Mel'konjan, Keram Mamikonovich, Pilot, 106th Guards Storm Regiment, Victory Parade

[CtahhR]

Here is a somewhat rebuilt, yet far from complete group to Guards Senior Lieutenant Keram Mominonovich Mel'konjan. A dive-bomber pilot and participant in the Moscow Victory Parade of 1945. This selection covers 1945 to 2005.

Firstly we have his red covered Document for the Medal "For Victory Over Germany In The Great Patriotic War 1941-1945" #00011589 issued on 15th June 1945 by Guards Major-General Komarov as Commander of the 5th Battalion of the Combined Regiment of the 1st Belorussian Front - Although the stamp used is for a heavy artillery section (The Combined Regiments were created just for the Parade so there may not have been time for a new stamp).

There is the myth (one of many) that these red covered Documents were only awarded to participants of the parade but 100,000 were printed and only 16,011 paraded. So the reality is you have a 16% chance of the Red Cover being awarded to a parader.

As a Pilot, Mel'konjan marched with his sidearm.

This entire grouping cost considerably less than most would pay for a red cover - let alone one that was actually to a parade participant, it also contains a Document of a Variation I've been after for a while too so it was win-win.

I've been trying to locate him in the Parade but I've only been able to find very abridged coverage of the Parade so far.