Russia – Soviet: A fine Crimea operations and liberation of Sevastopol Order of the Red Star awarded to Lieutenant Mstislav Konstantinovich Zoloratev, Headquarters Platoon Commander of a 76mm battery, 589th Rifle Regiment, 216th ‘Sivash’ Red Banner Rifle Division, who situated ahead of the infantry plotted the enemy’s firing positions ahead of the Sivash bridgehead leading to the destruction of 20 such positions in the initial artillery strike of the offensive into Crimea, he would later maintain communications with the artillery in combat whilst fighting inside the city of Sevastopol.
Order of the Red Star, type 2, reverse numbered 617515
Condition: some very minor contacting to the enamel work, otherwise Good Very Fine
Mstislav Konstantinovich Zolotarev was born in the city of Mozdok in 1914. Having finished 8 grades of education by 1930 he would join the Red Army in 1941. He was wounded on 22nd February 1943. Although it is unclear where given his units previous and later path it is likely to be somewhere on the Southern sector of the Eastern Front, and given the fighting taking place at that time, the likely areas are either around the perimeter of the Kuban pocket or in the fighting during the Third Battle of Kharkov which were both taking place around this time. This Order of the Red Star was awarded to him whilst serving as a Lieutenant, and Headquarters Platoon Commander of a 76mm battery, 589th Rifle Regiment, 216th ‘Sivash’ Red Banner Rifle Division by decree of the 216th Rifle Division on 21st May 1944 as a result of the following recommendation:
‘In battles to breach the enemy defences on the Sivash bridgehead from 8-11th April 1944, he was often situated ahead of the infantry’s lines, plotting the enemy’s firing positions, which were later on destroyed by the Regiment’s artillery. He located more than 20 firing positions. During the battles for the city of Sevastopol from 8 to 12 May 1944, he displayed courage and skill in combat with the enemy, ensuring uninterrupted communications with the artillery.’
The liberation of Sevastopol was a notable propaganda coup for the Red Army after the heroic defence of 1942 when it had held out against 9 months of German attacks before finally falling to the Wehrmacht.
Zolotarev would continue to fight until the end of the war, his only other noted award being an Order of the Patriotic War 2nd Class by decree of the 124th Rifle Corps on 30th April 1945. This Rifle Corps was attached to the 2nd Belarussian Front at this time, this being involved in the drive along the Baltic coast to the north of Berlin in the final offensives of the war.
Surviving the war, in September 1946 he was serving in the 589th Rifle Division and was noted as living at 9 Krasnoarmeiska Street in the city of Zenkov, Poltava Oblast.
