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Auction: 26001 - Orders, Decorations and Medals
Lot: 362

(x) The Hero of the Soviet Union awarded to Lieutenant I. Y. Raspapov, 18th Anti-Tank Artillery Regiment, a veteran of the Battle of Kursk, he particularly distinguished himself in an epic action in Poland over four days in February 1945; with his Battery cut off, the gallant Raspapov led his men to throw off some eight counter attacks, accounting for two tanks, an assault gun, an armored personnel carrier, four machine-gun emplacements, and a large group of Nazis, himself sharing in hand-to-hand combat three times and was twice wounded in the action

Russia, Soviet Union, Hero of the Soviet Union, reverse officially numbered '8079', gold Badge, adapted suspension as usual, very fine

The War Heroes website gives the following details:

'Ivan Yegorovich Raspopov - Battery Commander of the 18th Anti-Tank Artillery Regiment of the 6th Znamenskaya Anti-Tank Artillery Brigade of the 4th Ukrainian Front, Senior Lieutenant.

He was born on January 15, 1919, in the village of Kurdyuki, now Inzhavinsky District, Tambov Region, to a peasant family. Russian. He completed seventh grade. He worked as a foreman, then chairman of the "Hammer and Sickle" collective farm in his native village.

He joined the Red Army in December 1939. He served in the Belorussian and Transcaucasian Military Districts as a Red Army soldier and commander of a communications section in the 350th Howitzer Artillery Regiment of the General Staff. From March 1942, he served in the 1150th Howitzer Artillery Regiment of the General Staff. In 1943, he graduated from the Tbilisi Artillery School. Member of the All-Union Communist Party (Bolsheviks) since 1942.

At the front during the Great Patriotic War since 1943. Fought as a fire platoon and battery commander on the Steppe, 2nd and 4th Ukrainian Fronts. He was wounded in battle three times.

Participated in:

Battles on the Kursk Bulge near Prokhorovka, in battles near Kharkov, in the crossing of the Dnieper and in battles for the expansion of the bridgehead in the Kirovograd direction, in the liberation of the city of Znamenka - in 1943.

In the Korsun-Shevchenkivs'k and Bug-Dniester operations, including the liberation of the city of Pervomaysk and in battles on the Dniester bridgehead - in 1944.

In the Jaslo-Görlitz Operation, including battles in the Polish Carpathians, the crossing of the Biala River and the liberation of Bielsko-Biala, and battles in the direction of the Czech city of Moravská Ostrava in 1945.

He particularly distinguished himself in the Western Carpathian Operation. Battery commander of the 18th anti-tank artillery regiment, Senior Lieutenant Raspopov, distinguished himself in battles from February 9-12, 1945, near the village of Jasenica (southwest of Bielsko-Biala, Poland). The battery soldiers under his command, operating as part of a regiment that was cut off from the main forces, repelled eight enemy counterattacks in four days, knocked out two tanks and an assault gun, destroyed an armored personnel carrier with infantry, four machine-gun emplacements, and a large group of Nazis. At critical moments, the commander rallied his soldiers to hand-to-hand combat three times. He was wounded twice but remained in the ranks.

By decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR on May 15, 1946, for bravery and heroism displayed in battles with the German invaders, Senior Lieutenant Ivan Yegorovich Raspopov was awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union and the Order of Lenin and the Gold Star medal.

After the war, he continued serving as a battery commander in his native unit, and from January 1946, in the 39th Guards Mechanized Regiment of the 11th Guards Mechanized Division of the Carpathian Military District.

From July 1946, Captain I.N. Raspopov was in the reserves. He lived in Novohrad-Volynskyi, Zhytomyr Oblast. He worked as the head of the State Bank's collection department and then as the director of a brewery.

He died on January 29, 1961. He was buried in Novohrad-Volynskyi. He was awarded the Order of Lenin (May 15, 1946), the Order of Alexander Nevsky (March 9, 1945), the Order of the Patriotic War 2nd Class (February 26, 1944), and the medals "For Courage" (November 15, 1943), and "For Victory over Germany." A street in the village of Inzhavino in the Tambov Region is named after the hero.'

Subject to 5% tax on Hammer Price in addition to 20% VAT on Buyer’s Premium.

Estimate
£3,000 to £5,000

Starting price
£2400