Description
Soviet Order of the Patriotic War 2nd class #31631
Awarded to Private Nikolaj Fedorovich Demin (Николай Федорович Демин)
For shooting down a Fw-190 plane with his Anti Aircraft gun and thus preventing it attacking the ground troops
Made of solid silver, gold and enamels. The order measures 44.06 mm in width, 47.07 mm in height including the eyelet and it weighs 25.9 gram without its suspension. The suspension measures 32.66 mm in width at its widest point and 21.52 mm in height at its narrowest part (without the eyelet). The serial number is located at the 7 o’clock position and a makers mark ‘L’ can be found left of that. The minimum known number of this variation is 12655 and the maximum known number is 32653.
In a nice, above average condition with all parts original and uncut connection ring. Its details are all visible and crisp and there are relatively few dings and scratches to the silver. The white enamels are all present and well preserved. The red enamels show several dings and scratches but are mostly present without repairs. Only the enamels on the 12 o’clock ray of the red star is lost. Its suspension is original but the screw was replaced by a stickpin by the awardee for more comfortable wear and/or to prevent making holes in his clothing. Its connection ring has not been cut and we have attached a new red ribbon for display purposes.
Hard to find
Brief and specific description of the personal feat or merits:
Gun crew member private DEMIN Nikolaj Fedorovich serves in the Sr. Sgt. KORZHUEV’s gun crew. Executing the combat mission given by the Commanders on the night to 20 May 1943, the gun crew advanced its AA gun to the forward line held by our rifle troops. They built and set up properly the firing position. Having very effectively camouflaged the position, the crew was on the watch for the German ground strike Fw-190 aircrafts. At 09:30 on 20 May 1943, a single German ground strike aircraft was spotted flying at the top tree height. The enemy flew along the front line with the aim to attack our ground troops by the bombs and machine-gun fire. Private DEMIN opened intensive head-on fire and set the enemy aircraft ablaze. It crashed into the ground on the territory controlled by our troops near the hill 118,0. The gun crew spent 83 shells. From the moment it opened fire, the anti-aircraft gun position was subjected to the enemy mortar and machine-gun attack. But the crew remained resolute and kept firing at the enemy aircraft. Gun crew member DEMIN honourably fulfilled his mission and destroyed an enemy ground strike aircraft before it could attack our ground troops. He deserves state award order “PATRIOTIC WAR II CLASS”.
The full translation can be read here
Also included in the picture gallery are 2 combat maps which do not relate 100% to the engagement but to the units at a different time. The area where the event happened was not far from the village Kiyevskoe.
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