Decorations:

Order of Glory, 3rd cl., Type 2, #588315. Silver, enamels; 48.3 mm in height incl. eyelet, 46.2 mm wide; weighs 22.2 g excluding the suspension and connecting link.

In outstanding, excellent condition. The enamel shows a beautiful luster and has only a couple of microscopic contact marks that are completely invisible to the naked eye. There are some tiny dings and scratches to the arms, barely noticeable, while the details of the medallion are perfectly preserved and crisp. Attractive dark patina to silver on both sides. Comes on original

Decorations:

Order of Glory, 3rd cl., Type 2, #588315. Silver, enamels; 48.3 mm in height incl. eyelet, 46.2 mm wide; weighs 22.2 g excluding the suspension and connecting link.

In outstanding, excellent condition. The enamel shows a beautiful luster and has only a couple of microscopic contact marks that are completely invisible to the naked eye. There are some tiny dings and scratches to the arms, barely noticeable, while the details of the medallion are perfectly preserved and crisp. Attractive dark patina to silver on both sides. Comes on original early post-war suspension, a two-layer model in steel with an integral catch of the pin. The old, probably original ribbon is extremely well-preserved and attractive. The connecting link appears to be original as well; its ends are still joined with solder.

Medal for Victory over Germany, Variation 1. In brass; measures 37.5 mm in height, 32.3 mm in width. In excellent condition. Beside a tiny, barely noticeable scuff to the edge at approx. 6 o'clock, both sides are pristine, completely free of any other traces of wear visible to the naked eye. The raised details are perfect and extremely crisp. The original "gilt" mint luster is exceptionally well-preserved and bright throughout. Comes on a late-1940s suspension device in brass. The connecting link appears to be of the period.

Medal in Commemoration of the 20th Anniversary of Victory over Germany. In brass, 32 mm wide. Excellent condition.

Medal in Commemoration of the 30th Anniversary of Victory over Germany, WW 2 Veteran's Version. In brass, 36 mm wide. Excellent condition.

Medal in Commemoration of the 60th Anniversary of the Soviet Armed Forces. In brass, 32 mm wide. Excellent condition.

Award Documents:

Order Booklet, Series B #729230, filled-out on 7 July 1948. The document contains an entry for only a single award, the Order of Glory, 3rd cl. #588315 - which makes it essentially a complete group (archival records do confirm that Vasiliy Palatkin had no other numbered decorations, at least as of the late 1940s.) The document contains a photo of the recipient wearing his Order of Glory 3rd cl. along with the Medal for Valor and a Guard's Badge on an M-43 gimnasterka shirt. The shirt does not have shoulder straps, as had already been discharged from the military at the time the photo was taken. (Note that in the mid- to late 1940s, a photo was no longer required in the order booklet and it was added by the owner of the booklet on his own volition, hence it does not show an official stamp. Nevertheless, we have no doubts that the photo indeed shows Vasility Palatkin, the original owner of the booklet and recipient of the awards.)

The document is in outstanding, excellent condition. The cover shows practically no wear; the gold national emblem and lettering are intact and bright. The binding is tight. The interior pages show only the normal age toning along with a minor amount of rust from the staples, no soiling or significant wear.

Award Document for the Victory over Germany Medal, Series K # 0165171, issued on 21 February 1946. There is a b/w image of the medal on the first inside page and a typographically printed individual serial number on the back cover. The document shows that the rank of the recipient is Senior Sergeant. Near the bottom of the same page, there is a stamp of the District Military Commissariat of Khimki (a town near Moscow) and signature of its chief.

The document is in fair to good condition. It shows a lot of wear, apparently from being often carried in a pocket, age toning and light soiling. There are no significant stains or splotches however, and all the hand-written entries are fully legible. As is often the case, the spine has been repaired with paper tape to keep the pages from separating.

Award Document for the 20th Anniversary of Victory Medal, issued on 7 May 1967 (interestingly, with a two-years delay). Signed by the Military Commissar of the Kuibyshevskiy District of Moscow and shows an ink stamp of the commissariat. Very good to excellent condition. Shows a few minor spots and normal age toning, otherwise perfect.

Award Document for the 30th Anniversary of Victory Medal (War Veteran's version), issued on 19 December 1975. Signed by the Military Commissar of the Moskvoretsky District of Moscow and shows an ink stamp of the commissariat. Excellent condition.

Award Document for the Soviet Armed Forces 60th Anniversary Medal, issued in July 1978. Signed by the Military Commissar of the Moskvoretsky District of Moscow and shows an ink stamp of the commissariat. Excellent condition.

Vasiliy Palatkin, an ethnic Mordvin (a Tatar national group from a region near the Volga River in southeastern part of European Russia), was born in 1913. In December 1941, during the Battle of Moscow, he enlisted in the Red Army in Moscow's suburban town of Khimki. As of the fall of 1943, Palatkin had the rank of senior sergeant and was serving as a deputy platoon commander with the Belorussian Front (previously known as the Bryansk Front). There is apparently some confusion in the archives concerning his unit: according to the award commendation, it was the 1091st Rifle Regiment of the 349th Rifle Division, whereas the latter did not have a regiment by that number and was never a part of the Belorussian Front. In reality, Palatkin's regiment belonged to the 324th Rifle Division, which in early 1943 was a part of the 50th Army, Western Front and later, Bryansk / Belorussian Front.

On 9 September 1943, Palatkin was lightly wounded in the right arm during an offensive toward the city of Mogilev in eastern part of Belorussia. He however remained on the front line until wounded again, this time in the right leg, on 28 October 1943, while blowing up an enemy earth-and-timber pillbox. His second combat wound turned out to be very serious, making Palatkin an invalid and resulting in his eventual discharge from the military. (Interestingly, the commendation states that the action in October took place "during the storming of Mogilev" whereas it was in fact in the area of the town of Slavgodor [aka Slawharad] on the western bank of the Pronya River, some 45 miles southeast of Mogilev. The city of Mogilev would remain under the German occupation for quite a while and would only be liberated by the Red Army in late June 1944 over the course of the Operation Bagration.)

The award commendation was submitted on 25 July 1947 by the head of the military commissariat of the Khimki District. The commendation mentioned that despite his disability, Palatkin was employed as a locksmith and made a good account of himself at work. The recommended award was the Order of the Patriotic War, 2nd cl., but it was later downgraded to the Order of Glory 3rd cl. Based on all the archival records and available award documentation, this was Palatkin's only decoration of WW2.

Research Materials: b/w photocopy of the award commendation for the Order of Glory, 3rd cl. . A history of the 324th Rifle Division is available in the Volume IX Red Tide of Charles Sharp's book series Soviet Order of Battle, WW2.
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