"Guess this Medal"

[NavyFCO]

Soviet/Lithuanian unit ?

Getting warmer!

--Dave

[dannybou]

Soviet/Latvia unit?

43rd Guards division and 308th division fighting other Latvian units in 1944?

[Mike G.]

Dave,

Is it a badge for Partisan Unit?

[NavyFCO]

Soviet/Latvia unit?

Yep! It was a Soviet/Latvian unit. What was it, and what was it's name?

Hint: It doesn't have to deal with partisans.

--Dave

[dannybou]

Is it a WW2 unit?

[NavyFCO]

Is it a WW2 unit?

It's entirely possible.

--Dave

[dannybou]

The Latvian riflemen division

[NavyFCO]

The Latvian riflemen division

Close... But not quite.

[NavyFCO]

Everyone give up? I'm ready to post the "story behind the badge" if that's the case.

--Dave

[Mike G.]

Dave, I would say you are the first to "Stump-the-Chump". I certainly am in agreement with you "Posting Away". Let's hear the story.

[NavyFCO]

This badge is the badge for the Veterans of the 130th Latvian Rifle Corps! Dannybou was the closest to getting it right, but the “Soviet Latvian Division” was just too far off the mark.

So, why is this badge special?

It belonged to Georgi Gavrilovich Sharikalov. He served as a senior Lieutenant in the 130th Latvian Rifle Corps during WW2. His career in the service was as unremarkable as it was short. He joined in the latter days of the War, and had a similar experience as millions of young men and women of his generation. “So,” you ask, “is that all?”

Of course not!

Now, Georgi Gavrilovich was the son of Colonel Gavril Kuprianovich Sharikalov, Artillery Commander of the 130th Latvian Rifle Corps! The Colonel was a career soldier, having fought in the Revolution and against the Germans since the early days of the Patriotic War. Perhaps his background could be best told in his own words:

I was born on 20 January 1900 in the family of a peasant in Minskaya Gubernia (Province) of the Novogrudsky Uezd (District) of the Shersevskaya Volost’ (Region) in the village of Pristoino. Until 1915, the entire family and I lived on our own household which consisted of a horse, a cow and about 3 plots of land. We were a family of six so there wasn’t enough bread for us all to eat and sometimes we had to work as hired hands for local landowners. In 1915, we left as refugees, we lost our household and the entire family started working as hired hands in the Donskaya Region where we were brought by train to the station of Kalach (South-Western railway) and appointed to rich landowner’s household as free labor.

From the fall of 1915 and until the Great October Revolution the entire family worked at the village of Peskovatka for a rich landowner. We didn’t just work for bread and salt, as people say it; we received neither bread nor salt. We received no pay so my mother (step-mother) and grandmother went to church on holidays and asked for alms. After the Great October Revolution the entire family (except for me) was still working as hired hands at the village, and when the Whites advanced the entire family fled to the village of Vertyachi where they stayed until 1920.

In 1920, my father died and my mother (step-mother) with two small children and my grandmother went back to their “homeland” in Poland when all refugees were being sent home. From that time, I have no information about them, I didn’t have contact with them, I don’t have it now. I didn’t write to them, I don’t write to them now, and I don’t even know if they had survived at all.

From 1916 until the fall of 1918, I lived in Leningrad where I worked as a hired hand as a janitor, stove coal-heaver and storage director. This way, I don’t have a particular profession. I joined the Red Army as a volunteer in 1918. I joined the Artillery Division Squadron of the 1st Morozovskaya Division of the 10th Army. I served in the Morozovskaya Division and the 38th Rifle Division until December 1919.

From December 1919 to March 1920 I was in captivity of the White army. I was taken captive in a battle near the village of Arakantsev in the area of the Katloban railway station of the south-eastern railway. While I was in captivity (for about three months) I didn’t take part in combat against my own troops, and together with my other captive friends was evacuated somewhere behind the frontlines where I worked different jobs under the supervision of the Caucasian Army. In the beginning, I worked in the village of Velikoknyazheskaya (now it is called Proletarskaya) and then for a little while I was in the town of Krasnodar. When the Red Army advanced to Krasnodar, I and two of my comrades hid in the apartment of one the workers and when our troops came I joined by division once again. As a division member, I fought with it until the front was completely liquidated.

After the White army was destroyed in the fall of 1920, I was commissioned through the 1st Baku Commander’s Course, and fought against the White army in Georgia as a member of it. I graduated from the courses in November 1921 in Tbilisi. I have been a commander since 1921. From November 1921 to March 1922 I served as a Commander of the Courses Platoon. From March 1922 to March 1923 I served as the Artillery Platoon Commander in the Batumsky defense area. From March 1923 to November 1926 I served in the Artillery Regiment of the 3rd Caucasian Rifle Division as a Platoon Commander, Aide to the Battery Commander, Battery Commander. From November 1926 to April 1928, I was a student at the Sumskaya artillery school. From April 1928 to December 1933, I served in the 10th Rifle Division as a Battery Commander, Aide to the Squadron Commander, Squadron Commander, Head of Artillery Regiment Headquarters.

From December 1933 to February 1936, I was a student at the Artillery Academy but because I didn’t do well in Physics and Mathematics, I volunteered to be transferred to a one-year course at the AKTUS Academy from where I graduated in December 1936. From there, I was commissioned to the 50th Artillery regiment as a General Service Regiment Commander Aide. From April 1938 I commanded the 50th GAUBICHNY artillery regiment. From 19 August 1938 to 18 March 1938, I was in the reserve as I was dismissed from the Red Army by the order of the VO Military District from 20 July 1938 No. 00379 according to Article 43 point ‘a’. From 18 March 1939 and until now, I am the Headquaters Chief of the Artillery of the 33rd Rifle Division (NKO order No. 0342 from 27 January 1939.) As a reservist I lived in Stalingrad and worked in the Osoaviakhim city council as the head of the combat training department. My general education is three years in a village school.

I have never been a member of any other party and never did I deviate from the general line of our party, I have always firmly stood, am standing now and will stand in the future for the general line of our party. I have fought against, still fighting now and will fight against all rouges who dare to get in the way of our party, our motherland. I was brought up by the party and the Soviet leadership, and I am prepared to give all that I can to the cause of Lenin and Stalin, to make my party stronger.

At the beginning of the Patriotic War, Colonel Sharikalov found himself on the Far-Eastern front, but was soon transferred to the Western Front to fight against the Germans. He served as the Head of Artillery for the 384th Rifle Division until 11 October 1942, then became the Head of Artillery for the 43rd Guards Rifle Division starting in 20 January 1943. Between April and November 1943, he transferred between the 35th and 44th Rifle Corps as Deputy Commander of Artillery before holding the same position in the 22nd Army until 1 August 1944.

At that time, he became the Head of Artillery for the 130th Latvian Rifle Corps, the next step in his career progression as an upwardly-mobile career officer. His son joined the unit shortly thereafter and things looked good.

Until 23 August.

On that fateful day, just outside of the Latvian town of Yekabpils, he was heavily wounded in a German artillery barrage that hit the Corps command tent, mortally wounding not only him, but the Deputy Corps Commander and a Rifles Colonel. Of the three, Colonel Sharikalov lived the longest, finally succumbing to his wounds in the early hours of 28 August 1944.

By then, Colonel Sharikalov was already well decorated with two orders of the Red Banner, a Red Star and the Order of the Patriotic War, 1st Class. In a highly unusual move, however, his commanders submitted him for one last award – the Patriotic War, 1st Class - with the following citation:

…Comrade Sharikalov was present personally at watch points, and he personally directed the artillery fire in the right directions. He massed the artillery fire and directed it on the cross-points of enemy resistance, thus providing the advance of Russian troops with minimal losses. After enemy defense line was penetrated on 2 August 1944 and the infantry crossed over the defense line, the 6th Guards Artillery Division left from under the command of the Artillery Corps Commander and Army reinforcement artillery was the only one left. Under Comrade Sharikalov’s immediate leadership, strong artillery fire and by direct pointing of guns, the army destroyed firing spots and personnel at resistance points, which allowed the infantry to approach the Ayvekste river.

Despite fuel shortage, Comrade Sharikalov was able to move the cannons forward on time and mobilized all horse-drawn carriages from the inhabitants of two closest areas. He used the carriages to move ammunition, which served as a main success factor for our units on 4 and 5 August 1944.
Owing to Comrade Sharikalov’s skillful leadership, a breakthrough into enemy defense to a distance of 65 kilometers and access to the bank of the Ayvekste river were gained. In the course of action, units from the 23rd and 165th German infantry divisions had been destroyed.

In these combats Comrade Sharikalov showed himself as a brave and courageous soldier in the struggle against German occupants.

For able leadership of the artillery, personal courage and bravery in combat, Comrade Sharikalov deserves to be awarded the Order of the Great Patriotic War of the 1st Class (Posthumously).
Continued...

[NavyFCO]

A few photos of some of the group...

The son, Lieutenant Sharikalov:

<O</O

The father, an early photo of Colonel Sharikalov:<O</O



<O</O
A later one, taken about two weeks before his death:



Continued...

[NavyFCO]

Second set of photos...


His posthumous Patriotic War, 1st Class (his other awards were returned to the State):



<O

The document presenting the above Patriotic War 1st Class to his wife, also notifying her of his death:


<O</O>

[NavyFCO]

And the final photo...

The memorial to Colonel Sharikalov and the two other officers who died while liberating Yekabils:

[dannybou]

Learned something today again. Thanks Dave.