 81,085 a "swallowtail conversion" suspension?

C'mon Evil Dave, spill the ARC...you know "the check's in the mail!"

Rick, I don't have a card for RB 81085, but it has been listed in official catalogue or Red Army Museum in Moscow. Here is a description from the catalogue. You can see that it was awarded for Sep-Dec 1943 actions and was presented to recipient on Jan. 18, 1944. It is 100% "swallowtail" specimen.

Орден ?Красное Знамя? № 81085 старшины 2 и статьи Фатькина В.В. ? бойца 181-го особого разведывательного отряда разведотдела штаба Северного флота.

Награжден приказом командующего Северным флотом № 02 от 15 января 1944 г. за мужество и отвагу, проявленные в боевых разведывательных операциях отряда с конца сентября по декабрь 1943 г. Орден вручен 18 января 1944 г. на Северном флоте. Поступил в музей от Леонова В. И. в 1963 г. Инв. № 6/7238.

[NavyFCO]

Guys - I didn't see this thread last night, otherwise I would have checked the AC (since I still haven't gotten an envelope for them yet to send it all to Rick) I remember looking at the citation last night though, as the s/n is close to Agiton, and the action is close to another one of the groups I used to own (Kvasha) both were for fighting in the Crimea. I was rather surprised to see that his s/n was only a few numbers off, even though it was (as far as I can read) awarded for actions completely different than those for the other two guys. I'll make scans of what I have when I get back home this afternoon.

Dave

[Guest Rick Research]

RESEARCH ARRIVED TODAY!!!!!

First up, here is indeed wartime confirmation that Red Banner number 81,085 was bestowed on Kremnev 12 October 1942, with Temporary Certificate Number 336332:

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... though the vague comment about illegibility might refer to EITHER the actual number on the Order OR the Temporary Certificate. I will not put this number in the data base due to the uncertainty.

[Guest Rick Research]

A Lieutenant at 19... and DEAD before his 25th birthday! In addition to the two Patriotic Wars, Guards Major-- a rank he achieved 29 days after his 22nd birthday-- Kremnev also received an Order of Aleksandr Nevsky, number 23,194 on 17 February 1945.

Here he is, having graduated top of his class at the Leningrad Red Banner Military-Engineering School "in the name of Comr. A. A. Zhdanov" in February 1940:

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And though it is a side effect of age to think the young look implausibly young, Kremnev actually WAS only 19.

[Guest Rick Research]

Aleksandr Ivanovich Kremnev was born in the village of Sakha, Rybinsky Raion, Yaroslavska Oblast on 3 August 1921:

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and just for Ed, a sneak peak ahead of the story at the awful, ironic fate that befell him (yes, I can and have read it! )

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[Mondvor]

Rick, this is not a confirmation. It's more like refutation...

Right after order's number you can see the symbol of two "waves" - ~. I don't know if you use same symbol in English, but in Russian it means "approximately". And after this "wave" symbol there is Russian word "НЕРАЗБОРЧИВО". That means illegible or indecipherable.

[Guest Rick Research]

Thanks, I did not know that! I will leave the number off of HIS research.

Citation for his Order of the Patriotic War 1st Class, above:

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Short version: 22 year old Guards major Kremnev, commanding 230th Engineer Sapper Battalion in 32nd Engineer Sapper Brigade

was responsible for clearing and passing through MINEFIELDS

on the Voron-Vitebsk highway clearing 3,500 anti-tank mines, 1,500 anti-personnel mines, 5,000 vilas of combustible material and repaired 35 bridges.

[NavyFCO]

Rick, this is not a confirmation. It's more like refutation...

Right after order's number you can see the symbol of two "waves" - ~. I don't know if you use same symbol in English, but in Russian it means "approximately". And after this "wave" symbol there is Russian word "НЕРАЗБОРЧИВО". That means illegible or indecipherable.

Which would then make sense that it could have been a 6XXXX range number, given the date as was speculated previously. Aha! (I am, young Jedi, now all the wiser....)

Dave

[Mondvor]

Which would then make sense that it could have been a 6XXXX range number, given the date as was speculated previously. Aha! (I am, young Jedi, now all the wiser....)

Dave

Well, it could be even 3XXXX range number. Sometimes 3 in sloppy handwriting looks almost like 8. And the date is perfectly matching. Many 31 - 33.000 were awarded in september-october 1942.

[Guest Rick Research]

Patriotic War 2nd Class for clearing the way into Mongolia:

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This was downgraded from a Suvorov 3rd Class!!!

The unit dug 50 5 meter wells across the desert, clearing a variety (carefully specified) of mines off the Khaylar-Solun'sky railway, and clearing paths for tanks.

[Guest Rick Research]

And here are Kremnev's individual Award Record Cards, confirming serial numbers and the Temporary Certificate numbers.

OPW1

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[Guest Rick Research]

OPW2:

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Now, out of all my researched groups, this is the only one with Temporary Certificates rather than an Orders Book.

NOT coincidentally--- ??? --- this now turns out to be the ONLY group I have to a DEAD officer.

Is THAT the reason why ALL Temporary Certificates that are out there, ARE out there?

Does "Temporary Certificate = Dead?"

[Guest Rick Research]

Because....

On 15 March 1946 24 year old Guards Major Aleksandr Ivanovich Kremnev left his wartime command to take over the 203rd Engineer Sapper Battalion, still within the same brigade under 39th Army in the Port Arthur region, and

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having survived years of vanguard assault duty, doing the most dangerous job in combat engineering...

Kremnev's file ends on the laconic comment above:

"Died 25.3.46 from poison liquid."

Cleaning up after the Japanese biological and chemical warfare concentration camp program?

[Gerd Becker]

VERY interesting

Researching these awards is a great way to learn about the soviet habits and regulations.

[Ed_Haynes]

Fascinating tale and intriguing theory on temporary documents.

[Kev in Deva]

Having survived years of vanguard assault duty, doing the most dangerous job in combat engineering...

Kremnev's file ends on the laconic comment above:

"Died 25.3.46 from poison liquid."

Cleaning up after the Japanese biological and chemical warfare concentration camp program?

Hallo Rick Or maybe from drinking industrial strength Alcohol

Kevin in Deva