Order of the Red Star from a T-34 driver

[kozmo514]

I've just recently started collecting Soviet WW2 medals and orders as part of my lifelong interest in WW2 history.   My favorite tank in TC is the T-34, so when I saw a red star earned by a tankman, I had to have it.  

 

Petr Andreevich Belij was a Guards Sr. Sergeant driver/mechanic in a T-34 with the 14th Guards Tank Brigade, 4th Guards Tank Corps.   He enlisted in 1939 at age 18.

In 1944, as part of the 4th Gds Tank Corp, his brigade fought through the Ukraine from Ternopil and Lvov into Southern Poland at Rzeszow.  A couple of brigade maps are posted along with a brigade diary page showing armor and weapons assets on hand through July and August 1944.  You can see how the brigade was losing T-34's in the fighting at this time. 

Belij was awarded a Medal for Bravery during this time (8/44).

 

The Order of the Red Star was won during the Battle of Dukla Pass in Sept/Oct 1944.  The action around Dukla was part of the Soviet offensive into Slovakia.  There were pretty extensive tank engagements in rough terrain during this campaign. From the map below, it appears that the 68th and 75th Panzer Divisions were opposing the drive south by 4th Guards Tank Corps.  There are several videos online of visits to the battlefield where Russian and German armor are displayed.

 

The award document, dated 31/10/44, includes (not my translation):

 

“Mechanic-driver Guards Sr. Sergeant BELIJ served in the crew of the tank commander Guards Jr.Lt. MAKSIMOV. He skilfully manoeuvred his tank across the rugged mountainous terrain and was constantly engaged in combat operations for the settlements Rymanów, Tylawa, Ropianka during 08-30 September 1944. In the engagement for the settlement Rymanów, his crew participated in fending off several enemy attack and eliminated 15 enemy troops in the process. In the engagement for the settlement Ropianka, Guards Sr.Sgt. BELIJ’s tank was the first to rush into the settlement and thus enabled the advance of the other tanks. He sustained a contusion in an engagement for the settlement Ropianka on 29 September 1944.
He deserves state award – order “RED STAR”.”

 

Included is the original award document which is pretty cool (even if you can't read the Russian) to see how citations were done at that time.

 

Sr Sergeant Belij was also awarded a Second Red Star in April 1945.

 

 

 

Edited March 28, 2021 by kozmo514