Russia – Soviet: Order of the Red Star to Deputy Chief of Staff for operations and reconnaissance of the 431st Fighter Regiment Viktor Petrovich Gorokhov for his role in supporting operations in the Oryal and Bryansk regions as well as during the fighting at Kursk in the summer of 1943, he would go on to see service in the Baltics including during operations against the Kurland group of German forces.
Order of the Red Star, type 2, without screw post plate, and with semi-flared edges, numbered 540703
Condition: enamel to 10 o’clock arm almost entirely absent, a chip to the enamel on the 12 o’clock arm, thus Fine
Viktor Petrovich Gorokhov was born at 55 Bulganin Street, village of Seima, Chkalovsk Raion, Gorky Oblast on 24th November 1907. Having attained a Junior high school education, he joined the Red Army on 25th October 1929 and became a member of the Communist Party in June 1931. His service in the Great Patriotic War is listed as beginning four days after the outbreak of the war on 26th June 1941 and he continued to serve up until 9th May 1942. After a break he again saw front line service from 25th June 1943.
This Order of the Red Star was Gorokhov’s first decoration of the war, and was to be issued by order of the 15th Air Army on 30th April 1944 whilst he was serving as the Deputy Chief of Staff for operations and reconnaissance of the 431st Fighter Regiment. It was issued as a result of the following recommendation:
‘He has been serving at the front line since June 26, 1941, first as a Squadron adjutant and later, following the Red Army Air Force Commander and Navigator Course, as deputy Regimental Chief of Staff for operations and reconnaissance. During the Patriotic War he has shown himself a cultured, hard-working, and knowledgeable officer. In the 10 months he has been with the regiment he has gained extensive practical experience. During the intense fighting at Oryol and Bryansk he stood in for the regimental chief of staff and handles his duties superbly. He uses all his knowledge and skill and makes every effort to improve the theoretical knowledge of the aircrews, resulting in the aircrews’ excellent mastery of flying combat missions, which consequently contributed to their excellent execution of combat missions.
He has been skilfully planning the commanding officer’s training lessons for flight and ground crews, concerning himself with improving their level of theoretical knowledge. Since July 15, 1943 Captain Gorokhov has put a great deal of effort into crushing the German invaders in the Oryol-Kursk bulge, in which he took an active part.
For his outstanding efforts to prepare aircrews for combat sorties and his efforts to improve the theoretical knowledge of the flight and ground crews, which contributed to the successful outcome of the combat missions, I nominate the deputy regimental chief of staff for operations and reconnaissance, Captain Viktor Petrovich Gorokhov, for the Order of the Red Star.’
Signed by the Commander of the 431st Fighter Regiment, Hero of the Soviet Union, Lieutenant Colonel Zaitsev.
Gorokhov would go on to be awarded a second Order of the Red Star for 15 years long service on 3rd November 1944, and subsequently an Order of the Patriotic War 2nd Class by Order of the 15th Air Army on 14th May 1945, most likely in some way connected to that units involvement in the fighting in the Kurland pocket. He was also a recipient of the Medal for the Defence of Leningrad.
After the war Gorokhov would go on to see service after the war as the Deputy Chief of Staff for Operational Reconnaissance of the 431st Red Banner Fighter Regiment, he is listed as being resident at Field Post nr. 26391, city of Tukums, Latvia, where the unit was then stationed until 1953.
Alexander Andreevich Zaitsev, the commander who signed off the recommendation for the award of the Order of the Red Star was one of a very small number of Heroes of the Soviet Union for the Battle of Kalkhin-Gol between 11th May and 16th September 1939 during which he shot down 6 Japanese Aircraft, he had previously fought in the Spanish Civil War and later fought in the winter war against Finland before seeing service during the Great Patriotic War.
