"Gratitude" Certificates

[Bill Garvy]

Gratitude Certificates of Nikolai Mikhailovich Reva, Scout, 236th Independent Reconnaissance Company, 228th Rifle Division, 2nd Ukrainian Front, and 795th Order of Bogdan Khmelnitsky Rifle Regiment, 228th Rifle Division. He was also awarded a Bravery Medal and Order of Glory, 3rd Class.


Gratitude Certificate, #335, dated April 13th, 1945 for the Capture of Godonin (Hodonín) on the west bank of the Morava River


Gratitude Certificate, #323, dated March 31st, 1945 for the Capture of Nitra on the road to Bratislava (Slovakia)


Gratitude Certificate, #293, dated March 7th, 1945 for the capture of Banská Štiavnica (Slovakia)

[Bill Garvy]

Gratitude Certificate, #372, dated August 23rd, 1945 issued to Comrade (Товарищ) Prokofii Ignatevich Gavrilenko for action against the Japanese by the Pacific Fleet by the Commander of Military Unit 25181

[Philippe]

Gratitude Certificate, n° 372, dated August 21st, 1945 but for actions against the Japanese.

[Philippe]

gratitude, handed for the liberation of the city of Kerch.

[Egorka]

Philippe, I can't really read the name properly. Rank - efreitor. First name - Ivan - A common simple Russian name. But the surname and middle name is a puzzle to me.
Teoretically he could be identified through bu researching his commander who signed the document - a very unsertain and labourious task.
But in any case he was not serving in tank troops, in case Bagration is wondering.

[dimmuborgir95]

Иван Мефодьевич (Ivan Mefodievich) Ку...рь

[Egorka]

Yes, right! Of course!!!

КУБАРЬ Иван Мефодьевич - KUBAR' Ivan Mefodievich, 1922. A sapper of 97 Detached Motorized Engineer battalion. In service since 1941. His citation for OPW2 among others also mentions actions for town Kerch on 10/Apr/1944. Wounded on 17/Apr/1944 while neutralazing enemy minefiled.
He also seem to have OPW2 in 1985.

[Philippe]

(Sorry but impossible to put the pictures in the right way)

Gratitude for :

N ° 1 - 24 July 1943 - for the failure of the German troops' offensive in the Orel-Kursk and Belgorod-Kursk
N ° 117 - June 25, 1944 - crossed the river Pronya and taken the town Mstislavl Chausy
No. 125 - June 29, 1944 - capture of the town of Bobruisk
N ° 138 - July 14, 1944 - capture of the city of Vaukavysk
No. 151 - 27 July 1944 - capture of the town of Bialystok
N ° 224 - January 17, 1945 - breakthrough of the enemy defenses north of Warsaw and capture of the master cities of Makow, Pultusk, Ciechanow, Nowe Miasto, Nasielsk
No. 281 (in reality No. 282) - 17 February 1945 - capture of eastern Prussia and towns Vormditt Melzak
N ° 303 - March 20, 1945 - control of the German fortress on the coast of the Gulf of Frisches Haff town Brownsburg
N ° 317 - 29 March 1945 - liquidation in East Prussia of the German troops south-west of Königsberg
N ° 357 - 2 May 1945 - liquidation of the German troops south-east of Berlin

[Egorka]

Майор Коляда Виктор Евгеньевич, 1918
Major KOLYADA VICTOR EVGENIEVICH, 1918
Served, among others, in 497 Artillery Regiment, 269 Rifle Division.
He was a "divizion" commander, i.e. 12 cannons (3 batteries of 4 cannons/howitzers).
Do not mix up "divizion" with a division, which is a much bigger military structure.
In later half of GPW an artillery regiment in a rifle division was usually comprised of 2 " divizion" of 12 cannons each. It has similar purpose as battallion in a rifle regiment.
I think, in western armies this hierarchy in an artillery unit is not existing. Correct me if I am wrong.

Interesting bit about Major KOLYADA is that he was reported KIA in Feb 1943.
At that time he was serving in 9 Gu. Artillery Regiment, 283 Rifle Division.

[Philippe]

All 'gratitude' is stuck in a photo album .... most missing .... but some legends are dated 1947 ... I do not think that he is killed in combat. Thanks again for your help Igor !