Order of the Red Star, #117612, Aviation Engineer, Voronezh Front

[Bill Garvy]

Record card

Order booklet nr. 852237

1. Last name: Kuzhelyov
2. First name and patronymic: Mikhail Petrovich
3. Military rank: Guards Major-Engineer
4. Sex: Male
5. Year of birth: 1901
6. Place of birth: Village of Zamochulye, Belynichi Raion, Mogilyov Oblast
7. Party membership (since which year): Member of the Communist Party since 1924
8. Education: Higher
9. Nationality: Belarusian
10. Since which year in the Red Army: Since September 1918
11. Place of service (name of the unit) and position occupied at the time of the award: Chief engineer of the 998th Aviation Regiment
12. Current place of service and position: Senior engineer of the 11th Guards Fighter Aviation Division
13. Home address of the awardee: Field post nr. 55691

14. Record of all awards received:

Name of the order or medal/Serial number/Number of the document/Ground of award

Order of the Red Star 117612 Temporary certificate nr. 370055 Order of the Voronezh Front nr. 057/N of March 25, 1943

Order of the Patriotic War, 2nd Class 31394 Temporary certificate nr. A-008292 Order of the 2nd Air Army nr. 0129/N of October 22, 1943

Order of the Patriotic War, 1st Class 100163 Temporary certificate nr. P-466981 Order of the 2nd Air Army nr. 0236/N of September 5, 1944

Order of the Red Banner 157316 Temporary certificate nr. 070913 Decree of November 3, 1944

Order of Lenin 24076 Temporary certificate nr. 184787 Decree of February 21, 1945

Order of the Red Star 1444964 Temporary certificate nr. Zh-186638 Order of the 1st Ukrainian Front nr. 078 of June 11, 1945

Medal for the 20th Anniversary of the Red Army - Permanent certificate nr. 006776 Decree of February 22, 1938

Medal for the Victory over Germany - Permanent certificate nr. P-0148163 Decree of May 9, 1945

Medal for the Capture of Berlin - Permanent certificate nr. A-013147 Decree of June 9, 1945

Medal for the Liberation of Prague - Permanent certificate nr. A-099638 Decree of June 9, 1945

Signature of the awardee: [signed]

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

Chief of the Personnel Section of the 2nd Air Army
Colonel [signed] /Ivanov/
August 28, 1946

Award sheet

All fields to be filled out fully

Award sheet

Last name, first name and patronymic: Kuzhelyov, Mikhail Petrovich
Military rank: Military Engineer 2nd Grade
Position and unit: Senior engineer of the 998th Night Bomber Aviation Regiment
Nominated for: Order of the Red Star
1. Year of birth: 1901
2. Nationality: Belarusian
3. Since when in the Red Army: Since 1918
4. Party affiliation: Member of the Communist Party
5. Participation in combat (where and when): From 1918 through 1919 against Petlyura in the Volyn Governorate area, from 1919 through March 1920 against the Polish at Pinsk, Baranovichi and Grodno, and in 1920 against Wrangel at Lozovaya and Perekop
6. Wounds and contusions received: Wounded on the Wrangel Front in 1920
7. Awards received previously (for which merits): Medal for the 20th Anniversary of the Red Army
8. Drafted by which military commissariat: Career officer
9. Permanent home address: ______________

Short, concrete description of his combat feat or merits:

He has been participating in the Patriotic War since December 6, 1942. Throughout the period he has been serving as the regiment’s senior engineer the materiel has been working smoothly. There wasn’t a single mechanical defect resulting from an oversight on his part. During the period he has been serving in the regiment he managed to support 320 nighttime sorties and 318 sorties transporting ammunition and food products by skillfully leading the regiment’s technical personnel. He also ensured that the materiel used for flights that were conducted to maintain communications with the units of the Voronezh Front was working smoothly. In all, he supported 638 sorties, with an overall flight time of 1117 hours and 44 minutes. During his service with the regiment, 5 aircraft were overhauled and 30 routine repairs were carried out, all in field conditions. He possesses an excellent understanding of his specialty. He is disciplined and hard working. He correctly directs his technical personnel to carry out the tasks assigned to them. He is dedicated to the Party of Lenin and Stalin.

He deserves this nomination for the Order of the Red Star.

Commander of the 998th Aviation Regiment
Major [signed] /Yeliseyev/
March 22, 1943

He deserves the Order of the Red Star.

Commander of the Voronezh Front
Colonel General [signed] /Golikov/

Member of the Military Council of the Voronezh Front
Lieutenant General [signed] /F. Kuznetsov/

By Order of the Voronezh Front nr. 057/N of March 25, 1943 awarded the Order of the Red Star.

Chief of the 3rd Subsection of the Personnel Section of the Voronezh Front
Major of the Administrative Service [signed] /________/

Order

Secret
Copy nr. 3

Order

Of the Voronezh Front

March 25, 1943 – Nr. 057/N – Active Army

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

[…]

The Order of the Red Star to:

[…]

8. Military Engineer 2nd Grade Mikhail Petrovich Kuzhelyov, Senior Engineer of the 998th Night Bomber Aviation Regiment

[…]

Commander of the Voronezh Front
Colonel General [signed] /Golikov/

Member of the Military Council of the Voronezh Front
Lieutenant General [signed] /F. Kuznetsov/

Chief of staff of the Voronezh Front
Major General [signed] /Pilipenko/

Chief of the Personnel Section
Colonel [signed] /Antonyuk/
March 25, 1943

Guards Major Engineer 2nd Grade Mikhail Petrovich Kuzhelyov's Order of the Red Star, #117612. Service Record is pending receipt and translation. Photographs/scans used with permission. My thanks to Auke for his invaluable assistance.

[Bill Garvy]

Service record

1. Last name, first name and patronymic: Kuzhelyov, Mikhail Petrovich
2. Born on: September 19, 1901
3. Nationality: Belarusian
4. Knowledge of languages: Reads and writes conversational English with a dictionary
5. Place of birth: Village of Zamochulye, Zapolsky Rural Municipality, Belynichi Raion, Byelorussian SSR
6. Party affiliation
Member of the Communist Party since: 1924
Party membership booklet nr.: 0453340
Candidate member of the Communist Party since:
Member or candidate member of the Komsomol since:
Not a party member:
Membership of other parties: No
Changes in party affiliation:
7. Social situation and background: Peasant from a family of peasants
8. Profession (specialty): No
9. Family situation (family composition and ages): Married to Ulyana Yefimovna, born in 1908
10. Civilian education (names of the educational institutions): 2 classes of parochial school in 1917
11. Military education:
a) In the old army:
b) In the Red Army: Western Infantry School in 1925, Advanced Anti-Aircraft Artillery Officer Course in 1927, Aircraft Operation Faculty of the Air Force Academy in 1935
12. Party education: No

13. Military promotions Year Order of the People’s Commissariat of Defense
Military Engineer 3rd Grade March 14, 1936 01140
Military Engineer 2nd Grade February 19, 1938 0129/P
Major-Engineer July 11, 1943 Order of the Red Army Air Forces nr. 09

14. Service at the front (where and against whom): Against Petlyura with the 152nd Rifle Regiment in 1918-1919; against the Polish with the 152nd Rifle Regiment, 17th Rifle Division in 1919-1920; against Wrangel with a composite cadets’ brigade in 1920; against Makhno’s gangs with the same unit in 1920-1921; in the Patriotic War since 1942
15. Wounds or contusions:
16. Awards: Medal for the 20th Anniversary of the Red Army in 1938; Order of the Red Star on March 25, 1943; Order of the Patriotic War, 2nd Class on October 22, 1943; Order of the Patriotic War, 1st Class on September 5, 1944; Order of the Red Banner on November 3, 1944; ______________ on _________

Entered Red Army service on September 17, 1918

17. Service in the Red Army of Workers and Peasants and the reserve

Name of the unit Name of the position Month, day and year By whose order Order nr.
5th Soviet Company Private Sep 17, 1918 From old service record
152nd Rifle Regiment, 17th Rifle Division Private Dec 1918 From old service record
6th Petrograd Soviet Cadets’ Brigade Cadet Jul 1920 From old service record
72nd Rifle Regiment, 8th Rifle Division Private Aug 1921 From old service record
Western Infantry School Cadet Jun 1, 1922 From old service record
33rd Rifle Regiment, 11th Rifle Division Platoon leader Aug 8, 1925 Revolutionary Military Council 500, 1925
11th Light Artillery Regiment Platoon leader Jan 1, 1926 From old service record
Advanced Anti-Aircraft Artillery Officer Course Student Nov 15, 1926 Revolutionary Military Council 212, 1927
4th Red Army Artillery Brigade Acting political officer and platoon leader Oct 11, 1927 From old service record
113th Artillery Regiment Assistant battery commander Apr 11, 1928 From old service record
113th Artillery Regiment Assistant battery commander Oct 7, 1929 From old service record
115th Artillery Regiment Assistant battery commander Jan 1, 1930 From old service record
Air Force Academy Student Aug 25, 1930 People’s Commissariat of Defense 1366, 1935
4th Military Aircraft Technician School, Transbaikal Military District Lecturer May 3, 1935 People’s Commissariat of Defense 0651, 1935
4th Military Aircraft Technician School, Transbaikal Military District Senior lecturer Dec 1935 People’s Commissariat of Defense 01703, 1935
4th Military Aircraft Technician School, Transbaikal Military District Chief of an aircraft workshop May 1936 People’s Commissariat of Defense 02175, 1936
Irkutsk Military Aviation Technical School, Transbaikal Military District Head of a training section 1938 People’s Commissariat of Defense 021, 1938
Head of the school
Military Engineer 2nd Grade [signed] /Ivashchenko/

Military commissar of the school
Regimental commissar [signed] /Chernousov/

Novosibirsk Military Aviation School, Siberian Military District Course head Feb 22, 1939 People’s Commissariat of Defense 0914
Headquarters of the Air Forces of the Siberian Military District Senior inspector and aircraft operation engineer, Military Education Section Oct 27, 1940 Siberian Military District 025
Military Education Section, Headquarters of the Air Forces of the Siberian Military District Senior engineer and training inspector Apr 8, 1942 People’s Commissariat of Defense 02593
646th Aviation Regiment Senior engineer May 13, 1943 2nd Air Army 064
646th Aviation Regiment Senior engineer Aug 31, 1944 Red Army Air Forces 0382
11th Guards Fighter Division Acting senior engineer Dec 27, 1944 2nd Air Army 0213
11th Guards Fighter Division Senior engineer Mar 8, 1946 2nd Air Army 014
Transferred to the reserve in accordance with Article 43 (due to age) Sep 30, 1946 Air Force 01034
Military Commissariat of the Mogilyov Oblast Mar 17, 1950 Commander in chief of the Air Force 0834
18. Transferred to the reserve of the … category (reason) with the rank of ……
18. Discharged (reason) with the rank of ……

20. Attestation

On which position Final conclusion of the attestation Date

21.
22.
23. Registered where:
24. Last name:
25. First name and patronymic:
26. Branch of arms: …, military specialty nr.
27. Military rank: Reserve …, category
28. Registered until December 31, 19…
29. Canceled on:
30. Place of service and position (or nature of activities outside military service):
31. Home address:
32. Registered where (military district, name of military commissariat and city):
33. Attended trainings prior to call-up:
34. Service in the old army: …, last rank: …, in (which last unit):
35. Service in the White Army of foreign armies: …, in (which army): …, from … to …, in (last position and rank):
36. Special remarks: