JimZ

As far as I know the merito di guerra was issued with a gladio when awarded for valour. This went all the way up to 1941 when the wording on the cross was changed from "merito di guerra" to "al valore militare"....still with the VE IIII cypher and still with the blue and white ribbon. In 1943, the gladio was removed and replaced with the blue ribbon. So to summarise: From institution of the medal up to 1941 - Blue and white ribbon - Cypher "VEIII" - "Al merito di guerra" - With gladio for valour; From 1941 - 1943 - Blue and white ribbon - Cypher "VEIII" - with "Al merito di guerra" for merit and with "Al valore militare" + gladio for valour; - Ribbon bar same as medals From 1943 -1947 - Blue and white ribbon - Cypher "VEIII" - with "Al merito di guerra" for merit; Blue ribbon with "Al valore militare" for valour; and From 1947 Cypher "VEIII" replaced with "RI". (VEIII cypher initally struck off or stamped over with RI) - Ribbon bars were worn with a star to denote it as an "al valore militare" cross Jim :cheers:

That is the Croce al Valore Militare which was awarded for acts of valour that was undeserving of the Medaglia al Valore Militare. The VEIII monogram represents Vittorio Emanuele III i.e. the Kingdom. The cross was actually instituted by him following WWI. As of 1947, these crosses carried the RI monogram instead symbolising the republic. Lilo is correct in saying that the medal would carry a blue ribbon rather than a striped blue and white ribbon seen on the more common Al merito di guerra. What you have there is a pre 1947 Cross that was re-used (and probably issued after the abdication of the King (in 1946), and the VEIII monogram which symbolises the monarch, was cancelled prior to issue. There are other versions of these crosses (although I am not sure whether these are only for the Croce al merito di guerra) where the VEIII was actually ground down and the RI stamped instead, clearly showing that the medals were in fact recycled. I doubt that if that the mark actually represented any division and if issued pre 1947, it is highly unlikely that it would be stamped over the Kings Monogram!!! Jim :cheers:

Christophe.. Have a great holiday and see you back soon!! Let's again open the next quiz question to any member who has not yet participated and who wants to honour us with a new challenge!!! Anyone who has not yet participated may jump on board and ask question 35. Regards, Jim PS - if nobody picks up the gauntlet, I'll do so in a few days time.

ANd Christophe scores his first victory point. The score now is as follows: 12 points - JimZ 9 points - Harvey 7 points - Hauptmann 3 points - Valter 2 point - kapten_windu 1 point - Gunner 1 1 point - Christophe Christophe has the honour of setting question 35 Jim

Correct on all accounts!!! Your first point for the 2011 Quiz Jim :cheers:

As Harvey is not available to set the next question I'll keep the ball rolling with a relatively easy question.... Question 34 There should have been seven of us but only one of us is still on active duty. What are we? How were we known in the USSR and NATO? What is the name of the remaining one and what has become of the other six? We are well known in the west - who made us 'famous' and how? Jim :cheers:

OK Dave - I'll come up with the next one. Good luck with your training!!! We will await your return back to the forum and quiz!! (Just as a formality - please pass on answering the next question I set but fell welcome to answer any questions after that!) Jim :cheers:

PS - I am back in the quiz after sitting out Christophe's question Plus I also take it that Christophe is also back in the running to answering quizchallenges .... look out for his spiralling climb to the top Jim :cheers

After Christophe's new question the score now is as follows: 12 points - JimZ 9 points - Harvey 7 points - Hauptmann 3 points - Valter 2 point - kapten_windu 1 point - Gunner 1 Harvey now has the honour of setting question 34 Jim

Not quite the same but..... Had an argument with a guy at a flea market trying to pass off a 1985 OGPW1 at the price of a "Mercedes" OGPW1 one some four years ago. I tried to explain that his 1985 OGPW1 was worth only a small fraction of what he was asking for and he pulled out a book and tried to convince ME that it was the same one as the one in the book, and therefore worth as much. I realised that these guys sometimes do not only want to take you for a ride...they sometimes wind up taking themselves for a ride too!!! And the sad thing is that someone, one day, will get suckered into paying up!! Jim :cheers:

Welcome back Christophe!!! Yes we got things moving and its so good to have you around again!!! I passed on the question so I cannot answer this one. But I am looking forward to your future challenges. Gents, the Quiz's "daddy" is back!!! Jim :cheers:

Any volonteers to ask the next question on the Soviet Quiz???

The score is now as follows: 12 points - JimZ 8 points - Harvey 7 points - Hauptmann 3 points - Valter 2 point - kapten_windu 1 point - Gunner 1 I would like to offer Question 34 to any member who has not yet participated in this Quiz....I am allowing a 48 hour period for the question to be set. If nobody takes up this honour, I will set the question myself. In view of this I will not participate in providing a reply to the next question. Regards, Jim

Hi Dan, Would have answered sooner BUT... I could not log on last night and today I also thought he was Brezhnev initially as he was also a metallurgist!! That really threw me off. And I had the answer in my Avatar all along!!! Jim :cheers:

Slava1stclass is very right about the order of Glory!!! That is a true valour award and each one tells a story!!! To think that Brezhnev was awarded(!?) the order of victory in 1978 - for what exactly I am still unsure.... This was revoked in 1989....but still...we are speaking of the USSR's TOP award!!! Still got the strength to go on with your life Frank??? Jim :cheers:

1) I am Nikita Khruschev 2) Order of Bogdan khmelnitsky (see my avatar) - Alexander Dovzhenko and Mykola Bazhan helped create this order. 3) A lot - but basically he became soviet Premier after Stalin!!!! A link to wiki for full detail: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nikita_Khrushchev#War_against_Germany Jim :cheers:

Dan, Speaking of birthday presents one cannot but mention the HSU itself which was awarded once as a birthday pressie to Zhukov (4 times recipient) and four times as a birthday pressie to Brezhnev (the other 4 times recipient)! But here we start to digress from the original thread. Jim :cheers:

The score is now as follows: 11 points - JimZ 8 points - Harvey 7 points - Hauptmann 3 points - Valter 2 point - kapten_windu 1 point - Gunner 1 Question 33 belongs to Hauptmann ... Jim :cheers:

Well done indeed Dan. Anatoly Vasilyevich Liapidevsky was Hero of the Soviet union recipient #1 !!! Regards, Jim

Our Colonel wears a Hero of the Russian Federation. Former guards. 3 OGPWs (one of which must be a 1985), 2 ORS. Bravery or Combat service(?), Germany, and then anniversary awards. Perhaps I am missing something significant under his right lapel? But these do not seem to be the awards of a Colonel, unless the ORS's are the best he could get as long service awards. With the Hero of Russian Federation being instituted in 1992, do we know who he is and why it was awarded? (Given his age I'd have imagined him to wear an HSU instead). Interesting! Jim :cheers:

Do you have a pic of the awards on his left breast? Probably not but I thought I'd ask. Thanks. Jim :cheers:

Thanks for posting. Are these still unresearchable? I Have a 2nd class in my collection. Also would like to obtain service records of a veteran recipient of a 2nd class - Long story as to how his second class was stolen by a neighbour, and he only has the third class award number to go off. However last I knew these labour awards were not researchable. Jim :cheers: