Soviet THE SOVIET QUIZ - 2011 - QUIZ CLOSED

[Lukasz Gaszewski]

I am really happy to be the winner!!! :jumping:

And if it is my turn to ask a question... Err, I thought for some time and let it be this. Please read what my hero said and try to guess who he was:

I was one of many generals transferred or "borrowed" from the Red Army to the Polish "People's" Armed Forces (although the Polish Army was never officially called that!). But in some ways I was outstanding too. As this forum is dedicated to orders and medals, let this be the first hint: like all Soviet-originated generals I loved orders and medals and had a handful of them: Soviet medals, Polish medals, Czechoslovak medals and Yugoslav medals. But few people know that I was probably the only member of the Polish Forces ever, awarded with the American Distinguished Service Cross! (do not try to look it up at Wiki, as you are likely not to find anything about it there ). I was proud to have the highest U.S. COMBAT award available to a foreign military and I continued to wear it even during the Cold War.

Who am I?

[Christophe]

I suppose he is not Brigadier General Tadeusz Sawicz... Because he has not been "borrowed" from the Red Army...

But...

Brigadier General Tadeusz Sawicz, the last surviving Polish pilot among the 144 who fought in the Battle of Britain, died on October 19, 2011 in Toronto, Canada. He was 97.

He was born on February 13, 1914 in Warsaw. After finishing high school, he enlisted in the army in 1933. A year later, he joined the Aviation Cadet School in Dęblin and served for three years in an air regiment in Warsaw.

Mr Sawicz was also the last surviving officer of the Pursuit Brigade, which defended Warsaw against the German air force, the Luftwaffe, in September 1939. He fought against the Luftwaffe flying PZL P.11c fighter planes.

On September 14, 1939, he flew his plane to the besieged capital, bringing orders from the Polish army's commander-in-chief to the commanders of Warsaw, according to the website of the Polish Air Force.

After the fall of Poland, Mr Sawicz escaped through the south of the country to Romania before heading to France, and then on to Britain. He arrived just in time to fight in the Battle of Britain, which took place between July 10 - October 31 1940.

He commanded all three Polish fighter wings in the Royal Air Force. In 1941, he organized the 316th Warsaw Squadron, which flew Hawker Hurricanes.

Mr Sawicz is credited with shooting down three German aircraft, the Associated Press wrote.

He was awarded the Silver Cross Virtuti Militari. He was the only Pole to be honored with the Distinguished Service Cross, which he received from the UK, US and the Netherlands.

He remained in the UK after the war before moving with his wife to Canada in 1957. In Mr Sawicz's obituary, The Toronto Star wrote that Mr Sawiec worked in Montreal at Wheeler and Nordair Airlines.

In 2006, he received the rank of brigadier general from then-President Lech Kaczyński.

A service in his memory will be held at a later date in Warsaw.

From Warsaw Business Journal

Ch.

[Harvey]

Would it be General Gleb Vladimirovich Baklanov?

01.08.1910-16.01.1976).

Promotions:

01.03.1943 Major-General

05.07.1946 Lieutenant-General

07.05.1960 Colonel-General

In 1941 he was a chief of staff of the 6th Motorized Rifle Regiment and he went on to command the 175th Motorised Rifle Regiment and the Battalion of students of Omsk Infantry School. In January 1942 he became commander of the 157th Rifle Brigade and in June 1942 299th Rifle Division. In may 1943 he became commander of the 13th Guards Rifle Division, which he command until September 1944, where he became commander of the 35th Guards Rifle Corps. He commanded this Corps until the end of the War. His career continued after the war ending it as CinC Northern Group of Forces in Poland in 1960.

[Lukasz Gaszewski]

I am sorry gentlemen, the guy is neither Gen. Baklanov, nor Gen. Sawicz. Gen. Sawicz, as Christophe said, was not "borrowed" from the Red Army but served in the Polish Armed Forces in the West (hence he would not qualify for this quiz). He was from the Air Force, not the Army and was appointed hon. Brig. Gen. as late as in 2006. Last but not least, as far as I know, he was never awarded the American DSC. Instead, he had both the British and the American Distinguished Flying Cross (and the Dutch Vliegerkruis). But I think it is of little difference for those fellows from the Warsaw Business Journal Do try again!

Edited December 22, 2011 by Lukasz Gaszewski

[Lukasz Gaszewski]

Hint #2:

I was also physically outstanding. I was always big and strong, and I was one of the tallest generals in the Polish Army. I was visible very well at military parades and other official celebrations.

[JimZ]

Hey guys....I am back

Nice to see Luckasz has joined in.... a big welcome

Jim :cheers:

[JimZ]

Its the 24th December and that leaves only a handful of days before the end of the year.

This means that the Soviet Quiz for 2011 will end and the scores will be reset and the game will begin again.

It also means there are a few honours up for grab:

1) Last member to ask a question in the 2011 quiz

2) Last member to answer a question in the 2011 quiz which also implies that this member will also ask the first question for the 2012 quiz

So its in your hands....who will these honours belong to??

Jim :cheers:

[JimZ]

Hi Lukasz,

As there have been no nibbles at your question since the last hint, I suggest that you start to drop some more hints to keep things moving.

I'll try to take a stab at the question later on in the day, if the time presents itself and the question remains unanswered....

Jim :cheers:

[ub6365]

Popławski

Stanisław, Army General

(1902 – 1973) (PPA) (Former Soviet Army)

(Станислав Гилярович Поплавский)

(Stanislav Giliarovich Poplavskii)

Edited December 24, 2011 by ub6365

[Lukasz Gaszewski]

Excellent answer ub6365!!! :jumping:

Stanislaw Poplawski (this is how he is spelled in Polish) was born in Ukraine in 1902 in a Polish family. He was drafted to the Red Army in 1920, where he served first as a private, than as an NCO. in 1930s he became an officer and commanded a platoon and than a company. In February 1939 he was expelled from the army under false accusations and became a manager at a sovkhoz (still quite fortunate for him, as he could have been shot or sent to Siberia). After the German invasion of the Soviet Union he was first a member of the staff of the 162nd Rifle Division, next commander of 720th Rifle Regiment (July-September 1941), and then Chief of Staff of 363rd Rifle Division (October 1941-January 1942). During the next four months he commanded the 184th, 256th and 220th Rifle Divisions, and then the 45th Rifle Corps in the Soviet 5th Army (June 1943-September 1944).

In 1944 he was transferred to the Ludowe Wojsko Polskie (Polish People's Army) as one of the many Soviet officers. He commanded the Polish Second Army (26 September–19 December 1944) and later the Polish First Army (till 10 September 1945). His units took parts in the breakthrough of the Pommernstellung (Pomerania Wall) fortification line, securing the Baltic Sea coast, crossing the Odra and Elbe rivers and the battle of Berlin. He was wounded seven times in the war.

After the war he remained in the Polish army, along with thousands of other Soviet officers, and served as commander of the Polish forces occupying Germany, later being commander of the Silesian Military District (until 22 November 1947), Chief Commander of the Polish Land Forces (until 21 March 1950), and General Inspector of Military Training (until 2 April 1949). He also held political positions: on 2 April 1949 he became the 2nd Deputy Minister of National Defence and later was Deputy Minister himself. He was also a deputy to the Polish Sejm (1947-1956), and from 1949 to 1956 he was a member of the Central Committee of the Polish United Workers Party (PZPR). He was also the first four-star general (General of the Army) in the history of the Polish Armed Forces, which he became in 1955.

In 1956 he was commander of the military forces responsible for the suppression of the Poznań 1956 protests. Afterwards, together with a significant number of other Soviet officers, including Marshal Rokossovky himself, he left the Polish Army and returned to the Soviet Union, where he became the 1st Deputy of the Chief Inspector of Military Training of the Red Army, and from 1958 an advisor to the inspectors-general of the Soviet Ministry of Defense. He retired in 1963 with the rank of army general. He never came back to Poland. He died in Moscow in 1973.

The excellent photo of his you provided (I have never seen it before) must have been taken about 1950. It depicts Poplawski still as a three-star general, with an array of Polish (including the Commander Cross of Virtuti Militari), Soviet (including the star of the Hero of the Soviet Union), Czechoslovak and Yugoslav awards. His DSC is also seen very well (he is still wearing it, despite the fact it is the peak of the Cold War!). Note the seven stars for the wounds he sustained in the war (all while serving in the Red Army).

Here is another photo of his, as a General of the Army, taken in 1955, soon after he became a four-star general. He is wearing soviet-styled metal ribbon bars.

Congratulations again and now your turn for a question! :beer:

Edited December 24, 2011 by Lukasz Gaszewski

[Christophe]

Bravo to Lukasz and UB !! :jumping:

These were excellent question and answer !! Many thanks.

Ch.

[ub6365]

Lukasz,

Could you tell us how General received DSC?

[JimZ]

Scoreboard update!

24 points - JimZ

18 points - UB6365

17 points - Harvey

17 points - Christophe

15 points - Hauptmann

8 points - Gunner 1

3 points - Valter

2 points - kapten_windu

1 point - Tachel

1 point - K2009

1 point - Lukasz Gaszewski

Question 107 goes to UB 6365 who is now in second place. Third place sees a two way tie between Harvey and Christophe who could still both make it to second place.......

Jim

[JimZ]

Please start to familiarise yourself with the rules for 2012 on the following thread: http://gmic.co.uk/index.php/topic/52601-the-soviet-quiz-2012-new-rules/

There have been some basic changes and with only a few days to go, its good for you to know the 2012 "rules of engagement"

Jim :cheers:

[ub6365]

Merry Christmas to everyone and your families...

Question # 107.

I am a soviet 'armored' mechanism. I killed a lot of German tanks. Once, during the Battle of Kursk my group destroyed 70 tanks in 20 minutes... One of soviet leaders to notice my importance compared me to "food" for Red army. Please name me...

Edited December 24, 2011 by ub6365

[Christophe]

I am the Ilyushin Il-2.

The Ilyushin Il-2 (Cyrillic Илью́шин Ил-2) was a ground-attack aircraft (Shturmovik) in WW2 produced by the Soviet Union in very large numbers. In combination with its successor, the Ilyushin Il-10, a total of 42,330 were built, making it the single most produced military aircraft design in all of aviation history, as well as one of the most produced piloted aircraft in history. It is regarded as the best ground attack aircraft of World War II. It was a prominent aircraft for tank killing with its accuracy in dive bombing and its 37mm guns being able to penetrate tanks' thin back armour.

To Il-2 pilots, the aircraft was simply the diminutive "Ilyusha". To the soldiers on the ground, it was the "Hunchback", the "Flying Tank" or the "Flying Infantryman". Its postwar NATO reporting name was "Bark". The Il-2 aircraft played a crucial role on the Eastern Front, and in Soviet opinion it was the most decisive aircraft in the history of modern land warfare. Stalin paid the Il-2 a great tribute in his own inimitable manner: when a particular production factory fell behind on its deliveries, Stalin sent an angrily-worded cable to the factory manager, stating "They are as essential to the Red Army as air and bread."

Ch.

[ub6365]

Point to Christophe

[Christophe]

Ho to all,

It's Christmas time... So here is a real gift, an easy question ;

Question #108

1. What is this medal ?

2. Who issued it ?

The winner will have to answer correctly both questions.

Good hunt and good luck...

Ch.

Edited December 25, 2011 by Christophe

[JimZ]

That is the medal for the 50 anniversary of Victory over Germany.

I believe it was an official Russian Federation issue in 1995 (ie not a veteran organisation or communist party issue). However, as it goes beyond 1990 I am not well read on who actually issued it.... (I only have one in my collection as part of a group I own)

If I am wrong on point two then the point will go to someone else....

Jim :cheers:

[Christophe]

If I am wrong on point two then the point will go to someone else....

Unfortunately, yes, Jim...

You found the medal (point 1) even if the name you are giving is not the exact (formal) one...

Point 2 is a little harder to find...

Ch.

[Lukasz Gaszewski]

Interesting. Viewing from the physical appearance of the medal, it looks very much like the official Russian Federation issue. Considering however that the inscription at the top is in Romanian, it can be the issue of the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic (PMR). Still, as I have not found it on the list of official PMR jubilee medals (there is only one medal commemorating the 60th anniversary of victory), I am not sure how much official the medal is.

Anyway, the words in Romanian read: "50 years from the day of victory in the great war in defence of the country, 1941-1945" and in Russian: "50 years of victory in the Great Patriotic War, 1941-1945."

Enjoy your Christmas time!!!

[Lukasz Gaszewski]

Lukasz,

Could you tell us how General received DSC?

According to my information, Poplawski received it in 1943, still as a Soviet Major General, from the hands of U.S. Ambassador in the U.S.S.R. The details of what exactly he received it for are unknown to me. As no Polish soldier ever received DSC, after being transferred to the Polish Army Poplawski was the only man in the Polish uniform to have this award.

Sorry for this small interruption.

[JimZ]

Unfortunately, yes, Jim...

You found the medal (point 1) even if the name you are giving is not the exact (formal) one...

Point 2 is a little harder to find...

Ch.

Perhaps I should have said..."50 Years of Victory in the Great Patriotic War 1941-1945"....Its not that I cannot read cyrillic and it was written there

As for point two I am clueless.

Jim :cheers:

[Christophe]

Considering however that the inscription at the top is in Romanian, it can be the issue of the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic (PMR).

You are very close. And because it's Christmas, we can consider you are the winner !!

This is the Medal for 50 Years of Victory in the Great Patriotic War 1941-1945 issued by the Republic of Moldova . )

Lucasz, your turn, now...

Ch.

[JimZ]

Is the medal the exact same one that was awarded by the Russian Federation - that is...was the same medal issued with different award cards or are there any differences in these - also did other republics issue these?

Just curious......

Jim :cheers: