Soviet Generals Reserve ID Book: From The Ashes Of The "Evil Empire"

[Rick Research]

I just got this in today, and Leapin' Crispy Critters--the smoke singed edges still smell! This one got pulled out of the burning trash in Moscow in the nick of time. Wonder if whoever tossed it (and who knows what else) in there could ever even DREAM it went to Pennsylvania and is now SAFE at Ricky's House?

There are three forms of army photo identification books: for enlisted men, officers, and here, as it states on the cover, for Generals. "Of the reserve" was largely a euphemism for discharge, with ex-servicemen finally getting release from service obligation at the upper age limit of 60, or in this case, 65. I have never seen any of these Books before more than the year following the edition year printed on the cover, but this 1953 was filled out in December 1958.

[Rick Research]

Here is the photo page for Aleksandr Samsonovich Savchenko

[Rick Research]

Comrade Savchenko's final rank was a Generalmajor of engineer-artillery branch, specializing in artillery and anti-aircraft arms

[Rick Research]

He was born 27 September 1900 in the village of Koval'ki, (Idritskovo?) Region, Kalininsky Province, a working class ethnic Russian speaking Russian as his native language. (He spoke no others.)

He joined the CPSU in 1928 as member # 3,500,725

[Rick Research]

Educated through the something-illegible-to-me (eccentric handwriting!) Seminary, 3rd Course in 1916.

His highest professional education was at the electrical technical faculty of the Military-Technical Academy of the Workers' and Peasants' Red Army "in the Name of Dzerzhinsky," from which he graduated after 4 years of study in 1932.

He was married to Evdokiya Emiliyanovna (b. 1905) and had two daughters-- Galina (b. 1928) and Lebina (b. 1932)

[Rick Research]

Comrade S's military career outline-- with typical Soviet obscurantism about ACTUAL UNITS and ACTUAL RANKS (found in the "secret" service records)

September to December 1919: Cadet
12.1919 to 1.1920: Platoon Commander
January to July 1920: Regimental Adjutant
7.1920 to 9.1922: Deputy Regimental Adjutant
9.1922 to 9.1926: Cadet (again)
9.1926 to 9.1928: Platoon Commander (again)
9.1928-5.1932: Student (at Mil-Tech cad, as previously noted)
5.1932 to 6.1938: Military "representative" (???)
6.1938 ro 7.1940: "Commander of 1st Department" (of WHAT, one wonders!)
7.1940 to 2.1942: "Commander of 3rd Department" (ditto! )
2.142 to 6.1952: "Commander of Management" (artillery engineer branch?)
6.1952 to 9.1953: "Senior Military Representative" (uh, Oooooookay...)
9.1953 to 8.1954: "Deputy Commander of Management" (demotion? level up?)
8.1954 to 11.1958: "Senior Military Councillor" (Suurrre, whatever!)

with notation "Served in the Soviet Army September 1919 to November 1958"

That will become of note with his awards list following!

[Rick Research]

All "Reserve" IDs list awards received. This is the first Generals' version I've seen personally, but from officers' and enlisted men's, I'd say many have the YEAR of each award, and very few have the serial numbers as well.

Alas, this one has NEITHER, merely listing awards in what seems, anyway, to have been chronological order (so the first three Orders were pre-1938, possibly--quite a record!!!):

Red Star, Red Banner, Red Star, 1938 Armed Forces "Jubilee" Medal (this required 20 years active duty SINCE February 1918!!! His started in September 1919!), Defense of Moscow Medal, Patriotic War 1st Class, Red Banner (which would be a November 1944 one for 20+ years service), Red Banner(which would be a 1950 one for 30 years service), Lenin (which would be February 1945 for 25+ years service), Order of Kutuzov 2nd Class (and THAT was no Good Conduct Medal!!!), Victory Over Germany, Labor Red Banner, 40 Years Armed Forces Jubilee 1958... and Victory Over Japan trailing at the end.

[Rick Research]

Here's his stamp sized ID photo enlarged and lightened for contrast.

Savchenko is wearing a very light weight (from the wrinkles) Kitel tunic, as worn only 1943-54. As a technical general, his boards would have been silver, not gold, but he is NOT wearing crossed artillery cannons branch devices with the "reversed color" boards.

Ribbon bar: Lenin and his three Red Banners in top row; Kutuzov 2nd, OPW 1st, Red Banner of Labor, and Red Star in 2nd row; Red Star, 1938, Defense of Moscow, and VoG in 3rd row; VoJ, Moscow 1947 Jubilee, and 1948 Armed Forces Jubilee centered in bottom row.

The Moscow 1947 and 1948 Jubilee have been sloppily missed from the awards list. That third Red Banner dates this as 1949-54.

Other pages show medical evaluation for discharge, residency reportng, and his final release from service obligation in 1966, having completed his 65th year.

And just think... apparently last week, somebody in Moscow fished this out of their apartment building incinerator as the flames went up--around the REST of his papers!

[NavyFCO]

Rick-

Neat book. I'll admit I've never owned one of these!

It would be interesting to research him and get what units he served with. The reason only his billet instead of unit was listed in the book was because, in reality, those "details" weren't really important. His actual billets were for technical and professional abilities.

It's sad that so much of this stuff gets tossed even today. When I was living in Russia, I was residing in a very upscale area of Moscow. The actual apartment building had been built in the 1930's for "state security" employees. It was nice to note that, in addition to the three bedrooms (and family room, kitchen, and foyer) there was a SERVANT'S room! Yeah, great communist society, eh?

Anyway... After WW2, most of these apartments were used as "award" apartments for soviet citizens who provided exceptional service to the state. This included quite a few general officers, HSU's and the like. About once a month, someone would pass on, and their apartment would be cleaned out. All of their stuff not wanted by the hiers or neighbors would go out into the dumpsters! And let me tell you what... The dumpsters would get PACKED! I would go out and start digging through them, much to the humor of the local Russians, who thought that an American digging through Russian "trash" was absolutely insane!

I never found any "gems", just the occasional moth-eaten uniform piece, and LOTS of "Complete Works of Stalin", but hey... It was fun!

--Dave

[Vadim K]

Educated through the something-illegible-to-me (eccentric handwriting!) Seminary, 3rd Course in 1916

Teachers' Seminary

[Daniel Krause]

Hi Rick,

thats nice!
Just to add, a KURSANT is not exactly a Cadet, better fits a Student.

Best regards

Daniel

[Rick Research]

Thanks Vadim! Some SERIOUS quirks with some of the letters penned by whoever filled this in, and that had me baffled! I did OK on all the rest.

Daniel: I am an unusually picky (and fickle! ) translator. I used "(military) cadet" where the Russian "kursant" was because his OTHER school used the Russian word "slushatel' " for "student." Only one "student" word in English, but the "shade" seems closer to "cadet" and the other perhaps what we might call a "seminar attendee." And in no place was the Russian word "student" ("undergraduate") used!

Now, about their "Military Merit Medal"...

[Rick Research]

.

[NavyFCO]

Rick-

Well, duh! It's a review for a BOOK, after all! I just certainly hope that the ill-informed moderator who moved the thread put all the Wehrpass threads in the same forum. After all, they are JUST BOOKS anyway!

By the way, your "papers" came in today...

Dave