hunyadi

Gordon - Very interesting as this is not the typical case that we have seen for these - the other type as we had seen were cardboard and did not hold up very well - I would suspect that this is for a more formal use.

Thanks for the input - though I think that I have a "modified" one. After looing at the number with my loupe - it looks like someone carefuly filled in a '1' - so the serial number is not that low... but I wish that I could research it still. Interestingly this showed up at a garage sale in a riker case with a bunch of other "common" awards. Apparently they belonged to the brother who passed away last year. His sister was selling off everything at 1/2 off - she regreted that she had already sold a majority of the "nazi" stuff to a collector across the State line... i was a bit suspicious as this was mixed in with some "Victory of Germany" and a "Moscow" medal among a sea of veterans pins. Knowig that another "collector" had taken everything else - i was a bit leery of this one - but at less than a Grant, why not....

My major concern is the low serial number....

There seems to be a little uncertainty on whether or not these are being faked yet - but I will just put this forth to see what the opinion is. Front -

This is a late war (1944?? if I recal correctly) A very rare item - will have to look more into my research files to get the requirements for it...

It is mostly educated speculation that the Soviets produced the first series of Partisan Badges as they appeared almost immediately after the end of the War in Hungary in April of 1945. The first parades in 1945 as we have seen in photographs for the Military Museum show the badge being worn - comparing this to the Hungarian Order of Freedom (1946) which was made by the Handicraft Association at first and not the State Mint due to the inability of the Mint to produce awards, its hard to think that they would be able to churn out a few hundred partisan badges. The early badges are of a very high quality - save for the tendancy of the parachute and crossed PPSh's to fall of the red star...that they dont remind me of an item that was churned out in some back room. The Soviet Union or some other Allied nation seems a plausable source for the badges. By 1947 the State Mint was back in production - though in limited forms and would have taken over production of the badge which may explain the variance between pin backs and screw back variations - pin back being a more prefered method of attachment rather than the screw back as seen on so many Soviet Orders... but in the end until the archives are opened - there can only be educated guesses.

Well - I found my copy of the book and Mr Balla is not there as I would have suspected with the high number and award of 1958. A "German Horse Kicker".... interestingly the Secretary of the Association in 1958 is also not listed as a partisan who conributed to the war effort.

Yes and No - Look at the Partiszan Association as similar organizations such as DISZ, MHSZ, SZIT, etc.... these were all "selective" clubs which created their own pins and badges - mqany times under contract of the State Mint or the Handcraft Association. The 1953 Hungarian Partisans Badge was founded as a "commemorative" piece to recognize the serivce and political activites of the Partisans during the war. When the association was formed in 1945, they had their own badge made (my guess by the Soviets first and then later the State Mint) and they regulated membership. To my understanding the 1953 (memory fading and no resource material in front of me...so if I am off by a year or two, dont get upset!) badge was simply "we the HUPR make this badge "official" and the Partisans Association acts as the regulator of who gets one". Looking through the Honved magazine of the time - there was a huge issue with several pages dedicated to those in the military who were awarded the new badge. Of course this has to weigh with the declaration in the 1945 Honved Gazzette in which it declared that Pal Maleter and one other individual were given the right to wear the Partisan Badge on their uniform. The 1953 form of Maleter's badge posessed the serial # of 606. Pal Maleter was probably one of the first hundred to get the first form of the badge...

Generally - the numerical sequence coincides with a linear time line - but not always. For example here - http://gmic.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=27112 a 1983 issue of the badge with a serial number below 2000. My suspicion is that this may have been one that was "revoked" due to un-party like behaviour and was therefore put back into the mix - or a widow simply returned the badge to the association (which still remains tight liped about any documentation or records!). regardless - taking a sample of the "true" 1500 or so "actual" combatants against the fashist forces that we have observed it can be that assumed that numbers less than 2000 were awarded awarded to these men and women.

Well - getting my copy was by pure chance (and I had given up hope of ever fiding one again) - the other thing to conisder is that this book would be for a badge where the serial number is stamped above the pin (only #'s 2000-2999 appear to have this)

Ulsterman - can you get a good scan of the button on his pocket flap. Not too long ago I was given a "free" dress tunic. It was of a 2nd Lt. and was in bad shape (hence the price) - it had a Soviet sports badge - in fact same on in the photo... but as it was moldy and missing all the button and the lower pockets - I kept the boards and the pin and hucked the rest.... was probably from the same event.... :banger:

and April 4th -and and ----- very nice collection - can you give a reverse shot of the Order of the Red Star (there are many variants and more information on these is best!) :jumping:

Slight correction to the book - It is a list of aprox 1500 names and a short bio of each recipient. I have been able to get a few numbers matched with names from carrying documents that I have - but it does not give numbers with names... I need to "find" the book in the vault of carboard boxes and see if this name is a hit - there were so many that were given out for more political purposes that naught - and as this is in the 2000+ range its probably unlikely that this is a actual combatants name. Still - very nice piece.

Looks to be the same Karhatalom Servcie Medal - the ribbon color is just off due to the exposure / flash / angle of the ribbon. As previously stated in other threads that Karhatalom was the armed branch of the State Security Police - AVH. They were not fully disbanded untill the 1970's

the inscription basicaly reads - "writen and certified" for 1976

Its a Hungarian Workers Party membership book. (Communist Party). It shows that he was a member since 1947 and attended a technical school. The pages following should tell you for what years he continued his membership with the "party dues" stamps in them

Certainly possible - the man was probably a miner and worked in a dual capacity - the award could be given for (if memory serves right - reference marterial still in boxes) 10 year of service IN the mine or 15 years of serivce in mine related work (IE desk job - safety crew) - so its plausable that he served in a capacity which warranted a duplicate award. I would guess that the second bronze in 1978 was for his ten years in the grunt work as his silver is 10 years later - to get a silver (as I recall) in "other" work one would have to work for 30 years in that capacity.

Aluminum hooks are always a clear sign of more recent times - they always appear on "replacement" or "reproduction". Officially the aluminum hooks came out after 1991. In the late 1970's to the "end" of the HUPR they did use a flimsy steel, but not the aluminum. As this was a more "republic" award it could be (though I was unaware) that there may have been some restrikes after 1991.

Hi Nikk77 - the stanging collar tunic is for a 2nd Lt from the artillery. The second tunic is a generals tunic, but the collar tabs have been messed with - there should have been some tress along the outter perimeter of the collar tabs. Too bad as these (period) items are impossible to get. the medal (Vitez Rend) cross is a commemorative item for the 60th annaversary of the Order of the Knight (Vitez). Hope this helps

Can you please post better photos of the collar tabs? The first one is indeed a Horhty era M1939 service tunic. From what I can see it may be a two star general's tunic, but I cant be for certain - looks like the left collar tab has some 'iregularities'. The second is a interwar era Atilla tunic - for a 2nd Lt in the Artillery. Better photos of each should help more - look inside under the left arm padding near the chest and there may be a name tag... one never knows... Its interesting to put it in perspective of the rarity of PLMs.... I dont have a single PLM, but I have a few of these hanging in the closet.....

As always NAGYON SZEP!

Well - we have a house (apparently) and will close in early August (supposedly).... but - on this bar - its a military one - nothing to speculate that its Munkasor: 1956 Return of Power, Service Medal, Service to the Fatherland and the Dist Service Medals of 15-20-25 years is a pretty common military bar for a career officer who joined in 1949-1950 era.

Hi KDVR This is not a qualification badge but rather the membership badge for the Hungarian Freedom Fighters Association - a paramilitary sports organization. This is the Type II badge and was worn from 1950 to 1956 Best

Well I know Dan has a migrane headache from researchign this one - so in my opinion it should go to him... I may have been a little unfair with the language barrer.... In the spring of 1917 Kun and others staged a rebellion over the distribution of Red Cross parcels. The protest did not last long and Kun and his companions were arrested and tried under a military court for their actions. THey certainly faced the death penalty for the uprising, but the events of revolution within imperial Russia provided a rare opportunity for Kun and his comrades on trial. During the trial, Kun appealed to the Tomsk branch of the Russian Socialist Democratic Workers Party. He proclaimed that he was beneficial to the revolution by promoting himself as the president of his Kolozsv?r Workers Insurance Bureau. It was this bureau from which he had dismissed for stealing money. During his hearing he expressed that the inflated position made him a prominent figure within the Hungarian Social Democratic Party. His jurors did not entirely believe his story and as such sent a letter to the Kolozsv?r Workers Insurance Bureau inquiring of Kun?s status with the organization. A reply was sent back, undeniably claiming that there was no such person who held that position. To B?la?s pure luck, when the reply from Hungary arrived at the Tomsk camp, the camp postman discarded the letter as he was unaware of any prisoner of war by the name of Kun B?la. As such the Tomsk barnch of the SDP believed his story and he was aquited of the charges - (Bors?nyi Gy?rgy, Kun Bela Budapest : Kossuth 1979. pg. 46) Beacus e I personaly know that Dan pounded his head on the screen for several hours - my vote is to give him at least 50% if not 100%

dont know if it helps - but it has to do with his name and a request for information from his previous employer - the same one that he imbezzeld money from just before leaving for the war