Soviet Strange way of wearing awards..

[kimj]

As this is my first post I better start by introducing myself. My name here kimj is just short for my real Kim J. I've been collecting soviet militaria since early -90. I'm Swedish so any strange use of language or spelling comes from that fact..

But enough with the boring stuff. I'll start my of my first post with a strange photo. Perhaps Rick has an explanation on why this guy has pinned his awards the way he has, I don't.

/Kim

[Gerd Becker]

Hello Kim and welcome,

thats indeed strange. Maybe his tailor had a bad day and messed the uniform up?. Its not a mirrored image, isn?t it?

Gerd

[Guest paracollector]

At first I just thought that maybe the negative was flipped, but if that were the case the tunic would appear buttoned up wrong (but it doesn't). Hmmm, maybe if you earn 2 or more Orders of the Red Star they let you wear your uniform how ever you want to.

I don't know, certainly is an odd picture. Thanks for sharing with us.

John

[Gerd Becker]

At first I just thought that maybe the negative was flipped, but if that were the case the tunic would appear buttoned up wrong (but it doesn't). Hmmm, maybe if you earn 2 or more Orders of the Red Star they let you wear your uniform how ever you want to.

I don't know, certainly is an odd picture. Thanks for sharing with us.

John

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Well, the Red-Star is not odd, as before June 1943 the Order was worn on the left side.(Can?t see the attachment right now. What uniform is he wearing? From what time-period?) What is strange, are the medals. Why does he wear them on the right side? Maybe he wanted to be sure, that everyone can easily distinguish between his orders and his medals? Don?t know...

Gerd

[kimj]

The photo is not reversed, as I also thought at first. But when I looked closer I saw that his "kitel" buttons the right way and that the medals are faced the right way.

I forgot to write the date of the back of the photo, 1956. But the old rule for Red Stars were not valid as he is also wearing Red Army 30 years medal, from 1948.

The big question is why he is wearing his medals and orders on the wrong side? Did he go to China before 1943 and when he returned he didn't care to check regulations... On the lower row of medals to the far left he has the Sino-Soviet medal. But 1956.....

/Kim

And thanks for the welcome!

[Guest Rick Research]

I've never seen a Kitel that COULD be buttoned "either way," and yes indeed all the medals are facing the correct way being worn on the wrong sides!

I tried flipping the image around, but could not do anything except make a WRONG mirrored image.

The only thing I can think of is that this was printed from the wrong side of the negative... somehow.. or something.

I have seen photos with ONE "M1943" ribboned medal worn on the incorrectly over the right pocket, but always so blurry and distant that WHICH oddball medal was being worn that way doesn't show.

Mindbogglingly inexplicable! A great bizarre photo!

[kimj]

It is a strange one and I guess it will remain a mystery.

Here is one more. This one is not that strange, just a bit odd. Notice the ribbon under the Lenin. A case of "Are you telling ME, a Hero of the soviet union, how to wear my awards?".

Photo of Yuri Makarovitch Maznyi (at least that is how I transcribe his name), dated 1948.

/Kim

[Guest Rick Research]

That IS weird-- it looks like the Victory Over Germany medal worn as a single ribbon WITH all the medals!

All my strange Soviet photos are "Bad Haircuts" and screwy uniforms... sometimes BOTH!

[attachmentid=7210]

Lieutenant General P. A. Usov is not wearing ANY awards-- at all (!!!!) in January 1955! And how many chipmunks had to die for that toupee???

[kimj]

No awards at all... Perhaps it's not his uniform but his after-work outfit

I have some strange hair cut photos. But my favourites are the ones with big moustaches. I think there was a trend, late war, with BIG moustaches. The idea was probably to show "machismo" but looks very much like the Village People

Next photo is not a moustache one. This is just an example of the lazy solution of attaching ones medals. The ribbon behind the screwback awards was probably red. Also notice that the medals are in the wrong order! He has pinned the highest ranked ones at the top. It looks good when you wear it but if it had been a medalbar it would be all wrong acording to regulation.

/Kim

Forgot his name... this is colonel Nicolay Kubasov

Edited August 4, 2005 by kimj

[Guest Rick Research]

Usually the cloth/felt backing underneath screwbacks is a little individual "cookie" shape in a color close to the uniform-- I have never seen one big strip like that!

[Gerd Becker]

Usually the cloth/felt backing underneath screwbacks is a little individual "cookie" shape in a color close to the uniform-- I have never seen one big strip like that! 

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The Supreme Soviet probably invented a regulation after seeing that

[Christophe]

I've never seen a Kitel that COULD be buttoned "either way," and yes indeed    all the medals are facing the correct way being worn on the wrong sides!

I tried flipping the image around, but could not do anything except make a WRONG mirrored image.

The only thing I can think of is that this was printed from the wrong side of the negative... somehow.. or something. 

I have seen photos with ONE "M1943" ribboned medal worn on the incorrectly over the right pocket, but always so blurry and distant that WHICH oddball medal was being worn that way doesn't show.

Mindbogglingly inexplicable!  A great bizarre photo! 

←

The image is not mirrored nor a negative... Just look at the medals; as said, they are facing the correct way.

One hypothesis is simply that this guy did not really took care of the wearing regulations (or did not know them very well... or just wanted to make a slight provocation...).

Probably he was not very cautious about his uniform look and medals display : just have a look at how the ribbons of the medals are flipped...

Cheers.

[Christophe]

(...) Here is one more. This one is not that strange, just a bit odd. Notice the ribbon under the Lenin. A case of "Are you telling ME, a Hero of the soviet union, how to wear my awards?".(...)

/Kim

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Which ribbon ?

I can't see anything... My eyes, maybe ?

Ch.

[Gerd Becker]

This one, Christophe :

[Christophe]

This one, Christophe :

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Gerd,

Wow!! Good view!!! I did not even see it... Whats is it ? Such a ribbon could be the one awarded for wounded combatants... but it is not!!!

No idea...

Ch.

[Christophe]

I have worked on the pic. (see below).

In my opinion, it is the orange and black ribbon of the Guard Badge (in fact the same ribbon as the Medal for the Victory over Germany in the GPW, and the same as the tsarist Order of St George).

Ch.

[kimj]

I think the ribbon is Victory over Germany medal. Yes, even though he is wearing that one too. It could be a simple explanation why he did this. But I don't have it.... Perhaps his wife had sewn it on his uniform and he did not feel like removing it.

As for the first guy. Not caring about awards regulations!!!..... Is that really allowed?? But being an individual in the USSR and showing that you don't care about regulations. That sounds like a one-way-trip to lovely Gulag for non-soviet behavior. Or I am perhaps just way off.

The explanation is most likely very obvious, to those who know... Perhaps he's chinese and ARE wearing them according to regulation.

/Kim

[Christophe]

He has maybe built a chinese wall between him and the regulations ... Which ones BTW, the Soviet or Chinese ones ?

Cheers.

Ch.

[Christophe]

I think the ribbon is Victory over Germany medal. (...)

/Kim

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Kim,

I don't see why he would do this... It is not his first medal... so I don't see the value attached to this ribbon.

I would prefer the Guard Badge's ribbon... as he wears it on his right side.

... but who knows? All options are open !!!

Cheers.

Ch.

[kimj]

I don't think it's a "guards ribbon". Guards color in cloth were found only in the short lived navy guards badge and in the cap tally, as far as I know. None of those fit this description. Besides why would he carry double guards symbols? On the other hand why would he carry double Victory medals...

I guess we'll never know for sure why he has an extra (medal) ribbon on his uniform. But knowing would take away the fun of guessing wouldn't it...

/Kim

[Christophe]

I agree !

Cheers.

Ch.

[Christophe]

I don't think it's a "guards ribbon". Guards color in cloth were found only in the short lived navy guards badge and in the cap tally, as far as I know.

(...)

/Kim

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Kim,

I again agree with you on these points.

Here is one...

Ch.

[byf]

I have seen the red star worn on the left side once.

byf

[Wild Card]

I have seen the red star worn on the left side once.

byf

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Yes! I believe that from the time the Red Star was instituted in 1930 until around the outbreak of the Great Patriotic War, this was the regulaqtion. "Marshals & Fleet Admirals of the Soviet Union" by Kutsenko has a Picture of Bluker with a Lenin, 4 Red Banners and a Red Star - all on the left side; and I know that I've seen other examples; but can't locate them at the moment.

Wild Card

[Guest Rick Research]

Lt V U Barunin got the SIDE right, in 1938, but not the position!!!

[attachmentid=9452]

This is the short-lived armored corps M1935 gray uniform.

And speaking of strange...

[attachmentid=9453]

Naval Air Force Captain Kh A Gursky's 1951 full dress is pretty neat-- check out his Sevastapol Medal in 4th place, but he shouldn't be wearing the shoulder belt on parade uniform, tch tch.

What? What? What are YOU lookin' at?

[attachmentid=9454]