Soviet The Devaluing of the Hero of Russia

[Gerd Becker]

Does anyone have a photograph of the late Brezhnev wearing all the 5 stars?

A little small, but here you go...

[Ed_Haynes]

Thanks, Gerd!

Am told the family still has them all (except the Victory orders) . . .

[Christian Zulus]

Dear Gerd,

many thanks - 2 rows .

It is interesting, how he wears the stars:

HSU - HSL - HSU

HSU - HSU

Best regards

Christian

A little small, but here you go...

[order_of_victory]

Thanks guys for the information regarding German awarde's

I guess never relised or thought that there woud be anti NAZI partisans in side Germany

I blevie Breznevs Order of Victory was orderded to be destroyed at the mint

Order of Victory

Edited October 19, 2006 by order_of_victory

[Christian Zulus]

Dear Order of Victory,

you were right: There had been almost no genuine anti-Nazi-partisans inside Germany. Most of them were fighting in the lines of the Red Army partisans or doing propaganda. Some were fighting in the armies of the Western Allies.

Best regards

Christian

I guess never relised or thought that there woud be anti NAZI partisans in side Germany

Order of Victory

[Ed_Haynes]

I guess never relised or thought that there woud be anti NAZI partisans in side Germany

Yes, and where did you think the DDR came from??

[Christian Zulus]

Dear Ed,

the GDR (DDR) was established by german communists coming from Moscow: "Gruppe Ulbricht" & Co.

Best regards

Christian

[Ed_Haynes]

Dear Ed,

the GDR (DDR) was established by german communists coming from Moscow: "Gruppe Ulbricht" & Co.

Best regards

Christian

And also by more generic anti-fascist Germans? -- but maybe those two populations were the same

No comment on who made up the BRD

[Riley1965]

Ed,

Honecker's name was on a list of German recipients of the Title HSU I had from another forum. I've been able to confirm all but him. There are those who say yes and those who say no. I need to get a hold of the HSU books and give them a good look over.

Doc

[kimj]

Well, I posted the list on the other forum. So I?ll ?defend" my list.

The names of German HSU comes from a list of foreign awardees of the title Hero of the Soviet Union. It is a list of people who did not have soviet citizenship and were made HSU. It?s not a list of ethnic groups so Sorge doesn?t fit the criteria. Why? Because Sorge was not a German citizen when he got his, posthumous, title he had been a soviet citizen since 1925. Illegally? Yes, because you couldn?t have double citizenship back then. But being a spy means going outside the law.

Erich Honecker was made HSU 25 August 1982. I don?t have the Prikaz so I can say why he got it. But the day is the same as his birthday...(Happy 70th birthday Erich! Here?s a little something from the guys in the Poliburo.) Political ?heroes? were in fashion then. Zhivkov and Husak got one each roughly the same time.

Ed, there is a list of foreign HSU in Shishkov page 28-29, 2nd volume. Not complete but close.

/Kim

[Ed_Haynes]

Thanks, Kim. It was, as I feared, a birthday present.

[Paul L Murphy]

If you were a grizzly decorated war veteran who got your HSU for having the living bejaysus blown out of you crossing the Dniper River you must have felt pretty miffed if you knew that Honecker was awarded it as a birthday present !

[Christian Zulus]

Erich Honecker: Hero of the Soviet Union

The HSU as a birthday-present for Erich Honecker , that fact really devalues the HSU.

Thank god, that such things didn't happen with the Order of Glory 1st cl .

Best regards

Christian Zulus

P.S.: Richard Sorge had the CCCP-citizenship, but was regarded by the german community in Tokio as a true german citizen. Otherwise he would have never got the informations Stalin needed so badly.

[jon m.]

I apologize for maddening anyone on this forum. My original post was written out of the (now corrected) belief that the HSU was originally a Military award and later expanded to include Civilians.

Jon.

[Riley1965]

Kim,

Thanks for posting the additional information. I didn't think to check my Shishkov

Your list stands in my book.

Doc

Edited October 20, 2006 by Riley1965

[Riley1965]

Ed,

I find it interesting that Rakesh Sharma of India received the Title HSU!! Shishkov, Vol.2, pg. 29 # 37.

Doc

Edited October 20, 2006 by Riley1965

[Ed_Haynes]

Ed,

I find it interesting that Rakesh Sharma of India received the Title HSU!! Shishkov, Vol.2, pg. 29 # 37.

Doc

A cosmonaut award. The Soviets also received the Ashoka Chakra (which required special modifications to the notification for the award). Have been promised a chance to meet Sharma and photograph his medals when next in Bangalore.

[Riley1965]

Thanks for the Info!! I hope you get to meet Sharma

Doc

[Dolf]

Ed,

In the same list of Citizens of Foreign Countries who received the HSU Medal, on Shishkov & Muzalevsky book Vol.2 pages 28-29, there is one Mongolian, Zhugderdemidiyn Gurragcha (according to Dr. Battushig's book, page 34, one of the Mongolian cosmonauts; funny thing is that Dr. B calls him D. Gurragchaa, not sure what the D stands for as in the S & M book his other name starts by Z!) who got his HSU Medal on 30 3 1981.

So at least one Mongolian on the list!

Dolf

[Ed_Haynes]

Right, the one of the two Mongolian cosmonauts who actually went into space. I assume Shishkov & Muzalevsky are using a Russian version of his Mongolian name (which Battushig gets correct).

This HSU/Lenin was part of that whole "guest cosmonaut" program (that also included Sharma from India).

[Riley1965]

Ed,

In the same list of Citizens of Foreign Countries who received the HSU Medal, on Shishkov & Muzalevsky book Vol.2 pages 28-29, there is one Mongolian, Zhugderdemidiyn Gurragcha (according to Dr. Battushig's book, page 34, one of the Mongolian cosmonauts; funny thing is that Dr. B calls him D. Gurragchaa, not sure what the D stands for as in the S & M book his other name starts by Z!) who got his HSU Medal on 30 3 1981.

So at least one Mongolian on the list!

Dolf

At least one Mongolian got recognition!!!

Doc

[Ed_Haynes]

But no birthday giftie for poor little Tsedenbal . . .

[Dolf]

But no birthday giftie for poor little Tsedenbal . . .

Right.

Well, during the Cold War the former DDR/GDR was stategically much more important than Mongolia so I guess comrade Brezhnev had to make special gifts for his DDR/GDR buddies to keep them friendly in any circumstances...

Dolf

[Ed_Haynes]

Yes. But there was still the Sino-Soviet tension; Europe was not the whole world for Soviet foreign policy. Maybe there was also the feeling was that Tsedenbal should have been happy with his Kutuzov 1st class, two Lenins, and an October Revolution? But what a waste making up that Honorary Freeman of the Mongolian People's Republic "Golden Star" Medal just for Brezhnev in 1974 if there was to be no reciprocity.

For the earlier era, Choibalsan's Suvorov 1st class, two Lenins, RSFSR Red Banner, and USSR Red Banner. Were probably seen as "enough" too for pre-Brezhnev goody-distribution?

[Christian Zulus]

4 foreign HSU-recipients, who really deserved their "Gold Star"

Gentlemen,

to get away from the "Honecker-Birthday-HSUs", a great example of recipients, who really deserved their Gold Stars: The fighter aces of the FRENCH "Normandie-Niemen" squadron, who was fighting within the lines of the Red Army:

- Capitaine Marcel Albert

- Capitaine Roland de La Poype

- Lieutenant Jacques Andr? (post.)

- Lieutenant Marcel Lef?vre (post.)

2005 there had been a great book published about the history of the squadron:

John D. Clarke, "French Eagles - Soviet Heroes", Sutton Publishing 2005.

Best regards

Christian Zulus