Red Banner,230064,Commander,3rd Motorised Rifle Battalion,Rakitna River

[Norm Braddock]

Award Sheet
1. Last name, name, and patrionymic: Klimov, Aleksandr Efimovich
2. Rank: Guards Captain
3. Duty position: Commander – 3 Motorized Rifle Battalion, 6 Guards Red Banner Orders of Suvorov and Kutuzov Motorized Rifle Brigade, 5 Guards Tank Corps
Recommendation for the Order of the Red Star
4. Born: 1910
5. Nationality: Russian
6. Party membership: since 1938
7. Previous combat: since 1942
8. Wounds or shell-shock: seriously wounded 3.43, lightly wounded 1.43 and 3.43, shell-shocked 2.43
9. Time in Red Army: 1942
10. Inducted by: Mogizhaiskii Regional Military Commissariat, Udmurt ASSR
11. Previous awards: OPWI 11.44, OPWII 12.44
12. Home of record: Leningrad Oblast,Vsevoldskii Region, village of Koltusha, Pavlov Kindergarten. Wife: Bolsheshalskaya, Tamara Grigorevna
Short description of personal combat feat or accomplishment
On 8.5.45 after the penetration of the lead edge of the enemy defense near Vlastitse, the 3 Motorized Rifle Battalion infantry was attached to the tanks of the 22 Guards Tank Brigade which assaulted Gratovitsa.
On the approach to the Rakitna river, reconnaissance discovered that the bridge was blown up by the enemy. Guards Captain Klikov decided to find a fording site and with two companies began to clear the forest where the enemy had set up an ambush.
The forest was cleared and tanks with infantry moved on Gratovitsa along a discovered fording site. On the approach to Gratovitsa the enemy had laid in a large ambush force consisting of infantry of armored fighting vehicles and panzerfausts.
By his capable leadership of the battalion Guards Captain Klimov quickly crushed enemy resistance and capture Grotobive(?)[trans: sic(?), unknown if this is another village, or the same, caused by a clerical error], causing heavy enemy casualties. Two heavy cannons were captured along with as many as 50 enemy soldiers and officers, and one armored fighting vehicle, five machineguns, and as many as 30 soldiers destroyed.
Guards Captain Klimov was wounded in this battle by a panzerfaust, but after a short period of medical attention, he returned to the brigade.
Captain Klimov is deserving of the Order of the Red Star for capable leadership of the battalion and boldness in combat.
Signed Commander, 6 Guards Vienna Red Banner Orders of Suvorov and Kutuzov Motorized Rifle Brigade, Guards Lieutenant Colonel Sorochinskii on 28 May 1945
Largely illegible recommendation to upgrade to the Order of the Red Banner by the commander of the 5 Guards Tank Corps on 31 May 1945
Endorsed by the Commander, 6 Guards Tank Army, Hero of the Soviet Union Guards General-Colonel of Tank Forces Kravchenko and Member of the Military Council Guards General-Lieutenant Tumanyan on 8 June 1945
[trans: city place names may be altered due to transliteration]







SECRET
ORDER 0119/N OF THE 6 GUARDS TANK ARMY DATED 9 JUNE 1945
On behalf of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet USSR, I award the following decorations for exemplary mission accomplishment on the frontlines against the German invaders and for displaying valor and courage:
The Order of the Red Banner
10. Guards Captain Aleksandr Efimovich Klimov Commander, 3 Motorized Rifle Battalion, 6 Guards Red Banner Orders of Suvorov and Kutuzov Motorized Rifle Brigade, 5 Guards Stalingrad-Kiev Order of Suvorov Red Banner Tank Corps
Signed Commander, 6 Guards Tank Army, Hero of the Soviet Union Guards General-Colonel Kravchenko;
Member of the Military Council Guards General-Lieutenant Tumanyan; and Army Chief of Staff
Guards General-Lieutenant of Tank Forces Shtromberg