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Auction: 21002 - Orders, Decorations and Medals
Lot: 489

A Soviet Order of Glory awarded to Guards Private First Class G. T. Biletsky, 161st Order of Aleksandr Nevsky Rifle Regiment, 53rd Guards Tartu Red Banner Rifle Division, 51st Army for his successful role in the combat at the hamlet of Teri-Katishi 23rd February 1945, in the destruction of a wooden pillbox and observation post

Russia, U.S.S.R., Order of Glory 2nd Class, Type 2, reverse officially numbered '15313', very fine

Grigory Tofelevich Biletsky was born in the village of Yelevka, Malin Raion, Zhitomir Oblast in 1925, a member of the Komsomol he joined the Red Army in February 1944 and saw service with the 53rd Guards Tartu Red Banner Rifle Division, 53rd Guards Rifle Division. Biletsky fought in the Baltic states and would have been involved in the liberation of Estonia and Latvia, being wounded twice, on the 23 August and 23 December 1944, and had earlier won a Medal for Courage on 8 August 1944.

In Order to be awarded an Order of Glory 2nd Class, an individual first had to win the Order of Glory 3rd Class, which Biletsky did by Order of the 53rd Guards Tartu Red Banner Rifle Division on 16 January 1945.

This Order of Glory 2nd Class was awarded to him by Order of the 51st Army on 5 April 1945, whilst serving as a gun-layer in a 76mm gun battery of the 161st Guards Order of Aleksandr Nevsky Rifle Regiment, 53rd Guards Tartu Red Banner Rifle Division, 51st Army with the following citation:

'Using direct lay during the fighting for the hamlet of Teri-Katishi on February 23, 1945, he personally put out of action 2 enemy large calibre machine guns and destroyed a wooden pillbox and observation post, which contributed to the successful breakthrough of the enemy defences in one sector. Disregarding the enemy artillery, mortar, rifle and machine-gun fire, comrade Beletsky boldly crawled forward, ahead of the infantry, located his targets, and then returned to his gun and destroyed with his accurate fire the targets he had detected.

He deserves the Order of Glory 2nd Class.'

Signed by the Commander of the 161st Guards Order of Alexander Nevsky Rifle Regiment, Guards Lieutenant Colonel Artamonov.

The Medal was awarded to him by the Leningrad Front on 30 May 1945. It is unknown what became of Biletsky after the war; sold together with citation and research, including english translation.


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Sold for
£240

Starting price
£130