China Sino Soviet Friendship Medals

[Guest Rick Research]

There are FOUR types of this medal: the first three bear reverse inscriptions and the annual dates 1951, 1952, and 1953. The final type is completely smooth on back with no date, and was awarded from 1954 until approximately 1959, when the "friendship" wore periodically thin. The dated types seem to be Chinese made, while the smooth backs are of noticably finer quality-- and are the ONLY type found cased, that I have seen.

I don't have a 1951 version. Here are, first, 1952, 1953 and smooth back side by side for relative size comparison:

The sewn ribbons are generally soft-- without backings, and attach with the usual tiny Chinese ribbon pin. Stars are always found on the full size ribbon as an extra embellishment signifying nothing. The oldest example here replaced a missing Chinese made star with a Soviet junior officer rank star. No stars were worn on ribbon bars:

Although double awards ARE known from photographic evidence of the medals being worn, documentation of which variety or varieties is not. On a ribbon bar, since this ribbon was shared by a variety of Chinese Civil War medals, exact identification is not possible.

[Guest Rick Research]

Closer views of these-- 1952 and 1953 types over the final undated version. Unlike most Chinese awards, the enamel on these--crudely made as the dated types are-- is of excellent quality and is REAL enamel, not the usual thick paint of most local/Front awards.

The reverses. Color alone will indicate dated versus undated types, since the "coppery" earlier models if ever gilt no longer show that finish.

Naval administrative Captain 1st Rank Leonid Pavlevich Pankratov's Sino-Soviet Friendship Medal may just be glimpsed in shadowed profile worn below his Soviet decorations. This personnel file portrait was attested on 13 December 1958.

Although never apparently BANNED, the ups and downs of Soviet and PRC relations would have made wearing this at difficult periods (such as the 1969 fatal border clashes) problematic.

[Guest Rick Research]

So far, I have only seen the final undated type cased. These red cloth covered cases are quite nice, with a design of the medal in gilt on the top. Although there is a latch, there is no hinge, only cloth tape-- so I could open this for full top and bottom scans. Two cloth loops secure the award document, which is a vivid shrimp pink mock silk moir? design paper.

Although the document below is the final type, I will deal with it first because of being most often found still tucked into the case.

Here are the covers, title page on left and blank back cover to the right, since these open opposite to the way Soviet ones do.

I have highlighted the parts actually filled in, which will also appear bold below in the translation. Very many of these documents are BLANK, supporting my belief that these were actually Soviet made from the usual retail militaria sources. Do NOT pay as much for an unissued set as you would for one actually issued!

Cover = "Sino-Soviet Friendship Certificate"

Text = "Comrade Velisikin in order to thank you for your generous and enthusiatic assistance to our country's socialist construction, we present you the Sino-Soviet Friendship Medal for memory's sake. This certifies Premier of the People's Republic of China Chou En-Lai Year 1956 Month 11 Day 1"

Since all of these small pink mock moir? booklets bear the facsimile signature of Chou En Lai, we may call it the "Chou type" document for short.

[Guest Rick Research]

There is also normally a cheap flimsy green Russian translation sheet accompanying these cased sets. Comrade Velisikin's did not have one, so his other names and position remain mysteries.

Again, proceeding backwards by chronology due to "narrative flow," here is an example of that green thin paper translation certificate, this one to Soviet Rear Admiral Yakov Gyrievich Pochupaylo, stamped by the Command of the Pacific Fleet and printed dated-- this is significant, on "Red Armed Forces Day" 23 February 1955.

This was signed by the commander of the Soviet Pacific Fleet (April 1953 to january 1956) Admiral Yury Aleksandrovich Panteleev (1901-1983).

What is strange is that Rear Admiral Pochupaylo ALSO received the original version large pink stock paper "Mao Tse-Tung" facsimile signature document:

Notice the partially untranslated text differences with THIS document and the subsequent one to Paz'inich:

Pochupaylo cover

Pochupaylo page 2 with his name filled in in Cyrillic. The text in the first line, running down the far right column, refers to something about a 35th year (anniversary of Chinese Communist Party ? ), while down near the bottom of the second from right column is something else about 3 years-- a reference to "secret" collaboration during the Korean War? I'm afraid spotting numbers is the extent of my Chinese knowledge!

Pochupaylo page 3 bearing facsimile Mao "signature":

[Guest Rick Research]

These large heavy stock paper pink "Mao type" documents are much larger than a cased medal-- so presumably they were handed over "loose."

Here we have rear Admiral Pochupaylo's page four-- I have highlighted the date, which is preprinted like the rest of the document other than recipient's name: 1953 Year 2 Month 23 Day:

The QUESTION is-- did the Comrade Admiral receive a 1953 dated medal... and it took two years to get around to handing it over OR did he actually receive TWO Sino-Soviet Friendship Medals-- one on "Red Armed Forces Day" 1953 and the SECOND on "Red Armed Forces Day" 1955???

I have not seen blank versions of these large heavy "Mao" documents, but be aware of where the recipient's name SHOULD be found on page 2.

[Guest Rick Research]

My final contribution is ANOTHER 1953 document, varying considerably in the printed text, but sharing the format of having the recipient's name filled in in Cyrillic.

This was presented to a Comrade Anatoly Petrovich Paz'inich

Cover, with inked "1202664" = ?? :

page two bearing his full names:

the standard "Mao" facsimile page three:

But here is another divergence from the Pochupaylo certificate-- on the back cover, the YEAR is also preprinted in characters 1-9-5-3-year above the crease, but below the crease is inked in "18"-month and "6"-day second and fourth from bottom. Whether that is transposed from 18 June or a slip of the brush for August 6, I don't know.

[Ed_Haynes]

Very interesting, thanks Rick!

[Guest Rick Research]

I am happy to report that I finally got the last one I needed for all four issues today:

from left to right are: 1951 reverse, 1952 reverse, 1953 reverse, and the undated reverse used from 1954 until the Eternal Bonds of International Class-Brotherhood broke down at some point in the late 1950s--

[Guest Rick Research]

The ribbons for the wartime dated ones are 27mm wide, whereas the smooth backs after the Korean armistice are 31mm wide.

Here are closer views of the three wartime dates, fronts and backs. The star on the 1952 fell off sometime and the wearer replaced it with a late 1960s+ aluminum-gilt Lieutenants' rank star, which is 'close enough" for design and size.

[Christophe]

Rick,

Congratulations!! A very nice set and a very instructive thread!!!

Cheers.

Ch.

[Gerd Becker]

Excellent work, Rick

Gerd

[Gerd Becker]

Today i have seen another version, only with the inscription on the back, but without year. Now you need another one

Gerd

Edited January 19, 2006 by Gerd Becker

[NavyFCO]

These are some that I've had in my collection. I didn't know until now that there were actual different variations of them!

Dave

[NavyFCO]

And the reverse... I have some documents I can post if interested...

[NavyFCO]

Here's another from "out of the archives" in the groups I used to own. This scan was made when I didn't believe in big scans...

[Guest Rick Research]

"Today i have seen another version, only with the inscription on the back, but without year."

WHAT??? Gerd-- post scans if you can!!!!!!

Interesting that ex-YOUR Admiral got the "green authorization" paper on the same day too, Dave. But that was a BLANK "Mao" document-- no name filled in.

What other paperwork have you got?

[Gerd Becker]

It was posted on the other forum. I hope, Dietrich doesn?t mind , that i use his photo here. Here it is:

[Guest Rick Research]

WOW!!! Is that the gold finished front like the plain reverse style, or the coppery front found on dated ones? It looks like there is a good amount of gilt finish on this

completely new and unknow type!!!!!

[Stogieman]

Tell me more about the one with the rectangle suspension and the enamel star please!

[Guest Rick Research]

We are nuthin if not thurrah, viz--

http://gmic.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=2425

Mine is a gorgeous mock-gold which while NOT that, is apparently eternally untarnishing.

There are BAD fakes of that particular one out there-- castings made from ones with the red enamel chipped out, and "aged" in pig manure or some such for that "3-D patina" that is supposed to = "age." Most fraudulent PRC awards currently flooding the market are to be found on snipped up plastic shower curtain "ribbons."

[NavyFCO]

I might as well just scan the entire group and put it in the groups section, but here's a few more bits from the Tolkachev group (photo already posted in the Guards Badge thread...)

First, a photo from the late 50s of him wearing the Chinese medal.

[NavyFCO]

Next, a close up of the 1990 dated photo that I posted in the previous thread. A nice shot of his Chinese medal 35 years later...

[NavyFCO]

Here are the Chinese documents for the medals. There are two of them, both blank...

[NavyFCO]

Here's a quick pic of the backside...

[NavyFCO]

Here's the Russian version of the document. There's only one of those for the two Chinese documents. I guess I should look at the group more often... I didn't even know this was there!