Carol I

Gentlemen, we have a winner!

Christian Zulus, you really zeroed in on this one; but Carol I found the final piece of the puzzle - Georgii Nikolaevich Filippov. Congratulations Carol I.

Thanks Wild Card for the congratulations.

But after celebrations one has to come up with a question, so here is mine:

Below is an image of an interesting project of a fourth generation fighter.

1. Where did the project originate?

2. What was the name of the projected plane?

3. What happened to the project?

Good luck and good hunting!

Carol, do you know which award Col.-Lt. Filippov received for the capture of the Don-bridge in Kalach ? It should have been a HSU.

Do you have any informations about the career of comrade Filippov and the full range of his awards?

Sorry Christian, the information came from Beevor's book without details about the awards.

While acknowledging Christian's reply above as to the general objecive of Uranus, I also give it a try for the tank operation from 21/22 November 1942:

1. What was this objective?

Bridge over the Don.

2. In what town was it located?

Kalach-na-Donu

3. What was the significance of this event?

Practical surrounding of the Axis forces.

4. Who was the leader of this operation?

Lt. col. Filippov, commander of the 19th tank brigade

Mihail Lascar

Congratulation Christian! It was indeed the photo of (a rather young) Mihail Lascăr.

Mihail Lascăr was a capable Romanian general fighting with Romanian troops on the Eastern front (at that time in alliance with Germany). His achievements brought him the second class of the Order of Michael the Brave and the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with oak leaves. He was encircled at Stalingrad and although he could save himself he remained with his troops adopting a defiant stance up until his capture in November 1942. He spent more than two years in captivity until April 1945 when he accepted the command of the Soviet division Horia, Cloşca şi Crişan composed of Romanian "volunteers" (by that time Romania was on the Allied side). He remained in command of the Soviet division until it was included in the Romanian Army. After a brief period at the command of the Romanian Fourth Army, he was named Minister of Defence. He held this position until December 1947 when accused of "anti-sovietism" (he was no "comrade") he was demoted to the position of Inspector of the Armed Forces, position he held in the first two years of the new People's Republic until resigning (or forced to resign) in 1950.

The photo I posted with the question showed him as a young lieutenant-colonel in the 1920s or 1930s (the uniform is from that period). After the war he looked much older.

(It had been NO Wiki-question )

Only after posting the question have I realised that a Google search after "Axis awards commander Soviet division" shows in the first place the list of Romanian holders of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross where General Lascăr is in the fourth position.

Yes, he was a Romanian officer. Would you venture to say a name?

Hallo Carol, You have won. it is your turn.

Thanks Frank. Here is my question.

Who is this officer?

Clues: He was decorated with top Axis awards, commanded a Soviet division in WWII and was Inspector for the Army during the cold war.

Just after Lenin`s death Stalin did something which forced the bolshewik party to make him Lenin's successor.

Well, Stalin gradually isolated Trotsky, but right after Lenin's death, Stalin sent Trotsky a telegram mentioning an incorrect date to make the latter miss Lenin's funeral and shed a bad light upon him (I hope this is the detail you were after).

I'm very sorry, but seller not send me "my" furagere ...

I am sorry as well, since it could have shed some light onto the colours of the Romanian fourrageres.

Who placed the bullet into the first man's shoulder?

Fanya Kaplan, an anarchist, shot Lenin in 1918.

Who stuck the ice axe into the second man`s head?

Ram?n Mercader, a Soviet agent, put an ice axe into Leon Trotsky's head.

What did the third man do to overtake the power from the first after his death and when was that?

Joseph Stalin expelled Trotsky from the Cental Committee in 1927, forced him into exile and arranged his assassination in 1940.

Looking at the attached image, it appears that the "firemen" had received some sort of military training to handle fire-arms so they might already have been part of the military structure of the time

Maybe the firemen were selected/volunteered from the ranks of the military, hence they did their firearms training before the firemen training.

Wilhelm-Orden

Here's another view of one: http://www.dhm.de/magazine/orden/abbs/002.htm

Thanks Dave.

Here are a few more of Bismarck's awards from the Zeughaus in Berlin

What is the collar to the right?

Nice to see the face behind the name.

It is indeed nice to see the face and the name. I wonder why La Galerie Numismatique digitally erases the name of the awardees from the certificates they sell (you may take a look in posts #10, #13 and #14 in Romanian fourrageres to see that the certificate above was not a singular case).

Perhaps Carol I could give a little more information with regards this medal?

Sorry to disappoint you, Kevin, but I do not know much about the decorations of the Communist period.

until last year the Fire-Brigade was still military connected, and were still to be seen toting machine-guns, however not when called out to fires

The military connection of the firemen in Romania is a tradition related to a historical event. On 13 September 1848, the firemen division of Bucharest led by Pavel Zăgănescu opposed suicidal resistance to the Ottoman troops sent to suppress the Wallachian revolution and arrest its leaders (see Wikipedia for example).

Carol, thanks for your kind response,csorry it must have been his mistake, no Order of Michael, just what is here, Paul

You're welcome, Paul. I am sorry to hear about the Order of Michael the Brave. But then, this means that the published list of Knights of the Order of Michael the Brave was correct regarding the absence of Major Aurel Mavru.

According to the Safta et al book, when an officer was awarded two or more fourrageres, all of them were supposed to be worn, but with one aiguillette only hanging from the cord of the highest order. I have taken another look at Igor's photos and in some of them Chiriţescu appears to be wearing two cords, one light and one dark, and the aiguillette hangs from the dark cord. So, if the information in the Safta et al book is correct, the Michael the Brave fourragere was blue (this is the same book that said that the Michael the Brave fourragere was red with gold stripes ) and Lukasz appears to have been right all along.

Only now have I seen Igor's post below. Interesting certificate for a double award of fourrageres (Michael the Brave and Military Virtue) to Ştefan Chiriţescu.

Another auction, another image: blue fourragere with a certificate for the Michael the Brave fourragere.

Another auction, another image: blue(?) fourragere with a certificate for the Star of Romania fourragere.

What is your source for identifying the red fourragere with blue stripes as that for the Order of Michael the Brave? The book by Safta and collaborators on Romanian war decorations states that the red fourragere with blue stripes was that of the Military Virtue Medal, while that of the Order of Michael the Brave was dark red with gold stripes.

Anyhow, it is clear that the pairing in one of the sets above is wrong.

Regarding Royal Romanian laynards, the blue fourragere with red stripes is for the Order of the Star and the red fourragere with blue stripes (Actually Rasberry red or purple red in color) is for the Order of Michael the Brave. The Auction is incorrect in matching up Brevets certificates to the laynards.

Another image from another auction of La Galerie Numismatique where a certificate for the fourragere of the Star of Romania is paired with a blue fourragere with red stripes.

Igor, can you please give some details about the fourragere in your collection? What are its colours, dark blue and ...?

The image below is from an old auction from La Galerie Numismatique where a certificate for the fourragere of the Star of Romania is paired with a red fourragere with blue stripes. This appears to be in contradiction with the book by Safta et al where the same fourragere is described as blue with red stripes.

The Naval Merit was only a medal. Anyhow, only the fourrageres of the four awards 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.

Hello Your Majesty,

My fault! Thanks for correcting me. And two questions:

1) do you know if there was a fourrgere to the orders of the Crown of Romania and of the Naval Merit too?

2) most of major Romanian orders (with the exception of the Crown of Romania for obvious reasons) have been restored. Do you know if the fourageres for them have been provided as well?

It seems to be a "fourragere day" at GMIC look here.

Best regards,

Lukasz