U.S. Army Decorations Awarded to Red Army Personnel in World War II

[slava1stclass]

Jeff,

It also occurred on our side. There were several instances of USAAF fighter groups commanded by 26-year old colonels.

Regards,

slava1stclass

[slava1stclass]

Gents,

HSU Guards Colonel M. V. Khotimskiy wearing the U.S. Legion of Merit in the degree of Officer.

Regards,

slava1stclass

[Jeffrey Meffert]

Interesting. He wears his Suvurov at the bottom of the right chest stack rather than the top

[desantnik]

Interesting. He wears his Suvurov at the bottom of the right chest stack rather than the top

Sometimes this is done b/c it's "closer to the heart" with the presentation intending to place the most important decorations closest to the body's imaginary center line.

[medals73]

I think it also mirrors the wearing style on the left, where the awards "read up" in seniority.

[slava1stclass]

Gents,

As is often encountered, note how HSU Maj Gen V. A. Trubachyov modified his Legion of Merit in the degree of Commander (a neck decoration) for wear as a pinback.

Regards,

slava1stclass

[slava1stclass]

To all:

Col Gen Dmitri Svyatayev, CG, 33rd Soviet Army gets ready to lay a wet one on LTG William M. Simpson, CG, 9th U.S. Army after Simpson awarded him the Legion of Merit at Simpson's HQ in the vicinity of Braunschweig, Germany on May 28th, 1945.

Regards,

slava1stclass

Gents.

An interesting side note to the American-Soviet award ceremony seen in post # 8 above.

The attachment is correspondence (in Russian) dated December 4th, 1945 directed to Maj Gen V. F. Lobod, Chief of the 2nd Directorate GUK, People's Commissariat of Defense.

In it, Maj Gen Lobod is informed of the loss of three Soviet orders intended for award to Americans Brigadier General Richard Nicholas, Colonel Walter Warner and Lawrence Hendley.

This correspondence forwarded two letters from U.S. Army Lieutenant General Simpson, CG, 9th Army. Simpson's letters were sent to the Soviet Ambassador in Washington in response to questions posed by Soviet Col Gen V. D. Svetkov concerning the orders.

LTG Simpson indicates that the awards intended for Nicholas (Order of the Patriotic War 1st Class) and Warner and Hendley (Order of the Red Star) were not presented since they were lost. Nicholas, Warner and Hendley were assigned to the 9th Army staff and were included in the Soviet 33rd Army order authorizing the orders. They were were not present, however, at the joint U.S. 9th Army - Soviet 33rd Army award ceremony held on May 28th, 1945 near Braunschweig, Germany.

Regards,

slava1stclass

[Alexscl]

Contribution by the member of the Russian-speaking forum - Siver Star awarded to lieutenant colonel Vasilii Orekhov - Commander of the 89th Guard Regiment, 28th Guard Division.

[Alexscl]

Contribution by the member of the Russian-speaking forum - Siver Star awarded to lieutenant colonel Vasilii Orekhov - Commander of the 89th Guard Regiment, 28th Guard Division.

[slava1stclass]

Gents,

This is the first time I've ever encountered an immediate post-war image of a Red Army soldier wearing U.S. Army Airborne wings.

We know U.S. Army personnel were awarded Red Army Guards badges at war's end. We now have evidence of a Red Army officer wearing U.S. Army jump wings.

Regards,

slava1stclass