Carol I

Romania is one of the countries that have participated to manned space flights within the Intercosmos program. The preliminary selection for the cosmonaut training began in September 1977 when more than 150 pilots and engineers applied for the job. Of these 17 were selected as potential candidates and following a rigorous selection program only five qualified for the next steps. Two of them renounced and the remaining three candidates that departed for the final selection in the Soviet Union were Major Dumitru Dediu, Captain Cristian Guran and Senior Lieutenant Dumitru Prunariu. Cristian Guran was eliminated during the testing performed in Moscow. The remaining two pilots started their training program in Romania and in 1978 they left for the Gagarin Space Center to complete their cosmonaut training. The Soyuz 40 flight took off on 14 May 1981 for the Salyut 6 space station with Dumitru Prunariu and Leonid Popov as crew. Only a few days before take off it was decided that Dumitru Prunariu will fly into space and that Dumitru Dediu will be the backup. During the mission, Prunariu performed studies of the Earth's magnetic field. Prunariu and Popov landed back on earth on 22 May 1981, 7 days 20 hours and 43 minutes after take off. The Soyuz 40 flight was the last flight of the original Intercosmos program. The Romanian cosmonaut badge was based on the pilot badge - an eagle with spread wings, a design dating back to the late 1920s. The eagle with a globe in its claws is placed on a rayed background edged by two wreaths and a ribbon with the inscription COSMONAUT. Several such badges appeared a couple of years ago on eBay (including the one above), but I doubt that they belonged to either Prunariu or Dediu.

There are two crowns on the two sides of the effigies. The one to the right appears to be the Imperial Crown of Austria, while the one to the left looks very much like the German State Crown. If the left portrait is not that of Wilhelm II, what is the meaning of the latter crown?

Thanks for the confirmation. Their donation was indeed described as "they gave their gold", without the "iron" part but understandable after so many years. Do you know if the 'gold for iron' campaigns were state organised or local initiatives? And were the trinkets and the jewellery official issues or only local design/manufacture?

It would certainly seem so from the portraits on the ring. However, the story told for three generations is that the ring was a mark of supporting the Austrian war effort during WWI. More specifically, the lady who wore it was said to have donated her jewelry to the state and in return she received or bought this ring. Does anyone have a similar story?

Did anyone see a similar ring before? Do you know what did it represent?

Knight with swords and war decoration

Officer with swords and war decoration

Commander

Here are some images from the UBS auction. Commander 1st class with swords and war decoration

Only up to the autumn of 1944.

The Naval Merit was only a medal. Anyhow, only the fourrageres of the four orders above are described in the book. I do not think so. For example the Guard Regiment has been decorated with the Order of the Star of Romania, but they do not wear any fourrageres.

A commander 1st class from the Coin Cabinet of the Dresden State Art Collections

No Lukasz, the fourragere for the Order of Michael the Brave was dark red with gold stripes, thus reflecting the colour of the ribbon, not the badge. The only fourragere that reflected more the colours of the badge than those of the ribbon was that for the Order of the Star of Romania: blue with red stripes, while the ribbon was red with silver stripes. The book by Safta et al on Romanian war decorations mentions only 4 fourrageres, for the following decorations: - The Order of Michael the Brave: dark red with gold stripes - Military Virtue Medal: red with blue tripes - The Order for Aeronautical Virtue: light blue with silver stripes - The Order of the Star of Romania: blue with red stripes

The ribbon is for the type I of the award (before 1932).

Igor, can you post a better image of the fouragere? Does it have some red stripes?

Thanks again Christophe. I will try to contact the museum for details. However, it is quite possible that the awards were a donated as exhibits for the museum, since they started gathering foreign orders well before Carol II's visit. And this proved to be the one of the best ways to preserve a nice specimen of the order (as seen in the images in the other thread). Thanks again for the details and for the images.

Thank you very much Christophe for these images. It's great to see that this order has been preserved with such care.

Thanks. The collar of the Order of Carol I was reserved for heads of state, so it would not be surprising if it was awarded to a French president. But of course it could also be possible that the orders were presented as a gift (Did the Mus?e National de la L?gion d'honneur exist in the late 1930s?).

Is there any information in the book on the awardees? The collar of the Order of Ferdinand might be that of General Berthelot as he is said to have been the only foreigner to receive this order.

Thanks Christophe. I have sent you a PM with my e-mail address.

Right on spot, Christophe, thanks. If you can scan the images in the book (and the fragments describing them) I will send you my e-mail address where to send them.

Thank you very much Christophe. I am looking forward to seeing your post (when I have been to Paris some years ago the museum was closed for restoration). And another question: Did anyone see the album below ("Grand Colliers" edited by the Mus?e National de la L?gion d'honneur and published in 1997 at the Imprimerie Facedim-Chatellerault - ISBN 2-910575-00-4)? I wrote to the Museum, but they said that they no longer have any copy available...

May I please ask you about the Romanian orders in its collections? Thanks in advance.