1. Last name: Dzyubenko
2. First name and patronymic: Aleksei Zakharovich
3. Military rank: Guards Sergeant Major
4. Sex: Male
5. Year of birth: 1923
6. Place of birth: Chernigov Oblast, Baturinsky District, City of Osich
7. Party membership (since which year): Member since 1944
8. Education: Incomplete Secondary
9. Nationality: Ukrainian
10. Since which year in the Red Army: Since 1941
11. Place of service (name of the unit) and position at the time of the award: 6th Guards Rifle Regiment, 25th Guards Rifle Regiment, Communications squad commander
12. Current place of service and position: Leningrad Twice Red Banner Military-Political School of F. Engels
13. Home address of the awardee: Leningrad congressional line? home 1/314.
Record of all awards received:
Names of the orders and medals Their numbers Numbers of the documents Ground of award
Medal For Bravery 779177 A-662080 Order of the 25th Guards Rifle Division nr. 019/N of July 14th 1943
Medal For Bravery 628642 A-338223 Order of the 25th Guards Rifle Division nr. 046/N of October 24th 1943
Order of Glory 3rd Class 25752 A-881298 Order of the 6th Guards Rifle Division nr. 014/N of April 1st 1944
Order of Glory 2nd Class 12132 D-745268 Order of the 13th Army nr. 028/N of February 14th 1945
Order of the Red Star 2119835 Zh-463804 Order of the 27th Rifle Corps nr. 024/N of May 15th 1945
Medal for Victory Over Germany 00005113 Order of the Supreme Soviet 9th May 1945
Signature of the awardee: [signed]
I confirm the correctness of the data and the signature of the awardee (position and signature):Captain [signed]
His first Bravery Medal was for action in July 1943 as part of the Russian counter-offensive against Germanys "Operation Citadel"
The fighting took place near Yasnaya Polyana, 335km north of Kursk. (Tolstoy was born here!)
OrderOf the 25th Guards Rifle Regiment, 6th Guards Rifle Division, 13th Army, Central Front 14the July, 1943, No 19/N, Field Army
On behalf of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, I award:
The Medal for Courage to:
[…]
3. Chief of the telephone exchange for the 1st Rifle Battalion Guards Sergeant Dzyubenko, for the fact that during the battle under heavy enemy fire from the air and ground restored 40 ruptures to the telephone lines.
His second Bravery Medal was awarded for the continued offensive operations of 1943. This time frame would have put the action near the Dnepr crossing.
Order Of the 5th Guards Rifle Regiment, 6th Guards Rifle Division, 17th Guards Rifle Corps24th October 1943, No 46/N, Field Army
On behalf of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, I award:
The Medal for Courage to:
[…]
3. Commander of the telephone communications company, Guards Sergeant Dzyubenko for the fact that he, during the offensive battles of 1943 in complicated battlefield conditions and terrain, skilfully commanded the department and provided an uninterrupted telephone connection between the regimental Observation Post and the Observation Post of the 1st infantry battalion.
[…]
Commander of the 25th Guards Rifle Regiment
Hero of the Soviet Union
Guards Lieutenant Colonel [signed] /Smirnov/
His first Glory was awarded for action in Lopavshe, Ukraine
Award Sheet
1. Last name, name, and patronymic: Dzyubenko, Aleksei Zakharovich
2. Rank: Guards Sergeant
3. Duty position: Communications company squad leader, 25th Guards Rifle Regiment, 6th Guards Rovensko Red Banner Rifle Division
Recommendation for the Order of Glory III Class
4. Born: 1923
5. Nationality: Ukrainian
6. Party membership: Not a member
7. Previous combat: Participated in the Great Patriotic War since 15.7.43 on the 1st Ukrainian Front
8. Wounds or shell-shock: One light wound 18/07/43 on the 1st Ukrainian Front
9. Time in Red Army: since 26.12.1942
10. Inducted by: Stalinsk Military Commissariat, Rostovsky Oblast
11. Previous awards: Medal for Bravery 14.9.43, 19/N 25th Guards Rifle Regiment. Medal for Bravery 24.10.1943 46/N 25th Guards Rifle Regiment.
12. Home of record: Intentionally obscured.
Short description of personal combat feat or accomplishment
In the offensive from 15.3 to 20.3 comrade Dziubenko, under heavy machine gun and mortar fire of the enemy fixed 27 breaks in the telephone line.In the fierce fighting for Lopavshe, fulfilling orders from his superiors to repair a line, he suddenly met with a group of the enemy, he did not panic and with accurate fire from his machine destroyed 4-fascists.For his courage, fortitude and valour he is worthy of the award, - Order of Glory 3rd Class.
Commander of the 25th Guards Rifle Regiment
Guards Major / [signed] / Abrosimov
He was awarded his second Glory, after being initially recommended for an OPW 1st class. This was for the Oder operation and pushing into Germany.
Award Sheet
1. Last name, name, and patronymic: Dzyubenko, Aleksei Zakharovich
2. Rank: Guards Sergeant Major
3. Duty position: Communications company squad leader, 25th Guards Rifle Regiment, 6th Guards Rovensko Red Banner Order of Suvorov Rifle Division
Recommendation for the Order of the Patriotic War 1st Class
4. Born: 1923
5. Nationality: Ukrainian
6. Party membership: Party Member since 1944, No 7286178
7. Previous combat: Since 18.12.41 on the Central and 1st Ukrainian Fronts
8. Wounds or shell-shock: One light wound 18/07/43 on the 1st Ukrainian Front
9. Time in Red Army: since 13.8.41
10. Inducted by: Stalinsk Military Commissariat, Rostovsky Oblast
11. Previous awards: Medal for Bravery 14.9.43, 19/N 25th Guards Rifle Regiment. Medal for Bravery 24.10.1943 46/N 25th Guards Rifle Regiment. Order of Glory 3rd Class 1.4.44 14/N 6th Guards Rifle Division
12. Home of record: Intentionally obscured.
Short description of personal combat feat or accomplishment
In the offensives from 01/12/41 to 02/03/45, Comrade Dzyubenko showed courage and valour. Being at an observation post in the absence of the commander of the artillery department, he personally adjusted the artillery fire and thanks to a well-aimed shells hit in the village of Skshelchitse where he scattered a cluster of enemy infantry.When crossing the river Oder and reaching the west bank, he provided uninterrupted communication to the combat troops and battalion commander, which made it possible to timely and properly manage the fire in combat.
Under artillery and mortar fire from the enemy, on the captured bridgehead he fixed 6 breaks in the line. In carrying out his tasks he encountered 2 Fritzes, he didn’t panic and used accurate fire from his machine gun to destroy them.For his courage, fortitude and valour he is worthy of the award, - Order of the Patriotic War 1st Class.
Commander of the 25th Guards Rifle Regiment
Guards Major / [signed] / Abrosimov
Deserving of the award, Order of Glory 2nd Class
Commander of the 6th Guards Rifle Division / [signed] / Ivanov
And finally! Recommend for a Glory 1st! Awarded a Red Star... B******s!
What an awesome citation though.
Award Sheet
1. Last name, name, and patronymic: Dzyubenko, Aleksei Zakharovich
2. Rank: Guards Sergeant Major
3. Duty position: Communications company squad leader, 25th Guards Rifle Regiment, 6th Guards Rovensko Red Banner Order of Suvorov Rifle Division
Recommendation for the Order Glory 1st Class
4. Born: 1923
5. Nationality: Ukrainian
6. Party membership: Party Member since 1944, No 7286178
7. Previous combat: Since 18.12.41 on the Central and 1st Ukrainian Fronts
8. Wounds or shell-shock: One light wound 18/07/43 on the 1st Ukrainian Front
9. Time in Red Army: since 13.8.41
10. Inducted by: Stalinsk Military Commissariat, Rostovsky Oblast
11. Previous awards: Medal for Bravery, Medal for Bravery, Order of Glory 3rd Class, Order of Glory 2nd Class
12. Home of record: Intentionally obscured.
Short description of personal combat feat or accomplishment
Comrade Dzyubenko was laying a telephone cable from the regimental staff to the 3rd Rifle Battalion during the fighting for the village of Kobelsdorf on April 27, 1945. When he and his squad found themselves cut off from the battalion staff, comrade Dzyubenko decided not to give up even a meter of cable, no matter the cost. At this point 8 German soldiers stormed out of the buildings, attempting to capture comrade Dzyubenko and his subordinates alive. When one German closed in to a distance of 2 meters while shouting ‘Hände hoch’, comrade Dzyubenko took up position and knocked him dead with the buttstock of his submachine gun. After this Dzyubenko started to spray the remaining Germans with submachine-gun fire. The latter were unable to withstand this and withdrew into the village.
He is deserving of the governmental award, the Order of Glory 1st Class
Commander of the 25th Guards Rifle Regiment
Guards Major / [signed] / Abrosimov
29.4.45
Deserving of the award, Order of Glory 1st Class
Commander of the 6th Guards Rifle Division / [signed] / Ivanov
5.5.45
Deserving of the Order of the Red Star
Commander of the 27th Rifle Corps
Guards General-Lieutenant Cherskmanov
02-16-2014, 10:45 PM (This post was last modified: 02-16-2014, 10:52 PM by slava1stclass.)
Tommy Wrote:And finally! Recommend for a Glory 1st! Awarded a Red Star... B******s!
Tommy,
I've come across plenty of examples of OGI recommendations upgraded to higher awards as in your case. I've also seen plenty of higher award recommendations downgraded to OGI.
If I had the choice, I'd rather be downgraded from an ORB recommendation to an OGI than upgraded from an OGI to an ORB. The benefits/prestige that are associated with Full Cavalier status far outweigh someone who was awarded an ORB and a OGII and OGIII for example.
As your case illustrates, it was often luck of the draw.
What awards one "wants" is open to a great diversity of opinion. If this rather battle hardened soldier just wanted to fade back into "normal" life back on demobilised street not receiving the "glory" would have been preferable.
When a state decides to chose you to throw the limelight of attention upon there is very little you can do, less to prepare.
A wave of "what did you do to get X?" churning up violent experiences isn't as much fun as relaxing into the scenery.
Not as "sexy" for collectors but considerably easier for the veteran.
