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Fyodor Alekseyevich Savelyev Order of the Red Star nr. 213445; Order of the Patriotic War, 2nd Class nr. 44030; and Order of Lenin nr. 285400 were awarded respectively by Order of the 5th Guards Tank Army of July 28, 1943, Order of the 5th Guards Tank Army of November 17, 1943, and Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of November 5, 1954 to Fyodor Alekseyevich Savelyev. When he received his first two awards he was a 38-year-old Guards Major, serving as deputy chief of the Intelligence Department of the 5th Guards Tank Army, Voronezh / 2nd Ukrainian Front. By the time he received his Order of Lenin he was the commandant of the 128th Regional Military Headquarters in East Germany. 
Fyodor Alekseyevich Savelyev was born on February 17, 1905 in the village of Kostino, Krasny Kholm Raion, Kalinin Oblast, Russia, in a family of peasants. After high school he worked as a metal worker in the Molotov Factory in Leningrad. He joined the Communist Party in 1930 with membership booklet nr. 1044269 and got married to one Anna Stepanovna. Savelyev joined the Red Army in Leningrad in November 1927. He commenced his service as a Private with the Border Guards. For some reason he was transferred to the reserves in May 1930, but he joined the army again in June 1931. He graduated from Oryol Armor School in 1932 and passed an Advanced Officer Training Course (KUKS) in 1934. Savelyev remained attached to Oryol Armor School, serving as a cadet platoon and company commander and later a deputy battalion commander. Starting in January 1942 he attended the Stalin Academic Course for Commanding Officers. In May 1942 Savelyev had finished his military education and started serving on the Western Front. He was severely wounded in August 1942 and spent some time recovering in a hospital. Just over four months later he was appointed as assistant chief of the Intelligence Department of the 15th Tank Corps. When the Corps was transferred to the rear in March 1943 to be replenished, Savelyev was given the same posting on the staff of the 5th Guards Tank Army. He arrived at the Army staff in late June 1943, just weeks before the battle of Kursk. Throughout the battle, including the famous tank clash at Prokhorovka, he organized reconnaissance operations. Later that year Savelyev headed one of the Army's reconnaissance sections and several frontline reconnaissance detachments. Even though he served on the staff of the 5th Guards Tank Army for only seven months, Savelyev earned all three bravery awards he would earn during his career in this period. He was severely wounded again in February 1944 and after a recovery period of over eight months he once again attended an Academic Course for Commanding Officers. While he studied at this school, the war ended. After the war, in November 1945, he was given command of a cadet battalion at Bui Tank School, and a year later he commanded a heavy tank regiment stationed in Romania. In 1947 he commanded a tank training battalion and starting in January 1948 he served as deputy commander of a mechanized regiment. He graduated from Molotov Higher Armor School in Leningrad in 1951 and was once again appointed as deputy commander of a mechanized regiment. The last two years of his career Savelyev served as commandant of the 128th Regional Military Headquarters. On January 26, 1955, after just over 27 years of service, Colonel Savelyev was transferred to the reserve for the last time. He had been awarded six orders and two medals. Record card Order booklet nr. A-238473 1. Last name: Savelyev 14. Record of all awards received:
Signature of the awardee: [signed] I confirm the correctness of the data and the signature of the awardee (position and signature): Chief of clerks of the Personnel Records Section of the 5th Guards Tank Army Award sheet [for his first Red Star] All fields to be filled out fully 1. Last name, first name and patronymic: Savelyev, Fyodor Alekseyevich Short, concrete description of his combat feat or merits: Comrade Savelyev has been serving as deputy chief of the Intelligence Department and chief of the Operational Reconnaissance Section of the 5th Guards Tank Army and has been handling his duties well. During the combat operations he properly organized reconnaissance missions and promptly and correctly identified the enemy formation facing the Army's front line. Comrade Savelyev personally visited the units and formations to organize night patrols tasked with taking prisoners and conducting reconnaissance. Comrade Savelyev commands authority among the cadre members of the Intelligence Department. He properly organized the activities of the Operational Reconnaissance Section. He is dedicated to the Party of Lenin and Stalin and the socialist motherland. He deserves to be awarded the Order of the Red Star. Deputy chief of staff for intelligence of the 5th Guards Tank Army Award sheet [for his OPW2] All fields to be filled out fully 1. Last name, first name and patronymic: Savelyev, Fyodor Alekseyevich Short, concrete description of his combat feat or merits: Serving as chief of the Operational Reconnaissance Section, comrade Savelyev has been personally leading and organizing the battle reconnaissance. During the combat operations conducted between October 15, 1943 and November 3, 1943, comrade Savelyev properly organized the reconnaissance missions, always knowing which enemy unit was facing the Army's front line and what its intentions were and drawing the right conclusions and making correct presumptions concerning the enemy's actions. Comrade Savelyev repeatedly led reconnaissance missions himself. On October 18, 1943 he headed a reconnaissance party near Popelnastoye. By taking a prisoner he was able to determine the actions of the 161st Infantry Division in this sector. Over the course of the night of October 19 he properly set up a network of sound observers, which aided in determining the enemy's intentions in this sector. On October 21, 1943, thanks to his personal participation in combat reconnaissance missions a prisoner of war was taken 18 kilometers deep in the enemy rear, who revealed the arrival of the 736th Tank Destroyer Battalion in our sector of the front. On November 1, 1943 he carried out orders from Front headquarters to identify the enemy formation. He organized a reconnaissance mission with the goal of taking prisoners and capturing enemy documents. Comrade Savelyev personally participated in the combat reconnaissance mission in the area west of Iskrovka, in the direction of the Savchin gully. During the nighttime reconnaissance mission, they took prisoners from the 14th Tank Division's 108th Motorized Regiment near Alekseyevka, the 23rd Tank Division, and the 1st Assault Battalion, and they captured documents from the Totenkopf Tank Division near Nedaivoda, which allowed for the enemy formations facing the Army's front line to be completely identified. Comrade Savelyev deserves the Order of the Red Banner. Deputy chief of staff for intelligence of the 5th Guards Tank Army Award sheet [for his first Red Banner] 1. Last name, first name and patronymic: Savelyev, Fyodor Alekseyevich Short, concrete description of his combat feat or merits: On January 25, 1944 comrade Savelyev carried out orders, along with a motorcycle regiment, to penetrate into the area near Shpola and Zvenigorodka in order to destroy enemy staffs and rear-area headquarters and take prisoners and capture operational documents. Comrade Savelyev displayed exceptional military skill, audacity, and resourcefulness. Having establish communications with the commander of the 29th Tank Corps, Major General Kirichenko, he led the reconnaissance along a wide front line, from Shpola and Zvenigorodka to Mokraya Kaligorka. This showed a large number of tanks in the enemy's rear. Near Shpola the headquarters of the 389th Infantry Division and an artillery regiment of said division were destroyed, 18 prisoners were taken, and all roads leading toward Shpola from the north and south were cut off. With his reconnaissance party comrade Savelyev personally made contact with units of the 20th Tank Corps and linked up with units of the 1st Ukrainian Front near Zvenigorodka. Cut off from their units, comrade Savelyev and his reconnaissance detachment reconnoitered along a wide front line. On orders from General Kirichenko, they maintained uninterrupted communications with our units from Zhuravka to Zvenigorodka. On various occassions he personally commanded the reconnaissance detachment in battle. On February 2, 1944, while carrying out orders to reconnoiter Iskrennoye, he was severely wounded. For his personal bravery and for skillfully leading the Army Reconnaissance Detachment comrade Savelyev deserves to be awarded the Order of the Red Banner. Deputy chief of staff for intelligence of the 5th Guards Tank Army 
Fyodor Alekseyevich Savelyev, here as a Lieutenant Colonel 
Savelyev's award group, obverse 
Savelyev's award group, reverse Click on the thumbnail to enlarge the image. Click on the magnification to shrink it back.
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