Around 1920, Baurov started work at the Putilov factory as an assistant to a steelmaker. From 1925 to 1933 Baurov studied at the Electrotechnical Institute of Communications, and, after graduating, got a job as a laboratory assistant at the Academy of Communications. But art was not forgotten either. All this time, Alexander was also working in Lengosestrada in the evenings, playing guitar in a Roma ensemble. He even took his guitar, gifted to him by his good friend and master – Passerbsky – with him to the front. In short moments of respite, he played and sang for friends. Baurov volunteered for the front on the eighth day of the war. A good technical education allowed Baurov to occupy command positions. Initially, he was the head of the communications service in the Forty-Fourth Armoured Battalion, where he had the chance to defend the Pulkovo Heights. During the attack near Krasnoye Selo, he was wounded in the arm and shell-shocked. The orderlies pulled him out of the damaged tank. After recovering, Baurov fought in the 189th Infantry Division. After that, he was appointed chief of communications of the First Aeronautical Division. Photographs taken at the front give us an insight into the type of warfare the unit engaged in. The unit was responsible for sharing intelligence, specifically geographic information, for targeting enemy lines by shelling. The unit gathered the information by aerial cameras lifted by balloons into the sky, capturing photographs of enemy positions. The results were impressive: heavy © Nikolai Bessonov Foundation of Roma History and Culture Soviet shells destroyed German equipment, and their fortifications were broken, and eventually, the Germans rolled back under the pressure of the Red Army. Baurov’s unit would fight in the Karelian Campaign on the Karelian Isthmus, located on the FinnishRussian border, where he would be wounded a second time, receiving damage to his thigh. The bravery of Baurov, a Roma from Leningrad, was celebrated with both promotions and awards. In 1944 he was already a captain. His chest was decorated with the Order of the Red Star and the Red Battle Banner. Baurov also received the Order of Alexander Nevsky – an honourable and rare award – for his active participation in the battles during the Oder River crossing. In addition, he was awarded the Polish Cross of the Brave. Baurov enjoyed the victory in Leipzig, but his service did not end there. After the war, he was left in Germany to study German rocket science. And from 1949 to 1955, already an engineerlieutenant colonel, Baurov participated in creating and launching the first domestic missiles at the Kapustin Yar test site in the Astrakhan region. The veteran died on February 18, 1972. Materials about Baurov’s military career and rare front-line photographs are now in the Museum of the Defense and The Seige of Leningrad.
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Hate to say this, but I kinda call almost all of this into question. I tried to look into this a bit more, and came up with damned near nothing. Just a reference back to this very PDF, and another that was the source of that PDF in Russian. Nothing else.
And the "Order of Alexander Nevsky" is hardly "an honorable and rare award", it literally was given to anybody who served in the military or government service for 20 years. And while it can be given for valor, it was awarded over 42,000 times during WWII for that reason. And in trying to look up the "Polish Cross of the Brave", I ran across something similar. That was an award that was issued by Poland from 1928-1940, and was not recognized by the Post-War Polish government because most of the recipients who earned it were fighting against the Germans or Soviets. However, there was a similar award called the "Cross of Valor", that was basically created by the Soviet run "Polish Army", and was awarded to Polish Soldiers who fought with the Soviet Army. And some 40,000 of that award were given also.
To give a comparison, one of the higher awards in the US military was the Distinguished Service Cross - Distinguished Flying Cross - Navy Cross (all the same award - only differing in branch of service the person belongs to). During WWII that was only awarded around 7,000 times. That actually does make it somewhat rare, and there are plentiful databases that can be checked to see who got it and why. All of the ones listed start in the 40,000 awardees and more, and that only takes into account those that got it during the war.
Sorry, but this is yet another one of those stories that I kinda have to call "bupkus" on. It sounded interesting, and I wanted to see if I could find out anything more about it. And pretty much found only self-referential links back to this very document. And when the "awards" listed both had the number of recipients in the range of 40,000 or more just in that conflict (and one only issued to Poles), I really have to question all of it.
Oh, that the "Order of the Red Star"? The same thing. Over 100,000 issued during the war, after the war it became a tradition award to any who had served in the military or government for 15 years. And the Order of the Red Banner, the same damned thing. Over 250,000 awarded during WWII (and it could be a personal or unit award). And after the war it became yet another of those service medals given to anybody who served for 15 years or more.
Hell, one of the most famous people who won the Order of the Red Banner was Vasili Blokhin. He was literally the Chief Executioner of the NKVD, and was given the award after he and a Company of executioners killed over 7,000 Poles in a week during the Soviet invasion and occupation of Poland. Specifically, he was the senior leader of the unit that conducted the Katyn Forest Massacre.
I even tried looking up the image above, same thing. All references pointed right back to the same document. And I pretty much dismiss most "circular claims", where the only source seems to be the very source being used to make the claims in the first place.
