Christian Zulus

Nakhimov Medal s/n. 2.200

Nakhimov Medal to comrade Gnultschinsky Gentlemen, in 1996 I bought this medal with document in Vienna. It came with a new replacement ribbon in the booklet, but I kept the old one of course. The (numbered ) Valour Medal is missing and the Nakhimov Medal is still unresearched. Best regards Christian BTW: I paid in 1996 for my Nakhimov EUR 145,-, which was quite cheap even for the "Golden Years" of Soviet collecting.

RB#3 type 4 Gentlemen, in 1994 I bought this single RB#3 T4 with the s/n. 8.426 - seems to be a long service award to a comrade, who received in the GPW at least one or two "battle"-RBs. Best regards Christian BTW: I paid for the order in 1994 EUR 210,-, which was a bit too much at that time ...

RB T3/V3 s/n. 286.944 RB#2 T3/V4 s/n. 19.404

RB & RB#2 group Red Army Airforce Gentlemen, in 1994 I bought in Vienna this - documented, but incomplete & unresearched - RB-group of airforce major (1946) Baranovsky, who fullfilled his duties at the far-east war theatre in 1945: The photograph from 1946 shows Baranovsky with RS, RB, MMM and Japan-Medal. It seems, that all his listed awards - except his first RB - are long service awards: - MMM (10y.) - RS (15y.) - RB#2 (20y.) - Lenin (25y.) - RS Maybe he got his second RS just before retirement for outstanding success in training his troops or pilots - or for something similar - or just at his retirement ? His RB#2 s/n. 19.404 is identical (and also same s/n.-range!) to the researched one, Paul R showed to us: <a href="http://gmic.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=22921" target="_blank">http://gmic.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=22921</a> Best regards Christian BTW: I paid in 1994 for the group EUR 280,-, which was far too much at that time, but I wanted that group ...

Gentlemen, "slava1stclass" already presented a photograph of such rare case: http://gmic.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=21476 Best regards Christian

Dear Bryan, sorry .... , but it seems to me like a (rather crude) fake of the "Meritorious Navigator of the CCCP" title-medal . Best regards Christian

Dear Wild Card, I have an ident badge in my collection , but the enamel at my badge went off completly . There are two versions: One from brass (like on your cigarette case and in my collection) and one made of silver. Igor offers a silver-version for almost USD 2.000,- : http://www.collectrussia.com/DISPITEM.HTM?ITEM=18237 Best regards Christian

Gentlemen, the well known historian Simon Sebag Montefiori (and Stalin-specialist) writes in TIME-Magzine: "Now Stalin has become the best barometer of Russian leadership style. New state textbooks hail Stalin as "the most successful Russian leader ever" and a state builder along the lines of Peter the Great and Bismarck. ... Ironically, Stalin the Marxist?born a Georgian cobbler's son?has become the icon and prototype of the strong Russian Tsar, the hero of a resurgent, capitalist Russia." http://www.time.com/time/specials/2007/per...1695993,00.html That's a state-official book for school children written by Alexander Filippov and Pavel Danilin: "The History of Russia 1945 - 2007". Two person play a very great and important role in the book: Putin & Stalin. Maybe Putin might realize the "Stalin-Order-Project" . BTW: Conservative groups inside the Russian Orthodox Church want to convert comrade Stalin into a (real & authentic) saint for the Christianity ... So Putin might create in some years the new Russian order of the "Saint Stalin" . Best regards Christian

He killed himself by massive and constant abuse of alcohol . http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrei_Zhdanov He would had been Stalin's successor ... Best regards Christian

Dear Ed, HSU & HSL = HRF I was not possible to keep a HSL in the RF, because the Russian economy is "officially" non-socialistic and a "Hero of Russian Labour" would sound a bit queer - like GULag-Hero . Best regards Christian

Why not? Maybe the "armed marauders" used the wildfire for their assault. I think, that it is a great gesture of comrade Putin to give a HRF to a simple shepherd and not a V.I.P. . Best regards Christian

Dear Jim, I don't know about such cases , but there might be same of these cases. The combination: Ushakov + Nakhimov Medal happened, as you can see at the Mir-Nagrad-website: http://www.mirnagrad.ru/cgi-bin/exinform.c...n_code=mushakov The entry of your Ushakov Medal in the orders booklet looks for me a bit suspicious: Strange ink + strange writing . Might be faked by the dealer ? Best regards Christian BTW: Could you please present better pics of the medal and the booklet .

Dear Bryan, the starting price at the dealers-market for a post-WWII-RB is at moment USD 325,- . Have a look at Eugene's website: http://www.russianglory.com/soviet_orders.htm Igor offers now a Nevsky T3 (rather similar to Jim's one) for USD 2.500,-: http://www.collectrussia.com/DISPITEM.HTM?ITEM=18202 Best regards Christian

Dear Jim, congratulations to your Glory-group . For my taste, the orders look fine and I don't think, that the 2nd class is replated. Stamped s/n. are typical for duplicate orders. Could you show the rest of Getmansky's awards ? This would be very interesting ! Have a look at the citations of my full cavalier set of the Order of Glory http://gmic.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=5536 . You will find them - in English transaltion - at the end of the thread. Sgt. Gnitienko had been a section leader in a machine-gun company. Best regards Christian

Gnitienko's photographs Gentlemen, these are two photographs of Sgt. Gnitienko in his late years. One before he received his deserved Glory 1cl and another after he got his hughe golden star: Gnitienko in the year 1980: Gnitienko in the year 1981: For my taste, our comrade looks a bit more satisfied with Glory 1cl, 2cl & 3cl on his jacket . Best regards Christian

Gnitienko's citations in a more "readable" form Gentlemen, I transfered carefully the translations into a more "readable" English (and corrected some geographic terms) and put all 3 citations together: Great stories . Best regards Christian

Why Sgt. Gnitienko got two Orders of Glory 2cl ? Gentlemen, I think, the reasons had been: - the very sloppy hand-written citation of his first Glory 2cl - the exchange of unit-commanders between "Crimea" and "Bagration" The staff might have overseen his citation of his Crimean Glory 2cl and just saw the typed citation of his Glory 3cl. So he got another Glory 2cl. Gentlemen, what do you think about the reasons, why Gnitienko got Glory 2cl twice ? The fact is, that such cases happened very, very often, that comrades finished the GPW with two Glory 3cl or two Glory 2cl. I think, that there are several hundred of such cases. Best regards Christian

The locations, where Sgt. Gnitienko got his 3 Orders of Glory Gentlemen, he got his Glory 3cl for a reconnaissance mission (and rescuing 4 comrades) beyond the "Tatar Wall" just before the beginning of the operation for liberating the Crimea at the Perekop Isthmus: <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isthmus_of_Perekop" target="_blank">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isthmus_of_Perekop</a> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_the_Crimea_(1944)" target="_blank">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_the_Crimea_(1944)</a> His Glory 2cl he got for storming and capturing the fortified heights "Bezymyannya" (= "No Name" Hill) north of Sevastopol and close to fort "Maxim Gorki I". The site "Bezymyannya" is a hill-top fortress overlooking the Valley of Balaklavah, where the famous Crimean War battle, "The Charge of the Light Brigade," took place. Here is a view from the helicopter of the site: Sgt. Gnitienko got his Glory 1cl in Latvia during the "Operation Bagration" for fightings in the streets of the town Jelgava (= Mitava or Mitau in German language). Jelgava is south-west of the Latvian capital Riga. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jelgava" target="_blank">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jelgava</a> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Bagration" target="_blank">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Bagration</a> The commander of the 51th Army had been the famous Jewish General Yakov Kreizer. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yakov_Kreizer" target="_blank">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yakov_Kreizer</a> Here is a map of "Bagration" showing at the north-west-corner the 51th Army at Jelgava: Best regards Christian

Dear Ed, many thanks . I think, these had been quite heroic - and "Glory-typical" - deeds, which Sgt. Gnitienko as a section leader of a machinge-gun company fullfilled for getting his 3 Orders of Glory: - rescuing 4 heavily wounded comrades from the battle field - doing a dangerous reconnaissance mission beyond the fortified "Tatar Wall" just before the beginning of the operation for liberating the Crimea - storming & capturing the fortified heights "Bezymyannya" close to Sevastopol at the Crimea and being the first in the enemy trench - capture of the Latvian town Jelgava, the most distant point in northwest direction during the "Operation Bagration" - AND killing numerous "Hitlerites" (officers & soldiers) with his personal weapon He took part - and earned his Glories - at two major operations in the history of WW II: - liberation of the Crimea (spring 1944) - "Operation Bagration" (summer 1944) He got all his Glories very, very early and his citation for the (later) Glory 1cl is one of the very first citations (july 1944!) for the Order of Glory 1st class . Sgt. Gnitienko had been a man from the working class, 40 years old, twice wounded and not a member of the communist party. He was born in Poltava and moved after the GPW to Charkov. Best regards Christian

Citation Glory 1cl (first: 2nd 2cl)

Translations of Gnitienko's citations Gentlemen, my x-mas gift has come . Here are the translations of the citations for Glory 3cl & Glory 2cl: Best regards Christian

Final results of number of good answers in the 1st series of Christophe's "Soviet & Eastern Block Quiz" Nb of good answers : * 35 : Christian (Zulus) * 31 : Christophe * 12 : Frank (Knarf) & Jim (JimZ) * 11 : Bryan (Soviet) * 8 : Simon (Red Threat) * 6 : Auke (Ferdinand), Belaruski, Carol I & Ed (Haynes) * 5 : Dan (Hauptman) * 4 : Wild Card * 3 : Andreas (Alfred), Ivan (Piramida) & Kim (Kimj) * 2 : Chuck (in Oregon), Gerd (Becker), Jan (vatjan) & Order of Victory * 1 : Charles (Hunyadi), Darrell, Daredevil, Dave (Navy FCO), Dudeman, Filip (Drugo), Rick (Stogieman) & Steen (Ammentorp) Best regards Christian

Dear Bryan, great Christmas gift . It's really a prototype Glory-group . Please, have the research done . Best regards Christian

Gnitenko's citations Gentlemen, sorry .... , I am still waiting for the translations of the citations and I didn't receive till now any help from GMIC-members . Maybe our researcher might send the translations as a x-mas gift to me . Best regards Christian