Group of Soviet Medals: Combat Merit #2641547, Defence of Odessa, Victory over Germany, Jubilee Medals and Documents

Description

 

 

 

Group of Soviet Medals 

 

Awarded to NKVD Special Task force Private Evtikhij Stanislavovich Mashinsky (Евтихий Станиславович Машинский)

 

For killing 11 Romanian and German troops, suppressing an enemy heavy machine-gun position with a hand-grenade eliminating 3 German, capturing an enemy medium mortar eliminating 2 Germans and sustaining a contusion

 

 

The group consists of the following items:

 

Medal for Combat Merit #2641547

Made of silver and red lacquer. Measures 32.20 mm in width, 37.93 mm in height including the eyelet and it weighs 17.8 gram without suspension. 

This medal is in excellent, above average condition with all details still visible and most lacquer present. There are several dings and small scratches on both sides and the medal shows an appealing dark patina. Its connection ring has not been cut.

 

Medal for the Defence of Odessa (Voenkomat variation)

Made of gilded brass. Measures 32.12 mm in width, 37.15 mm in height including the eyelet and it weighs 15.5 gram without suspension.

In great condition with crisp details and few traces of wear. Virtually all gold plating is still present and its connection ring has not been cut. It comes with its original document numbered H 001017 and is dated 2 August 1974

 

Medal for the Victory over Germany

Made of gilded brass. Measures 32.16 mm in width, 36.76 mm in height including the eyelet and it weighs 16.9 gram without suspension.

In excellent condition with light wear and most gold plating still present.

 

3 Jubilee Medals

All in great condition with most gold plating present. Two of the medals come with their document.

 

3 original letters (see below for their content)

 

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Brief and specific description of the personal feat or merits (for the Medal of Combat Merit)

Comrade MASHINSKY participated in the combat operation as part of the 1st battalion of the Special Task Force Detachment of the NKVD troops, 1 Coastal army, Southern front and in the Odessa defence. He served in the rank of private during the period from 09 August 1941 till 07 October 1941, i.e. for 2 months.

He participated in combat operation on multiple occasions and has 11 killed Romanian and German troops on his account. In the combat engagements near the state farm Il’ichevka, he suppressed an enemy heavy machine-gun position with a hand-grenade, eliminating 3 German troops. In the combat operation near the settlement Dalnik, acting together with his rifle section, he captured an enemy medium mortar with its ammunitions, eliminating in the process 2 German troops. On 07 October 1941, after having sustained contusion, he was evacuated to the rear area. Prior to the war start, he was a cadet of the NKVD school in the city of Odessa. At present, he serves as an acting quartermaster of the separate internal security troops platoon of the NKVD troops. He has positive evaluations from the his commanders and the local Communist party office. For combat merits on the front of the Patriotic war, comrade MASHINSKY deserves state award – medal “FOR BRAVERY”.

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The full translation of the citation can be read here

 

Interesting to see this citation would fit a Red Banner but even his Bravery Medal was downgraded to a Medal for Combat Merit!

 

The accompanying letter contain the following information:

In the 2 documents from 1980 he wrote to the local law enforcement officer asking them to confirm his veteran status. These 2 papers are the reply. One is the official certificate stating, that he was indeed an NKVD school cadet in Odessa and was a member of a special cadet NKVD detachment, which participated in the Defence of Odessa.

The other accompanying letter, written in less formal way, is from the deputy head of personnel department informing him that they indeed found the documents from 1941 with confirm his request. Regarding his contusion and hospitalization, he addresses the veteran to the specialized medical archive in Leningrad.

The 3rd letter is from 1995 when Ukraine was an independent state. It seems the veteran wrote again and this is the reply. It starts with: “Dear Etikhij Stanislavovich! We received your letter. We warmly congratulate you and your family with 50th anniversary of the Great Victory! Yes, indeed you were a trooper of the Special Task Force, which we have documentation for… … thank you for the photo you sent us. It will take proper place in our museum of the law enforcement agencies … Unfortunately, there are no other living members who can remember you in Odessa…”

 

Also included in the picture gallery is a scan of the an image of the armory of the Odessa NKVD school, the Odessa police cadet school in 1941 and an image of the commander of 1st battalion ‘SMIRNOV’

 

 

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