07-27-2008, 06:33 AM
Someone from one of the ethnic groups within Soviet borders who later ended up outside. I believe that starting from as high up as Rokossovkiy, guys with Polish ethnicity or even just Polish names were put in positions of authority in government and military in Poland after the war. Although many, many of the "foreign" communists didn't survive the purges, those that did (after spending many years in the Soviet Union in the 20's and 30's) were often put back in their homelands. I believe many of those served in the RKKA or NKVD prior to that happening. Many of them must have held such awards.
More possibilities: starting in late '41 and into '42, many of the Polish POWs from the '39 Soviet invasion of Poland were either shipped out through Iran to join General Anders' western forces or were inducted into the RKKA (of course this doesn't include the 15,000 or so officers and cadets who were shot in Katyn, Smolensk, and Kalinin/Tver the year before the war started). I believe many of those former POW's ended up serving in the post-war communist Polish government and military.
By EOW data, this was a GPW award from roughly June to November '42, but the front data is sparse as to a more specific location.
And... the other possibility of a Soviet veteran who simply didn't want to drill that hole in his civilian clothing to mount a screwback award, but instead creatively found a way to wear his ORS with the rest of his medals. That's very possible given the variety of unique homemade mountings and ribbon styles out there. Lately I've even encountered a couple BM's in which the owner had handpainted the actual suspension instead of using a ribbon (probably easier or cheaper for him then getting a new ribbon?). The creativity and variation probably knows no bounds.
More possibilities: starting in late '41 and into '42, many of the Polish POWs from the '39 Soviet invasion of Poland were either shipped out through Iran to join General Anders' western forces or were inducted into the RKKA (of course this doesn't include the 15,000 or so officers and cadets who were shot in Katyn, Smolensk, and Kalinin/Tver the year before the war started). I believe many of those former POW's ended up serving in the post-war communist Polish government and military.
By EOW data, this was a GPW award from roughly June to November '42, but the front data is sparse as to a more specific location.
And... the other possibility of a Soviet veteran who simply didn't want to drill that hole in his civilian clothing to mount a screwback award, but instead creatively found a way to wear his ORS with the rest of his medals. That's very possible given the variety of unique homemade mountings and ribbon styles out there. Lately I've even encountered a couple BM's in which the owner had handpainted the actual suspension instead of using a ribbon (probably easier or cheaper for him then getting a new ribbon?). The creativity and variation probably knows no bounds.
