Papers, Comrade! Soviet Photo IDs (NOT Order Books)

[Rick Research]

Here are the covers of four samples. Left to right, top = Partisan of White Russia, Group of Soviet Forces in Germany; bottom = 1038 "Jubilee" (actually long service) Medal, General Staff Academy Graduates

[Rick Research]

Partisan of White Russia, veteran's identity book issued in Brest (-Litovsk) 23 June 1969 to Vladimir Arseneevich Sergeev, who served from 12 June 1942 to 1 July 1944 as a BATTALION COMMANDER in the 113th Partisan Regiment, Mogilev Operational Group.

It is EXTREMELY unusual to find these IDs to anyone higher than squad NCOS. (This is where being able to read Cyrillic is a big help at shows! ) Apparently all these IDs have representations of the ribbon of the Partisan Medal 1st Class merely as part of the booklet's design, and not necessarily (?) indicating that the holder was a recipient of that class medal.

[Rick Research]

Here, straight out of "The Spy Who Came In From The Cold," is an ID issued by the Group of Soviet Forces In Germany (no prizes to non-Russian speakers who guess for which year!), granting Technical Colonel Aleksandr Ivanovich Ivanov, as well as anyone travelling with him, and his car, free, unrestricted access to ANY point in East Germany and East Berlin, but states that crossing into the "western Sector of Berlin CATEGORICALLY PROHIBITED."

Colonel Ivanov, recipient of several Red Chinese awards, was apparently an inspector on the GSFG Staff itself. Signed by Lieutenant General Sidel'nikov, Chief of Staff, GSFG.

[Rick Research]

This medal was always referred to as the 1938 "Jubilee" Medal of the Soviet Armed Forces (then the "Workers & Peasants Red Army"), but it was, in fact, for 20 years continuous service since the Revolution, for career military members who had survived the first wave of mass arrests and executions in the Great Purge of 1937-38.

This one was issued to Major Vasily Andreevich Volkov of the "5th Red Banner (illegible)" on 16 November 1938. The serial number on the book matched one stamped on the screw-nut of the original small red supsension medal as worn until 1943.

In 1943, the suspension was changed to what became the normal Soviet 5-sided mounting, the ribbon was changed, and the old serial numbered disk mounting discarded.

Unfortunately, Major Volkov himself was probably "discarded" as well. Stalin's insane "Great Purge" never really petered out until 1940, when a new wave of executions began over the disastrous war with Finland 1939-40, and continued as survivors were scapegoated for disasters during the German invasion 1941-42. I was informed that this book is in such good shape because it came out of an "archive" of purged officers, stripped of their awards when executed or sent to the Gulag.

Approximately 37,000 of these medals were awarded.

[Rick Research]

This ugly little brown booklet, with a format and cheap paper that never changed throughout Stalin's reign, was a combination report card, diploma, photo ID, and --after the diamond shaped enamel badges were created in the 1950s--entitlement to wear, for graduates of the Voroshilov General Staff Academy, the Soviet Union's highest military education institution.

This one is for infantry Colonel Ilya Grogorievich Popov, who graduated in May 1943 with "staisfactory" marks. It was signed by the academy's commandant, Colonel-General Kuznetzov. Note that Popov is wearing the brand new M1943 tunic with shoulder boards, and a screwback Order of the Red Banner and the original type suspension 1938 "Jubilee" Medal.

The only difference with later issues is in the slogan at the top of the righthand page:

here "Death to the German Occupiers!" instead of the usual formula, "Workers of the World, Unite!"

[Rick Research]

Even BADGES Books had photos, before the war. Here Aeroflot (?) pilot Pavel Fedorovich Sotnikov, recipient of an extremely rare pre-WW2 Order of the Red Banner (to the left of a Voroshilo Marksman Badge), is on his 1939 Khasan Badge ID, issued 22 May 1941:

[Rick Research]

Here is a typical long half height photo ID for a military pilot's classification badge--

in this case a Military Pilot 3rd Class to Captain Vladimir Ivanovich Vidman, certified on 28 February 1951.

The next pages reveal that he was classified in long range bombers-- the Soviet counterforce to America's Strategic Air Command.

The "cold War" was never colder or harder than this!

[Rick Research]

Here are the sort of multiple books an average Soviet officer and ex-officer had to lug around in his pockets:

On the left, a 1948 Military Identification Book, on the right the same officer's Reserve Officer ID from when he was discharged to the Reserves in 1955:

[Rick Research]

Here is the same former officer's Communist Party dues book, showing entries from when this one was issued in 1974 until his death in 1990-- just before Everything Fell Apart.

[Rick Research]

And from above--

the photo page of Leonid Kuz'mich Bogdanov's 21st (Illegible) 1949 Military Identification book, replacing the pathetic flimsy pre-war and wartime types. Every change in assignment and rank was recorded in this book. Typically, the paper is so bad entries are usually almost illegible-- only the COVER is stronger than earlier ones on this type, with a larger photo. Usually, as here, the officer was shown in his dress unidorm wearing all awards.

[Rick Research]

Bogdanov's 1955 Reserve Officer Identification Book. These are always dated on the cover with the year the officer was discharged.

Bearing a civilian photo, THESE books (at long last!) actually provide FULL personal and service information:

date and place of birth, education and civilian occupation, Party status, family data, and changes of residence subsequent to discharge up to 60th birthday's final release from service obligation, as well as a complete, unit by unit, promotion by promotion list of every troop unit the officer served in. Awards are also all listed-- if one is lucky, repeting serial numbers and giving specific award dates.

Artillery Technical Lieutenant Colonel Bogdanov, born in 1908, served in the Red Army from November 1930 to September 1955, receiving a Red Banner for 20 years service in 1951, 2 Patriotic Wars 1st Class (1944 & 1945), 2 Red Stars (both 1943 as recorded, but 2nd may be error for a 1946 long service one), 2 Military Merit Medals (1942 & 1944--the latter for 10+ years service), Defense of Moscow, capture of Königsberg, Victory Over Germany, and 1948 Red Army Jubilee Medals.

Ther is NO better source of personal information on a Soviet officer outside the Military Archives than can be found in a Reserve Officer's Identification Book!

[Rick Research]

Comrade Bogdanov's final Communist Party of the Soviet Union membership book, issued 15 April 1974 and showing monthly dues entries from his local Party office at his various moves over the years, up to December 1990. I presume he died then, since there are other pages remaining blank, but perhaps a new type Book was started up. He was then 82, well past the average Soviet life expectancy.

The dual Russian and Ukrainian personal information pages as shown here (and refer back to the Partisan of White Russia ID above) always seem to be filled out in BOTH languages, with photo attached to the native language of the Book holder. (Oddly enough, even when I have seen UKRAINIAN holders, they are always on the RUSSIAN side!)

Since Comrade Bogdanov joined the CPSU in October 1939 (his actual Party membership # was 1,252,295-- as found in the ever-helpful Reserve Officer ID), he would have received the 50 Years of Membership pin in 1989.

[Rick Research]

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