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Auction: 23001 - Orders, Decorations and Medals
Lot: 560

A Wireman's Battle of the Seelow Heights, Order of Glory 3rd Class awarded to Junior Sergeant I. F. Afonin, 798th Artillery Regiment, 265th Rifle Division, for maintaining communications under heavy fire on the first day of the Battle, and later during the fighting on the approaches to Berlin

Russia, Soviet Union, Order of Glory 3rd Class, Type 2, reverse numbered '456907', very fine

Ivan Fedotovich Afonin was born in the village of Ialeovna, Pil'nivsk Raion, Gor'kofsk Oblast during 1912, joined the Red Army on 7 April 1941, and received two wartime awards, the first of which was a Medal for Valour by order of 798th Artillery Regiment on 27 June 1944 as a result of the following recommendation:

'Signalman, 1st Battery Private Afonin, Ivan Fedorovich (sic) 'At the time of a battle in Vybortsk Region, from 14th to 21st June 1944, while the forces of the artillery were firing on the enemy up to 12 rounds he maintained the movement of signals from the Divisional headquarters to the battery.'

He would subsequently go on to be awarded this Order of Glory 3rd Class by Order of the 265th Rifle Division as a result of the following recommendation:

'For the time of the battle to break through the enemy defences in the region of Gross-Noiendorf, on the west bank of the Oder river, 16th April 1945. Comrade Afonin thankfully maintained the communications under the fire of the enemy and personally, during the day of the battle, repaired 20 breaks (in the wire). For all the time of the battle he maintained the signals. On 23rd April 1945, in the region of Vil'gel'msberg (Wilhelmsberg) he thankfully protected the signals of the battery as they destroyed 2 heavy machine guns and 10 fascists.

Recommended for the high award of the Order of Glory 3rd Class.'

Afonin was wounded twice during the war, the first time on 14 January 1943 and the second time lightly on 22 September 1944.

After the war he worked as a Farmer at the Day of the Red Army Collective Farm, Pil'nivsk Region, Gor'kofsk Oblast.


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Sold for
£130

Starting price
£60