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+---- Thread: Wearing Awards During Combat. (/Thread-Wearing-Awards-During-Combat)
Wearing Awards During Combat. - Riley1965 - 08-26-2006
Those Orders definately have a story to tell. :thumbsup :thumbsup My only ORB T2V2 was worn everyday from the day it was awarded until 1971 when Captain Mikheev died. The research told the story. There will be an article on this one for sure.
Best,
Doc
Wearing Awards During Combat. - jefflgarrison - 09-04-2006
I have read in some places that "damage" done to a "Order of the Red Star" was battle damage? Did they really wear such an order into battle?
Seems like a crazy thing to do in the event that they are killed and the enemy was able to get the medal.
Wearing Awards During Combat. - desantnik - 09-04-2006
jefflgarrison Wrote:I have read in some places that "damage" done to a "Order of the Red Star" was battle damage? Did they really wear such an order into battle?
Seems like a crazy thing to do in the event that they are killed and the enemy was able to get the medal.
I don't know what you're calling "damage", but decorations were worn in combat and even day-to-day wear resulted in chips, scratches, etc. On the far end of the spectrum, there exist decorations with bullet holes, shrapnel, etc. that were usually fatal and frequently buried with the victim.
Wearing Awards During Combat. - Dave - 09-04-2006
You just need to be careful what people consider to be "battle damage". I'd imagine that most sellers on eBay claiming that something was damaged in battle are probably using it to explain something that might very well have happened by normal wear and tear. Dropping a Red Star or OGPW - even onto carpet if high enough - will result in the enamel breaking out of one or two of the arms (I've seen it happen!) Battle damage? Nope. Unfortunate? Absolutely! If someone was claiming battle damage to an award, it would need to be very clearly battle damage - such as the damage caused by shrapel or bullets rather than just broken enamel, unless they can prove that that damage was actually caused in battle - such as having a photo of the recipient wearing the damaged award during or immediately after the War (I've had groups with awards like that.)
Dave
Wearing Awards During Combat. - Stahanov - 07-01-2009
I suddenly started wondering about what awards Soviet soldiers wore on their uniforms in the field. I don't know much about the subject, but have seen lots of pictures of soldiers with awards stuck on their uniforms in battle conditions; red stars and guards badges for example. Was there some regulations on what awards to wear, when and what not to? It just seems to me that it would be pretty suicidal to wear shining, clinking metal objects on your chest during battle. Did the habit of wearing awards in battle stop after the Second World War? Were they worn in Afghanistan for example?
It'd be nice to hear more about this subject; always trying to educate myself about all things related to Soviet awards! :idea
Thanks
Stah
Wearing Awards During Combat. - Commissar - 07-01-2009
Guards badges are regularly worn in battle.
You can even see them on some soldiers in todays Russian, Ukrainian and Belarussian forces, but as for wearing medals, I am not sure..
I wouldn't want to wear a medal...I would be afraid of losing it!
Wearing Awards During Combat. - Tretov - 07-01-2009
I think they wore pretty much every award. They were evidence of bravery! Now, we have to remember the WW2 soldiers did not hold massive racks of awards, but one or two combat service awards or bravery awards, the red star, the order of glory.
Wearing Awards During Combat. - dav1941 - 07-01-2009
I understand if the common soldier did not feel comfortable wearing a more valuable medal or order into combat that a regimental clerk would secure it for him in the event of his death. Pilots were also more apt to wear their awards. Not to say this always happened as I have heard a story of an Order of the Red Banner of Military Valor (Mongolian) being found in the pocket of dead German soldier. Probably a souvenir no doubt
Wearing Awards During Combat. - Stahanov - 07-01-2009
Wearing awards to combat seems (seemed) to be a peculiarly Soviet habit. I'm not 100 % sure, but I don't think any other country involved in the Second World War did it. I certainly would wear mine just to show the enemy what a badass I am.
Wearing Awards During Combat. - Jeffrey Meffert - 07-01-2009
The Hitlerites (Germans) also wore certain badges and awards into combat. Hanging medals were generally reserved for the parade uniform but there are plenty of photos of knight's crosses, iron cross 1st class, panzergrenadier badges, assault badges, and the like worn in the field. Also the equivalent of the soviet "Defense" medals were campaign badges (Krim, Narvik, etc.) were sewn to the uniform sleeve. I have a wound badge and armor assault badge belonging to a KIA panzergrenadier with significant battle damage.