Russia – Soviet: An Order of Glory 3rd Class awarded to Private Aleksei Fedorovich Bondarchuk, 240th Rifle Regiment, 117th Rifle ‘Poznan’ Division for his suppressing of enemy guns during the fighting near the city of Poznan in January 1945. He would later go on to see service with his unit in the Berlin Offensive with 1st Belarussian Front where he was to win a Medal for Bravery for the fighting near Furstenwalde.
Order of Glory 3rd Class numbered 349239
Condition: Good very fine
Awarded to Private Aleksei Fedorovich Bondarchuk, a Gun Layer in the 2nd Machine Gun Battalion, 240th Rifle Regiment who having been born in Logishinskii Raion, Pinskaia Oblast in 1918, served in the Red Army between August 1944 and February 1947. The recipient of two gallantry awards, this Order of Glory 3rd Class was his first, issued to him by Order of 117th Rifle Division on 22nd February 1945 with the following citation:
‘For breaking through the defenses in the region of Pulava (Western Bank of the River Vistula, Kaiatanuvlias Region, Poland), Gun layer of a Machine Gun Bondarchuk, firing his machine gun, suppressed the fire of the enemy guns. In the battle in the region of Poznan (Poland), 30 January 1945, during the blockade of Dota, he was wounded.’
Signed by Major Kheifen, the Commander of the 240th Rifle Regiment.
Bondarchuk went on to see action in the Battle of Berlin which began on 16th April 1945 with an attack on the Seelow Heights defensive position, it was during this offensive that he performed an act of bravery which led to the award of a Medal for Bravery with the following citations:
‘In the battle against the fascists on the River Oder and through the capture of the city of Furstenwalde (Germany), Private Bondarchuk did outstanding work in securing the continual fire of his gun, from which were destroyed 10 weapon emplacements of the enemy and the burning of their trucks.’
Furstenwalde was the seen of a key battle which resulted in the encirclement of the German Ninth Army and prevented it from retreating into Berlin to aid the defence of that city.
After the war Bondarchuk was working as a Farmer at the farm ‘Molevichii, in Khvoroepnovskii, in Loginshinskii Raion in Pinskaia Oblast.