Soviet Badge "To The Warrior-Internationalist"

[Guest Rick Research]

Odd, isn't it, that these foolishly "retro" pre-1943 type suspension awards are still plentiful to this day, having been sold straight out of the mint unissued for going on 20 years now...

and so FEW real, honest, awarded ones turn up?

Blank documents for the initial Afghan awards are also plentiful, and since they are "fill in the name only" easily fabricated. Getting one of these in a documented, attributed group is a major coup. I suppose since the recipients are the youngest ex-Soviet war veterans, that is why so few are on the market.

Made at the Moscow Mint (tiny mark on reverse of shield), and oddly enough every one I've ever seen has a plain screw disk-- cutting corners even in the stamping of those.

Originally established per Ukaz of 28 December 1988 specifically for Afghanistan (25 December 1979 to 15 February 1989: 620,000 veterans of whom 14,453 officially killed and died, 53,753 wounded, and 415,932 medically treated for illnesses!!!), on 19 August 1989 it was extended for service in the following retroactive foreign "interventions" --

Korea (June 1950 to July 1953: 146 officers and 153 enlisted peronnel admitted as killed /died)

Algeria (1962-1964: 24 officer advisers killed/died, and 1 person status not indicated )

Egypt (18 October 1962 to 31 March 1963, 1 October 1969 to 16 July 1972, and 5 October 1973 to 31 March 1974: TOTAL over these periods of 15 officer advisers killed/died amd 6 officers KIA "in military units")

Yemen (18 October 1962 to 31 March 1963: 1 military adviser KIA)

Vietnam (1 July 1965 to 21 December 1974: 15 officer advisers killed/died, 1 unspecified status KIA)

Syria (5 to 13 June 1967, and 6 to 24 October 1973: 35 officer advisers killed/died)

Angola (November 1975 to November 1979: 5 officer and 2 nonofficers killed/died)

Ethiopia (9 December 1977 to 30 November 1979: 27 officers and 7 enlisted men KIA/MIA/died)

and

Afghanistan (22 April 1978 to 30 November 1979-- at LEAST 4 "advisers" killed in 1979)

On 21 December 1989 additional entitlements were extended to

China (1 August 1924 to 15 July 1927, 7 July 1937 to 1 September 1944, 7 July to 2 September 1945, and 1 March 1946 to 23 April 1949: casualties from 1937-39 were 153 officers, 35 NCOs, 7 enlisted men KIA/MIA. No losses reported for the earlier or later periods though those incurred during the post-WW2 Civil War may be presumed to have been high)

Spain (18 July 1936 to 28 March 1939: 115 officers and 43 NCOs KIA/MIA. No enlisted personnel lost)

Mongolia (11 May to 16 September 1939: casualty figures are jumbled but out of some 35,000 total troops, 1,134 officers, 1,433 NCOs, and 5,407 enlisted men were KIA/MIA/DOW and 1,420 officers, 2,250 NCOs, and 12,282 enlisted men were wounded/sick with the latter category being minimal for all three categories)

with yet another extension on 5 July 1990 for

Cuba (July 1962 to November 1964: no deaths reported though statistically there would have been some)

According to Borisov (1994) 505,083 badges were made in a single contract at the Leningrad Mint, but every single one I have ever seen has borne the circle-MM mark.

Casualty figues and total personnel involved are from Krivosheev's 1997 "Soviet casualties and Combat Losses in the Twentieth Century," which OMITS many casualties (such as the "pre-invasion" 1979 Afghan deaths found in other Soviet accounts) as well as THESE combat campaigns for which the badge was NOT apparently authorized:

China (October-November 1929: 10 officers, 16 NCOs, 121 enlisted men KIA/MIA, 59 officers, 124 NCOs, 482 enlisted men wounded)

Hungary (1956-57: although 87 officers and 633 enlisted men were KIA/MIA/died, and 138 officers and 1,402 enlisted men were wounded!!!)

Mozambique (1967, 1969, November 1975 to November 1979: TOTAL over these of 6 officer advisers killed/died)

Czechoslovakia (August 1968: 1 officer and 10 enlisted men killed, 85 all ranks died, and 19 officers and 68 enlisted men were wounded)

Poland (1939) and Finland (1939-40) were apparently excluded as outright invasions of foreign territory NOT at the request of a "friendly local government asking for Socialist assistance."

Since the pre-printed "1988" Afghan blank award documents specify that they are for that service, presumably the 1989-90 versions of award documents are either generically blank or have the specific service filled in: I have never seen any version but the original Afghan issue.

Given the extremely long delays in authorizing some of these (1924 in 1990!!!) actual numbers awarded for NON 1979-89 Afghan service may be quite small. Possibly many of the surviving veterans who were/are entitled never got processed before the Soviet Union ceased to be-- or are these "USSR" awards still slowly being issued to ever dwindling numbers of eligible veterans to this day???

[Gerd Becker]

Very interesting, Rick

I have found a picture of one in wear in my files. Please note the veteran on the left (PS: If the owner of this picture wants me to remove it, please let me know.)

Gerd

[NavyFCO]

Please note the veteran on the left

What's funny is that the Afghanistan vet with the For Valor and Military Merit actually has more combat decorations than the "well decorated" WW2 vet with his jubilee OGPW!

Dave

[Gerd Becker]

What's funny is that the Afghanistan vet with the For Valor and Military Merit actually has more combat decorations than the "well decorated" WW2 vet with his jubilee OGPW!

Dave

Yes, only Veterans bagdes and commemorative medals. Btw, i would love to have the group of the guy on the right, with paperwork, if possible.

Gerd

[Ed_Haynes]

A very naughty one, A Thing That Should Not Be, but it was, and is.

[Guest Rick Research]

I wonder if this is actually authorized, currently?

Some years ago, I started seeing 1970 Lenin Jubilee medals so mounted rather than the awkward (and absurd) single superior-to-Orders position wear, and thought it was just "anything goes."

But perhaps somebody decided it is smarter, more logical, and perhaps most important of all

NEATER

to mount these routine awards IN with everything else.

???

[nickstrenk]

This is the certificate to this badge.