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    Christian Zulus

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    Posts posted by Christian Zulus

      Sergeant Gnitienko's "Glory-Trio"

      in Russia: Soviet Orders, Medals & Decorations

      Posted · Edited by Christian Zulus

      :jumping: 104th birthday of Sgt. Gnitienko (today) :jumping:

      :jumping: 27th anniversary of getting the Glory 1cl (tomorrow) :jumping:

      Gentlemen,

      today (and tomorrow) is a great day for Sgt. Gnitienko & me: His birthday and the day, when he got his Glory 1cl.

      As usually - since 1995 - I celebrate both events around midnight in commemoration to comrade Gnitienko: His deeds and his contribution to the liberation of his motherland will never be forgotten!

      Years ago - before my "crown juwels" were stored in a bank-safe - I always took his Glories out, put them on a red velvet bolster, arranged some candles around the bolster, invited some military-interested friends and we watched the "Victory Parade 1995" (with the veterans :love: ) on video - and emptied some bottles of Chianti Classico Riserva or of other fine wines from Tuscany :D .

      Thanks for all the background, Christian. It helps to fill out the story.

      Dear Ed,

      many thanks for your remarks :cheers: .

      Some more aspects, to fill out Gnitienko's story:

      He entered the Red Army at the 5th of november 1943, when his unit already reached the "Tatar Wall" at the Perekop Isthmus (entrance to the Crimea).

      Gnitienko was there wounded at 13th of december 1943 for the first time (there had been smaller fightings at the "Tatar Wall" from autumn 1943 to spring 1944, till the hughe operation for the liberation of the Crimea started).

      Gnitienko was wounded at the 9th of april 1944 for the second time - just three days after he received his Glory 3cl and one day after the massive assault of the 2nd Guards Army for the liberation of the Crimea started - two weeks later, Gnitienko got his Glory 2cl!

      He left the Red Army after the GPW in 1945.

      1985 Gnitienko got a OPW 1cl, due to the fact, that he had been wounded during the GPW.

      Best regards :beer:

      Christian

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      Nakhimov Medal s/n. 2.200

      in Russia: Soviet Orders, Medals & Decorations

      Posted

      EUR 145 in 1996? That was about 150 dollars back then! That was your once in a lifetime bargain!! It is a beautiful piece. Please get the research! :jumping::jumping:

      Dear Paul,

      many thanks :cheers: .

      This Nakhimov and another Uzhakov Medal (without documents) will be researched rather soon :D .

      My once in a lifetime bargain hadn't been that Nakhimov Medal, but Sgt. Gnitienko's full cavalier of the Glory set of the 1st category, as it turned out after the comprehensive research:

      - correct s/n. of the Glory 1cl

      - Glory 1cl in an almost 10/10 condition

      - excellent, very early & historic important citations of all 3 Glories

      http://gmic.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=5536 (citations are at the end of the thread)

      I paid in january 1994 EUR 1.380,- for the set ..... :rolleyes:

      Today's market value (dealer's retail price!) of Gnitienko's set might be already beyond USD 20.000,- :unsure:

      Best regards :beer:

      Christian

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      Sergeant Gnitienko's "Glory-Trio"

      in Russia: Soviet Orders, Medals & Decorations

      Posted

      Very interesting that his 2nd Class was upgraded much more later for a 1st Class. I didn't even know one could have 2 Glories 2nd Class.

      What's also interesting is that he got his awards in a very short period of time in the same area.

      That was a good move to research your crown jewel! :beer:

      Dear Bryan,

      many thanks for your remarks :cheers: .

      That might be THE point, that Gnitienko got his Glories too fast - within 4 months time! :unsure: .

      The historic fact is, that the two very first Orders of Glory 1st class had been confered to lance corporal M. T. Pitenin and senior sergeant K. K. Shevtshenko at the 22nd of july 1944. Another fact is, that Gnitienko fullfilled his heroic deeds in the Latvian town Jelgava end of july / beginning of august 1944, as you can read from the citation, just a few days later, as the first Orders of Glory 1st class had been awarded. So, Gnitienko was actually one of the first awardees with the Order of Glory 1st class :jumping: .

      Maybe the 51th Army didn't know, that it was already possible to award soldiers with a Glory 1cl :unsure: ?

      Maybe the sloppy handwritten citation of Gnitienko's Glory 2cl stayed with the 2nd Guards Army and was not transfered to Kreizer's 51th Army :unsure: ?

      Gnitienko got his full cavalier set of Glory in three different aeras:

      - "Tatar Wall", Perekop Isthmus

      - fortified heights "Bezymyannya", norhteast of Sevastopol (160km away from Perekop Isthmus!)

      - Jelgava, Latvia

      For actions in the same aera, you usually get only one award.

      The problem - why Gnitienko got his 1cl so late - might have been, that the Glory 1cl is exclusivly awarded by the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet - as the HSU. Such a procedure takes time and the Supreme Soviet had a lot of other duties, than to exchange wrong orders ... :rolleyes:AND Gnitienko wasn't a member of the communist party and left the Red Army just after the end of the GPW in 1945 ...

      The Order of Glory is still awarded - catch-up or maybe even exchange - by the government of the Russian Federation to veterans (or their heirs) of the GPW.

      Best regards :beer:

      Christian

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      Nakhimov Medal s/n. 2.200

      in Russia: Soviet Orders, Medals & Decorations

      Posted

      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 :angry: ) Valour Medal is missing and the Nakhimov Medal is still unresearched.

      Best regards :beer:

      Christian

      BTW: I paid in 1996 for my Nakhimov EUR 145,-, which was quite cheap even for the "Golden Years" of Soviet collecting.

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      RB & RB#2 group to airforce major Baranovsky

      in Russia: Soviet Orders, Medals & Decorations

      Posted · Edited by Christian Zulus

      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 :unsure: ?

      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 :beer:

      Christian

      BTW: I paid in 1994 for the group EUR 280,-, which was far too much at that time, but I wanted that group ... :rolleyes:

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      STALIN : New (old) icon in Putin's Russia

      in Russia: Soviet Orders, Medals & Decorations

      Posted

      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" :D .

      BTW: Conservative groups inside the Russian Orthodox Church want to convert comrade Stalin into a (real & authentic) saint for the Christianity ... :rolleyes:

      So Putin might create in some years the new Russian order of the "Saint Stalin" :P .

      Best regards :beer:

      Christian

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      Order of Ushakov individual Medal

      in Russia: Soviet Orders, Medals & Decorations

      Posted

      Is this a medal that was ever awarded twice to the same individual?

      Dear Jim,

      I don't know about such cases :unsure: , 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 :rolleyes: . Might be faked by the dealer :unsure: ?

      Best regards :beer:

      Christian

      BTW: Could you please present better pics of the medal and the booklet :love: .

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      Order of Glory 2nd and 3rd Class

      in Russia: Soviet Orders, Medals & Decorations

      Posted

      Dear Jim,

      congratulations to your Glory-group :cheers: .

      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 :love: ?

      That is a great grouping. Have you researched the groups? I would love to read the citations on these!(Translated of course!).

      This would be very interesting :love: !

      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 :beer:

      Christian

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      Sergeant Gnitienko's "Glory-Trio"

      in Russia: Soviet Orders, Medals & Decorations

      Posted · Edited by Christian Zulus

      Why Sgt. Gnitienko got two Orders of Glory 2cl :unsure: ?

      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 :unsure: ?

      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 :beer:

      Christian

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      Sergeant Gnitienko's "Glory-Trio"

      in Russia: Soviet Orders, Medals & Decorations

      Posted · Edited by Christian Zulus

      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 :beer:

      Christian

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      Sergeant Gnitienko's "Glory-Trio"

      in Russia: Soviet Orders, Medals & Decorations

      Posted · Edited by Christian Zulus

      Quite a Christmas gift!

      :jumping::jumping::jumping:

      I still await Comrade Santa to deliver my missing-in-inaction translations.

      Dear Ed,

      many thanks :cheers: .

      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 :D

      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 :jumping: .

      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 :beer:

      Christian

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