Soviet Order of Glory 3rd class Senior Sargent Zagorodsky

[Alfred]

1. Glory III s/n: 633.159 w/document indicating award granted APR 45.

2. Bravery Medal s/n: 1.737.508 w/document indicating award granted JUN 49.

3. '85 era OGPW Ist class w/document

4. Victory over Germany medal w/document

5. Document dated May 45 attesting to his participation in the underground

resistance movement in Poltava (Ukraine) starting in 1942.

6. Congratulatory document signed by unit commander for active participation in

Vistula (Weichsel, Wisla) and Dembits river crossings. Still intact, but beat up.

7. medal w/document 20,30 anniversary of Victory

8. medal w/document 50,60,70 anniversary of Armed Forces

[Alfred]

another picture

[Gerd Becker]

Very nice group, Andreas. I was tempted to get it myself

[Alfred]

Due to the serial number of the medal for bravery s/n: 1.737.508 I thought the medal

should be granted around 1944/45. But not in 1949. Any presumptions?

[Alfred]

Any conclusions about the content of the sprabka?

Edited April 6, 2006 by Alfred

[Guest Rick Research]

The Valor Medals BOOK was issued in 1949-- that is not when he got the MEDAL. By then there were no privileges any more, so that line was removed. (?) He must have had a Temporary Certificate until then.

More please.

[Alfred]

and the second part.

[Alfred]

and another document, could somebody so friendly to give a short summary of the content?

[Alfred]

and the second part

[Alfred]

and the document for the order of glory 3rd class; granted in april 1945. Should be interesting to reserarch.

Edited April 6, 2006 by Alfred

[Guest Rick Research]

I wonder why he did not get a Partisan Medal...

perhaps because "agitation" and "sabotage of the remount service" of the horse-drawn Wehrmacht wasn't considered "armed struggle"--

as if he would NOT have been hung if caught!!!

[Alfred]

tell me more ....

This would be my next research project. Maybe he got a partisan medal who knows......

What about the 30 and 40 years aniversary medal of the armed forces ? He got the 50, 60 and 70 years

medals.

[Guest Rick Research]

Sometimes I think I am the only one who can read Russian! Volunteers cheerfully welcomed!

From the bottom of post 5 to where the paper continues on post 7--

"In July 1942 Com. M.S. Zagorodsky rendered assistance to me in the realization of the tasks of the underground movement in the city of Kiev, warning of arrest and since then backed up liaison/communications with Kiev underground organizations....

The Highest Chief of independent groups of the underground organization of the city of Kiev

M.I. Sidorenko"

So... he saved the Chief Partisan from arrest, and thereafter was apparently a courier from group to group--

hideously dangerous and important work.

A personal "character evaluation" from a partisan leader of this importance for this sort of work is amazing.

It says something to, that the reference was given-- since EITHER would have been In Big Trouble if the other ended up on a Communist purge list.

The stamp on that is something in Ukrainian (with which I am even less adept than my meagre Russian) about a Kiev Industrial Cooperative Union.

[Ed_Haynes]

Yes . . . research seens highly advisable . . . yes it does

[Guest Rick Research]

Just think what would have been lost from this story if the character reference had been tossed!

The note in posts 8 & 9 is simply a crude version of the flashy flimsy colored sheets given for participation in battles--

in this case, for being at the forcing of the Visla river, liberating the city of Sandomir, and capturing the city of Dembitsa as a Guards Senior Sergeant in a unit identified only by its "Feldpost" stamp.

Is his unit's name given on the Victory Over Germany Medal document?

[Alfred]

many thanks Rick,

the research of the group will be my next project.

[Alfred]

Here is a map of the Ukraine and the Poltava region.

Edited April 6, 2006 by Alfred

[Guest Rick Research]

Yes, that is where, from January 1942 up to whenever he was in Kiev by July 1942, he agitated the hosrses in the Stalinovka village partisan group-- BEFORE his important Kiev secret duties.

What does his Victory Over Germany Medal document show for his unit when it was issued?

[Stogieman]

That's a lovely group Alfred!

[Alfred]

Yes, that is where, from January 1942 up to whenever he was in Kiev by July 1942, he agitated the hosrses in the Stalinovka village partisan group-- BEFORE his important Kiev secret duties.

What does his Victory Over Germany Medal document show for his unit when it was issued?

The stamp of the document is very weak. I can?t see anything.

[Guest Rick Research]

Agh. He'd already been discharged from the army by then. It was issued by the Kovalevsky District Veterans Commissariat (written out) and all that is missing from the faded stamp is what CITY this district was in.

[Chris S]

Alfred

Here is a similar group I have...I found it with all the docs as well...a well worn medal bar!

Chris

Edited April 8, 2006 by Chris S

[Chris S]

The main doc...

[Alfred]

Senior Sargent Zagorodsky could belong to the 1st Ukraine front under the comman of Konjev.

The city of Sandomir (Sandomierz, Poland), and the city of Dembitsa (Dembica, Poland) are lying in the

south of Poland 100 km east from Krakau near the river Visla (german Weichsel) -blue arrows-.

The Sandomir bridgehead operation seems to be a larger operation from 28. July to 29. August

to crosas the river Visla.

To my serial number data base, his Valour medal in the serial number range 1.7xx.xxx could be awarded

at that time.

His order of Glory is from April 1945, when Konjev starts his Berlin operation.

My next project: Research the group

Edited April 10, 2006 by Alfred

[Alfred]

And the Sandomir bridgehead operation.

Both cities are little towns with a few thousand inhabitabts today.