Soviet Guards Sappers Major Kremnev: OPW1 & OPW2

[Guest Rick Research]

Yes, there is also that possibility.

[NavyFCO]

Does "Temporary Certificate = Dead?"

From Mr. Posthumous:

No.

I've owned several groups with temporary documents that, for whatever reason, were not turned in when the award book was issued to veterans with jubilee medals, etc...

Sincerely,

Mr. Posthumous

Edited May 26, 2006 by NavyFCO

[Mondvor]

From Mr. Posthumous:

No.

I've owned several groups with temporary documents that, for whatever reason, were not turned in when the award book was issued to veterans with jubilee medals, etc...

Sincerely,

Mr. Posthumous

Question: Why orderbooks were so important to Soviet people?

Answer: Because they were issued together with coupon book for monthly payments. So "orderbook" = "money".

But since Jan. 1948 all money payments for orders and medals were cancelled. So the importance of the orderbook was diminished. That's why some people who didn't change temporary certificates for orderbook before 1948 decided no to change it at all. That is especially true for people from rural places (collective farmers). To exchange temporary documents for orderbook they should make a long and somewhat expensive trip to the Regional Military Registration Office.

[Guest Rick Research]

Temporary Certificates are WONDERFUL-- they provide us Research Hogs with EVERYTHING we want:

name, rank, unit, confirmation of serial number matched to the award AND the award decree information.

By contrast, Soviet Orders Books, at least before the mid-1950s change showing actual award dates for each award, are absoluetely USELESS. You'd have thought that in a police state, as "documentation" the very bare minimum would have been to show an Orders Book holder's permanent, unchanging basics:

date and place of birth.

Doing away with the photo left absolutely nothing but a NAME-- and how many Ivan Ivanovich Ivanovs were there, with no way to tell if an Orders Book possessor was 20 or 60 or....

The ONLY advantage is that TEMPORARY Certificates are on cheap, flimsy wartime paper and at least a DUMB Orders Book had hard covers as some protection for the data inside.

[Guest Rick Research]

Here is the top of Kremnev's OPW1 citation:

[attachmentid=40982]

Note that the whereabouts of his family (Leningraders) was "unknown" at this time.

The full text of his citation is:

?Guards Major Kremnev, A. I. has been exemplary in carrying out all measures entrusted to his battalion for readiness of the bridgehead.

In the preparatory period for offensive operations the battalion constructed roads, leveling roadbeds and odd jobs in road construction?11.5 KM.

In the period of operations, cleared mines and brought the Voron-Vitebsk highway into passable condition, during which removed 3,500 anti-tank mines, 1,500 anti-personnel mines, 5,000 vials with combustible mixture, restored a 35 M bridge, and arranged a detour of 2 KM. In this case without injury to people or equipment on the route of march.

For successful fulfillment of the command?s tasks, deserves to be awarded the Order

of the Patriotic War 1st Class.

30th June 1944 Commander of Engineer Forces of 39th Army, Major General of Engineer Forces ?Gnedovsky? {{Ivan Nikolaevich, died 1966}}

11th July 1944 To be awarded Order of the Patriotic War 1st Class

CO 39th Army Gds LtGen ?Lyudnikov,? {{Ivan Iliich, 1902-76 ColGen Retd}}Member of 29th Army Soviet, MajGen ?Boiko,? {{Vasily Romanovich, 1907-96 LtGen Retd}} Commander of Staff MajGen ?Siminovsky? {{Moisei Isaakovich}}

By decree of 39th Army #0529 awarded Order of the Patriotic War 1st Class 18.7.44?

As always to Steen Ammentorp and his WW2 Generals Wwebsite for details on the obscure signatures:

http://www.generals.dk/

[NavyFCO]

CO 39th Army Gds LtGen ?Lyudnikov,? {{Ivan Iliich, 1902-76 ColGen Retd}}

I just sold his uniforms, but for even more obscure stuff, I posted up his citations and award cards a while back on this forum. Obscure... obscure...

[Guest Rick Research]

And at long last, having been side-tracked by all the OTHER research from Fellow Research Addicts, Kremnev's OPW2:

Citation (recommended as Suvorov 3rd Class):

?In the period of preparation for forces of the [39th] Army for the offensive, 230th Engineer-Sapper Battalion under the command of Gds. Major Kremnev carried out great labors for securing forces of the Army water in conditions of semi-desert and the waterless country of the territory of Mongolia, properly searching for water sources with their equipment and installing more than 50 new well shafts to depths of 4-5 meters.

At the time of the offensive on the territory of Manchuria, the battalion was attached to the operational subordination of the c0mmander of the 5th Gds. Rifles Corps with the objective of securing the advancement of tanks, clearing mines, and reconstructing routes of march. With the battalion, removed on Khaylar-Souln?sky direction: 45 magnetic mines, 50 Type ?96? (tape measure) mines, continuous crossings over the Rivers Urlyenguy-gol and Taoyerkhye, and also reconstructing routes of march along paths for movement of the Corps.

Gds. Major Kremnev personally demonstrated in combat objectives extraordinary initiative, skill, and courage.

For exemplary fulfillment of the combat objectives of the commander, Gds. Major Kremnev, A. I. deserves to be awarded the Order ?of Suvorov IIIrd Class.?

6 September 1945 Commander of 32nd Engineers-Sappers ?K?nigsberg, Order of Kutuzov? Brigade, Guards Colonel ?Parkhomchuk?

11 September 1945 Deserves to be awarded the Order ?of Suvorov IIIrd Class? Commander of Engineer Forces of 39th Army, Lieutenant Colonel ?Timoshenko?

(17?)7 September 1945 Deserves to be awarded the Order ?of Suvorov IIIrd Class? Commander 39th Army, Gds Colonel-General ?Lyodnikov,? Member of the Military Council, Major General ?Boiko?

19 September 1945 Deserves to be awarded the Order ?of Suvorov IIIrd Class? Commander of Engineer Forces, Transbaikal Front, Colonel-General of Engineers ?A. Tsirlin?

Prikaz Transbaikal Front 23 September 1945: Awarded Order ?of the Patriotic War 2nd Class? ?

Bummer! But then, if it HAD been a Suvorov 3rd Class, this group would naver have come to stay at my house, even back in the happy days of endless cheap awards.

I will get to the citations for his Red Banner and Aleksandr Nevsky, which came back with this research, eventually. Those Orders were not with this group, but the citations reveal the range of Kremnev's wartime service-- for which his Battalion was awarded a UNIT Order of the Red Star!

[Guest Rick Research]

Contrast the two Patriotic War citations with this, for Kremnev's missing Nevsky.

I think Dave will agree this is the most generically bland and BORING Nevsky citation ever seen. There is not one specific detail mentioned, and if it had passed under my review, I'd have had a hard time justifying anything but a Red Star:

Citation for his MISSING Aleksandr Nevsky as Battalion Commander:

?In combat operations for the breakthrough of the enemy defenses in the approaches to East Prussia, so in the period of carrying out combat in the territory of East Prussia in the month of January, 1945?230th Engineer-Sapper Battalion, which was commanded by Gds. Major KREMNEV, fulfilled all combat objectives of the commander on time and in an exemplary manner. Comr. KREMNEV personally demonstrated skillful leadership of the battalion, as well as exceptional firmness, bravery, and valor in fulfillment of combat objectives.

For distinguished combat activity, the 230th Engineer-Sapper Battalion deserves to be awarded the Order ?of Aleksandr Nevsky.?

Therefore Comr. KREMNEV personally deserves to be awarded the Order ?of Aleksandr Nevsky.

29 January 1945 Commander, 32nd Engineer-Sapper ?Order of Kutuzov? Brigade, Guards Colonel ?Parkhomchuk?

31 January 1945, Commander Engineer Forces, 39th Army (Illegible)

9 February 45 To be awarded Order ?of Aleksandr Nevsky? Commander, 39th Army, Guards Lieutenant General ?Lyodnikov,? Member of the Military Council, Major General ?Boiko?

Prikaz 39th Army 17.2.45 awarded Order ?of Aleksandr Nevsky,? Deputy Commander 2nd Dept OC 39th Army, Captain (Illegible)"

The citation for the missing Red Banner--and since it's recorded serial number on the paperwork was reported as illegible, lost forever even if it IS out there--on the other hand runs on for two typewritten pages, about sneaking behind enemy lines to lay mines and blowing up a bridge, in the course of which he was wounded.

The sheer ARBITRARINESS of what was awarded is mind boggling. Its as if "it all averaged out in the end" by giving out One Of Everything.

The only thing really neat about the Nevsky citation here is that it was written up for the BATTALION to be so decorated. While Kremnev "personally" as the recommendation says, DID get it, his battalion received a unit Order of the Red Star, carrying that designation thereafter.

I have no idea how low a level unit was eligible for such a "flag" award.

[Stogieman]

So, when issued a "unit" citation like this, the Regimental Colors would have one of the streamers attached?

[NavyFCO]

Contrast the two Patriotic War citations with this, for Kremnev's missing Nevsky.

Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz....

Yeah, that's a pretty boring citation, that's for sure.

What's odd is that 1) I don't think that the Nevsky was that often used as a unit award (I can't remember one off the top of my head) and 2) I didn't think that battalions (unless they were a separate battalion, which this one wasn't) were eligible for unit awards. I'm open to correction, but I think I'm right.

Quite odd.

By the way, his Nevsky isn't technically lost... It's somewhere in the government archives, to be certain...somewhere...

Dave

[Guest Rick Research]

Yup, well his 230th Enigineer-Sappers Battalion ended up "Order of the Red Star" in its title designation by his OPW2 paperwork processing, and that surprised me too.

I know, I know... somebody out there HAS his Nevsky, serial number posted... just gave them the citation text for free. But we'll never be able to VERIFY his Red Banner, which is quite sad, since the VERY long story on that one is a Lenin-denied at the least, or a Khmelnitsky 3rd should-have-been (ugly as those are).

But then I'd have given him a Red Banner or a Nevsky for his OPW1, an OPW1 for his OPW2, and a Red Star for his Nevsky.