riley1965 Wrote:1st Class OPWs were awarded to HSUs, ORB medal of valor and Medal for combat service medals. There may be one or two others to receive the 1st class. The rest received the 2nd Class.
Best,
Doc
The issuing of them wasn't an exact science. I've had several groups with valor orders (ORBs, etc.) that had jubilee 2nd Class. I think sometimes the vets were given whatever the issuing authority had at the time.
Also, the reason they aren't researchable is that the serial number was never recorded on the veteran's award card in the archives. In addition, there was never a citation or Ukaz (by name) awarding these, so even if they WERE researchable, no information would come back about the recipient.
Dave,
Thank You for the explanation.:thumbsup :thumbsup This one was bugging me for over 1 1/2 years as I have a Soviet Husband & wife group with his research but his wife's was not researchable. All I know is that she served the USSR during the GPW and earned the 50th Anniversary of the Liberation of the Ukraine.
In Art's description of this variation, he states, "The gold hammer and sickle of this award was often removed and replaced with a copper one by the recipient." Why was this?
Can someone elaborate more on this variation or provide a link to where I can get more information?
jefflgarrison Wrote:In Art's description of this variation, he states, "The gold hammer and sickle of this award was often removed and replaced with a copper one by the recipient." Why was this?
Can someone elaborate more on this variation or provide a link to where I can get more information?
There's two theories - one it's a field replacement, and the other more plausible is it was done at the mint - Krasnokamsk, I believe. I'm sure someone else will weigh in.
Art Wrote:Paul is this the tractor factory theory I've heard about? I think I recall Alexei talk about that in some detail. Maybe he'll chime in.
Yes, this is the tractor factory theory. The advocates of this theory (of which I lean towards) present the sheer number of pieces done like this. The story goes gold was short under wartime conditions and nevertheless they needed to get awards to the troops. In the US, for example, since copper was a necessary war metal we went to zinc pennies for a short time and reduced the silver content in nickels (if I remember correctly).
The advocates for individual-done reworks are that the hammer and sickle would get knocked off in combat and the device from a certain, period cap insignia matched the missing gold one perfectly. If that's true, the tractor factory could have just as easily ordered the same H&S's and used them.
On the ones I've seen, the H&S appear too uniformly done to be left to the hands of "grunts" in the field.
Paul, actually the reason for some of those PW2's 'trench' to have H/S replaced with steel ones from the caps is because the manufactoring of those H/S's was unique in that it's hollow inside, and if you look closely, not held by 2 rivets, as usual, but actually, you see the ends of the copper wire bent outwards on reverse. But somehow, curiously enough, some of "trenches" still have normal H/S's...
Guys out there - please do not remove the H/S from it to see if this is true, you'll ruin it! :chuckle Just examine it closely...
That technique indeed proved ineffective and was never repeated.
I was at a Militaria fair today and observed 2 OGPW2 close together. One had the gold hammer and sickle and the other didnt. The price of course reflected this. Having not seen this before I was tempted to purchase but restrained myself not being experienced with these orders.
The question I have is which is most common? the one with the gold or without?
Brendan:thumbsup
"If we come to a minefield, our infantry attacks exactly as it were not there." Marshall Geogi Zhukov to General Eisenhower, 1945
