Russia – Soviet: A Sandomierz Offensive Order of Glory 3rd Class awarded to Private Fedos Il’ich Shvidky, a Rifleman in the 1178th Rifle Regiment, 350th Rifle ‘Zhitomir’ ‘Bogdan Khmelnitsky’ Division, who was the first to rush into the enemy trenches in the fight for the town of Sandomierz, destroying an enemy machine gun with a hand grenade, and for later acting as the Company Commander’s runner.
Order of Glory 3rd Class, type 2, numbered 111242
Condition: Toned, Good very fine
Fedos Il’ich Shvidky was born in the village of Doroshovka, Yampolsky District in Sumy Raion in 1906. Having attained an elementary level of education he went on to serve in the Red Army between June 1941 and October 1945.
Serving initially with the Stalingrad Front and then the 1st Ukrainian Front he was wounded on 16th May 1943.
This Order of Glory 3rd Class was Shvidky’s first award, issued to him by decree of the 350th Rifle Division on 26th August 1944 whilst serving as a Rifleman, 1178th Rifle Regiment, 350th Rifle ‘Zhitomir’ ‘Bogdan Khmelnitsky’ Division, 24th Rifle Corps, 13th Army. It was issued as a result of the following citation:
‘Rifleman of the 1178th Rifle Regiment comrade Shvidky received a temporary training assignment to attend training course at the training company of 350th Rifle ‘Zhitomir’ Bogdan Khmelnitsky order Division, 24th Rifle Corps.
During the period of his engagement in the company, he exhibited courage and bravery while participating in the battle for the town of Sandomierz on 15th August 1944. Advancing in a rifle line formation, comrade Shvidky destroyed an enemy machine-gun position with his hand grenade and was the first to rush into the enemy trenches. He sustained a contusion, but rejected to retreat to the medical facility. On 16th August 1944, comrade Shvidky was executing the role of the Company Commander’s runner. With a snakes dexterity, he reached the platoon positions and this provided the company commander with possibility to control the units.
Comrade Shvidky deserves to be bestowed with a state award – Order of Glory 3rd Class.'
Shvidky was next to receive a Medal for Bravery on 7th February 1945 by order of the 1178th Rifle Regiment, this was most likely for an act of gallantry during the Vistula-Oder offensive that had began on 12th January 1945 and had led to the rapid capture of the majority of Poland before halting at the Oder River line on the Polish-German border.
Shvidky’s Division ended the war taking part in the Berlin Offensive and was heavily engaged in fighting in the Potsdam area before finishing the battle eliminating the group of German forces holed up on Wannsee Island.
After the war Shvidky worked as a team leader at the ‘4th Bolshevik Spring’ Kolkhoz, and lived in his home village of Doroshovka, in Yampolsky District, Sumy Region.
