Soviet Awards identification

[StephenLawson]

Greetings all;

I am doing some figures for a VVS display. I would like to Identify the awards and ranks presented on the box art to at least get them in the correct time. Nothing like doing a figure represented in 1920's with awards that didn't exist at the time. These are supposedly from 1943-45. Any help would be appreciated.

Edited September 16, 2008 by StephenLawson

[Guest Rick Research]

The center stripes on the officers' field boards aren't correct. This one is a Signals rather than flying Major, but on uniform colored boards, the center stripe (one up the middle for Junior Lieutenant to Captain, and two splitting the top into 3 equal stripes for Major--as in this board--to Colonel were a dull brick sort of red:

[Guest Rick Research]

While the above style field boards were sometimes worn on a tunic such as the officer second left, those tunics by regulations required metallic topped boards.

Flying officers had gold metallic tops, while technical support (ground engineering staff etc) had silver tops--

Tunics like that were piped around the top of false cuffs and along the front and top of the standing collars. Air force light blue, as these show, varied from a robins egg sky blue down to a dull grayish, just by manufacturing batch. Metallic boards, in contrast to the field ones, had what was usually a lighter shade of blue up the boards like these here.

Flying personnel had the winged propellers up near the buttons, while ground/technical personnel did not.

These boards are both Senior Lieutenants, which is what the two lefthand box figures appear to be. The more formally dressed officer could be a Major-Colonel but I don't know if the size would allow for such microsciopic dteailing with boards piping.

I can't tell what rank the officer at far right is supposed to represent.

The female NCO could be any rank from Yefreiter (one stripe) up to Serzhant (3 stripes) in position shown in the artwork. Field straps had the rank bars in the dull brick red as shown there and on the Major's field board posted above, with air force blue piping.

The left-most officer has a Guards badge on his right chest. Onleft chest centered from small red ribbon is a Gold Star for a Hero of the Soviet Union, with an early war Order of the Red Banner in screwback form below that. BUT the ribboned award towards the center of his chest from those is shown incorrectly as a ribboned Order of the Red Banner when it should be an Order of Lenin-- always awarded WITH a Hero Star then. That had a red ribbon with 2 narrow yellow stripes at each extreme edge, and was gold with a silver colored profile of Lenin on a gray center disk-- too small I think to be able to get such detail here. Not sure what the medal on his shoulder side is meant to be, but silver medal with pale blue/gray ribbon with narrow dark blue stripe at each side was a Valor Medal. He is portrayed as a Lieutanent (2 stars--our 2nd Lt).

The visor capped officer is a Senior Lieutenant (3 stars like the two boards above). He has a Guards Badge and Order of the Red Star on his right chest, and the ? Valor Medal on his left. The second medal--gold colored with ? palest green/red ribbon is probably meant as a Defense of Moscow Medal but could be made as ANY of the "Defense of..." Medals by trying to match whatever ribbon was desired. (Too tiny to tell). Those were generally not in common issue before very late in 1943, but more normally from 1944 on. Many didn't received them uintil ASFTER the war.

The female NCO has no awards.

The officer at far right has a Guards Badge, and what look like an Order of the Red Banner and Valor Medal.

Any Soviet serviceman with a Guards badge was titled "Guards Senior Lieutenant," "Guards Rifleman" etc etc etc.

These are quite accurate for 1944 on.

Breeches for officers were very often piped down the outer seam in air force blue, OR older style dark blue breeches were still sometimes worn, even in the field, with the much lighter air force blue as piping down the outside seam, for a mix and match with khaki smocks or tunics.

[StephenLawson]

Excellent Rick! Most informative. For the 1920's I can assume that these orders were not availbale?

[Guest Rick Research]

No. The insignia was also completely different-- shoulder boards were only reintroduced in 1943.

1920s insignia was very very weird (they were in "avant garde" art deco design at the time) and whether on collar or cuffs and with or wthout huge winged propeller on the left bicep of that sleeve will depend on EXACTLY what year you want to do, since it was in almost constant flux 1919-35. :speechless1:

[StephenLawson]

Somehow I feel a brick wall coming up. Where is my helmet?

The aircraft model is from the early 1920's

[tepo911]

Somehow I feel a brick wall coming up. Where is my helmet?

The aircraft model is from the early 1920's

Airforce sleeve patch 1924

[Chuck In Oregon]

You can also see some period aviator boards HERE .

Chuck

[StephenLawson]

Greetings all; Thanks for your help. Here is a further bit of fun I dredged up.

http://www.rathbonemuseum.com/USSR/USSR35V...VSGenPilot.html

http://www.rathbonemuseum.com/USSR/USSRArmyMain.html

Edited September 24, 2008 by StephenLawson