After reading the Polish award thread where an 84 year old veteran's "Group" isn't much more than a medal and badge, I was wondering what the largest (complete or incomplete) documented groups other members of this forum have. Usually an Order or two and a handful of Medals (usually commemoratives) is good going for a documented group, sometimes there can be more but usually budget impedes. There's also folks out there that are quite happy to tear apart groups for their own gain so the groups have to survive those types of people too. The framed documented group is something else though! Especially if you can find a picture of the awardee.
In my collection my largest groups by country are:
Soviet Union, 12 Medals, 2 Badges and a Certificate (Incomplete)
Bulgaria, 4 Orders, 8 Medals and 8 Badges (Probably complete) also a group of 7 Orders which I believe is incomplete.
DPRK, 8 Orders must be incomplete.
Other than that I only have smaller groups from each of those nations or just odd bits from other communist nations.
I'm sure some of you have rather nice groups from these nations and other nations, I'd like to know what the largest Mongolian group out there is. Although I'm sure none of us have anything like Brezhnev's personal collection.
My largest Soviet group (documented, that is) consists of only 3 orders, so I don't have much to say about that, but my largest polish group consists of 8 (or 9)Medals, and a badge, but it's missing 3 Polish awards, at least 3 soviet awards.
Also I have documents for a group to a state security senior officer that should consist of 14 awards (at least that's the number of award documents I have), but I am still missing some of the awards (untill I get them I am not planning to post it) and probably 2 more badges and one medal should go with it.
On the other hand I have documents group for a partisan who got probably 3 crosses of the chivalrous (A truely high end combat award) and a partisan cross, but no other awards! At least it seems so.
As for Lt. Marciniak's group - he was already 45 and he was a political officer, so not muc of an opportunity to get anything more, and after the war he was probably not allowed to wear his pre-war awards. (the 1918-1921 medal was abolished, so he didn't get a duplicate booklet and bronze cross of merit did not grant him any privillages, so he probably wouldn't care to get a duplicate booklet for that). The fact that he fought Soviets before the WW2 would also explain why he didn't get any other awards (like victory and freedom)and why he had to wait 24 years to get his berlin medal.
10-21-2010, 03:22 PM (This post was last modified: 10-21-2010, 03:27 PM by medals73.)
A really interesting question.
Soviet: My largest is probably that to Lt-Col. Mikhail Aleksandrovich Tolkachev with thirty-four awards and badges (2 x OPW 1, OPW 2 jubilee, Red Banner, 2 x Red Star, etc.) and sixty-two documents and photos (excluding research). (Shown below.) I am, however, tempted to mention the group to Major General Vatslav Bronislavovich Lavrinovich. While just two awards, there are seventy-one documents, photos, and so on (excluding research results).
Mongolian: My record would seem to be the group to [rank?] Byamba Gezegt with twenty-six awards (Sukhbaatar, RB Combat, RB Labor, Combat Valor, 2 x Polar Star, etc.) with a stack of documents (uncounted, sorry). A close runner-up would be that to Lieutenant-General Damdin Tserenjav, while incomplete (his Sukhbaatar has gone missing the family promised to look, but I suspect it is long gone)with twenty-three awards (RB Combat, 2 x Combat Valor, 2 x Polar Star, 2 x Soviet Red Star, etc.) and documents for almost everything (sorry, haven't counted them). I think I have posted these groups somewhere on the forum?
German Democraratic Republic: The group to Dankward Fehr with twelve awards (Hero of Work, etc.) and eleven documents.
Al-muell Wrote:My largest Soviet group (documented, that is) consists of only 3 orders, so I don't have much to say about that, but my largest polish group consists of 8 (or 9)Medals, and a badge, but it's missing 3 Polish awards, at least 3 soviet awards.
Checked it, and actually there are 7 polish awards missing (2 of them=badges), so its 17 orders and medals and 4 badges + 2 docs and an artckle from a local newspaper from 70's giving the story of the recipent.
THAT IS A GROUP! You could take up all the walls of a room with just those 2 Soviet groups. I have 49 other groups but nothing like that and then a large number of single documented awards. Mainly (of course) Bulgarian. Very rarely do I acquire anything additional to the award certificates so having piles of pictures and personal papers is a real bonus. However I do have a British group so complete it's certainly a large suitcase full but that's not a Soviet story.
I bought a Bulgarian Brigadier General uniform and the ribbon bar on it is only 6 Medals and a badge so higher rank doesn't always mean bigger group.
this is my largest bulgarian group and one of my larger Soviet groups, some of my other soviet groups have more orders and decorations but are not as big
I find it a little strange that the Bulgarian group doesn't have the Military Merits medal. I've never come across a BG group with a Red Banner that didn't also have a Military Merits medal. Usually the MM medal turns up a couple of years before the Order. Doesn't mean I don't love it though!
Sgt Matveev with a picture of the medals being worn
OPW2, OPW2 1985, ORS X 2, ORB, combat service, leningrad, konnigsberg, VOG, VOJ and all the anniversary medals up to 1995 (along with frontnovik badge) and all original booklets appropriate. Guards badge isn't his but I couldn't not include it since one was in the photo. Perhaps he took that one with him
Recently I have picked up the very bottom part of a split group to a living recipient. It comprises of 161 items with about 155 of them being awards with an additional 9 awards to their spouse. Someone who "came onto the scene" in 1953 and hit a peak 1961-1964 and continued but not at such a high level.
I know they have many high level awards (such as a Soviet title) that I'll probably never get my hands on but you never know?
It may even be the case that these 155ish awards are not even half of their award group. Research is ongoing.
the family promised to look, but I suspect it is long gone)with twenty-three awards (RB Combat, 2 x Combat Valor, 2 x Polar Star, 2 x Soviet Red Star, etc.) and documents for almost everything (sorry, haven't counted them). I think I have posted these groups somewhere on the forum?
