Genuine SFRY Socialist Republic Of Yugoslavia Lot Of Medals & Orders Of A Pilot For Sale

Genuine SFRY Socialist Republic Of Yugoslavia Lot Of Medals & Orders Of A Pilot

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This remarkable group of medals, aviation insignia, photographs and personal memorabilia belonged to Salih Enes Mašić, an officer and pilot of the Yugoslav Air Force whose career was connected with the 83rd Fighter Aviation Regiment, one of Yugoslavia's principal MiG-21 fighter units.

Rather than being an assembled collection of unrelated Yugoslav militaria, the objects form the surviving fragments of one airman's career: his decorations, pilot and aviation badges, unit insignia, photographs of the aircraft with which his generation flew, and even documentation identifying him by name and rank.

One document provides an especially important anchor for the collection. An official certificate issued by the Office of Decorations of the Presidency of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia identifies him as:

“MAŠIĆ Saliha ENES, poručnik avijacije”
— Enes Mašić, son of Salih, Aviation Lieutenant.

The certificate records that Mašić was awarded the Order of Military Merit with Silver Swords (Orden za vojne zasluge sa srebrnim mačevima) under Presidential Decree No. 144 of 22 December 1977.

That date places him in a particularly interesting period in the history of Yugoslav fighter aviation.

By then, the 83rd had already moved from Skopski Petrovac to Slatina Air Base near Priština, where it operated from one of the most important hardened air bases in Yugoslavia. The regiment had begun receiving MiG-21F-13 fighters in 1970 and transferred to Slatina in 1972. In August 1977, the unit began receiving the more capable MiG-21M, replacing the increasingly obsolete early Fishbeds.

For a young fighter pilot such as Mašić, this was therefore an era of transition: from the first generation of Yugoslav MiG-21 operations toward the increasingly sophisticated fighter force that would characterize the 83rd Regiment during the 1980s.

The insignia preserved with the group reinforce the aviation connection.

Among them are Yugoslav Air Force winged badges, specialist and qualification insignia, a shield marked “Vazduhoplovna gimnazija Maršal Tito”, and a case bearing the emblem and inscription “VTŠC Rajlovac” — the Vazduhoplovni tehnički školski centar at Rajlovac.

Together they evoke the highly structured world through which Yugoslav military aviators passed: aviation education, specialist training, qualification, squadron service and ultimately operational duty.

The two surviving period photographs are particularly evocative. One shows a fighter on a runway; the other captures MiG-21 No. 522 in flight, accompanied by other aircraft in formation.

They are not polished publicity photographs. They have the appearance of personal snapshots — precisely the sort of images an airman might preserve among his own service memorabilia.

On the reverse of one photograph is the handwritten date:

16 April 1975.

It is a small detail, but an important one. It puts at least part of this personal archive firmly inside the period when the MiG-21 had become the defining fighter of the Yugoslav Air Force.

The embroidered 83 patch is perhaps the most visually striking object in the group: a black shield bordered in gold, carrying the number 83, a white lightning bolt and a golden lion.

It connects Mašić's personal story with a unit possessing a much longer history.

The 83rd traced its lineage back to Yugoslav fighter aviation of the Second World War era and was re-established at Skopski Petrovac in 1968. It subsequently moved to Slatina, where its pilots flew successive variants of the MiG-21. During the 1980s the regiment introduced the MiG-21bis, known in Yugoslav service as the L-17. The unit became one of the leading fighter formations of the RV i PVO and was named the best aviation regiment in the Yugoslav Air Force and Air Defence in 1988 and again in 1989.

This was the environment represented by Mašić's surviving possessions: supersonic fighters, hardened air bases, constant training, alert duty and the distinctive culture of Yugoslav military aviation during the Cold War.

The collection also contains several Yugoslav orders and commemorative medals, preserved in their original cases.

Among the cases visible in the group are those for the Order of the People's Army with Silver Star, Order of Military Merit with Silver Swords, Order of Merit for the People with Silver Star, and Order of Labour, Third Class.

Two commemorative medals mark anniversaries of the Yugoslav People's Army: the 40th anniversary and 50th anniversary medals.

These pieces turn what might otherwise appear to be a collection of aviation badges into something more significant. They chart the passage of time in a military career — training and qualification, operational service, recognition and eventually decades of association with the armed forces.

The condition of the original presentation cases is equally telling. They show wear, rubbed edges and age rather than the artificial uniformity of objects assembled recently for display.

What makes the group especially compelling is not any single medal.

It is the fact that the pieces survive together.

A named 1977 award certificate, Yugoslav orders, aviation wings, school and specialist badges, the 83rd Regiment patch, photographs of MiG-21 fighters and personal aviation memorabilia all point back toward one man's professional world.

Through them it is possible to reconstruct at least part of the life of Lieutenant Enes Mašić — a Yugoslav military aviator who served during the period when the MiG-21 formed the backbone of the country's fighter force.

The aircraft disappeared from Yugoslav skies long ago. Slatina ceased to be the home of the 83rd Regiment in 1999, when the unit withdrew to Batajnica and was subsequently disbanded, with its personnel and equipment incorporated into the 204th Fighter Aviation Regiment.

But Mašić's small personal archive survived.

The worn decoration boxes, faded photographs, pilot badges and embroidered 83 patch are tangible remains of a very particular period of Cold War aviation — when young Yugoslav pilots climbed into MiG-21s and flew from heavily defended air bases beneath the red-star roundel of the Yugoslav Air Force.

Together, these objects preserve the story of one of them.

One caution for cataloguing: the photographs strongly establish Mašić's identity, aviation career and 1977 decoration, while the 83rd patch establishes a connection to that unit within the group. I would describe him as having served with the 83rd only if you have provenance confirming that all the material came directly from him; I haven't found an independent online personnel record yet that names Mašić in the regiment. That distinction will make a sales description more credible rather than overstating what the evidence proves.

In this lot next items are included:

- Order for military merit with silver swords (Class III)

- Order for merit to the people with silver star (Class II)

- Order of the Peoples Army with Silver star (Class III)

- Order of work(Class III)

- Medal 40 years of JNA army

- Medal 50 years of JNA army

- Visor cap badges & with other Academy badges

- Two photos of the pilot in his airplane

-83rd Fighter Aviation Regiment Patch

- Piece of airplane from aircrash

- Visor from pilot helmet

Weight of the whole lot: 1600g

ITEM NO. m290

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SHIPPING

Each package we sent comes with tracking number. Buyers are responsible for any additional costs in their country of residence.

Once payment is received, we will send the buyer item(s) within 3 working days from the receipt of payment.

Our job is that every package is sent and that tracking number is provided. We cannot influence the arrival time of the package.

Combine Shipping: if ordering more than one item, please make your selections by clicking 'buy' for each item and then 'request an invoice'.

response

Please do not forget to leave a positive response.

Your positive response with five stars is our priority.

Your complete satisfaction will bring joy to us. If you notice any problems let us know.

Do not leave negative response before we hear from you about where the problem is !

We are always open and happy to help with any kind of possible problem that occurs between us and buyer. Negative response does not resolve problems.

Send us an offer:

If you like the item in the listing but the current price does not suit you, please send us an offer so we can make a deal!