Russia – Soviet: A Regimental Party Organiser’s Order of the Patriotic War 2nd Class awarded to Guards Major Semyon Mikhailovich Zaichenko, the Regimental Party Organiser of the 99th Guards Independent ‘Transbaikal’ Reconnaissance Aviation Regiment who served from the beginning of 1942 until the end of the war and during the last year of the war was responsible for 78 candidates being accepted into the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks and for 200 communists receiving orders and medals of the Soviet Union, including three men being conferred the title ‘Hero of the Soviet Union’
Order of the Patriotic War 2nd Class, concave reverse, numbered 282921
Condition: toned, Good Very Fine
Semyon Mikhailovich Zaichenko was born in the village of Chubovka, Smyelansky District, Kiev oblast on 28th September 1913. A Ukrainian national, he attained a Middle School education before joining the Red army in May 1936. In 1939 he became a member of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks.
A career officer, he saw front line service from 1st January 1942. He would go onto to be decorated with several awards during the Great Patriotic War. The first of these was an Order of the Red Star by decree of the 1st Guards Army on 17th May 1943, this followed by an Order of the Red Star on 10th September 1943 by decree of the 15th Air Army.
This Order of the Patriotic War 2nd Class was issued to him whilst serving as a Guards Major, Party Organiser, 99th Guards Independent ‘Transbaikal; Reconnaissance Aviation Regiment by decree of the 15th Air Army on 23rd February 1945, the citation reading:
‘Since his awarding of the Government award of the Order of the Red Star on 10.09.43, as the unit’s Party Organiser, he has conducted considerable work in ensuring the Party’s influence in all of the unit’s combat activities. During this time, 887 successful combat sorties to reconnoiter the enemy’s forces and lines of communication were carried out.
11,850,000 leaflets were distributed, 744,000kg of bombs were dropped. The unit’s reconnaissance crews handled their combat missions excellently. They exercised constant control over the enemy’s communications lines, loading and unload stations, airbases, and construction of new defensive lines.
An area of 71,120km squared was photographed. Over this period, 14 new airfields were uncovered. There was no place for cases of incomplete combat missions by fault of the personnel or amoral occurrences.
Over the past year, 78 men were accepted as candidates or members of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks. More than 200 Communists were awarded orders and medals of the Soviet Union. Many of them awarded twice, three times or greater. Three Communists (Guards Captain Evtushenko, Guards Senior Lieutenants Zlydenny and Nikulin) were conferred the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. The unit’s communists were in the vanguard of it’s combat work.
He organises Party and Socialist work well and conducts it on a high moral-ideological level. He systematically conducts agitational and propaganda work among the troops. As a result of the work done by the unit’s Party organisation and personally by the Party Organizer, the regiment achieved great successes.’
Zaichenko’s next award would be a third Order of the Red Star by decree of the 28th Army on 9th June 1945, followed shortly afterwards by an Order of the Patriotic War 1st Class issued by decree of the 15th Air Army on 21st July 1945.
He would also be in receipt of the Medal for the Victory over Germany in the Great Patriotic War.
Post war he would be employed as the Regimental Party Organizer, 99th Guards Independent ‘Transbaikal’ Reconnaissance Aviation Regiment and was living in the city of Kostroma.
