Glory III,477399,Rifleman,91st Rifle Regiment,Wounds 1945

[Norm Braddock]

Thought you fellas might like this one. 41 and a great write up for a private.:thumbsup


Award Sheet
1. Last name, name, and patrionymic: Topchii, Aleksei Pavlovich
2. Rank: Private
3. Duty position: Rifle Battalion, 91 Rifle Regiment, 992 Rifle Division. On file with the Aktyubinsk Municipal Military Commissariat
Recommendation for the Order of Glory III Class
4. Born: 1906
5. Nationality: Ukrainian
6. Party membership: no
7. Previous combat: Southern Front 13.8.41-2.10.41
8. Wounds or shell-shock: lightly wounded 17.8.41, seriously wounded 2.10.41
9. Time in Red Army: 10.8.41 – 28.2.42
10. Inducted by: Kamenskii Regional Military Commissariat, Zaporozhe Oblast
11. Previous awards: n/a
12. Home of record: Aktyubinsk, Stalin St. #5, Apt. 1. Family’s address: Nikopol, Dnepropetrovsk Oblast, Ordzhonokidze Spring
Short description of personal combat feat or accomplishment
Comrade Topchii participated in combat operations while in the 91 Rifle Regiment, 992 Rifle Division, 3 Army on the Khortitsa Island and near Kakhovka from 13.8-2.10.41 as a rifleman.
According to records he repeatedly participated in combat and killed 11 German soldiers.
While crushing an enemy assault on the island of Khortitsa, a group of six men of which he was a member killed six fascists and took three prisoners.
On 30.8.41 while in a seven-man reconnaissance patrol, they killed three fascists and took three prisoner, additionally damaging a communication line in the enemy’s rear area and capturing a telephone equipment. On this mission Comrade Topchii killed one German.
On 2.10.41 near the village of Mikhailovka, Comrade Topchii participated in three attacks in one night, during which he personally killed two fascists soldiers in a bayonet fight. He was wounded twice. As a result of his serious wound he was removed from service. At the present he is an Invalide III Class. Prior to his military service he worked as an accountant at the Ordzhonokidze Spring in Nikopol, Dnepropetrovsk Oblast. He now works as the chief accountant at the (?) Railroad, Aktyubinsk Station.
For combat excellence in the Patriotic War, Comrade Topchii is deserving of the Order of Glory III Class.
Signed Aktyubinsk Municipal Military Commissariat Guards Major Korabelshchikov on 25.12.1944
Endorsed Aktyubinsk Oblast Military Commissariat, Lieutenant Colonel Alek(?) on 9 December 1944
Endorsed Commander,Okrug Forces, General-Colonel Reiter and Member of the Military Committee General-Major Chekalovskii on 5 January 1945

Award Card
Order Booklet 670836
1. Last name: Topchii
2. Name and patrionymic: Aleksei Pavlovich
3. Rank: Private
4. Gender: Male
5. Birthyear: 1906
6. Birthplace: Dalynskii Region, Dnepropetrovsk Oblast
7. Party membership: n/a
8. Education: elementary
9. Nationality: Ukrainian
10. Time in Red Army: 4.41-3.42
11. Place of service at awarding: 91 Rifle Regiment, 41 Rifle Division - Private
12. Place of work at present: on reserve file in the Aktyubinsk MMC. Works as chief accountant Aktyubinsk Station
13. Home address: Aktyubinsk, Voroshilov #20
14. Awards:
Designation Serial Number Awarding Organization
Glory III 477.399 Supreme Soviet dated 6.11.45
Victory over Germany Medal Edict dated 9.5.45
Verified by Aktyubinsk Okrug Military Commissariat Deputy Chief of Personnel Senior Lieutenant Sazr(?) on 4 June 1946

[Eryk]

Great citation, fighting on an island in the Dneiper River in the initial blitz. Would be interested in seeing the original documents because there was no 992nd Rifle Division according to the standard references. A local militia unit? As well, the 3rd Army was destroyed in June/July 41 in Belorussia, and resurrected soon after but fought well to the north (near Bryansk), later in the year.

Anyway, not doubting the documents, just wondering. A case of making the best of memory four years after severe wounds?

[Norm Braddock]

Okey dokey, doc is below for your viewing pleasure.

My two cents is that during the chaos of units getting destroyed and/or scattered at that time, a bunch of guys called themselves the 992nd then became something else.

Cheers

[Eryk]

My two cents is that during the chaos of units getting destroyed and/or scattered at that time, a bunch of guys called themselves the 992nd then became something else.

Tens of thousands of men were raised in Peoples Militia units in the first months of the war, and perhaps telling is that a "Peoples Militia Corps" was formed in the Dnepropetrovsk area in August, 1941. (Where this citation references his fighting.) Can't find any specific numeric references re: 992nd (or any number near that high), though the Corps is mentioned in multiple places. Many of the militia divisions were transformed into Rifle divisions soon after formation, but again perhaps tellingly the "Peoples Militia Corps" was not, instead the men were portioned out as replacements for existing divisions. And by that time Comrade Topchii had been wounded and evacuated.

So, years later and hundreds of miles away (his home of record is in central Asia, though he was born on the Dnepr), when asked who he fought and bled with it wouldn't be surprising if there was no record of a numbered unit. Whatever is a bureaucrat to do to fill in the appropriate blanks? :)

Probably never know for sure, but it's not a stretch to say your man was a militiaman, an accountant turned rifleman hurled into the line after the disaster at Kiev (the Germans had just killed/captured over half a million, utterly destroying 43 (!) RKKA divisions in a pocket there in August/September), when the east Ukraine was a shambles.

Great catch up award!

[Alexscl]

[COLOR="Blue"]Very interesting info re: battle for Khortitsa. No translation - sorry.

Also, don't forget - all this citations "for wounds" were based on the facts provided by veterans. Usually "voenkom" was able to confirm wounds (docs from the hospital) but not "the stories" :) I have a citation for the private who "stormed Budapest" in 1943.[/COLOR]

Из истории обороны Запорожья известно, что 18 августа 1941 г. гитлеровцы, бросив на прорыв танки и моторизованные войска с целью внезапного захвата Днепрогэса и плотины, по которой рассчитывали ворваться в город, прорвали оборону западнее Запорожья на узком участке фронта. По мосту через старое русло Днепра врагу удалось прорваться на Хортицу, приблизиться к Днепрогэсу и начать орудийно-минометный обстрел его защитников. Обороняющиеся подразделения, переключив генераторы ГЭС на самосожжение, отступили на Левобережье. Были взорваны железнодорожный мост через новое русло Днепра и частично плотина. Гигантский водопад смыл несколько вражеских переправ, потопил много фашистских подразделений, укрывшихся в плавнях. Отряды народного ополчения под руководством городского штаба (его возглавляли первый секретарь горкома партии П. Н. Комаров и председатель горисполкома В. В. Скрябин), а также бойцы истребительных батальонов, отряды чекистов и милиции под общим командованием В. И. Леонова в течение 18 — 21 августа держали оборону до подхода частей Красной Армии.
1 сентября маршал Буденный разработал план освобождения острова.
В ночь с 1 на 2 сентября 41 г. усиленная рота переправляется на остров, но отступает после сильного пулеметного и минометного огня. 3 сентября наши силами нескольких рот переправляются на Хортицу. Бойцы ходят в штыковые. Немцы ушли на правый берег 6 сентября. Запорожье было оставлено нами только 4 октября 1941 г.

[Alfred]

From the history of defense Zaporozhye know that August 18, 1941 the Nazis, leaving behind a breakthrough tanks and motorized troops to surprise and capture of the Dnieper dam, which is expected to break into the city, broke through the defenses west of Zaporozhye on a narrow front. The bridge over the old bed of the Dnieper to the enemy managed to break into the Khortytsya, close to Dneproges and start gun, a mortar attack on his defenders. The defending division switching hydroelectric generators to self-immolation, they departed on the Left Bank. Were blown up railway bridge over the new course of the Dnieper and partly dam. Giant waterfall washed several enemy crossings, sank a lot of fascist units hiding in the marsh. Detachments of militia under the direction of city staff (it was headed by First Secretary of Party Committee PN Komarov, and chairman of the executive committee Vladimir Scriabin), as well as fighters shock battalions, detachments of police and security officers under the overall command of VI Leonova for 18 - August 21, kept the defense up to the approach of the Red Army.
September 1, Marshal Budyonny developed a plan to release the island.
In the night of 1 to 2 September 1941 reinforced company ferried to the island, but retreats after heavy machine-gun and mortar fire. September 3 our forces of several mouth redirected to Khortytsya. The fighters go to the bayonet. The Germans went to the right bank on September 6. Zaporozhye has been left us only 4 October 1941

[Eryk]

[COLOR="Blue"]
Also, don't forget - all this citations "for wounds" were based on the facts provided by veterans. Usually "voenkom" was able to confirm wounds (docs from the hospital) but not "the stories" :) I have a citation for the private who "stormed Budapest" in 1943.

Interesting to know, and not surprising. And I'm sure we'd all be fascinated by the story of the storming of Budapest in 1943. :chuckle

Great info on the battle by the way. Thanks for that.