Description
Order of the Red Banner 2nd award #16564
Awarded to Hero of the Soviet Union T-34 company commander Aleksander Vasilievich Vaganov (Александр Васильевич Ваганов)
For being the first to rush into enemy settlements with his tank and destroyed up to 170 enemy troops, up to 200 enemy vehicles loaded with military materiel, up to 60 horse carriages. In the action near the settlement Tluste Miasto, he and his tank company rushed into the settlement, where he liberated inmates of a POW camp.
In addition Lt. Vaganov liberated over 2000 Jews in the settlement Jagodnitsa, who were marched by the Germans to be shot
Made of silver and enamels. Measures 37.30 mm in width, 44.92 mm in height including its eyelet and weighs 26.8 gram without its suspension. The mint mark is located above the serial number in one straight line.
In superb condition with crisp details. Even the raised parts like the torch and the center wreath show virtually no wear. The red and white enamels are extremely well preserved without dings, flaking or repairs. Most of the gold plating is still present although and both sides show a nice toning to the silver. Its connection ring has not been cut and the order comes with a time period suspension.
Great piece to a real Hero of the Soviet Union backed by substantial historical research!
Brief and specific description of the personal feat or merits:
Comrade VAGANOV and his company exhibited exceptional heroism and bravery during the offensive battles during the period 21-27 March 1944.
In the combat engagements for the settlement Mshanets and town Chertkov, his personal example inspired his company men to follow him into battle. He was the first to rush into these settlements drawing other tanks to follow him.
As the result of the battles in this period, his tank company destroyed up to 170 enemy troops, up to 200 enemy vehicles loaded with military materiel, up to 60 horse carriages. He captured up to 40 vehicles.
In the action near the settlement Tluste Miasto, he and his tank company rushed into the settlement, where he liberated inmates of a POW camp (up to 1000 men).
In the engagements near the crossing site over the Dniester river (near the village Ustechko), he eliminated up to 100 enemy troops and obliterated an enemy column consisting of 150 trucks, as well as an enemy artillery battery defending the river crossing site. He was wounded in this combat engagement. He deserves state award order “RED BANNER”.
Please note Lt. Vaganov liberated over 2000 Jews in the settlement Jagodnitsa, who were marched by the Germans to be shot. There were no bounds for the liberated joy and jubilation. This happened on 23 March 1944. Strangely enough this event was not mentioned in the citation but mentioned in the combat episodes of 68th Guards Tank Regiment (see picture galley for the document with translation)
The full translation can be found below:
Biography on Lt. Vaganov:
Aleksandr Vasilyevich Vaganov was born on December 8, 1914, in the village of Kishkino (now Sovetskaya) in the Shchuchansky District of the Kurgan region, into a peasant family. A Russian by nationality, he completed a seven-year schooling in 1930 and subsequently worked as a driver.
In 1936, Vaganov was drafted into the Red Army, where he graduated from the regimental school of tank mechanics and drivers and served in the Far East. Recognized as an excellent student in both combat and political training, he was selected for junior lieutenant courses, eventually becoming a tank commander. He joined the All-Union Communist Party (Bolsheviks) in 1940. Before the Great Patriotic War, Vaganov completed the Advanced Training Courses for Commanders and commanded a tank platoon in a separate tank battalion in the Far East.
He entered the battles of the Great Patriotic War in March 1943, serving in the 68th Guards Tank Regiment of the 8th Guards Tank Corps. He fought across the Bryansk, Voronezh, 1st Ukrainian, and 1st Belorussian Fronts, participating in key engagements such as the Battle of Kursk, and fought on the banks of the Dnieper, Western Bug, San, Vistula, and Oder rivers.
One of his most notable accomplishments occurred on January 16, 1945, during a raid behind enemy lines on Polish territory near Nowe Miasto. Leading a Guards Tank Company, Captain Vaganov crossed the Pilica River through a captured crossing, reached the flank of the enemy’s defenses, and effectively cut off their escape routes. This operation resulted in the capture of up to 200 enemy vehicles loaded with ammunition, the disabling of 3 assault guns and 9 field guns, and the capture of around 200 enemy soldiers and officers. For his outstanding leadership and bravery in this operation, Vaganov was nominated by the command of the 1st Guards Tank Army for the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.
On May 31, 1945, by the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, Captain Alexander Vasilyevich Vaganov was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union, receiving the Order of Lenin and the Gold Star medal (No. 4579) for his exemplary fulfillment of combat missions on the front line against the German invaders, and for his courage and heroism.
After the war, Guards Major Vaganov retired from active duty in 1945 due to health issues. He settled in Zernograd, in the Rostov Region, where he worked as the deputy director for administrative and economic affairs at the Azov-Black Sea Institute of Agricultural Mechanization. He remained active in his community, participating in youth education and engaging with the city’s veteran organization.
Vaganov passed away on May 20, 1974, and was buried in Kropotkin, Krasnodar Region.
Throughout his service, he received numerous awards, including two Orders of the Red Banner, the Order of Alexander Nevsky, the Order of the Patriotic War (2nd degree), the Order of the Red Star, and various combat medals
More info on Lt. Vaganov here, here and here
Also included in the picture gallery are scans of combat episodes of the 68th Guards Tank Regiment, the combat diary 20th Guards Red Banner
mechanised brigade, relevant maps and several scan of pictures of Lt. Vaganov.
Please contact us with questions
