Gerd Becker Posted May 21, 2005 Posted May 21, 2005 Hi everyone, i got my first soviet group yesterday and its much too nice not to share it with you. I will post the group and Rick will add some personal data. Thanks very much to Rick for his effort to translate the research for me. Comrade Aleksandr Andreevich Gavrilenko was Ukrainian and served in several Rifle units. But let Rick tell the Rest.Here is his Order book with entries for two Military Merit Medals, a Red Star and a Red Banner.
Gerd Becker Posted May 21, 2005 Author Posted May 21, 2005 The whole group is in mint condition. The MMM?s even have some of their silver wash left.Here is the first one:
Gerd Becker Posted May 21, 2005 Author Posted May 21, 2005 I was very happy, that this Liberation of Belgrade was part of the grous, as its the rarest of the Liberation -Medals
Gerd Becker Posted May 21, 2005 Author Posted May 21, 2005 His Victory and Anniversary Medals are stone mint. I have never seen one in better condition. I won?t post all of them, but here is an example...
Gerd Becker Posted May 21, 2005 Author Posted May 21, 2005 The Document to the 20 years Victory Medal
Gerd Becker Posted May 21, 2005 Author Posted May 21, 2005 Doc for the Medal for the 30. Anniversary of the Armed Forces.....
Gerd Becker Posted May 21, 2005 Author Posted May 21, 2005 And the last Document is for the 60 years Armed Forces Medal
Guest Rick Research Posted May 21, 2005 Posted May 21, 2005 Gerd got these with copies of Gavrilenko's personnel records, Award Records Card, and citations, from the Soviet Military Archives. What will follow below is what I scanned through on reading last night, the personnel and ARC. Citations will follow, since there are some interesting things that should be gleaned from those.The Orders Book here was actually issued 27 July 1949, to go with the Red Star which will be mentioned below. Before that, Gavrilenko must either have had Temporary Award Certificates for his TWO MMMs (and the 80 numbers apart will be quite a story-- hopefully explained in the NEXT Chapter, "Citations" since they were awarded over a year apart!!!!), or a Medals Book which was REPLACED (commonly) by the "enter everything in" Orders Book.His personnel record states that he got a Capture of Budapest Medal-- which may simply be a clerical error, since it is NOT mentioned in his Awards Record Card. (Can you shrink that down to post here, Gerd, 2 pages with lines 1-14 and all his serial numbers?).Victory Over Germany medal here was actually issued 12 December 1946 by Department of Cadres, 11th Guards Army (then in the Baltic Military District). Belgrade was issued by the same, on 18 December 1946. The ARMY was not at Belgrade... but Gavrilenko HAD been. And the 1948 was actually issued 14 January 1949 by the Etappen (the German word sounds better than an English attempt at Rear Area Bases) Department of the Baltic Military District. A red stamp on a military document is rather unusual-- more common for State Security. On his Award Records Card, as was the normal practice, these medals have the institution date as "issue" date, and NOT the actual date of bestowal. Easier for the clerks, I suppose.Interesting, his 1965 Victory Jubilee was NOT issued-- as normally-- by the Veterans Commissariat where he lived, but by the Moscovsky District of city of Riga (Latvia) Ispolkom-- so he was apparently on the public payroll then. (?) By contrast, and as usual, his 1968, 1976, and 1978 medals WERE all issued by the Moscovsky District (Riga) veterans Commissariat. Here's what I gleaned from the handwritten records. (Oh, a nice scan of his photo from the personnel card would be nice too, Gerd!)1) Aleksandr Andreevich Gavrilenko2) Ukrainian "nationality"3) German as foreign language4) born 20 April 19085) in Leningrad6) peasant "class background"7) NOT Party member8) civil education to "2nd Class" in technical economics 1930military education to "2nd Class" Military Management Academy "in the name of Molotov" 1941 9) Service in Tsarist Army (duh!!) no10) Service in White forces (duh!) no11) Lieutenant per NKO # 0393 1936Senior Lieutenant per NKO #01014 29 February 1941Captain of Intendance Branch per MVS 0308 7 Sept (off copy)12) WW2 service-- 3rd Ukrainian Front May 1942 to May 194513) Other military campaigns-- no14) ever a Prisoner Of War-- no15) Awards: MMM, Capture of Budapest, Victory Over Germany, Liberation of Belgrade, 1948 Armed Forces Jubilee16) Military identification MG 135832 Series OR 1714217) Entered Red Armed Forces 9.11.1931 at (I can't read this yet, but all it is is the PLACE of reporting for duty)18) Service recordCadet, 24th Rifles Regiment 9.11.1931Cadet, 22 Rifles Regiment 1.2.33"Kiznagei"(?) in 110th Rifles Regiment 5.4.1935 ((abbreviations SUCK!!))Assistant Commander of Staff (something) 110th Rifles Regiment 1.10.35 ((still an NCO then-- my notes in double "((" ))Platoon commander 110th Rifles Regiment 10.5.37Student at Military Management Academy November 1939((long illegible ending)) 4th Independent "GIU" ((???)) of the Red Army 2.10.41Assistant Commander for Administrative Branch 451st Independent Tank Battalion 23.5.42Deputy Commander for Administrative Branch 321st Tank Battalion 2.11.42Reserve--Department cadre, 3rd Ukrainian Front: Commander of management of supplies of a motorized rifles battalion in 13th Mechanized Brigade 1944 ((see Award Record Card entry on 1st Military Merit Medal, below!)) Instructor for (Military) District courses for new recruits 30.11.45Commander of Administrative Services for department of military ((something I can't read at the moment-- don't worry, getting used to weird handwriting, I can often fill in later)) Base of 11th Guards Army 30.5.47Commander of cooks about to be discharged as soldiers, 29th Independent Guards ((something)) Rifles Brigade 24.12.47STAMP here ((round one on picture is Command Rear Area Base-- that's all I can read)) across page is "Commander of 2nd Independent Department of Cadres of Rear Area Bases of the Baltic Military District, signed "Scribble"Attached to "D VVO" ((this is PROBABLY Far East Military District)) as Commander of 247th Educational ((something)) Kitchen for ((something)) 28.7.50Commander 96th Military Educational ((something)) Kitchen, 14th Army 26.8.50Deputy Commander of Base, 56th Field Army Base of 14th Army 28.2.53Discharged to the reserves in Leningrad Military District 25 August 195319) Never wounded20 & 21) no higher educational status22) Ever beyond the Soviet frontiers? NO23) Ever convicted of anything? NO24) Married: wife Elena Georgievna Gavrilenka born 1913, sons Vladimir born 1935 and Viktor born 1947Home addrsss Kievskaya Ulitsa 7-85 #58, city of Riga (Latvia)Stamp: checked 1957((That's his Personnel Record, next is the Awards Record Card))1) Orders Book serial number "V 913355" ((Verified by Gerd's scan above))Gavrilenko2) Aleksandr Andreevich3) Captain of Administrative Branch4) Peasant class5) born 19086) in city of Leningrad7) NOT Party member8) middle education9) Ukrainian "nationality"10) served in Soviet Army November 1931 to August 195311) last command: 56th Army Field Base of 14th Army, DVVO ((Far Eastern Military District, indeed)) as Deputy Base Commander12) Place of current employment and position: Deputy Director of Restaurant Number 17 ((a civilian place... what a romantic name!!! )) 13) home address Kievskaya Ulitsa 7-85, city of Riga14) Order of the Red Banner # 408,546 in Orders Book V-91355 per decree of 3 November 1953Order of the Red Star #2,860,236 in Orders Book V-913355 per decree of 20 June 1949Medal for Military Merit #2,759,305 in Orders Book 913355 per 13th Guards Mechanized Brigade O-12 of 25 May 1945Medal for Military Merit #2,759,385 in Orders Book 913355 per decree of 5 November 1946 ((( 80 numbers apart, yet 18 MONTHS difference-- one must have been delayed for some reason!!! ???))Then Medals for Victory Over Germany, Capture of Belgrade, and 1948 Armed Forces Jubilee-- those always just cite the date they were created, not when awarded.Stamped and attested at Moscovsky District ((which I now know was in the city of Riga)) Military Commissariat 22 May 1954
Guest Rick Research Posted May 21, 2005 Posted May 21, 2005 I have worked through the award citation for Gavrilenko's FIRST Military Merit Medal-- and cropped it to JUST the award nomination text and reduced it in size from Gerd's movie screen size-- just as a sample of what xeroxes of old crumbly paper with faded bad handwriting is like. :speechless-smiley-004: :speechless-smiley-004: Every citation always begins with repeating the awardee's basic information: date of birth, nationality, when entered the service, position (in this case Senior Lieutenant of Intendance in the Motorized Rifles Battalion of 13th Guards Mechanized Brigade) being held, and so on. From this citation, I can now read that he was called up by Novoziibkovsky District Military Commissariat in Orlovsky Region, this stating on 10 November 1931.The reverse of the citation always shows approval, or rejection, I suppose."Comrade Gavrilenko with (("boyakh"?)) for liberation of the socialist homeland from the German aggressors, has proven himself a Red Army officer with initiative.In every possible endeavor to provide for the troops, he finds himself among us, timely with hot food. In times of rest such (((word is split between lines and obscured under the bound volume fold)) troops with excellent tasty food.((Illegible)) his military merit for the homeland, Comrade Gavrilenko deserves to be awarded the Medal "for Military Merit."Submitted by Guards Captain FrolovApproved on the back, "Per 13th Guards Mechanized "Novobugsky, Red Banner" Brigade OI-2/I of 25 May 1945, Military Merit Medal approved by Brigade Commander of Intendance, Guards Captain of Int/Br Vas..."This is an uncharacteristically BRIEF citation, with zero mention of the fact that he SHOULD have received this Medal for 10-14 years service in the November 1944 initial awards. Puzzling career chronology, since ALL of his long service awards are "off" from his 1931 enlistment date. I have a researched group to a similar quartermaster type (M. M. Mekh of the World's Worst OPW2 citation) and HIS awards were off by varying years too-- though he had been in and out of active/reserve duty during the 1930s, which may have thrown off the counting.
Gerd Becker Posted May 21, 2005 Author Posted May 21, 2005 (edited) Rick,what can i say except thank you so much. That must have been a heck of a work to decipher this all. You are really a Wizard. It would have taken weeks, if i made that myself, if i would have been able at all. Your help is much appreciated.This turned out to be more interesting, than i thought, it would be. Sounds unusual and interesting. And here is our man, Comrade Gavrilenko Edited May 22, 2005 by Gerd
Gerd Becker Posted May 21, 2005 Author Posted May 21, 2005 Here is another document. I am not sure, if i sent it yet. What is it?
Gerd Becker Posted May 21, 2005 Author Posted May 21, 2005 I am sorry, but these are this blurry also on the original. Can?t do it better.Page 2
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