STALIN VASILY: (1921-1962) Russian fighter pilot, a Lieutenant General with the Soviet Air Forces who participated in Operation Barbarossa and the Battle of Berlin during World War II. The youngest son of Joseph Stalin, upon his father´s death in 1953 Vasily Stalin was deemed dangerous by the Khrushchev administration and was arrested, imprisoned and excluded from social life. A World War II date D.S., V Stalin, two pages, 4to, n.p., 5th May 1945, in Cyrillic. The typed document is a commendation form for the proposed award of the Order of the Red Star to Lieutenant Colonel Grigory Andreevich Ponomarenko, Chief of Staff, 286th Fighter Aviation Nezhin Red Banner Division, providing details of his nationality (Ukrainian), year of birth (1907), address, previous awards etc., and further states, in part, ´In the Active Red Army from 22nd June 1941 to 4th July 1941, holding the post of division chief of staff since November 1944. Comrade Ponomarenko received his last State Award, the Order of the Red Banner, on 13th March 1944. Since this last award, in his role as division chief of staff, Lieutenant Colonel Ponomarenko has reliably ensured the timely execution of combat orders and command directives, maintaining uninterrupted combat readiness for division units throughout the Prague, Warsaw-Poznan, and Berlin operations. Combat orders during these operations were carried out promptly, with well-organised coordination with cooperating units, with special attention given to effective communication organisation......Through the division’s fighter assault operations, the following enemy assets were destroyed: 267 vehicles, approximately 1,400 soldiers and officers, 92 carts, 93 horses, 31 railway carriages, 10 locomotives, 14 ammunition depots, and 42 anti-aircraft guns. Notably, during the Berlin operation alone, 949 combat sorties were completed, with 15 air battles resulting in the downing of 17 enemy aircraft. In his role as division chief of staff, Comrade Ponomarenko has placed great importance on the timely fulfilment of higher command directives, covering all areas from combat operations accounting, reporting, and planning, to the development of coordination protocols with other aviation units. He provides practical assistance to the division’s staff units and ensures that orders and directives from both division and Army command are implemented. In personal conduct, he is modest. No incidents of immoral behaviour have been noted in comrade Ponomarenko. In his duties, he is diligent, disciplined, and a shows considerable promise as an officer. For his effective and timely execution of tasks assigned by the Command, for the capable organisation of the combat operations of the division's units, the Lieutenant Colonel Ponomarenko is recommended for the State Award, the Order of the Red Star´. A few very small, extremely minor tears to the left edge, VG
