Suspensions, Ribbons, Ribbon Bars And Order Of Precedence.

[Tretov]

One reason that old WW2 awards come with new aluminium suspension may be that they have at some point been mounted on one long suspension and then someone has broken it up and placed the awards on what suspensions was on hand when, for example, selling the awards individually:

194x Single brass -> 196x Combined on long suspension, steel/brass/alu/ -> 199x Split to single aluminium

[Bogdan]

Thanks Alexei and Tretov,

The mondvor site has been helpful by way of pictures although I can read a little Russian. Also, I can see how Tretov's chronology illustrates the point of the suspensions being changed according to how the medals/orders are worn or then how they were sold. This does give me a better idea of this subject though and I appreciate the info.

[EricFG]

Here's a group I just received. I got these because they were all the property of GPW vets. A few long service orders but the majority are I think orders won in battle (whick of course I like sooo much more)

Note the top row of the bar marked X. Looks like it's out of order.

[EricFG]

Note the top row of the bar marked X. Looks like it's out of order.

I know it's wrong muckin' aboot with history but this sort of thing irritates me to no end. So after considering sliding the ribbons out and shoving them back in in the correct order I noticed that each row of ribbons is seperately mounted to the backing plate. So I carefully pried the two little tabs at each side up, all the while hoping they wouldn't go "SNAP" on me. Thankfully it worked well.
I took a shot of the bar undone so you can what's inside these things.
Pretty cool.
:confused:

[Tretov]

We're not really there yet. You may also like to change the placement of the 1968 and 1978 armed forces anniversary medals, so that they are in the correct order.

[EricFG]

****! You're right. :doh They're backwards and the Labor Vet's in the right place but reversed. I just opened a can of worms. :angerr :banghead :censored

I see more examples of screw-ups on other bars.
Was dyslexia an epidemic in Soviet Russia? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?

[Kirchgoens]

I think it was pretty much endemic, especially as these old guys got older and older and older. Some probably really didn't even know the correct order, especially when you see the correct order of the campaign medals with some of the others that pop in between. I see them out of order even on 9 May on the chests of veterans.

Some bars may have been done through the local Voentorg, but I think some were kits like what we can do with our US ribbons. Until I got my own US Army stuff custom mounted when I had a bit more spending money, my early days in the Army I always built my rack on my own with bare ribbons on those cheap aluminum rack mounts. We always had to double-check each other to make sure the order was correct. Thank god for for the people over at Ultrathin! They aren't cheap, but their mounts are downright beautiful. :thumbsup

[Esteban_cool]

Hello gentlemen,

After the bravery medal there is this ribbon that looks like a XX years RKKA, but checking the regulations I noticed that it would be the proper place for a valiant labour medal. Other members say that it is a XX RKKA in the wrong place and it frequently happened. I have a gut feeling that a not so "heavily" awarded admiral like this one could have received it, nor was it that easy to be eligible for it.

And this is the first time I see a XX RKKA ribbon "in the wrong place".

Any thoughts?

[EricFG]

Two thoughts:

A) If I ever find a Sovibar with all the ribbons in the correct order, either real or fake, I'll buy everybody here a new car. :D

2) IMHO the ribbon in question is the Medal for Valiant Labor. Its slightly-off center portion color is a manufacturing variable. I like the MfVL more since he's got a ORBL as well. One labor related award makes a second more plausible. Again, IMO.

[Tretov]

I agree with EricFG, Medal for Valiant Labor.