Soviet Khalkhin Gol Veteran

[Chuck In Oregon]

Does anyone know if there is a generally accepted transliteration for Халхын Гол ? I've seen it a variety of ways. What is preferred on this forum? Does anyone care?

At any rate, here is a group from one such veteran, including some documents. No badge, sad to say, or any idea where it went.

Pretty interesting anyway, at least it is to me. Note the order numbers in the book.

[Chuck In Oregon]

Documents for his veteran's badges.

[Chuck In Oregon]

A couple more documents.

[Ed_Haynes]

Usually "Khalkhin Gol" at least in Mongolian (and on the Mongolian sub-forum -- where that badge belongs anyway). See:

http://gmic.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=5087

http://gmic.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=6881

I find it interesting that he does not have/wear the KG badge?

Edited April 26, 2006 by Ed_Haynes

[Riley1965]

Chuck,

First I love the uniform!! As for the translation with my limited knowledge which is zero I used the Cyrillic Alphabet Gerd pinned to this forum and the translation came out like this: Khalikhyn Goli. That's letter for letter. Is it an accurate translation?

Doc

[Stogieman]

Hi Chuck, what is the date of privilidges in the book? Can't make it out on the scan??

[Ed_Haynes]

Is it an accurate translation?

Suspect that works for Russian. Russian isn't Mongolian. At least they are going back to a script that works. (And just as I was getting secure in Mongolian Cyrillic! )

[Stogieman]

I'm having a hard time making out page two of the orders book. Can we please get a bigger scan?

Thanks!

[Chuck In Oregon]

This is his December 1945 diploma from, as best I can translate it, the Military Commanders Faculty of the Order of Lenin Academy in the name of I. V. Stalin, with the specialty of Tank Commanding Officer.

The certificate, which is undated, unsigned and otherwise unattributable, was folded inside the diploma. Machavariani is a fairly common Georgian name. I translate the certificate as follows:

Colonel Machavariani Semen Mikhailovich

Participant in the battle against the Imperial Japanese Military at Khalkhin-Gol from 11 May to 23 August 1939 as commanding officer of the 207th Separate Tank Battalion of the 17th Army.

Participant in the Great Patriotic War on the First Baltic Front during the period 6 April to 22 October 1944 as commanding officer of the 43rd Tank Regiment, 3rd Guards Mechanized Corps.

As always, I welcome better translations than my own.

Chuck

[Chuck In Oregon]

Here's a further enhanced scan of the order book entries.

The lack of the badge was a disappointment, of course. Just one of those things.

[Guest Rick Research]

Tell me that color is in NO way accurate as to what the tunic actually looks like! Rather than the dark sage green of an M1943 kitel, it looks like USAAF "pink" !

[Chuck In Oregon]

Tell me that color is in NO way accurate as to what the tunic actually looks like! Rather than the dark sage green of an M1943 kitel, it looks like USAAF "pink" !

* * * * *

No, it isn't pink, but it is an unusual color, at least to my eyes. If you examine the fabric with a 10x glass you can clearly see several colors of thread that sort of blend into a kind of faded light olive color. I don't know if this is "gabardine wool" or not, as I can't really picture what that is. The threads are not uniformly one color, dark sage or olive green or otherwise. I can't find any marks inside. That's about the best I can do for a description.

[NavyFCO]

Chuck-

This one really needs to be researched. I think that the two screwback Red Banners might be added to the document. Note how they were put in at the same time, in rather unsual ink, with rather sloppy handwriting for the number... And then note how the last digit of the first award earned has been altered?

The first Red Star entry dates from about December 1947... So the book being issued in January of 1948 is pretty much "spot on", but the top of the "7" appears to have been erased to be a "1941" instead... I also find it odd that the two sb Red Banners would be added after his late 1952 award long service Red Banner.

Could be legit, but I think it might be worthwhile getting the research just to confirm...

Dave

Edited April 26, 2006 by NavyFCO

[Chuck In Oregon]

While I was in Tbilisi recently, we re-contacted this gentlemen's heirs and asked them if they might, just possibly, have anything else we could include in this group. They came up with his officer's military bilet (very interesting), his pension book, his 50-Year Communist Party Member badge (he joined in 1931) and document, his Veteran of Military Labor medal and document and his Excellent Civil Defense medal and document. I'll share them here, of course, but I warn you, there just might be too much detail here to keep you interested.

Here's the first image of the military bilet and pension book.

Edited May 22, 2006 by Chuck In Oregon

[Chuck In Oregon]

And here's the first page of each of them.

[Chuck In Oregon]

And the next page. He had an interesting military career.

[Chuck In Oregon]

I think these were his assignments.

[Chuck In Oregon]

Here's the documentation of his Khalkhingol service.

[Chuck In Oregon]

These next three are just the remaining pages of his bilet that have any entries on them.

[Chuck In Oregon]

The last bilet page with an entry.

[Chuck In Oregon]

The remaining three items with their documents.

[Chuck In Oregon]

The interiors of those documents.

[Chuck In Oregon]

With any luck, this will be a somewhat enlarged and enhanced image of that single small photo. His Khalkhingol badge is evident.

His family told us that he was arrested shortly after the war and imprisoned for a year, 1945-46. He was then released and rehabilitated and his record was cleared. When the government returned his awards, according to the family, one Red Star and his Khalkhingol badge were missing and he never replaced them.

Chuck