Ulsterman

Last month the Korean government, as part of its diplomatic outreach program to mineral rich Ethiopia and also to commemorate the Korean War (perhaps made a little more dramatic by recent threats by the DRNK to restart the war) held a ceremony to commemorate the 340 remaining members of the Kagenew Battalion (many of whom later served in the Ethiopian Imperial Guards). They also offered financial assistance to many of the veterans, a small pension and direct aid in the form of supplies. Many of the veterans are desperately poor, their pension land having been stolen by the Derg/Mengitsu regime and Ethiopia is too poor to provide much in the way of pensions. Korea also offers free education to the progeny of Ethiopian Korean veterans and presently 60 young Ethiopian war scholars are studying hard in Soel. Note in this picture the former NCO on the right. He wears the Typical NCO combination of Sellasie medal (a merit/LS award), a Ethiopian Korean medal, a UN Korean medal and the Korean (from Korea proper) war medal. Alas, he does not have the Korean "war veteran's association" medal, which many of his fellow veterans also own. (It is the last medal on the middle right chap's bar) Then the chap in the middle right is REALLY interesting. While it takes a lot of effort, one can clearly see his Victory Star and the edge of his Patriots' medal, indicating that he fought against the Italians in 1937-41. He also has clearly exchanged his old silver (made in Sweden) Imperial Korean war medal for the later Derg version, which is in the penultimate place on his medal bar. He probably did this during the death squad purges of the late 1970s, when old Imperial soldiers were treated as a threat by the Communists and often liquidated, along with their families. Photo via The Government of Ethiopia

Well, the Hungarians fought for germany until they switched sides, but there was a Partisan Association members' badge, which was redesigned and issued after the Stalinists took over in 1948. The Communist Partisan Association was filled with Apparatchiks, but also more than a few actual Communist Partisans, those lucky enough to survive the purges anyway.

Ah! But wasn't the First version of the Hungarian Partisans' Association badge issued in 1945-1946?

fascinating and relatively untouched subject in the English speaking world. have you seen Stogiemans' Hungarian Partisan badges? Also, have a look at the Bulgarian and Albanian partisan badges. There are some excellent threads here on these. Didn't the Danes also produce a Resistance medal?

Apple cider works! Many thanks for the tip!

Mochak?! that explains everything.........:)

You lucky, lucky man! Find of the year!

This medal is driving me insane! I have looked and looked for this man and can not find him. There were fewer than 100 Brunswick officers with the "Owls" in Spain and a great many, those who were not British, ended up at Waterloo. They were hard core Brunswick loyalists. The Oels, or "Owls" as the Brits called them, were 12 companies strong, but their rifle companies were detached and used as permanent skirmishes in other British or mixed Divisions. At Vittoria, 9 center companies were assigned as a weak battalion to the 7th Division, which attacked the center of the vastly over stretched French lines moving down from the steep heights towards the bridge crossing the river. the 7th was barely engaged in the battle and Surgeon Breyer was almost certainly attached to the Divisional hospital and perhaps that is why he had no other clasps, as usually the Brunswickers had 3-5 surgeons. There is a chance he was not German at all, as many other British and other foreigners served in the battalion. They were notorious for desertion, but the hard core of Brunswickers made up an elite and very tough fighting unit.

Yeah, a bit high for me. Alas, Farkas does not let me bid on his stuff anymore after I gave him bad feedback because of a fake 1956 medal he sent me.

Tolentino.! was this a commemorative, or an actual 'private award' ?

Good Lord, you found that in Austria? :0Awesome! The second great iron clad battle!

The 40 year LS medal would indicate Reichsheer service/ Beamter so he would be in the rank lists in the 1920s and 1930s. The medal ribbon at the end is a Luitpold, so that would indicate prior war Bavarian army service . That narrows the field considerably.

Harding! Very cool. Thanks. Rick R. Is quite fond of a good mystery novel. Off to Libris with myself!

Wow! I have not seen South Vietnamese helmets before. Cool.

Today? How did I miss that ?

Wow. That bar is REALLY interesting. A Bav Bravery medal without a BMVK2x is really unusual.....makes me think Prussian or imperial service somehow. Isn't there a Bav. bravery medal book?

Cool! you do not see all four covers very often.

Very,very cool. Charles Grant, a man I admired very much as a kid and who would have loved GMIC., served in the PP. I have always considered the PP an elite, special imperial police force. Ggiven some of the stories I heard as a kid -and I am certain they were watered down- I have always hoped for a book. I reckon someone with more fictional talent than me could write a great series of mystery novels based on the PP from 1928 -1948.

Isn't there an article about theses awards to Austrians in the Russian AK Journal?

Wow! hard core. this is the guy , well one of them, who ended the uprising. after November 9 th and the capture of the radio station the Uprising was basically over, except for mopping up. this guy was in at the final kill apparently.

very,very cool. I am green with envy.

really impressive artwork. you have talent.

Maybe. No Wehrmacht LS although an Olympic medal. certainly someone in some sort of uniform in 1936, probably paramilitary? it would be interesting to see who got what Japanese orders in the Third Reich.

Yeah, but more likely a PWMK . I would really like to know if she got an HK.

You misunderstand-my apologies, "still existed" is what I meant. I assumed all the mercenary stuff had been disposed of after the Congo war was over and people got arrested.