Russia – Soviet: A Lvov-Sandomierz Offensive Medal for Bravery awarded to Junior Sergeant Nikolai Vasilevich Polishchuk, a surveyor in the 886th Artillery Regiment, 332nd ‘Zhitomir’ Red Banner Rifle Division who plotted three enemy firing positions leading to their destruction in the village of Troyanets.
Medal for Bravery, type 2, reverse numbered 1996378
Condition: red enamelling to letters of obverse no longer present, Very Fine
Nikolai Vasilevich Polishchuk was born in the village of Klepachi, Slavutsky District, Kamenets-Podolsky Oblast in 1922 and having attained a secondary level of education served in the Red Army from January 1944 until January 1946. This was the first of two Medals for Bravery awarded to Polishchuk and was awarded by decree of the 886th Artillery Regiment, 332nd ‘Zhitomir’ Red Banner Rifle Division on 19th August 1944 whilst serving as a Junior Sergeant and Squad Commander, topographical service, battalion HQ as a surveyor, and was for the following act:
‘On 14th July 1944 while breaching the enemy’s defences in the area of village of Troyanets, situated on the divisional firing positions, he plotted 3 enemy firing positions which were destroyed by fire from our batteries.’
At the time of the act, his Division was fighting in the Lvov-Sandomierz offensive operation which led to the capture of the city of Lvov in western Ukraine and eventually the securing of the bridgeheads on the Vistula offensive that led to the recapture of Poland in January 1945.
By May 1947, Polishchuk was working as a teacher in the village of Mirutin, and was living in the village in Berezdovsky District, Kamenets-Podolsky Oblast.
