Jozef Nikolaevich Veres (1922–1995)
Jozef Nikolaevich Veres was a Soviet soldier, participant in the Great Patriotic War, and a Full Cavalier of the Order of Glory.
Brief Biography
Jozef Veres was born on April 25, 1922, in the village of Stavrovka, Kiev Region, Ukraine. He was of Polish nationality. He joined the Red Army in July 1941 and entered combat service in November 1943.
During the war, he served in the 796th Rifle Regiment of the 141st Rifle Division as a machine gunner, scout, and infantryman.
Military Decorations
For his courage and heroism, Veres was awarded all three classes of the Order of Glory:
- Order of Glory, 3rd Class – September 30, 1944
- Order of Glory, 2nd Class – January 24, 1945
- Order of Glory, 1st Class – May 15, 1946
By receiving all three classes, he became a As a Full Cavalier of the Order of Glory, Jozef Veres belongs to a relatively small and highly respected group of Soviet veterans. Award groups, original documents, photographs, and archival records connected to Full Cavaliers are considerably rarer than those of recipients of individual classes of the Order of Glory.
Consequently, any complete award group or archival documentation relating to Jozef Veres would be of significant interest to collectors and researchers of Soviet military awards and World War II history., a distinction considered equivalent in prestige for enlisted men and sergeants to the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.
Feats of Valor
Order of Glory, 3rd Class
On September 12, 1944, near the city of Prešov in Czechoslovakia, Red Army soldier Veres secretly infiltrated enemy positions. Using anti-tank grenades, he destroyed an enemy machine-gun emplacement and its crew. He then dispersed up to a platoon of German infantry with submachine-gun fire. During the repulse of a German counterattack, he personally killed eight enemy soldiers.
For this action, he was awarded the Order of Glory, 3rd Class on September 30, 1944.
Order of Glory, 2nd Class
In December 1944, while serving as a scout, Veres identified several enemy firing positions, enabling Soviet artillery and infantry to destroy them successfully. During a battalion advance through a forest, he discovered a German ambush and warned his commanders in time to avoid heavy losses.
On December 8, 1944, near Nové Zámky, he engaged an enemy reconnaissance group, killing more than ten German soldiers and capturing three prisoners.
For these actions, he was awarded the Order of Glory, 2nd Class on January 24, 1945.
Order of Glory, 1st Class. Low serial number 52.
On March 26, 1945, during fighting for the settlement of Lok, Veres was among the first Soviet soldiers to break into enemy trenches, where he personally killed several German soldiers in hand-to-hand combat.
On March 29, 1945, during the liberation of the village of Čalovo (then Csalóközcsütörtök area), he captured two enemy soldiers.
For his courage and heroism, he was awarded the Order of Glory, 1st Class by Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR on May 15, 1946.
Postwar Life
Veres was demobilized in 1947 with the rank of Starshina (Master Sergeant). He returned to his native village, where he worked as deputy chairman of a collective farm and later as a farm manager.
He became a member of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union in 1973.
Jozef Nikolaevich Veres passed away on December 12, 1995.
Other Awards
- Order of the Patriotic War, 1st Class
- Order of Glory, 1st Class
- Order of Glory, 2nd Class
- Order of Glory, 3rd Class
- Various Soviet campaign and service medals
