IrishGunner

Thanks for this Chris; puts some things in perspective. I have a Cape Garrison Arty BWM - interesting to see the low numbers for this unit. Some of those other arty units would be darn near impossible it would seem - ie Nairobi Howitzers.

Silesian Eagle is on my Want List; now I know how I want it to look! Thanks for posting guys. :beer:

I really like the bar a lot - I like these NCO bars much more than an officers! - and with the two Vics an incredible bargain IMHO :cheers:

Well done my young friend. But I hope you didn't spend all your time in those wonderful countries hunting down researchable groups! I hope you met a lot of young Russians, Estonians, Finns, and Swedes. And just think you can go back and hit Norway, Latvia, and Lithuania! :cheers:

Now any Silesia veteran would be quite proud to wear that to the bierkeller. :cheers:

At some point, I will have this one researched; the Berlin connection is just too tempting to me - I need to know more. And you know, I hadn't thought about scouring the Bravery Medals at the market to see if it drifted down-stream. Now I have a reason to return to the market today! Funny thing is that this particular dealer has some Bravery Medals... You don't think he missed it himself do you? Nah. But worth a look... :P

I like it (although I would've used a dark color for the felt). :blush:

Lots of interesting pieces there... Welcome! :beer:

Brian, this has more of a look of pre-WWI to me, especially the design of the obverse; and the words "Einigkeit macht stark" = "Unity makes strength" is very Bismarckian sounding, adding to the 1870 feeling of the piece...something to commemorate the veterans of 1870-71. A Google search in German showed that the Bavarian village of Vohenstrauss erected a memorial in 1896 to honor the fallen soldiers of the village at the Battle of Sedan. Very possible that this medal had something to do with the same commemoration. Here's a picture of the memorial:

Lebed's helicopter crashing for "no apparent reason" - OH now that's exactly what I mean by folklore. "No apparent reason" - yea, right. :whistle:

One thing I've learned about Russian folklore after living in this part of the world for some time - and after drinking a lot of vodka with Russians. Much of folklore isn't "lore" Oh and BTW, the medal is hung backwards on the picture. St George slaying the dragon is the obverse. You know, I wondered about that...I would have thought old St George would have merited the obverse.

You are right, just something about this simple bar that is really striking to the eye. Well done. One can just imagine this Wuerrtemburger (assumption because of the Stuttgart label) fighting on the Isonzo Front with the Austria-Hungarian forces.

Hey, thanks for the heads-up though. One day, just maybe one day we'll re-unite the group. :catjava:

Frank, another reason I'm content to stay away from the high-end Soviet orders. About the only thing above the common jubilee medals et al that I'm interested in now is a WW2-era OGPW. Everything else I will leave for you more knowledgeable and wealthy Soviet experts. :whistle:

Kevin, the cognac is a birthday present for my son and I'm going home for a short visit in two weeks. So, no; it's days are numbered. I received a great bottle of Port from the commander of a Portuguese airborne battalion in Bosnia in 2003; it didn't survive either. But I still have the wooden box with the battalion's regimental insignia carved into the side! :catjava:

Henk, the Bravery Medal shows up there because I just put him in there as "a medal I am looking for" - ;)

I've posted most all of this in the "Today's Finds" sub-forum, but thought I'd do this just for fun. Along with the Cognac, I've also found an old Soviet manufactured porcelain figure of a Cossack.

The Berlin document

The name page:

The Awards Booklet - if anyone can tell me his name - it would be appreciated.

The Capture of Berlin Medal

I picked up this ORS today at the Yerevan flea market - while it's a higher number than the one I already own, I consider this one an upgrade because it comes with the recipient's awards booklet and his Capture of Berlin Medal and document. The Berlin connection fits right into my interests; one for later research. Also, the awards booklet shows he received the Bravery Medal - unfortunately, that wasn't along with the group. First the Order of Red Star:

If the asked price is more than $25 to $50, pass! That's what I was thinking too Frank; and I'd only pay that now if I was certain it was a genuine numbered silvered issue. Thanks for all your insights to this piece - great learning experience.

Hmm. Given the outrageous price on eBay and the speculation of "real" or "fake" or "stolen" - I'd steer clear even though I think it's an interesting piece. Too many warning flags at this point.