Mondvor Posted May 27, 2006 Author Posted May 27, 2006 Award citation for Red StarName: Rodionov Ivan StepanovichMilitary Rank: MajorPosition: Chief of Personnel Section, Poltitcal Department of 23rd Army, Born: 1910Nationality: RussianParty membership: Communist Party member since 1929Participation in war: In Great Patriotic War from 1941 near Sortavala, Landenpohya, Valkyarvee, Beloostrov.Wounds or contusions: NoneIn Red Army: since June 1941From what Military Registration Office was recruited: City of Viborg Military Registration OfficePrevious awards: Not awardedHome address: Bashkir SSR, City of Beloretsk, Pushkin street 128Short description of merits:Comrade Rodionov is in Red Army since the first days of war. He was a commissar of mortar battery and participated in intense battles near Sortavala, Landenpohya, Valkyarvee and other places of Karelian Isthmus. At the beginning of 1942 he was assigned to Political Department of 23rd Army. He displayed himself as a hard-working, serious and conscientious specialist. He often was sent to front line units to educate junior political officers. When the Supreme Political Department of Red Army introduced new Instructions # 24 and # 05, comrade Rodionov successfully carried out tremendous amount of work for transferring junior political officers to command positions.He regularly visit Army formations and meet their political officers to share his experience and provide necessary help.Deserves a state award ? Order of the Red Star.Head of Poltitcal Department of 23rd Army ? Colonel Zvonov.
Mondvor Posted May 27, 2006 Author Posted May 27, 2006 He was awarded with Patriotic War 2nd class for the actions during 23rd Army offensive operations. At this time Rodionov as a Head of Personnel Section provided swift and effective replacement of all killed and wounded political officers by a new people, coming from reserve.The citation signed by Head of Poltitcal Department of 23rd Army ? Guards Colonel Stepchenko.
Mondvor Posted May 27, 2006 Author Posted May 27, 2006 (edited) He was awarded with Patriotic War 1st class not for of particular feat, but as a summary of his previous merits (typical situation for a political officer). Citation describes his participation in 1941-42 battles as a mortar battery commissar, his excellent work as a Head of Personnel Section since 1943, his huge work for replacement of all killed and wounded political officers during offensive on Karelian Isthmus. Citation especially accentuates his role in providing continuous and uninterrupted political education to junior officers and his role in strengthening Communist morality among the troops. Blah, blah, blah? Lots of rubbish? As for me, he deserves a Military Merit for all of that, not a Patriotic War. But in according with the rules political officer should be highly decorated.The citation signed by Head of Poltitcal Department of 23rd Army ? Guards Colonel Stepchenko. Edited May 27, 2006 by MONDVOR
Mondvor Posted May 27, 2006 Author Posted May 27, 2006 Rodionov?s personal service card. He was promoted first to Politruk (political military rank equal to Lieutenant), than in April 1942 he received a rank of Sr. Politruk (Sr. Lieutenant). Same year he got a Captain - in November 1942. And in only nine month another promotion to Major ? in August 1943. What a huge start? But his next rank of Lt. Colonel he received only in June 1946. And finally he was promoted to Colonel in April 1951. From Lieutenant to Colonel in 10 years. WOW!!! Maybe I should join the Army?Also we can see that he finished a Military Political Academy in 1953.
Mondvor Posted May 27, 2006 Author Posted May 27, 2006 (edited) From his service list we can see that after the war he served as Personnel Section Senior Instructor of Political Department of 10th Guard Army in Leningrad Military District (April ? October 1947), the Head of Political Department Assistant in Kiev Military District (1947-1956) and finally as a Head of Political Department in Kiev Military Medical School (1956-1958). On October 1, 1958 he was retired. Edited May 27, 2006 by MONDVOR
Mondvor Posted May 27, 2006 Author Posted May 27, 2006 Here is his early Officer ID ? pretty interesting document. It shows that in Jan. 1942 he was a political commissar of 2nd battery in Independent Mortar Divizion of 291st Rifle Division, Leningrad Front.
Guest Rick Research Posted May 27, 2006 Posted May 27, 2006 Very nice Commissar group! Always a good thing to be the guy who sends other people to replace the corpses at the front and not be a potential corpse too!He must have gotten dumped out for being a Colonel too long-- "up or out." The research on my Agiton group that just came in shows positive annual service evaluations year after year. In 1954 it specifically recommends promotion to Major General, with half a page of generals on the review board. The result? He was retired immediately thereafter--apparently because he had been a colonel for NINE years already and was "overripe" in SOMEBODY'S opinion.Your Commissar may have been in the same "too long in grade" situation. But 17 years service... and no pension.What does a retired Commissar do?Go to work at the Post Office....
Mondvor Posted May 28, 2006 Author Posted May 28, 2006 What does a retired Commissar do?Go to work at the Post Office.... Well, the job in the post-office is not the worst that could happen with the officer after retirement. I have some documents of HSU fighter pilot. His last position before retirement was a Head of Command Control center of Air Force Fighter Division in the rank of Lt. Colonel. Few month later he worked as a metal turner (tool maker) in a factory If somebody interested I can post those papers from his personal files.
Guest Rick Research Posted May 28, 2006 Posted May 28, 2006 Always! LOVE personnel files-- anybody's, any country, any time! You can tell a lot about how a system works--or doesn't--from its internal paperwork. I was just being a wise guy about the old Soviet joke that all retired Commissars are good for is licking stamps...because they have such long tongues.
Mondvor Posted May 28, 2006 Author Posted May 28, 2006 Always! LOVE personnel files-- anybody's, any country, any time! You can tell a lot about how a system works--or doesn't--from its internal paperwork. I was just being a wise guy about the old Soviet joke that all retired Commissars are good for is licking stamps...because they have such long tongues. We have an anecdote (a joke) about Poltitcal Officers. Once upon a time a Political Officer made a reprimand (reproof) to a soldier who was a radar set operator. This reproof was about the operator left his working place for lunch and didn't clean it up before leaving.The soldier replied - "I'm sorry about that, I didn't have much time. I wish to be like you! You close your mouth and working place is cleaned".
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