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    Lukasz Gaszewski

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    Everything posted by Lukasz Gaszewski

    1. Lukasz Gaszewski
      I got my copy this month and I must admit I am very glad I have it. Although most of the decorations described in the book are not alien to me, there are some I had no idea of. Certainly, I can imagine that the book might contain more information, especially about recipients, still it is probably the most complete work on the historical and contemporary orders and medals of Egypt so far. The edition is excellent, all pictures are big and although collected from different sources, their quality is more than satisfactory. Of course if you want to use the book as a reference, not only as a source of pictures, the knowledge of at least basic Arabic is a must. A summary in English would certainly be an asset. Anyway, my big respect to the author for a really good job indeed! I am not disappointed and I can recommend the book to all interested in Egyptian honours. What regards the stamps on the envelope, I Iiked them very much. I wonder if somebody had a closer look on who they depicted. It is the late Pope Shenouda III, the Pariarch of the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria. To me these stamps are one more proof that Egypt can take well from the richness of its history and cultural heritage.
    2. Lukasz Gaszewski
      I think it is General Staff. The black may have faded over the years.
    3. Lukasz Gaszewski
      Hello, Your question is difficult to answer in just one sencence, as the Hungarian Order of Merit (Cross of Merit until 1935) was awarded for the period of over 20 years, from 1922 (practically 1923) to 1944, and its size varied. Generally, what regards the crosses of the upper classes, they were as follows: - Grand Cross: 1922-30 - 60 mm, 1930-39 - 62 mm; then with the establishment of the class of GC with the Crown of Hungary in 1939, the so-far 1st class was renamed to Grand Cross, with the badge usually 53 mm, but larger, even up to 57 can be found as well. - Cross 1st Class (sash decoration but smaller than that of GC): 1922-30: 51 mm, 1930-39 - 53 mm; after 1939 no longer in use. - Grand Officer (called actually Cross 2nd Class with Star and from 1935 Middle Cross w. Star): 1922-30 - 50 mm, then 52-53 mm. - Commander (Cross 2nd Class and from 1935 Middle Cross): as above. A few years ago I published an exhaustive article about the Hungarian Order of Merit at JOMSA (2/2012). I think you will find there all details you need. Regards, Lukasz
    4. Lukasz Gaszewski
      Yes, it is Polish. A few (minor) comments on this bar. 1. The wound decoration is for a single wound. A second would be denoted by another star. 2. The first ribbon in 2nd row is definitely BEM. The ribbon of the order is wider. 3. The two identical ribbons are from two different classes of the Cross of Merit (probably silver and bronze). Gold and silver laces to denote class were first introduced after the war, only in Poland. Emigration never used them. 3. The last in 2nd row can be of the Medal of Merit of the Primate's of Poland Emmigrational Representative, as Irish Gunner said, or another unofficial church medal. Certainly hand-made. 4. He is also right to say that the long service medal for 30 years was never officially awarded, but I believe some may have been made by the self-styled president Nowina-Sokolnicki. This can be one of them. The other two can be from him too. No idea what the two crosses can be for. Ribbon bar holders perhaps? The post should be moved to the Polish section. Unfortunately I have no rights to do so. Happy New Year! Lukasz
    5. Lukasz Gaszewski
      Hi, The tunic comes certainly from the 2nd half of 1960s - there is already the medal for 20 years of victory over Germany of 1965, but it is lacking the medal for the 50th anniversary of Soviet Armed Forces of 1968. It is not always possible to identify the owner of a uniform but this time I am pretty sure who it belonged to. IMHO it was owned by Col. Gen. Pavel Alexeyevich Kabanov (1897-1987), who during the war served in the railroad forces and after the war was the head of them. Please have a look at these two photos I have found. On the first, from the early 1960s Kabanov has 3 Orders of Lenin, 3 Orders of Red Banner, Order of Kutuzov 1st class, Order of Patriotic War 1st class, only one Order of Red Banner of Labor and practically the same set of Soviet medals that can be found on the tunic. He is also wearing the three medals of Czechoslovakia which are on the tunic and a medal which I cannot identify now (though I am sure I have seen it before) and which matches well the blue-white-red ribbon. The second photo from 1970s, depicts the general already with 4 Orders of Lenin and two Orders of Red Banner of Labor and I belive there is also the medal for Defense of the Caucasus, which is missing on the first photo. Although Soviet railroad troops wore green piping, I belive it did not regard generals. Unfortunately Kabanov does not have an entry in the English Wikipedia, so here is a link to Russian Wiki, which I hope may help: https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%9A%D0%B0%D0%B1%D0%B0%D0%BD%D0%BE%D0%B2,_%D0%9F%D0%B0%D0%B2%D0%B5%D0%BB_%D0%90%D0%BB%D0%B5%D0%BA%D1%81%D0%B5%D0%B5%D0%B2%D0%B8%D1%87 So it was a great acquisition indeed! Kind regards - Lukasz
    6. Lukasz Gaszewski
      Chris, I have sent you PM.
    7. Lukasz Gaszewski

      Hi Chris,

      Ah, that Monsieur René Mittenaere!

      I am not sure if he is still alive. A couple of years back I was kind of interested in that guy and his war record. I tormented myself with French, trying to read his "L'héroïque Épopée" and I did a quick research regarding his gongs, he had indeed plenty of.

      From what I found, that amiable legionnaire was a real soldier, serving in the Norwegian Campaign in 1940, then in the Middle East, North Africa and Europe. Still, following some other combatants, some time after the war he decided to "tune up" his chest, by accepting practically any medal he could add to his collection.

      Regarding his Polish medals, found out that Mr.Mittenaere  had something to do with general Antoni Zdrojewski. That really brave soldier, an officer of the Polish Armed Forces and organizer of Polish Resistance in France also wished to tune up a bit after the war.  Promoted to Brigadier General by the Government in Exile in 1964, in 1975 he accepted the rank of full General and Army Inspector from the self-styled "President" of Poland, Juliusz Sokolnicki and finally in 1979 he was appointed Marshal of Poland (!) by him. I cannot prove this, but my personal opinion is that Mittenaere obtained both the Virtuti Militari and the Gold Cross of Merit with Swords just from Sokolnicki via Zdrojewski. While it was absolutely possible for any Polish or allied soldier to obtain the Virtuti Militari for gallantry in action, it was more than unlikely for a French NCO to receive a Cross of Merit w. Swords in Gold. It was a very prestigious award, comparable to U.S. DSM and conferred practically only to higher commissioned ranks for outstanding merit in organizing and commanding armed  forces during war. As far as I know, even Zdrojewski himself did not receive it. And although Mittaenere's Virtuti and Cross of Merit are dated 1944, I believe they were awarded to him later and backdated. Anyway, on a well-known photo of his from early 1970s he is not yet wearing either of them. Instead, you can spot there the Cross of Valour, and it is one Polish decoration he was most likely to be entitled to. In his official record he says he received it in 1945 and indeed in that year some CV awards were made retroactively for the Norwegian Campaign in which Polish troops also participated. And although Mittenaere's name is not on the roll, the list is most probably incomplete. Interestingly, on another photo, made in 1980s or 1990s, he is wearing not only the Virtuti Militari, but also the officer cross of Polonia Restituta, probably again from Sokolnicki.

      What regards the other two Polish awards, the Medal of Polish Resistance in France (a commemorative decoration recognized by Polish authorities) and the Grand Officer of the Cross of Merit of Polish Resistants in France (a purely organizational award), he probably received both through his contact with Zdrojewski and both can be seen on the photos.


      Regards,

      Lukasz

    8. Lukasz Gaszewski
      R.I.P. Mervyn [*]
    9. Lukasz Gaszewski
      Are you sure the oval medallion is of the Order of Nishan-e Iftihar. I cannot find any image of award like that anywhere. Could someone post a picture please?
    10. Lukasz Gaszewski
      I have found this picture showing joyful, cheering North Korean veterans. I have noticed something which is probably a new medal, unknown to me. The man far right has two such medals. The ribbon is yellow with red and white stripes and most probably red borders. Does somebody know what it is? Notice that it is worn on the right.
    11. Lukasz Gaszewski
      Yes, it is the Medal (rather than order) of Culture from the imperial era. Awarded for cultural achievement and quite popular. Dave is right : the inscription reads "farhang", ie. "culture" in Farsi. Not sure about the ribbon. Most copies I have seen had either the Iranian tricolour or no ribbon at all. Will you please show the other side together with the ribbon? What is its width?
    12. Lukasz Gaszewski
      Beautiful ribbon bars, indeed. Wish I had one like that, too. The ribbons are as follows: Order of SukhbaatarOrder of SukhbaatarOrder of Red Banner of Combat ValourOrder of Military Merit Order of Polar StarMedal of CombatMedal of Combat"We Won/Conquered" Medal "40 Years of MPR" Medal (1961)"50 Years of Mongolian Revolution" Medal (1971)"60 Years of Mongolian Revolution" Medal (1981)"70 Years of Mongolian Revolution" Medal (1991) (?) "80 Years of Mongolian Revolution" Medal (2001) (?)"30th Anniversary of Victory over Militaristic Japan" Medal (1975)"30th Anniversary of Victory at Khalkhin Gol" Medal (1969)"40th Anniversary of Victory at Khalkhin Gol" Medal (1979) "50 Years of Mongolian People's Army" Medal (1971)"60 Years of Mongolian People's Army" Medal (1981)"50 Years of State Security" Medal (1972)"50 Years of Police" Medal (1971) "100th Anniversary of Lenin's Birthday" Jubilee Medal (USSR, 1970)Victory over Japan Medal (USSR, 1945)"30 Years of Victory in the Great Patriotic War" Medal (USSR, 1975)"60 Years of AF USSR" Jubilee Medal (1978) "Brotherhood in Arms" Medal (Bulgaria)"Brotherhood in Arms" Medal (USSR)"100th Anniversary of Georgi Dimitrov's Birthday" Jubilee Medal (Bulgaria, 1982)Order of Scharnhorst (East Germany) (?) Medal for Strengthening Brotherhood in Arms - 1. Class (Czechoslovakia)
    13. Lukasz Gaszewski
      Hi, this is Lukasz, The dimensions, loop, and finish suggest that Gordon's cross can be original. Paradoxically, even its fairly poor condition speaks for it. Original crosses were susceptible to rust if stored in a humid room. I have seen a few certainly original ones, with even poorer look. What regards the badge, I have seen one like this before, but as far as I know it does not represent any particular unit - just an eagle sitting on a lance pennant. A befriended officer used to wear it as a lapel pin on his civilian clothes to signal he was military, but it was certainly nothing official. If I find anything more about the badge I will let you know.
    14. Lukasz Gaszewski
      Hello everybody, I am researching the orders and medals of Marshal Dmitriy Ustinov (1908-1984), the Soviet Defence Minister from 1976. I have found one of his last photos (1984), with I believe the most complete ribbon set. Unfortunately, the photo is bw and the ribbons are quite small. I have enlarged and sharpened them as much as possible. Will somebody help identify his ribbons? I am particularly interested in the lower half. Thanks.
    15. Lukasz Gaszewski
      Yes, it is possible, thank you. I would be good to know what the other ribbon is from. Note that it looks "hand-made." The central white stripe looks glued to the green ribbon. Perhaps it is some hint.
    16. Lukasz Gaszewski
      No, it seems ok. The total diameter of the crosses of 2nd and 3rd class was 45 mm, so they could look big, compared to other medals on the uniform. Miniatures did exist but they were only ca. 15 mm of diameter and they could hardly be confused with full size badges. BTW, Malinin was awarded the 2nd class, but it does not matter much, as both the 2nd and 3rd class were of the same size.
    17. Lukasz Gaszewski
      God loves Trinity, as the Russians say. Three Stars of Hero (one of labour I think), three Georgi Dimitrovs, three Lenins, three Karl-Marxes... Stunning...
    18. Lukasz Gaszewski
      As there is no special section for identifying unknown worldwide items, I am putting it here. I have been asked to identify some ribbon bars of a Soviet general. There are two I really cannot do with. I have tried Africa, Asia and America. Nothing seems to match. They are certainly not Soviet, but at least they belonged to a Soviet military. Perhaps someone here will have more knowledge and luck. The uniform comes from 1st half of 1970s, so the ribbons cannot be newer than that. Thanks in advance.
    19. Lukasz Gaszewski
      The three remaining loose ribbons are Israeli (clockwise): War of Independence, Sinai Campaign and Six Day War.
    20. Lukasz Gaszewski
      The ribbon does not look genuine. An original one should have narrow yellow edges.
    21. Lukasz Gaszewski
      A 1908/post-1908 photo.
    22. Lukasz Gaszewski
      If this should belong to Göring (I am sorry, the photos in the initial post do not show up to me), I would suggest the ribbon of the Grand Cross of the Order of the Crown of King Zvonimir of the Independent State of Croatia (NDH). As far as I remember, Göring was a recipient. Do not care much about colour shade. Photos (esp. old photos) tend to misdepict exact color hues. Would you mind reposting the photos?
    23. Lukasz Gaszewski
      I believe the Order of the Star of Romania w. swords could be worn on that ribbon if awarded for war gallantry.
    24. Lukasz Gaszewski
      Thanks Matthias for sharing your medals and ribbons. BTW: are members of the Bundeswehr today authorized to wear full-size medals on the uniform or only ribbon bars?
    25. Lukasz Gaszewski
      As far as I know, the metal "Monte Cassino" device is a legitimate part of the ribbon bar and can be found on most ribbons. BTW: are you talking about the Monte Cassino Cross or Monte Cassino Medal that was established to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the battle? Can you post a photo with the gravestone with the cross you were talking about?
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