paja

My congrats on your recent appointment and many thanks for sharing those pages from the book, especially the one with the badge of the First Serbian Volunteer Division. This is the first time I see it, truly amazing piece!

Link to publisher's website with more information about the book: http://zavod.co.rs/index.php?route=product/product&filter_name=%D1%81%D0%B5%D1%9B%D0%B0%D1%9A%D0%B0+%D1%81%D1%80%D0%BF%D1%81%D0%BA%D0%BE%D0%B3+%D0%BE%D1%84%D0%B8%D1%86%D0%B8%D1%80%D0%B0&product_id=4612

Greetings, I've heard about your new book but still haven't got a copy of my own. Knowing your previous publications this one must be very interesting as well! I would like to mention one more book that somewhat deals with this matter "Recollections of Serbian Officer 1900-1918" by Vojislav Å ikoparija (Сећања ÑрпÑког официра 1900-1918 - ВојиÑлав Шикопарија). It was also published recently, and the author is my relative's grandfather who was cadet in Kiev Cadet Corps and later finished Alexandrovsky Military School. He returned to Serbia and was promoted to infantry 2nd lieutenant in September 1912. just in time for the First Balkan War. Later after retreat through Albania he was sent to Odessa in 1916. as one of the officers which were to take part in creation of the First Serbian Volunteer Division. For his actions he was decorated with following decorations (among others): Order of the Star of KaraÄ‘orÄ‘e with Swords 4th class (1919), Order of the White Eagle with Swords 5th class (1915), Order of St. Vladimir with Swords 4th class (1917), Order of the Star of Romania with Swords 5th class (1917) and two MiloÅ¡ Obilić Bravery Medals.

Belonged to fighter B. Rapaić, made on March 30, 1945. Today in Tihomir Tomašek's collection.

This one's from the collection of National Museum in Å abac.

Found it! Photos from article "Partisan knife as a fist" by Branko Bogdanović (ПарттизанÑки нож као пеÑница - Бранко Богдановић). Second one belonged to Anton Å tevinović (mostly Serbian family from Novska - today in Croatia). Piece is from Borna Barac's collection.

I'll try to dig up photos of original pieces, I think I scanned one article about them...

http://gmic.co.uk/uploads/monthly_01_2015/post-7937-0-97226300-1421170204.jpghttp://gmic.co.uk/uploads/monthly_01_2015/post-7937-0-68275900-1421170209.jpghttp://gmic.co.uk/uploads/monthly_01_2015/post-7937-0-89317000-1421170213.jpg

I'll upload images so we can still see them when the ad disappears. http://gmic.co.uk/uploads/monthly_01_2015/post-7937-0-57296900-1421170121.jpghttp://gmic.co.uk/uploads/monthly_01_2015/post-7937-0-78501100-1421170124.jpg http://gmic.co.uk/uploads/monthly_01_2015/post-7937-0-89312400-1421170127.jpghttp://gmic.co.uk/uploads/monthly_01_2015/post-7937-0-26143700-1421170130.jpg

We talked a lot about fakes of Äetnik badges and daggers in this topic: http://gmic.co.uk/index.php/topic/31679-serbia-original-chetnik-items/ Collector on other website pointed out that replicas of communist so-called fist daggers are also appearing on ebay... Here's one: http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/YUGOSLAVIA-PARTISAN-034-FIST-KNIFE-034-Model-1943-1944-/121452837952?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item1c47273c40&nma=true&si=6c47l2Mi4ECYNLgMMTQnfzjnE58%253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557

Greetings Vladan and welcome to GMIC. I don't know why but I can't open your images, could you please upload them again?

Don't mention it, my pleasure. Unfortunately I wasn't able to find more information, if I discover something new I will let you know

There was also Chivalrous Society Dušan the Mighty founded in 1892 which existed until WW1. Although not related to that society Chetnik mentioned they issued couple of medals and the society's fence club had very interesting breast badge similar to academy badge.

It would be nice if all of those fakes could disappear from everywhere not only ebay. There are still ads for them out there...

Did some research on VES VJ used same classification as JNA but according to information I found such number didn't exist in classification.

I've been digging up info on that unit and apparently it was formed in 1992. First name 72. десантно-јуришна бригада was "quickly" (I wasn't able to determine when exactly) changed to 72. специјална бригада ( 72nd Special Brigade). Brigade consisted of: -Military Police Counter-terrorist Battalion (Батаљон војне полиције за противтерористичка дејства) -1st Reconnaissance-Commando Battalion (1. извиђачко-диверзантски батаљон) -Sudden Strike Battalion (Батаљон за препадна дејства) - it's name was later changed to 2nd Reconnaissance-Commando Battalion -Support Battalion (Батаљон за подршку) - later leveled to company. -Logistic units. Inscription "Specijalna padobransko diverzantska jedinica" is strange, I think it's not name of some lower-level formation within brigade. There was for example Parachute Counter-terrorist Company as part of Military Police Counter-terrorist Battalion. I'm not sure but that other number could be VES (Војно-евиденциона специјалност ВЕС) number... If so it would be interesting to find out what specialty is behind that number. It would be great if we could discover when exactly was the first name of the brigade changed, if that happened before 94/95 I think we can presume that the tags are fantasy piece. Now about those tags in general (in Serbian матрикула) they were issued I think only during war (and perhaps during emergencies). For obvious reasons there should be two pieces of that paper with information inside case.

You are are right those were used by JNA but I am pretty sure Army of Yugoslavia used them as well. Very similar cases were used in WW1 by Kingdom of Serbia. I checked that personal number (JMBG) here: http://jmbg.brmbrm.com/index.phpaccording to the results that person was born in Sarajevo. To be honest it's little unusual to see JMBG and name of the unit on dog tags, at least to me, but like I said I really don't know much about this subject...

Thanks! What do the rest of you in this topic think? Emanuel? Lightfoot?

Rest of the photos. http://gmic.co.uk/uploads/monthly_01_2015/post-7937-0-03724100-1420490118.jpghttp://gmic.co.uk/uploads/monthly_01_2015/post-7937-0-82123600-1420490123.jpg http://gmic.co.uk/uploads/monthly_01_2015/post-7937-0-08301000-1420490128.jpghttp://gmic.co.uk/uploads/monthly_01_2015/post-7937-0-33940000-1420490133.jpghttp://gmic.co.uk/uploads/monthly_01_2015/post-7937-0-96146500-1420490137.jpg

I'm writing on behalf of a friend who wishes to know if his badges are original or not. Being that I am far from expert for this field he would be very grateful to hear 2nd opinions. Many thanks in advance! http://gmic.co.uk/uploads/monthly_01_2015/post-7937-0-29705400-1420489942.jpghttp://gmic.co.uk/uploads/monthly_01_2015/post-7937-0-67378600-1420489947.jpg

Paper. VP (Military Post) _______________ ČIN (Rank) _______________ PREZIME, OČEVO IME, IME (Surname, Father's name, Name) ______________________________________________________ GOD. ROĐ. (Year of birth) _________ MESTO (Place) __________ OPŠTINA (Municipality) ___________________________________

Photos of that regular ID case. http://gmic.co.uk/uploads/monthly_01_2015/post-7937-0-78538700-1420468594.jpghttp://gmic.co.uk/uploads/monthly_01_2015/post-7937-0-67025600-1420468602.jpg

Greetings, I never saw ID tags like that before but of course that doesn't mean that they are a fantasy piece. I don't know if they had special kind being that they are special unit, but the regular ID tags were in form of case with piece of paper with information about wearer inside...

We wrote almost at the same time I'll see if I can dig up some info.

Interesting in deed, don't remember seeing it before. Silver? Looks like there's hallmark on the back side. Is it perhaps from pre-WW2 era?