Chapter 13
In accordance with Service Regulations, there was a complicated system of incentives for personnel. And the status of individual commanders affected how they could reward their men. For example, a section commander was entitled to announce personal gratitude to his soldiers, while a regimental commander was entitled not only to announce gratitude, but also to decorate soldiers and present a cash reward. By the end of the war; when the Red Army was advancing and liberating cities, the Supreme Commander would issue an order expressing his gratitude to the troops that had participated in a particular operation. This order would be conveyed to each combatant of a unit in the form of a personal diploma. It may be said that this was the lowermost award.
Monetary rewards were the next in the hierarchy of incentives – a fixed rate established by order of the NKO [People's Commissariat of Defence – trans.]. Thus, cash was paid out for the destruction of enemy assets: 2,000 roubles for a bomber plane, 1,500 roubles for a transport plane, 1,000 roubles for a fighter plane, 500 roubles for a tank. Completion of a certain number of combat sorties and the preparation of equipment for them was also rewarded. But to put these cash rewards in perspective, it should be stated that, on the black market, a bottle of vodka or a loaf of bread cost 600 roubles. Furthermore, cash was pretty useless for front-line troops, as they rarely got a chance to spend it. Most monetary rewards – and, indeed, monthly salaries – were kept in bank accounts or transferred to families on the home front. In the latter case, a financial document called a ‘money certificate’ was sent and a family member would receive the soldier's salary at the local voenkomat [i.e. local military administrative bureau – trans.]. That said, relatives were frequently advised to donate money to the voluntary Defence Fund.
A senior lieutenant is presented with the Order of the Red Star.
Vacations were another incentive, but used quite rarely. When war broke out, all regular leave for military servicemen was cancelled, except for the sick or wounded. An artillery battalion commander, Petr Mikhin, who found himself on the brink of nervous exhaustion because of intense fighting for the Dnestr bridgehead in the summer of 1944, remembers:
The Divisional Commander summoned the Rifle Battalion Commander, Morozov, and me. Having seen our condition, he ordered us both to Odessa, to a resort for officers. We had not even heard that such places existed, as it was mostly political, HQ and supply officers who stayed there. The General told us straight: ‘For the first time, the division has just received two tickets for the seaside. I sacrifice them to you – only because I know you are irreplaceable combat officers.’
Government decorations were the most widespread and desirable awards. The medal ‘For Combat Merit’ was considered the lowermost of this kind. Frequently, officers awarded their mistresses [known as ‘PPZh’, meaning ‘pokhodno-polevaya-zhena’ – literally, ‘field-marching wives’ – trans.] with it and because of this it was dubbed ‘For Sexual Exploits’ [it sounded similar to the original name – trans.] amongst the fighting men. A female medic, Zoya Nikiforova, remembers:
The Platoon Commander, Alexandrov, my future husband, seated me at the table in a bath-hut. He himself sat down imposingly, legs crossed, with a cigarette in his long fingers. He asked my name and where I was from: ‘Do you have any awards?’ – ‘Yes.’ – ‘Which one?’ – ‘For Combat Merit.’ – ‘Aha ...’ After the war he told me the following: ‘At first we thought that you'd sinned a lot and had come to our platoon to pray for forgiveness!’
The Order of the Red Banner was the highest award for combat, and soldiers and officers could be recommended for special merits to the rank of Hero of the Soviet Union. Each award had its status, this or that award would be given for certain deeds in action. An artillery observer, Lev Andreev, recalls:
A regimental or divisional commander presents a Red Army soldier with the Order of the Red Star. Notice the commander's shoulder-belt: you can clearly see a pocket for a whistle attached to the belt with a little strap.
We, observers, would be honoured if we spotted an enemy battery that, as a consequence, was subsequently destroyed. But there was also a clause in the regulations – ‘Shooting down an enemy plane using a personal firearm’ – so my mate, Roman Rybalko, decided to do this and win a decoration. There were many enemy air raids. He would choose a high spot and fire from his PPSh. I ridiculed him, having said that it was impossible to shoot down a plane with a tommy gun. Soon, a German rifle with a whole bag of armour-piercing incendiary rounds turned up in his possession, apart from the submachine-gun. He began to shoot with single shots – not bursts. Bombs are falling, all are trying to hide, praying for God's preservation, and Rybalko begins firing from his rifle next to you! Of course, everyone cursed him, but Rybalko simply moved away a bit and continued shooting. He never managed to down a plane, but by the end of the war he got his longed-for ‘Glory’ [i.e. the Order of Glory – an award for private soldiers – trans.].
Parading the divisional banner.
Mass presentation of medals ‘For Bravery’ or ‘For Combat Merit’, as well as Orders of the Red Star, following successful fighting. Most likely the photo was taken at the beginning of autumn 1941.
Of course, there was no question of fairness when it came to decorations. Much depended on one's relationship with superiors. A gun commander, Grigory Sagalovich, remembers:
God knows by which routine, yardstick or criterion the decision to decorate soldiers was taken. We stuck close to each other – two guns at the Dnieper bridgehead: Filippov's and mine, shooting together, smacking onto the same targets with approximately the same efficiency. Filippov was made a Hero of the Soviet Union and given a month's leave, his crewmen all got medals. We got nothing [...] well, we told him: ‘Lucky you, Filippov,’ congratulated him, but there was no envy . . .
A signalman, Petr Semyonov, recalls:
The artillery commander of our division had his personal cook. When someone was decorated in the division he would say to the commander: ‘Comrade Colonel, everyone gets decorated, but not me. But I‘m in combat too.’ Then the commander orders that his cook be decorated. And you know what? They recorded at HQ: ‘Killed twenty Hitlerites by the fire from his submachine-gun.’ They gave him the medal ‘For Valour’ or ‘For Combat Merit’. What Hitlerites could they mean, when he never held anything in his hands but a ladle, a fork and a spoon? And those who'd gone into the attack got nothing! Why? I'll explain. Today, the section and platoon commanders get killed, tomorrow the company commanders, several days later there's no battalion commander any more. Who's gonna write a recommendation? On top of that, Komsomol leaders would say to commanders before they decorated someone: ‘Don't forget my guys.’ It meant that those who were not Communists or Komsomol members, or had been in occupied territory – get out of here!
Apart from that, from 1943, when the tide turned for the Soviets, more decorations were given, while, during the earlier period of retreat and heavy defensive fighting, decorations were rare. A battalion commander; Khaim Noson, remembers:
I had filled recommendations for decoration for all the fighting men of my battalion who had distinguished themselves, but the paperwork would be lost somewhere at headquarters, and, sadly, the fortitude of ordinary private soldiers who had excelled in combat during that difficult time remained unmarked.
The war was over; and many of its participants had never been honoured. In 1985 all surviving war veterans received an Order of the Patriotic War as a memorable award. Many reckoned that the same order, won in combat conditions, had become just a memorial badge.
A private receives a qualifying badge from his commander (1943).
Decorating A-20G Boston bomber crews at an airfield. In contrast to other arms of the service, pilots were heaped with the highest awards. This Guards senior lieutenant, who receives the decoration, already has two Orders of the Red Banner. On the right of his chest there is a Guards badge.
The 65th ground-attack Regiment received ‘Guards’ designation and became the 17th Guards Regiment. Its commander, Colonel Belousov, takes an oath while receiving the new banner.
Colonel Belousov, commander of the 17th Guards groundattack Regiment, fixes a new medal to a senior lieutenant's blouse.