Soviet My first group....

[Gerd Becker]

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[Gerd Becker]

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Edited May 21, 2005 by Gerd

[Gerd Becker]

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[Gerd Becker]

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[Gerd Becker]

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[Guest Darrell]

Nice Group Gerd. Amazing Research again Rick

[Gerd Becker]

Thanks Darell. Its much nicer than on the photos.

Rick is amazing isn?t he?

Gerd

[Guest Rick Research]

I forgot to note, as the scan in post #21 shows on the citation for Gavrilenko's FIRST Military Merit Medal (25 May 1945) that it shows his unit was in 3rd Ukrainian Front from 7 June 1944 and 2nd Ukrainian Front from 29 October 1944. That transfer was NOT noted in his personnel record, and is typical of the way you have to compare one piece of paper with another.

Speaking of which...

OK, all these scans from post #22 on are of typed lists of awards made for long service, starting with recipients of the Order of Lenin (25 years) and working down to Military Merit Medals (10 years).

Posts 22 through 25 are from a blanket mass award of Lenins, Red Banners, Red Stars, and Military Merit Medals all on the same day.Scan number 25 is a final page, dated 5 July 1946 and hand signed by the Secretary of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet (printed "signature" in Orders Books), noted received at Baltic Military District 13 September 1946-- so THAT would be Gavrilenko's SECOND Military Merit Medal:

but LEAVES MYSTERIOUS how he got medals 80 numbers apart, bestowed over a year apart!

Posts #26 though 29 are another mass award decree headed 7 November 1948. In post #28 "Guards" (MISTAKE!!!) Senior Lieutenant Gavrilenko is shown as person number 187. Again from the Presidium, dated 20 June 1949-- so THIS would be Gavrilenko's Red Star.

Posts #30 through 33 are for yet another mass awards list. At least the last one is clearly two consecutive pages, post #31 is headed for awards of the Red Banner, with recipients again in alphabetical order numbered 1 to 25, and continued on the page in post #32 running recipients numbered 26 to 50, with Gavrilenko as Captain of Intendance Branch as recipient number 34. That ends with posting #33, at the Kremlin 3 November 1953.

So, 10, 15, and 20 years awards of the MMM, ORS, and ORB...

in 1946, 1949, and 1953

for Gavrilenko... who joined in 1931!

Since there WERE no long service "Decorations" awarded before November 1944, he should have received his MMM then (13 years), got his Red Star in 1947, and his Red Banner in 1952!

The only explanation I can think of is that while he was at the Military Management Academy 1939-41, THOSE TWO YEARS he was considered as a "civilian" and the years 1939-41 were not counted towards his "active duty."

Can anybody help place the units he was with during the war? My Soviet Order of Battle does not go below divisions, so independent brigades and down I can't place. There is a series of books with names like "Red Death" and so on that I have seen advertised as showing this independent tank units, et cetera-- anybody got the volume showing Gavrilenko's units?

[Gerd Becker]

Finally here it is in his display. I have used a cheap soviet flag as a background. I didn?t want to display the documents as i don?t want them to bleach out throuh the sun.

I hope, you like it.

Gerd

Edited June 1, 2005 by Gerd

[Gerd Becker]

Here is another shot:

[Marcus H]

Very nice broth ! Your getting into these Russian medals aren't you !

[Guest Rick Research]

That works really well!!!! :food-smiley-004:

[Gerd Becker]

Thanks guys. It looks even better in reality.

Gerd

[David Gregory]

Gerd,

Very nice presentation - I will have to come and see it in person soon.

Where did you find the frame?

/David

P.S. Will we see you in Verdun this weekend?

[Gerd Becker]

Gerd,

Very nice presentation - I will have to come and see it in person soon.

Where did you find the frame?

/David

P.S. Will we see you in Verdun this weekend?

←

Hi David,

thank you and you are welcome to come and see it in person.

The frame was a normal Picture-frame, which i changed a bit. You only have to look out, if they are deep enough, that you can make a little space for the medals bewteen the glass and the medals.

But i found very very nice ones at IKEA this week. They are perfect for Medals and Orders. They are called "RIBBA" and you get them in different sizes. If you look for displays, take a look at those. They also had some very nice spotlights, that you can put over the frames for 13 Euros, thats cheap.

I really hope, that i can come to Verdun, but i have an Order for a network with three dozen computers. In the best case, i will be finished on Saturday or Sunday and can join you guys for at least a day. But the chances are not very good, to be honest.

I really want to see Verdun this year with you, as i have missed it last year already. so cross your fingers, that it works out.

all the best,

Gerd

[Paul R]

I wonder how close he was to earning his LS Lenin?

[Ferdinand]

Apparently he served in the army from November 1931 to August 1953 - almost 22 years - so three more years and he would have been given a Lenin.

[Paul R]

Thanks! Then at 30 years, the award would have been the ORB again?

[Ferdinand]

Theoretically, yes, but the system of awarding regular orders and medals for long service was abolished in early 1957, so had he still been serving after 30 years, he would have received nothing but a pat on the back.

[Paul R]

Thanks for the information!  Kinda stinks there is nothing for the super long performing stallions.  

[Egorka]

"Kiznagei"(?) - this is most likely "kaznachei" (казначей), which means a treasurer.

"TWO MMMs (and the 80 numbers apart" - well, peculiar but nothing unheard of. The serial number some times are presenting some surprises. Serial numbers can be used to get idea of time and location, but it is also often fails, as one can not simply rely on completely. 

The first MMM is in May 1945, is one of those awards, which were given after the V-E day. There was a campaign in the Red Army to award the personnel in May 45. That is why the citation is so brief as was mentioned above. 

Second MMM from 05 Nov 1946 is from "for long service" decree. 

Belgrade was issued by the same, on 18 December 1946. The ARMY was not at Belgrade... but Gavrilenko HAD been. Gavrilenko was serving in the 13 Guards Mechanised Brigade, 2 Ukrainian Front, which was indeed involved in the Belgrad liberation. Here is the a page from the 13 GvMBR battle journal. 

Nice group!

[Ferdinand]

Igor is right - it's a very persistent misunderstanding that there's a close relation between serial number and award date (prikaz / ukaz date). In fact, there's only a real relation between serial number and date of issue.

This particular situation is therefore easily explained - his May 1945 MCM wasn't bestowed immediately, as is quite common with these late wartime awards, but was issued shortly after he was awarded another MCM in November 1946. Both were issued in late 1946 / early 1947. The 2.7 mil serial numbers fit this time frame perfectly.