Red Star,1940497,Scout Observer,320th Howitzer Artillery Regiment

[desantnik]

1. Last name, name, and patrionymic: Abdurasilov, Islambai
2. Rank: Private
3. Duty position: Scout Observer – 320 Howitzer Artillery Regiment, 25 Svir Howitzer Artillery Brigade, 7 Zaporozhe Red Banner Order of Suvorov Artillery Division, Supreme Command Reserve Penetration
Recommendation for the Order of Glory III Class
4. Born: 1922
5. Nationality: Kazakh
6. Party membership: yes
7. Previous combat: since 1941 on SW, 2,3,4 Ukrainian, and Karelian Fronts
8. Wounds or shell-shock: n/a
9. In Red Army: since 1941
10. Inducted by: Ordzhonikidze Regional Military Commissariat, Tashkent Oblast
11. Previous awards: Order of the Patriotic War II Class on 14.12.44 by 46 Army Artillery Commander
12. Home of record: [trans: entry intentionally obscured]

Short description of personal combat feat or accomplishment

On 5 January 1945 near the village of Dorog, northwest of Budapest the enemy had infiltrated small groups into our fighting formation and went on the offensive from Hill 335 at dawn. The enemy attacked our flank and threatened a breakout into our rear area. Covering the penetration to prevent the enemy from entering our rear and cutting the highway, our infantry organized a group of signalmen, runners, and radiomen in which Abdurasilov became a member. Firing upon the fanatical beasts with his submachinegun fire, Comrade Abdurasilov steadfastly held his position and personally killed seven Germans. An hour later the reserve company arrived and changed out with the group. At that time Comrade Abdurasilov returned to his position where he continued to observe the enemy. He personally discovered an enemy observation position, three enemy machinegun positions, and enemy infantry formation. All these discovered targets were then destroyed with the battery’s fire. He is deserving of the Order of Glory III Class.

Signed Chief of Intelligence, 1 Battalion, Senior Lieutenant Zakharov
Endorsed Commander, 1 Battalion, Captain Bakanov
Endorsed Commander, 320 Howitzer Artillery Regiment, Major Eskov


Order was inevitably upgraded to Order of the Red Star.

Here's Dorog: Dorog - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

According to Drama Between Budapest and Vienna, the German "beasts" would have been from the 3 SS Panzer Division. Quite a testament to the vicious seesaw fighting that occurred on the southern front around Budapest.

[PaulR]

That is a super award. Are there any other medals listed on his documentation? Any campaign medals?

[desantnik]

Paul, he was awarded the Capture of Budapest and VoG medals.:thumbsup

[Tommy]

Very nice Budapest award!

Following my trip to Budapest, its hard to imagine those beautiful streets being torn apart by fighting 70 years previous. That's why Budapest awards interest me so much. Hopefully one day I will find one that mentions the Citadel or castle district specifically.

Do you recommend the book "Drama between Budapest and Vienna"?

[desantnik]

The book is expensive (I paid $100) and covers the see-saw fighting in the area, not particularly in Budapest itself.

According to the book's back summary, it is a translation from a book by Georg Maier (former Deputy CoS of the 6. (SS)-Panzer-Armee) with 488 text pages (including 130 appendices), nearly 1000 footnotes, 16 pages of photographs, and a separate 32-page, full-color map book.

So the book itself is obviously written from a German point of view and the Soviet order of battle isn't really detailed since at the time the Germans didn't know it. I will also criticize the color plates since they are direct photos from German operational maps and often times the little details (like names of villages) get lost since they are mostly illegible. If you are looking for "human interest stories," this book is not it. It is a very clinical, though detailed description of German combat units' actions. Detailed, but dry. Again, great for pinpointing activities from citations, but not nail-biting drama or "character development.";)

I did read a really good book on the battle of Budapest, but it's in storage so I can't help you with the info - The Siege of Budapest, maybe(?).