Koval'chuk, Vasilij Afanas'evich, 161st Regiment Of NKVD/MVD

[HuliganRS]

Hey gang,

I thought you'd enjoy this awesome group.

Although there aren't any spectacular medals it has a few very interesting pieces...

The story behind it as it was told to me:

This guy was in NKVD's SMERSH! (see doc's below)
He got up to Lieutenant level.

He's son did something (Don't know what) and committed suicide!
then this guy was demoted and went to work for Police.

Rusty.

Inside:

note: He was in NKVD during the war.

[HuliganRS]

This is freaky!!!

It says: Please don't blame anyone for my death.
Not my parents, no one.

Kobavchuk V. V.

[HuliganRS]

Some medals:

His 15-years of Service Medal.

[otlichnik]

Rusty,

Very nice set with an incredible, and sad, story.

As you may know, the SMERSH were not part of the NKVD. Instead, in 1943, the NKVD's 3rd Chief Directorate, which was responsible for counter-intellience in the Red Army, Navy and the NKVD's own troops (border and internal) was split up into several SMERSHes. The Army one was under the army, the naval one under the navy, but of course small SMERSHes remained in the NKVD to police their own border and enlisted troops. It in to this small NKVD SMERSH that your man Kovalchuk served. I have never seen any other docment to someone in the NKD's small SMERSH!

The document is not technically a SMERSH ID. In other words it is not special to SMERSH. It is the standard WWII officer ID card, the "udostoverenie lichnost". It is most comonly used by Red Army personnel but also by NKVD troops officers (although never by NKVD state security [GUGB] personnel). What of course makes it a SMERSH item is the stamp to the SMERSH (or OKR - department of counter-intelligence) of the 5th Brigade of the NKVD interior troops. Is there a date for this doc??

On the Caucasus document he is serving in the 161st Regiment of the NKVD interior troops - unit for guarding strategic industrial sites. Interestingly, while everyone associates SMERSH's counter-intelliece function with routing out spies and other terror, they also had a "defensive" function as well. They were responsible for ensuring that proper security procedures existed and were followed, that defensive plans were in place at key government and strategic industry sites, etc.

Overall I would doubt that he was "demoted". The MVD and militsia are clear follow-on destinations for guys like this. Especially with his work at industrial sites. I have a set (less nice though - no SMERSH item) of a guy who was with NKVD troops, then MGB railroad guards, then the militsia.

There appears to be details on his 15 year MVD medal as to what section he was in. Can you read it or send a closer scan?

Shawn

[HuliganRS]

The date it was signed was October 18th of 1944.

Here's the doc you asked for:

I heard this is pretty rare intact...

[otlichnik]

I can;t quite make out the stamp. MVD for Kharkov Oblast something to do with labour branch. More industrial sites??

Anyway, nice set and thanks for sharing.

Shawn