Burlaka, Trofim Semenovich, Guards Private, Machinegunner, 30th Guards Rifle Regiment

[CtahhR]

Here is a trio to Guards Trofim Semenovich Burlaka.

1. Family, Burlaka
2. Name And Patronym, Trofim Semenovich
3. Military Rank, Guards Red Army Soldier
4. Sex, Male
5. Year Of Birth, 1914
6. Place Of Birth, Moldavian ASSR, Kamen Region, Katerinovka (Caterinovca now in the PMR)
7. Party Membership, Non-Partisan
8. Education, Poor
9. Nationality, Ukrainian
10. From what time in Red Army, October 1936 to October 1945
11. Place Of Service And Position at moment of awarding, 30th Guards Rifle Regiment, Machinegunner.
12. Place Of Service And Position at current time, Odessa, Trading Station, Security Guard
13. Current address of awarded, Odessa, Sverdlov Street, #130

For Bravery #1671555 Document #521550 30th Guards Rifle Regiment Prikaz #063 of 26th October 1944
For Bravery #3154765 Document #272735 30th Guards Rifle Regiment Prikaz #018 of 16th May 1945

Kachanovich Regional Military Commissar Guards Lieutenant Colonel Kuz'menko 11th April 1947.

The original picture of the trio on the forum marketplace.

[CtahhR]

7. Machinegunner, 1st Battalion Guards Private Burlaka, Trofim Semenovich.
In combat, in breaking the German defences, in the region of the village of Leontina, Bendery Region, Moldavian ASSR on 20th August 1944 personally destroyed 12 German soldier, actively as part of his unit.

1914 Born, Ukrainian, Non-Partisan, Active in RKKA since 1944, Odessa City Regional Commissariat, Odessa City.

There is also a map of the action.

Leontina is now Leuntea in the PMR. As can be seen on the map is it on a large Ox-bow lake of the Dnestr.

[CtahhR]

1. Commander Of Machinegun Unit, Guards Private Burlaka, Trofim Semenovich.

8th May 1945 in the region of the village of Rignsburg, Austria showed bravery and courage. Personally by the fire of his own machinegun blocked the offensive of German subunits and gave the opportunity to advance his own subsection.At the same time destroyed with his machinegun 7 German soldiers.

1914 Born, Ukrainian, Non-Partisan, Active in RKKA since 1944, Odessa City Regional Commissariat, Odessa City.


Going by the position of the division prior to the action and the fact they marched into Graz on the 9th, it would be safe to say the location (spelled differently in different unit citations) is in fact Riegersburg.

The 8th May 1945 is about as late a date as you're going to get for combat fighting "on the front".

[CtahhR]

Here is the trio in greater detail.

[marsino]

Originally Posted by CtahhR

Here is the trio in greater detail.

These suspensions have always intrigued me, of that material are?

[CtahhR]

It is some plastic of which the name currently eludes me. I don't know if these were originally made from a very soft plastic that was very flexible but now at least they are often very inflexible and brittle. Very handy if you are outside or in dirty environments, you could you wipe them down. The only problem is they don't age very well (well not for decades and decades anyway).

The suspension plate looks like it was glued to something at some point. Maybe he pinned and glued it to his jacket?