Christian Zulus

Dear Jim, that is an "Umalatova-Award", as you can read at the document . They are producing their own copies of the old Soviet Awards and still confer them to meritorious comrades ... O.K., if you believe, that the Soviet Union is still alive, than that cheap copy is an genuine and authentic award . Best regards Christian

Comrade Boiko - upgraded or downgraded Gentlemen, had comrade Boiko been upgraded or downgraded? Everybody knows my theory about the "effective" hierarchy among privates & NCOs in 1945 - in the last month of the GPW - in the case RS vs. Glory . Lieber Gerd, congratulations to this very special - Motorized Pontoon Bridging Battalion - Glory . Best regards Christian

Dear Lukasz, excellent proposal . To get proper illustrations might not be THE big problem, because there are thousends of good photographs in other books and specially in the www. So with an agreement concerning copy rights they could be used. The question is: How comprehensive should the publiction be? If you make it really into the depth, then we will get a library of at least 10 very fat books . If everything would be pressed into one volume, then the value for the collector and/or historian might be rather small. Finances: Might it be possible to form a Brussel-financed "European-Research-Project"? Best regards Christian

Recent auction results from Sotheby's Gentlemen, have a look at the recent auction results from Sotheby's: http://gmic.co.uk/index.php?s=&showtop...st&p=127820 to get a feeling in which direction the train is leaving . 600,000 USD is 12x (twelve times!) higher, than the estimated auction result for an - rather simple - St. Andrew 1cl from around 1840 without breast star. It would be the same, if an full Cavaliers Glory-Trio of the very 1st grade would go into the auction with an estimated price of 15,000 - 18,000 USD and might get a hammer price of 180,000 USD The actions of "Czar Putin" will drive the price ranges up for top SU-Awards! Best regards Christian

Dear Soviet, many thanks for your congratulations . Yes, I also think, that the picture is reversed, but in 1942/43 the officers where still rather "free" in how to present their orders and medals, I think. Specially Khrushchev was always "over-correct" and so I think, that the picture should be the other way round. It is also interesting at your picture of the four friends, that we see 3 high-ranking Party-Dudes and only one (1) real and authentic general around the map planning the great counter-offensive. The want to show us the important role of the Communist Party in the GPW . Sorry for my German-English transliteration of the new question . Anybody else, who as an idea about the answer of my new question? Best regards Christian

NEW QUESTION Gentlemen, again a very easy question, to make the process faster : What do we see at the front of SU-Medal: "Medal of Merit in Teaching and Education USSR" ("Medal Sa saslugi w obutschenije i wospitanije CCCR")?????? Please describe what you see in a few words - thanks Second, very small additional, question: What is the more familiar name among collectors for this prestigious (and rare) Soviet State-Medal? Best regards Christian

The answer Gentlemen, the meeting took place in autumn 1942 in Stalingrad and the four friends are discussing in front of the big map the great military counter-offensive concerning the smashing of Hitler's 6th Army. We see the Military Council of the Stalingrad Front + the Political Commissar of the Rokossovsky's Don Front, comrade Kirichenko + Stalingrad's Party-Dude: The friends from left to right: - Nikita S. Khrushchev, Political Commissar - Zampolit - of the Stalingrad Front; rank: Lt.-Gen. - Alexei I. Kirichenko, Major General (later Politburo-Member and party chief of the Ukraine) - A. S. Chuyanov, party chief of the Stalingrad Oblast - Andrei I. Yeremenko, Colonel General, Commander of the Stalingrad Front The 3 comrades in military uniform are genuine and authentic Ukrainians - not Russians, despite the fact, that Stalingrad is part of the Russian Republic . A demonstration of internationalism ... At Yeremenko's uniform you can see his two golden fabric stripes for two severe wounds. No other army in the WW II had so many top-generals among the KIA or among the severly wounded, as the Red Army! Attached you will see of photograph of comrade Khrushchev around one year later, showing him in a correct uniform as a Lt.-Gen. and with his Lenin, Suvorv 1cl, RBL and Stalingrad-Medal. Khrushechev's success as a Political Commissar for the goals of the Soviet Union had been much brighter, than his fiasco as a party leader and economist in later years . Also comrade Brezhnev had been a rather meritorious Political Commissar, but at a much lower level, than Khrushchev, who had been all times political responsible for a Front or even several Fronts! Best regards Christian [attachmentid=63094]

Auction results from Sotheby's for the rest of the awards from the SU Gentlemen, these are the results of the auction: - ORDER OF THE TOUVINIAN ARAT REPUBLIC, 1941-5 Estimated price: 3,000?5,000 GBP serial number 116, Type 2 Hammer price: 10,200 GBP = almost 20,000 USD - ORDER OF THE RED BANNER OF LABOUR OF THE UZBEK SSR, 1930-1946 Estimated price: 3,000?5,000 GBP serial number 210, Type 2, the badge of silver and enamel, Leningrad, 875 standard, stamped with workmaster's initial S.B. in Cyrillic Hammer price: 9,000 GBP = 17,000 USD - ORDER OF THE RED BANNER OF LABOUR OF THE BYELORUSSIAN SSR 10,000?15,000 GBP serial number 167, the badge of silver and enamel, Moscow, 84 standard, stamped with workmaster's initials VR in Cyrillic Hammer price: 45,600 GBP = almost 90,000 USD Well, the hammer prices are high above the estimated results. Imagine what the rest of the Soviet lot whould have yielded . But the real sensation was a simple Russian Order of St. Andrew 1cl (about 1840) - without breast star (!), only at the sash, but in the presentation box - with an estimated price of 25,000 - 35,000 GBP, which ended up with a hammer price of 299,200 GBP = almost 600,000 USD Hard times for collectors of Russian & Soviet items . Best regards Christian

Dear Gilbert, these are very interesting documents! As we can read, the comrade received his Glory 3cl s/n. 677.891 in december 1943 instead of a "Medal for Valour", as listed in the citation. So he had to be one of the very first soldiers to receive an Order of Glory, which dosen't correspond with the rather high serial number of the award. Maybe there might be something wrong with the year 1943 . Seems to be a case for our experts . Best regards Christian

Dear Piramida, many thanks for your valueable and excellent informations Is there a place in the www, where we could see the new YU/Serbian Orders & Medals? The Austrian author Peter Handke received from Milosevic the "Order of the White Eagle" - or something similar sounding - as far as I know. So I thought, that the Serbian Government went back to some monarchy models. Zdravo! Christian

Dear Red Threat, congratulations, you have won Now it is your turn to post a new question Best regards Christian

Sorry Jim, not Koenigsberg . We have following medals left: - Warshava - Budapest - Vienna - Belgrad - Praque Gentlemen, again, look at the eyes of this world famous marshal (and look at my postings at another thread ...) Best regards Christian

Gentlemen, what about the new question? It is really very easy, to guess, who this marshal is: - 1x Order of Victory - 1x Suvorov 1cl - a lot of other orders & medals - no connex to the "Berlin-Operation" Best regards Christian

Brezhnev & battle awards Gentlemen, comrade Brezhnev had been mad about getting authentic battle awards and the folks around him with pleasing him to confer them to him. Brezhnev had 3 goals in his life: - to promote to the rank of a marshal - to get the Order of Victory - to get as many HSUs as Zhukov had He fulfilled all 3 - O.K., he was the boss ... Coming back to the YU-Order of Freedom & Brezhnev. At official state visits it is the habit - till in our times -, that the guest (if he is head of state or chief of the party) gets the highest ranking civil order of the inviting state. Comrade Brezhnev visited Belgrade, as you can see at the attached photograph with Tito, and according to the regulations of international diplomacy he should have got the "Order of the Flag" 1cl. But the comrades in Yugoslavia knew, that "big brother" Brezhnev was eager to get real battle awards. So they gave him the "Order of Freedom", the highest ranking military order. My theory ... Best regards Christian [attachmentid=62614]

Dear Piramida, that sounds very interesting and is completly new to me. After the 1999-war Nato vs. YU a large number of officers and soldiers received orders and medals from Milosevic, but I thought, that YU had already completly new decorations, rather similar to these of the former YU-Monarchy. Do you have further evidence of that case? Who had been the recipients - Gen. Pavkovic and who else? Best regards Christian

No, the YU-Order of Freedom was not for partisans. The regulations are rather ident to the Soviet Order of Victory. So Zhukov might have got his one for the planning of the liberation of Belgrade (?) and Brezhnev got his one for the same reasons, why he got the Order of Victory . Best regards Christian

Dear Eric, brilliant idea . How to organize, how to finance and who would publish the book? Possible to make a EU-research-project out of it? Best regards Christian

Yes, he is wearing the "Order of Freedom" on his right side, the highest military order of Yugoslavia and at the same rank as the Soviet "Order of Victory". Only 7 people got the order: 5 comrades from YU + Zhukov & Brezhnev. There is not one of these orders in private hands or had ever been at the market. The order has 61 brilliants and 45 rubies - quite something . Best regards Christian

Dear Gerd, you note: At the 7th of february 1945 there had been no fights in or around Vienna, but in Budapest. So he got his OGPW 2cl for Budapest AND Vienna. The Moscow-Medal is noted, but at the photograph we see two more medals beside the Moscow-Medal: Germany-Medal and Budapest (?) OR Vienna (?) Medal. Why didn't he got both of the Medals? Interesting comrade . Best regards Christian

Dear Stogieman, you are right: That's the most curious birthday cake for an old marshal I have ever seen - look at the lovely bugs around the cake . Well, it looks more like a birthday cake for a small child from a very rich family ... But maybe comrade Tito was already something like a "small child" at his high age. Besides the great cake I choose the photograph to show, that Tito presented only YU-Awards at his uniform (to present all his orders & medals he would have had to use 4 to 5 uniform jackets at once ...). Best regards Christian

Dear Ed, I believe in your judgement, because you have seen the medals. Best regards Christian

Dear RedThreat, sorry, it is not Konev . But the form of the marshal's face is rather similar, but not the eyes and it is not the Berlin-Medal also ... O.K., it is not Konev and it is not the Berlin-Medal, but there are still some other marshals in the line, who received the Order of Victory . There are not so many capturing or liberation of medals left and our marshal's contribution was really rather important. Best regards Christian

Dear Ed, that is 100 % also my view of the situation . Dave & Bob: I am not the only collector, who had been banned from the "other" Soviet forum, there are some other - much more distinguished collectors & experts than myself - who had been banned from "Art's Empire of the Rules" . So I assume, that humoristic threads are not the source for banning ... Jim's attitude is correct: They have their forum and we have our forum - and everybody should be happy in his own world . I told the story of my banning and about Tito's Order of Victory, because that is something linked with my person and GMIC-members asked me, but I don't want to go on with a discussion like: "Why we are better than the others" or "Why moderator XY is an idiot". Best regards Christian

Dear Gerd, great invention for the presentation of our Crown Juwels . Maybe the wooden frame should be also painted in matt black . Best regards Christian

Dear Ed, many thanks for your congratulations . Dr. Herfurth noted in his small booklet, that the medal is fixed with a needle ... What about my new question? He is really a very famous marshal, who played a major role in the liberation of a city - and we all know this medal . You can also see this strategic genius on photographs with comrade Stalin ... Best regards Christian