Taz

Another excellent translation from Esteban who has been a great help, thanks very much!!

The Medal now has a decent sounding name

MEDAL FOR THE DEFENSE OF MOTHERLAND AND NEIGHBORHOOD UNITY

LAW DECREE N? 240

SINCE: The National Direction of Revolution Defense Commitees has proposed to the State Council the creation of a medal to be bestowed upon cuban and foreign citizens who gain enough merits when executing relevant actions, or when assuming attitudes that prove their loyalty to the revolutionary cause.

SINCE: because of the expressed motifs in the latter Since, the modification of Law Decree N? 30, of December 10th, 1979 and Regulations of Law N? 17, of June 28th, 1978 is required, as they have been modified and are currently governing.

SINCE: The State Council, making use of the given attributions expressed in paragraph c), of Article 90 of the Constitution of the Republic, decides to pronounce the following

LAW DECREE, N? 240.

ARTICLE 1. A new 42nd section is added to Article 6 of Law Decree N? 30, of December 10th, 1979, saying the following:

42. Medal "For the Defense of the Motherland and Neighborhood Unity", awarded to cuban and foreign citizens who gain enough merits when executing relevant actions, or when assuming attitudes that prove their loyalty to the revolutionary cause.

ARTICLE 2. The requirements for their awarding, the description of the representative badge of the medal to which the latter article refers and other particular information related to its organization, are determined in the annex-approved Regulations to this Law Decree, and provisions of Law N? 17, of June 28, 1978, will be applied to it.

ARTICLE 3. Article 10, paragraph ch) (NOTE: in spanish alphabet, "ch" is considered a letter, placed after C), of Law Decree N? 30, placing after the Medal "50th Anniversary of Revolutionary Armed Forces" the Medal "For Defense of Motherland and Neighborhood Unity".

FINAL PROVISION.

UNIQUE: All legal or regulation provisions opposing the stated in this Law Decree will be derogated, which will govern after its publication in the Oficcial Gazzette of the Republic.

GIVETH, in the Palace of the Revolution, Havana city, June 27, 2006.

Fidel Castro Ruz

President of the State Council

ANNEX

REGULATIONS OF THE MEDAL "FOR THE DEFENSE OF MOTHERLAND AND NEIGHBORHOOD UNITY"

ARTICLE 1. The Medal "FOR THE DEFENSE OF MOTHERLAND AND NEIGHBORHOOD UNITY" is awarded to cuban and foreign citizens who gain enough merits when executing relevant actions, or when assuming attitudes that prove their loyalty to the revolutionary cause.

ARTICLE 2. The Medal "FOR THE DEFENSE OF MOTHERLAND AND NEIGHBORHOOD UNITY" is made of gilt metal.

ARTICLE 3. The Medal "FOR THE DEFENSE OF MOTHERLAND AND NEIGHBORHOOD UNITY" is awarded upon the following merits:

a) Showing courage and unselfishness during actions on behalf and defense of our Socialist Revolution;

b) Keeping an uninterrupted labor in support and function of the Revolution Defense Committees? duties, and being previously awarded the distinction "September 28th";

c) To sistematically confront and fight antisocial and counter-revolutionary riots, or to accomplish special tasks where these kind of actions take place.

ARTICLE 4. The Medal "FOR THE DEFENSE OF MOTHERLAND AND NEIGHBORHOOD UNITY" has the following general specifications:

It?s round shaped, measures 30 mm wide and it?s 3 mm thick. The obverse shows an 1 mm border; the center shows an engraved group of houses and buildings, as well as the Revolution Square. In the upper part of these buildings, located just aside of the Jos? Mart? Memorial Tower, the organization logo, and in the roof,"CDR" can be seen. To its right, there is a Cuban flag waving. In the upper side of the medal it is written in a semicircle shape, "FOR THE DEFENSE OF THE MOTHERLAND"; in the lower part of it, also in semicircle, "AND NEIGHBORHOOD UNITY"

The reverse shows a 1 mm wide plain border; the center shows an engraved Coat of Arms of the Republic of Cuba; the upper part shows a semicircle writing saying "STATE COUNCIL"; in the lower part, also in semicircle, "REPUBLIC OF CUBA".

The badge hangs, with a link, of a pentagonal shaped, 25 mm moar? ribbon with royal blue, olive green, white and red color stripes, divided from right to left as: Red 5mm, olive green 2mm, white 7mm, olive green 2mm and royal blue 9mm.

The reverse of the ribbon has a safety pin.

The ribbon bar is rectangular and convex shaped, measures 25mm long and 15mm high, covered by a moar? ribbon with the same stripes and colors that the medal suspension has.

The reverse of the ribbon bar has a safety pin.

ARTICLE 5. The National Secretariate of the Revolution Defense Committees has the power to propose to the State Council the awarding of this medal.

ARTICLE 6. The Medal "FOR THE DEFENSE OF MOTHERLAND AND NEIGHBORHOOD UNITY" recipients have the following duties:

a)To keep an exemplary attitude, matching the revolutionary principles;

b) To obey, in all their provisions, the established in these Regulations, in Law N? 17, and its Regulations.

ARTICLE 7. The recipients can have their use revoked, when any of the following occur:

a) To be sanctioned for a crime that ruins public image;

b) Disobeying any of the duties established in these Regulations, in Law N? 17 and its Regulations.

ARTICLE 8. The wearing of this medal and its ribbon bar is regulated as the following says:

a)Members of Rev. Armed Forces and Interior Ministry, according to their dress regulations, according to the stated in Law N? 17;

b) Civilians, according to the stated in Law N? 17.

ARTICLE 9. The Medal "FOR THE DEFENSE OF MOTHERLAND AND NEIGHBORHOOD UNITY" will not be posthumously awarded.

ARTICLE 10. Upon the death of the recipient, the medal and its documents can be kept as a memento, but not allowing its use, of the following relatives:

a) The widow;

b) Children over 16 years old;

c) The mother or father;

d) OR any other person that due to affective or family bond deserves to keep such medal and documents.

Nevertheless the stated in the latter, upon the non-existance or death of these relatives, the State Council can dispose the medal and documents to have another destination, for storage and conservation purposes.

Medal "For the Defense of the Motherland and Neighborhood Unity"

Full translation to folow asp.

LAW DECREE, N? 240.

ARTICLE 1. A new 42nd section is added to Article 6 of Law Decree N? 30, of December 10th, 1979, saying the following:

42. Medal "For the Defense of the Motherland and Neighborhood Unity", awarded to cuban and foreign citizens who gain enough merits when executing relevant actions, or when assuming attitudes that prove their loyalty to the revolutionary cause.

Gentlemen,

Many thanks indeed to both of you for the interesting additional information and putting the medal within its timeframe !

Regards,

Hendrik

Always glad to help

Regards Eddie

Thank you Eddie .

You are welcome, always glad to help.

Regards Eddie

These medals were given to the NCOs. Eleven were struck. It is silver gilt and 3.8 cm in diameter, weighing 1 oz. It was minted in England. awarded in recognition of the tremendous effort shown by the regiment at Villiers-en-Couche, on the recommendation of the commander of the 2nd Leopold Hussars, Baron Andrew Szentkerestzy.

Regards Eddie.

And the reverse.

These are the gold medals given to the officers of the 15th Light Dragoons by the Austrian Emperor Francis II. It is 6 cm in diameter and weighs 4.35 oz. It was worn round the neck suspended from a large gold chain of the same weight.

The Emperor Francis II gave a gold medal to each of the officers of the regiment and later presented them with the Order of Maria Theresa. The officers were:

Major William Aylett

Captain Pocklington

Captain Ryan

Lieutenant Calcraft

Lieutenant Keir

Cornet Blunt

Cornet Butler

Cornet Wilson

Image CO British Empire

Who can tell me what is name this medal??

Hi usairforce,

The Service Medal of the Order of St. John

Regards Eddie

OK, that begats the big question! Do we see a different badge for each school as per Soviet style... or are all schools issued the badge shown by Taz? The example is the only style I have seen thus far.

We know that at least Polish, Bulgarian and Hungarian Republics used a different badge for each school....

That is of course the big question.

Sorry that I can't offer more information at the moment.

Ages ago now, i'm fairly sure I saw a dark blue emamelled Cuban Academy badge. If this is the case, I'm certain the system would be based on the Soviet one.

So possibly the above badge (seen in an earlier Cuban thread), a blue enamelled Junior Officer version and a white enamelled one for Military Academies, with the rank of Major and above?

Remains to be seen, not really worth too much speculation at this realatively early stage of Cuban research.

The badges in wear are too small to identify, I suspect they are Soviet academy Badges

Regards Eddie.

Hendrik,Christophe,

There are three main differences to the reverse on these medals.

Henrik's has the newer style MVR Coat of Arms. The one on Igor's site is the older version Coat of Arms. There is also one without the MVR at the bottom, this was issued to Fire service members.

After the 1969 merger between the Bulgarian Committee of State Security and the Ministry of Interior the MVR coat of Arms was probably altered.

Just a little more info under George Dimitrov's image on the obverse is the date of the founding of the MVR Internal Ministry "10.IX.1944"

Hendrik, Christophe,

Looks like the Bulgarian Medal for 10 Years of Irreproachable Service in the Ministry of Interior to me, on the correct ribbon. The reverse has 10 not 15 years service.

The dark blue stripes indicate the following:

1st class 1 stripe, 20 years service

2nd class 2 stripes, 15 years service

3rd class 3 stripes, 10 years service

Regards Eddie

Ministry of the Revolutionary Armed Forces (MINFAR)

Academia de las FAR "General M?ximo G?mez" (General M?ximo G?mez Higher Academy of the Armed Forces) Founded on the 3rd July 1963

Director: General de Brigada Urbelino Betancourt Cruces.

Colegio de Defensa Nacional (National Defense College)

(with seat in the Academy of the General Officers' Club of Revolutionary Armed Forces Maximum Gomez, in the east of Havana)

Director: General Reinaldo G?mez Cuevas.

Academia Naval Granma (Granma Naval Academy)

Incorporated 1977-1978

Escuela Interarmas de las FAR "General Antonio Maceo" (General Antonio Maceo Military Academy)

Founded in February 1963

Instituto T?cnico Militar "Jos? Mart?" (Jos? Mart? Technical Military Institute)

Existing until the course of 1975-1976

Escuela de Artilleria de las Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias "Comandante Camilo Cienfuegos" (Comandante Camilo Cienfuegos Armed Forces' Artillery School)

Incorperated 1977-1978

Instituto Superior de Medicina Militar "Dr. Luis D?az Soto" (Dr. Luis D?az Soto Higher Institute of Military Medicine)

Founded October 1980

Escuela Interarmas de las FAR "General Jos? Maceo" (General Jos? Maceo Military School)

Founded on the 15th September1980

Escuela Militar Superior "Cdte. Arides Est?vez S?nchez" (Aristides Est?vez S?nchez Police Academy)

Incorperated 1984-1985

Escuela Nacional de Tropas Especiales Baragu? (National School of Baragu? Special Troops)

Incorperated in the 1980's

Ministry of Interior (MININT)

Instituto Superior del MININT "Hermanos Mart?nez Tamayo" (Hermanos Mart?nez Tamayo Higher Institute: Ministry of the Interior)

Incorperated 1978-1979

Deactivated

Escuela de Comunicaciones y Tropas Quimicas "General Carlos Roloff" ("General Carlos Roloff" School of Communications and Chemical Troops) (1982-1993)

Escuela Militar de Pilotos de Aviacion "Ernesto Che Guevara" ("Ernesto Che Guevara" Air Force Pilots School) (1985-1993)

Well Rick, that is maybe the case. However I see the MTT as a Territorial Military force. The CDR is a network of committees across Cuba. The organizations are designed to put medical, educational or other campaigns into national effect, and to report "counter-revolutionary" activity, not really to enforce it. Other responsibilities include arranging festivals, administrating voluntary community projects and organizing mass rallies.

So less of a Military role than the MTT.

Regards Eddie.

MTT shoulder boards

On the soldiers MTT boards you can see the small insignia as posted above.

The other boards are for a Lieutenant Colonel.

Cuba has three militia organizations:

The Territorial Militia Troops Milicias de Tropas Territoriales of about one million people (half women), the Youth Labour Army Ej?rcito Juvenil del Trabajo devoted to agricultural production, and a naval militia

The Cuban "War of All the People" doctrine is a defensive strategy created to try and counter an overwhelming invasion force. This strategy includes an armed population willing to fight for the defense of the homeland.

The Milicias de Tropas Territoriales (MTT) was formed in 1980 to increase the defense capability of the country. Fidel Castro stated that the MTT was necessitated in order to be "ready for combat operations not only using regular troops, but with the participation of the entire people."

In general, the militia is a part-time force with only light arms which are issued to them only on occasion. They are not capable of sustained combat, but are effective for controlling and coercing the general public. In addition, some selected units of the militia are specially armed and trained and are, in effect, army units specially dedicated to Fidel Castro.

The small badge on the left hand side shoulder patch is the MTT insignia

Not really much doubt that it is a modern fake, the majority of them are worthless reproductions, if the person and inscription has any resemblence to the original medal or order it may still help to identify the Warlord though.

Any Chinese speakers around?

Regards Eddie.

Here is a medal with a very similar central design.

However no Id at the mo.

Here are a few details of the Gallantry awardings for the Vijay Operation.

http://www.indianexpress.com/res/web/pIe/i...0/ige10136.html

Another excellently made and painted model Snoopy

Regards Eddie

Very nicely made

Amazingly realistic photo of the FW 190.

Regards Eddie

99.9% certain pre-Castro. Probably a commemorative, maybe even not official award. The modern version would have an SNT Trade Union logo on the reverse. Also the Medal ring is not suited for a pentagonal suspension devices.

The obverse is almost exactly the same as the modern Distinction apart from the wording "Orden".

Regards Eddie

There is a sketch of a few gun positions in the Zillebeke village area in the link below, they are covering the Maple Copse and Sanctuary Wood area.

http://myweb.tiscali.co.uk/tedspires/Diary.htm

"Thence, by field tracks, we crossed the Lille road a few yards north of Shrapnel Corner, and leaving on our left the long, low, red buildings of the "Ecole de Bienfaisance," reached Zillebeke Lake close to the white house at the N.W. corner. The lake is triangular and entirely artificial, being surrounded by a broad causeway, 6 feet high, with a pathway along the top. On the western edge the ground falls away, leaving a bank some twenty feet high, in which were built the "Lake Dug-outs,"?the home of one of the support battalions. From the corner house to the trenches there were two routes, one by the south side of the Lake, past Railway Dug-outs?cut into the embankment of the Comines Railway?and Manor Farm to Square Wood; the other, which we followed, along the North side of the Lake, where a trench cut into the causeway gave us cover from observation from "Hill 60." At Zillebeke we left the trench, and crossed the main road at the double, on account of a machine gun which the Boche kept at the "Hill 60" end of it, and kept moving until past the Church?another unpleasant locality. Thence a screened track led to Maple Copse, an isolated little wood with several dug-outs in it, and on to Sanctuary Wood, which we found 400 yards further East. Here in dug-outs lived the Supports, for whom at this time was no fighting accommodation except one or two absurdly miniature keeps. At the corner of the larger wood we passed the Ration Dump, and then, leaving this on our left, turned into Armagh Wood on our right.

Regards Eddie

Wow!

For a seven year old that's pretty darned impressive !

I have to second that, looks like he's learnt a few tricks from his dad

Regards Eddie.

Nice docs you've added in the other posts Stogieman,

Here is a strange one, notice that it says Order and not Distinction, no idea right now why that should be.

Regards Eddie.

Just to add, issued by the Gau Halle/Mersberg as a thank you, probably for continued large donations to the WHW