Category: Very special item

Please, meet petty officer 1st class POSIKAN Pavel Kalinovich 1918 with 287 reported sniper kills count.

Born in 1918 in the village of Ryaska (Nekhvoroshchansky district of the Poltava region, Ukraine). From 1938 in the ranks of the Red Navy, served as an electrician on a boat. From 22 June 1941 on the fronts of the Great Patriotic War. Fought in the Leningrad front. From December 1941 served as an observer of an artillery battery. Mastered the sniper skills studying with the famous sniper PCHELINTSEV. On 28.02.1942, POSIKAN killed his first enemy as a sniper.

07.06.1942, POSIKAN was recommended for the Order of the Red Star (personal sniper score of 52 is mentioned). On the award sheet for the Red Star there is a pencil mark “Repeated”. Apparently, the paperwork was slow, and the award wasn’t approved before POSIKAN was nominated for the Order of the Red Banner again on 12.08.1942.

On 12.08.1942, the commander of the electricians’ squad of the 597th battery of the 301st Separate Artillery Division (Leningrad Naval Base of the Red Banner Baltic Fleet, Leningrad Front), petty officer 1st class P.K. POSIKAN was nominated by the unit command for the award of the Order of the Red Banner (personal sniper score 170), but was awarded the Order of Lenin by order of the Commander of the Red Banner Baltic Fleet No. 58 dated 03 September 1942. Soon POSIKAN received a shrapnel wound and was treated in a hospital.

On 12.11.1942, the sniper of the 597th battery of the 301st OAD of the Baltic Fleet, petty officer 1st class P.K. POSIKAN, was nominated by the unit command for the title of Hero of the Soviet Union for elimination of 244 Fascists and training of 6 freshman snipers (one of them was sniper BOGDANOV Ivan Vasilyevich 1920), who all together eliminated 447 enemy troops. The HSU nomination was approved by the commander of the Baltic Fleet, Vice-Admiral TRIBUTS. But… The famous sniper did not receive any award for these exploits. The reason is unclear. On the award sheet there is a pencil mark “denied, see outgoing document 88972s“.

In the spring of 1943, POSIKAN was seriously wounded in the leg by a shell fragment (the bone was shattered), and was treated in the hospital for a long time. According to available information, the final result of the combat work of sniper P.K. POSIKAN is 287 eliminated enemies (in some sources his surname was written differently “PASIKAN”, “PASEKAN”, etc). In his award booklet (B Nº142942) issued on 29.10.1947 the name PASIKAN Pavel Kalinovich is recorded.

The wounds led to the 2nd group of disability and an early disability pension as a war veteran on 18.01.1945 (the surname is recorded as POSIKAN). 
A wealth of information is available on the veteran, like war time newspaper articles, some of his personal items are in the Leningrad blockade museum. 

Please, meet the bestowed: Lt. Col. BALASHOV, the commander of 144 mortar regiment of the Supreme Command Reserve, for the action in March 1945 near Ostrava (Moravia).
The special about this OAN # 27795, is that the cavalier was bestowed in total with THREE orders of Aleksander Nevsky. There were only 5 men like him ever.

Citation:
“He provided fire support to 315 Guards rifle regiment, 128 Guards rifle division in the operation for enemy defence breakthrough north-west of Ostrava (Moravia) and commanded the infantry artillery support group.
He arranged for efficient operation of the artillery support group and the coordination with the supported rifle units. As the result of this effort, the fire delivered by the support group on 14 April 1945 completely disabled the enemy firing positions on the first line and in to the close depth of the enemy defence: destroyed 10 machine-guns, 2 mortar batteries, 2 guns on open sight positions, suppressed 105mm artillery battery, annihilated 50m of trenches. Our rifle units took control of the settlement Gorzyce practically without any losses, and later on crossed the river Olza.
He acted bravely and courageously during the engagement. He was severely wounded while being present at his commander post in immediate vicinity of our rifle combat formations. He deserves a state award – order “RED BANNER”.
The initial recommendation for ORB was changed to OAN. He was bestowed by the decree on 04 June 1945 by 4 Ukrainian front.

Decrees for all 3 BALASHOV’s orders “Aleksander Nevsky”.

Combat dairy of 128 Guards mountain rifle division, which was supported by mortar fire by BALASHOV’s unit (144 mortar regiment).

The veterans birth year is recorded as 1928 in the citations, but as 1930 in the awards register card signed after the war. NAZARENKO’s status is described as “volunteer: pupil” in his 2 first award recommendations. Such was the designation used during the war time for what later became known as “regiments son/daughter”. The name “regiments son” was popularised from 1945 by the novel “Regiments son” written by Valentin KATAEV.
This means, that NAZARENKO added up 2 years to his age to get accepted to the regiment. I am quite sure, that he was in fact born in 1930 and thus was barely 14 y.o. in 1944 (he joined the army in February 1944).
According to the official data, there were app. 3500 of such regiments sons and daughters.

During his service from February 1944, NAZARENKO was bestowed with medals “For Combat Merits”, “For Bravery”, and order Glory III class.

Recommendation for OGIII was signed 12 January 1945.
Though it is not mentioned directly, the described events took place on app. 20 October 1944.

“Comrade NAZARENKO, being a horse wagon driver of the supply platoon, has exhibited courage and valour in the fight against the Germano-Fascist invaders. Risking his life under enemy fire, he timely delivered ammunition to the rifle companies on the first line. When during the assault on the village Syurte, Chzechoslovakia, occurred lack of ammunition, he hand carried and successfully delivered cartridges to the rifle company, while being under enemy rifle-MG fire. Having been resupplied, the company continued the assault and comrade NAZARENKO steadfastly went with the company into the attack.
In the village Kisteglas, the enemy suddenly opened fire from inside a house. Comrade NAZARENKO stealthily following a ditch approached the house and fired at the windows. Confusion struck the enemy and they started running out of the door, where they were met with NAZARENKO’s well placed shots. In this engagement, he killed 6 Hungarians and 2 captured prisoner.
For exhibited courage and valour he is worthy of order Glory III class.“

You can see the position of the 7 Guards paratrooper rifle regiment on 20 November 1944 , just South of Kesteglash (green marker on the map).

Small town Syurte is located half way between towns Uzhgorod and Chop.
In the citation these historically Hungarian settlements are named as located in Czechoslovakia. That was correct for the period 1920 – 1945.
But today, they are both located just East of the Ukrainian state border.
In the Summer 1945, Stalin insisted on the local railway junction Chop with its area (250 square km) being exchanged with Czechoslovakia for another piece of land.