NavyFCO

Just got the translation back on this guy today. An early Christmas present! Enjoy! Dave AWARDS LIST 1. Name: KIRICHKO, Anton Alekseevich 2. Rank: Private 3. Position, unit: Machine Gunner, 83rd Naval Infantry Brigade Nominated for: Medal ?For Valor? 4. Date of Birth: 1906 5. Nationality: Russian 6. Party affiliation: Without party affiliation 7. Participation in Patriotic War: On the Krim Front from March 1942 to 18 May 1942 8. Wounds and Contusions from the Patriotic War: Heavily Wounded on 18 May 1942 9. Joined the Red Army: Since 22 June 1941 to 1 July 1945 10. From which call up station: Keryukskim Regional Military District, Krasnodarskovo Krai 11. Previous awards: None presented 12. Permanent home address: Chelyabinskaya Oblast, City of Elatoyust, 7th division, 3rd Kamenka, Right bank, 72 Attestation: Comrade A.A. Kirichko served in the Soviet Army from June 22, 1941 till July 1, 1945. Participated in the Great Patriotic War from March 1942 till May 18, 1942. On May 18, 1942 he was severely wounded in the battles against Germans as part of a naval brigade unit and was captured by the enemy while unconscious. Was held in the captivity from May 18, 1942 till April 9, 1945. Was liberated by American troops. Underwent special interviews from April 9, 1945 till July 1, 1945. Afterwards was discharged from the military. His wound is confirmed by the Medical Committee of the Zlatoust City Military Draft and Registration Office as of January 23, 1957. There are no other documents to confirm his wound. He is currently in disabled worker status, 3rd degree because of his illness. Has no disablement as the result of the wound. Has been working as an under-the-crane worker at the #1 rolling shop of the Zlatoust steel plant since October 23, 1945. Is characterized positively at his workplace. Conclusion: Deserves to be awarded the ?For Bravery? Medal for having been wounded while participating in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945. Zlatoustovski City Military Commander Colonel /RADKO/ 8 February 1957

And here's a shot of the inside with the 1922 date stamp and the owner's name - Kimovsky, R. I. Dave

Here's one of mine in a material close to Chuck's, this one also with a black star. I think that the Red Army made uniforms from any material they could - bought, made, or "liberated"! The next post will have a shot of the inside of the bud. Dave

Thanks Rusty! That pic was taken this AM, so if there's anything anyone would like closeups of, it's all still there! This was my "diversion" after I got priced out of Soviet awards. Still fun, I think. I've sold all of my post Civil War buds off save for one of the border guard ones - I think they're just really pretty. I'm also a sucker for M-1927 visor hats too. The ones I am most proud of are the stack of three Czech Legion hats. When I got my first one, there were only three known in the US. I now own...three! (I'll admit that two of 'em came from overseas, making five known in the US) Dave

Of course, not much better than the bud & zhupan combo! (Yeah, I know that it's a Cav bud with an engineering battalion commander zhupan, but the fabrics looked so nice together on the coat form!) Dave

I like buds... Chuck, is the star on yours blue or black? Also, any stamps inside? Dave

Rick: My Numero Uno problem with this guy is the replaced (and I believe fake) gold sunburst on this award. You can see where someone seriously jacked with the screwnut on the reverse, and then replaced the orignal with this one. Stay away! Far away! Dave

OMG! And I don't even collect the stuff! Just WOW. Too bad there isn't a smiley with a pool of drool around it...... Dave

Here's the third and final shot. In this photo you can see how the pin matches up with the scratches! Thus, the end of the "myth" that the scratches indicate rubbing on another medal... Nope, they just show how the medal was stored!

Now, here's a shot at how this award was stored. It makes a nice tidy package when stored like this, and it naturally tends to end up like this in a dealer's bag...

Here are a few photos of what I'm talking about. First, here's the back of a beautiful RBL awarded to Pavel Kachurets in 1953. You can see the "half moon" scratches on the reverse...

All: Forgive me if I am telling you something you already know. However, I was just reading a thread this morning on here and this "myth" was mentioned, so I thought I'd "bust the myth"! For about the first twelve years of my Soviet award collecting career (which means "up till about two years ago" but it sounds better!) I always thought that the small half-moon shaped "swing" scratches on the reverse of hanging awards was from their rubbing up against other awards while hanging. Well, that's not the case. Those scratches actually come from the award being stored with the back of the award in contact with the metal pin/clasp on the back of the kolodka (ribbon mount.) If you take a hanging award that has the scratches on it, fold it in half the way that it would be naturally folded (most Soviet ODM don't like to lay well when folded face-first on the ribbon) with the reverse of the award touching the back of the hanger. Observe how the scratches line up with the pin. If they don't line up or don't exist, I submit two theories: 1) If they don't exist, that means that your award either was worn mounted in a group, and thus didn't have a pin to rub against or it was never stored with the back of the award touching the pin. 2) If the scratches don't line up, I am pretty confident in saying that you probably have a replaced hanger. Hope that clears up some misconceptions for everyone. I remember "back in the day" when seeing those scratches indicated to me that a medal was worn, even if things indicated that it was fake. In reality, all that had happened was that it had been stored that way and the pin had rubbed on the metal, perhaps even encouraged by the faker to make it look somehow aged. Enjoy! Dave

On the photo of the ship, it might just be me, but those look more like torpedo tubes than a deck gun. From the size of the ship, it looks like it could be a WW1 vintage frigate or destroyer with center mounted torpedo tubes. Just a thought... Also, it looks like his hat badge is silver, which would make me guess that the story of him being a chartmaker or something related to the technical aspects of navigation might be correct. When I lived in Russia the last time, the father of the family that I lived with was born in a prison in Siberia for exiled White officers. The desk in the room that I had was a BEAUTIFUL (and maybe 200+ pound) hand-carved desk that the grandfather (the White officer) had taken with him into exile! He had a very nice photo of the grandfather in his White uniform and he also had both his and his father's "rehabilitation" documents from the 50s and in fact he carried one of the small booklets that entitled him to free transport, etc. because of his "rehabilitated" status. Interestingly, to this family it wasn't all that big of a deal - they had done very well during the Soviet times and lived in an apartment in downtown Moscow that was about 2000 square feet in size (four bedrooms, a large foyer, a "servants room" and a large kitchen!) In fact, they were able to capitalize pretty well from it; there were apparently pretty decent benefits that came from their status. Interesting how it worked out for different people... Anyway, fascinating group Chuck! Thanks for posting it! Dave

Unfortunately, this was but a lone Red Star that had been used to "soup up" a bad group that I knew was bad when I got it. The awards were original, just the document was doctored, so I researched one of the awards just to make sure it was bad. And of course, lucky me... a Red Star to a "special" engine engineer! Of course, I can chuck the rest of the group - this is pretty cool! Anyone have any thoughts about the "special" engine? I've got a feeling that he was working on the Soviet's first jet engines, because the timing would be just about right.... Dave

The reverse of his award card. Lots of long service...

Front of his award card:

And the reverse of the citation...

Here's the front of his citation:

Here's a citation that just came in on a single Red Star. At first, I was pretty depressed about it... An aircraft engine worker??? But after the translation, it got real interesting! What are your thoughts? Dave 1. Name: Bondaryuk, Mikhail Makarovich 2. Rank: Engineer-Major 3. Position, unit: Chief, 22nd Division SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH INSTITUTE No 1 NKAP Nominated for: Order ?Red Star? 4. Date of Birth: 14 November 1908 5. Nationality: Russian 6. Party affiliation: A member of the Communist Party since 1939 7. Place of Birth: Moscow 8. Participation in Patriotic War: With a Special Task Execution Unit of the 1st Belorussian Front from February 1945 to May 1945 9. Wounds and Contusions from the a) Revolutionary War: None b) Patriotic War: None (Number, type, where) c) 10. Joined the Red Army: Since 1 November 1930 11. Other awards, medals presented and when: Presented Medal ?For Military Merit? for long service in 1944. 12. Permanent home address: Moscow, Leningradskoe Shosse, Home 90 Apt. 21 Attestation Comrade Bondariuk has been serving in the Civil Air Fleet and the Red Army for 15 years. During that time Comrade Bondariuk proved to be a knowledgeable expert in aviation and specialized engines. Under his direct supervision and personal participation some works of great importance have been done. Among them ? development of the МG-31 engine, development and usage of the most effective flight modes, life extension for M-100 engines; and the design, finalization and research for the specialized engine. Currently Comrade Bondariuk is the Chief, Specialized Engine Branch; he supervises preparation of the specialized engine for flight tests. Comrade Bondariuk is a strong-willed worker with great initiative, politically mature, and devoted to our Motherland. For his prolific work, he deserves to be awarded the Order of the Red Star. Chief SRI No. 1 NKAP General Lieutenant IAS /Bibikov/ In Agreement with Attestation: For long service of 15 years in the Red Army and prolific work, award him the Order of the Red Star. Deputy National Commissar of Aviation Industries of the USSR General Lieutenant IAS /A. Kuznetsov/ 6 September 1945

Guys - thanks for the leads! I didn't even think about Yuri's site - that has the best photos I've seen yet on it. If anyone else has more leads, I'm all ears! Dave

Does anyone have a modern military or civil Order of St Gregory from the Vatican? I have found one photo of one in a medals book from the 1960s, but haven't seen another photo of one. Any help is appreciated! Dave

Looking at it again on another monitor, I think Kim has a point. I think that's a very old Voroshilov... That is my final answer!

So, I turned off my music video of TaTu as I heard that this was a good challenge and that I should try my hand... By the way, have you seen that video where they get n.. Okay, before I get myself banned, here's my thought... It's Zhukov, Golikov and Rokossovski. I'm 100% certain on the first two, but less certain on the third as I can't tell well enough from the side of the head. How did I do? Dave

Unfortunately, they are just the big Ukaz lists for long service. The one thing that I didn't get that I wish I had was his service history - which would have included his photo. Since I'll probably be turning this group soon, I'll leave the next owner to request that. I bet there's some interesting stuff in there!!! Dave

I just got in the research for this very interesting little group to a tanker. His awards include: Red Banner 428547 Red Star 2933147 OGPW 2 714487 Military Merit Medal 3056309 He also has a Victory Over Germany with "Victory Parade" book, Victory Over Japan, XXX Years medal and a jubilee OGPW1st. He joined the Red Army in February 1934, and trained until October 1934 to become a mechanic-driver on a T-26 tank. In 1935, he commanded his own T-26, and in 1938, he was commissioned as a tank officer. He took command of a tank company in the 29th Light Tank Brigade, and during that time fought in Finland as a T-26 tank company commander. When the war broke out, he was commanding a heavy tank company in the 43rd Tank Regiment, 22nd Tank Division. Interestingly, even though it was classified as "heavy", the division was only armed with 235 T-26 tanks - the same tank as the "Light Tank Brigade" above! The Division had the unlucky distinction of being DIRECTLY on the border on 22 June 1941, and when the German artillery barrage that began Operation Barbarossa began, they were attacked while still in their barracks! Most of the artillery for the division was captured immediately by the attacking Germans of Guderian's 2nd Panzer Group, never having a chance to fire. The infantry dispersed into the Pripet marshes, leaving the tanks to operate on their own. By 1000 on 22 June 1941, the Division had lost 175 tanks, with only 60 remaining operational! On 19 July 1941, the remnants of the unit were trapped in the Minsk encirclement and were destroyed. Our Lieutenant managed to escape, however, and made it back to Soviet lines. What's the good Soviet thing to do with escaped troops? Send them to the Stalingrad Tank School! Here, he commanded a company of motorized tractors (perhaps for artillery?) and later commanded a company of officer candidates all the way until July 1943. For two months, he commanded a T-34 tank company in the 2nd Reserve Tank Regiment, and finally took them out into combat on 18 September 1943. Unfortunately, fate would deal it's evil hand again and less than a month later, outside of Poltava, he was heavily wounded on 12 October 1943. Because of the wound, he remained in hospital until March 1944, when he was then transfered to become a student at the Leningrad Highest Officer Tank School. Continuing his education he then transfered to the 1st Officer Tank and Motor Vehicle Training Regiment of the Red Army from October to December 1944. Why send someone highly trained back out to the front, when you can make him guard the HQ? That's exactly what happened next... He was sent to be the Deputy Battalion Commander in the 201st Tank Brigade. Though the 201st was carried as an active unit on paper, it was in reality a training unit for the Moscow Military District, and it remained east of Moscow until Victory Day in May 1945. During this time, he qualified for his 10-year For Military Merit medal, which was awarded in March 1945. As you can tell from the tone of the citation, he was THRILLED to be at the unit... Was assigned to the Brigade as the deputy Tank Battalion Commander on 9 December 1944. At that time, he displayed discipline and knowledge of tactics. However, he now fails to exhibit any initiative in his activities even notwithstanding the low level of discipline in the battalion as well as cases of breaching military discipline by the officers as well as by the NCOs (enlisted). The procedures for standing guard in the battalion, for which he is personally responsible, are not in order. Morally stable. Has authority with his personnel. Does not require re-training. Conclusion: With some assistance he will be successful in the deputy Tank Battalion commander position. For the continued service in the Red Army deserves to be awarded 'For Military Merit' Medal. Though the writing of the citation is relatively adverse (the first adverse one I've ever seen!) my translator says that the tone of the citation isn't that bad, as they put it - if it were truly adverse, our Lieutenant would have been sent to the Gulag instead of given a medal! Interestingly, he was a participant in the Victory Parade in Moscow, as undoubtedly his unit was as "spit and polish" as they came! Things sped up a little with the start of the War against Japan though and in August 1945 the unit fought against the Japanese for the short battles on the "other" front. The War ended, but not the career of our unhappy Lieutenant (note that he's been a Junior and Senior Lieutenant since 1938!) and through a unit transfer wound up in the 21st Tank Regiment, who apparently had a bit of pity on him. Two years after the end of the War, they nominated him for a Red Star, which then became a Patriotic War 2nd Class. Interestingly, this is NOT a delayed citation, but an actual citation written well after the end of the War! Comrade Prokvatilov, since assigned to the position has showed himself as a disciplined, skilled, exacting officer with good initiative. He is serious and conscientious in relation to his official duties, pays much attention the well being and political {position} of the battalion personnel, and supervises maintenance of the unit?s materiel and weapons. He has fought against the Finnish invaders, in the Patriotic War and war with the Japanese. He repeatedly displayed courage and bravery in combat; his right hip was severely wounded during a bombing in the town of Poltava, when he was assigned as the Tank Company Commander with the 41 Guards Tank Corps. For his displayed courage and bravery, having been severely wounded in the battle for the Soviet Motherland and having no governmental awards for combat honors, he deserves to be awarded the governmental award ? the Order of the Red Star. I don't know what happened to him following this. By 1955, he was a Major and was in command of a tank battalion in the 42nd Guards Tank Regiment. I would not be surprised if he was retired as a Major in 1958 having put in 20 years commissioned service. He was awarded a Red Star for long service in 1950, and a Red Banner for 20 years in 1954. He never received a long service medal, which he would have received in 1959 had he still been in the service. A rather interesting group to a fellow who "came back" as it were from being a rebel to being a decent officer! Dave