IrishGunner

So, now that we are into the first full year of the Centennial, what are your thoughts on the availability and prices of WWI militaria? From my view, I don't think I see any more quantity for sale... Prices for British medal trios seem to be up a bit, but in general, I haven't seen a big jump in prices overall.

Bump

I don't want to totally hijack George's thread, but those artillery cups are fantastic, Mickey! Do you have an opinion on the authenticity of George's cups in Post #1?

Sake cups have always captured my curiosity and I've pondered picking up one artillery-related; I look forward to when an expert jumps in with clues about authenticity.

Very interesting...

Hmmm. I suspect you may be right Bernhard.

No, no, Claudius. Clearly, this is a Frackspange. Order precedence from right to left. So, of course, the Zentenarmedaille is in its proper place. Most of these are Karneval orders, including the highly coveted Krapfenabwehr Kreuz and the Fasching Dienstauszeichnung. Identification is possible: Der Weihnachtsmann in the uniform of his Bavarian regiment.

Hey some if us might still try! ;)

I thought he must have had the Order Polonia Restituta. It was a fairly common award. And in my opinion, one of the more attractive Polish awards... Polish Valor Cross makes sense considering his wartime service. I also suspect he had the civil Cross for Merit (Krzyż Zasługi) and several lesser medals associated with veterans of the Second World War awarded by the Communist Polish State. I suppose he would have also received the Soviet Medal "For the Defence of Stalingrad" since he was still with the Red Army in 1942 when it was instituted. I also know that Polish nationals received the Soviet Medal "For the Victory over Germany in the Great Patriotic War 1941–1945". I don't know how you would confirm his Red Army awards however.

Being a former attache myself, this is great stuff! Thanks for taking time to research and share.

Here's the guy! Fukushima Yasumasa His Wikipedia entry talks about the epic ride from Berlin to Vladivostok. It doesn't mention a diary or book though. Maybe that's my imagination. Edited to add: According to this website: The Long Riders’ Guild would like to thank Richard La Tondre, who is currently translating the Baron’s book, “Tanki Ensei" (The Lonely Expedition) into English. This excerpt will soon be available in Dick’s new book, “The Golden Kite.â€

This is a very interesting thread. It is enjoyable to read something outside one's normal area of interest. I vaguely remember hearing about a book written by a Japanese attache in Berlin who returned to Japan on horseback riding through Russia. His observations while in Russia were reportedly instrumental in preparations for the Russo-Japanese War 1904/05. Is this related to this thread in any way? Or is this a figment of my imagination?

Great photo and history

Another interesting one

Not fancy, but very representative of the service of many. Still interesting. TR is not my period; so, this is the first I've really looked at WP. Thanks for showing!

You might find this of interest: Poland-Ethiopia: History of Bilateral Relations

Owain, Order of the Builders of the People's Republic of Poland was the highest civil decoration of Communist Poland. Wiki cites about 310 awards of the Order. Order of the Red Banner of Labour I Class ranks #4 in order of precedence.

You are probably quite correct. His obituary said he participated in the Battle for Stalingrad; so, he probably had a couple Soviet awards. I bet he also had some other lower Polish decorations, but they are not listed on the Polish wiki.

I would translate it more like this: Deputy Chairman of the Committee of International Economic Cooperation, Council of Ministers - this was his Polish Government position. He also held the position of Deputy Chairman in the international organization Council for Mutual Economic Assistance (COMECON) - this was the economic equivalent of the Warsaw Pact founded by Moscow and included eastern bloc nations. It initially was Stalin's response to the Marshall Plan and also has been called the Molotov Plan.

Obituary in the Polish newspaper Gazeta Wyborcza It's in Polish; here is the translation: With great sadness we bid farewell to deceased 29 August 2014 Kazimierz Olszewski Our neighbor, a friendly and vibrant person, Participant in the Battle of Stalingrad, former Minister and Deputy Prime Minister

His Polish orders: Order Budowniczych Polski Ludowej 1974 (Order of the Builders of the People's Republic of Poland) Order Sztandaru Pracy I klasy (Order of the Red Banner of Labour I class)

Found this one... 1984, Polska. Kazimierz Olszewski - ambasador PRL w ZSRR w latach w latach 1978–1982. Fot. Romuald Broniarek, zbiory Ośrodka KARTA (Caption references his years as ambassador to USSR 1978-1982) Source: Polish language site fotoKarta

Exactly. I often have spent the price if a beer on an unknown item just to have the fun of discovery.

Schwyz, K.u.K bedeutet "Kaiserlich Und Königlich" ... Es ist mit der Österreichisch-Ungarische Streitkräfte, sowie während des Ersten Weltkrieges, verbunden. "K.u.K. Inf.Regt. Nr. 98" war die Infantrie Regiment Nummer 98 der Österreichisch-Ungarischer Streitkräfte. Kaiserlich war Österreich und Königlich war Ungarn. Hier gibt es ein "website" auf Englisch: Austro-Hungarian Land Forces 1848-1918