Soviet Award Books Types: The "Orders Booklet"

[Rick Research]

The first Orders Booklets (Ordenskaya Knizhka) were issued in 1938. Here are the covers of a 1938 edition on left and 1939 edition on right. Both are identical externally, with the then-current Soviet State Seal bearing "11 Republics" on the ribands-- 5 on each side and one on the bottom bow.

[Rick Research]

Unfortunately the stamped photo page which should be on the left of the 1938 Booklet has been removed, leaving only the name of the recipient and his signature on righthand page.

All Booklets should have stamped photos for this period.

[Rick Research]

The recipient, later a Soviet Air Force Major General, has had his original 1938 Order of the Red Banner entry submerged in the "any which way" flood of his WW2 awards. The spacing will be clearer on the 1939 edition Booklet's entry page.

A bomber navigator Captain at the time of this first award (serial # 1869), it was probably either for combat against the Japanese in the Far East (Lake Khasan campaign of 1938) or for some sort of top secret technical testing. Since he also received a SECOND award "2" Red Banner (#272) pre-WW2, Far East action (at Khalkin Gol for the second?) is more likely... unless he was in Spain. (Unfortunately his service records in the Archives were... "spotty," ahem)

[Rick Research]

The 1938 State Printing edition information at the back of the book, after pages of regulations about privileges.

[Rick Research]

The holder's photo and names pages from a 1939 edition Booklet. Although there is nothing to identify this young civilian, he was a State Security operative (I have his entire life's awards 1938-1991)

[Rick Research]

The entry page shows an Order of the Red Banner bestowed in November 1938, almost certainly either for Spain or "success" on an overseas "hit." (Read Pavel Sudoplatov's memoirs "Special Tasks" for recollections of a young 1930s NKVD assassin.). The Order of the Red Banner before WW2 was an EXTREMELY high award, granted only for successful service to the Soviet State at risk of the recipient's life.

[Rick Research]

The edition page of the 1939 Booklet

[Rick Research]

Would anyone with Orders Booklets from the editions from 1940 to 1949 please post examples here: of the photo & name pages, entry page, and edition page?

I have none between 1939 and 1950, except four 1945 editions--two serial number only and the other two with prefix "A"-- and a 1947 with the new State Seal cover. I will resume with these and the "mystery--or coincidence?" G serial prefix Booklets of the 1950s, and proceed to the 1967 edition in chronological order for this survey up to 1980. I have no post-1980 Orders Booklets so owners, get those scans ready as we march forward in time!

[Rick Research]

Note: I have seen 1940 edition Booklets for Winter War awards, and one 1942 issue, but during World War Two, issue of Booklets seems to have been drastically reduced in favor of this expedient: the "Temporary Certificate," which bears much more detailed information.

Here is a Temporary Certificate for an Order of the Patriotic War 1st Class to a combat engineers/pioneer Major, listing award authorization, dates, serial number, and his unit: