"Award order
- Name: Petrov, Roman Ilyich
- Rank: Guards Junior Lieutenant
- Position, unit: Tank commander, 46th Independent Guards Heavy Tank Breakthrough Regiment
is nominated for the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. - Year of birth: 1919
- Nationality: Russian
- Party affiliation: none
- Participation in the Civil War and defense of the USSR in subsequent conflicts, Patriotic War: in the Patriotic War since 1941
- In the Red Army since: 1939
- Recruited by: already in the Red Army
- Wounds sustained in the Patriotic War: killed on June 14th, 1944.
- Prior awards: "For Defense of Leningrad" medal, 1942
Brief and specific description of heroism or achievements: In battles to penetrate two heavily defended enemy lines by height 171,0, comrade Petrov demonstrated exceptional heroism during the execution of his orders from June 13th to June 14th, 1944. Comrade Petrov's tank was charged with reconnaissance of AT guns and other weapons at height 171,0. Comrade Petrov's tank #684 was subjected to a significant amount of shelling, and six shells hit the tank. In order to save the tank and fulfil his mission, comrade Petrov used his military cleverness and pretended that his tank was on fire, for which he ignited a smoke bomb inside the tank and stopped shooting. The tank crew sat inside the tank in gas masks for one hour. The enemy thought that the tank and its crew burned up and stopped shooting.
Using the position next to the tank traps and loss of enemy attention, the crew continued to sit in the tank for the day, carefully observing the enemy and his defenses.
On June 14th, when the regiment's tanks attacked height 171,0, comrade Petrov had complete information on the enemy's defenses, opened fire at enemy anti-tank guns, and allowed other tanks to approach, also correcting their fire. In this battle, comrade Petrov's tank destroyed one reinforced concrete pillbox, 6 machinegun nests, 2 armoured pillboxes, and one AT gun.
Comrade Petrov allowed an opening to be made in the tank traps before our tanks arrived, and their safe passage through the opening, giving the tanks and infantry the ability to take the tactically important height 171,0.
During reconnaissance and taking of height 171,0, comrade Petrov demonstrated heroism worthy of the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. In this battle, he died the death of heroes for our Soviet Motherland.
For the demonstrated courage, decisiveness, and heroism during the penetration of two Finn lines of defense at height 171,0, comrade Petrov is worthy of the title of Hero of the Soviet Union, posthumously.
46th OGTPP commander, Guards Colonel Parshev
HQ Chief, Guards Captain Topunov"
CAMD RF 33-793756-37
Alas! If only Comrade Petrov's guile could have been rewarded with life, rather than a posthumous award.
ReplyDeleteThe Stalins armour slacked at the final proof :[
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