Order of the Red Star, Platoon Leader/Penal Company, #414378

[Bill Garvy]

Record card

Order booklet nr. 155984

1. Last name: Novichikhin
2. First name and patronymic: Mikhail Yakovlevich
3. Military rank: Guards Senior Lieutenant
4. Sex: Male
5. Year of birth: 1922
6. Place of birth: Village of Yelanda, Yaminskoye Raion, Altai Krai
7. Party membership (since which year): Member of the Communist Party since 1943
8. Education: 6 classes of unfinished secondary school
9. Nationality: Russian
10. Since which year in the Red Army: From 1942 to 1945
11. Place of service (name of the unit) and duty position at the time of the award: Rifle platoon leader in the 40th Guards Yenakiyevo Danube Red Banner Rifle Division
12. Current place of service and duty position: Manager of the Bragino Grain Storage Point
13. Home address of the awardee: Village of Bragino, Yaminskoye Raion, Altai Krai

14: Record of all awards presented:

Names of the orders and medals Their numbers Numbers of the documents Ground of award
Order of the Red Star 414378 Temporary certificate nr. A-563774 Order of the 4th Guards Army nr. 0163/N of November 20, 1944

Order of the Patriotic War, 2nd Class 128112 Temporary certificate nr. G-517020 Order of the 20th Rifle Corps nr. 064/N of December 18, 1944

Order of the Red Star 1725423 Temporary certificate nr. Z-682481 Order of the 40th Guards Rifle Division nr. 017/N of May 3, 1945

Signature of the awardee: [signed]

I confirm the correctness of the data and the signature of the awardee:

Chief of the 3rd Section of the Military Commissariat of the Altai Krai
Major [signed] /Maidybura/
July 17, 1947

[Bill Garvy]

Award sheet

All fields to be filled out fully

1. Last name, first name and patronymic: Novichikhin, Mikhail Yakovlevich
2. Rank: Lieutenant
3. Duty position and unit: Leader of the 2nd Rifle Platoon of the 69th Independent Penal Company
Nominated for: Order of the Red Star
4. Year of birth: 1922
5. Nationality: Russian
6. Party affiliation: Candidate member of the Communist Party
7. Participation in the Civil War, the following combat actions for the defense of the USSR and the Patriotic War (where and when): With the Don Front from November 19, 1942 to February 2, 1943; with the Voronezh Front since August 19, 1943
8. Wounds and contusions received during the Patriotic War: Wounded on November 24, 1942
9. Since when in the Red Army: Since March 20, 1942
10. Drafted by which military commissariat: Military Commissariat of the Togul Raion, Altai Krai
11. Which earlier awards (for which merits): Medal for the Defense of Stalingrad
12. Permanent home address of the prospective awardee and the address of his family: Voroshilov Kolkhoz, Yelanda Rural Municipality, Togul Raion, Altai Krai. Wife: Maria Yevdokimovna Novichikhina

Short, concrete description of the personal combat feat or merits:

For his skillful leadership of the rifle platoon, which manifested itself when he impetuously threw himself at the enemy defenses from the right flank in the city of Kotelva in the Poltava Oblast, for breaking through the defenses and for seizing a block of houses in the city of Kotelva.

Having seized the block in the city of Kotelva, Lieutenant Novichikhin’s platoon held the block, enabling the advance of the entire company, which perfectly executed the combat mission.

He deserves the Order of the Red Star.

Commander of the 69th Independent Penal Company
Captain [signed] /Firsov/
September 22, 1943

He deserves the Order of the Red Star.

Commander of the 4th Guards Army
Guards Lieutenant General [signed] /Galanin/

Member of the Military Council
Guards Major General [signed] /Semyonov/
November 19, 1943

[Bill Garvy]

Lieutenant Mikhail Yakovlevich Novichikhin, Platoon Leader in the 69th Independent Penal Company, Order of the Red Star, #414378.

[ObKrieger]

Thank you for posting another fine Red Star. It must have been a nightmare to run a penal unit.

[roger9344]

Excellent Red Star, and what a history! Thanks for posting it!

[Bill Garvy]

Thank you for posting another fine Red Star. It must have been a nightmare to run a penal unit.

On the other hand, I wonder what warranted his assignment to a Penal Company?

Stay tuned; I have requested his Service Record. . .

[Auke]

Penal companies consisted of sentenced enlisted men and NCOs, but were headed by regular army officers. If an officer was sentenced, he was sent to a penal battalion.

[Adrian Stevenson]

I have read that Officers who volunteered for this duty could be fast tracked for promotion: not sure how true this is though?

Cheers, Ade.