Research links

[matteti]

Hello researchers,
With websites like Общедоступный электронный банк документов 'Подвиг народа', we now have access to a wealth of information that we didn't have before or that we didn't feel worth paying a researcher to go to Podolsk for it. I have had quite some luck on that site and with obd-memorial.ru as well. But now, I am looking for additional details about my collection's groups.

- Unit city honorific titles for the liberation of a city. I found online details of the VGK Prikaz, but I am looking for the scan of the original document.

- Unit awards. Here also looking for scan of the citation. I don't know the exact date and don't have other details, but approximate period (approximately 3-month range)

- Gratitudes from VGK to an officer. I have exact date of gratitude and for what as per his personnel file record. But here also, looking for scan of original document.

Does anyone know where and how I can search for this information.

Thanks for sharing information and happy research!

Well,
So far I was able to find the full text of the VGK Prikaz for the gratitudes received by the soldiers/officers as shown in their personal army file.

Those can be found at:
http://www.soldat.ru/doc/vgk/

But I haven't found yet the ones before 1943.

Still looking for more info if anyone knows where it is.

Ok, I start (slowly) to understand the different types of official documents available for research. Here is what I was able to get so far, if it can help anyone interested to learn more about his collection or just for researching pleasure.

- Stavka VGK: Affectations and nominations of units' commanders, orders for strategic directions, operations, etc..
==> Text available online. Would be nice to find scans or original documents

- Prikaz VGK (order of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief): Gratitudes, city title honorific designation to a unit, etc..
==> Text available online (soldat.ru). Would be nice to find scans or original documents

- Prikaz NKO (order of the minister of defense) : Guards designation for units
==> Text available online (also at soldat.ru). Would be nice to find scans or original documents

- Prikaz of Units (Fronts and Armies): State awards to individuals
==> Some available through podvignaroda.ru

- Ukaz (decree) of the Presidium of USSR: State awards to units or mass state awards
==> Some available through podvignaroda.ru

[deValcourt]

That is an excellent resource. If you ever come across anything like this that deals with Afghanistan, please let me know.:thumbsup

Phillip

[matteti]

Hi Philip, I don't have anything in my collection that was determined to be from the Afghan War, therefore I am not specifically looking for sites that deal with it, but while browsing around, if I see something I will be happy to share it.

Regards

[Koopyetz]

Originally Posted by matteti

Hello researchers,
With websites like Общедоступный электронный банк документов 'Подвиг народа', we now have access to a wealth of information that we didn't have before or that we didn't feel worth paying a researcher to go to Podolsk for it. I have had quite some luck on that site and with obd-memorial.ru as well. But now, I am looking for additional details about my collection's groups.

- Unit city honorific titles for the liberation of a city. I found online details of the VGK Prikaz, but I am looking for the scan of the original document.

- Unit awards. Here also looking for scan of the citation. I don't know the exact date and don't have other details, but approximate period (approximately 3-month range)

- Gratitudes from VGK to an officer. I have exact date of gratitude and for what as per his personnel file record. But here also, looking for scan of original document.

Does anyone know where and how I can search for this information.

Thanks for sharing information and happy research!

I just got off the Podvig Naroda website. I have just found a Prikaz for award listed in one of the Voenni Bilets in my collection. I now have the story behind one of the awards listed in the booklet.

[matteti]

Originally Posted by Koopyetz

I just got off the Podvig Naroda website. I have just found a Prikaz for award listed in one of the Voenni Bilets in my collection. I now have the story behind one of the awards listed in the booklet.

Good for you! This is one of several opportunities that are offered to us. We might find the story behind many of our lone paper documents. Also, we can do what I call "research by proximity", which is to look for awards given to hierarchical superiors or subalterns of the individual for which we own an award. By reading the others citations, we can learn more about the unit our soldier/officer was in and what he might have experienced. By looking beside our own individual, we can also obtain more information about the unit composition below the regimental level (battalion, platoon, etc..)

Now, I wish I had bought more groups when there were plenty available from reputable sources, including Nota Bene!

If someone knows where to find all the texts of the Ukaz of Presidium of Supreme Soviet of USSR [Указы Президиума Верховного Совета СССР
] that would be really appreciate if you could share the link.

It is not complete at all, but they keep adding new content on a regular basis. They are now at 1.6 million awards and will be over 2 million by Army day. Compared to the total number of military awards awarded during GPW, this is not a lot, but I am hoping they will gradually put everything available online.

You can use more than just a last name for your searches. By adding patronymic and last names as well as year of birth you will get much less hits, but more accurate. The trick is to come back regularly and hope they will soon add the research you are after.

Few negative points about this website is that they have censored the home address of people on their citations. Also, I have yet to see any award card or personel file.

As for obd-memorial.ru, I have got more luck and found archives for persons I have document of. For example, monthly MIA and KIA records from units, records for person in captivity (POW), record for an army officer convicted and sent to Soviet jail (gulag?), etc.. I will try to share some of this on the forum when I get time.

[Alfred]

Military awards:

1) Общедоступный электронный банк документов 'Подвиг народа' - Open access electronic repository of documents "People's Feat in Great Patriotic War 1941-1945"
2) ОБД Мемориал - MIA, KIA, POW, convicted soldiers, and others
3) ���� ������� - soldat.ru


Labour awards:

1) ������ ������ : "������" - different newspaper e.g. Pravda
2) Ведомости Верховного Совета СССР — Викитека - Ведомости Верховного Совета СССР
3) http://forum-su.com/topic18678.html - some Указы Президиума Верховного Совета СССР
4) http://opisi.garf.su/default.asp?bas...68206&fond=410 - ФОНД: ВЕРХОВНЫЙ СОВЕТ СССР

Badges:

1) 00639 - Deputy badges Supreme Soviet


Persons, military units, ships :

1) Generals from Soviet Union - Generals of the Soviet Union
2) http://www.uboat.net/allies/warships/navy/USSR.html - Soviet Navy in WW II


tactical and other maps :
1) http://www.orangesmile.com/ru/foto/ukraine-map.htm - Ukraine maps
2) http://www.rkka.ru/imaps.htm - RKKA maps
3) http://www.armchairgeneral.com/rkkaww2/ - RKKA maps
4) http://www.ostpreussen.de.vu/ - old names of towns in East Prussia
5) http://mapstor.com/ -maps of the world


Order of Battle :
1) http://niehorster.orbat.com/012_ussr/__stavka.htm

[Al-muell]

I have found the podvignaroda site usfull not only for discovering the story behind particular awards, but also for finding the information on the people to whom I only have a single document.
For example, I have lately discovered that the man, whose military pensioner ID I have took part in the fights for my hometown and was even awarded for it. This of course works fine only if You have the name that is unusual or, as is the case here, also know things like year of birth.

Here's the story:
The pensioner ID to cpt. Sergei Matveevich Vilner.
The awarding reason given in the order:
"1.Scout of the command platoon of (artillery) unit, sgt. Vilner Sergei Matveevich.
During the period of the Patriotic war with german-fascist invaders com. Vilner shown virtue and bravery.
In the fight for the town of Bluten (can't identify this one - anyone knows where it is?)(Germany), being in the front lines of the storming group of the infantry killed 8 German soldiers from his personal weapon (submachinegun).
In the time of storming enemy's resistance point in the city of Breslau he was the first in the attack with his squad. By the daring and decided actions, enemy's resistance point was captured.During the Great Patriotic War comrade Vilner was three times wounded.
Born in 1923, Ukrainian, VLKSM member since 1944 in the RKKA since 1943."

This also helps the business - I have found a 25yrs. of victory badge doc to an engineer private who got CSM for his actions during the construction of the bridge over Vistula in Fordon that went to the local historian and It probably wouldn't sell otherwise.

Anyone else here does that?

[CtahhR]

I have done this on hundreds of occasions over the last year and it has really padded out information on the items of service personnel in the collection.

You can find some real interesting stories alright - doesn't work too well with Ivan Ivanov.

[Al-muell]

Yeah, I have a set of photographs to a medical officer named "A. A. Kznetsov". Went through 60 pages of Kuznetsovs and gave up...