Christian Zulus

Dear Paul, very nice & well preserved item . Medical citations are rather rare and something special . It is a well proven fact, that the Red Army - besides the US-Army - had the best and most sophisticated system of medical evacuation and treatment in WW II . So, these comrades made a very good job. I have an absolut ident ORB 2nd award - type 3 / version 4 - with the s/n. 19404, which is also a long service award. It belongs to a small - and incomplete: long service Lenin is missing - group of Airforce Major Baranovsky, who served at the far east war theatre during WW II - still unresearched ... These ORB 2nd awards got rather expensive at the market the last months - about USD 2000,- , as also the normal ORBs almost doubled their prices. But the fact is, that an ORB is one of the highest ranking and most prestigeous orders of the Soviet Union, what might explain the growing (Russian) demand for these items. Best regards Christian

Dear Bryan, many thanks for transfering the postings - it looks good now and makes sense . Best regards Christian

Dear Bryan, many thanks . Please put the above mentioned postings between post #7 and post #8 in the Flag-thread. I just edited my post #7 there, so that the whole story fits and gives sense. Best regards Christian BTW: Seen by citations, the Flag-thread is by far the most impressive at GMIC-YU . (Also by terms of replies & views .) The YU-Flag is a rather high-ranking, very international, well designed - AND still very cheap YU-Order.

Dear Bob, that Korean medal is important, because it draws the interest to a widely neglected - by Western historians - field of the history of WW II, the "Operation August Storm" by the Red Army in Eastern Asia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_August_Storm Best regards Christian

Gentlemen, back from Pluto, aliens, Crown-subjects & retro-knights to Christophe's quiz. I want to congratulate Jim again to his victory and ask him to post the new question #161. Best regards Christian

Gentlemen, as I already stated at post #8 http://gmic.co.uk/index.php?s=&showtop...st&p=216745 in this thread, everybody can build up his own verdict by reading Herrn Rabkins commentaries to my postings at the "other" Soviet forum http://www.soviet-awards.com/forum/index.php? , where Prof. Ed Haynes and other experts of our collectors community are banned for lifetime - also due to the "support" of Herrn Rabkin . Herr Rabkin tells you, that I am an uneducated idiot. O.K., that's his private opinion . I am asking you, why is it possible, that such a humble & primitive creature like me is the leader - 33 victories - in Christophe's sophisticated GMIC-quiz about communist awards & military history ? Herr Rabkin tells you, that I am a nasty guy, who constantly insults other collectors. O.K., that's his private opinion . I am asking you, did I ever insult a GMIC-member or have I been ever banned from GMIC ? "BTW, there were delays on several shipments of the medals on my part. I?ve already straightened it out or trying to resolve it. I failed to reply in timely matter and a couple of my customers were concern ..." Herr Rabkin has obviously problems in handling his business in the correct way, but that's not my fault (... nor the fault of the US-Embassy in Moscow ). I really don't think, that Herr Rabkin behaves like a true Gentlemen. Best regards Christian

Dear Ed, that's really a fantastic title . Prof. Ed Haynes 1stD-LoP What are the decorations of that supriour title ? The title sounds, if you might be the supreme commander of the Alien Kamikaze Forces at the planet Pluto . Pluto offers nice orders & medals: HAL - "Hero of Alien Labour" (HAL is also the queer computer in Kubrick's "Odysee 2001" ) HOP - "Hero of Pluto" That's a photograph of a twice HOP and one time HAL: Best regards Christian

Dear Rick, the owner of my document http://gmic.co.uk/index.php?s=&showtop...st&p=217605 , comrade Kandybin, got his medal in january 1948 and had been located at that time as the commander of the 2nd detachment of the 12th division of small submarine hunters SovGan, VM Base, STOF, in the Far East on Soviet territory: http://gmic.co.uk/index.php?s=&showtop...st&p=115072 . So it seems, that all the documents - they all have Soviet Commissariat's stamps - had been processed inside the Soviet Union. Best regards Christian BTW: Do you know the meaning of "SovGan, VM Base, STOF" - something like OVR (=coastal defense or coastal guard) ?

Saint George as a might-be "Retro-Knight" Dear Ed, I don't believe that: As a - hypothetical - subject of the Crown AND as a holder of a G.C.B., he has to be knighted by the next occaision . Maybe we should send an inquiry to Buckingham Palace about the possibilty of getting a "Retro-Knight" ? The Austrian pianist Alfred Brendel http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alfred_Brendel and http://www.deccaclassics.com/artists/brendel/mov.htm (great website - have a look ) , who lives for decades in the UK, got in 1989 his KBE, but he is not allowed to call himself "Sir Alfred", because he didn't gave up his Austrian citizenship and took the UK one. But I guess, that whenever he gets a subject of the Crown, he will be knighted and get his "Sir" - like most of the other pianists, conductors & composers. Best regards Christian

Dear Paddy, I also read that story somewhere - why not, gold for teeth had been rare . Best regards Christian

Dear Ed, many thanks for the information . I always thought, that only Soviet soldiers received these two - Korean & Afghan - medals . The special documents are a bit misleading ... Best regards Christian BTW: Do you know some other states, which issued similar medals ?

Dear Ed, that's correct, but my question had been, what would have happened to Zhukov's name, IF he would have swapped his Soviet citizenship to a British one in the 1940s . As a Crown subject he would have got automatically - according to the regulations of the G.C.B. - his legal title "Sir" . Best regards Christian

Dear Bob, The inscription at the document says as much as: "The Liberation of Korea Medal is established in recognition of the Korean people's eternal gratitude to the the Great Soviet Army for their liberating Korea from the Japanese Imperialists." I have the ident medal + doc in my Soviet-Navy-Group of Captain 1st Rank Kandybin http://gmic.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=11948 with the rather low s/n. 730 and the rather early issue date of january 1948: I guess, there had been quite a few other countries in the history of communism, which issued such "Gratitude to CCCP"-Medals, i.e., in the 1980s Afghanistan http://www.medals.org.uk/afghanistan/afgha...fghan-r-023.htm - from Ed Haynes' website: Best regards Christian

Dear Jim, congratulation to your victory #9 Your answer are 100 % correct . Sir Georgy Zhukov G.C.B. might have ended in the House of Lords as his Lordship George Zhukov 1st Viscount of Berlin . Marshal Zhukov got in 1945 the Knight Grand Cross of The Most Honourable Order of the Bath, the most supreme class of that high-ranking British Order: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Order_of_the_Bath But Marshal Zhukov didn't leave the CCCP, but took up his brilliant career after Stalin's death and promoted to the rank of a minister of defense - and got his 4th HSU-Star in december 1956. Most of the historians think, that he got HSU #4 as the supreme commander of the "Operation Hungary 1956" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hungarian_Revolution_of_1956. And it was not the practice in the 1950s to confer HSUs for mere round birthdays, which got the (bad) tradition during the Brezhnev-era. There had been quite a lot of HSUs - and other high-ranking orders - confered for Hungary 1956 by the Supreme Soviet. I guess, that even Yuri Andropov http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yuri_Andropov , at that time Soviet Amabassador in Budapest, got one of his Lenin's for playing mastermind during the operations in Hungary 1956. Question #161 is now your turn . Best regards Christian

Dear Ulsterman, no, the "Order of the October Revolution" had been one of the most prestigeous decorations in the Soviet Union in the era of Brezhnev till the end of 1991: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Order_of_the_October_Revolution It ranked second amongst the Soviet orders, after the "Order of Lenin". The emphasis was on socialistic or revolutionary activities and a large range of 3rd-World-Leaders received that decoration. Usually the "Order of the October Revolution" had been the highest decoration a foreigner got get from the Soviet Union. Also for Soviet citizens that order was approbriate, when the deeds had been too important for an "Red Banner of Labour" and not enough important for an "Order of Lenin". Best regards Christian

These are very positive news, Belaruski Best regards Christian BTW: Are there any other states, where the 7th of november is a national holiday ?

Kovalev's orders & ranks Gentlemen, some photographs of comrade Kovalev. Best regards Christian As a Private with Glory 2cl, Glory 3cl & RS: As a Junior Sergeant as a Full Cavalier of the Order of Glory: As a Lt.-Colonel in recent years:

High-ranking officers with Glory-Trios Gentlemen, just by googling around about the Order of Glory in Russian language, I found that interesting Full Cavalier of the Order of Glory, who retired as a Lt.-Colonel: Alexei Leontovitch KOVALEV ( Алексей Леонтьевич Ковалев ), born at the 12th of may 1925 in the Ukraine. He finished the GPW at the age of 20, holding the rank of a Junior Sergeant and bearing the 3 Orders of Glory, one RS and the usual medals. Years later he retired as a Lt.-Colonel - a quite steep career . Here are some links to our hero (Russian language): http://www.interesniy.kiev.ua/old/7137/reyhstag http://kiyany.obozrevatel.com/news_comment.../5/10/31128.htm http://kiyany.obozrevatel.com/_site/src/ph...0&_id=31128 (photo album) Are there other such careers among the Cavaliers of Glory ? Best regards Christian

Dear Vic, at least Putin's agency NOVOSTI is doing big propaganda for the event . Well, there won't be the big military parade at the red square, but I guess, there will be some fine commemorative parties around Russia ... Best regards Christian

Great & ideological "correct" site - many thanks . Best regards Christian

Dear Ed, great find . Despite the fact, that I have a really large collection of communist songs on CDs, that gem is new to me . Is there anywhere in the internet the song for download or to listen to - YouTube, etc. ? Best regards Christian

ORDER OF THE OCTOBER REVOLUTION ... and the matching Soviet Order for the upcoming event: Oustanding fine example from Igor's website: http://www.collectrussia.com/DISPITEM.HTM?ITEM=17259 Best regards Christian

90th anniversary of the "Great Socialist October Revolution" Gentlemen, in a few days - 7th of november 2007 - Russia & the world is celebrating the 90th anniversary of that great event in the history of mankind: <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/October_Revolution" target="_blank">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/October_Revolution</a> NOVOSTI, the official press agency of the Russian Federation, already presents a nice collection of 21 photographs at their website: <a href="http://en.rian.ru/photolents/20071102/86165596.html" target="_blank">http://en.rian.ru/photolents/20071102/86165596.html</a> Hughe events will take place in Putin's Russia . For your personal celebration of the anniversary, I found at YouTube a very well composed slideshow of historic CCCP-posters with the Hymn of the Soviet Union as the soundtrack - enjoy: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jYp8qIgYKz4 (Slideshow by "Bevanite" from Canada: http://www.youtube.com/Bevanite ) The book about the October Revolution by the US-journalist John Reed: <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ten_Days_that_Shook_the_World" target="_blank">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ten_Days_that_Shook_the_World</a> Eisenstein's great movie "October": <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/October:_Ten_...Shook_the_World" target="_blank">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/October:_Ten_...Shook_the_World</a> Best regards Christian

Dear Bryan, Gentlemen, if you and our members wouldn't mind, I propose to transfer the following postings from the dealer's-thread http://gmic.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=16363 to the flag-thread http://gmic.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=16651 : Posts #34, #35, #37, #38, #39, #40, #41, #42, & #43 These are postings about a YU-Flag 2cl to a close personal friend of mine, who passed away many years ago. Many thanks . Best regards Christian

New question #160 Gentlemen, due to the fact, this question is an very easy one, I made two different parts of it. ALL ABOUT ZHUKOV We all know him and his career . Some month after the great victory in GPW, Marshal Zhukov faced some difficulties with the NKVD, some Politburo-Members and also with comrade Stalin. Zhukov's brilliant career come to an end somehow. Let us assume, that Zhukov would have left the Soviet Union and moved over to England. O.K., he would have lost his Soviet citizenship immedatly, his rank as a Marshal CCCP, etc., etc., but the Crown would have confered the British citizenship to that most famous WW-II-General within few weeks. Question part #1: 1) What would have been Zhukov's full name written down in the British official documents ? Zhukov got the Hero-Star #4 with the s/n. 1. Question part #2: 2) For what did Marshal Zhukov receive his 4th Hero-Star ? The winner is, who answers both question in the correct way. Best regards Christian