one nice research result... Order of the Red Banner to Polar Bear

[Noor]

Hi all,

What one nice Soviet award from 1942 can tell us....

[Noor]

Surely great award to the brave man - Mitrofanov, Jakova Tihonovicha, Karelian Front August 1942. Front Line NKVD long distance intelligence scouts unit. He is No. 8 on the list.

[Noor]

award citation:

[Noor]

what a citation ....

Front Line NKVD intelligence department, reconnaissance missions team leader.

He worked as a scout’s team leader and went twice behind enemy lines up to 80 kilometres!

In the February 1942 (I can imagine cold at this time of the year there!!!!!!!!!) he was sent to Norway with radio station to collect information about the enemy and did it successfully 3,5 months.

Award has been approved by 14th Army commander General-major Shcherbakov himself!

He was actually native Karelian from the area.

[Noor]

His award sheet.... as an extra he had just a medal for Defence of Polar Region and a Victory over Germany medal.

[Komandir RKKA]

Great man - to spend 3.5 months behind front line and turn back safe.
He was ethnic karel (one of local nationalities)

[Eric Gaumann]

Great man - to spend 3.5 months behind front line and turn back safe.
He was ethnic karel (one of local nationalities)

Not to mention being an ethnic minority in the paranoid Soviet state.... To be trusted to go behind enemy lines and return for someone like that must've been quite rare.

[Noor]

Soviet Union tried to "set up" a communist Finland government at this time, so I think they actually needed locals for that. Also he was able to speak Finnish, that was probably as well a good "skill" to have behind the lines.

Poor man survived the war and got killed soon after, when he tried to open explosive device (I think artillery shell or mine) in his home garden

[Noor]

Here is a little pit better translation:

MITROFANOV, Jakov Tihhonov
Born: 1912, in the Murmansk oblast, Kandalakša oblast (county) Kovd-Ozero village
Nationality: Karelian
Education: Elementary
Member of the Red Army: 1941
Member of the party: 1943
Served: NKVD 82. Polk (Regiment) Operative Intelligence Unit
Position: Scouts team leader
After the war worked as an explosive specialist in the Murmansk Oblast, Kildinski brick factory

In 1946 had following awards:
- Order of the Red Banner Nr. 30,083
- Medal for Defence of Polar region
- Medal for victory over Germany

When he went to reserve, he held a rank Private (what a high award to private in the beginning of the war in this case!!!!)

Order of the Red Banner

In the period of July 1941 until February 1942 he took part many reconnaissance missions, including twice went far behind enemy lines up to 80 km., including as a team leader.

February 1942 he was sent as a reconnaissance team leader with the radio deep into enemy territory in Norway, where he commanded whole intelligence radio network, providing important information to the Red Army, Navy and counterintelligence units over 3,5 months. There were around 70 important messages in total and contacts were made almost daily bases over radio.

Citation to the award was made by Karelian front operative headquarters commander Polkovnik (Colonel) Mološnikov and it was authorised by 14th Army commander General Major Štšerbakov.

[Komandir RKKA]

İmportant note is that he already served in RKKA from 1932 to 1934 and again in 1939-40 ("winter war") before ww2.