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    I bet you all haven't seen an award card like this before!

    I'll let folks stretch their Cyrillic reading abilities to figure out who this award card belonged to... :cheeky:

    Dave

    To all:

    I have examined his Kutusov 1st Class. Very nice example indeed.

    Regards,

    slava1stclass

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    I never knew that he was awarded Soviet Orders!!! I wonder how many Soviet Generals received US medals?

    My guess would be many. I have scans of the certificate and citation to Lieutenant-General of Artillery Vasilii Semenovich Bodrov as an Officer of the Legion of Merit due to the courtesy of the general's grand child. However I am unable to upload them.

    Kind Regards

    Steen Ammentorp

    The Generals of World War II

    Edited by Steen Ammentorp
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    Guest Rick Research

    "Omer Bredli" is what it says. God knows what they did to "Eisenhower!" :cheeky:

    Omar Bradley was the last surviving American 5 star general. In his last years, he would be brought out for public appearances in a wheelchair--and I don't think I ever heard him speak.

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    "Omer Bredli" is what it says. God knows what they did to "Eisenhower!" :cheeky:

    Well, if you can read the scan... :cheeky:

    I don't want to give away too many of these, after all I need to have something in my JOMSA article!

    Regarding US Awards to Soviets, I was just offered a Legion of Merit certificate and citation to a Soviet NCO. It was a bit too pricey for my blood though, so I had to pass.... :speechless:

    Dave

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    Gentlemen,

    I have long found this subject of awards to Soviets by other allies and vice versa to be very interesting. As most of you know, the Soviet Order of Victory was awarded to both Eisenhower and Montgomery; but not deGaulle, which gave him fits. Pictures abound of Zhukov, Rokossovsky and Koniev with chief commander?s stars to the Legion of Merit; and many pictures from the 1945 Victory Parade show numerous examples of other allied awards.

    Several years ago, Spink had a vast group of awards and memorabilia to a British Admiral which included a Suvorov 1st class which, as I recall went for a price that today would not take the Suvorov by itself.

    Below is an award document to Soviet Sergeant Ivan Smirnov for a Silver Star. I believe that this is a man who also won the HSU but may have been killed prior to actually receiving this award.

    Best wishes,

    Wild Card

    Edited by Wild Card
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    Regarding US Awards to Soviets, I was just offered a Legion of Merit certificate and citation to a Soviet NCO. It was a bit too pricey for my blood though, so I had to pass.... :speechless:

    Dave

    To all:

    Indeed. During World War II, American recipients of United States military decorations did not receive the award certificate that normally accompanies the decoration with a few notable exceptions - the Medal of Honor, the Distinguished Service Medal and the Purple Heart (for KIA awards). During World War II the certificates were much larger in size than the present day version.

    On the other hand, these award certificates normally accompanied the decoration when awarded to a foreigner. In the mid-90s I came across a dealer at a small show in Europe who must have had 15-20 Legion of Merit (LOM) certificates (in the class of Legionnaire or Officer) with the accompanying citations on separate White House stationery all of which bore President Truman's autopen signature. He also had two Silver Star certificates and, most importantly, a certificate for the Army Distinguished Service Cross (DSC) - America's second highest award for valor after the Medal of Honor and normally the highest U.S. military decoration that may be bestowed on a foreigner. All of the certificates/citations had been awarded to Soviet Red Army personnel.

    Suffice it to say that I walked away with the DSC certificate. Mine was awarded to a Soviet Guards Lieutenant and signed by U.S. Secretary of War Stimson on 6 June 1944. If Dave was recently confronted with a heady price for a LOM certificate and citation, I can only imagine what a DSC certificate would command - considering that only 53 U.S. Army DSCs were awarded to Soviet personnel in World War II. By the way, most of these Soviet DSC winners were also HSUs. There's a great color shot of one such HSU/DSC winner - Guards Maj Gen Baklanov - in the Russian book about the 24 June 1945 Victory Parade in Moscow. He's also wearing a U.S. LOM.

    Regards,

    slava1stclass

    Edited by slava1stclass
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    To all:

    Indeed. During World War II... There's a great color shot of one such HSU/DSC winner - Guards Maj Gen Baklanov - in the Russian book about the 24 June 1945 Victory Parade in Moscow. He's also wearing a U.S. LOM.

    Regards,

    slava1stclass

    Gentlemen,

    At times we seem to be going at cross purposes here. I think that I just posted the picture you are referring to on the thread titled ?U.S. Army Decorations Awarded to Red Army Personnel in World War II? (post #18).

    Oh, what the heck, here it is again.

    Regards,

    Wild Card

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    Gentlemen,

    At times we seem to be going at cross purposes here. I think that I just posted the picture you are referring to on the thread titled ?U.S. Army Decorations Awarded to Red Army Personnel in World War II? (post #18).

    Oh, what the heck, here it is again.

    Regards,

    Wild Card

    Wid Card,

    Thanks for the posting. In the above picture, the sharp-eyed observer will note that Guards Maj Gen Baklanov is wearing the American LOM in the degree of Commander. He's jury rigged it to a pinback configuration.

    This appears to have been common practice among Soviet officers who were awarded a foreign neck decoration. Another great example (from the same Victory Parade book) is the British CBE awarded to the admiral who commanded the Soviet naval contingent in the 24 June 1945 Victory Parade.

    Regards,

    slava1stclass

    Edited by slava1stclass
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    Wid Card,

    Thanks for the posting. In the above picture, the sharp-eyed observer will note that Guards Maj Gen Baklanov is wearing the American LOM in the degree of Commander. He's jury rigged it to a pinback configuration.

    This appears to have been common practice among Soviet officers who were awarded a foreign neck decoration. Another great example (from the same Victory Parade book) is the British CBE awarded to the admiral who commanded the Soviet naval contingent in the 24 June 1945 Victory Parade.

    Regards,

    slava1stclass

    To all sharp-eyed members :D Maybe you can also recognise a guy next to Baklanov? He is holding a Red Banner and wearing an Air Force uniform. Hint: he is much more famous than Baklanov :D

    Edited by MONDVOR
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    About Bradley's Award Record Card... Are you sure this document is real? First there is no seal on that document. Second - there is a mistake in the entry about Suvorov 1st class. This order could not be awarded by 1st Ukrainian Front Prikaz. In according with the statute of this order it could be awarded only with a Supreme Soviet Ukaz. I'm not saying this is a fake paper, but it looks really strange. I've seen some fake research papers.

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    • 10 years later...
    On ‎5‎/‎15‎/‎2006 at 21:21, NavyFCO said:

    I bet you all haven't seen an award card like this before!

    I'll let folks stretch their Cyrillic reading abilities to figure out who this award card belonged to... :cheeky:

    Dave

    BradleyAC1.jpg

     

     

    On ‎5‎/‎15‎/‎2006 at 21:23, NavyFCO said:

    And the reverse...

    BradleyAC2.jpg

     

     

    On ‎5‎/‎16‎/‎2006 at 07:44, slava1stclass said:

    To all:

    I have examined his Kutuzov 1st Class. Very nice example indeed.

    Regards,

    slava1stclass

     

    On ‎5‎/‎20‎/‎2006 at 14:23, Mondvor said:

    About Bradley's Award Record Card... Are you sure this document is real? First there is no seal on that document. Second - there is a mistake in the entry about Suvorov 1st class. This order could not be awarded by 1st Ukrainian Front Prikaz. In according with the statute of this order it could be awarded only with a Supreme Soviet Ukaz. I'm not saying this is a fake paper, but it looks really strange. I've seen some fake research papers.

    Gents,

      Access to the Russian podvignaroda website now allows us to take a more detailed look at this subject.  As noted on the reverse side of GA Bradley's award record card, there was no serial number listed - "nyet dannykh" - in the serial number column for the Order of Suvorov First Class.  Whereas he was awarded an Order of Kutuzov First Class with serial number 166, the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet did not confirm the Order of Suvorov First Class which Commander, 1st Ukrainian Front originally listed in order number 61 dated May 13, 1945.  In the first attachment below, note that Bradley's name has been lined through directly below GEN Hodges' name.  The Cyrillic letter K directly to its left could well be that of MSU Konev who struck GA Bradley's name from this particular order before it was dispatched to Moscow.  When the confirming Presidium of the Supreme Soviet decree was issued (second attachment),  only GEN Hodges' name was listed as having been awarded the Order of Suvorov First Class. 

      Bradley's award record card indicates his Order of Suvorov was authorized via a subsequent 1st Ukrainian Front order - order number 065/N dated May 17th, 1945.  While the podvignaroda site has no record of this order nor of any subsequent PSS decree confirming it, there is photographic evidence indicating MSU Konev did award the Order of Suvorov First Class to GA Bradley on May 17th, 1945 (attachment three below).  In the final attachment, it appears GA Bradley is wearing the service ribbons for the Orders of Suvorov and Kutuzov First Class to the very left on the third ribbon row from the bottom.

      As noted above, I examined GA Bradley's Order of Kutuzov First Class at the location where it is exhibited.  There was no Order of Suvorov First Class located with that exhibit.

    Regards,

    slava1stclass

    Bradley a.jpg

    Hodges.jpg

    Bradley b.jpg

    Bradley c.jpg

    Edited by slava1stclass
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    The Soviet aviator standing next to Baklanov is Aleksandr Ivanovich Pokrishkin, arguably the most famous Soviet fighter ace, who was the recipient of an American DSM along with three HSUs. 

     

     

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