Who can read this Russian postcard

[lutrebois]

Hello friends,
Is there someone out there who can read and translate the text on this postcard (and stamps) ?
I've posted the stamps also in the Russian section for identification of the unit.
Thank you!
Peter

Postcard address.jpg (93.03 KiB) Viewed 1432 times

[valpatrak]

"Дорогой друг! все твои письма получил коим несказанно рад и благодарю бессчётно,единственные письма получаемые мною это твои. Поздравляю и тебя также с днём 1-го мая ,родных твоих и моих знакомых. Пишу тебе эту открытку сидя в подвале Берлина,итак мы его взяли ,можешь нас поздравить. Кроме того я получил орден "Красная звезда".Пока кончаю буду позже писать больше. Обнимаю всех и жму руку и желаю всех благ и отлично сдать тебе экзамен. Николай."
г.Одесса,ул.Воровского 43/12 ,Гуляй Н.К.
Полевая почта 52330д Беспалов Н.П.
'Dear friend! I have got all your mails and am very glad and thank you many times,the only mails that I receive are your ones.Congratulate you too with the 1-st May day,and your relatives and my conversants. I am writing this postcard sitting in a basement in Berlin,so we have captured it,you may congratulate us. Besides,I got "Red star " order. Now finish,I'll write more later.I embrace everybody and shake hands and wish all the best and pass the exams with honours to you.Nikolay."
Odessa,Vorovsky st.43/12 Gulyay N.K.
The blue stamp- "Просмотрено военной цензурой 07342"-"Rewiewed by military censorship 07342"
The brown stamp-ОДЕССА 23 ГОР. the rest is not clear
The red stamp-ПОЛЕВАЯ П(ОЧТА) the rest is not visible.

[lutrebois]

Good evening Valpatrak,

Thank you very much !

The red stamp : ПОЛЕВАЯ П(ОЧТА) - what does this mean ?

The date in the red stamp 27.4.45 is the date (I suppose) the unit "postal service" processed the postcard. Am I correct ?
Berlin was only taken on May 2nd 1945, so "... I am writing this postcard sitting in a basement in Berlin, so we have captured it, you may congratulate us ..." is a bit "early and optimistic".

The fact that he writes in "a cellar", IMHO, is linked to the fact that outside and on the upper levels of the surviving buildings things weren't that "safe" ... (but that's just my opinion)

Can you also read the (just) found little text?

Thank you again,

Peter

Auction Delcampe - front cut.jpg (48.57 KiB) Viewed 1404 times

[valpatrak]

Полевая почта= field/military post
Yes,cellar will be more correct,of course.
Yes,this is acceptance date - 27.4.45 ,and it was clear to this Nikolay that Berlin is already captured at this time..
Поздравляю с днем 1-го мая.Николай. = Congratulations with the 1-st May Day! Nikolay.

[lutrebois]

Good morning Valpatrak,

Thank you again very much !

After reading your translation and comments, it became clear that:

Soldier Nicolay (most likely a frontline combat trooper) entered Berlin between April 22nd and 27th and wrote in that timeframe this postcard in Berlin in a cellar.
He was eager to report to his friend, who lived in Odessa, that Berlin was taken by him (and his comrades) - albeit a bit early as the city was only captured completely on May 2nd - and wish him a joyfull 1st of May.
The postcard was processed on April the 27th by the unit post office (and the military censorship) and shipped to Odessa -knowing the speed of the post traffic, it could have taken 3 - 4 weeks to arrive on its destination (well after May the 1st !).

These Berlin, combat timeframe, postcards and letters are as it seemes, wanted. Last month a very similar one was sold on an auktion for a staggering 170€ !.(not by me)....

Thanks!

Peter

[Art]

With modern digital technologies you can identify a man pretty easily. Nikolay Petrovich Bespalov (b. 1911 from Odessa) was a sergeant and a rifle squad commander in the 1024 Rifle Regiment/295 Rifle Division. For his valor in the battle for Kustrin he was awarded the order of the Red Star on 1 April 1945.
https://pamyat-naroda.ru/heroes/podvig- ... e24401333/
By all appearance he was that man who sent the postcard.

[lutrebois]

Hello Art,
Wow, wonderful !!!

Now I have to find a friendly member who can translate the text. (if there is more then you already translated).

And I can research a bit more relating to the unit (what part of Berlin they took)
Is there a link with the "military censorship 07342" and the unit 1024 Rifle Regiment/295 Rifle Division, ore were those censorship "services" random ?

Thanks again !

Peter

[GregSingh]

Daily reports from 295 Rifle Division are available on https://pamyat-naroda.ru
It was 1042 Rifle Regiment.

Here is a map from early hours of 27th of April.

295 RD - 27.4.1945

[lutrebois]

I'm in awe !

How a simple postcard can start something !

Are the positions for that unit on the dates April 22nd, 23rd, 24th, 25th and 26th also to be found on that site ?

Here the German map for the same area (just east of the museum Insel) :

Thanks

Peter

[Art]

My bad, 1042 Rifle Regiment

Now I have to find a friendly member who can translate the text. (if there is more then you already translated).

And what is your interest exactly?
From what I remember several books by Le Tissier describe the battle for Kustrin and battle for Berlin and in particular episodes relating to the 295 Division.

[lutrebois]

Good evening Art,

The battle for Berlin (and the berlin Volkssturm), is my main field of interest as you can find out in my other threads.
Until now, I researched mainly the German order of battle and (German) actions in the city. I understand, read and write German, this makes it easy to study original documents.

I admit that the opposite side (i.e. the soviet forces) is (by me) neglected because I simply do not understand the language.
I believe the most honest/direct Info is always to be found in these original wartime documents.
Books by Le TISSIER etc give good, but, forced by the number of allowed pages, condensed Info.
This kind of hand drawn map (post above) with unit positions offers (IMHO) much more direct and detailed data.

This postcard is awakening a, let's say, "new interest".
For me as a non Russian speaker/reader that is not easy. The (without doubt) great links in the posts above lead me to sites where I do not understand a single word ... and therefore need threads like "... Translation needed ..."
Therefore is this thread, for me, very interesting as documents and maps are shown in the original language. And as a nitwit I would like very much to see who, where etc ... Nikolay Petrovich Bespalov, and his unit were, as described in these documents.

So every line, relating to this Sgt, is for me very valuable.

Regards

Peter

[Jolly Man]

This is a very interesting thread. It is amazing what we can find out with modern technology. Great research project!

Marcus (SMV)

[GregSingh]

It seems 295 Rifle Division moved along Hönow - Marzahn - Lichtenberg - Friedrichshain.
There is also lots of documents for 32nd Rifle Corps and 5th Shock Army, 295 RD was part of.

[Art]

Bespalov's story seems to be pretty straightforward. He apparently lived in Odessa when it was under Romanian occupation. Some documents call him Ukrainian, others - Russian, which was not an unusual thing after all. Immediately after liberation of the city on 11 or 12.4.44 he was conscripted to the Red Army and soon assigned to the 1042 Rifle Regiment (which was in Moldavia not far from Odessa) first as a company clerk. With that unit he participated in the Jassy-Kishinev operation (awarded a medal 'For courage' for his exploits in the battle on 25.8.44), relocation to Poland and the 1945 campaign from Vistula to Oder and Berlin. On 13.3.45 was awarded a medal 'For battle merits' still as a company clerk. Somewhere between March and May 1945 he was promoted to senior sergeant. On 26 May additionally awarded an order of the Patriotic War 2nd rank for what appears to be his last day of combat. As the document says on 2 May he attacked a German-held building in Berlin with hand grenades destroying two machine guns and securing advance of own units. On 20 October 1945 Bespalov appears to be still in ranks of the 1042 Regiment now as a sniper as he was awarded a medal "For taking Berlin" on that day.
From highly literary and refined style of his letter he seems to be a well-educated person, which explains his fast promotion to a NCO and a company clerk position. The odd thing is that he wasn't conscripted in 1941 before Romanian occupation of Odessa, I don't see an apparent explanation for that.

[lutrebois]

Hello Art,

I guess his file does not hold a photo.
And for me, as a novice in this field, has everybody access that file ? Online ? (link ?)

I'm working with the daily unit maps (thanks GregSingh !) to make a comprehensive composition.

Regards,

Peter