Russia – Soviet: Order of Glory 3rd Class awarded to Senior Sergeant and Mortar Crew Commander Aleksei Afansevich Sitov, 3rd Rifle Battalion, 83rd Guards Rifle Regiment, 27th Guards ‘Novy Bug’ Red Banner, Order of Bogdan Khmelnitsky Rifle Division who destroyed a German machine gun and its crew with a hand grenade during the opening days of the Vistula-Oder offensive whilst under heavy artillery and machine gun fire.
Order of Glory 3rd Class, reverse numbered 354902
Condition: Nearly Extremely Fine
Aleksei Afansevich Sitov was born in 1920, a Russian national he served in the Red Army from 1st September 1939 and saw frontline service in the Great Patriotic War from March 1944 to June 1944 with the 3rd Ukrainian Front before transferring to the 1st Belorussian Front.
He would be awarded this Order of Glory 3rd Class by decree of the 27th Guards ‘Novy Bog’ Red Banner, Order of Bogdan Khmelnitsky Rifle Division on 20th March 1945 whilst serving as a Guards Senior Sergeant, Mortar Crew Commander, 3rd Rifle Battalion, 83rd Guards Rifle Regiment, 27th Guards ‘Novy Bug’ Red Banner, Order of Bogdan Khmelnitsky Rifle Division. The citation reading:
‘While breaching the enemy’s permanent and deeply echeloned defences in the area of the village of Yasenets on 14th January 1945, Comrade Sitov, commanding a mortar crew, spotted a German gun that was firing on our advancing combat lines, as well as a machine gun that was denying us the ability to advance. In spite of the heavy artillery and machine-gun fire, Comrade Sitov moved forward with his crew and with fire from his mortar blasted the German gun together with its crew. Stealthily making way toward the machine gun, Comrade Sitov threw a grenade at it, destroying five German soldiers in the process. The way for our advancing infantry was opened.’
It is unknown what subsequently happed to Sitov but it is clear that he survived the war as he was later entitled to a 1985 Order of the Patriotic War which was handed out to veterans if they were still alive at the time.
