Russia – Soviet: A Carpathian Theatre Repeated Courage Order of the Red Star awarded to Junior Lieutenant Ivan Fyodorivoch Pakhomov, a Mortar Platoon Leader in the 1st Rifle Battalion of the 615th Order of Bogdan Khmelnitsky Rifle Regiment, 615th Order of Bogdan Khmelnitsky Rifle Regiment, for his leadership in his platoons destruction of four firing positions and killing of 20 enemy troops.
Order of the Red Star, type 2, numbered 1288122
Condition: screw-post shortened otherwise, Good very fine
Ivan Fyodorovich Pakhomov, was born in the village of Brusintsevo, Ust-Pristan Raion, Altai Krai in 1921, he joined the Red Army in May 1941 and served throughout the Patriotic War.
Initially serving on the Southwestern Front and then the Northcaucasian Front he would have been involved in the fighting retreat across the Ukraine into Southern Russia between the start of the war and the end of 1942.
The first award Pakhomov was to receive was an Order of the Patriotic War 2nd Class awarded to him by Order of the 107th Rifle Corps on 2nd February 1944, most likely for actions fought on the west bank of the Dnieper river during late 1943 and into early 1944.
Pakhomov’s unit went on to fight in eastern Ukraine and into the Carpathians during the summer and autumn of 1944, this award of the Order of the Red Star was most likely for an act of gallantry as part of his advance, it was awarded with the following citation:
‘Participating in combat with the German occupants in the mountainous and forest-covered areas of the Carpathians, Junior Lieutenant Pakhomov repeatedly displayed examples of courage and bravery. Participating in the fighting for the heights 743.0, 560.0 and 570.0 and the town of Vysochany in the Sanok Raion of the Lvov Oblast, he was continuously with the mortar crews and by personal example inspired the men to conduct heroic feats to accomplish the combat missions assigned to them. During these battles his platoon killed over twenty German soldiers and officers and destroyed four firing positions.
For courage and bravery displayed in combat with the German occupants he deserves to be awarded the Order of the Red Star.’
Signed by Commander of the 615th Order of Bogdan Khmelnitsky Rifle Regiment, signed by Major Shumilin.
Pakhomov was to shortly afterwards be awarded a second Order of the Red Star by Order of the 167th Rifle Division on 13th November 1944, before receiving his final Soviet bravery award, a second Order of the Patriotic War 2nd Class by Order of the 107th Rifle Corps on 17th February 1945.
Pakhomov’s unit would go on to serve in Hungary and in the advance into Austria and finally Czechoslovakia before the end of the war, being the recipient of a Medal for Victory over Germany and the unusual (to a Red Army soldier) award of a Czechoslovak Medal for Bravery on 25th April 1946.
After the war Pakhomov was living at Grain Sovkhoz number 3, Sorochinsk Raion, Chkalov Oblast and was married to Praskovya Sergeyevna Kuzentsova.
