Photographs Of Recipients Of Soviet Awards/Service Personnel.

[vvadim]

Does anyone know what the devices are on the shoulder straps of the fellow on the right?

Device on the shoulder boards is for Signal corps and colors of uniform for technical troops on the left of the picture. Guy on the right on the picture in question is infantry the same like on the right here.

[vvadim]

epaulets are artillery. This officer had an interesting career. Perhaps injured and grounded from airborne duties?

What led you to that rather strange conclusion?

[slava1stclass]

This guy is civilian, railroad engineer responsible for railway tracks and bridges maintenance. Most likely he never was in military service. Red Banner he got for 25 years of railroad service and order of Lenin for 30 years of service.[/I]

vvadim,

Thank you for the clarifying information. I disagree, however, with your assertion that he did not have military service given that he was awarded both the Order of the Red Banner and the Order of the Red Star - solely military decorations.

Regards,

slava1stclass

[desantnik]

Thank you for the clarifying information. I disagree, however, with your assertion that he did not have military service given that he was awarded both the Order of the Red Banner and the Order of the Red Star - solely military decorations.

Both the Order of the Red Banner and Order of the Red Star were "State", not solely military, decorations that could be awarded to non-"military" organizations - Ministry of the Interior and Ministry of State Security at a minimum (maybe including railroad organizations?). Additionally, the Order of the Red Banner could even be awarded to "other" (i.e. non-military police and/or security service) Soviet citizens, as well as foreigners.

What throws me is if the railroad-related individual in question is wearing long-service decorations, his Combat Service Medal for ten-years' service, is conspicuously absent, or at least is not wearing it.

[Pobeda45]

Great photos guys, they put a face on the railroad major I am researching. :thumbsup

George

[vvadim]

What throws me is if the railroad-related individual in question is wearing long-service decorations, his Combat Service Medal for ten-years' service, is conspicuously absent, or at least is not wearing it.

Why should he even had a medal? By that time he already served enough time for Red Star, then Red Banner and Lenin.
This “brave” policemen for example started straight from Red Banner, skipping both medal and Red Star.

[...]2. К награждению представляются […] прослуживший к 7 ноября 1944 г:
10, 11, 12, 13, 14 и 14 лет с лишним — к медали “За боевые заслуги”;
15, 16, 17, 18, 19 и 19 лет с лишним — к ордену “Красная Звезда”;
20, 21, 22, 23, 24 и 24 года с лишним — к ордену “Красное Знамя”.
Тех лиц этих групп, которым 1 мая 1945 г. исполнится соответственно 25, 20 и 15 лет стажа, к 1 мая 1945 г. к награждению соответствующим выслуге лет орденом.
Прослужившие 25, 26, 27 лет представляются к ордену ”Красное Знамя”, а к 23 февраля 1945 г. — к ордену Ленина.
[...]

[desantnik]

Good point, I forgot about that.

[kliment]

Thank you Vvadim, once again a fascinating documentation. I have few questions about the colour plates of the last posts.
-The shoulderboards of the enlisted men seems to have some kind of digits, i'm right?
-The more intriguing is the cap of the officer of the second plate. What kind of star? What kind of insignia on the upper part?
Many thanks.

[Will]

This is only my understanding, but I read awhile back that it was not until the 1970's that Soviet airborne units had their own separate existence. Before then the airborne units were spread throughout other branches of the combat arms and, as such, would wear the branch insignia of the units to which they were assigned, with only the paratrooper badge on their uniforms to show that they were airborne troops.

[Jeffrey Meffert]

What led you to that rather strange conclusion?

Because the epaulets of the officer in picture on posting five has the crossed cannons of artillery. I was offering a reason why someone with a jump badge and air force airborne wings would now be a lieutenant colonel in the artillery.