Large Certificate for the title of Hero of the Soviet Union, awarded to a reconnaissance man for extraordinary bravery shown during the crossing of the Oder River in January 1945. Being in the first assault group to reach the enemy-held bank in the face of heavy fire, he stormed a massive pillbox, single-handedly wiped out its machine gun crew, and then with just four other scouts repelled 10 German counterattacks holding the precious position until the arrival of Soviet reinforcements. In six hours of non-stop action he and his tiny group killed 110 German soldiers and captured 16 POWs. The document is in very good condition.

Contemporary lithographic portrait of pilot Hero of the Soviet Union. Nice.

"Heroes of the Soviet Union", V. Vorbyov and N. Efimov, 2010, St. Petersburg, Russian text, 638pp, oversized laminated hardcover with 35pp of color and B/W illustrations. Invaluable research aid filled with serial numbers and other information never previously available!

"Heroes of the Blazing Years", Volume 7, C. 1984, Moscow. Hard-bound, 686 pages, Russian text. The book contains biographies of nearly 100 Heroes of the Soviet Union who were born in Moscow or Moscow Region. This scarce out of print publication can be an excellent supplement to the standard two-volume catalog "Heroes of the Soviet Union".