"Liberation of Korea" medal

[Bob]

The medal was apparently awarded by the Korean Government and the document is issued to Captain Pindrikh Lei Shmulevich on June 5, 1949

Could somebody help out with translation of the document?

Any more info on this award? Other countries with awards for Soviets to thank for liberation?

Thanks,

Bob

[Christian Zulus]

Dear Bob,

The inscription at the document says as much as:

"The Liberation of Korea Medal is established in recognition of the Korean people's eternal gratitude to the the Great Soviet Army for their liberating Korea from the Japanese Imperialists."

I have the ident medal + doc in my Soviet-Navy-Group of Captain 1st Rank Kandybin http://gmic.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=11948 with the rather low s/n. 730 and the rather early issue date of january 1948:

I guess, there had been quite a few other countries in the history of communism, which issued such "Gratitude to CCCP"-Medals, i.e., in the 1980s Afghanistan http://www.medals.org.uk/afghanistan/afgha...fghan-r-023.htm - from Ed Haynes' website:

Best regards

Christian

[Ed_Haynes]

I think we need to be very very careful not to see awards that were standard issue to soldiers of the issuing country as being somehow "special" awards to "foreign friends" (though sometimes they did come with with special documents in a language these foreigners could read). Both the PDRY and PDRA medals were standard issue medals to Korean and Afghan troops though they were also awarded to foreigners.

[Christian Zulus]

Dear Ed,

many thanks for the information .

I always thought, that only Soviet soldiers received these two - Korean & Afghan - medals .

The special documents are a bit misleading ...

Best regards

Christian

BTW: Do you know some other states, which issued similar medals ?

I think we need to be very very careful not to see awards that were standard issue to soldiers of the issuing country as being somehow "special" awards to "foreign friends" (though sometimes they did come with with special documents in a language these foreigners could read). Both the PDRY and PDRA medals were standard issue medals to Korean and Afghan troops though they were also awarded to foreigners.

[Ed_Haynes]

Well, there's Cuba too, or so I am told.

http://gmic.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=14236&st=04

Edited November 4, 2007 by Ed_Haynes

[Guest Rick Research]

Pindrikh was an Engineer-Captain, but his commanding officer didn't use that prefix with his rank. No clue what Unit 48222 was-- maybe one of our Federation readers can find that online.

I can't remember ever seeing the Russian authorization award booklet before, so it is interesting to note that it was issued on 5 May 1949. Makes me wonder whether Pindrikh's unit was still actually THERE, or had returned home and this was processed inside the Soviet Union.

[Christian Zulus]

Pindrikh was an Engineer-Captain, but his commanding officer didn't use that prefix with his rank. No clue what Unit 48222 was-- maybe one of our Federation readers can find that online.

I can't remember ever seeing the Russian authorization award booklet before, so it is interesting to note that it was issued on 5 May 1949. Makes me wonder whether Pindrikh's unit was still actually THERE, or had returned home and this was processed inside the Soviet Union.

Dear Rick,

the owner of my document http://gmic.co.uk/index.php?s=&showtop...st&p=217605 , comrade Kandybin, got his medal in january 1948 and had been located at that time as the commander of the 2nd detachment of the 12th division of small submarine hunters SovGan, VM Base, STOF, in the Far East on Soviet territory: http://gmic.co.uk/index.php?s=&showtop...st&p=115072 .

So it seems, that all the documents - they all have Soviet Commissariat's stamps - had been processed inside the Soviet Union.

Best regards

Christian

BTW: Do you know the meaning of "SovGan, VM Base, STOF" - something like OVR (=coastal defense or coastal guard) ?

Edited November 4, 2007 by Christian Zulus

[Bob]

Thanks forum-friends for your help.

This award came to me as a result of a "weak" moment while browsing eBay... but I do like the international aspect of medals which indicate ties with Soviet Union or its "sister states" and hope to get more awards which link into this theme.

Just won an auction for a documented (incl. photograph) sino-soviet friendship award as well as an Afghan Order of Friendship of Nations apparently awarded to a Mongolian diplomat... I sense a slippery slope

[Christian Zulus]

Dear Bob,

that Korean medal is important, because it draws the interest to a widely neglected - by Western historians - field of the history of WW II, the "Operation August Storm" by the Red Army in Eastern Asia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_August_Storm

Best regards

Christian

Thanks forum-friends for your help.

This award came to me as a result of a "weak" moment while browsing eBay... but I do like the international aspect of medals which indicate ties with Soviet Union or its "sister states" and hope to get more awards which link into this theme.

Just won an auction for a documented (incl. photograph) sino-soviet friendship award as well as an Afghan Order of Friendship of Nations apparently awarded to a Mongolian diplomat... I sense a slippery slope