Poland Polish Medal for the Spanish Civil War

[Gordon Craig]

Gents,

I have no reference material for Polish Medals and I would like as much info on this one (my first) which I just bought today, as I can get. It is obviously for award to Poles who fought in the International Brigades during the Spanish Civil war. Please tell me;

1-the name of the medal; 2-how many were awarded; 3-value etc.

Regards,

Gordon

Top of the case.

[Gordon Craig]

The medal in the case.

[Gordon Craig]

Obverse.

[Gordon Craig]

Reverse,

[leigh kitchen]

Medal for Your Liberty and Ours

(Medal Za Wasza Wolnosc i Nasza)

Instituted by decree of the State Council of October 18, 1956. Awarded to Polish volunteers who participated in the Spanish Civil War of 1936-1939 on side of the Republic.

Badge: silver medal, 35 mm of diameter. Obverse: head of one of Republican army commanders, Gen. Swierczewski, ciricumscribed ZA WASZA WOLNOSC I NASZA (for your liberty and ours). Reverse: a three pointed star as worn by the Republican troops, surrounded by a laurel wreath, and with the inscription: XII / B I / 1936-1939 on it (13th International Battalion, named after Polish general Dabrowski, in which Polish volunteeers fought), and with the year of institution1956 below; around runs the circumscription DABROWSZCZAKOM (to members of the Dabrowski battalion).

Ribbon red with a white central stripe (of the Spanish Military Order of Merit).

Info.from this site:

http://www.medals.lava.pl/pl/pl3a.htm

And from wikipedia:

....... According to Andr? Marty, the Comintern "chief organiser", about 3,000 Poles volunteered for the International Brigades. Elsewhere, "it has been calculated that 5,400 Poles fought in Spain. The majority (3,800) were miners working in France, 300 were Polish-Americans, and several hundred were Poles living in various European countries. Only 800 came from Poland itself."......

Edited June 17, 2008 by leigh kitchen

[Gordon Craig]

Leigh,

Thanks very much for the info and the link. This medal came with a grouping that included a document for the DDR Hans-Beimler Medaille issued to a Hungarian national but I don't think the Polish medal was to the same person.

Regards,

Gordon

[hunyadi]

Good job picking that one up! Seems the medals go for about $100or so...

[Gordon Craig]

Charles,

Thanks for the info on price.

Regards,

Gordon

[Ulsterman]

Oooooh-

Ed will like that one! :jumping:

[Ed_Haynes]

A nice cased one. Has anyone seen a document for these?

[seb16trs]

I don't feel easy with the spanish war medal - not this one shown here, because I don't have definitive criterias to discuss about its authenticity - because they were awarded to a few hundred persons. I'll look tonight at ly polish reference source to give you the good number.

In fact the only medal I'm sure about is a one being part a of the DDR general Edwald Munshke set. This big set was sold in a Carsten Zeige auction two or three years ago. Some fellow members of this forum did purchase some pieces, and I believe one of us has a unquestionable medal with its doc...

[Gordon Craig]

seb16trs,

I think your doubts about this medal are unfounded. The numbers issued dosen't really prove whether this person was awarded the medal or not. Just the number of people who were. It came with a group of documents and medals from a long time Hungarian Communist who also received the DDR Hans-Beimler-Medaille. I only have the document for the DDR medal and have just started further research on the man. I also have some of his wifes documents. I don't wish to say any more about this grouping at this time until I have all of my research completed. I would love to publish what I know now but it would be better to wait until I get things all together. I especially want to go back to the vendor and see if I can trace the medals and documents but to their source. Besides, your scepticizism, without any real proof to back it up, proves that to be the wisest course of action.

Regards,

Gordon

[seb16trs]

hello, I read my reference and found that in 1987 1487 medals have been awarded. This medal is not extremly rare and avalaible within the 50-100 euros range. This price is for me a disturbing point because it is not at all in connection with the extreme rarity of the medal...

I would LOVE to see the Edwald Munshke medal :love:

[Guest Rick Research]

If a German general got one, why not a Hungarian? Perhaps the "Polish" unit was nationally mixed... or this was handed out in unspecified numbers as an "honorary" award to other Spanish Civil War comrades who had survived both sides' attempts to wipe them out?

I'd consider 1,487 EXTREMELY rare-- how many of those will ever be "available?"

[Gordon Craig]

Rick,

Your thoughts echo mine. I haven't done a lot of research on the Polish SCW medal yet but here is my thinking on the award of the Hans Beimler Medaille to this indivdual and it could apply to the Polish one as well.

According to Frank Bartell in his book "DDR-Spezialkatalog 1949 - 1990" there were three types of this DDR medal.

Type a-silver 1956 and marked 900;

Type b-silver 1966 and not marked

Type c-bronze and silver plated 1973-89

An article in WIKI says that 632 medals were awarded to veterans who were still alive in 1956. In September of 1959, on the 20th anniversary of the beginning of the Second Wolrd War, a further 112 were awarded. The award document that I have is dated 8 September, 1970. In the calendar of DDR holidays 8 September is remembered as "release from Fascism" day. I think that it is very possible that medals awarded, following the original ones isses to those who actually fought in the SCW, would be to those who participated in other ways to support the International Brigades. In the case of the award document that I have, it is very possible this individual worked, possibly as part of/for the COMINTERN, to recruit people to serve in the International Brigades.

In any event, the research on this group should be very interesting and span a large part of the globe.

Regards,

Gordon