OPW II # 175767 IS tank company commander

[Marcel Banziger]

Thanks a lot to Auke for researching my OPW II serial # 175767. The order is a Moskow Mint made so called "trench" variant. The order comes in well worn condition with quite some loss of enamel which in my eyes gives this order some real character!

Record card

Record card

Medal booklet nr. V-943324

1. Last name: Tokman
2. First name and patronymic: Afanasy Ivanovich
3. Military rank: Captain
4. Sex: Male
5. Year of birth: 1914
6. Place of birth: Primorsk District, Zaporozhe Province
7. Party membership (since which year): Not a member
8. Education: Secondary
9. Nationality: Ukrainian
10. Since which year in the Red Army: May 1936 – September 1946
11. Place of service (name of the unit) and position occupied at the time of the award: Commanding officer of an IS company, 79th Heavy Tank Regiment, 2nd Tank Army
12. Current place of service and position: Warehouse manager, Provincial Agricultural Supplies, city of Vladimir
13. Home address of the recipient: 74 Tretya Intern[atsionaln]aya [Third International] Street, city of Vladimir

14. List of all awards he received:
Name of the order or medal - Serial number - Number of the document - Ground of award
Medal for Combat Merit - / - Decree of June 24, 1948

Signature of the recipient: [signed]

I confirm the correctness of the data and the signature of the awardee (position and signature):

Military commissar of the city of Vladimir
Lieutenant Colonel [signed]
July 27, 1948

[Marcel Banziger]

Record card

Record card

Order booklet nr. B-043806

1. Last name: Tokman
2. First name and patronymic: Afanasy Ivanovich
3. Military rank: Guards Captain
4. Sex: Male
5. Year of birth: 1914
6. Place of birth: Village of Yuryevka, Primorsk District, Zaporozhe Province
7. Party membership (since which year): Not a member
8. Education: Secondary
9. Nationality: Ukrainian
10. Since which year in the Red Army: May 1936 – September 1946
11. Place of service (name of the unit) and position occupied at the time of the award: Tank company commander, 79th Independent Guards Tank Regiment, 21st Army
12. Current place of service and position: Inspector with the Vladimir Province Department for Popular Schooling, city of Vladimir
13. Home address of the recipient: 74 Tretya Internatsionalnaya [Third International] Street, city of Vladimir

14. List of all awards he received:
Name of the order or medal - Serial number - Number of the document - Ground of award
Order of the Patriotic War, 2nd Class - 175767 - Order of the 21st Army nr. 012/N of June 27, 1944
Order of the Red Star - 109601 - Order of the 91st Tank Brigade nr. 014/N of January 30, 1943

Decorations were not returned to the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet.
December 8, 1968 [signed]

Signature of the recipient: [signed]

I confirm the correctness of the data and the signature of the awardee (position and signature):

Senior officer with the 3rd Section
Captain of the Administrative Service [signed]
December 6, 1948

[Marcel Banziger]

Order

Secret
Copy nr. …

Order

Of the Armored and Mechanized Forces of the 21st Army

June 27, 1944 – Nr. 012/N – Operational Army

Concerning the bestowal of decorations

On behalf of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, for the exemplary execution of combat missions at the front in the struggle with the German invaders and the valor and bravery displayed in the process, I award:

[…]

The Order of the Patriotic War, 2nd Class to:

[…]

7. Guards Senior Lieutenant Afanasy Ivanovich Tokman, tank company commander in the 27th Independent Guards Heavy Tank Regiment

[…]

Commander of the Armored and Mechanized Forces of the 21st Army
Guards Colonel [signed] /Shpikler/

[Marcel Banziger]

Award citation

Award citation

1. Last name, first name, and patronymic: Tokman, Afanasy Ivanovich
2. Rank: Guards Senior Lieutenant
3. Position: Tank company commander in the 27th Independent Guards Heavy Tank Regiment

Nominated for: Order of the Patriotic War, 1st Class

4. Year of birth: 1914
5. Nationality: Ukrainian
6. Not a Party member
7. Frontline service in the Patriotic War: Western Front from June 25, 1941 to August 18, 1941; Southwestern Front from January 30, 1942 to May 1, 1942; Don Front from December 27, 1942; Leningrad Front since May 13, 1944. Took part in the fighting at Khalkhin-Gol in 1939
8. Slightly wounded and contused, August 18, 1941, Western Front
9. In the Red Army since: May 6, 1936
10. Drafted by: Military Commissariat of Primorsk District, Zaporozhe Province
11. Awarded the Order of the Red Star in 1943
12. Permanent address of his family: _______________

Brief, concrete description of his feat of arms or achievements:

Reconnoitering the Bobochino–Kyamyarya–Vyborg route, comrade Tokman’s company handled its assignment in an excellent manner. By appearing in a sudden fashion, the company bewildered and routed the enemy. On June 19, 1944 the company, reconnoitering the Bobochino–Kyamyarya route, destroyed 10 antitank guns, 6 wooden bunkers, 6 mortars, 4 machine guns, 12 vehicles, and up to a company of infantry. During the fighting, his heavy tank covered the medium tank belonging to the commander of a battalion he operated in concert with, thus saving him from the enemy’s accurate artillery fire and enabling him to command his unit in battle. During the assault on the city of Vyborg on June 20, 1944 he and his company were the first to rush into town, where they knocked out 2 enemy tanks and destroyed 6 antitank guns, 3 mortars, and 12 machine guns, and killed as many as 150 Finns.

Comrade Tokman deserves the Order of the Patriotic War, 1st Class.

Commanding officer of the 27th Independent Guards Heavy Tank Regiment
Guards Colonel [signed] /Gnezdilov/
_____ 23, 19__

[Marcel Banziger]

And finally the Order of Patriotic War II # 175767. A beauty in my eyes with some very interesting research.

[Marcel Banziger]

Small addition by Auke: in May 1944 the regiment switched to the new heavy IS-2 tanks. Nice little interesting fact

[Bjorn S]

Very interesting 'combat-worn' piece!
It looks really appealing, and it's a harder to find variation.
Nice research to a tank commander! You don't find that every day.

[Auke]

I agree, excellent research results, and a beautiful 'trench' OPW2 to boot!

[Marcel Banziger]

Found this Soviet video of the battles leading up to, and the actual attack on Vyborg on the 19th and 20th of June 1944. The actual battle where Afanasy Tokman participated with his tank. Very interesting footage from a lesser known battle during the Patriotic War.

YouTube

[Meme32]

Very nice order with a great history !
Congrats Marcel !