Description
Soviet Documented group of two Orders of the Patriotic War, a Red Star and medals
Awarded to tank mechanic Sr. Sergeant Aleksander Stepanovich Bystritsky (Александр Степанович Быстрицкий)
Interesting grouping of awards to with research for Stalingrad, Kursk, and Land-Lease tanks. Bystritsky was wounded in the Summer of 1944
This group consists of the following items:
Order of the Patriotic War 1st class #173834
Made of solid gold, silver and enamels. Measures 45.53 mm in height, 43.00 mm in width and weighs 31.4 gram.
This order of the Patriotic War 1st class is in excellent condition. The gold base shows few dings or scratches on either side and an appealing strong dark patina. The red and white enamels are beautiful and show no damage or repairs. The screw of the order has not been shortened and the order comes with its time period screwplate.
Order of the Red Star #3238801
Made of solid silver and enamels. Measures 47.65 mm in width, 45.56 in height and weighs 30.6 gram.
The order is in superb condition with flawless enamels and most details crisp. Only the higher laying parts like the hand of the soldier show light wear. Its screw has not been shortened and the order comes with its time period screwplate.
Order of the Patriotic War 2nd class #3499284 with its matching document
Made of solid silver and enamels. Measures 46.22 mm in height, 44.32 mm in width and weighs 28.0 gram.
This order is in excellent condition with problem free enamels. All details are crisp and it comes with its time period screwplate. The document mentions the matching serial number.
Medal for Bravery #717896
Made of solid silver. Measures 37.44 mm in width, 42.24 in height and weighs 26.5 gram.
The medal is in worn but decent condition with all lacquer filling the lettering being lost. The higher laying parts like the tank and the planes show medium wear but many details are still present. There have been no repairs and the connection ring has been cut.
Medal for Combat Merit #101302
Made of solid silver. Measures 32.51 mm in width, 37.09 in height and weighs 24.0 gram.
The medal is in a nice, worn condition with all lacquer filling the lettering being lost. The higher laying parts like the rifle, sabre and lettering show light to medium wear and most details are still visible. There have been no repairs and the connection ring has been cut.
Medal for Combat Merit (without number)
Made of solid silver and enamels. Measures 32.16 mm in width, 37.20 in height and weighs 19.3 gram.
In excellent condition with all enamels filling the lettering still present. Its details are crisp no repairs. Its connection ring has not been cut.
Medal for the Defense of Stalingrad
Made of gold plated brass. Measures 32.33 mm in width, 37.56 in height and weighs 17.5 gram.
The medal is in worn but decent condition with several small dings and scratches on both sides. The higher laying pars show strong wear but a fair amount of details are still present. There have been no repairs and its connection ring has not been cut.
Medal for the Capture of Königsberg
Made of gold plated brass. Measures 32.00 mm in width, 37.12 in height and weighs 16.6 gram.
In excellent condition with most details crisp and a fair amount of gold plating still present.
Medal for the Victory over Germany
Made of gold plated brass. Measures 32.15 mm in width, 36.51 in height and weighs 17.1 gram.
In excellent condition with most gold plating still present.
Order Booklet mentioning the Order of the Patriotic War 1st class, Medal for Bravery, both medals for Combat Merit and the Red Star
In nice condition with all pages firmly attached. There are however some burning wholes which apparently were made a long time ago since they explain the difference between the serial number of the Medal for Bravery on the actual medal and the number on the record card.
Research to the Order of the Patriotic War 1st class (Lend-Lease Tanks):
Comrade BYSTRITSKY worked selflessly under mortar and machine-gun fire in the ferocious battles near town Kovel during 20-30 March 1944.
He and his team repaired 2 M4-A2 tanks and 3 MK-3 tanks. These tanks were repaired in exceptionally short period and with good quality. During a tank repair in the field on 29 March 1944, comrade BYSTRITSKY was severely wounded in an enemy air raid. He didn’t abandon the battlefield, but kept leading his repair team until he fully collapsed.
For selfless work for repairing combat vehicles in exceptionally complicated combat circumstances, comrade BYSTRITSKY deserves state award – order “PATRIOTIC WAR I CLASS”.
Research to the Medal for Bravery (Kursk):
Mechanic tuner of the technical support company Sergeant BYSTRITSKY Aleksander Stepanovich.
Comrade BYSTRITSKY has been working as part of the repair team led by Lt. engineer SARACHAKOV. He repaired the combat vehicles directly on the battlefield while under enemy fire. In the battles during 05-17 July 1943, the team made restorations on 10 medium tanks and executed maintenance repairs on 27 tanks..
Research to the Medal for Combat Merit (Stalingrad):
He has been serving on the Stalingrad front and worked as part of the combat vehicle repair team. Disregarding his personal safety, and operating day and night, comrade BYSTRITSKY repaired the combat vehicles under enemy artillery and mortar fire. Comrade BYSTRITSKY and his repair team made the following repairs during 25-27 September 1942: medium repairs of 3 tanks T-70, medium repairs of 3 tanks T-34, periodic maintenance of 1 tank KV. On top of that, 10 wheeled vehicles received periodic maintenance during the same period. Comrade BYSTRITSKY deserves a state award.
Below you can find the full translations:
More infotmation on Sr. Sgt. Bystritsky can be found here
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