Soviet Guards Cavalry Officer Portrait – Captain Alexander Y. Filin – Order of the Red Star – 17th Guards Cavalry Regiment – Schwedt 1945

Original Soviet portrait photograph of Alexander Yakovlevich Filin (1923–?), a decorated Soviet Guards cavalry officer of the 17th Guards Cavalry Lida Red Banner Regiment, part of the 5th Guards Cavalry Division.

Filin served in the Red Army from 1942 and participated in combat from June 1942 onward. During the war he served as a gun platoon commander within the regiment’s artillery support elements and distinguished himself repeatedly in frontline combat.

Archival award research identifies him as a recipient of two Orders of the Red Star (Орден Красной Звезды) for bravery and leadership in combat.

His first Red Star was awarded for actions during the January 1945 offensive near Janów (Białystok region), where his platoon destroyed enemy artillery positions and transport vehicles while supporting cavalry assaults and advancing into East Prussia.

He later earned a second Red Star for actions in the final phase of the war during the Berlin campaign, including combat near Schwedt on 30 April 1945 and actions near Lake Ternov on 1 May 1945, where he led his platoon under heavy enemy fire and ensured effective artillery support.

The reverse inscription identifies the officer as Captain A. Y. Filin, indicating a postwar promotion. The portrait dates from approximately 1951.

The photograph shows Filin wearing his wartime decorations, including:

• Order of the Red Star
• Campaign and service medals

A desirable named portrait of a decorated Soviet Guards cavalry officer with excellent wartime history, including combat service in East Prussia and the final battles in Germany.

Included:

• Original portrait photograph only