Hauptmann

Hi Belaruski, The second man is a pilot... and was a defector, so you are right on those... but he was definitely not KGB. So you're getting really close. Dan

Hi Christian, You are correct... they have no connection to each other. You are also correct... they are and have for some time been U.S. citizens. Dan

Hi Joel, Many thanks my friend! And again... keep your eye out. I believe Walmart still carries those same jewelry cases... even at full price they're only about $20 some odd if I remember correctly. The self adhesive felt is something they also carry back in the crafts section... only about .60 some odd cents a sheet which is not bad at all... and they have about any color you'd want. If you want dividers within the case you can get some good wood in about the size you'd need, cut out the lengths to fit and then cover in the same felt to match. I used green because I left the edges in their original green flocking and it was a close match. Saved me a ton of extra work. After measuring, cutting out the size pieces I needed it was a cinch and didn't take long at all. You end up with a very nice, heavy case for little investment, time or effort. Looking forward to seeing what you get from your friend. I've always wanted custom and the sad thing is my dad could do all that. But he's been gone for some time now. I do have a neighbor across the street who "lives" for woodwork so hoping perhaps someday of hiring him to do some custom pieces for me. But I need to get my basement floor repoured first. After that and some expansion work from the basement up, I'm planning to redo the bunker and make it into my den, display area for my various collections and our home theater. But that's still a ways down the road. So not much point in getting special stuff built till then. Dan

Hi all, On the DDR ribbons (two on right... second to last row) I believe the first of the two is the NVA Verdienstmedaille in Silver: And the second of the two is the Verdienstmedaille der DDR (1959) (military version): The one I've pictured is my civilian version... the military version has the same ribbon and medal but on the standard DDR pentagonal mount. On the three Waffenbruderschaft medals (three bottom ribbons) I can't swear to it but I do believe they could all be worn at the same time. I have seen two examples of Generals ribbon bars in my copy of Auszeichnungen der Nationalen Volksarmee der Deutschen Democratischen Republik by Feder & Feder, where only one of them... the Gold class (three stripes) is being worn. Whereas in my copy of Uniformen der Nationalen Volksarmee der DDR 1956-1986, in the color plates showing the various uniforms being worn, I see several examples worn by various General Officers where all three grades of this medal are worn on the ribbon bar at the same time. Anyhow hope this helps. Dan

Now for a closeup of the one I'd original posted... actually it's not wear but you can see where the barrel catch originally was. I've seen these types of catches on U.S. awards when they've come off over time and wear and this is what this looks like to me. But of course I'm open to other opinions: But just to be safe the center example with the barrel catch is now the one with the urkunde. The other has been placed in with other display items with my cased Makarov. The third example (on the right in the above photos) came cased as part of a set and is back in it's case safe and sound. Anyhow hope this help and am very intro'd to learn which is which and if the center one is indeed the proper one... and if perhaps you agree re: the missing barrel catch on the first one I'd posted and that perhaps it is the correct on after all. Keeping my fingers crossed that at least one of them is correct. Many thanks! Dan

Closeups of the pins:

The one on the left in all of these shots is the one I originally posted, the one in the center has the barrel catch and the one on the right has the later type simplified catch:

Hi all, Okay, just finished the new scans. I just realized that I actually have four of this medal... one being on the new medal bar I just got. Here they are for comparison:

I'd love to have more but I seldom see them and when I do they generally go for big bucks. But I'm always keeping my eye out for a good deal on any of the others. Anyhow I'm off to do those scans. Will post in just a bit. Thanks, Dan

Hi Gordon, As I just replied to Uwe, I'm heading down to the bunker to crank up my desktop and scanner and do up scans of my extras of this medal. Hoping the one I pulled out of the Makarov case is the correct one. As far as Bartel's book, No, I don't have a copy I'm sorry to say. The "only" DDR references I have are:

Hi Uwe, Is that the only difference... the pin type? Actually on mine it looks to me as if it had the barrel catch but that it came off at some point. On the sides you can see the wear marks of the barrel moving in it's circular movement when grasping and releasing the pin. However, not to worry... I happened to have more. I pulled one out of a case I keep my Makarov in, switching it with the other one I'd posted. I'm getting ready to go down in the basement and scan the replacement... and actually I may scan all that I have so we can compare them. I think I have three total of this particular medal. Thanks for the heads up! Dan

Hi Charles, That would be neat if the theory turned out to be true. At the very least it's a nice variation (I wonder if there are more? ) to collect on these. Dan

Hi Grant, Many thanks my friend! And yes... run, don't walk as they are great!!!! On the medal bars I've been looking for years. Generally I'd find them with four medals and they'd always end up going for more than I could afford at that time. I think I lucked out on these. There's another set I know of with three Police medals but it's going for $75! Didn't make much sense to me... as the police medals are so common (except the earlier ones) and I just couldn't see it being that much more just because they're on a medal bar! I mean, you know what we got the set of six complete cased medals for... so think you'll agree. My understanding is they turn up a good bit on Ebay.de so keep your eyes peeled and hopefully you'll have some soon. Hope Vic has some luck too as they are very nice to have. Dan

Hi Vic, Many thanks my friend! And your's and Grant's collections are growing in leaps and bounds as well. Thank goodness most of this stuff is still cheap! Dan

Hi Paul, Many thanks my friend! Re: Hoffmann here's a quick bio: http://www.axishistory.com/index.php?id=5973 And here's a listing of the senior officers of the DDR: http://www.axishistory.com/index.php?id=7149 There's no telling what you might find. Dan

Hi Vic, Hey, wouldn't that be great... pop a couple of Orders or medals in a room together... with some champaign... candlelight... leave for a few hours. Come back and however many months later you've got a bunch of new Orders running around and filling your collection. Perhaps we could work on cloning... might be quicker! Seriously though... thank you my friend! Were it not for you I'd not have any Yugoslavian pieces and probably would not have decided to get into it until it was far too late. I literally could not have done it without you! Dan

Oh I know! Just a case of finding the right goodies at the right prices. So many of the Orders are up there already and beyond me right now. But I'm definitely hoping to get more before all is said and done. Dan

Thanks Christian! I do love it. And it's all thanks to Vic and his skill in the negotiating department. Dan

The wood is beautiful and the case is rather heavy and very well built and solid. I can easily change it out for another pistol or any other item I choose as long as the size is right. Just keep an open mind and keep an eye out. Even if you find something that is nice but needs to be refinished it's often much cheaper than an original or remake gun case. And you can reline them easily as well and also can put in dividers if you like to hold the pistol as well as it's accessories. But I've always found cased items tend to be much more impressive on display than just the item lying there by itself. Dan

Hi Joel, Here's a link to several of my pistols: http://gmic.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=16346 I've posted a few of the rifles over time but have a few more to go. On cases... broaden your search... I've found most actually "gun cases" to be rather expensive although deals can be had on occassion. I look for cases all the time for guns, daggers, awards and other collectibles. Here's an example. I found this one at Walmart in Florida shortly before we moved. I got it from their clearance aisle. It had no price... finally managed to get it for $7 if I remember correctly. It was originally a jewelry box. There's a mirrow in the top... now covered in self adhesive felt as it's easier than removing the mirror and risking it getting broken. I removed the original dividers and relined the base and it works well to store and display my Makarov but could be used for any pistol in that size range.

Hi Joel, Been meaning to comment on this... she's beautiful! Congratulations on obtaining a beautiful example and it's certainly turned out quite well after you added your TLC treatment. Hope she fires as nice as she looks. Mine is great in that department... very smooth action. But a friend of mine, long since passed on I'm sorry to say, had one in his collection... museum quality. He brought it up to our place in north Florida once and allowed me the privilege of keeping it up there and firing it. I only ran a few rounds through it and I must say it was as quiet as a .22 (believe it or not!) and had an action on it as smooth as silk!!!! I got the impression he was going to will it to me, possibly along with the rest of his pistols and he had a unsurpassed collection... many rare pieces. He knew how much I loved such things and that I would not break them up and would care for them till my dying day. Sadly, he went to the hospital for a routine treatment he underwent periodically only this time he didn't come back. Blood clot! He'd planned to draw up his will when he got back. Without a will his collections went to his mother, and she gave his brothers the guns. They were immediately sold off to the four winds to finance them tinkering with their cars and trucks. A lifetimes love, passion and collecting out the window in a matter of days. Year's later someone I used to deal with down there owed me some money on a deal... knew that I loved P38's and wanted one. He came over one day, handed me a gun case and said check this out. Inside was a P38 with the brown bakelite grips that I loved. I figured it was one of his brother's collection and he was just showing me. But he'd found it for a good price and said if you like it take it for what I owe you. I didn't hesitate. She's been one of my favorites ever since and has never failed me in all these years. They're great guns! Now all you need to do is find a nice wood case for her and make inserts for her and all her accessories. Add an IC or other similar award and you'll have a gorgeous set! Let us know how she does at the range. Dan

Hi all, Try picking up some "bronze wool", available at most marine supply stores as it's used in working on boats, etc., but also some hardware stores carry it. It's just like steel wool but has advantages of that when cleaning firearms. Bronze wool will not remove bluing and also if any tiny particles remain behind they will not rust... unlike steel wool which can damage bluing and will rust if any is left behind. Something I learned about many moons ago and it's never failed me. Dan

Hi all, Well, the tunic and cap arrived Saturday morning! Lightning fast delivery via Priority Mail from Germany after being shipped out Tuesday! I only wish we could get service that fast here in the states. PM is pretty good here but this was just extraordinary! The seller works for the Army over there so I can only think they have something special going to get things out mucho quick! Either way my hats off to them! I've popped it up on a torso for display. I've used a standard Army officers cap and I'm wondering if that's perhaps not what they actually used. The piping on the cuffs and collars is in white so it makes sense. I'm hoping to get a brocade dress belt very soon and once I have that I'll pop that on in place of the brown officers belt and will pop on the officers dress cords. Then all I'll need is the army dagger whenever I'm able to acquire one of those and then, finally the original shirt, tie and pants. With no further ado: On the side cap... wouldn't an officers have had piping? This one is plain with just the DDR insignia on the front. Dan