TacHel

Instituted on 10 March 2006. Awarded to naval personnel for impeccable service associated with Navy submarines for 5 years or more, for bravery and courage shown in the performance of military duty or special combat missions; to civilian personnel of the armed forces of the Russian Federation, as well as other citizens of the Russian Federation who assist in fulfilling the tasks assigned to the Navy.

Gents, I'm all Googled out! Weeks of searching ROTC web sites just looking at pimply faces... I'm ready to give up.

I'm told this medal is an ROTC award. If so, can ANYBODY show me the sucker with its proper ribbon?

I would be very grateful!

I think thank Golden Military Merit cross is a $2.00 Gode piece. I had one once. Note how the suspension is "twisted". Mine was exactly like that. More "original" or period Spange pieces have a more professional looking suspension piece. I think this is one of the most expensive 1914 EK2s ever sold!

I doubt it's from G?de, the quality is too high for a G?de piece. I've held G?de pieces and they cry out "crap", this piece, if it wasn't for the flaws in the suspension and top of the crown would be near impossible to tell apart from the real thing.

I've also seen an EXACT duplicate of mine for sale from a "guru" dealer in Germany who was asking 250 EURO. He was (and still might be) trying to pass it off as a piece issued post November 1918 by the Prussian Awards Committee who supposedly kept issuing awards (that were recommended during the war) after the end of the war .

I can't even remember how long I've had this at the bottom of a drawer... Years... And back it goes! :P

1914-15 = 1

1914-16 = 1

1914-17 = 1

1914-18 = 1

Question for you Rick...

I have a spangenst?ck like that... They worth anything?

The Moscow Times

Saturday, June 20, 2009

Moscow Gave Four Times More Hero Medals in Chechen War than in Afghanistan

The Russian defense ministry has named 322 of its soldiers Heroes of the Russian Federation for their actions in the two Chechen campaigns, nearly four times as many Heroes of the Soviet Union (85) that its Soviet predecessor handed out in Afghanistan, a product of the intensity of the Chechen war and of awards inflation in post-Soviet times.

According to an article in the current issue of "Sovershenno Sekretno," the Russian defense ministry presented 559 soldiers and officers with the title Hero of the Russian Federation between 1992 and the end of 2008. Of these, 322 were awarded to participants in the army's role in Chechnya.

In addition to those in the military receiving this distinction, personnel from the FSB, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Ministry of Emergency Situations also were named Heroes of the Russian Federation. Like the military until December 2008, few of these organizations have provided exact numbers.

The FSB has never given them out, but the number of awards there must exceed 40, the magazine said, given that the names of 34 of them are known. And for the MVD internal troops, the number is at least 81 for the fighting in the North Caucasus, of whom 54 received the award posthumously.

Thus, for the Chechen campaigns, more than 500 Russian personnel received this award, nearly six times as many that received the distinction of Hero of the Soviet Union for Moscow's effort in Afghanistan in the 1980s but, of course, far fewer than the 11,739 who received that award during World War II.

In addition to the dramatic increase in the number of awards, "Sovershenno Sekretno" suggested, two other aspects are troubling. On the one hand, the percentage of senior people who did not directly participate in combat seems to have gone up as well, a situation that recalls the medal mania of Brezhnev's time.

And on the other, some of the awards went to officials like FSB deputy director Vladimir Pronichev who was named a Hero of the Russian Federation for his role during the Nord-Ost terrorist incident, a case in which, as "Sovershenno Sekretno" recalls, 129 of the 130 who died were victims of the use of lethal gas by people under Pronichev's command.

The general inflation in the number of medals that the Russian authorities have handed out is obvious, according to the article, but the exact numbers are impossible to check given that information about awards given even during the first Chechen campaign, from 1995 to 96, remain inaccessible to investigators, with officials refusing all requests for their release.

The reason for this, the article continues, is that such statistics would be embarrassing either because they would allow people to see just how serious that conflict was, something the Kremlin did everything it could to conceal, or how commanders had used the conflict to hand out medals and thus advance its members.

Despite official efforts to keep the lid on such information, some of it has leaked out. There is a reference in one order that in February-March of 1995 alone, "almost 1600" Russian officers and men were given the Order of Courage, a statistic that suggests that the fighting was extremely intense. That would mean some 21,500 such orders were given out during the first campaign. And given that the numbers on the medals for March 2000 ranged from 42,000 to 46,000, there must have been more than 20,000 such awards given between the two Chechen wars, yet another indication of either the seriousness of the conflict or medal inflation.

The situation with regard to the awarding of medals appears to have become worse during the Russian campaign in Georgia, even though overall statistics remain classified. During that effort, which Moscow has called "the five-day war," the magazine reported, at least 19 officers and soldiers were named Heroes of Russia and 263 were awarded the St George Cross. But it is not only in the military were the "golden rain" of orders appears to be intensifying. Last Friday, on Russia Day holiday, Interfax reported, Patriarch Kirill, the head of the Russian Orthodox Church, was awarded the star of the Order of St. Aleksandr Nevsky "For Labor and the Fatherland".

While giving awards to church leaders has become increasingly frequent in post-Soviet Russia, this presentation is in some ways anomalous. While he has been declared a saint by the Orthodox Church, Aleksandr Nevsky in fact formed an alliance with the Muslim Mongols to oppose the expansion of Catholic influence into Russia.

Isn't that a 15 year NCO's cross Rick?

Looks OK... Though it's the first time I see a recipient of both medals for the Red Eagle and Crown Orders... Quite interesting actually.

I refer to my SSM as my "chrome plated medal"...

JP

Same here... I also received the 125th Ann. of Confederation medal... Yet another fine example of piss poor construction and finish.

TacHel

That's what happens when you have your medals produced by the "lowest bidder"... There is usually a reason why they are lower in price, and it normally shows in the finished product.

Sure glad I got my CD before the "el chipo" model appeared.

Jean-Paul

Same here, I got mine in 1992. Even my mini for my mess kit is of exquisite detailing unlike the triple plated crap they sell today. The Queen looks like the Queen on my mini CD, on the new ones... She looks like Popeye the sailor! No detailing and too much plating!

It started with the Special Service Medal (SSM), molded, roughly improved by filing then triple plated... Garbage! Just about everything since has been of the same low quality. Oh how I miss the days when our medals were coined and of such crisp sharpness in the detailing... That time is unfortunately gone! Politicians would rather save a few measly bucks then to properly recognize the people who sacrifice so much in the service!

The ONLY exception in the past few years has been the Canadian Peacekeeping Medal, that one isn't too bad. At minimum, it's way better then the others!

Interesting - & I did'nt know that William Scully was still around, having always associated it with WWI & WWII Canadian badges Id've thought it would have gone belly up by now - or does that just happen in Britain?

The newer cast version - are these still the same design, with the young queen's head?

Yup, same design, cheaper manufacturing... Piss poor quality control!

Hello Francois

When did the change makers?

Over 10 years ago. Any CD you might have seen bestowed since that was of high quality manufacture was from older stock. The new ones are of extremely poor finish.

The "CD", or "12 years of undetected crime" medal as we jokingly call it.

Looks like an older model, good for you. The newer ones are from a different maker are soooo cheap! Molded instead of coined, and poorly finished. You can see file scrapings on the side, the ribbon hole is so small the ribbon barely fits through it and the bars don't even properly fit to the width of the ribbon!

I used to court mount medals and the new CDs drove me NUTS!

Miniature CDs are cheap, and a bar for it will also be cheap. You can get them here: William Scully

They'll even court mount the mini for you if you wish.

Keep an eye out for the other CD, the GVIR issue, looks real nice with a square mount.

Don't hesitate to drop me a PM if you want hints on where to get the higher awards.

Cheers!

Here's yet another example of a very ambiguous award.

The Medal for 225 Years of the Black Sea Fleet as issued by the fleet commander (akin the medal for 70 Years of the Northern Fleet). The ONLY "official" fleet anniversary medal issued by the Defense Ministry was for the 300th anniversary of the Baltic Fleet back in 2003.

The medal is really nice and of fine quality, and I've seen it being worn on the uniform of members of the Black Sea Fleet, again, just like the medal for 70 Years of the Northern Fleet... But is it official or are these sailors only allowed to wear it while in that particular fleet?

Simply jawdroppingly STUNNING! :jumping:

Ahhh OK.

I think I know of a firm in the US that makes repros. I'll find out and get back to you ASAP. Do you perchance know the number?

Even if you pay hundreds and hundreds of dollars for an original, it still won't have the proper number on the back. But if that is what you want, I can give you the URLs of many reputable European dealers that have some for sale but like I said, it'll cost you a pretty penny.

If a copy is good enough, go to eBay and type in Order of St George 4th class... Plenty there.

Superbe comme toujours!

Did you recognize the gent in post #1? None other than Korpsf?hrer des NSFK Generalmajor Christiansen.

Hello TacHel

Nice job translating this very true to type mail.. Not all that easy !

The word "vaguemestre" is typical of French military linguo : the vaguemestre in a unit (generally battallion level) is responsible for receiving and delivering mail to its men. In other words, he is a military postman. He would therefore have an office at H.Q.s in order to receive the out-going mail and prepare delivery within the unit. This is where this man has found a cushy job.

And not the MAYOR of course. The confusion may have been between the words VAGUEMESTRE and BOURGMESTRE who is sometimes used for MAYOR.

Best regards.

Veteran

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh! I couldn't make out the first half of the word, only the second part and wrongly deduced it was BOURGMESTRE. But even if it had been crystal clear, I was unfamiliar with the term VAGUEMESTRE. Thank you for that info! Very enlightening!

Merci!

Great collection!

Absolutely stunning photo editing! You bring the entire collection to life! Thanks for sharing!

It's a letter to his sister but unfortunately still too small to make out some of the words. If worst comes to worst due to the max size allowed per picture per post, scan it bigger and cut it in 2 and insert in 2 posts.

Here's what I could read:

My dear sister,

I have been back at the depot since 15 November without permission (to leave) or contacts so I still haven't been able to go to Foulain. I am relegated in the Ance by the reform counsel of Antibes and employed in the office of the Mayor in Coilie this is better than drill.

I am feeling much better. I am not tired anymore, I only have to do what I can.

Marguerite came with Jean on the Tuesday following my arrival which really pleased me. Sunday she brought me clothes because I use much. I am covered in lice, this kind of bird is not amusing. Since she forgot your letter to me, she is sending it today. You don't say if you're feeling better, are you still sick? Answer me quickly. You must know the news from Foulain there's no need to talk to you about it. I don't know when I'll be able to get a 4 day pass, it's the Devil to get anything even though I have the right to 7 and 4 I have nothing.

Anyway, one must otherwise be content; if I still have some time to be peaceful one must not stir things up.

I leave you now my dear little sister and kiss/embrace you with all my heart.

Your dear brother -?-

I've added in blue what I could decipher (75%+ probability) following Michael's blow up.

Was this scratch built? :o

SWEET! Nice work! :jumping:

Order of Parental Glory, instituted on 13 May 2008. Awarded to parents (also adoptive parents) who are married, in a civil union, or in the case of single-parent families, to one of the parents (adoptive parents) who are/is raising, or have raised four or more children as citizens of the Russian Federation. For leading a healthy family life, being socially responsible, providing an adequate level of health care, education, physical, spiritual and moral development of the children, full and harmonious development of their personality, and setting an example to strengthen the institution of the family and child rearing.

This is the badge and the 2 mounts, bow for ladies, 5 corner mount for gents.

WOA!

Her grand father received the Cross of St George as a Canadian soldier?

We want more info man! Everything you can get your hands on! Dates, units, name, serial number, pictures!! The works! ANYTHING your cousin has!! If there's any missing info, there are guys on this forum that can probably find his boot size!

NOTE: the Cross of St George is usually numbered on the back. Find out if your cousin has that info.