Suspensions, Ribbons, Ribbon Bars And Order Of Precedence.

[Esteban_cool]

Originally Posted by Tretov

Early-mid 1960s, I'd guess a marshal or colonel-general. The XX RKKA is in a very weird position!

Not just the position of the XX RKKA, but the custom-made foreign ribbon bars called strongly my attention. For example, the Czech War Cross ribbon often is next to the dukla medal, and they have the same construction. In this ribbon bar, they do not match these two usual points at all.

Originally Posted by Jeffrey Meffert

I agree, it looks like a faded warsaw medal which was awarded to defenders and liberators (although I don't see a soviet liberation warsaw on the rack)

Yes, at the beginning I thought the same as you, but why would a navy guy would be awarded a Warsaw medal?

[desantnik]

Originally Posted by Esteban_cool

Yes, at the beginning I thought the same as you, but why would a navy guy would be awarded a Warsaw medal?

I don't remember my geography b/c I've seen so many European cities I can't keep track of them, however Navy personnel assigned to river flotillas were awarded city medals deep in Europe - Berlin and Budapest come to mind. Now that I think of it, doesn't Warsaw have the Vistula/Wisla?

[Kirchgoens]

Warsaw does have a big river running through it. I've passed through there a couple times, and I remember it.

A thing about old European cities: they just about all have some sort of big river running through them. Water offered a lot less rolling resistance than bad roads a few hundred years ago, thus the way of commerce...

An edit to add to above: either a river through them or a touch of ocean in front of them!

[Tretov]

Originally Posted by Esteban_cool

Yes, at the beginning I thought the same as you, but why would a navy guy would be awarded a Warsaw medal?

AFSU Gorshkov had both Budapest and Belgrade awards so he would be in good company :)

[EricFG]

This one came in today from Riga; not the lovely suburb of Rochester, New York State but the Baltic State of Latvia. :)
Anyhoo...I took a shot at this as it had bad images on eBay and I ended up getting it for, I think, less than 10 beans. The borders on the first ribbon are almost totally faded but I think I can detect a hint of yellow remaining making it almost certainly a CSM. I can't imagine what else it could be, possibley a BM but I doubt it highly. The second ribbon is almost assuredly a VoG and the third, without doubt is a Berlin medal meaning that this couldn't probably be worn much after the end of 1947.

This has got an interesting thick plastic coating (which has lots of wear to it) and it seems to have been melted or heated at least around the corners to fasten it in place.

Also, and most important to me is, the tabs of the ribbons on the reverse have no scratches on them which, to me, indicates that it hasn't been messed with at some point after 1947.

Therefore, IMHO, this is a rarely seen pre-1948 ribbon bar for a common soldier; Ivan Frontnovik if you will. There were tens if not hundreds of thousands of these bars being worn in 1947. Many have been lost and most have been added to as the soldier or veteran was given more baubles from the Soviet State for his or her valient service. But this, I think, was worn for a very short period of time between 1944 and 1948.

[Esteban_cool]

I do not like too much plastic coated ribbon bars, but this one has a lovely "it was there" fade on the ribbons and a wear that makes up for it. Congrats, Eric! :thumbsup

[desantnik]

Yes, my vote for CSM.

[Tretov]

I think CSM too, although it theoretically could be Order of Badge of Honor (similar colours, would have same placement). The other combat awards do however indicate CSM, either for combat or long service.

[deValcourt]

Tretov,
Perfect placement. I see your post about ribbon bars rather often so I have to at least believe you and Eric (frankly, anyone here) know(s) far more than I do about them. My question is going to sound sophomoric, but I've spent 98% of my time on medals and badges and only recently started looking more carefully at the few ribbon bars I have.
Nonetheless, here it is: I have seen several differnt types (from cloth to metal and pin back), but the one that I am most curious about is the type where the ribbon is under or behind rounded plastic instead of on rolls. Is/was this a standard variation or is it just another fake put-together job? If it's fake, somebody went to an awful lot of trouble because I'm not talking about the folded plastic sheets or any other protective "covering," this is just clear solid plastic in rolled shapes above the ribbons. If you would like pictures of the one I have, let me know. It is the only one I've seen with an October Revolution order on it and the owner (if there was one) was clearly not career military unless he was KGB because of the types of orders and medals he had. Again, I have my doubts about authenticity, but nothing really to base them on.
Thanks in advance to anyone who can even point me to the thread I need to learn.:D
Once a scholar, always a student,
Phillip

[Esteban_cool]

Originally Posted by devalcourt

I have seen several differnt types (from cloth to metal and pin back), but the one that I am most curious about is the type where the ribbon is under or behind rounded plastic instead of on rolls. Is/was this a standard variation or is it just another fake put-together job?

Not neccesarily is a fake. Not official neither. Most of the times these ones are made by the veteran.

Here´s an example of a custom bar(maybe too custom...:(), the first one.