Christian Zulus

Dear Kevin, sorry .... it's my fault . I read the mentioned thread at the Lounge area, couldn't remember the pics at the URLs and posted them again at the GMIC-section, which usually deals with uniforms etc. At least these (very) nice pictures can now be directly seen in a GMIC-thread . Best regards Christian

Gentlemen, these are the new Russian uniforms, presented to Putin. That's a link with more photographs: http://diroman.livejournal.com/364087.html?page=2#comments Best regards Christian

Dear Marc, many thanks . "Soviet Verdun" & hughe losses indicate to the period after the Vlasov-debacle . One of the meat grinding Volkhov battles of 1942/43 . When to start and when to end ? At the Novgorod Kremlin http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Novgorod_Kremlin there is a big monument commemorating the battles against the Nazis at the river Volkhov: Best regards Christian

Volkhov Front Dear Marc, taking the losses into account (more than 300.000 casualities) I might opt for the Volkhov Front (Волховский фронт): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volkhov_Front There had been a saying among Red Army soldiers: "Better 3 times Stalingrad, than 1 time Volkhov Front!". The spearhead had been Vlasov's http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrey_Vlasov 2nd Shock Army: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2nd_Shock_Army Best regards Christian

Dear Christophe, well, I had been also wrong with Kursk, Smolensk or Rzhev ... In the south we also have Sevastopol, as a true fortress like Verdun ... Close to Leningrad we also have the famous Volkhov Front, with losses of the Red Army around the asked 300.000 . Best regards Christian

Dear Marc, many thanks for the scans . RB#7 seems to be authentic to me ... I can hardly dedect the s/n. of RB#7 - could you tell it to us. Best regards Christian BTW: I still believe, that there had been RBs beyound #6 .

Dear Enzo, that's a very good question . The same is true for Marshal Tito's item ... The question is, are both Орден "ПОБЕДА" still in Switzerland & Serbia or are both of them in Moscow & Moscow ? I guess, that both items are for some years in a bank vault in Moscow . Just my 2 cents to the discussion .... Best regards Christian

Dear Bryan, many thanks for sharing that great photograph of a KV-tank-column with us . I am not so sure - as Private Kevin Ryan from Deva noted -, that it is a KV-85 ? The barrel of the gun seems too short and some other details of a KV-85 are missing ... It might be a very, very late version of the KV-1 ? Best regards Christian

Dear Sergey, that's a great uniform . Best regards Christian

Dear Christophe, I guess, that Stalingrad is a bit too south, as Marc told to us that the direction (Leningrad) is correct ... Maybe something west of Leningrad around Oranienbaum or Peterhof - two locations, which were hold by the Red Army during the whole GPW ? Best regards Christian

Dear Auke, many thanks for your explaination . Best regards Christian

Dear Dragoner, the fact is, that all the archives and other sources are located in Belgrad, so you have to deal primarly with the military historians in Serbia. Usually - if adressed in the right way - these people are very kind. I can't imagine, that the JNA OoB of the year 1990 is still classified and the structure of the JNA before the YU-wars of the 1990s doesn't touch ICTY, The Hague, at all, I guess . Try it ! Another proposal: Look around among the GMIC-members from Ex-YU, who post frequently here in the YU-section. Some of them might help you further. Best regards Christian

Expertise from "Military Museum" in Belgrade Dear Dragoner, try to send a letter - with your study attached - to Col. Miroslav Kne?ević, the director of the museum: Pukovnik Miroslav Kne?ević Vojni muzej Kalemegdan bb 11000 Beograd Serbien Phone: +381 11 33 - 43 - 441 e-mail: vojnimuzej@mod.gov.yu Best regards Christian

Dear Marc, dear Auke, many thanks for the informations . What might be the very exact translation of 'Raznovidnost' (Разновидность) ? Does Andrew exactly define, what's a: - Tip - Variant - Raznovidnost - Raznovidnost + Letter I guess, that among the same "Tip" the avers of the order or medal has to be ident ? Among the same "Tip" & "Variant" the avers and (roughly) the revers has to be ident ? Best regards Christian

JNA-structure just before the end of Yugoslavia Dear Dragoner, many thanks for sharing your highly interesting study with us . Besides our native experts here at GMIC, you might also try to consult the experts at the "Military Museum" in Belgrade: http://gmic.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=16728 It's like our museum here in Vienna - the HGM - part of the Serbian Forces, so they sould have access to all informations. Best regards Christian

Gentlemen, due to the fact, that we are now confronted with a new wave of patriotism and a new view on history in Russia, what puts the precious relicts of the GPW and "Golden Age" of the 1930s & 1940s of the CCCP in a mystic aura, the home demand for Soviet awards will keep on growing. Have a look at the (closed) thread about Stalin in coming Russian history books: http://gmic.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=24212 . We might be also confronted with a so called "band wagon effect": First the Oligarchs (and/or their managers and advisers) are buying the ultra high end orders. Then the new "middle class" is buying the more common and mid-priced items. At the end the "masses" might run for all the medals, badges etc. Another cause for rising prices might be in the near future the increasing demand from China - many people are living there and there is already a lot of money in that country. I guess, that as long as the Russian economy keeps booming, the demand for Soviet awards will increase. The fact is, that collecting Soviet awards in Russia seems to be now very fashionable and patriotic at the same time. Buying a Bentley is fashionable in Moscow. But to buy for the same amount of money a Suvorv 1cl is fashionable and patriotic. Best regards Christian BTW: It might be, that Austria has even more of these chalets ...

Classification of Soviet Awards Dear Marc, you are right: It's not really THAT problem . What might be the correct English translation of Andrew's classification categories: Type - Variation - Sub-Variation ? (Maybe: T / V / sV ?) Does Andrew work with only 3 categories or are there some Sub-Sub-Variations possible ? Best regards Christian BTW: So I will have to re-classify my collection .

KURSK 1943 ? Dear Marc, it might be Kursk, July 4 ? August 23, 1943 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Kursk ? Kursk had a nearly perfect defense system (better than Verdun ) and the Soviet casualities might match. That's the memorial on Prokhorovka Field, where the biggest tank battle in the history of mankind took place: Best regards Christian

Andrew's classification - language problem Dear Marc, many thanks for your opinion . That's what I also guessed! The fact is, that PMD made his classification in 1996/97 - almost 12 years ago - and there had been a lot of phaleristic research in the time between. The problem among the non-Russian speakers in the collectors community is, that almost the whole Mondvor website is in cyrillic Russian . Is there a possiblity to get Andrew's classification in English language ? Does Igor http://www.collectrussia.com/ use Andrew's or PMD's classification ? Best regards Christian

Dear Marc, somehow - yes . If I find something, which helps the discussion and the topic, I post it . I think, that's the correct way, how to deal with a topic. Sorry again for the extremly bad scans . O.K., the pics are so bad, that you (and nobody else) can't give any (serious) expertise ... Who knows, maybe my RBL is made of plastic and I am a complete lunatic . Given the fact, that I really bought my RBL in spring 1994, that I have good eyes & a clear mind and that I am somehow an experienced collector of Soviet stuff, what's your frank opinion - not expertise! - about the RBL T2/V1 s/n. 8660 ? Many thanks in advance . Best regards Christian

SMOLENSK 1941 ? Dear Marc, the Battle of Smolensk 1941 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Smolensk_(1941) had been called the "Soviet Verdun" ? But far less than 300,000 Soviet troops had been killed ... Best regards Christian BTW: I guess, that both of my proposals don't match ...

Dear Matthijs, I guess, that's just the beginning .... If you are well off and you have a lot of USD to spent on orders & medals, there are still some real bargains at the market . Look at Igor's website at these items - in comparison to the recent development, these orders are still "underpriced": HSU http://www.collectrussia.com/DISPITEM.HTM?ITEM=17886 HSU http://www.collectrussia.com/DISPITEM.HTM?ITEM=18445 HSL http://www.collectrussia.com/DISPITEM.HTM?ITEM=17987 Labour Glory 1cl http://www.collectrussia.com/DISPITEM.HTM?ITEM=16705 Four outstanding items! If you buy them now and sell them next year, you will make a fortune. But you will have to transfer 37k bucks to Igor . Best regards Christian BTW: I guess, that the Soviet market is at the moment "over and out" for the ordinary collector, who doesn't want to trade items of his basic collection .

Lost for the international market ... Dear slava1stclass, many thanks for posting that interesting article from the Post . Concerning orders & medals: Our Russian collectors are entitled to buy the awards and to re-import them to the Russian Federation, but they are not allowed to sell them outside of the Russian Federation anymore. By presenting the bills to the RF-authorities, that he had legally purchased the orders at an auction or at a dealer in the west, the collector receives the right to be the legal owner of the items, to re-import them and he gets an official congratulation for his patriotic deed, but he is blocked to sell them (legally) again abroad. So, all Soviet awards, which are going back to the RF are lost for the international market . This aspect might also drive the prices to unbelievable heights ... Best regards Christian

Dear Enzo, congratulations to your beauty . At the NYC-auction some weeks ago, such an order had been sold for USD 27.600,- (incl. buyer's premium) : http://www.sixbid.com/nav.php?p=viewlot&am...16&lot=2213 Best regards Christian

RBL s/n. 8660 awarded during the GPW Gentlemen, I just checked Anatoly Kutsenko's book again and he list the following dates of awarded RBLs: s/n. 8031 - 28.06.1941 s/n. 9030 - 19.01.1942 So the s/n. 8660 should have been awarded in the second half of 1941 - just during the first months of the GPW . Paul McDaniel mentiones also the maker's mark "b" - as at my item - for the RBL T2 in his "Red Bible". A bit more than 20.000 RBL T2 screwbacks had been awarded - most of them during the GPW. Best regards Christian BTW: Marc, my RBL T2 is almost ident to your RBL T2 s/n. 7706 http://gmic.co.uk/index.php?s=&showtop...st&p=228673