Red Banner,021792,Captain,Gunboat "Red Banner",Baltic Fleet

[Auke]

Record card

Order booklet nr. 595816

1. Last name: Ustinov
2. First name and patronymic: Aleksandr Leontyevich
3. Military rank: Captain 1st Rank
4. Sex: Male
5. Year of birth: 1895
6. Place of birth: Leningrad Oblast, Odinopolsky[?] Raion
7. Party membership (since which year): Member of the VKP(b) since 1939
8. Education: Higher
9. Nationality: Russian
10. Since which year in the Red Army: 1918
11. Place of service (name of unit) and duty position at the time of the awarding: Officers training course, Baltic Fleet - Senior artillery teacher
12. Current Place of service and duty position: Officers training course, Northern Baltic Fleet - Senior artillery teacher
13. Home address of the awardee: City of Leningrad, Vasilyevsky Island, 10 [?], house nr. 15b, apartmant nr. 15
14. Record of all awards presented:

Order of the Red Banner #21792, Order of the Commander of the Red Banner Baltic Fleet nr. 2 of 4 February 1942
Order of the Red Banner #150328, Decree of 3 November 1944
Order of Lenin #37045, Decree of 21 February 1945
Order of the Red Star #1092682, Order of the Commander of the Red Banner Baltic Fleet nr. 46 of 26 April 1945
Order of the Red Banner #2106 (3), Decree of 6 November 1947
Medal for 20 Years of RKKA, Decree of 22 February 1938
Medal for the Defense of Leningrad, Decree of 22 December 1942
Medal for the Victory over Germany, Decree of 9 May 1945

Signature of the awardee: [signature]

I confirm the correctness of the data and the signature of the awardee: Chief of the 6th section of the personnel department of the officers corps of the Red Banner Baltic Fleet
Senior Lieutenant [signature] /Kotov/
2 July 1946

[Auke]

Award sheet

For: The captain of the gunboat "Red Banner"
Captain 2nd Rank Aleksandr Leontyevich Ustinov
Order of the Red Banner
1. Year of birth: 1895
2. Nationality: Russian
3. Social situation: Serviceman
4. Party membership: Member of the VKP(b)
5. Since when in the RKKA or RKVMF: 1915
6. Participation in the Civil War: Yes
7. Wounds and contusions: No
8. Recommended earlier for an award, when and for what: Yes
9. Which encouragements and awards and for what: Medal for 20 Years of RKKA
10. Service in the White or another bourgeois army and captivity: No
11. Permanent address: Red Banner Baltic Fleet, gunboat "Red Banner"

I. Short, concrete description of personal combat feat or merits

For six months of war he showed himself a brave and strong-willed commander, skilfully leading all the combat organizations aboard the ship.

As a result of the good organization of the crew, six enemy batteries were destroyed, eleven batteries suppressed, and the road [?] [?] [?] demolished, the enemy crossing over the Pyata River was disrupted and demolished, roads were demolished and the delivery of supplies from the enemy and the Friedenthal Colony was prevented, many enemy tanks were destroyed and scattered, a column of thirteen trucks with ammunition and goods was destroyed, and many troops were killed. Three enemy Ju-88 aircraft were shot down.

For the excellent carrying out of the shootings on 1 October 1941, the crew of the gunboat "Red Banner" received a commendation from Army General Zhukov and member of the Supreme Soviet comrade Zhdanov.

While the ship was hit by an aerial bomb, the main machinery broke down and the ship was caught in a very difficult situation, he cool-headedly and skilfully organized the crew to fight the damage, and after 10-15 minutes manages to give the ship some speed, with which it could get to the base.

Commander of the 1st Gunboat Battalion
Captain 2nd Rank [signature] /Antonov/

Military commissar of the 1st Gunboat Battalion
Battalion Commissar [signature] /Kolotko/
December 1941



II. Conclusion of the higher chiefs

Deserves to be awarded the Order of the Red Banner.

Temporary commander of the Skerry Detachment of the Red Banner Baltic Fleet
Captain Lieutenant [signature] /Perevertailo/

Military commissar of the Skerry Detachment of the Red Banner Baltic Fleet
Battalion Commissar [signature] /Shevchenko/



III. Conclusion of the military counsil of the fleet

For the excellent management of the ship's combat actions in the Patriotic War and for the exceptionally effective artillery fire onto enemy concentrations, having received a high appraisal from the army command and comrade Zhdanov, Captain 2nd Rank Aleksandr Leontyevich Ustinov is to be awarded the Order of the Red Banner, and the government of the USSR is requested to endorse the decision of the military counsil of the Red Banner Baltic Fleet.

Commander of the Red Banner Baltic Fleet
Vice Admiral /Tributs/

Member of the military counsil of the Red Banner Baltic Fleet
Divisional Commissar /Smirnov/

Member of the military counsil of the Red Banner Baltic Fleet
Brigade Commissar /Verbitsky/
January 1942

[Auke]

This is his award:

[Auke]

Ustinov was promoted Captain 3rd Rank on 20 April 1938, Captain 2nd Rank on 10 March 1941 and Captain 1st Rank (Commander) on 21 March 1942. His career was quite extensive and interesting, for example serving aboard the battleship "October Revolution" and as assistent commander aboard the cruiser "Aurora" in the 30s. After his position as commander of the gunboat "Red Banner", he served as commander of his battalion and after that in various teaching positions. He retired in March 1949.

And this is him and his gunboat:

[deValcourt]

Yet another very interesting award with a great deal of good historical information behind it.:thumbsup (And it doesn't hurt that the award is such a nice one - even sans screwpost.:D)

Phillip

[CtahhR]

Here is the original citation for his second Red Banner #150328 listing his entire service record to November 1944. Some very familiar names. Unfortunately his first Red Banner has not yet made it onto "the site".

I feel that the first Red Banner would have been a Lenin had it been after the introduction of the Red Banner as a long service award. Rescuing a Gunboat was a great saving for the Fleet and some much needed firepower.