Christian Zulus

Highest Naval Academy "Frunze" - badge - 2nd part [attachmentid=57147]

Highest Naval Academy "Frunze" - badge - 1st part [attachmentid=57145]

Red Star - battle award Japan 1945 - 2nd part [attachmentid=57142]

Red Star - battle award Japan 1945 - 1st part [attachmentid=57141]

Service Record - 2nd page [attachmentid=57139]

Service Record - 1st page [attachmentid=57137]

Gentlemen, in spring 2002 I purchased from Art Bates, owner of the "other" Soviet-awards-forum, for mere USD 250,- (!!!) the complete leave behinds in terms of all awards, badges & documents of a high-ranking Soviet naval officer, who was in a top-commanding position after the GPW and was also a meritorious in battle - Order of the Red Star - veteran of the war against Japan in 1945. O.K., Art Bates didn't knew anything about the group - he couldn't even read the "captain 1st rank" in the documents - only, that the awards group had something to do with Japan 1945, due the "Japan Medal" and the medal for "Liberation of Korea". For the obligation, that I will arrange the research, he handed the group for the mentioned USD 250,- over to me. I invested another USD 150,- into the research, Ed Maier did an excellent job and got the results, I will present here. All orders and medals of the Kandybin-group are in an immaculate - almost 10/10 - condition. First, the group consits of following orders, medals and badges + all the documents: - Order of the Red Banner, sn. 491.954 (type 4; 20-years-of-service) - Order of the Patriotic War 2cl, sn. 5.876.281 (1985 jubilee edition) - Order of the Red Star, sn. 1.693.661 (battle award, Japan 1945) - Order of the Red Star, sn. 2.919.272 (15-years-of-service) - Meritorious Servic in Battle Medal, sn. 2.692.925 (type 2 / version 3; 10-years-of-service) - Centenary of Lenin's Birth Medal (civil type) - 20th Anniversary of Victory in the GPW Medal - 30th Anniversary of Victory in the GPW Medal - 40th Anniversary of Victory in the GPW Medal - Victory over Japan Medal (version 2) - Veteran of the Armed Forces Medal - 30th Anniversary of the Soviet Army and Navy Medal - 40th Anniversary of the Soviet Armed Forces Medal - 60th Anniversary of the Soviet Armed Forces Medal - 50th Anniversary of Victory in the GPW Medal (Russian Federation) - Medal for the Liberation of Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) - Badge of the Highest Naval Academy "Frunze" (early version of the 1950s) Besides the last 2 items - Korea & Academy - I will present here not the orders and medals, because all members know, how they look like. I will only present the documents. The first 5 awards are listed in the orders booklet. The rest of the awards have seperate booklets. The medal + document for "50th Anniversary of the Soviet Armed Forces" is missing. I assume, that comrade Kandybin never got the medal, due to phase of retirement - in 1968 he had been already 6 years in retirement - and his new residence in Riga, Latvia. My theory . Which aspects make this researched award group interesting? - it's a genuine naval group - includes a battle award (Red Star) from the Japan-1945-campain + Korea-Medal - belongs to a high-ranking naval officer (commodore!), who promoted extremly fast in the 1950s - and the group is really comprehensive and in excellent condition. Ivan N. Kandybin's position in the Soviet Navy: At the young age of 42 years - as a Captain 2nd rank (!) - Kandybin was the commander of the 111th OVR-Brigade in Lipaja (german: Libau), one of the main harbours at the Baltic coast, in Latvia (german: Lettland, region of Kurland). The 111th OVR-Brigade was part of the "Twice Red Banner Baltic Fleet". OVR means "marine coastal defence forces" and brigades consists of a rather hughe number of boats, ships, corvetts and frigates, but no submarines. For naval officers the Baltic coast (3 Baltic Republics) was the most favourable place to serve, due to the very high living standard there during the Soviet age. For such a commanding position, there is a special rank in the Soviet Navy missing. A commander of such a flottillia should be above a Captain 1st rank, but below a Rear Admiral, despite of that, he should be a "Flag Officier". Complicated ? Not really. In the British Navy you would have for Kandybin's position the rank of a "Commodore 1st Class" and in the US Navy the rank of a "Commodore", which is an authentic "Flag Officier", corresponding to a "Brigade General" and representing a "One-Star-Admiral" (the "Rear Admiral" has in the US Navy has 2 stars!). Even in the German Navy of the 3rd Reich you had a special rank for such position: "Kapit?n zur See" in the position of a commodore (one big gold star at the cuffs of the uniform). The fact is, that the Soviet Navy never had the rank of a commodore and so comrade Kandybin only promoted to the rank of a Captain 1st rank . This photograph of comrade Kandybin shows him in a uniform in the pre-1943-style, where the ranks of the officers were attached to the cuffs of the jacket. At the next postings I will show the above mentioned 2 awards - Academy & Korea - and all the documents + english translations. Best regards Christian Zulus [attachmentid=57131]

O.K., that's not the comrade's genuine medal, but the serial number was not at the medal. You are right, from a ethic viewpoint it is NOT correct to exchange - also unnumbered - medals in a documented group. Best regards Christian

Dear Ed, no, that medal shown in the scan matches with the last photograph of comrade major, where we see the 5-sided suspension. It is a pity, that there are no serial numbers for this sort of medal . Best regards Christian

No, I just mentioned, that the first medal - with the bad enamel - the dealer offered you, was a fake. This medal, you show to us, is - as far as I can judge it - genuine. Best regards Christian

Dear Ilja, the old story: Genuine documents + faked medal or the other way round . Best regards Christian

Dear Ilja, impressive documents and rather high decorated comrade: Lenin, RB, etc. At first sight - scans are rather bad - the medal looks o.k. to me. I have 2 - genuine - RKKA-medals in my collection and both of them look rather similar to your scan. The crucial points with the RKKA-medal are: - precision of detail (struck, not casted!) - typical patina - enamel of the red star and the precise relief under the red star - weight (silver, no scrap) Best regards Christian

Gentlemen, I think, it is neither a genuine SU uniform jacket, nor do the badges & ribbons make any sense at all and the dealer's story is a bad joke . It seems do be a ordinary working jacket made out of denim fabrics. Also it is not cut like a military jacket. These - rather crude - fabrics were only used in the SU for so called "working-dress-uniforms", which were introduced in the late 60's. I have such a uniform - fresh from the stock - in my collection, but the usual colour of such army working clothes was always "sand" and I have never seen an example in green or grey. So, they badges, ribbons & the copy of the HSU can be purchased at any of the well known dealers for about USD 50,- up to USD 100,- (depends on the quality of the HSU-copy). The jacket you might get at any factory for motors or vehicles, if you "donate" USD 5,- to a worker leaving the gate . Best regards

Dear Andrei, perfect order booklet . No, I meant the very last order booklets of the SU. Your example is one from the early 80's with the stamped signature of faithful Georgadse, where everything is correct. It is interesting, that the recipient got his 2 "Crabs" always 2 days before the "Red Army Day" of the 23rd of february. But most of the "Crabs" where given around the "Red Army Day", as it is written in the literature. For my taste, I regard the "Crab" as an outstanding beautiful order. Piplienko was an excellent designer. So, you also think, that my order booklet is a typical fake? The booklet was issued in 1985 and the stamped signature is of Gorbacev as a President of the CCCP . Regarding my 2 other threads - General Skuba & manufacturing of awards at Mondvor -, do you have any idea? Maybe you can translate the exact rank and position of General Skuba at his ID-booklet - many thanks! Best regards Christian

Typical faked OK for Motherland 3cl & 2cl - 2nd part [attachmentid=56849]

Typical faked OK for Motherland 3cl & 2cl Gentlemen, here is a very typical example of a faked order booklet for a Motherland 3cl & 2cl. To have both orders in ONE booklet is quite unusal, I think. One booklet for each award was more common at the final years of the SU. I purchased 2 outstanding beautyful "Crabs" - unissued, fresh from the stock, as the booklet - 12 years ago in Vienna for about USD 900,- and got the booklet with them. Dietrich Herfurth told me, that the larger military units had their stocks of awards plus blank booklets and that he saw a lot of such faked order booklets at the market. So, my officer Antipov never got these 2 "Crabs" . Best regards from Vienna Christian Zulus [attachmentid=56848]

Pages 6 & 7 of the General's ID-booklet [attachmentid=56842]

Pages 4 & 5 of the General's ID-booklet [attachmentid=56841]

Traches of the stamp at the General's photograph [attachmentid=56840]

Pages 2 & 3 of the General's ID-booklet [attachmentid=56839]

Inside the General's ID-booklet [attachmentid=56838]

Cover of Skuba's ID-booklet [attachmentid=56837]

Gentlemen, 11 years ago I purchased in Vienna for about USD 150,- the leatherbound military ID-booklet of Major-General Maksim K. Skuba from the year 1950. During spring 1942 - Charkov - he had been - in the rank of a Lt. Colonel - commander of the famous "6th Guards Tank Brigade" (KV-1 & T 34). Skuba is mentioned in that position in the memoirs of General Beloborodov, "Forever in Battle". The "6th Guards Tank Brigade" played a role in the battle of Stalingrad, but at that time Colonel Krichman was the commanding officer. Skuba is registered at that danish WW II Generals website, but with no further informations. If we look at the attached photograph (year 1950 or before), we see a well decorated Tank-General with a Lenin + 4 Red Banners. The Lenin might be not a long service award (25 years in service), because the guy looks a little bit too young for me. But if we look to the second row, the first ribbon might be XX years RKKA (or a Medal for Valour ?). What I miss, is the medal Merit in Combat for 10 years in service, but when the photograph was shot just after the war, then it might be possible, that he didn't serve the full 10 years already (he really looks pretty young for a general). We can also make out the ribbons of the Defense Moscow Medal, Victory over Germany and one Capture Medal. There is no Defense Stalingrad Medal, because at Stalingrad Colonel Krichman took over the command of the "6th Guards Tank Brigade". Gentlemen, do you have any further informations about General Skuba? Many thanks for your help in advance! Best regards from Vienna Christian Zulus [attachmentid=56836]

Dear Soviet, the goldplating had been done by hand, I assume - so it is rather normal and I have seen it quit often on Glory's 2cl. If you look at a Motherland 2cl, the goldplating is even worse - rockets! Best regards Christian Zulus

Many thanks, Christophe! Best regards Christian