"During December 1943 in battles in Eastern Belarus, Saprykin and a small
group of soldiers from his battalion reportedly repulsed numerous
counterattacks of superior German forces. After three days, he
reportedly called down artillery on his own position and was believed
killed. For his actions, Saprykin was posthumously awarded the title
Hero of the Soviet Union and the Order of Lenin. Saprykin was captured by the German troops and
sent to a POW camp. After its liberation by British troops, Saprykin
emigrated to Canada to avoid imprisonment if he returned to the Soviet Union due to a previous incarceration for treason. After Soviet authorities discovered his survival, Saprykin's awards were revoked. Saprykin died in Toronto on 24 April 1990. His awards were posthumously restored on 4 December 1991."
A strange account of a heroic ally,
Brian
No comments:
Post a Comment