For Bravery,0200569,Telephonist,457th Cannon Artillery Regiment,Stalingrad

[Norm Braddock]

Another Stalingrad award purchased using Echoes of War as a reference. Thanks Paul!:thumbsup



Award Card
B 551529
1. Last name: Gridchik
2. Name and patrionymic: Boris Konstantinovich
3. Rank: Private
4. Gender: Male
5. Birthyear: 1919
6. Birthplace: Minsk Oblast, Rudinskii Region, village of Karavaevo
7. Party membership: since 1942
8. Education: elementary
9. Nationality: Belorussian
10. Time in Red Army: 1.40-5.46
11. Place of service at awarding: 260 Guards Artillery Regiment – Telephone Operator
12. Place of work at present: Communal Housing Department - Bookkeeper
13. Home address: Kadpevka, Gorky St. #12
14. Awards:
Designation Serial Number Awarding Organization
Red Star 1.894.833 17 Guards Artillery Brigade dated 11.5.45
Bravery Medal 200.569 457 Artillery Regiment dated 7.5.43

Verified by Kadpevskii Municipal Military Commissariat Guards Lieutenant Colonel Ryaguzov on 4 September 1946











AWARD CITATION

457 Cannon Artillery Regiment, 82 Cannon Artillery Brigade, 19 Stalingrad Heavy Artillery Division, Supreme Commander Reserve Order #07/N dated 7 May 1943
On behalf of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet USSR I award the Bravery Medal to:
2. Headquarter Battery Telephone Operator Boris Konstantinovich Pridchik, who displayed bravery, steadfastness, and exemplary mission accomplishment of the Command’s orders in combat against the German occupiers in fighting for the city of Stalingrad.
While risking his life under heavy enemy machinegun and mortar fire on 20 January 1943, he laid telephone wire to the regimental observation post in a timely manner, thus enabling the timely accomplishment of the battalion’s fire missions.
During the destruction of the encircled pocket of German forces near Stalingrad he repaired more than one hundred and twenty telephone line breaks while under heavy machinegun, small arms, and mortar fire, thus permitting the timely mission accomplishment of the battalion’s fire missions and communications with the regiment.
Signed Commander, 457 Cannon Artillery Regiment, RGK, Lieutenant Colonel Gulik and Chief of Staff Major Kurashov

[Auke]

Nice one Norm! I always like to check the units with an OoB and I found the 457 Cannon Artillery Regiment as being part of 19th Heavy Artillery Division, directly subordinated to the Don Front in early January 1943 and later that month subordinated to the 64th Army, so it's "real" Stalingrad indeed. Nice!

[deValcourt]

Agreed, very nice. It is also good to remember and/or realize that the logistics of that war required all sorts of people with otherwise mundane jobs to work while "under heavy machinegun, small arms, and mortar fire." And considering where he was fighting, just surviving to receive the medal was an accomplishment.:thumbsup

Phillip

[Norm Braddock]

Thanks Auke and Phillip for the info.:thumbsup

People pm me asking how I got the awards. Well, in this instance, I went to Echoes and saw that 200K BM's were awarded in early 43. Also, even if awarded a little later on, you research dudes know that it could be awarded months before. So, the rest is history-da secret is outta da bag.

[CtahhR]

Here is the original citation.