Georgian Red Army Red Star

[Chuck In Oregon]

Just when you thought you knew all the Red Star variations ...

This is a Georgian Red Army senior officer's Red Star.

The Georgian Red Army only existed from 1921-1922. It's awards and award system is not recorded in any form that I am aware of. It is very unlikely that there were many GRA awards at all.

The GRA was the remnants of the Menshevik Army that were repatriated and absorbed into the Red Army after the conquest of the Caucasus/end of the Civil War. Its headquarters were in Tbilisi. Kind of ties in with the "Hero of the Capture of Tbilisi" badge that I posted yesterday.

This is a senior officer's Red Star from that army and period. It is thought to have been awarded to senior field commanders as well as senior headquarters staff officers. I believe that this badge is uncatalogued and unknown in the west.

The badge is in four parts, plus the screw post and screw plate. The badge is silver. The red enamel is transparent and you can count 25 rays underneath the enamel extending from the center of the badge outwards. The three Georgian letters appear to be solid gold. The badge has a tsarist hallmark -- either Moscow, Tula or Nizhni-Novgorod -- and an 84. The screw plate is separately hallmarked.

Enjoy.