hunyadi

Here is a lot that I got over the holidays. Not showing everything, as I dont have the time to photograph it all. Lot belonged to an individual of a Flak unit that was stationed in Budapest, then participated in the Balkan campaign and then to Army Gorup South during the winter of 1942. In the lot are two photo albums filled with military and civil life (even into post war 1960's) A pile of fieldpost letters, a pocket sized daily diary from 1942, a huge map of the Soviet Union with marks as to where he was stationed to. Several documents, two of wich are medal awards, and some paperwork from the Rakosi era where he served in the post war military. First photo a page from 1938/39 of his flak cannon near Budapest

What do you think came out of the box that the US items went into... All kidding aside - I see a very nice list of names that I am more than willing to plaster on some envilopes and mail letters to. However - I am about as dumb as they come and would not be able to properly express my words to show my displeasure and to cry out for help from this band of gangsters to help right what they made wrong. A nice form letter perhaps? Ed, Rick???

In a rahter pointless and silent protest I took down all of my US medals from the display case. Put them in boxes and tucked them away behind the solid doors on the lower shelf of another display case. Since the US government has seen fit that I should no longer have the right to obtain them in any form and in lieu - should never have the right to look at them or for others to see them and tell of the heroic deeds behind them. Never mind that the grandson was going to throw them away after he went to the flea market to see if anyone would give him five bucks for that WW2 purple heart with oak leaf cluster...never mind that at all. So now - the vacant space is filled with a display of militaria: Communist, Nazi and Imperial

Forgot one - Brown - transport

This is the thing that gets me the most and why I use the herion example - no, you can have your relatives medals all you want. You just cant transport them! So after the relative dies sell the house... and since its against the law to physicaly move them via mail or 'transport' (ie the trunk of your car) you can go and see your relatives medals any time you want - with the permission of the new owners of the house of course.... absurd - yes - but its the point. Isnt it? Rick - my hat off to you - I sadly hope that they clap you in irons for driving your car around with your grandfahters medal in the front seat. The media circus would be well worth the attention of the drive-by-media. (since you are related to Bush of course) And the court case and any subsequent appeals - would be over in about a day. Daniel - I wrote my congresmenn about this legislation and didnt even get a single relply from any of them. Not even a dang form letter. As for who voted for it - every singel one of them it was unanimous. No one would dare vote against something that 'protected the honor and bravery' of our fighting soldiers durng a time of war. That 'no' vote would be blasted across your opponents campaign ads till you were contradicting and denying that you actualy voeted that way...

I was making the comment about 1956... if he got his 20 year in 1971 then he entered into the serivce 1951. So he would heve been around during the revolution as to get the any of the service medals required 'continuious' service. I wish I had more of the lot - but it has not turned up anywhere (yet???) There is a slight chance that he entered into service as an NCO and worked hs way up - but to get the Service to the Fatherland in the 1970's seems a bit much...but again I dont have all the pieces to the puzzle -

Hi Lukasz - please feel free to put the information on the web for all to see. I dont have an 'official' listing of the colors, but from what I have read and found from other period peices I can give you this list. Black tabs - Tank units (shoulder board color was red as artillery) then in 1956 the tab had the extra red border. Dark Violet (its just a shade lighter than black) - Medical Oil Black - Engineering Red - Artillery Light green - Secret police and Border Guard Dark green - Infantry Wine - quartermaster and accounting Sky Blue - airforce and airborne Blue - police Dark Blue - river patrol various units also had special insignia aplied to the collar (IE anti-aricraft, signals, tank, construction, etc...) here is another 1956 era panzer tunic with the collar devices present. Above each tank is another hole from long ago that you can feel as you put your finger over it. Its my belief that this one had a star there - probably for a 2nd Lt. After the Revolution, he probably went back to his unit - minus the star on his collar.

Wow - many many thanks! With a rack like that - it confirms the sotry even more. I wonder if there is any way to research his Soviet files???

It makes me wonder - where was he on October 23rd 1956? Perhaps the reason for so many missed promotions - but he stayed in there. Gold Service to the Fatherland

Here is a shot of the medal and the document - 20 years of serivce and you only made it to 1st Lt?????????????

And another lot - this one was for Chirstmas - no really! Interesting that this poor man got the 20 year service medal as a 1st Lieutnant!!! And got the 25 year service medal as a Captain! Clearly one of the least 'stellar' carrers. However - he did something good enough to warrant a silver and gold class of the Service to the Fahterland Medal....

Hi Ed - I if my US Civics reminds me its now a matter of the courts as once the president signs it - its law untill the legal branch can hammer it out. But - looking at it - its almost a no-brianer for even a half-baked (from studying too much) law student. As for getting a LoM - I belive that you still can? As the law only specifically mentions the DSC, SS, Navy Cross, PH, AF Cross, and??? (I am forgetting) - but the Bronze Star was not on the list and neither is the Legion of Merit. (or do they fall under the medals awarded by Congress???)

Here is a shot of the regs...

Here is a detail of the collar. In 1956 the Tank units took on a new collar tab design. Black field with a red boarder. This was probably done to remove confusion between medical and engineering as the colors are really close.

Got this not too long ago and I had my doubs about it for a while. It a Rakosi era tunic and appears to be marked for 1953 manufacture (could also be 1955?) When I got it I sighed a little as I figured 'great' now I need to get Rakosi era shoulder boards for a tank unit. Not very easy! Not very available. The seller said - dont put them on! Why? Becuase this tunic was used from October of 1956 to January of 1957! The stars on the collar he said were used for those three months until the Kadar regime took power and re-designed the uniforms. I still had my doubts - but the price was great. Took it home and figured that it would not bee too much to at least start looking for shoulder boards. Uppon closer inspection I found that the stars have been there for quite some time - rather crudely attached, nice, but not "perfect". Then I found what looks to be very period thread closing over the hole where the button for the shoulder board would go through the seam and be held in place by 'shoe-string'. My curiosity peaked. Then just this week I found a nice little book that had reprints of the newspapers from October 23rd 1956 to November 5th. In it was the Military Newspaper (Magyar Honved) from October 31st, 1956. On the third page is a nice little article showing the new Ministry of Defence 'temporary' uniforms. It instructs all soldeirs to remove thier shoulderboards and remove thier stars from the shoulderboards and attach them to the collar tabs in the tradition of the Hungarian Army. (one small star 2nd Lt, two stars Lt, 3 stars Capt, one large star Maj, 2 large stars Lt. Col 3 large stars Col, Generals already had a bullion oak leaf - and their stars were to go over the oak leaf. NCO's were to use tress. plain - PVT, one stripe Cpl, two stripes Sgt, etc...) The aritcle also goes on to say that buttons with the Kossuth coat of arms were going to be produced and that they should recieve new buttons to sew on the tunics as well as the hats. The Rakosi era hat badge was to be removed from the hat completely. It also promises that new uniforms were being produced. So it would seem that I have here a 1st Lt's panzer tunic from the revolution era. Its got some pretty good wear to it - how I wish it could speak....

detail of the ribbon bar area

Also have the everyday set complete with pants. The button is missing and the pocket is useless - there was a huge slab of chest salad hanging there.

Gordon helped me out on a bunch of the ribbons - but many are there that we dont know about...anyone got a full list? The ribbon rack is sewn to the jacket. The pocket flap can no longer be opened. The bullion is worn nicely, but still retains its 'flair'

Most of you probably saw it on Eban a while back - yes I am the one who got it and also a nice story about its owner. Not the most mint example - moth tracks and general wear at several 'functions' I would guess.

AUGUST HRISTOV KABAKCHIEV Born on May 14th 1914 in Sofia. His father, Hristo Kabakchiev, was one of the founders of the BRSDP in 1907, together with Dimitar Blagoev and Vasil Kolarov, which was later transformed into the BKP (Bulgarian Communist Party) For his fathers beliefs the family was persecuted by the Reactionary Regime. Hristo Kabakchiev was arrested for his communist activites and sentenced to jail. However while in jail he had aquired enogh of a local backing to be elected as a parliament representative and had to be released! Imagine that! After such an escapade the family decided to escape from Bulgaria. They first settled in Vienna, Austria, and then later on to Moscow. The young August Kabakchiev, after graduating from primary school in Moscow, then went on to graduate from the Air Foece Academy Jukov, gaining an engineer degree. Then the Germans invaided on June of 1941, Commissioned as a Lieutenant he was sent to the frontline and fought against the Germans on many fronts, including the Byelorussian. When the end of the war came in 1945, he was a Guards Major in the Red Army. In May 1945 he returned to Bulgaria, becoming a Colonel from the Bulgarian People?s Army. His career reached to the rank of General-Colonel, in 1965. His positions in the Bulgarian Army and state system: - Chief Engineer of the AF - Deputy Commander of the AF - Deputy Chief of the Chief Staff of the Army 1956 ? 1960 - Deputy Minister of the Defense ? 1960 ? 1967 - Deputy Chairman of the State Committee for Planning 1973 ? 1982 - Vice president of the international aviation federation FAI 1983 ? 1989. - President of the Bulgarian-Vietnamese Friendship Society Died on May 6th 1999.

If memory serves right Nimmergut certificates have been rather dubious in the past. The originals from what I understand have a mark of SiLBER - not SILBER...but far be it from me to be an expert...

HI Dan - Think of your medals like a big bag of heroin. (though the only two that appear on the legislation is your Navy Cross and Purple Heart) You can have your big bag of heroin in your house, and the only way the man can come and take it away is with probable cause to search or a search warrant. Now - you can have your big bag of heroin, but you cant take it out of the house and 'move' it from one place to another, you certainly dont want to go out in the streets and say 'look at me! I have a big Navy Crosss - ahemm bag of herion!' You certainly dont want to take that bag o heroin and try and sell it to someone else, but as long as you have it safe and tidy in your home and you remain a model citizen - they cant touch you. Think of it this way - as others have said - the jist of the legislation was written just like drug laws - the main reason the drugs get around to new users, new markets, etc... is because of transportation. So possesion (outside the home - in public) is illegal becuase you are transporting it from one place to another. What I am waiting to see is the first real court case about this as its such a crappy written piece of legislation that contardicts so many other precidents that it would be an ambulance chacers dream to go to trial with this one. Here is a kilo of 'contraband' (for all of those who think I am being to sarcastic - yep - its either that or cry.....

And to finish off the trio - his same title of badge - but a little different in desin from 1970 for the same individual.

Here is a closer shot of the badge and the card with the embossed representation.

The husband also was a busy worker for the state - Excelent Domestic Trade Badge. Not much information on this one - except that in 1977 all future awards of this were to be canceled and a Kivalo Dolgozol would be handed out instead. First off is a 1951 issue item. With the document and a card - the card is the interesting part as it has '803' written on it to make it my assumption that it was serial number 803. Though this card had to be combined with the carrying document to make it complete. My guess is that this badge came in three classes - as there is a roman numeral II at the bottom of the disc. Nice box and nice badge - just another of over 300 variants...