Please, meet Guards private first class NAZARENKO Petr Yemelianovich, who served as a horse carriage driver of 3 battalion, 7 Guards paratrooper rifle regiment, 2 Guards paratrooper “Proskurov” division.
He was awarded OGIII #248777 for an action near settlements SYURTE and KISTEGLAS on 20 November 1944.
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.
