07-16-2013, 11:45 PM
In the first two cases I can recall, the recipient had been officially awarded an OPW during the war, but the orders had never been physically issued. By the 1980s the authorities realized these guys had yet to receive their awards, but by that time they didn't have any type 2 OPWs left, so the awardees were given type 3 pieces.
In the third case the recipient had been awarded an OPW2 in May 1943 and been issued one shortly afterward (an early five-digit piece). A second record card, dated November 1994, mentions an OPW2 in the 6.6 million range, which was bestowed, amazingly, by the same Decree. So either the recipient had lost his original OPW or the authorities never realized that the award had already been issued. And to make matters even more complicated, the recipient had passed away by 1994 and the award was given to his brother.
In the third case the recipient had been awarded an OPW2 in May 1943 and been issued one shortly afterward (an early five-digit piece). A second record card, dated November 1994, mentions an OPW2 in the 6.6 million range, which was bestowed, amazingly, by the same Decree. So either the recipient had lost his original OPW or the authorities never realized that the award had already been issued. And to make matters even more complicated, the recipient had passed away by 1994 and the award was given to his brother.
