Ed_Haynes

David Mironovich Sup'yan http://gmic.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=3728

Major General Vatslav Bronislavovich Lavrinovich http://gmic.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=2326

Lieutenant General Ivan Ivanov Kravchenko http://gmic.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=6207 Almost impossible to scan the whole thing at once, the badges have been left off and a couple of items "restored for display purposes" are included. See the dedicated thread for full details, please.

Lidias Vasilovna Shapovalona http://gmic.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=2735

Following Gerd's excellent example, I thought I'd put up here, in one place, some of the Soviet goodies that have come my (novice) way in recent years, some from forum comrades, others from the "usual suspects" of dealers, the good, bad, and ugly. Most have been posted here in much more detail already, and I'll give cross-references as needed. Most of these are documented and research is in hand or on the way from The Master.

Nice, Gerd. Many thanks for this. This is nice eye candy. Even though many of these have been posted elsewhere here, it is good to see them all in one place, as it gives an idea of the coherence of a collection.

Would love to give an update, JC. But as I am just about to head off to my summer travels (which will include some time in Ulanbaatar), I'm not sure I'll have the time. And, YES, I do requests! Happily! But most of my guests life off-site and it takes some time to fetch them. Luckily, what you ask for is already up at http://gmic.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=5058&st=51 and I'll repeat the closeup here.

Yes, it would be driver. And this could be anything from driving VIPs to driving supply trucks. Not sure on the significance ot the "P" prefix to the service number, though I have a partial list somewhere. I assume the medals themselves are unnamed? A shame the British decided to issue these unnamed, unlike other commonwealth governments (e.g., India, South Africa, Australia). Despite what some have written, this was not an economy measure, but came out of a desire to issue the medals with little delay. Interesting group that helps date when medals were awarded. Medals couldn't be sent to an Israel that didn't exist, so these are post-1948. This parallels patterns I have seen in researhing WWII medals in India, most of which seem to have been isued in the early 1950s but, then, India was striking them themselves.

Agreed! It is an unfortunate vagueness that the official abbreviation for the next-to-lowest class of the order (OBE) is the same as the unofficial shorthand for the order as a whole (OBE). If it helps, this confusion goes all the way back to the first days of the order (which was a very new and even revolutionary creature in British phaleristics, a multi-classed continental-style order that was actually awarded for MERIT!). Even as they discuss renaming the order today (what "empire" are they speaking about??), they struggle to keep the same postnominals ("Order of Britsh Excellence"?).

Thanks, Dave, Please let your friend know I have used his image and will happily remove it if he wishes. I am very sensitive to such issues, though I realise that in these days of Google spiders crawling all over anything that ever shows up any place on the web becomes fair game for unfair poaching. Ed

And one more image that I could locate, less exotic but more kosher:

Red Star

First of all, I'm sorry if this is a duplicate thread. I was sure there was an old one, but I couldn't find it. If the bosses wish to merge this with that one, please do so. As a request from another thread, I'm putting a few images I have (imaged only) of WWII Soviet awards adapted (often with some inventiveness) for wear by their Commonwealth recipients. I am a little reluctant to do this, as these medals are not in my custody, the images are on my chaotic hard disk but with no sense of where they came from, in whose custody the medals reside. Apologies if I am stealing.

As these are pictures (only) that I have (and I can't remember where they came from) of medals that aren't mine, I am reluctant to post them. I shall, however, put some up. But not here, in another thread, so as not to get us off track here. See: http://gmic.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=8605

The CBE (repeat: CBE) is constructed like the one pictured (the KBE badge the same too), as a neck badge, with suspension loop at right angles to the plane of the cross. The CBE, KBE, and GBE badges are enameled. The OBE and MBE are breast badges (gilt and silver, respectively), with suspension ring in the same plane as the cross. There is also the medal of the order, in several forms. And all came in both military and civil (not relevant here?) divisions. Though, looking at that lovely photo, when the fellow remounted his CBE exotically and perversely onto a Soviet pentagonal suspension, he used the wrong (civil) ribbon rather than the proper military ribbon! See: http://www.medals.org.uk/united-kingdom/un...-kingdom024.htm However, the CBE (and DBE and GBE) badge for women was constructed for wear from a bow ribbon, and you need to wonder how many Soviets wore "female" badges. The Soviets, in particular, did great violence to the wearing regulations of foreign awards to make them fit into their traditions. But, then, so did foreign recipients of Soviet awards, adapting (what a kind word) the Patriotic War and Red Star for wear on a suspension ribbon, for example. British awards are as (really, less) complex than Soviet awards, but rather than reflecting a (nominally) classless society, their structure reflects a society that is "all about" class.

Is this a question about Spanish Civil War awards or about Spanish awards? Is it in the right forum?? Not sure I know the answer, but more concerned that it may be in the wrong place?

The only one I have, in a group. Advance apologoies for ignorance: Can anyone provide some background to this award and those who received it? Just how odious were these boys? Bad as the Freicorps types?

The Spanish order was passed out fairly freely to esteemed European Catholics, without much regard to underlying logic. We make, I think, a mistake, to introduce any assumption of too much "system" into the "honors system". Then or now. He was a (greater) German Catholic, working in Egypt, and "lifting" anything that wasn't firmly affixed (and some things that were), and repatriating them to the Fatherland. 'Nuff said? Maybe he sent some plunder onto Spain as well? These are, after all, the Days Before eBay.

A distinguished herdsman, for sure, Dolf!

I love my flock . . . . . . am I Welsh??

While dragging out my herd to count the snouts and enjoy then . . . ooh . . . I noted something. Type 3 (Cyrillic legend, unnumbered) Enamel color noted. As with the ranger badges??

Be aware, buddy . . . once you have gone over to the the "snouts", you are truly hooked: (And note, by the way, the enamel color difference on the bottom two . . . )

That selfsame badge had been posted here before, but due to great recent complexities in my life it never got entered in my notes. Oops. It is however, the lowest recorded number for that type. And I envy you it!!

See also: http://gmic.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=8596

Oh . . . GIGANTIC! (Ricky will kvetch!) That number is 1500!!!!!!!!!!??????????????? "Bizarre" doesn't even cover it! We have in the database: Type 1 (Mongol legend, crude construction, mirror reverse); Low = 15/High = 399 Type 2.1.1 (Mongol legend, mirror reverse, serial number at 7 o?clock); Low = 32/High = 4100 Type 2.1.2 (Mongol legend, mirror reverse, serial number at 10 o?clock); Low = 484/High = 496 Type 2.2 (Mongol legend, flat reverse); Low = 4164/High = 4541 Type 3 (Cyrillic legend, unnumbered) 1500?????