Russia – Soviet: A Vistula-Oder Offensive Order of Glory 3rd Class awarded to Sergeant Petr Denisovich Salymov, a submachine gunner of the motorised battalion, 213th Separate ‘Orsha’ Red Banner Brigade, for rushing the enemy trenches, killing 2 in hand-to

Russia – Soviet: A Vistula-Oder Offensive Order of Glory 3^rd Class awarded to Sergeant Petr Denisovich Salymov, a submachine gunner of the motorised battalion, 213^th Separate ‘Orsha’ Red Banner Brigade, for rushing the enemy trenches, killing 2 in hand-to-hand combat and subsequently destroying an enemy machine gun position with hand grenades.

Order of Glory 3^rd Class, type 2, numbered 325643

Condition: mottled toning, Good very fine

Petr Denisovich Salymov was a Russian national born in 1924 and served in the Red Army from September 1942 onwards having been drafted by the Verkhne-Khavsky district military commissariat, Voronezh Region.

Salymov was wounded in September 1943 near Orel in the offensive that eventually resulted in the retaking of the key city of Smolensk and the destruction of the Orel salient that had been the starting point for the northern pincer during Operation Citadel earlier in the summer.

Salymov received two awards during the Great Patriotic War, the first of which was a Medal for Bravery issued to him on 3^rd July 1944 for a feat of bravery carried out 23^rd June 1944, the second day of Operation Bagration, the large offensive that destroyed Army Group Centre in the summer of 1944.

This award of the Order of Glory 3^rd Class was issued to him by 28^th Army on 20^th April 1945 whilst serving as a Submachine gunner of the motorised battalion, 213^th Separate Tank ‘Orsha’ Red Banner Brigade, it was awarded for:

‘On 18^th January 1945, in the engagement for the village Vorunzhek, comrade Solymov rushed into the enemy trenches and killed 2 enemy officers in a hand to hand combat. Continuing clearing the enemy trenches, comrade Salymov approached undetected an enemy machine-gun position and destroyed it with hand-grenades. His actions assisted the units successful advance.

He deserves state award order ‘Glory 3^rd Class’.

It is unclear what happened to Salymov after the award of this Order which was handed out to him according to the paperwork. However, his unit was serving with the 3^rd Belarussian Front at this point which had just finished capturing the city of Konigsberg and didn’t see any further major actions during the European war. It is likely therefore that Salymov survived the war and returned to civilian life afterwards.