Russia – Soviet: An interesting Naval Air Forces Order of the Patriotic War 2nd Class awarded to Engineering Colonel Semyon Dimitryevich Vinogradov, the Senior Engineer with the Higher Officer Courses of the Naval Air Force for carrying out his duties org

Russia – Soviet: An interesting Naval Air Forces Order of the Patriotic War 2nd Class awarded to Engineering Colonel Semyon Dimitryevich Vinogradov, the Senior Engineer with the Higher Officer Courses of the Naval Air Force for carrying out his duties organising the Aeronautical Engineering Service of the Northern Fleet Air Forces during the Great Patriotic War, he would later go on to receive an Order of the Red Banner and Order of Lenin for long service.

Order of the Patriotic War 2nd Class, flatback reverse, numbered 728794

Condition: the screw possibly repaired, Good very fine

Semyon Dmitriyevich Vinogradov was born in the village of Sukhaya Polenitsa, Ponizovye Raion, Smolensk Oblast during 1902, joining the Red Army in 1922 and becoming a member of the Communist Party in 1927. As a Senior Engineer, he saw service as an Engineering Lieutenant Colonel, and as the Chief Engineer of the Northern Fleet Air Forces. Having served for more than the necessary 20 years, Vinogradov was to be awarded the Order of the Red Banner on 3rd November 1944 as part of the first batch of long service awards. Subsequently by Order of the Northern Fleet on 19th March 1945 he was to be awarded this Order of the Patriotic War 2nd Class, with the following citation:

‘Having served as chief engineer of the Northern Fleet Air Forces from the first days of the Patriotic War to August 15, 1942, Engineering Lieutenant S.D. Vinogradov managed to properly set up and reorganize the duties of the frontline units and repair facilities, enabling them to carry out their duties in the struggle to crush Germanic fascism. During this period the air units achieved the following:

1. 22,000 aircraft sorties were flown
2. 356 enemy aircraft were destroyed in the air and on the ground
3. The following ships were sunk:
   a) 9 transports with a total displacement of 41,000 tons
   b) 2 tankers – 1200 tons
   c) 2 patrol ships
   d) 1 submarine
   
   Engineering Lieutenant Colonel S.D. Vinogradov deserves personal recognition for the following accomplishments

1. Setting up repair facilities, which returned damaged equipment to service. During the given period the repair facilities repaired 365 aircraft and 388 engines.
2. Arranging training sessions and having all aircrews and maintenance crews master the foreign Hurricane and Kittyhawk aircraft, which the Naval Air Forces were the first to adopt.

For carrying out his assignments and properly organising the Aeronautical Engineering Service of the Northern Fleet Air Forces, he deserves the Order of the Patriotic War 2nd Class.’

Signed by the Commander of the Northern Fleet Air Forces Colonel Zhitinsky.

Remaining in the armed forces, Vingoradov was to be awarded the Order of Lenin for 25 years long service on 24th June 1948. Post war he was serving as a Senior Engineer with the Higher Officer Courses of the Naval Air Force, and was living at 60/62 Svoboda (Liberty Street), apartment 46 in the city of Riga.