Medal "For Bravery".

[Kirchgoens]

Finding a package of these would be a dream come true! I bet 15 or 20 years ago if deep enough in the republic boonies, one might have pulled that off. I have seen a couple items in original or near-orginal packaging:

- the number tabs that go on jump wings - I recently saw a pile of them in their original box of what must have been 50 or a hundred. The box wasn't much bigger than a match box.

- guards badges - I once found a later post-war on it the original box, also a cheap little box much like a match box.

- medals and orders in their red boxes - I've got a couple that still have the typed adhesive name strip on them, but I've never seen the bulk shipping packaging for medals/orders. I figure a bunch of you have also seen this - probably not terribly uncommon.

- Mother Heroine - rarely I'll find them with all three boxes intact (large box for the large doc, medium box for the small doc, and small box for the star medal). I may even have a couple spare boxes kicking around!

- Great Ferghana Canal Badges - I once found a guy who had about four of them he had found in the valley. I guess like the US Army, there's always some dude in supply who puts a few things away at home and then forgets about them. I've seen it happen with US military medals back in the early 90's. They were still on the original cardboard backing in superb condition with the serial-numbered screwbacks intact, in a fairly tight number group.

[matthijs]

The prices are getting out of hand! Just sold a type 2 medal for $110!

[Kirchgoens]

It seems there still widely persists in the former Soviet Union the probable misconception that the "tongue" version of the Bravery Medal was awarded for actions in the Far East against Japan (and thus the premium price for them out there). I am guessing that several of you have research that shows this to be incorrect (and I hope to also have the same some day if my ordered research ever comes through).

To further back up the idea that the tongue gives no indication of award location is a serial number trend showing up in my own collection of BMs. I'm now beginning to think that the awards, although made in two slightly different ways (ring vs. tongue), were probably serial numbered in mixed batches.

This is what I found in my collection:

3,399,164 T2V1 - standard ring
3,399,584 T2V2 - tongue ring

3,606,471 T2V1 - standard ring
3,606,670 T2V2 - tongue ring
3,606,763 T2V1 - standard ring

I have other T2V2 pieces, but these above are striking because of the VERY close numbers among the two versions.

These high number ranges also show up in fairly large numbers in Uzbekistan, going back to another theory that these were immediate post-war blocks (catch-up awards?) given out geographically from local units or local voenkomats. There are a couple other threads out there talking about this theory, so I won't go into it here other than I've definitely got tight blocks that I've picked up in the same general area in markets.

[ANZAC]

Here is an interesting veteran made adjustment. Instead of the regular rectangle suspension, the veteran has changed it to the heavier 'Znachok' suspension.

Cool citation as well;

Junior LT as recon platoon leader who with his platoon recon'd an approach to a forward enemy position and took it out destroying 9 bunkers, 5 MG, captured valuable info, etc etc....:)

Enjoy

Brendan

[ANZAC]

My recent aquistion.

Here is a beautiful example of a type 1 Bravery Medal. This Medal is featured and described in Paul Schmitt's 'Echoes of War'.

Enjoy

Brendan

[Eryk]

Very nice indeed! :thumbsup

With any original doc, or was the research done on s/n only?

[ANZAC]

Originally Posted by Eryk

Very nice indeed! :thumbsup

With any original doc, or was the research done on s/n only?

Unfortunatley no original booklet, only research on the number.

Brendan:)

[Eryk]

Though nice to collect it's not too unfotunate, IMO. The research is done, which brings it to life. That's what really makes it :thumbsup.

[Kirchgoens]

An update - here's my block of similar BM serial numbers, all found in Uzbekistan over a period of less than two years:

3,605,916
3,605,946
3,605,961
3,605,973
3,606,471
3,606,481
3,606,486
3,606,558
3,606,571
3,606,670
3,606,763
3,606,765
3,606,820
3,607,089
3,607,389

Surprising, ain't it? ;)

[Kirchgoens]

A couple months ago someone mentioned in a posting they wanted to see a large group of BM's in one photo. In response, the boys stood in parade formation yesterday afternoon, every one of 'em a numbered veteran of the GPW. Does this meet the requirement? :D