Kravets, Semen Vasil'evich, Driver, 944th Rifle Regiment

[Tommy]

He received CSM in the GPW.

Rough translation:

"Awarded to driver of the Company Private Kravets, Semyon Vasilevich for showing bravery in the territory of Transylvania and Hungary, whilst under constant enemy fire and continuously providing ammunition to the subdivision.

Born in 1909, a Ukrainian non-party member.
Drafted from the Tetievsky RVC Kiev region.
Lomashny address -"

Here is his Military ID and his passport from 1979.

[Tommy]

Here is his Red Army Man's ID from 1945.

[Tommy]

Here is his Veterans ID

[Tommy]

Here is another ID, i'm not sure what for though. Help please!

[Tommy]

Doc for the anniversary OPW 2nd class.

[Tommy]

Document for the Victory over Germany medal.
Document for the 20 years of victory medal.
Document for the 40 years of victory medal.

[Tommy]

Document for the 50 years of Armed Forces medal.
Document for the 70 years of armed forces medal

[CtahhR]

The "I don't know" is an identity card for the NKPS (People's Commissariat Of The Lines Of Communications) Southern Railway but in Ukrainian. Anyone would think this person was from the UkSSR or something.....

[Tommy]

Excellent, thank you.

Haha, all of the evidence does seem to point in that direction.

I read somewhere in the documents that later in life he became a farrier, i think. I can't seem to see it now though.

[CtahhR]

Out of the railway and into the fire?

I suppose the common link there is working with iron. Hand forming a horseshoe is considerably more difficult than laying a pre-formed track.

Thinking along these lines.... Were Soviet horseshoes mass produced (as is normal today) or were they bespoke, made on site? I only know one man who can make horseshoes currently and he is in his mid-80's.