Red Star,3134218,T-34 Radioist/Gunner,169th Separate Tank Battalion,Catch-Up 1953

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Red Star #3134218.

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1. Family, Shekelashvili,
2. Name And Patronym, Levan Aleksandrovich
3. Military Rank, Sergeant
4. Sex, Male
5. Year Of Birth, 1919
6. Place Of Birth, Georgian SSR, Haturi
7. Party Membership, Member KPSS from 1943.
8. Education, Graduated 4th Class
9. Nationality, Georgian
10. From Which Year In Red Army, From 1939
11. Which Service And Position At Time Of Award, 169th Tank Battalion - Gunner
12. Place Of Service And Position At Current Time, Haturi Railway Station - Barber
13. Current address of awarded, Georgian SSR, Haturi, Tolstoj Street #1

Medal For Bravery #430552 28th Guards Tank Brigade 22nd August 1943
Order Of The Red Star #3134218 28th May 1942 Kalinin Front

*)On the order for the Order Of The Red Star as Shekalashvhili

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Family, Name, Patronym. Shekolashvili L. P.
Rank. Junior Sergeant
Position, unit. Radioist-Gunner of a t-34 Tank, 169th Separate Tank Battalion
Presented For Award Of The Order "Red Banner"
1. Year of birth. 1919
2. Nationality. Georgian
3. From which time in Red Army. 1939
4. Party Membership. Member VLKSM
5. Participant in war (where and when) In the Patriotic War from 18th December 1941
6. Has been Wounded or contused Wounds not had
7. Has been awarded (for which distinction) Not awarded
8. Which Regional Military Commissariat called Haturi

Radioist-Gunner Junior Sergeant Shekolashvili in the staff of a crew 7th February 1942 3 times went on the attack at the village of Solomino and on 8th February 1942 2 times at the village of Lebzino.
In these attacks the crew destroyed 4 Anti-Tank Guns, 5 heavy machineguns, 3 mortars, 2 wooden bunkers, 4 houses converted into firing positions and up to 50 enemy infantry.
The machine was hit, but the crew remained in the machine. By stopping the machine it came under a whirlwind of fire from enemy cannons.
Several of the hits from shells on the machine set it on fire. The machine was engulfed in flames, but the courageous foursome did not bail from the tank, opening fire on the enemy. It was only when they had exhausted all shells and ammunition by the crew firing, that they left the machine to the throes of flames.
For showing bravery and courage with the Fascist invaders Junior Sergeant Shekolashvili is worthy of the Governmental award - The Order "Red Banner".

Commander 169th Separate Tank Battalion Major Duhovnyj
Military Commissar 169th Separate Tank Battalion Battalion Commissar Telehov

14th February 1942

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A very nice award! I would like to know, which awards were given to the rest of the crew for these heroic actions...

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As the crew are not named it might be a challenge. I'll see what I can find.

Looking at the list of those noted as killed in the 35th Tank Brigade on this prikaz alone surviving was the greatest award.

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7-2-42 At 2.00 7-2-42 the Commander of the 169th Tank Battalion Major Dukovnyj with 3 machines "T-34" entered the village of Solomino. The village was completely mastered by our units by 10.00 7-2-42 in the presence of Major Gribachev, Battalion Commissar Temhov, the Commander of the 96th Rifle Regiment, 359th Rifle Division after that the tanks went on the attack in the amount of 6 machines in the direction of the village of Lebzino, by Gusev were subjected to a Fascist counter-attack. On the outskirts of Solomino came 3 German self-propelled guns, the infantry in panic left the village leaving to their fate the tanks, that could not see the German self-propelled guns leaving them under a whirlwind of fire as a result of that lost 6 tanks "T-34". The retreated infantry and the situation at the front were threatened even the village of Koutiki. By order of Major Gribachev 3 malfunctioning tanks "T-34" they personally and Major Dukovnyj were brought forward at the height of the reflection of the counter-attack as a result of the fire of these 3 Tanks were destroyed, 3 Anti-Tank guns (by report of the advanced artillery observation post). At 13.00 7-2-42 supplied reinforcement infantry in the amount of around 70 persons and 2 running "T-34", which were giving the task to immediately restore the previous situation of mastering the village of Solomino. At 14.00 tanks went into Solomino destroying the remained of Fascists and in only 30 minutes the unorganised infantry occupied the village of Solomino. 18.00 was given the task of immediately advancing upon the village of Lebzino. As a result of combat for the village of Solomino the tanks destroyed: Bunkers - 9, machinegun nests - 10, Mortars - 6, Anti-Tank Guns - 6, 3 7mm Guns, destroying up to 70 Fascists, about 150 persons fleeing to the village of Lebzino burning over 12 houses converted to bunkers, At 21.00 7-2-42 the Deputy Commander Of The Brigade Major Gribachev, Commander Of The Battalion Major Dukovnyj, Commissar Of The Battalion Battalion Commissar Telehov were in the village of Solomino to organise the advance on the village of Lebzino that by this time had been established, that no matter what were to defend Solomino. The regimental commanders of the 94th 98th and 96th regiments were not organised, becoming a threat to holding Solomino, because some automatic machinegunners were literally on the outskirts of the village the personal order of Lieutenant-General Mishulan gave responsibility for organising the interacting of infantry with tanks was given to Major Gribachev and Major Duhovnyj. Based on this Major Gribachev jointly with the commander of the 94th Rifle Regiment Captain Alennikov took to themselves the organisation of defending the village of Solomino and organising the advancing infantry. Major Dukovnyj was given the organisation of the tank attack with the landing of the infantry. At 23.00 the infantry landed, which literally collected all over the village at 24.00. 4 tanks with the landing of 60 infantry took to the attack on the village of Lebzino following on from landing the infantry went.

8-2-42 At 0.30 8-2-42 the tanks with the landing force in the village of Lebzino destroyed: 2 75mm Guns, 4 heavy-calibre mortars, up to 15 deliveries of their food and ammunition and up to 70 enemy soldiers and officers. The movement of our infantry was slow as a result the enemy had managed to pull out with the 3 self-propelled guns. The infantry from the village that had not landed with the tanks under heavy artillery-mortar fire attacked to the north-west of the village of Lebzino.
We lost 2 "T-34" tanks one burned, one knocked out that were combat distinguished.
Company Commander Junior Lieutenant Salin, Tank Driver Dmitrenko, Turret Commander Shestirko, Machine Commander Junior Lieutenant Trandefir, Turret Commander Sergeant Kovalev, Tank Driver Makarov, Machinegunner Sergeant Shekolashvili.



So his Tank's crew received;

Tank Commander Junior Lieutenant Pavel Mitrofanovich Trandefir (Wounded) - Red Star (Proposed Red Banner)
Turret Commander Red Army Soldier Fedor Terent'evich Kovalev (Wounded) - Red Banner KIA 10-02-1942.
Driver Senior Sergeant Ivan Terent'evich Makarov (Wounded) - Red Banner

Not only did he survive he was the only one not wounded.

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Here is the Tank Commander's citation confirming the crew but not adding anything else to the action.

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Kovalev's citation and death notification.

He never left Lebzino.

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Makarov's citation.

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Here are the locations. Solomino to the south of the two.

Very much a "Rzhev Meatgrinder" award.