Russia – Soviet: A telegraph line repair work Order of the Patriotic War 2nd Class awarded to Senior Lieutenant Ibram Iosifovich Nizhnikov, 239th Independent Telephone Line Battalion, attached 61st Army, 1st Belarussian Front for reparing lines under fire during the Pomeranian Offensive of March 1945.
Order of the Patriotic War 2nd Class, flatback reverse, numbered 813712
Condition: Good very fine
Ibram Iosifovich Nizhnikov was Jewish and was born in 1909 in Vintsukasia Oblast, Issbecho. He served in the Red Army from 1941-45 but at no time was a member of the Communist Party.
Nizhnikov appears to have been awarded an Order of the Red Star (numbered 296369) according to his Record Card, but with the detail of the award unclear. It is likely given the serial number of the award, that this was for an action sometime in the first half of 1943.
This Order of the Patriotic War was given for his actions in the East Prussian offensive in the spring of 1945, and was given with the following citation:
‘He was a commander of a Signals Platoon
On 3rd March 1945, his telegraph lines at HQ in the region of Rofoaishtsn-Tzakoi… his platoon did a good job of laying lines and keeping working even in the face of barrages of the enemy.
On 5th March 1945, he was working on lines coming from Command Post KP-GTSC in the region of Shotargard. He did great work in keeping lines working throughout the campaign.
He is recommended for the Order of the Red Star.’
Signed by Major Khod’ko, Commander of the 239th Independent Signal Battalion.
The award was subsequently upgraded to an Order of the Patriotic War 2nd Class by the Chief of Military Signals of the 61st Army, General Major of Signals Litvinenko.
After the war he lived at Quarter 14, House 19 in Kusneukii.
