Red Banner,240590,Head Of Artillery Supply,370th Rifle Division

[Tommy]

Award Card

Order Booklet 435855  

Last name:  Shvedov Name and patrionymic:  Aleksandr Aleksandrovich
Rank:  Guards Major of Artillery Technical Service
Gender:  Male
Birthyear:  1913
Birthplace:  Yaroslavl Oblast, Chukhlo(?) Region, village of Kokourivi
Party membership:  since 1940
Education:  mid-level
Nationality:  Russian
Time in Red Army:  1933  
Place of service at awarding:  Division Chief of Artillery Supply  – 370 Rifle Division, 69 Army
Place of work at present:  Artillery Supply Directorate, Group of Soviet Occupational Forces in Germany – Senior Inspector for (?), 8 Section  
Home address:  Troop Unit 83460

Awards:

Designation  Serial Number  Awarding Organization

Red Star  694.547  69 Army dated 19.6.44
Combat Service Medal 2.334.169  Supreme Soviet dated 21.2.45
Patriotic War II  375.143  69 Army dated 2.4.45
Red Banner  240.590  69 Army, 1 Bel. Front dated 28.5.45
Victory over Germany Medal   Edict dated 9.5.45
Capture of Berlin Medal    Edict dated 4.06.45
Liberation of Warsaw medal   Edict dated 9.6.45
Red Star   2.883.042 Edict dated 20.6.49
Red Banner   457.020 Edict dated 5.11.54
30th Anniversary of Soviet Army and Navy Mdl   


DECEASED.  Awards sent to the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet USSR Act #317 dated 22.5.73.  


Verified by Chief of Personnel (?), Group of Soviet Forces in Germany, Colonel Tilyakhovskii on 28 February 1946  




Award Card 2....


Abbreviated Award Sheet Card attests ethnic Russian Guards Major of Technical Services Aleksandr Aleksandrovich Shvedov, 370 Rifle Division Chief of Artillery Supply, was awarded the Order of the Patriotic War I Class according to 69 Army Order 0207/N dated 28.5.45 for generic “combat with the German invaders.”

 He was born in 1913, entered the Red Army 10.1933, and joined the communist party in 1940.

[Tommy]

OPW 1st Class citation

Award Sheet

Last name, name, and patrionymic:  Aleksandr Aleksandrovich Shvedov  
Rank:  Guards Major of Artillery Technical Service
Duty position:  Chief of Artillery Supply  – 370 Brandeburg Red Banner Order of Kutuzov Rifle Division  
Recommendation for the Order of the Patriotic War I Class
Born:  1913
Nationality:  Russian
Party membership:  since 1940 #2771297
Previous combat:  Patriotic War since 6.1941 on the SW, Voronezh, Kalinin, 2 Baltic , and 1 Belorussian Fronts
Wounds or shell-shock:  n/a
In Red Army:  since October 1933
Inducted by:  Vyborg Regional Military Commissariat, Leningrad
Previous awards:  Red Star on 19.6.44, Patriotic War II on 2.4.45
Home of record:  [trans:  entry intentionally obscured]

Short description of personal combat feat or accomplishment      

As the Division’s Chief of Artillery Supply during combat operations to expand the bridgehead west of the Oder river near Lebus, subsequent penetration, and pursuit, Guards Major Shvedov continuously supplied attacking units with ammunition and armament.      Comrade Shvedov personally organized the delivery of ammunition to the firing positions across the Oder river under difficult combat conditions.      

During the attack he personally received ammunition from the army depot and delivered it directly to the units on the lead edge, thus enabling the successful accomplishment of the Division’s mission.      

For good work in supplying the Division’s units during combat actions Comrade Shvedov is deserving of the Order of the Patriotic War I Class.

Signed Deputy Commander of the Rear Area, 375 Brandenburg Red Banner Order of Kutuzov Rifle Division, Quartermaster Lieutenant Colonel Bashkardin on 30 April 1945

Endorsed Artillery Commander, 370 Rifle Division, Guards Colonel Orlov on 20 May 1945

 

[Tommy]

Bit of a strange one here.

He was awarded an OPW 1st class and Red Banner by the same UKAZ dated 28.5.45.

However, no citation for the Red Banner is available, just the OPW1...

Anyways, here's the RB.

[CtahhR]

This selection of research is a strange one. I believe it may be a case of administrative error and "Red Banner" being written on the Award Card rather than OPWI.

The OPWI is missing from the award card which follows along the administrative error lines.

The Red Banners are on pages 1-6 of the ukaz and this recipient is not listed. OPWI's are on pages 7-8 and he is the 13th and final recipient.

Would anyone be able to suggest if an OPWI with a serial of 240590 would line up to this period and unit?

[desantnik]

The posted research is for an OPWI. Here's what I've got for that serial number range for OPWI's:

238.914 30.4.45 3 Belorussian Front, 31 Army
240.36(?) 25.5.45 1 Ukrainian Front, 4 Tank Army
241.559 19.4.45 1 Belorussian Front

So this OPWI falls on the seam, though it was possibly/probably awarded by 1BEF.

Although the research points to an OPWI, it is possible, though unlikely that a quartermaster officer would have been awarded a combat Red Banner.

Of course, he received a long service Red Banner later, but I tend to agree with the assessment that the award card confused the posted OPWI with a RB.

To add to the confusion, here's what I have for Red Banners in that serial number range:

239.694 30.4.45 Long Service
240.585 17.5.45 1 Belorussian Front, 69 Army
240.92(?) 28.2.45 1 Belorussian Front, 8 Guards Army
241.042 31.3.45 1 Belorussian Front, 8 Guards Army

So, to add to the confusion, the generic serial number 240.590 falls both within an acceptable range for an OPWI and a RB awarded by the 1 Belorussian Front.

Curious...

[Tommy]

Oh dear! What a pickle.

Could it mean that this RB was both correctly, yet incorrectly awarded?

By that I mean he was meant to receive an OPW 1, but was given the RB instead so this was what was written on his Record Card?

If not, who does this RB belong to :(

[desantnik]

Can you show the reverse of the original award card listing the awards and their serial numbers?

[Tommy]

Here you go,



Thanks Paul :)

[desantnik]

Let's play detective.

Based off podvignaroda information, here's what we got:

Red Star awarded 19.6.44

OPW II awarded 2.4.45; citation mentions the above Red Star, though with incorrect date of 19.7.44.

The podvignaroda citation for an OPWI starts as an OPWI recommendation, but is recommended downgrade to RS to ultimately be awarded as an OPWII on 28.5.45 according to the final entry. This mismatch occasionally occurs and the I and II classes could be easily confused, but an OPW I entry is NOT indicated on the award card, but an OPWII.

So now we're going from an OPWI to an OPWII to a RB.

I'll also repeat my assertion that a combat Red Banner awarding to an artillery supply officer is a possibility, but not a high probability (the recommended downgrade from an OPWI to a RS/OPWII is also evidence of this). Awardings tended to be more generous and inflated later in the war, but the OPWI/OPWII citation above was awarded after the end of the war (28.5.45) so earning a RB after the cessation of hostilities, even a catch-up is becoming harder to justify.

The CSM was probably awarded for long service according to the award card on 21.2.45 so that explains its absence on the podvignaroda site. The award card itself was originally filled out 25 FEB 46, thus narrowing the amount of time between the OPWI/II citation and a possible Red Banner receipt.

I'm the first to admit bureaucratic mistakes occur and the above is even witness to it. I also don't want to besmirch the departed, but I find it a stretch to claim he received a RB.

My recommendation would be to order the officer's entire file and there could be more clues there.

I misspoke, I reexamined the OPWI citation and it is correctly written as an OPWI, not II as I said above - I was going between two many open windows :).

Everything else still stands, however.

[Tommy]

Thank you Paul.

Slightly upsetting thats its seemingly unlikely that this RB was intended for his soldier though.

Would another run through the archives with this serial number perhaps bring up another soldiers record card that was meant to receive this one?

I suppose ill have to order Shvedovs Service Record to see if the RB is mentioned there.

Thanks for your help :)