Christian Zulus

Dear Bryan, no, that's legally not correct: Yugoslavia ceased to exist last year (2006) with the independence of Montenegro. The former intermediate name "Union of Serbia and Montenegro" had been only a dictate of the EU (Mr. "happy smiling" Solana). Now the Republic of Serbia is still the legal heir of old YU. I would tend to call 1991 - october 2000 a somehow transitional period. Milosevic gave two "Orders of Freedom" to 2 generals of the 1999 war, as we could read at this thread. Well, I assume, when they also had pinbacks and a lady should get an order, then they gave her a pinback-version. My humble theory . But I am not an expert in YU-Awards . Best regards Christian

Helsiniki - results & market trends Gentlemen, in average Helsinki showed the present market situation. But some highly interesting medals and badges had not been sold - it's a pity, that I - and some others of our community - didn't bid for them . Some results of the auction. The 3 groups are just my knowledge & feeling about the market for Soviet awards. I switched over to USD and added the 18 % already. Over market expectations: Motherland 2cl for 2.300,- and and low numberd Motherland 3cl for 920,-. Ribbon-Lenin (r.i. + doc.) for 2000,-. RB #2 for 3.050,- and RB #3 for 2.750,- (ribbon-RBs). Medals: Ushakov (low numbered) for 2.300,- and Nakhimov (hand engr.) for 2.000,- and for 1.600,-. "Normal" market prices: Kutuzov 3cl for 6.750,-. Nevsky T2 for 2.300,-. HSL (low numbererd + doc.) for 1.850,-. RBL T2 one for 2.300,- and for 2.150,-. Under market expectations: Glory 3cl (border) for 4.600,-. Glory 2cl + 3cl (res.) for 600,-. Glory 2cl + 3cl (res. + dupl. doc.) for 750,-. Partisan 1cl (+ doc.) 340,-. It seems, that there might be a growing demand for RB #X (but RB #4 did not sell!), Navy-Medals and (rare) Motherlands. Rank & file awards - Glory & Partisan - seemed not to be so much looked after close to the Russian border, as one of the big Russian dealers already told to me last summer . Just my quick analysis out of the auction results. Again: All prices are in USD (excl. shipping & insurance). Best regards Christian

Magic Benchmark Gentlemen, we are getting close to the benchmark of 1.000 (replies) & 10.000 (views) with Christophe's quiz-thread . Best regards Christian

Dear Carol, uuppps ..., there had been a book about Soviet prototype fighter planes some years ago at the market (in English), but I didn' t bought it . Your model looks a bit similar to the MiG-29 . Are MiG-29 and SU-27 third generation ? Are the recent Russian fighter-jets fifth generation ? I remember a Soviet/Russian prototype from around 1991, which looked much more fancy, than your model. Carol, please give us a definition about your category of jet-fighter generations - many thanks . Best regards Christian

Dear Bob, you are right, but Albania has already it's own GMIC-section and Yugoslavia not Best regards Christian

Dear Bryan, western (conservative) medias regard Yugoslavia till october 2000 as a socialist - quasi communist - authoritarian regime . I promoted in january 2000 to the rank of the "Secretary General" of the official and bilateral "Austrian - Serbian Union" (former: "Austrian - Yugoslavian Society") - after some "heroic deeds" at the "propaganda front" (organizing concerts, etc.) during the 1999 war. So, some stubborn people still regard me as a "Milosevic-Communist" . BTW: I never regarded Slobadan Milosevic (and his family & friends) as THE perfect leader(s) for Yugoslavia. They did - besides the NATO - an enormous harm to that great country . What I want to say is, that I would include all awards till october 2000 to the so called Communist period of Yugoslavia - or to a "transition" period. My phaleristic theory. So, my F-117 A has a certain right to be among the JNA-items . The two "Orden Rada" (Order of Labour) 3cl & 2cl (mint-fresh & with miniatures + ribbons) are from the grand-grand-aunt of my daughter, Ivanka Besevic-Boreli, a former well known journalist for cultural affairs. She got them as "long-service-awards", but she had been the No. 174 to receive the "Orden Rada" 3cl from comrade Tito. Ivanka, still alive, is the daughter of Nikola Besevic, one of the most important Yugoslavian painters in the first half of the last century. Years ago she published a great book (partly in English) about her father: http://www.narodnimuzej.org.yu/code/navigate.php?Id=122 (please scroll down). I also keep the documents and boxes of Ivanka's YU-Orders. The rv. are with pins, due to the fact, that she is a lady. The other 3cl is with screwback. So, some family history in the collection . Best regards Christian

Dear Ed, it is a rather rare combination - Berlin & Praque -, but it makes sense, as Bryan pointed out. Why should someone doctor such a rare combination, why not a more common one? I have the strong feeling, that it is an authentic group . Best regards Christian

Dear Dan, many thanks for your support . I assume, that in our collectors community YU-Awards are regarded in terms of design, beauty and craftmanship as ranking No. 3 behind Soviet and Mongolian awards. As with Mongolian awards, early YU-Awards had been made in the CCCP. So the quality of these awards is always superiour to the home-made ones of later years. Here, at the so called "other" Soviet forum, you will find a comprehensive catalogue of these beauties: http://www.soviet-awards.com/forum/soviet-...ian-awards.html . The prices are still very, very moderate . Best regards Christian

Dear Jani, great - many thanks . Best regards Christian

Gentlemen, I am also very happy about this new section at GMIC and - as the GMIC-staff knows - I have done some humble "motivation work" for a own Hungary-section . For getting a lucid structure to the GMIC-world concerning Communism, I hope, that the next new section might be Yugoslavia . Congratulation to Charles . Best regards Christian

Dear Auke, yes, your are exactly right: Only two Romanian Armies - my mistake . The 3rd had been dislocated over a wide region from the Don to the Chir, so I noticed the 3rd Army at a first glimpse on the map for two armies . Axis-forces involved in "Uranus": 6th Army (German) 4th Tank Army (German) 3rd Army (Romanian) 4th Army (Romanian) 8th Army (Italian) Quite a bulk of military power the Soviets had to tackle with . The Soviets underestimated the strength of the Axis-forces completly, but Vasilevsky's planning was perfect and they had simply good luck . It was also good luck for the Red Army, that STAVKA handed over (the more important) "Mars" to Zhukov (who made a total mess out of the operation ) and (not so important) "Uranus" to Vasilevsky. If the Soviets would have had the same success with "Mars" as with "Uranus", then the Axis-forces might have got in real trouble in winter 1942/43 at the Eastern Front. US-Col. (ret.) David Glantz http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Glantz wrote an excellent book about operation "Mars": http://www.amazon.com/Zhukovs-Greatest-Def...n/dp/070060944X - a real "must" to anyone, who is interested in the history of the GPW. Best regards Christian Col. Glantz' book about "Mars":

Still no results .... Best regards Christian

Your Royal Highness, dear Carol, it seems, that you are the winner , but we have to wait for Master "Wild Card" to confirm your win. It is interesting, that the commander of the tank-brigade himself, comrade Filippov, took 5 tanks + a few men and drove into the town of Kalach - very courageous for a CO in such high position . But the Soviet Army had enormous losses among their top Generals: Vatutin http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nikolai_Vatutin , etc., etc. Aleksander Maslov wrote an excellent and comprehensive book about that subject, extraordinary expensive, but worth the money: http://www.amazon.de/Fallen-Soviet-General...s/dp/071464790X But on the other side, it had been rather "save" to drive a raid with T-34 tanks at that time, because the Germans used a rather large number of T-34 themselves for a simple reason: At that time the T-34 had been superiour to any german tank. So it was difficult for the "Krauts" to say if the 5 tanks are from the Soviets or Germans. Carol, do you know which award Col.-Lt. Filippov received for the capture of the Don-bridge in Kalach ? It should have been a HSU. Do you have any informations about the career of comrade Filippov and the full range of his awards? Best regards Christian BTW: 3 Romanian Armies (!) had been involved - as Axis-forces - in "Uranus". Maslov's book:

Dear Bryan, many thanks for your hint - maybe someone of our moderators could move this thread to the more approbriate http://gmic.co.uk/index.php?showforum=137 - many thanks in advance . It is a shame, I have never been to that GMIC-forum http://gmic.co.uk/index.php?showforum=137 before . At least, my storage & presentation system seems to be unknown in the collectors community . Best regards Christian

Beria & Stalin's paranoia Dear "Wild Card", I assume, that every other leader of a state would have got a "paranoia" having a Beria at the top of the second (and uncontrolable!) power of the state . It is a general (and historic) problem with all "secret services", that they are hardly to control in an efficient way, due to their "secret" nature. But the hughe power of the NKVD under Beria had been a unique case in history. Stalin & Co. could tackle with the NKVD under a Yagoda http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genrikh_Yagoda and Yezhov http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nikolai_Yezhov (both had been shot for their crimes), but they had no chance against the brilliant Beria. Yezhov had gone too far with his purges inside the Red Army. It is really the question, who had been the bigger monster: Beria or Yezhov? As you already pointed out, Yezhov's true boss had been "King Alcohol" . Best regards Christian

Bridge of Kalach during the operation "Uranus" ? Dear "Wild Card", concerning your given date, it seems, that it might have something to do with the operation "Uranus" (Stalingrad) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Uranus , supervised by the Soviet strategic genius Vasilevsky http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aleksandr_Vasilevsky (at the same time the mediocre Zhukov had the largest defeat of his life (loosing 1.366 tanks !!!) with the operation "Mars" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Rzhev-Sychevka_Offensive ). Concerning your other informations, it seems, that the asked incident might be the seize of the bridge of the town of Kalach http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kalach-na-Donu . Kalach had been the meeting point of the 2 Soviet forces, which encircled the Axis-forces in the region of Stalingrad. Besides of that, Kalach had been the centre of logistics for Paulus' 6th Army. So, to get to this point of answering was not very difficult , if my guessing should have been correct . But the winner of quiz-question No. 81 should be, who can name the leader, the CO, of the raid. I think, that would be fair. I have no glue, who might have been it . Best regards Christian Map of operation "Uranus":

A drawer taken out:

How to store & present medals + documents Gentlemen, years ago I found a rather proper method to store & present my modest and humble collection of Soviet and Yugoslavian orders, medals and documents. I purchased a 18-piece-set of drawers for a rather high price from a german manufacturer. They are very neat and inside covered with very nice (artificial) red velvet - the colour red has a very special meaning in the culture and history of Russia (and later on in CCCP ). The drawers are made out of plastic and you can take them completly out of the chest of drawers. The problem with ribbons & paper documents is the natural light. So are any solutions to present them in frames hanging on the wall bad solutions - at least for your grand children . Best regards Christian One of the chest of drawers:

BERIA Dear "Wild Card", so, the "Monster" got the additional 2 (!) Lenins + the Stalin Prize 1cl for the nuclear bomb. Do you have a photograph showing Beria with ALL his awards ? I only found photographs without the "Nuclear-Awards" . Beria had been a smart genius with a 100 % instinct for power. But on the other side he had been completly mentally insane: Raping young girls & torturing NKVD-prisoners himself to death . He managed to keep the NKVD out of the control of the Politburo & Party. Besides the Party, the NKVD had been the 2nd ruling power & institution in the CCCP . The results of that process we all know .... and Katyn had been maybe the climax of terror & inhumanity. In his last years Stalin & Co. tried to get Beria out of the center of power and had some success. But Stalin's health had been already in an extremly bad shape and after an another stroke in march 1953, Beria managed to keep all doctors away from the collapsed "voshd" and so comrade Stalin had to die. Immedeatly Beria rushed to the Kremlin and cleaned Stalin's safe from all documents, Stalin collected for putting Beria to trial. Besides of his syphillis, Beria got some month later a ticket for meeting Heinrich Himmler & Co. in hell in form of a well placed bullet in his brain. Beria is the darkest chapter in the history of the CCCP . Best regards Christian

Dear Jani, dear Alex, dear Gentlemen, can the results with the actual hammer prices be seen somewhere in the www ? Many thanks for the informations in advance . Best regards Christian

Dear "Wild Card", congratulations to your promotion to rank No. 5: Yes, it is the "Monster" . http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lavrenty_Beria How did you find the solution - young girls, Polish officers (Katyn!) or the photographs? Now it is again your turn . Best regards & and many thanks for your congratulations Christian

MORE HINTS TO QUESTION No. 80 Gentlemen, too make things easier, some more hints: I had the honour to work together with the great Kurchatov http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Igor_Kurchatov and we have been successful . BTW: Prof. Kurchatov ended up with 3x HSL and I myself got only 1 HSL (+ 2 additional Lenins) for my personal achievments . Here are 2 small photographs showing me: Best regards Christian

Dear Bryan, many thanks for your interest to that great period of architecture . Have a look at the new quiz-question No. 80 - shouldn't be too difficult . Best regards Christian

Dear Christophe, the quiz is your invention and we are come close to 1.000 replies and 10.000 views - congratulations Christian