Russia – Soviet: An interesting Lvov-Sandomierz Offensive Order of Glory 3rd Class awarded to Private Georgii Fedorovich Rudenko, 126th Rifle Regiment, 71st Rifle Division for assaulting Hill 117.1 and subsequently a nearby road in which with fire from his automatic fire, he killed at least 20 German soldiers, he later went on to be awarded a Medal for Bravery for his role in the Berlin Offensive with 2nd Belarussian Front.
Order of Glory 3rd Class numbered 222867.
Condition: Good very fine
Private Georgii Fedorovich Rudenko, an automatic rifleman, serving in a section of an Automatic Rifle Company, 126th Rifle Regiment, 71st Rifle Division, was born in the Bosheveskii Raion, Kiev Oblast in 1923, and saw service in the Red Army between 17th November 1943 and 1945. He had quite possibly been picked up during the Red Army’s advance across Ukraine and conscripted into the Red Army as many young men of fighting age were.
Rudenko’s first award was an Order of Glory 3rd Class issued to him on 17th November 1944 by Order of the 71st Rifle Division with the following citation:
’16 August 1944 the Regiment was in the battle for the possession of Hill 117.1, on which the enemy forces had strong points. In this battle Comrade Rudenko displayed exceptional valor, courage and bravery.
Under strong automatic and machine-gun fire of the enemy, he was first to assault the defenses of the hill. The enemy intensified his machine-gun fire, brought up his reserves, and began a counterattack. Comrade Rudenko moved forward to restore order, and with great strength, brought automatic fire to bear on the counterattacking enemy. In doing this he killed 8 German soldiers.
On 18th August 1944, in a battle to seize a Macadam (asphalt) road, Comrade Rudenko was the first to break into the lines of the enemy, and with fire from his automatic weapon, he killed at least 20 German soldiers.
Comrade Rudenko is recommended for the Order of Glory 3rd Class’
Signed by the Commander of the 126th Rifle Regiment, Lieutenant Colonel Kokonniukh.
Rudenko would be wounded on 24th August 1944, shortly after the actions mentioned in the citation.
Rudenko would later go on to be awarded a Medal of Bravery for his part in the Berlin Operation, as part of 2nd Belorussian Front which attacked from the Oder near Stettin in an attempt to reach the Elbe further east. The citation for this award made on 24th May 1945 was as follows:
‘Automatic Rifleman, Private Rudenko, Georgeii Fedorvich for the battle of 23rd April 1945 in the region of the settlement of Tantow, the fire from his personal gun killed 5 soldiers of the enemy.’
On 25th January 1945 the time of the issuing of his final award, Rudenko was studying at the Higher Middle School in Bosheveskii Raion in Kiev. He was living in Bygshev at this time.
