Red Star,0308704,Gun Commander,768th Light Artillery Regiment,Kursk

[Eryk]

Record card

Order booklet nr. B-459634

1. Last name: Toikichev
2. First name and patronymic: Kuzma Yegorovich
3. Military rank: Reserve Guards Master Sergeant
4. Sex: Male
5. Year of birth: 1915
6. Place of birth: Village of Bakhtiarovo, Semyonovka Raion, Mari Autonomous SSR
7. Party membership (since which year): Member of the Communist Party since 1943
8. Education: Elementary
9. Nationality: Mari
10. Since which year in the Red Army: From September 10, 1938 through October 28, 1940 and from June 23, 1941 through December 18, 1945
11. Place of service (name of the unit) and position occupied at the time of the award: Gun commander in the 279th Guards Light Artillery Regiment of the Reserve of the High Command, 5th Breakthrough Artillery Division of the Reserve of the High Command, 4th Breakthrough Corps of the Reserve of the High Command, 1st Belorussian Front
12. Current place of service and position: Chairman of the “Kirov” Kolkhoz, Semyonovka Raion, Mari Autonomous SSR
13. Home address of the awardee: Village of Bakhtiarovo, Semyonovka Raion, Mari Autonomous SSR

14. List of all awards received:

Name of the order or medal Serial number Number of the document

Medal for Courage 127338 Temporary certificate nr. 304585
Order of the 5th Artillery Division of the Reserve of the High Command nr. 1/N Feb 21, 1943

Order of the Red Star 308704 Temporary certificate nr. A-020897
Order of the 23rd Guards Light Artillery Brigade nr. 027/N of September 10, 1943

Order of Glory, 3rd Class 236196 Temporary certificate nr. D-256688
Order of the 5th Artillery Division of the Reserve of the High Command nr. 023/N Aug 19, 1944

Medal for the Defense of Moscow Permanent certificate nr. 019971
Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of May 1, 1944

Signature of the awardee: [signed]

I confirm the correctness of the data and the signature of the awardee (position and signature):

Military commissar of the Ioshkar-Ola Raion, Mari Autonomous SSR
Guards Lieutenant Colonel [signed] /Savin/
March 26, 1946

[Eryk]

Order

Secret
Copy nr.

[Pencil note: Belorussian Front; November 17, 1943]

Of the 23rd Guards Light Artillery Brigade, 5th Artillery Division of the Reserve of the High Command

September 10, 1943 – Nr. 027/N – Central Front

On behalf of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, for the exemplary accomplishment of combat missions in the struggle with the German invaders and the valor and bravery displayed in the process, I award:

The Order of the Red Star to:

[…]

27. Guards Senior Sergeant Kuzma Georgiyevich Toikichev, gun commander in the 279th Red Banner Guards Light Artillery Regiment, 23rd Guards Light Artillery Brigade

[…]

Brigade commander
Guards Colonel [signed] /Domrachov/

[Eryk]

Award sheet

All fields to be filled out fully

1. Last name, first name, and patronymic: Toikichev, Kuzma Georgiyevich
2. Rank: Guards Senior Sergeant
3. Position and unit: Gun commander in the 279th Guards Light Artillery Regiment
Nominated for: Order of the Red Star
4. Year of birth: 1915
5. Nationality: Mari
6. Party affiliation: Member of the Communist Party
7. Participation in the Civil War, the subsequent combat actions to defend the USSR, and the Patriotic War (where and when): In the Patriotic War, serving on the Western, Bryansk, and Central Front since 1941
8. Wounds and contusions received during the Patriotic War: No
9. Since when in the Red Army: Since 1941
10. Drafted by which military commissariat: Military Commissariat of the Ioshkar-Ola Raion, Mari Autonomous SSR
11. Awards received previously (for which merits): Medal for Courage for the fighting at the village of Isanovo on February 1, 1943
12. Permanent home address of the prospective awardee and the address of his family: {Obscured}

Short, concrete description of his feat of arms or merits:

On July 5, 1943, during the fighting near Podolyan (Glazunovka Raion, Kursk Oblast), he fearlessly and resolutely commanded his gun in combat, despite heavy enemy artillery fire and aerial bombardment, inspiring his entire gun crew through his courage. His crew fired accurately, efficiently, and ceaselessly at the attacking enemy infantry, fighting to the last shell, and only then did comrade Toikichev withdraw his crew and his gun from under enemy fire. As a result of his accurate and intense firing, up to a company of enemy infantry was killed.

He deserves the Order of the Red Star.

Commander of the 279th Guards Light Artillery Regiment
Guards Major /Zagortsev/
September 1, 1943

I award the Order of the Red Star.

Commander of the 23rd Guards Light Artillery Brigade
Guards Colonel [signed] /Domrachov/
September 9, 1943

[Eryk]

Thanks to “Echos of War” I've become interested (oh, alright... obsessed), with awards given for specific battles. Using EoW it's not a complete crap shoot when looking for such. But finding an award that's actually listed (p. 116) in that wonderful book makes it downright easy. So, when going through a dealer's hard copy print out (dot matrix, continuous feed paper... yes, he's had some things since the 1990s!), and noticing this Red Star on offer I jumped.

One confusing thing was the unit – the 279th Guards Light Artillery Regiment was not at Kursk. But again, standing on the shoulders of giants, in this case “Red Thunder: Soviet Artillery 1941 to 1945” by Charles Sharp, it was made clear. There I found this:

23rd Guards Light Artillery Brigade: Formed on 10 August 1943 from the 16th Light Artillery Brigade... with:
...
279th Guards Light Artillery Regiment (from 768th Light Artillery Regiment)
…

Looking at the entry for the 16th Light Artillery Brigade we find:

Formed in December 1942 in the 5th Artillery Division with the 540th, 697th 768th Light Artillery Regiments. … It served in that division through the battle of Kursk, where the brigade distinguished itself supporting 13th Army against the main German attacks from the north. As a result, in August 1943 the 16th became the 23rd Guards Light Artillery Brigade.

Armed with the awardee’s name another resource was available – PODVIG. Using a Cyrillic keyboard emulator and CathhR’s excellent write up for we linguistically impaired his citation and order were found. Sent to Auke, additional research was done and his award card was retrieved and the whole shebang translated.

The citation verifies that comrade Toikichev fought against the very first onslaught of 47th Panzer Corps on 5 July 1943, the opening of the battle of Kursk. The 5th Artillery Division's assets were distributed throughout the 13th Army, in the maze of defensive works that would blunt and finally stop the offensive. The town of Podolyan (Подолянь)was in the first defensive belt, and fell on 5 July after heavy fighting, basically being swamped by German forces with fearsome casualties on both sides. For his actions near there Toikichev received the Red Star; for that and the rest of the battle his regiment was made a Guards unit.

Frustratingly I’ve also found what looks like a map fragment, on a wargaming forum of all places, that seems to show the placement of two of the three artillery regiments of the 16th Light at Ponyri two days later. Not a reliable source by any stretch, but it is feasible that Toikichev was also at that climactic battle. The northern assault front was only about 35km wide, and the Soviets moved units around like chess pieces countering the assault. Ponyri was the place where the northern offensive was decisively defeated. (There is another indication: a footnote in Glantz’s “Battle of Kursk” places the 5th Artillery Division as “supporting the 307th Rifle Division”; the 307th is the unit that defended Ponyri.)

Long winded, but the history is what I like most about collecting!

Oh, and thanks to all mentioned herein for their invaluable work and assistance!

[desantnik]

Eryk, thanks for the report. I now have over 500 pages of serial numbers on record!

[slava1stclass]

Eryk,

Excellent use of multiple-source cross referencing to develop the complete story. Congrats!

Regards,

slava1stclass

[CtahhR]

It is excellent to see the information offered by multiple non-self interested sources coming together to excel the study of awards. As one of many users here who offer assistance in a non-profit, non self-interested way I am encouraged to see the information offered by the valuable members of the community being used in the correct fashion. I'm sure there are lots of people benefiting from the information provided here and I can only encourage them to post.

It is also interesting to see that those most vocal in their derogatory remarks about this outstanding forum are also not contributing to the public display of researched awards. These self-interested people who are seen publicly to purchase researched awards yet fail to offer the information to the public are doing the greatest disservice to the awarded. I can only encourage them to stop being so selfish and offer the information to the world. Their lack of posting certainly isn't due to the fact that their nations have never seen acts of valour on their soils and therefore do not understand courageous acts. This is not coin or stamp collecting and these awards for meritorious acts are all unique and need to be aired as such. I think this was very much emphasised by Tommy's thread earlier this week. The "bit of metal" had such a hard-hitting tale to tell. Selfishness would never had aired that unique story to the world. Selfishness would certainly not have been awarded that Order neither.

I am encouraged and excited that there are now well over 500 researched Soviet awards on the forum with more flowing our way with methodical frequency. Away from Soviet awards there are also expansions into the researching of other awards in the sphere of the forum. Certainly not a one horse race any more!

Once again I encourage everyone to contribute in a positive fashion to the upkeep of the legacy of all recipients of awards from all nations at all points in history. The victors, the defeated, the abstaining all have stories behind them and here we have a forum to air many of them.

Here is the original citation.

A currently serving, former Para friend of mine's great grandfather received the 14th British Military Medal for a somewhat similar deed in the Great War.

I wonder if there would have been awards if the gun had been spiked and abandoned? or simply just abandoned? I think SMERSH may have been there to meet him had he just abandoned the functioning gun under enemy fire.

I also wonder if the logistician that failed in keeping this gun supplied got a good "talking to". A heavy gun isn't much use without its inserts. It's not like you can beat the enemy to death with it. "Fix Bayonet!" isn't an option.