Order of the Red Star, #1854141, Artillery Commander

[Bill Garvy]

Award Card

Order Booklet G 809891

1. Last name: Gapeshin
2. Name and patrionymic: Vladimir Anatolevich
3. Rank: Senior Lieutenant
4. Gender: Male
5. Birthyear: 1916
6. Birthplace: RSFSR, Vologda
7. Party membership: candidate member since 1944
8. Education: incomplete advanced
9. Nationality: Russian
10. Time in Red Army: August 1941 – March 1946
11. Place of service at awarding: Platoon Leader – 1st Shock Army, 5th Corps Artillery Brigade, 47th OPOD
12. Place of work at present: Factory 682 – Chief of Special Section
13. Home address: Tashkent, Krasnolovskii Crossing #13

14. Awards:

Designation Serial Number Awarding Organization

Red Star 1.854.141 5th Corps Artillery Brigade dated 23.2.45

Verified by Tashkent Kuibyshev Municipal Military Commissariat Deputy Chief of 3rd Section Senior Lieutenant (?) on 25th July, 1947


Unit Award Order

SECRET

5 Corps Valginskaya Artillery Brigade Order 05/N dated 23rd February, 1945

On behalf of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet USSR, I award the following decorations for exemplary accomplishment of the Command’s missions in the struggle against the German invaders and for having displayed valor and bravery:

Order of the Red Star to:

2. Lieutenant Gapeshin, Vladimir Anatolevich – Commander, Fire Determination/Direction Platoon, 47th Independent Reconnaissance Artillery Battalion

Signed Commander, 5th Corps Artillery Brigade, Hero of the Soviet Union Colonel Ivanov on 23.2.45


Award Sheet

1. Last name, name, and patrionymic: Gapeshin, Vladimir Anatolevich
2. Rank: Lieutenant
3. Duty position: Fire Direction Platoon Leader – 47th Independent Reconnaissance Artillery Battalion, 5th V(?) Corps Artillery Brigade
Recommendation for the Order of the Red Star
4. Born: 1916
5. Nationality: Russian
6. Party membership: [trans: blank]
7. Previous combat: 8.42-3.43 Northern Caucasus Front and since 7.44 on the 3/2 Baltic Fronts
8. Wounds or shell-shock: n/a
9. In Red Army: since 1941
10. Inducted by: Kuibyshev Regional Military Commissariat, Tashkent
11. Previous awards: n/a
12. Home of record: [trans: entry intentionally obscured]

Short description of personal combat feat or accomplishment

In fighting for the city of Valga Lieutenant Gapeshin’s platoon supported firing on the high pockets and selection of a systematic error of the (?).

While in the 42nd Army he set up the fire direction platoon posts despite heavily mined terrain and at an entirely close distance (400-500m) to the enemy they developed a cluster of several orientation points.

While the platoon was deploying to its fighting positions Lieutenant Gapeshin accomplished his work with honor to organize communications not only between the battalion and its subordinate units, but with the brigade HQ. During heavy fighting 23-30.12.44 on the line in front of Dzhukte*, Lieutenant Gapeshin’s platoon was able to supply communications for 12km distance while under heavy enemy combined arms fire.

Lieutenat Gapeshin is an excellent master of his specialty.

Signed Commander, 47th Independent Reconnaissance Artillery Battalion, Major Rabukhin on 21st February, 1945

Endorsed Commander, 5th Corps Valginskaya Artillery Brigade, Colonel Ivanov on 22nd February, 1945

*Geographic place name is an approximation based off of transliterated Russian from German translated into English


Lieutenant Vladimir Anatolevich Gapeshin's Order of the Red Star, #1854141, and documentation from podvignaroda of receipt of his Order of the Patriotic War, 2nd Class, 1985 Jubilee Issue.