For Combat Merits,0127637,Quartermaster,162nd Engineering-Mine Battalion

[PaulR]

I was lucky enough to find this really early Combat Service Medal, with research. This is the first one that I have seen made out to a Jewish member.

Any ideas on any other campaign medals he may have been eligible for? I do know that he would be good for a VoG medal.

Regards
Paul

[PaulR]

Registration form

Awarding booklet # A-826450

Freidman
Solomon Marcovich
Senior lieutenant of quartermaster service
Date of birth – 1895
Place of birth – Vitebsk city
Communist party member since 1944
Education – high school
Nationality – Jew
Served in Red Army since July of 1941
Last military service place and position – 10th Guards Army, chief of foodstuffs service
Present occupation – Molotov city, chief of supply department of forest protection organization
Address – Molotov city, Students street 5, apt.1

Red Star order #884426, document #B 617995, order of 10th Guard Army #125/n from 3d of November 1944

Combat merit medal #127637, document v/u 278324, order of 13th engineering-mine brigade #029 from 31st of December 1942



AWARDING SHEET

Freidman Solomon Marcovich
Red Army enlisted man
162nd engineering-mine battalion

Recommended to awarding by “Combat merit” medal

Birth date 1895
Nationality – Jew
Serving in Red Army since 5th of July 1941
Non-party
Serving in Fighting Army since December of 1941
Never wounded
Never awarded before
Called up to military service by Vitebsk military commissariat of Belorussian SSR
Home address: Vitebsk city, Pioneer str. 35

Statement of a personal combat feat or merits.

Comrade Freidman worked in Army management of ware and food service – 21 as a warehouse manager.
From January 1942 to December of 1942 he worked as a chief of base of 35th engineer brigade. For this period he provided uninterrupted supply of our battalions worked with fighting troops on Pola river (April-May of 1942) and Semenovshina (October-November of 1942). In May- June of 1942 comrade Freidman worked in hard combat conditions under blows of enemy aircrafts, but he never allowed any interruptions in battalions supply.
During enemies aircrafts blows in Krestsi (June of 1942) comrade Freidman saved all brigade foodstuffs and delivered them to battalions in time.
Comrade Freidman is initiative, resourceful, never lost himself in a combat situation.
He is politically well developed, understands an international situation. He proved by his work his devotion to Lenin-Stalin party and our Motherland.
Comrade Freidman is worthy to be awarded by “Combat merit” medal.

Brigade engineer, major of engineer service

II The conclusion of the highest chiefs

I award him by “Combat merit” medal
Deputy to commander of 13th engineering-mine brigade of HCR major Smirnov
31 of December 1942

Mark about awarding
Was awarded by “Combat merit” medal #127637
Order of 13th engineering-mine brigade of HCR
#029 from 31 of December 1942

[PaulR]

Final picture. :thumbsup

Any additional information would be appreciated.

[CtahhR]

His card only indicated the Red Star and For Combat Merits. By 1946 if he had been unit awarded any other Medals (such as "Defence of") they would have most likely been awarded and listed.

[PaulR]

Thank you! Tight/small groups are nice too. This is my earliest CSM.

[CtahhR]

There are so many variables. Someone could get 4 or 5 Campaign Medals and no other awards or someone could get a chest full of bravery awards and no Campaign Medals. The Campaign Medals only cover a limited area of combat and you can be in a combat zone without distinguishing yourself in any way.

Bureaucratic errors, wounds and death also throw up some interesting situations.

For example I know an American who has two folded flags. He was declared dead twice and his mother was given a flag each time. Still alive though.

[Auke]

Campaign medals were not always mentioned on the record card, so it is still possible that he received a few. It could also be that he received them after February 1946.

[CtahhR]

Indeed, although unit awarded campaign Medals were not usually awarded so late.

Without further information no-one can be certain if he received anything more. The Red Star citation may indicate something not already shown. Frequently citations are a good source of information but they can also omit information and infrequently supply incorrect information.

I certainly wouldn't encourage adding awards to an individual or group of awards without solid evidence. Service records, award documents and photographs are all pretty solid evidence. Speculation is not. For example, just because someone was awarded an OPW '85 does not automatically mean the recipient was awarded all or any of the previous commemorative awards or a recipient of the VOG still alive today received any or all of the following commemoratives. Just because someone is 100% entitled to an award is no guarantee they received or will ever receive it.

Don't forget the moving goalposts either.

[Auke]

Wow, CtahhR, that almost doesn't sound like you :thumbsup

[CtahhR]

It certainly is me!

Any misconceptions people may have inferred are primarily due to the fact that text doesn't convey tone - the tone is usually upbeat or humour here.

There is also a vast difference between "it is" and "it may".

People would not believe the amount of time spent researching here (and public efforts to see deserving recipients get what they are entitled to).

I'm certainly not one for making groups from ifs and buts. The closest thing to that around here is adding unnumbered awards to unnumbered documents. If there is no record of something it's not in the group. If you take a look through groups I have posted in the various nations' sections I'm not one for adding a load of "baubles" and I've never added an award to a uniform in the collection.

If I had a taking to adding awards to groups to make them more "glorious", I would get in a lot of trouble whilst court mounting the bars of folk at the barracks.