Chuck In Oregon

According to the one-page entry on the web site of the British Library of Political and Economic Science, MOPR -- Международная Организация Помощи борцам Революции, or International Organization for the Support of Revolutionaries -- began in 1926. However, the earliest of these documents, the first one I show here, shows that it existed in the Republics at least as early as 1924. By 1936, the book had had been modernized, at least in Georgia, and this second pin had been added to those available. The second book is interesting in that the front carries the organization's name in four languages, none of them Russian. The only Russian is the booklet printing information on the inside back cover. By the 1940s the membership booklet had been reduced to a crude paper folder, as this Russian MOPR example illustrates. This was probably because paper and printing facilities were strategic assets not to be squandered on non-military uses. The early badge was still in use. Now let's see some of your MOPR collectibles. Chuck

I hate to bring up Boria too often. I have heard "Why should I believe that and who is he anyway?" before. Let me tell you a little about him. He fought in Afghanistan as an undercover operator pretending to be a non-Afghan volunteer to the mujahdin. Think about that for a minute. He was unusually well qualified for that job. He was deputy police chief of a major Russian city in charge of anti-organized crime. Now think what you want about that, but it almost got him killed 3-4 times. He also fought in the first Georgian civil war after independence. I mean fought, not watched from an office. His other side is that he is one of the most likable, open, and brilliant people it has ever been my pleasure to know. We have become close friends. He is an historian of some note, with particular expertise in Russian and Georgian royalty and military history. He speaks 5-6 languages well, including Afghan well enough not to get killed. I don't suggest that he is the last word in anything that we discuss here. However, I don't mind passing along his comments every now and then. I have met few people in my life that were worthy of admiration. He is one of them. Chuck

The best authority whom I know personally is my retired MVD colonel friend Boria. I clearly remember discussing the cockade I posted with him right after I bought it. According to him it is an NKVD general's cockade. I don't ask you to accept an unknown authority, but he's mine and that's what he said and I believe it. Chuck

* * * * * Good Morning All George, I like your aviation example a lot. However, would you consider a different attribution? Could this possibly be from the 2nd Aero Squadron of the Caucasian Independent Army? I didn't think that squadron ID made it to shoulder boards, so that argues against my idea. I am only speculating. Below is a pilot's badge attributed to the 3rd Aero Squadron of the Caucasian Independent Army. The numbered piece is removable and replaceable. I suppose that's if you were transferred or merely to simplify manufacturing by working with a single large piece and adding the number as needed. I will grant in advance that this may be a division badge, but I don't think so. BTW, I think this is an uncatalogued piece, one of my very few. Merry Christmas to all. Chuck

No, there are no marks on this bud. It is fully lined inside, so where you might expect to see a factory stamp is covered with what appears to be a felt lining. That is a black star you see. I know that it looks something like corduroy, but it really isn't. I never even noticed that pattern -- I thought I was seeing things in the picture -- until I photographed the cap. Then it really stands out and you can see it clearly enough once you know. I think this is more likely duck-cloth or maybe a canvas than corduroy. Corduroy buds? Were there such things? Merry Christmas to all. Chuck

... And here are the photos

I have absolutely no idea whether anyone might be interested in this thread. This is the one and only budennovka I have ever come across for sale, and a decent pilotka. The pictures of the earnest, young and likely doomed aviator are not related to the hats. I just like them and I thought you might. The 12-2-40 note is on the back of the picture of him as a cadet (or possibly a Komsomolist, I suppose) in Arkhangelsk. I lean toward aviation cadet in view of the other photo. As I so often think ... I hope he made it. Chuck

You don't see too many examples of that cockade around, either. I have this one example of the 11 republic version. Hard to find and expensive any more. Thanks for sharing that uniform. Now I have something for reference and comparison. Chuck

* * * * * PM sent. Chuck

* * * * * Hello Bob I enjoyed talking to you yesterday. Call any time and be sure to visit when you come to Oregon. George, that invitation goes for you, too. Kindest regards, Chuck

I keep running across these things. I've got to get organized one of these days. Stogieman might tell you that will never happen ... but then again, it might. I believe that this is the shoulderboard of a civil general of the Railway Department. I've always been halfway interested in railway collectibles and I picked this one up in Tbilisi one afternoon. Now let's see some of yours. It occurs to me that railway collectibles would be good threads in both the Imperial and Soviet forums. Chuck

... And here is a silver frachnik of the same badge. The badge is silver, and proof-marked only. The screwback appears to be silver-plated bronze. Here again, both metal and enamel are in perfect condition. However, you can see the difference in the enamel in this one compared to the one in post #1. This enamel is not nearly as high quality and you can see the imperfections that have been there since day one. Plus, the crown in slightly tilted. I doubt if the maker of the first one would have let something like this out of his shop with his name on it if that tilt is original. Of course, this has probably been through a lot in the intervening 100+ years and this could have happened after it left the shop. OK, I've got a couple more, but now it's time to post yours. Chuck

There was some interest in my post on the Red Cross hero group and one other medical post. I promised yesterday that I would start a dedicated thread, so here goes. I'll start with this one. It is an expensive high-quality variant of what would otherwise be an ordinary (but nonetheless impressive) badge of the Imperial Red Cross. This one must have belonged to a very senior member and/or a very wealthy one, maybe both. It is solid gold, total weight is 15.60 grams and 3.5 x 3.5 cm (1.75") in size. Transparent red enamel over a pebbled pattern. The cross and pin are both proofed and maker marked. It came in this nice period case from a turn-of-the-century Tbilisi jeweler's shop. I can't know if it originally came in this case, but the case came with the badge when I bought it. Metal and enamel are in perfect condition. Chuck

* * * * * Hi Paul Well, that does it. I'll start a Red Cross/Medical Service thread this evening. I've got a few nice examples in that field to share. I trust you'll post your things too. Chuck

Hi George That was a very nice thing to do. Thank you and thanks to Mark, too. Do you suppose we can get the postcard translated too? Does Staff-Captain Rudakovskii have a first name? I am very pleased with this little group. I haven't seen a reference to a gold version of the medal, but that's definitely what this one is. I have read that it was awarded only to women. That makes me wonder if this was a unique awarding to a man. I am having a little trouble imagining how this was worn from a ribbon, not to mention wondering how and why they decided to award this particular award to a man. I didn't mean to say that this is the Imperial Red Cross's (or equivalent) highest award, but I do think it was their highest award for valor. There are some other awards for service and merit, as I recall. Since I have a few, maybe we should start a thread on them. What do you think? I have heard that there are collectors who specialize in Red Cross items. Some of them are bound to have some nice things to share. OK, thanks again for helping make this man's heroism known to the world ninety years after the fact. That's the kind of thing that really gets my blood flowing in our collecting hobby. Chuck

* * * * * Hello Vadim Thank you for that. I was very puzzled by it and I tried to work out how that might have happened. I admit, the same-name answer never occurred to me. Welcome to the forum. I'm looking forward to your contributions. Chuck

<<The photos I have from Georgia look more like mountain areas of Mexico.>> Georgia has every type of terrain, from jungles near the coast, to high deserts, tea plantations, beautiful wine grape valleys, huge forests, great mountains ... you name it. One thing you see pretty much everywhere is some trees, or at least a little brush. This place looks more like the moon. I mean, there is nothing growing anywhere but a little grass. I bet it was hard to feed the horses off of that. Sort of put the kabosh on foraging for the troops, too. I am pretty certain this is north-central Turkey in these photos. Chuck

OK, this is the last picture and it may be the real deal. At least they're keeping their heads down in this very neatly dug gun pit, just below the military crest. It surely has a commanding view. I doubt if anything but artillery could move them out of a position like this one. Still not a tree to be seen in all this area, not even a stump. What a place for a war. Has this thread been too much? Maybe photo overkill? I can understand it if you think so. Tell me and I'll try to think of another way to share my other album. Chuck

Here are two gun firing positions just barely scratched into the ground, if that. In the near position you can see a gunner and loader. In the farther-away position, you can see a gunner, loader and maybe a gun boss/section leader with his arm raised. One thing for sure, there wasn't much in the way of cover and concealment in this area. Not a tree to be seen anywhere. I think the officers may be observing a training drill here.

The happy band again, on yet another rocky hillside. Their TO&E must have been just those four MGs and supporting equipment and I suspect that this is all there is to their entire unit. You can see the wranglers (I'm sure they didn't call them that) holding their horses in the back. I think that's the CO again, standing between two other men in the back row. That looks like his horse on the right. The loyal pooch is still in the front row.

This is the same firing (command?) pit. Now the other loader (gun boss?) has his right hand raised. You can see the CO again, right hand near his mouth. You can see that his sword is actually a shaska, a traditional Caucasian weapon. They have re-sighted the left MG to fire more toward the front.

This looks like one of the MG sections at work. One of the loaders appears to have his hand raised as if to give a command to fire. However, I think this must be another posed photo. I think that's the CO there, with the sword, leaning on his right arm and looking to his front. One thing, it's a very neat firing pit, even though dug in some very rocky-looking ground. They must have had good discipline and plenty of time.

And here's the happy band, all unlimbered and gathered together for a picture on a barren hillside. You can see what I think are Maxim and Browning machine guns. However, since I'm not a machine guy, they may be something quite different. It still looks cold there. You can also see the eternal unit dog in the front row. I think that may be the CO in the front row-center, just to the right (as you look at it) of the dog.

This is the same unit, making their way through an orchard just outside a village. The same guy, riding the same horse, is in the lead and you can see a shadow that may be the photographer's. Heavy coats while on the march and no leaves on the trees, but no snow, make me think this is a late fall or winter scene.

I'm going to share an entire photo album. I only speculate from the photos that the first owner/photographer was a company commander. Even the Turkish Front is only an educated guess. This looks like a Georgian or a Georgian-Armenian unit of heavy machine guns. There are a total of eight photos. Well, nine if you count the tiny cut-out photo of his sweetheart on the front cover. That is a very endearing side of this man. The pictures tell the story. This was a hard and lonely life. In the cover picture they are leaving a town or garrison that you can see in the background. My guess is that's him on the beautiful lead horse in the picture on the front cover, below.