Rank: Senior Sergeant Branch of military: Artillery Division: 3rd artillery Zhytomyr order of Lenin Red Banner order of Suvorov breakthrough division From the memoirs of V. A. Kartashev It was in May 1943 on the territory of Ukraine. We have received orders to destroy the accumulation of enemy equipment. We, the scouts, noticed a tall tree near the forward position of the German trenches. I managed to climb this tree without being noticed. Through the binoculars, you could see everything you needed. Our battery started firing, I corrected the fire by phone. Soon the Germans, apparently, guessed where the fire was being corrected, and began firing mortars at the tree. I could feel the large fragments of mines hitting the tree trunk. Received several minor injuries. One of the large fragments tore off the nail of the thumb and shattered the bone of the phalanx of the finger. Wiping the blood from my forehead, from the wounds, and pressing my finger to stop the bleeding, I continued to look through the binoculars and adjust the fire of our howitzers on the wired phone. The accumulation of enemy equipment was destroyed. The order was executed. When it was dark, I slipped down from the tree and reached our trenches and reported everything I saw. For this and other similar battles, I was then awarded the first medal "for bravery", and later appointed to the post of commander of the Intelligence Department. Battle path of Kartashev V. A. as part of the 43rd Howitzer artillery brigade, 1475th artillery regiment, 3rd artillery division: The vicinity of the town of Makarov in the West of Kiev-further West and South-West-Radomyshl-Zhytomyr-starokonstantyniv-Khmelnitsky-Satanov-Kopychyntsy district-North-West to terebovl – South-West to monastyrisk-further North-East-Ternopil-North – West to Zboriv – Peremyshlyany – Lviv-further West and South – West to Gorodok – Rudki – Sambor-Star. Sambir. Then we crossed the border of Poland-Sanok on the San river, and then - to Dresden and towards Prague.