Order of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief
22 August 1944
[No. 169]

ORDER

OF THE SUPREME COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF

To Army General Tolbukhin

The troops of the 3rd Ukrainian Front, going over to the offensive with the support of massed strikes by artillery and aviation, broke through the enemy's strongly fortified and deeply developed defences south of Bendery, and in three days of offensive fighting advanced up to 70 kilometres forward and widened the breakthrough to 130 kilometres along the front, liberating more than 150 populated places, including the large ones of Kaushany, Chimishlia, Leipzig, and Tarutino.

In the fighting during the breakthrough of the enemy's defences, distinction was won by the troops of Lieutenant-General Sharokhin, Lieutenant-General Shlemin, Lieutenant-General Gagen, Major-General Kupriyanov, Major-General Kotov, Major-General Lozanovich, Major-General Golosko, Major-General Dreyer, Colonel Petrushin, Lieutenant-General Bakhtin, Major-General Bobruk, Major-General Kolchuk, Major-General Kosobutsky, Colonel Parfenov, Colonel Maksimovich, Major-General Karamyshev, Colonel Dunayev, Colonel Kuznetsov, Colonel Nikitin, Colonel Smirnov, Colonel Vlasov, Major-General Shkodunovich, Major-General Kruze, Colonel Mukhamedyarov; artillerymen of Colonel-General of Artillery Nedelin, Lieutenant-General of Artillery Voznyuk, Colonel Chistyakov, Major-General of Artillery Alekseyenko, Major-General of Artillery Breido, Major-General of Artillery Ratov, Major-General of Artillery Pavlov, Colonel Usik, Colonel Merenkov, Colonel Slepakov, Colonel Trekhnov; tankmen of Lieutenant-General of Tank Troops Sukhoruchkin, Major-General of Tank Troops Zhdanov, Major-General of Tank Troops Katkov, Lieutenant-Colonel Strilenko, Lieutenant-Colonel Shkadov, Lieutenant-Colonel Vetrov, Lieutenant-Colonel Kartashov; airmen of Colonel-General of Aviation Sudets, Lieutenant-General of Aviation Tolstikov, Colonel Ivanov, Lieutenant-Colonel Shatilin, Colonel Smirnov, Colonel Lozhechnikov, Colonel Kuryashov, Major-General of Aviation Belitsky, Lieutenant-General of Aviation Yermachenko, Lieutenant-Colonel Malov, Lieutenant-Colonel Stepanov; sappers of Colonel-General of Engineering Troops Kotlyar, Colonel Pavlov, Colonel Zagrebin, Colonel Nominas; signallers of Lieutenant-General of Signal Troops Korolev.

To commemorate the victory won, the formations and units which have distinguished themselves most in the fighting during the breakthrough of the enemy's defences will be recommended for conferment of the honorary designation "Lower Dniester" and for award of orders.

Today, 22 August, at 23.00 hours, the capital of our Motherland, Moscow, in the name of the Motherland, will salute the valiant troops of the 3rd Ukrainian Front which broke through the enemy's defences with twenty artillery salvoes from two hundred and twenty-four guns.

For excellent military operations I express my thanks to the troops under your command who took part in the fighting during the breakthrough of the enemy's defences.

Eternal glory to the heroes who fell in the struggle for the freedom and independence of our Motherland!

Death to the German invaders!

Supreme Commander-in-Chief

Marshal of the Soviet Union I. STALIN

22 August 1944 [No. 169]