Soviet Award Books Types: The "Certificate For Medals"

[Rick Research]

Just as Soviet Orders had their own "Orders Booklet" (Ordenskaya Knizhka), the military and civil medals presented as decorations: Bravery and Military Merit Medals, Valiant Labor etc had their own "Certificate For Medals" (Udostoverenie K Medali). Just to keep our terminology straight, I will refer to the latter as "Medals Booklets" because of their format, and to distinguish them from the cards folded in half to make the usual possession authorization for campaign etc medals.

Here are the covers of three editions of Medals Booklets. On top, 1945, lower left the shoddy mass produced 1946 edition, and 1947's return to better made hard covers type. 1947's change was required by alteration of the Soviet State Seal from "11 Republics" scrolls-- (5 on either side and one on bottom of the bow)-- to "16" (8 on left, bottom, 7 on right).

[Rick Research]

The first pages of this 1945 type book bears the recipient's names on the right in standard Russian first, patronymic, family order, and in this case the recipient's photo.

This fellow was a Ukrainian State Security Junior Lieutenant. He is wearing the insignia-less M1943 uniform typical of freshly discharged military personnel.

[Rick Research]

Far more usual, here is another 1945 edition book with the "valid without photograph" stamp in the space for a photo.

[Rick Research]

The 1945 Booklets have a serial number without any letter prefix, so unless there is a photo or other items to the recipient, it is impossible to tell what the recipient actually was.

This is the entry for Comrade Volinkin's Military Merit Medal (universally and incorrectly called the "Combat Service Medal"). He was apparently a low level flunctionary with the highest Party authorities of the Crimea from the other items in his group.

[Rick Research]

Here's the entry for the same award to the cheerful State Security officer seen above. Note that although his book is a 1945 edition, the award was made at the very end of 1946 and filled out in 1947. Occasionally out of date Booklets will be found when there was no significant change of contents or the Soviet State Seal on the cover.

[Rick Research]

Dating book editions is easy-- there are always State Printing Office, Moscow dates on the final page. Here is 1945

[Rick Research]

What changed between the 1945 and 1946 issues? Awards leaped literally from hundreds of thousands to MILLIONS. Half the Bravery and Military Merit Medals ever awarded came in a flood between the end of the war and 1947.

The name and (space for) photo pages remained the same from 1945 to 1946. What did change was that Booklets now bear a letter prefix to the booklet's serial number. The "A" here was used for officers. This recipient was a career police officer then still serving as a Guards Major in the army, and this is a 10 years service award. (Between 1944 and 1957 the Military Merit Medal was granted for 10 years military service).

Military enlisted men's Booklets bear prefix letter "B" or "V," political/civilian issues bear an "I." There are certainly exceptions, but these are the general, majority "rule." It is thus possible to tell, fairly accurately, WHAT a recipient was-- even without a photo or any other documentation. Letters did change over time... ALL ranks in the military seem to have used "Zh" in the 1960s-70s, for instance.

Also bear in mind that comments here about prefix letters on Medals Booklets (or Orders Booklets, which will have a separate thread) have NOTHING to do with prefix letters found on WW2 campaign medal documents, particularly the original large "sheet" ones.

[Rick Research]

The 1946 edition page

[Rick Research]

Here's another letter prefix: "G." This is from a 1947 edition book (awarded in 1951) to our old friend the "Babyfaced Killer," another State Security Technical Junior Lieutenant previously featured in this Forum.

I have handled (and always handle any I find at shows in groups) MANY many Booklets... and what I have found is that the letter "G" was used fairly consistently for State Security...

but also for a fair proportion of Air Force recipients.

[Rick Research]

It may be that "all" "military" awards in the early to mid 1950s used the serial prefix "G" and it is purely coincidence that what I have seen have been SS and AF recipients' groups. Many more DOCUMENTED examples are needed for a data base study.

Here is the 1947 edition page

[Rick Research]

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[Gerd Becker]

Thank you for bringing this to the top again, Rick. I have searched last night and only found one of this threads. Awesome stuff

Gerd

[Rick Research]

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[Gerd Becker]

Excellent Work Thanks a million, Rick

Gerd