Help identifying rank from photo

[Pobeda45]

Hi guys,

I own a Bravery medal that came with this photograph--I was told by the veteran's family that he was a mortar man, and private. Anything else we can tell from here? Any significance to the stripes on the collar?

George

[RichieC]

I thought this man was your grandfather (?)

In any case, he is wearing a an M41, or possibly even an M27 Shinel coat for EM. The collar tabs are regular 1943 pattern for EM.

[Pobeda45]

Thanks Richie. Yup, that's my grandfather. I actually didn't want to initially share that tidbit out of privacy.

Thanks for the info--here are a few more photos of him and his battalion. Grandpa George is the one with the (somewhat unfortunate) moustache.

George

[DougD]

George,

Great photos, thanks for posting them. What was his service like during the war; when / where, etc.?

DougD

[medals73]

Honestly, I cannot understand the secret hiding wink-wink games that some people seem to want to play.

:(

[Pobeda45]

Hi Doug,

Thanks for the kind words. Grandpa was born in 1899, so he was consicripted and served for a couple of years in the Russian Civil War. (On the Bolshevik side :) ) No clue if he ever saw action, but perhaps his experience saved his life later. Volunteered to fight on June 22, 1941 (they weren't yet drafting men of his age) and fought through the entire war. He kept a low profile and did not join the Party, which is the reason he cited for an unusually low number of awards. Mortar man (not sure what place on the crew) and finished the war in the 3rd Ukrainian Front. Not too many medals, just the Bravery Medal, and campaign medals: Moscow, Budapest (IIRC), Belgrade (IIRC), Vienna.

A few stories remain in the family:

The kid conscripts called him "dad"--and he watched them get killed by the dozen. :(

Wounded by shrapnel several times.. One time a piece of shrapnel hit right on his "Guards" badge. We have that badge in the family archive.

He was a good swimmer, and was one of the lucky few surviving the Kharkiv encirclement by swimming across Dnestr river. Lucky man.

While in Austria, he witnessed someone in his battalion machine gun a family about to sit for dinner. The man had lost his family in the war, and something about this family struck a nerve. Haunting story, but a true one. Grandpa didn't speak to the man since then.

He survived the war and came home in '46. My father (8 at the time) didn't recognize him, telling his mom that "a soldier is there for you." He lived until 1975.

George

[Pobeda45]

Here's another photo--I have it in multiple reprints that grandpa used to give as souvenirs. One says that the photo was taken at the Lower Dnieper Offensive (форсирование днепра). Enjoy.

Medals73, no secrets here. I didn't know how you guys would take mine asking about a family member. I am very proud of this man, my namesake! :)

George

[RichieC]

George,

Very interesting history and a great collection of images.

It feel is quite a rare occurrence to have multiple - more than two or three - photos of one Soviet soldier or commander that span such years.

IMO, he still must have been serving during the mid 1930s, or in Finland in 39/40 judging from his soft helmet and gymnasterka shown in this image.

[RichieC]

If you would, try and make a 600, or even a 1200 DPI scan of this image, and crop everybody else out. Perhaps some rank stripes are visible on his shoulder-boards.

If not, you would be correct; he remained a private.

Again, great stuff and thanks for showing it to all of us....

[Pobeda45]

IMO, he still must have been serving during the mid 1930s, or in Finland in 39/40 judging from his soft helmet and gymnasterka shown in this image.

Thanks, Richie. :cheers
Yeah, I've wondered about that photo. He was a reservist from 1921 through 1941..perhaps it was taken on reserve exercises? I can also see two possibilities:
-Maybe there were some of these "Buddenovki" hats for troops as late as 1941? The army was pretty poorly equipped as we all know.
- Maybe he packed this hat with him to go off to war in 1941--perhaps he had it sitting on a shelf somewhere. I've always been haunted by his look in this photo, as if this was his June 22 photograph.

Glad you guys enjoyed these. 3 more, then. :thumbsup

George