Description
Soviet Order of the Red Banner #35106
Awarded to Pilot and Sr. Lieutenant Vasilij Pavlovich Balakin (Василий Павлович Балакин)
For 10 successful combat missions, destroying of 8-10 vehicles with materiel and troops. In Kursk he destroyed 6-8 aircrafts and 1 fuel depot , 4 enemy tanks and 5 vehicles
Made of solid silver and enamels. Measures 40.26 mm in height, 35.71 mm in width and weighs 24.3 gram without its screwplate. The mint mark and serial number are located on the bottom of its reverse.
In decent condition with most details visible and crisp. The enamel shows loss on two rays of the centre star and on the left side of the top banner. The reverse in flawless with no dings or scratches and shows a lovely medium dark patina. There have been no repairs and the screwpost has not been shortened. It comes with its time period silver screwplate.
Brief, concrete description of his feat of arms or achievements:
He is devoted to the cause of the Lenin-Stalin party and the Socialist Motherland. He can keep the military secrets. He is ideologically and morally stable, politically educated. He takes active part in the political public education activities and is held in high esteem by the subordinates for his professionalism. He is disciplined and demanding towards himself and his subordinates. He is proactive and decisive. He is a good leader. He graduated from the “Zhukovsky” Red Army Airforce Academy in 1941 (commander-navigator faculty). His is also well trained in the tactics, combined arms, and special disciplines. He is always eager to share his experience with the subordinates. He dedicates a lot of time to consolidation of his unit and its combat training. During the period of him being a commander, his unit has always been the first in discipline, efficiency, combat training, and test results. Comrade BALAKIN has received a number of gratitudes from the regimen command. In the struggle against the German Fascism since 07July, comrade BALAKIN’s units has made 128 combat sorties (267 hours of flying time) for bombardment of the enemy forces concentrations and the enemy reinforcement columns approaching the frontline. 38 sorties were made with the reconnaissance mission to the areas: Kursk, Orel, Bryansk, Starij Oskol. The missions were successful. In the period from 07 July to 11 September, the unit destroyed or damaged 60 tanks and vehicles, up to a battalion of the enemy troops, up to 4 cannons, up to 35 rail wagons, 2 river crossings. The results were confirmed partially by the aerial photography and partially by the pilot crews. In the same period, 9 enemy fighter aircrafts Me-109 were shot down. Of these, 6 aircrafts were shot down on 21.01.1942 near the villages Churikovo, Lebyazhie, Gremyachie, Vereiskie Visoty. 2 aircrafts were shot down on 23.07.1942 near Kastornaya. And 1 aircraft on 12.08.1942 near the village Lomovo. This is confirmed by the pilot crews. Comrade BALAKIN personally made 10 successful combat missions, in which he was the leading pilot in a groups of 9 to 14 aircrafts. On 09.07.1942, he led a group of 9 aircrafts and delivered a strike at a motorised enemy column near the area of Ploskoe-Kastornoe. The strike resulted in destruction of 8-10 vehicles with materiel and troops, 10-15 vehicles damaged. On 25.08.1942, 9 our aircrafts led by BALAKIN struck at the concentration of the enemy aircrafts on the ground on the main enemy airfield in Kursk. Result: 6-8 aircrafts and 1 fuel depot destroyed (confirmed by the pilot crews). On 12.08.1942, 7 our aircrafts attacked the enemy divisional headquarters near Novoselskoe, Levinskoe, Gremyachie. Up to 3-4 tanks and 5 vehicles were destroyed or damaged (confirmed by aerial photography).
For efficient participation in the combat operation on 12 August 1942, comrade BALAKIN received a gratitude from the Bryansk front military council and approved for promotion to the rank of Captain.
For effective personnel training and efficient combat performance of his unit, for exhibited resilience and bravery in combat, I recommend comrade BALAKIN for state award – order “RED BANNER”.
The full translation of the citation can be found here
More information on Lt. Balakin can be read here
Also included in the picture gallery are scans of a map of the 778th Bomber Aviation Regiment on 05 October 1942, two digital images of Balakin and a combat diary of 28 August 1942
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