Christian Zulus

Dear Marcelo, looks like a (extraordinary well preserved!) version 1 of that medal. Usually V1 of that medal shows more wear. The ring seems to be soldered to much to the left side (out of the center), but that can happen. At least - due to crisp details - the medal is strucked and not casted. Best regards Christian

Dear Charles, banging our heads is not up to our Christian belief . Someone other is happy with that award our group . Best regards Christian BTW: We are not the owners of our collections of Soviet awards, we just keep them. The owner is the recipient - or the people of the (non-existing) Soviet Union.

EU-Legislation Dear Nick, due to the legislation in Austria (and some other countries at the continent), you might go straight to prision, if you state, that Herrn's Hitler Germany and comrade's Stalin Soviet Union did crimes at the IDENT level . I really wouldn't like, if www.gmic.co.uk would be blocked in Austria and some other EU-states .... O.K., that's not the point of this thread - I just informed about an article in TIME-Magazine about Russian's President Putin and how his government sees the history of Russia in the 20th century. Due to the EU-legislation you can publish what ever you want about Joseph Stalin & CCCP, but you are very restricted about what you publish about Adolf Hitler & Nazi-Germany - just a hint ... It's not a matter, who has deviated a thread at your GMIC-platform, it's just a matter of EU-legislation . Please take care, that GMIC stays in "Hitler vs. Stalin discussions" within the EU-laws - many thanks . Best regards Christian BTW: I have changed my avatar - no more comrade Stalin ....

Dear Sergey, great .... , looks like a Spetsnaz-Uniform for (very) special purposes . http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spetsnaz Best regards Christian

Dear William, that's a 100 % correct view of history . Best regards Christian BTW: Not so many (non-Russian) people in NYC might share your view .

Summer uniforms - KGB Maritime Forces Gentlemen, I guess, that Chris thinks about the summer uniforms of the "KGB Maritime Border Guard" located in the (subtropic ) harbour of Batumi http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Batumi : Even President Putin uses parts of these uniforms in winter : Best regards Christian

Dear Christophe, great, fantastic .... sorry, I didn't register your search-machine at all . So, we have a excellent "Soviet & Eastern Block"-encyclopedia . Best regards Christian

Dear Christophe, o.k. .... I understand . At the moment, it would be more useful, to have such a kind of "search-engine" for the old quiz .... Technically possible ? Best regards Christian

Dear Christophe, sorry ..... maybe I am too stupid, but the search-function (brillant idea ) doesn't work . I always get - whatever number I type in - to your last post at the new quiz 2008 .... Best regards Christian

Dear Paul, I am a Catholic and happy with my small collection . Best regards Christian

Dear Paul, in 1994 a wasted EUR 150,- into a faked screwback ORB and in 2000 I found a genuine one T2/V2 s/n. 41.317 at the flea market in Vienna for EUR 36,- (thirtysix). I didn't buy a cased HSU for EUR 800,-, a Suvorov 2cl (erased s/n.) for EUR 950,-, a Suvorov 1cl (genuine, but with "museum"-stamp and without s/n.) for EUR 2.900,-, a Uzhakov 2cl for EUR 4.500,- or a Kutuzov 1cl for EUR 5.000,- in the year 1994 . Best regards Christian

Dear Doc, there you get the drawers in the USA: Mrs. Heitmann P.O. Box 5056 Syracuse N.Y. 13220 Telefon: (315) 4370463 Fax: (315) 4374832 Homepage: http://www.lindner-usa.com eMail: lindner@lindner-usa.com Best regards Christian

Dear Paul, our researcher does always a perfect job and Podolsk is a well organized archive . I am not sure, if "God" lives in Podolsk - maybe, who knows . In december 1993 I inherited a savings book from my passed away grandfather with some thousend Dollars. I didn't really need the money, since 1980 I had my academic interest in Soviet history and so I invested the money into the nice Soviet items, I saw in the shop windows of three major dealers in Vienna. That's the simple story, how I got into Soviet phaleristics and how I got my crown jewels for an bargain - just the right time for investment . The fact is, that without the research, Gnitienko's Glory-set would have far less than 50 % of it's actual market value, besides the fact, that the research induced "living history" into the 3 medals. Best regards Christian

Soviet labor camps vs. German extermination camps ... and geting back to the topic Dear Ed, you are right: It's not history. But I guess, that Solzhenitsyn captures somehow the "atmosphere" inside the labor camps of Beria's NKVD (or KBG) in a rather realistic way. If you compare the content of Solzhenitsyn's small novel with the content of one of the great reports about AUSCHWITZ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Auschwitz_concentration_camp , then everyone will understand the hughe difference between extermination camps in the Western World (i.e.: Germany & Himmler) and labor camps in the Eastern World (i.e.: Soviet Union & Beria). The labor camps of the insane madman Beria hadn't been THE ultimate "hell on earth". The "hell on earth" had been Auschwitz, Majdanek http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Majdanek , Treblinka http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treblinka_extermination_camp , etc., etc. Geting back to the topic: I simply think, that Russia sees now the history of the 20th century in a more objective & sober light - in opposition to most of the western mainstream-historians. So Stalin gets a bit out of the "evil corner" and the NKVD-system (as a uncontrolable "state inside the Soviet state") is geting even more evil - that's a trend, I can see among Russian historians. I guess, that the Russian government want their own "Napoleon" . Bonaparte was also a great military leader and a modern statesman ("Code Napoleon"), but with a lot of shortcomings and of strange nature. Again: Have a look at the material Montefiore presents in his 2 Stalin-books. Best regards Christian

Dear Bob, consult the hughe and old museums of natural history around Europe - maybe one of them gives away one of their old entomologist cabinets from the 19th century . Problem: The smell .... Best regards Christian

i.e.: US-President F. D. Roosevelt's view about him .... I recommend the two (rather new) Stalin-books of Montefiore - excellent sources: http://www.simonsebagmontefiore.com/ As most of the anglo-americain historians dealing with the history of the CCCP, his view is somehow "State-Department-Biased" (soft censorship works!), but tons of first class material . Best regards Christian

Great . Best regards Christian

Dear Bob, many thanks . That's a look to a part of my modest collection: http://gmic.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=16223 The drawers with the more expensive items & groups are usually in my family's safe at the bank, otherwise the insurance would be far too expensive ... If a collector-friend visits me, I fetch the drawers from our bank and display the full collection . Best regards Christian

Maybe .... who knows ? When I look at Serbia/Kosovo, then I see a more or less "Cold-War-Confrontation" . Best regards Christian

Dear Dan, Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn wrote the most famous novel about the life in a Soviet labor camp: One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One_Day_in_th...Ivan_Denisovich http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aleksandr_Solzhenitsyn You have to read that (small) book . Best regards Christian

Dear Mr. Bob, that's really a generous & serious offer with 100 % profit . Maybe you would also like the Nakhimov Medal for EUR 300,- . Best regards Christian BTW: I won't even sell the Gnitienko set for EUR 30.000,- .

Dear Jim, another great Glory-group - congratulations . How many Glory-groups to you have in your collection ? Best regards Christian

104th birthday of Sgt. Gnitienko (today) 27th anniversary of getting the Glory 1cl (tomorrow) Gentlemen, today (and tomorrow) is a great day for Sgt. Gnitienko & me: His birthday and the day, when he got his Glory 1cl. As usually - since 1995 - I celebrate both events around midnight in commemoration to comrade Gnitienko: His deeds and his contribution to the liberation of his motherland will never be forgotten! Years ago - before my "crown juwels" were stored in a bank-safe - I always took his Glories out, put them on a red velvet bolster, arranged some candles around the bolster, invited some military-interested friends and we watched the "Victory Parade 1995" (with the veterans ) on video - and emptied some bottles of Chianti Classico Riserva or of other fine wines from Tuscany . Dear Ed, many thanks for your remarks . Some more aspects, to fill out Gnitienko's story: He entered the Red Army at the 5th of november 1943, when his unit already reached the "Tatar Wall" at the Perekop Isthmus (entrance to the Crimea). Gnitienko was there wounded at 13th of december 1943 for the first time (there had been smaller fightings at the "Tatar Wall" from autumn 1943 to spring 1944, till the hughe operation for the liberation of the Crimea started). Gnitienko was wounded at the 9th of april 1944 for the second time - just three days after he received his Glory 3cl and one day after the massive assault of the 2nd Guards Army for the liberation of the Crimea started - two weeks later, Gnitienko got his Glory 2cl! He left the Red Army after the GPW in 1945. 1985 Gnitienko got a OPW 1cl, due to the fact, that he had been wounded during the GPW. Best regards Christian

Dear Paul, many thanks . This Nakhimov and another Uzhakov Medal (without documents) will be researched rather soon . My once in a lifetime bargain hadn't been that Nakhimov Medal, but Sgt. Gnitienko's full cavalier of the Glory set of the 1st category, as it turned out after the comprehensive research: - correct s/n. of the Glory 1cl - Glory 1cl in an almost 10/10 condition - excellent, very early & historic important citations of all 3 Glories http://gmic.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=5536 (citations are at the end of the thread) I paid in january 1994 EUR 1.380,- for the set ..... Today's market value (dealer's retail price!) of Gnitienko's set might be already beyond USD 20.000,- Best regards Christian

Dear Bryan, many thanks for your remarks . That might be THE point, that Gnitienko got his Glories too fast - within 4 months time! . The historic fact is, that the two very first Orders of Glory 1st class had been confered to lance corporal M. T. Pitenin and senior sergeant K. K. Shevtshenko at the 22nd of july 1944. Another fact is, that Gnitienko fullfilled his heroic deeds in the Latvian town Jelgava end of july / beginning of august 1944, as you can read from the citation, just a few days later, as the first Orders of Glory 1st class had been awarded. So, Gnitienko was actually one of the first awardees with the Order of Glory 1st class . Maybe the 51th Army didn't know, that it was already possible to award soldiers with a Glory 1cl ? Maybe the sloppy handwritten citation of Gnitienko's Glory 2cl stayed with the 2nd Guards Army and was not transfered to Kreizer's 51th Army ? Gnitienko got his full cavalier set of Glory in three different aeras: - "Tatar Wall", Perekop Isthmus - fortified heights "Bezymyannya", norhteast of Sevastopol (160km away from Perekop Isthmus!) - Jelgava, Latvia For actions in the same aera, you usually get only one award. The problem - why Gnitienko got his 1cl so late - might have been, that the Glory 1cl is exclusivly awarded by the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet - as the HSU. Such a procedure takes time and the Supreme Soviet had a lot of other duties, than to exchange wrong orders ... AND Gnitienko wasn't a member of the communist party and left the Red Army just after the end of the GPW in 1945 ... The Order of Glory is still awarded - catch-up or maybe even exchange - by the government of the Russian Federation to veterans (or their heirs) of the GPW. Best regards Christian