Gordon Craig

Kevin, Thanks for the suggestion. I would suspect Csepel Island would be a good bet. It is on the outstirts of the city and has been an industrial area for a long time. Cheers, Gordon

Nico, I visited the sites you mentioned and they were very interesting. Particularly the one Marine one showing subs. Makes the badge I asked about even more interesting as that site indicated that U40 was built in Budapest where I live. Now I wonder where in Budapest it would have been built? Regards, Gordon

Gents, Time to add some more photos from Soyuz 36. First will be Farkas in his space suit. Next in line will be the back-up crew in their suits. Finally, Farkas wieghtless in space. Regards, Gordon

Theodor, I agree that in the future these readily available Communist era badges will eventually be harder to find and will go up in price. For this reason, I have started to pick up a lot of the small Hungarian badges. There is a wide variety and even now some of the organizations they represent are getting hard to identify. Would you like to tell us what some of these badges were for or what organization they were from? Regards, Gordon

Carol 1, Great post! It would be interesting if we could have a post for all of the Cosmonauts who flew in the Intercosmos series. I know the the DDR, North Viet Nam, Hungary and Rumania took part in Intercosmos flights. Anyone else know who the other participating countries were? Regards, Gordon

Nico, Thanks very much for answering my question. I will certainly look up the URLs you sent. Welcome to the GMIC and we look forward to having you share your knowledge with us. As Kevin says, no problem with your English posting. It was excellent. Regards, Gordon

Gents, Here is a picture of the Commemorative 1959 medals in its case with the miniature device for attaching to the ribbon. In the Large Medals book it says there is no miniature for the ribbon. However, in a newer book written by Kenyeres Denes it shows both the 59 and the 69 medal with the miniature attached to the ribbon. Regards, Gordon

Ulsterman, Here is your medal in the case. Since it is a civilian award it is in a blue case. I am afraid it will be some time before I/we get to Blood Donor medals. Both of us have a number of projects in the works. Sounds like an interesting challenge though! Regards, Gordon

Ulsterman, Farcas is in Hungary. As far as I know he is the co-owner of Atlant-Hungary Airline Company. Cheers, Gordon

The picture of the Cosmonauts visit to Budapest.

Soyus-36 - The joint Russian Hungarian space flight Within the framework of Intercosmos co-operation it was possible for member countries (socialist countries) to send a cosmonaut into space. The task of selecting the Hungarian cosmonauts began in May of 1977. The selection was made from the pilots at the aviation Medicine Research Centre at Kecskem?t. Eventually, after a series of tests, a short list of four was achieved. This list was eventually reduced to two names: Bertelan (Bertsi) Farkas and Bela Magyari. They were sent to the Soviet Union to prepare with their Soviet colleagues at the Gagarin Space Centre. Both men completed all of the training and it was only a few hours before the launch that the final decision was made as to who would be the primary and who the member of the backup crew. Bertelan Farkas was chosen as the primary crew member and the Russian crew member would be Valeri Nikolayevich Kubasov. Kubasov was the Commander and Farkas the Research Cosmonaut. Vladimir Alexandrovich Dzhanibekov was the commander for the backup crew while B?la Magjari was the Research Cosmonaut. The call sign for the primary crew was ?ORION?. The original launch date for the ninth expedition to Salyut 6 was to have been June 1979 on Soyuz 33. It was postponed after the Soyuz 33 main engine failed. Kubasov and Farkas eventually blasted off from launch pad 31 of the Baikenur space centre aboard Soyuz 36 on July 31, 1980. The duration of the flight was 7 days 20 hours and 45 minutes. They docked with the Salyut Space Station and relieved the crew of Gorbatko and Pham (North Vietnam) who returned to earth. The Hungarian mission was the fifth in the Intercosmos programme. During the eight days they were aboard Solyut 6 they carried out twelve Hungarian prepared scientific research experiments in material processing, earth observation, and life sciences. The best known research experiment was on interferon. Farkas had special Hungarian prepared foods with Hungarian tastes in a special dried tube form. Farkas and Kubasov returned to earth on June the 3rd, landing 140 Kms southeast of Dzeskasgan. As a side note, if one had to travel into space with another person Valeri Kubasov seems to be the ideal choice. By all accounts he was a lucky man who escaped death twice in the Soviet space program. He was part of the crew that was originally intended to fly Soyuz 2, which was found to have the same faulty parachute sensor that resulted in the death of Vladimir Komarov on Soyuz 1. Soyuz 2 was eventually launched without a crew. Slated for a subsequent mission on Soyuz 11 he was grounded for medical reasons. The back-up crew on that mission was killed when the capsule was accidentally depressurized by a faulty valve. Kubasov was also a member of the Soyuz 6 and 19 crews. Before he retired in 1993 he worked in the development of the MIR space station. Farkas was a hero after his space flight. In 1986 he graduated from the Faculty of Transport Engineering of the Technical University of Budapest. From 1986 he worked within the research group of the Intercosmos Council of Hungarian Academy of Sciences. In 1995 he was promoted to Brigadier General as the Deputy Flight Observer of the Hungarian Army. In 1996 and 1997 he served as Military Attache to the United States. He retired in 1997. There are two badges, that I am aware of, that Hungary produced to commemorate the flight of Soyuz 36. The first one I will post a picture of is a small 20mm blue badge bearing the legend K?Z?S ?RREP?LES-1979 (JOINT SPACE FLIGHT-1979). The badge also shows part of the earth as viewed from space with the Russian and Hungarian flags in the centre. Above the earth is the Salyut 6. The inscription on the badge must have caused some discomfort for the Hungarian government, considering the actual launch date of Soyuz 36, and I do not know if they were actually handed out but they certainly are available now although not in large numbers. The second badge is a oval one 60mm in width, at its widest point, and has two screws on the back. The background of the badge is medium blue with a light blue globe in the centre representing the earth. A red rocket is shown circling the earth before heading off into space. The Hungarian State crest is pictured at the bottom of the globe. The caption at the bottom of the badge reads; A MAGYAR N?PK?ZT?RSASAG ?RHAJ?SA (THE HUNGARIAN PEOPLE?S REPUBLIC COSMONAUT). It was issued only to those who could actually participated in the Intercosmos joint flight of Soyuz36/Salyut-6; Bertelan Farkas and his back-up cosmonaut Bela Magyari. The badges were not circulated or sold to the general public. The badge pictured is in a private collection and negotiations to move it from its present location into my collection have proven unsuccessful. Following the badges is a picture taken somewhere in Budapest after the return of the cosmonauts. Bertalan Farkas is in the centre wearing the oval badge pictured below over the right breast pocket of his uniform. On the right breast pocket of his uniform he wears the Hungarian Parachutists ?Free Fall Badge?. The highest level of parachute qualification in the Hungarian armed forces at that time. I can not tell from the photo what award is worn above the space flight badge. On his left side, above the ribbon bar, are the Hero of the Hungarian Peoples Republic and beside it the Hero of the Soviet Union. Pinned to his left lapel, on a Soviet style ribbon, is an award I do not recognize. Bela Magyari is following him and wears the Flag Order of the People?s Republic of Hungary on the left upper pocket of his uniform. Unfortunately, the photograph is not clear enough for us to be able to identify the class of the award. Kubasov is in civilian clothes to Farkas?s right. Kubasov is also wearing the Hero of the Hungarian People?s Republic on the lapel of his sport coat. The badges;

Kevin, Thanks for the offer to lok up the U shaped badge. I am familiar with the I shaped Austrian sub. I was curious about the ushaped badge I posetd because of the flag. Unfortunatley I can not see what is printed on the flag in the picture in the book. Here is a scan of another U shaped badge in commemoration of an event. It is from the same period as the other U shaped badge. Regards, Gordon

haynau, Thanks for the info on the Bulgarian Red Cross badge. Your explanation of getting one for a donation to the Red Cross fits in with Kevin's post on the "tinnies" that were also worn on the hat. I guess I'll just have to wait on IDing the U shaped badge. Some time in the future someone will probably read this thread and post the answer. Is happened to me before! Regards, Gordon

Charles, Thanks for all of your work in translating. It fills in the holes in my earlier article about the green wreathed badges and the diploma issued to an individual rather than to the brigade. It also indicates more levels were added after the review of the directives in 1965 plus if it gives us the actual monetary amount instituted. It indicates that we have more awards, other than the ones I posted pictures of, to identify and post to finish off the information on the Socialista Brigades. As you and I discussed yesterday, there is a strong possibility that the green wreathed badges were the first ones awarded and the solid badges without the green enamel were of a subsequent issue due to the downturn of the Hungarian economy. Just a hypothisis at this time but a real possibility. Regards, Gordon

Kevin, Thanks for your input. I knew they were tolerated but not their origin. The fact that they tolerated them makes a lot more sense to me now. Regards, Gordon

Haynau, Thanks for the response. I suspected it was Bulgarian. Just to put things in context, here is a picture of all of the badges on the side of the cap where this red cross is situated. I hope that your catalogues turn up something useful. I don't kno what the badge with the white U is either. Any ideas? Regards, Gordon

Gents, On page 107 of The Emporer's Coat there is a picture of a number of persoanl cap badges shown on the side of a Field cap. One of them is a red cross with a lion in the centre and the year 1915. Can anyone tell me what this badge commemorates? Is the badge pictured below authentic? Regards, Gordon

Ed, There is no way of knowing if a ribbon bar has been made up or not. Original paper ribbons and metal backing plates are readily available. The only thing to do is to study ribbon bars here on the forum and on ebay until you get reasonably good at telling what ribbon goes with which service. For most NCOs and officers that is fairly simple as each service/organization usually had awards specific to them. For General Officers it is much harder as they were often awarded medals by many different organizations. Kevin, The photo was from Deutshce Orden und Ehrenzeichen by Nimmergut/Feder/von der Heyde. It covers medals and awards from 1871 to the present. Most are in colour and show both sides. It was published in 2006. Regards, Gordon

KGS, Just to add to Dan's post re the orange ribbon on the bar, here is a photo of the Medaille fur ausgezeichnete Leistungen showing the ribbon colour. Regards, Gordon

The diploma dated 1963. Sorry for the poor photo. I'll scan the document and post a clearer picture of it later. Gordon

The plaque and the medallion;

Continuing the badges from my article;

HUNGARIAN SOCIALIST BRIGADES MAGYAR SZOCIALISTA BRIGAD Note: The following information was distilled from 18 pages of text available on the Open Society Archives. This text was produced by storing official records of the National Council of Trade Unions or other state controlled organizations via OCR (optical character reader). I feel because the stored text was produced from documents that we can depend on the information contained therein to be accurate. Any mistakes in reducing the text from its multiple pages to a reasonable amount to post on the forum rests completely with the drafter. This article concerns the history of the Magyar Szocialista Brigad, and their badges. ?The Socialist Workers? Brigade Movement is basically a New Form of Work Competition. The movement began in 1959, using as a model the Soviet ?Communist Brigades?. It is essentially a peculiar form of work competition, but goes beyond the purely economic target pursued by them. It not only aims at excellent labour results to be attained by members, but joins ?the struggle for production? with the ?formation of the new, self-conscious socialist man?. The password of the movement: ?to work in the socialist manner, to live in the socialist manner? In the spirit of this competition, three sorts of targets and tasks are set for the socialist brigades: a) Obtain above average results in work; b) Increase professional, political and general education; c) Live in the socialist manner; lead an exemplary private life, cooperate with comrades, actively participate in social work, in public affairs, etc.? There were organizations similar to the Hungarian Socialist Brigades in other Warsaw Pact Nations. In the main, they operated similarly to those in the Soviet Union. To qualify as a Szocialista Brigad in Hungary a work group needed to meet the criteria set out in the Guiding Principles published by the National Council of Trade Unions in 1960: -everyone might become a member of a brigade competing for the title ?socialist? who considers the targets of the brigades obligatory for himself; -the brigades themselves prepare their pledges, which are aimed in three directions: to work, study and live in the socialist manner; -the pledges concerning production of the brigades should attain, ie surpass average results in their part of the enterprise; -the brigade members should regularly intensify their professional and general education and increase their familiarity with political matters, they must attend professional courses or participate in organized state, party, or trade union teaching; -in order to develop socialist cooperation, the brigade members have to help one another as friends and comrades do; they have to pledge themselves to disciplined work; they have to take active part in the management of public affairs and in social work; -those brigades can win the title ?szocialista brigad? and a diploma, if they fulfill their pledges one hundred percent and assume new ones for a further six months; -a brigade losses its title if its members fail to carry out the pledges and the members show an attitude unworthy of a socialist man. They also lose the title if they do not assume new obligations after a period of six or, in some cases, 12 months. Both the winning of the title and its withdrawal are decided by the conference of the enterprise. The ?economic leaders of the movement?, ie the director, the Party and the trade union submit their respective proposals to the production conference. The pledges and the more important events in brigade life are recorded in the brigade diary. The National Council of Trade Unions regulated the rules governing the award of the title and its various degrees in a resolution published in 1965. According to the new regulations, a brigade which obtains the ?Szocialista? title for the first time will receive a diploma; if the title is awarded again after the second year, the socialist brigade receives a diploma and a flag. Brigades which are awarded continuously will receive a bronze plaque after four years, a silver one after six, and a gold one after eight. The members of the brigade will receive diplomas and bronze, silver and gold badges respectively.? From here on in I have had to make some deductions on my own. These are: 1) From the date on which the Directives of the Presidium of the National Council of Trade Unions were instituted in 1960 until new regulations were drafted in 1965, work groups which achieved the title of ?SZOCIALISTA BRIGAD? were awarded a diploma (OKLEV?L). There is one fly in the ointment here. I have a diploma that is dated 1963 and named to an individual rather than to a group that says the named individual has successfully met his work objective. At least that is the best translation I can provide. If anyone else can do it more correctly from the picture of the diploma which is included in this article, please do so. There is no mention of a badge in the diploma. It is possible that individuals received only a diploma, unaccompanied by a badge, prior to the 1965 directives. 2) From the time of the promulgation of the new regulations in 1965, a Brigad which attained the ?szocialista? title for the first time was awarded a diploma. If the title was awarded again after the second year, the Szocialista Brigad would receive a diploma and a flag. Brigades which were awarded the socialist title continuously and without interruption would receive a bronze plaque after four years, a silver plaque after six, and a gold one after eight. The members of the Brigad would each receive diplomas and bronze, silver and gold badges, respectfully. I have never seen one of the flags which presumably were awarded, but I feel fairly certain they would look like those in the badges posted below. These badges, as mentioned previously, came in three grades. They also came in a large, 27mm, and a small, 17mm size. These two badges came in a small tapered plastic case with a red bottom and a clear top. To hold them in place in the case they were pinned to a small piece of foam material. The badge is composed of a wreath with a flag mounted on it. On the flag, in a circular shape, are the words ?SZOCIALISTA BRIGAD?. Inside the wording is a shield in the state colours of Hungary. Early issues of these badges were well made with the large badge being of two-piece construction with the flag soldered to the wreath and the body of the flag being covered with a hot red enamel process. Early small badges seem to be of one-piece construction but still use a hot enamel process for the colouring on the flag. Later issues of these badges see the large ones also made as one piece and both large and small badges having the flags coloured using a cold enamel process. There are also badges of the same design as identified above but with the wreath around the outside of the badge in green enamel. The cased set with the green enamelled wreath that I have in my collection is constructed in the earlier of the two manners. I do not know the significance, if any, of the difference in the wreath design between the two badges. The plaques awarded to the Szocialista Brigad are much smaller than one would expect considering the lengths a Brigad had to go to be awarded one. They are 42 mm wide (1 7/8 inches) and 52 mm high (2.5 inches). They have a Socialista Brigad badge in the centre and below that the words ?A SZOCIALIZMUS?RT?. The plaque comes in a clear plastic box with a hinged lid. The plaque is recessed into a red plastic section on the bottom of the case. The plaque is easily removable. There are no markings on the case. The plaque in my collection, and shown in this thread, is silver. While the badges are plentiful I have not seen many of the plaques. One other silver one and a gold one. Since the gold one I saw was the same size, and cased the same as the silver ones, I would say all three levels of this award are the same except for colour. Not mentioned in the directives, but in existence, are other badges and table medals bearing the name of ?SZOCIALISTA BRIGADJA?. One badge is a five-sided green wreath with the normal brigad flag in the centre. This badge is suspended from a hanger with a pin on the back. On the front of the suspension device are the words ?A V?LLATA KIV?L? BRIGADJA? which translates as ?The Excellent Enterprise Brigade?. There is a miniature of this badge that is of one-piece construction and without the wording in the top section where the pin is attached. These two badges come in a rectangular red case with a red plush interior. The interior has recessed shapes for the two badges: the large badge above and the small one below. The lid of the case is hinged. The only case for these medals I have seen was of the late issue plastic type. In addition to the badges there exists a non-portable award in a red case 13 cm by 12.5 cm by 2.3 cm (5.25 inches by 5 inches by 7/8 inches). The exterior of the case is made of red simulated leather. The interior bottom is a plush red velvet type material while the top is a white textured cloth. The bronze medallion recessed into the bottom of the interior is 7 cm (2 7/8 inches) in diameter. The same five-sided design as the suspended badge appears in the centre of the medallion. Around the outside of the medallion is the wording ?A V?LLALATA KIVAL? BRIG?DJA.? The obverse of the medallion is plain. When I purchased this cased medallion there were four of the 27 mm Szocialista Brigad badges in the case as well. I assume they originally belonged to the person who had possession of the medallion. In the third national conference of the National Council of Trade Unions in April 1969, it was recognized that the method of rewarding brigades for achieving the title of Szocialista Brigad was not working. A decision was made to draft new directives which would focus on replacing the previous directives that dealt with quantity of production and the award of badges with directives which dealt with quality of production and a financial reward. The General Secretary of the trade unions announced at this time that the National Council of Trade Unions was studying the problem and that new directives would be issued shortly. My research ended here as I was unable to locate any new directives. All of the badges, medallions and cases are pictured below with the exception of the cased five- sided badge. The only case I have seen was broken and not worth the asking price. I?ll post photos of one of these cases once I have one. Regards, Gordon

Hunyadi, Great to see that you have been able to authentic what you were told about the tunic being worn during such a short period. What a lucky find! Cheers, Gordon

Humberto, You ask a very good question. With all the printed sheets of paper ribbons that started showing up on the forums last year no doubt someone is printing them again. I have never bothered to collect any paper ribbons out of their holders nor studied the printed shets before they were cut up so I do not really know. I am sure there is someone in the collecting community that knows and perhaps we will find out some day. Regards, Gordon