This is a great group to Junior
Lieutenant
Mikhail Semyonovich Nalyotov, Cavalier of the Order of Glory. Comrade
Nalyotov served as the Deputy Commander of the Intelligence Platoon of the 54th
Guards Tank Brigade, 7th Guards Tank Corps, 3rd Tank Army, 1st Ukrainian
Front.
He joined the
Soviet Army at the ripe old age of 18 in October 1941, and formed part of the
new 88th Tank Brigade in March 1942 at Stalingrad. His Brigade lasted just
long enough to be nearly wiped out at Kharkov in June 1942.
Their equipment was left on the
Front, and the remnants of the Brigade personnel were shipped to Moscow, to be
re-fitted and join the 15th Tank Corps, which later became the 7th Tank Corps.
The unit traveled south the the
Ukraine, and Sergeant Nalyotov found himself in the battles for the city of Zhitomir.
It was here, from December 20 to
December 30, 1943, Guards Senior Sergeant Nalyotov conducted reconnaissance missions
near the city.
Here
he was awarded the Order of Glory Third Class with the following
citation:
"Senior
Sergeant Nalyotov M.S. is a brave, dynamic and quick-witted scout.
During his reconnaissance near Zhitomir, Comrade Nalyotov found mines and
electric wiring leading to the bridge. At
this moment, he saw our tanks on their way to cross the bridge.
"Comrade
Nalyotov, at great risk to his own life, under heavy enemy fire, made his way to
the bridge, cut the wires and cleared the bridge of mines, allowing the tanks to
cross safely.
Comrade
Nalyotov deserves the Governmental Award Order of Glory Third Class."
By July 1944, he had been promoted
to Commander of the reconnaissance platoon in the same Brigade with the rank of
Guards Sergeant Major. On 7 July, he
lead a group of soldiers through the enemy rear, and took a position on the
highway near the village of Kulikov (north of Lvov).
This action caused the enemy to panic, leading to its crushing defeat
under the Brigade in the battles for the villages of Kulikov and Doroshuv.
During this
action, he also captured the staff vehicle of the enemy headquarters.
For these actions, he was awarded the Order of Glory 2nd Class
on 13 August 1944.
In the battles
for the beachhead on the Pilitsa River near the village of Konetspol, on 17
January 1945, he single-handedly went beyond the front lines to survey gaps in
the enemy’s defense. During this
expedition, he personally killed ten German soldiers, and found a gap large
enough to allow for the passage of the main forces of the Brigade, which allowed
them to take the enemy by surprise and seize the city of Chenstokhov, Poland.
On 10 April
1945, he was awarded the Order of Glory 1st Class for these actions.
His actual citation is as follows:
"In
the battles for the defensive lines on the Rivers Tarna, Nida, Pilitsa and the
seizure of Chenstokhov, which was being used by the enemy as a defensive point,
Comrade Nalyotov demonstrated himself as the bravest, most dynamic, and most
daring scout. He personally
reconnoitered a passage through the enemy’s defensive line for the main forces
of our Brigade and exterminated up to twenty German soldiers and officers in
hand-to-hand combat.
"He
provided information about the enemy’s location and movements in the direction
of Chenstokhov.
"He
deserves the Governmental award: Order of Glory First Class."
During the
War, he also earned the two Orders of the Red Star and the Order of the Great
Patriotic War 1st Class. At
the end of the War, he was promoted to Junior Lieutenant, and was placed in the Reserve
in 1947.
He
returned to his village, and worked as a schoolteacher until his retirement.
Unfortunately, I don't have the
full research on him, but hope to have it soon and will post more when I have
it. One interesting thing about this group is his older photo- he
apparently lost his Glory 2nd Class!
Additional
Images of Nalyotov's Awards
