Russia – Soviet: A long service award of the Order of the Red Banner awarded to Guards Captain Ivan Viktorovich Zhuk, Medical Services Chief of Section, 91st Guards Rifle Division, a front line veteran he had been wounded in the fighting at Cholm on 3rd October 1941, served during the Defence of Moscow, and later saw service during the advance into East Prussia.
Order of the Red Banner, numbered 166915
Condition: Good very fine
Ivan Viktorovich Zhuk was born in the village of Kaunas, Latvia in 1894, and having attained a Middle School education served in the Red Army from May 1918 up until August 1946.
Having a long career Zhuk first saw action in the Russian Civil War against the white Poles between May 1920 and the end of 1922. He then served in various units as the Deputy Chemist or Chief Chemist up until 1940, when he became the Chief of the Medical Section of the 71st Rifle Regiment, 132nd Rifle Division.
Serving with various infantry, Guards infantry and airborne units during the Great Patriotic War he found himself fighting at Cholm on 3rd October 1941 when his unit was later surrounded and destroyed in the Vyazma Pocket, after convalescing he returned to action with the Western Front from 24th November 1941 in time for the latter stages of the Defence of Moscow for which he was awarded the relevant medal.
Serving as the Medical Services, Chief of Section, 91st Guards Rifle Division, Zhuk was awarded this Order of the Red Banner for 20 years long service on 3rd November 1944, before being awarded an Order of the Red Star on 8th December 1944 for the following acts:
‘Comrade Zhuk at the time of the offensive Taurageski operations and operations in East Prussia outstandingly provided medical sanitary supplies to the division. Thanks to his energetic acts, sufficient supplies of medicine and medical blood for the use of the medical section to provide all that was necessary medical functions required of the medical-sanitary battalion. For this selfless work, Comrade Zhuk is recommended for the award of the Order of the Red Star.’
Both of these awards were whilst serving with the 3rd Belarussian Front. Zhuk would go on to receive the Order of Lenin in June 1949 for 25 years long service with the Red Army, reaching the rank of Guards Captain, and would eventually leave the service having attained the rank of Major on 11th August 1945
