Ed_Haynes Posted December 3, 2005 Posted December 3, 2005 Working on it, have two possibles. One easy, one not; one obscure, one not. How cruel to be . . . ??
Christophe Posted December 3, 2005 Author Posted December 3, 2005 Ha, ha!!!!! Depends of your mood of the day... Ch.
Ed_Haynes Posted December 3, 2005 Posted December 3, 2005 (edited) Well, as I am alternating forum fun with marking the last students' papers just before final exams . . . ?!? Edited December 3, 2005 by Ed_Haynes
Christophe Posted December 3, 2005 Author Posted December 3, 2005 Oooops ! The worst is to come, I'm afraid... Ch.
Christophe Posted December 3, 2005 Author Posted December 3, 2005 Just the time for Ed to finalise his question, a few statistics :I launched this small game exactly 1 month ago (1st November), and since :* 10 questions have been asked,* They have generated 128 answers,* This quiz has been viewed more than 930 times,* 11 Members of the Forum (including myself) have played,* and we are 9 to have correctly answered 1 question : Dave (Navy FCO), Darrell, Andreas (Alfred), Wild Card, Bryan (Soviet), Gerd (Becker), Jan (vatjan), Ed (Haynes) and myself.I think it is a good start, and I really hope you find this kind of entertainment both relaxing and instructive. If not, please, let me know... Now, let's have fun with the 11th question, Ed's one !!! Cheers.Ch.
Ed_Haynes Posted December 4, 2005 Posted December 4, 2005 (edited) Sorry for the delay. Trying to make it hard enough, but not too hard, obscure enough but not too obscure. And, given my well-deserved reputation for the OBSCURE . . . ! Only three foreigners have ever been awarded India's highest award for civilian gallantry, the Ashoka Chakra. All three were Soviet citizens.1- Who were they?2- For what act of bravery were these awards given? When were they given?Extra credit: What other gallantry awards were given for this same incident?In case anyone wants to know what this award looks like, here it is, below.Extra-extra credit: Can anyone explain HOW this would be adapted for wear on a Soviet medal bar? Edited December 4, 2005 by Ed_Haynes
Christophe Posted December 4, 2005 Author Posted December 4, 2005 (edited) Ed,Great set of questions . It was well worth waiting!!! Let's see what we will find .Cheers.Ch. Edited December 4, 2005 by Christophe
Christophe Posted December 4, 2005 Author Posted December 4, 2005 (edited) Hi Ed,Superb question. Let's have a try... First : Are you sure they are three ? I have just found 2 of them... But, let's see...1- Who were they?Two Soviet Colonels : Colonel Yuri Vasilevish Malyzhev and Colonel Gennady Mikhailovich Strekalov.2- For what act of bravery were these awards given? When were they given?Indian Sqn Ldr Rakesh Sharma, and these two Russian colonels were awarded the Ashoka Chakra, for the sucessful completion of the Space Soyuz T-11 Mission. This mission lasted more than 181 days, from 3 April 1984 to 2 October 1984; The orders have been awarded on 2 October 1984.Extra credit: What other gallantry awards were given for this same incident?The three men have been also awarded the Gold star of Hero of the Soviet Union (HSU), and the Order of Lenin, the same day, on 11 April 1984.Extra-extra credit: Can anyone explain HOW this would be adapted for wear on a Soviet medal bar?Honestly, I have no idea... I have to check... I think it is wore separatly, not included in a bar...So, Ed, How did I do ?Cheers.Ch. Edited December 4, 2005 by Christophe
Ed_Haynes Posted December 4, 2005 Posted December 4, 2005 Almost . . . the third person is a trick question . . . .
Christophe Posted December 4, 2005 Author Posted December 4, 2005 Ha, ha!!! Let's go back to my sources...Ch.
Ed_Haynes Posted December 4, 2005 Posted December 4, 2005 Give you a bit more time . . . . It is really a tricky answer.
Christophe Posted December 4, 2005 Author Posted December 4, 2005 (edited) Ed,Could it be Kalpana Chawla, the American-Indian who was one of seven astronauts dead on the Space Shuttle Columbia on Feb. 1, 2003 ? Ch. Edited December 4, 2005 by Christophe
Ed_Haynes Posted December 4, 2005 Posted December 4, 2005 Good try, but all three Ashoka Chakras to foreigners have been to Soviet citizens.You may be close enough to win, but let's let it go. The third is really hard and really complex.
Christophe Posted December 4, 2005 Author Posted December 4, 2005 Good try, but all three Ashoka Chakras to foreigners have been to Soviet citizens. (...)Damned !!! I forgot this point...Ch.
Christophe Posted December 4, 2005 Author Posted December 4, 2005 Were all the 3 linked to the Soyuz T-11 Mission ?Ch.
Christophe Posted December 4, 2005 Author Posted December 4, 2005 Is it linked to the fact that a special modification of the statutes of the Ashoka Chakra has taken place for these three to get their Indian awards and, that those who trained as backup cosmounats for this mission (Indian and Soviet) got the Kirti Chakra (second class of the Ashoka Chakra) ? Ch.
Ed_Haynes Posted December 4, 2005 Posted December 4, 2005 OK, I think that is,a s we say in the US, "Close enough for government work."The backup crew for Soyuz T-11 was supposed to have been awarded the Kirti Ckakra (earlier, the second class of a three-class Ashoka Chakra series). Awards of the Kirti Chakra were gazetted in the Gazette of India for Anatoli Nikolayevich Berezovoi, Georgi Mikhailovich Grechko, Ravish Malhotra. Indian Ministry of Defence records indicate, however, that when the actual and properly named awards were sent off to the Soviet Union, three Ashoka Chakra medals were sent and only one Kirti Chakra. Berezovoi was bestowed with an accidental Ashoka Chakra, while Grechko got the Kirti Chakra which had been gazetted. The mistake was never fixed.Prize to Christophe!
Christophe Posted December 4, 2005 Author Posted December 4, 2005 Ed,Many thanks for this superb set of questions !!!! It allowed me to learn a lot about this award, and again about the space conquest. If the answers I gave are OK, and if they don't need to be corrected; I would really be interested to know more about the way this Indian order is worn in the Soviet style.Again, many thanks Ed for this. Cheers.Ch.
Ed_Haynes Posted December 4, 2005 Posted December 4, 2005 Hope to get a photo of Sharma's group, with Ashoka Chakra, HSU, and Lenin this December or next summer.
Christophe Posted December 4, 2005 Author Posted December 4, 2005 Where is Sharma's group located ?Moreover, what about the Soviet style mounting of the Ashoka Chakra ?Ch.
Ed_Haynes Posted December 4, 2005 Posted December 4, 2005 Sharma's group is with him. In India.I have no idea how the Indian awards were worn, though I'd agree with your guess: separately, on straight suspension (though WWII Soviet awards were certainly forced into Commonwelath wearing styles, even Red Stars and OPWs).
Christophe Posted December 4, 2005 Author Posted December 4, 2005 Sharma's group is with him. In India.I have no idea how the Indian awards were worn, though I'd agree with your guess: separately, on straight suspension (though WWII Soviet awards were certainly forced into Commonwelath wearing styles, even Red Stars and OPWs).So, please, transmit my very best wishes to him.The way to wear foreign orders and medals by the Soviet has often been close to improvisation, and more exactly juxtaposition...Ch.
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