Soviet Lenin order, award number and name wanted

[speedytop]

This is a Lenin order. In my opinion it is an original Lenin order, with the original srew plate.

Dimensions: 38.0 mm x 39.9 mm

Weight: 35.1 g

But I don't know the name of the wearer, because I don't have the award number. It is a 4 digit number, but I can only see the remains of the digits.

I've tried it with several methods, to recognize the 4 digits: X-rays, ultrasonic, special metal surface methods; no results. Also specialists of a technical university which help the criminal investigation department in search for distant chassis numbers of cars brought no result.

Based on mondvor.narod.ru it is type 3, variant 1, version 2 (Тип 3, Вариант 1, Разновидность 2)

And there is a story behind this Lenin order. I hope, that the story is true, but I really don't know it.

There is a letter with two pages, written by an East German man to his West German friend in 1949.

This is a shortened English extract of the German letter:

Leipzig, 22. November 1949

Dear friend,

…

Now you would like to know how it came that I got this rare order.

…

As Captain of the Wehrmacht in the year 1942, I became commander of a large prisoner-of-war camp near Minsk, Russia. The camp counted more than 8000 Russian soldiers.

…

Some minutes later, this tall grey-haired man appeared in my office asking me to listen to him, which I did because I was curious to hear what he had to tell. It turned out hat he was Commanding General of a Russian Army and had crashed on a flight behind the German lines with the crew of the aircraft that had come down.

…

… the next morning, I decided not to surrender this man to Hitler but to let him free. Shortly before the gates of the camp opened, he suddenly entered my office again, ...

He … pulled an item out of his bag and handed it over to me, asking me to take it, – it was the Lenin order in commemoration of himself ... I never heard from him again.

The same day, the Russian Armed Forces reported that a high Russian military leader was missing behind the German lines.

Shortly after that the Russian Armed Forces announced that a high Russian military leader had had to make a forced landing behind the German lines and was to be taken to the “Führer” headquarters immediately. A frenetic search started immediately in the front section near Minsk.

SS detachments arrived at the camp and searched the whole camp and the prisoners. The guards were interrogated but nobody had recognized and seen this man. The man they were looking for was never found.

…

Yours sincerely …

Is there a historical event matching the story?

Uwe

[Rogi]

sounds like a good tale, but without the number you can't really do anything to prove it

Have you tried UV lights?

[Guest Rick Research]

Sounds crazy to me.

1) Why would a Wehrmacht "Commandant" have DONE that, in 1942--when Germany was winning. Ah, TREASON

2) Even if the Soviet owner scratched out the number (common pre-1991 collapse, unfortunately) and handed it over as n escape bribe...

3) what in God's name would an ex-POW camp commandant in the Soviet Zone have been DOING with it in 1949 and

4) what kind of doubly lunatic ex-POW camp commandant would have been casually writing about it acros the border when all mail would have been opened and read?

5) how many ex-POW camp commandants were not only wandering around FREE in the East Zone in 1949 but comfortable enough in their living arrangements (a typewriter, yet!) and re-arrest status to have done this?

He would have been fortunate beyond words not to have been executed in retribution for the overcrowding deaths of 1941/42!!!!!!!!!

If I'd had a war trophy Soviet decoration on me when the Red Army swept in, it would've been down the nearest drain hole while I tried my damnedest to pretend I'd spent the entire war in Italy!

Edited August 25, 2013 by Rick Research

[JapanX]

This order is for real.

As for the story behind this order ...

I can't find any historical evidence to back it up...

[speedytop]

Hi Rogi, UV-light is not helpful for such a piece. I've tried several other methods (see above).

Hi Rick, he wrote (if the letter is real!) for example: "I soon had good contact with leading Russian circles, and one estimated me there very much, particularly as these circles had found out that I was a Hitler opponent."

Hi JapanX, is it known, which military ranks received a Lenin order in the period of Lenin order type 3, variant 1, version 2 ?

Thank you all for your comments so far.

Uwe

[Ferdinand]

All ranks could - and did - receive Orders of Lenin, but in this period most recipients were officers. Even if there was a list with the names of the 5,000 recipients of this variation of the Order of Lenin, I'm guessing there would be quite a few generals among them.

[Ferdinand]

You could, however, obtain the book Captured Soviet Generals: The Fate of Soviet Generals Captured in Combat 1941-45 (http://www.amazon.com/Captured-Soviet-Generals-Military-Institute/dp/0714651249), look for captured Generals who commanded an army and were captured in the manner described in the letter, and then you should end up with no more than a handful of individuals. You could then check the archives to see which awards they had. If one of them had an Order of Lenin with a serial number between 3500 and 8500 with the two final digits being round at the bottom (3, 5, 6, 8, 9, 0), that should be your guy.

Edited August 26, 2013 by Ferdinand