Soviet Rank Identification

[Gordon Williamson]

I bought these photos purely because I needed pics of the Wound Stripe being worn, but can anyone help with identifying rank/branch for these two just so I can get the captioning accurate.

No 1

[Gordon Williamson]

No 2

[Rayjin]

No 1 might be a petty officer, Russian/Polish Navy !!!

No 2 is Soviet Lt Colonel (Infantry)

Rayjin

Edited July 26, 2011 by Rayjin

[Gordon Williamson]

Many thanks !!

[JimZ]

I agree with Rayjin

1st photo:

старшина́ 1-й статьи (Starshina Pervi Stati) which is a Petty Officer 1st class - 3 stripes on what must be navy epualettes. This is more or less equivalent to a seargeant's three stripes.

2nd photo:

подполко́вник (Podpolkovnik) which is a Lieutenant Colonel. Wears a guards badge on his right breast which probably means he was attached to a guards unit.

Any chance of getting a close up of his ribbon bar or is that the best it can be displayed - seems to have a touch too much light on it...

Regards,

Jim

[Gordon Williamson]

Hi Jim,

Although the pic is a decent size, I'm afraid the original print is over-exposed. I darkened the scan quite a bit to get the posted image. Even darkening that area doesn't help much.

I should have added earlier, that the pics have notes on the back.

The typewritten one is from the Naval pic, the pencil note is from the Army one.

[JimZ]

The top one says:

Podpolkovnik (Lt.Col) Avdeyev Alexandr Matveievich

Commander 254, 256 Guards Regiment, 56 Guards Division.

I think we were spot on there.

The bottom one says:

- Sergeant E. Leonavichyoc. Participant of the storm on berlin

This makes me wonder whether he's navy or not. Those epualettes look totally navy to me.... which is why I proposed Starshina 1. Pehaps someone more familiar with the uniforms can chip in here. Notwithstanding, we got the rank or its equivalent correct....

Re the ribbon bar, I cannot only guess that the first one may be an order of the red banner with its distinctive red/white/red ribbon. The rest is just too blurred...

Hope that helps Gordon!!

Jim :cheers:

[Gordon Williamson]

Many thanks Jim, thats great !

Next puzzle is the insignia itself. I'd have expected to see what appears to be the two lighter yellow stripes grouped together over the darker red stripes.

What the photo appears to show is one yellow over three red, then another yellow over two red. Can this be correct or am I just misinterpreting the image ?

[JimZ]

Hi Gordon,

I am outside my comfort zone with wound stripes but could I suggest that he wore the stripes in the sequence they were awarded (which is not usual as these are usually grouped

I know that there are red stripes for heavy wounds, yellow for lighter ones and aparantly, even blue ones. See thread: http://gmic.co.uk/in...-stripe-wonder/ for various other photos of wound stripes that might help. Post 61 shows an interesting combination.

In the Avdeyev photo I also seem to make out one yellow over three stripes followed by a yellow stripe over two more!

Jim :cheers:

Edited July 27, 2011 by JimZ