Russia – Soviet: A Defence of Leningrad Naval Brigade Order of the Red Star awarded to Reserve Lieutenant Ilya Ivanovich Ivanov, a Company Commander in the 58th Independent Signal Regiment, 23rd Army for maintaining communications during difficult fighting on the shore of Lake Ladoga and along the Svir River.
Order of the Red Star, type 2, without screw post plate, with semi-flared edges and numbered 1477727
Condition: Nearly extremely fine
Ilya Ivanovich Ivanov was born in the village of Krutovo, Bezhetsk Raion, Kalinin Oblast during 1909. Having spent a short time in the Red Army between 1931 and 1934, he then re-joined on the outset of the Great Patriotic War and saw service in the Red Army between 10th July 1941 and 8th July 1946.
This Order of the Red Star was Ivanov’s sole wartime decoration for gallantry and was issued to him by Order of the 23rd Army on 16th June 1945 on the back of the following citation:
‘He took part in the Patriotic War from July 1941. During the war he rose from Sergeant and squad leader to senior Lieutenant and Company Commander.
In October 1941, during the operations near Lake Ladoga, he served in the Signal Company of the 3rd Naval Brigade (7th Army, Karelian Front) as a squad leader. Under heavy enemy artillery and mortar fire he was the first to establish communications across the Svir River, without losing a single one of his squad’s men, and he maintained uninterrupted communications throughout the entire operation.
During his service in the regiment he demonstrated feats of labour while carrying out his assignments, for which he was promoted to command a telegraph cable company, Comrade Ivanov’s company is the regiment’s model unit and reached first place during the regiment’s inspection.
For the skilful and selfless way in which he carried out his assignments, he deserves to be awarded a decoration.’
Signed by Regimental Commander Lieutenant Colonel Voitsekhovsky.
He would also be awarded a Medal for Victory over Germany. After the war he is noted as unemployed and living at apartment 8, 14 Krasnoarmeiskaya (Red Army) Street, in the city of Vyborg.
