Russia – Soviet: An Officer’s Baltic Front Order of the Red Star awarded to Lieutenant Pavel Pavlovich Protasov, Senior Accountant of the 128th Evacuation Sorting Base for Special Containers for energy and initiative in the organisation of records and ensuring the setup of accounting at the base. He had earlier fought in both the Russian Civil War and the Winter War against Finland, and had been wounded outside Pushkino in 1942.
Order of the Red Star, the reverse numbered 999794
Condition: Nearly Extremely Fine
Pavel Pavlovich Protasov was born in the village of Verkhne-Belomut, Lukhovitsky District, Moscow Oblast in 1902. A Russian national, he attained a middle school education before serving in the war against the White Finns in 1921, he would serve in the Red Army from 1921-22, again from 1924-26 and finally from the outbreak of the Great Patriotic War in 1941.
Awarded the Medal for the Defence of Leningrad, he would have taken part in the fighting for the defence of that city in the autumn of 1941 and would be awarded this Order of the Red Star by decree of the 3rd Baltic Front on 31st October 1944. It would appear this was the recipients sole award, and would be issued to him as a Lieutenant and Senior Accountant, 128th Evacuation Sorting Base for Special Containers, the citation reads:
‘Lieutenant Protasov P.P. has been at the evacuation-sorting base since 15th July 1944, since the moment of its organisation.
He devotes all of his knowledge, energy and initiative in the organisation of records and ensuring the setup of accounting at the base. Sparing no energies, regardless of the time required or illness, he has worked in the position of Senior Accountant, making possible timely accounting and reporting.
Protasov was a combatant of the Civil War and war with the White Finns. He has been on the front of the Patriotic War since June 1941, first as Rifle Platoon Commander, then as company commander in the 184th Rifle Regiment. He was twice wounded in battles outside Pushkino in 1942.
For selfless work, he deserves the award of the Order of the Red Star.’
By 30th October 1946 he would be working as a Deputy Section Chief at the Headquarters of the MVD in Leningrad Oblast.
