Full Cavalier of the Order of Glory David Mordkovich Sidler

Sidler David Mordkovich

Full Knight of the Order of Glory, commander of the crew of a 45-mm gun of the 74th Guards Rifle Regiment (27th Guards Rifle Division, 8th Guards Army, 1st Belarusian Front), Guards Sergeant.

Born in the city of Tulchyn, he lived in the capital of Kyrgyzstan, the city of Frunze (now Bishkek), since 1941, working as the head of supply and sales at a bread factory.

In December 1942, he was drafted into the Red Army and fought on the Southwestern, 3rd Ukrainian, and 1st Belarusian fronts. By the summer of 1944, Sidler was a gunner of a 45-mm gun in the 74th Guards Rifle Regiment of the 27th Guards Rifle Division.

On August 2, 1944, during the crossing of the Vistula River near the Polish settlement of Mnishev, Guards Private Sidler, as part of a crew, transported the gun with ammunition across the river on a raft. Moving in the battle formations of the infantry, the crew hit 2 machine guns with their crews, an APC, 6 firing points, and over 20 Nazis with direct fire.

The main forces of the front were breaking through the enemy's defenses from the Magnushów bridgehead on the left bank of the Vistula. The regiment in which Sidler fought, located on the right flank of the army, crossed the river in the early hours of the offensive.

In the evening, sappers stretched ropes to prevent the current from sweeping the landing away. Ice floes were floating down the river, and there were explosions from mines and shells, but the crossing did not stop.

Sidler's gun was being transported on a raft. Not far from the shore, a mine explosion severed the rope. The raft began to drift.

— Into the water! — ordered Sidler and was the first to jump in. The soldiers saw that this was the only chance to reach the shore, followed their commander, and swam to tow the raft. On the shore, infantrymen helped pull the gun out, and it took up a firing position.

Dawn was breaking. The outlines of tanks appeared as vague shadows. Sidler's gun opened fire. Soon the front tank caught fire. The second one stopped for some reason, and its crew jumped out. Sidler ordered to fire canister shot. The crew was destroyed. But two members of the crew were immediately out of action: the gunner and the loader.

It was already quite light, and the enemy's defense line was clearly defined. The fascists were rolling out their guns for direct fire. Sidler thought that he would not be able to cope with them, and at that moment our Guards mortars—Katyushas—struck from behind the Vistula. Everything mixed up in the fascists' positions, rising into the sky like a black wave.

By an order dated September 18, 1944, for the crossing of the Vistula and the battle on the bridgehead, David Mordkovich was awarded the Order of Glory III class (No. 145641), and then the days of the offensive began.

On January 4, 1945, during the breakthrough of the enemy's defenses on the left bank of the Vistula River near the Polish settlement of Maryampol, the crew of the 45-mm gun under the command of Guards Sergeant Sidler destroyed an enemy machine gun that was hindering the infantry's advance, and then accompanied it in the offensive, hitting enemy personnel and firepower. He was recommended for an award of the Order of Glory.

On March 12, 1945, in the battles for the city of Küstrin (now Kostrzyn, Poland), Guards Sergeant Sidler and his crew destroyed 2 machine gun positions. On March 26, 1945, he was awarded the Order of Glory II class (No. 11369).

During the Berlin operation, in one of the battles, he replaced a killed platoon commander and directed the fire of two guns. On April 18, during the battle for the liberation of the German settlement of Didersdorf, Guards Sergeant Sidler was wounded in the hands but continued to fire at the counterattacking enemy, remaining alone at the gun.

On May 15, 1946, for exceptional courage, bravery, and fearlessness displayed in battles with the Hitlerite invaders, Guards Sergeant Sidler was awarded the Order of Glory I class (No. 630), becoming a full knight of the Order of Glory.

During the war, Sidler was awarded the Orders of Glory of 3 classes, the Medal "For Courage," and other medals.

In the autumn of 1945, he was demobilized, lived in Dnipropetrovsk, and worked in the city shoe association.

He died on October 16, 1981.

Kyrgyzstanis – Full Knights of the Order of Glory