For Combat Merits,1857286,Section Commander,Balloon Section,138th Artillery Brigade

[CtahhR]

Here is the Medal "For Combat Merits" #1857286.

[CtahhR]

1. Family, Goncharenko
2. Name And Patronym, Stepan Davidovich
3. Military Rank, Private
4. Sex, Male
5. Year Of Birth, 1921
6. Place Of Birth, Stalino Oblast, Ol'gin Region, Aleksandrinka
7. Party Membership, Non-Partisan
8. Education, None
9. Nationality, Ukrainian
10. From Which Year In Red Army, October 1940 - October 1945
11. Which Service And Position At Time Of Award, 7th Aeronautical Section Of Balloons Of Artillery Observation, 1st Baltic Front - Cook
12. Place Of Service And Position At Current Time, Stalino Oblast, Hartsyja Region Collective Farm #15
13. Current address of awarded, Stalino Oblast, Hartsyja Region, Mihajlovka

[CtahhR]

1. Family, Name, Patronym. Goncharenko, Stepan Davidovich
2. Rank. Red Army Soldier
3. Position and unit. Commander of a section, Balloon Platoon, 3rd Section, 7th Aeronautical Section Of Balloons Of Artillery Observation
Presented For Award Of The Medal "For Combat Merits"
4. Year of birth. 1921
5. Nationality. Ukrainian
6. Party Membership. Candidate VKP(b)
7. Participation in the Civil War, subsequent military activity in defence of the USSR and Patriotic War (where, when) On the First Baltic Front from August 1942.
8. Has been wounded, contused in Patriotic War. Heavy wound 1 time, light 3 times
9. From which time in Red Army. From the month of October 1940.
10. Which Regional Military Commissariat called. Ol'gin Regional Military Commissariat, Stalino Oblast
11. Has received awards (for which distinction) Not awarded

Red Army Soldier Goncharenko has worked as commander of a section of the Balloon Platoon showing himself to be brave, honourable and conscientious willing commander of the section.
Comrade Goncharenko has encouraged amongst his fighters bravery and courage and their cowardice and disdain is dead.
Red Army Soldier Goncharenko serves as a personal example amongst his fighting section and his section through quickness and knowledge of material parts are able to deploy a balloon into the air in 3.8 minutes.
Comrade Goncharenko with his knowledge and quickness deploys to the air the inflatable to perform the supplied orders.
Comrade Goncharenko for knowledge of the material parts and quickness with the equipment of "Balloon Observation" into the air for the rapid detection of enemy fire and suppression of it, is meriting award of the Medal "For Combat Merits".

Commander 3rd Section 7th Aeronautical Section Of Balloon Observation Captain
11th September 1944

[CtahhR]

Finding information on Observation Balloonists of the Red Army isn't too easy. I believe there were only 8 Sections (Воздухоплавательный Дивизион Аэростатов Артиллерийского Наблюдения) in the whole Red Army.

In total there were 19,985 observation flights performed by balloonists of the Red Army during the war, clocking up 20,126 flight hours. 110 Soviet Observation Balloons were lost.

Getting one of these bladders from the box to the air in only 3 minutes 48 seconds is some task.

The 7th Section would later participate in the holding and push on the Kurland Kessel.