Christian Zulus

Quiz-Question #103 deals again with Yugoslavia & Tito Gentlemen, the recent quiz-question deals again with YU: http://gmic.co.uk/index.php?s=&showtop...st&p=172070 Best regards Christian

Dear Christophe, my answers: 1: Tito 2: Iosif Griguljevitch, code name MAX and DAX. Diplomat and ambassador of Costa Rica - as Teodoro Castro - in Rome and also diplomat as "Gesandter" in Belgrade for Costa Rica. 3: Trotsky in 1940 - failed. 4: a) To infect Tito with gems of lung plague at a personal meeting. b) To shoot Tito during a meeting in London. c) To kill Tito during an offical meeting in Belgrade. d) To present a nice box of jewels by a diplomat of Costa Rica to him and when Tito will open the box, poisonous gas will kill him. 5: After Stalin's death in march 1953 all plans for murdering Tito had been stopped and MAX returned to Moscow, where he got a renowed scientist in South Americains Affairs - vice president of the Soviet-Cuban Society and vicepresident of the Soviet-Venezuelean Society. The high-ranking diplomat from Costa Rica just vanished into smoke & dust . Difficult question, but for me easy: Vienna & Yugoslavia . Best regards Christian

Dear Lukasz, many thanks for the scan - a cute and nice looking medal . I assume, that the recent "Signum Laudis" is also a very rarely confered medal . The problem is with all the special military decorations of the II Austrian Republic, that they are confered in a very, very reluctant way - on contrary to all the civil decorations . Most of my friends in the Austrian Army never got the medals, they should get for their service . Best regards Christian

Dear Ed, no, please, tell us, what the Dalai Lama said . Many thanks . Best regards . Christian

Dear Ed, many thanks for your great story . Well, our Dalai Lama is not so far away from Marxism in the orthodox-stalinist meaning . Just remember his close cooperation with Mao in China in the years after WW II - almost 10 years . Remember the early writings of the Dalai Lama, that communism is the art of government, which fits the best way to Buddism, etc., etc. O.K., Marxism perverted in China in an extremly inhuman & strange way, which resulted in the destruction of Buddism in Tibet . Despite the fact, that the Dalai Lama is quite often in Austria, I had neve the chance to meet him personally . Well, I assume, that the early Dalai Lama is closer to Marxism, then Tito after 1948 . Best regards Christian

Dear Ed, great topic . It have been the workers of the Soviet Union, who won the GPW - in the factories and in the first line of the front . Without the victories at the Soviet "Production Front" - all the T-34, Il-2 Shturmoviks, etc. - we still would greet in continental Europe (at least) with "Heil Hitler!" and the dominant colour would be brown . Maybe we can use this thread for comparative studies dealing with the design of communist Labour Orders ? I can see a very dominant influence of basic Soviet design elements - star, hammer & sickle, red flag, etc. - in most of the orders. Best regards Christian

Serbia at CNN Gentlemen, for GMIC-members, who never had been to former Yugoslavia or recent Serbia, here is a link, which offers the possibility for downloading the CNN-Tourism-Videos about Serbia, which had been screened 507 times, since january 2007, in in the course of a four-month advertising campaign: http://www.srbija.sr.gov.yu/vesti/specijal.php?id=32080 Best regards Christian

Shumadia & Rajac - a paradise 100 km south of Belgrade Gentlemen, at a tourism-website for Serbia I published a small story with nice photographs & links (in German language, but with links to English websites) about the location Rajac (= "paradise" in translation) 100 km south of Belgrade: http://www.ns-geotours.com/reiseberichte_rajac.htm Best regards Christian

Dear Christophe, the Wiki-entry says, that 77114 (you mentioned) and 77115 are at "Zhukovsky" and used for airshows. Best regards Christian

Dear Lukasz, here is the new Milizmedaille: That's the link of the Austrian Army's official website, where you find all recent military & civil decorations (in HQ) of Austria: http://www.bmlv.gv.at/abzeichen/orden/galerie.php?id=122 Best regards Christian

Dear Hardy, some of our GMIC-members speak Hungarian - maybe they can tell you, what's written in the newspapers ? When you get some results of the research, it would be great, if you might show them at GMIC . High ranking Austrian Imperial decorations to medical doctors are rather rare - more common to military people or civil servants . Best regards from Vienna Christian

Dear Jim, your question had been a great question . Best regards Christian

Dear Hardy, I found in the Hungarian newspaper "Orszgos Hirlap" of the very late 19th century 2 times a "Dr. Lurtz" mentionend, but I don't understand the Hungarian language : http://epa.oszk.hu/00200/00242/00073/pdf/00073.pdf http://epa.oszk.hu/00200/00242/00040/pdf/00040.pdf There are 5 "Lurtz" registered in the Austrian phonebook: http://www.herold.at/servlet/at.herold.sp....776322580180106 You might get some valid information about Doctor Lurtz at the "Wiener ?rztekammer" (Chamber of MDs in Vienna), at the department "Standesf?hrung", if they still have their k.u.k. archives (they might have been transfered to the STAATSARCHIV ?): http://www.aekwien.or.at/131.html (you might contact via e-mail one of the 2 listed ladies) You might find also some some article about Dr. Lurtz and his order in the archives of the WIENER ZEITUNG: http://www.wienerzeitung.at/DesktopDefault...2&Alias=wzo Best regards Christian

Dear Christophe, congratulations for answering that super-difficult question . Jim's fantastic question had been really extremly tricky - remind the guessing: - Bin Laden - Leo Trotsky - Iosif Stalin - some "black brothers" Would give a great picture, to show Bin Laden, Trotsky, Stalin and a gang of "black brothers" on board of a Tu-144 . I had my problems with Jim's "cryptic" language . Also Belaruski, who is British, understood "race" in a biological meaning . The question is, which had been the better design: Concorde or Tu-144 - and how much did the Soviets really copy? The fact is, that the Concorde doesn't exist anymore, but the Tu-144 (2 planes) are still flying frequently at the MAKS airshows in Russia. Another fact is, that since the introduction of the MiG-15 the Soviet Union had been always in the lead concerning aircraft designs and also in space flight (Sputnik, Gagarin, etc.) in comparison to the west till the end of the 1970s. Best regards Christian

Dear Jim, due to medical statistics it is completly unlikely, that one mother has 16 children and they are all male . So, I might guess, that the 16 siblings are not siblings in the literally way, but brothers in spirit - Politburo ? If you mention "espionage & race" - maybe the comrade "Anti-bolshevik" & "Bonabartist": Leo Trotsky ???????? Could be also our comrade "Voshd" & "Generalissimus": Iosif Stalin ???????? O.K., I would say comrade Stalin, because there is some evidence, that he had contacts to Ochrana, the Czarist's espionage organisation. Best regards Christian

Dear Jim, many thanks for your help as a language teacher . I know only one person who had (or has) 15 brothers & sisters and where is a connex to the Soviet Union (as a severe enemy): Bin Laden ????????????? Best regards Christian

"Signum Laudis": Again a recent Austrian Military Decoration Gentlemen, the "Signum Laudis" still exists . The official name is now: "Milit?r-Anerkennungsmedaille" and in the order of precedence among the military decorations it has a rather high rank. Best regards from Vienna Christian

Dear Jim, sorry, my English is not so first rate ... . What does "inception" mean in your content? Bablefish translated it into German as "Gr?ndung" (=foundation). "Shrouded" means, that there had been some fog & mystery about the whole affair. The person had 15 sisters & brothers. Many thanks for explaination . Best regards Christian

Dear Ivan, many thanks for your expertise - I didn't know, that there had been a change in the order of precedence in 1955 . Well, the starting price at Herrmann's with EUR 1.850,- (incl. 23% premium and 2,9% creditcard fee, but excl. shipping & insurance!) is rather heavy for a gilded tombac-version, BUT it comes with that great document (with seal!) AND it had been awarded to a general of the JNA. Gentlemen, that's about USD 2.500,- starting price ... Best regards Christian

Dear Jim, correct and congratulations - you are the winner . So it is your turn to post question # 102 . Best regards Christian

Dear Bob, it depends on the point of view ... Officially the "Hero" has been THE top-decoration and Marshal Tito wore his 3 "Heros" always above the other orders or minis. In fact, the "Order of Freedom" has been the most supreme award in Yugoslavia - only 7 awarded. It's rather similar to the Soviet case of HSU vs. Order of Victory . I his late days Marshal Tito wore the "Order of Freedom" always in full decoration (hughe amount of carats of finest rubys!) at his right chest and the rest of his orders as minis at the left chest, with the 3 "Hero"-minis at the top. So, from a phaleristic viewpoint, I will put the "Freedom" at the top of the YU-hierachy, as I would put the "Victory" at the top of the Soviet-hierarchy. Best regards Christian

New question #101 Gentlemen, what was my "nickname" ? I - look my avatar on your left side - had been writing poems in my younger years. What had been my pseudonym or nickname as a author at that time ? Best regards Christian

He looks impressive - like a hero Best regards Christian

Researching Labour Awards Gentlemen, according to informations from our researcher, early Labour Awards (i.e. RBL, BoH, etc.) seem to be already researchable. Best regards Christian

Dear Belaruski, 1) Guards Lieutenant Os'kin from the 53rd Guards Tank Brigade encountered "Royal Tigers" (Tiger II) of the "Schwere PzAbt 501" for the first time at the Eastern Front at the 12th of August 1944 in the fighting at the Soviets' Baranov bridgehead over the Vistula River. 2) Comrade Os'kin, commander of a T-34/85 tank, knocked out three "Royal Tigers" by firing at their sides from an ambush position. 3) He got HSU. Best regards Christian BTW: The T-34 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/T-34 had been the most successful tank in history of warfare .