Medal for Combat Service, Type 1 on a replacement Type 2 suspension, #111185, awarded on 3 November 1942 to Senior Sergeant Mikhail Chugunov (Михаил Павлович Чугунов), an aviation technician with the 14th Air Army, Volkhov Front.
The medallion is in silver and lacquer, 32.2 mm wide, weighs 22.9 g without the suspension and connecting link. The medallion is in excellent condition. The raised details of the artwork and lettering are beautifully preserved and crisp. There are a few tiny dings to the edge, none of them, but no bumps, major scratches or other significant. The original red lacquer in the letters is perfect, which is very uncommon for an early issue. As is often the case, the Type 1 suspension has been discarded, most likely by the original owner to comply with post-1943 regulations, and repl
The medallion is in silver and lacquer, 32.2 mm wide, weighs 22.9 g without the suspension and connecting link. The medallion is in excellent condition. The raised details of the artwork and lettering are beautifully preserved and crisp. There are a few tiny dings to the edge, none of them, but no bumps, major scratches or other significant. The original red lacquer in the letters is perfect, which is very uncommon for an early issue. As is often the case, the Type 1 suspension has been discarded, most likely by the original owner to comply with post-1943 regulations, and replaced with an early post-war suspension in brass. The ribbon is old but perfectly preserved and clean.
Born in 1907 in what was then the Russian capital of St. Petersburg, Mikahil Chugunov served two stints in the Red Army in 1930-32 and 1934. He reenlisted on 25 June 1941, just three days after the German invasion of the Soviet Union, initially as an army civilian employee. Appointed as a senior aircraft technician to the 139th Aviation Workshop, Chugunov was put in charge of a team repairing aircraft for the defense of Leningrad, his native city.
On 6 April 1942, Chugunov was recommended for his first decoration of the war, the Medal for Combat Service. According to the award commendation, he worked selflessly and tirelessly on repairing aircraft for the front from the first days of the war. On his own initiative, he worked 18-hour shifts daily, compelling his subordinates to do the same. When necessary, he would even stay at work for 24 hours straight and during the period through April 1942, repaired or serviced 70 airplanes. Being a party member, he "by his dedication demonstrated in action how a true communist must fight against the worst enemy of humanity, Fascism". It took an unusually long time for the award commendation to work its way through the chain of military command, so Chugunov was officially awarded with the medal only on 3 November 1942 by an order of the Voronezh Front after being approved by both the 14th Air Army and Volkhov Front command.
In November 1944, Chugunov, by then already a Red Army serviceman with the rank of Sergeant Major, was once again recommended for an award for his selfless work on repairing aircraft. Although the recommendation was for the Order of the Red Star, the award was downgraded to the Medal for Combat Service - Chugunov's second and final decoration of the war - by the 14th Air Army Command. Again, the award took a long time to be approved and was finally bestowed on 5 June 1945.
Research Materials: Photocopy of the award record card and commendations for both Medals for Combat Service.
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