Russia – Soviet: A Civil War Veteran’s, former Prisoner of the Poles and survivor of the Purges of the late 1930s long service Order of the Red Banner awarded to Colonel of the Engineering Corps Pavel Ivanovich Petrov, the Head of the Advanced Officer Training Program, ‘Molotov’ Technical School of the Naval Military Aviation who is noted as having served in the Russian Civil War and whose service records indicate that he was a Prisoner of War in Poland between April 1920 and May 1921. Dismissed from the service under Article 43 ‘A’ in July 1937, which would indicate he was one of those prosecuted during the Stalinist purges of the late 1930s, Petrov was lucky to survive, rejoining the Red Army in March 1940 before seeing service throughout the Great Patriotic War.
Order of the Red Banner, type 3, variation 2, numbered 204073
Condition: Good very fine
Colonel of the Engineering Corps Pavel Ivanovich Petrov was born in the town of Paslov-Posad in the Maslovskaya Raion in 1892.
Petrov had an interesting career, joining the Red Army in April 1918, he served in the Russian Civil War and in the war against Poland in 1920-21, during which he spent the period April 1920 until May 1921 as a Prisoner of War of the Poles, he then spent the next 15 years in various aviation engineering roles, before he was discharged from the Force in July 1937 , this as a result of Article 43 ‘A’, which was a common piece of legislation used to dismiss servicemen during the purges of the Red Army and Navy that began in 1937 and lasted in varying degrees up until the outbreak of war.
In Petrov’s case he rejoined in March 1940 and served as an Engineer Inspector at the Headquarters of the Naval Aviation of the Baltic Fleet, and later as the Head of the Advanced Aviation Technical School. Petrov was to receive a number of awards, the first of which was an Order of the Red Star by decree of the Baltic Fleet on 19th February 1942, this was followed by this Order of the Red Banner for 20 years long service on 3rd November 1944.
As a naval related award this Order has a citation, awarded as a Colonel of the Engineering Corps, and as a Dean of the aircraft maintenance faculty, advanced officer training program of the Naval Aviation, the recommendation was as follows:
‘Colonel of the Engineering Corps Petrov, Pavel Ivanovich is a reliable and responsible in his work. He is experienced and organises well the training program, which covers the new aircraft frames and engines of both the Soviet and the foreign designs. He loves his job. He is demanding towards himself and his subordinates. He is very sociable and well mannered. As of 7th November 1944, he has served 22 years, 7 months in the Navy. He deserves a state award ‘Red Banner’
This was followed by an Order of Lenin for 25 years long service issued in April 1947, and finally by an Order of Red Banner (numbered second award), for 30 years long service, issued to him in June 1952. He also received a Medal for the Defence of Leningrad, a Medal for the Victory over Germany and a Medal for ’30 Years of the Soviet Army and Navy.’
At the time of his final award in September 1952, Petrov was employed as the head of the advanced officer training program at the ‘Molotov’ Technical School of the Naval Military Aviation, he was a resident of Apartment 12, 6 Okulova Street in the town of Molotov.
