28 the Medal Collector VOL. 46 No.Lo Politics of the Soviet State, Which Reliably Guarantees the Development of the Country in Peace Time
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Decree of July 6, 1945. Mikai Michael Hohenzollern, 1921-. King Michael I of Romania, 1940 to 1947. Became King after his father abdicated in September 1940. At the same time, Ion Antonescu assumed power as premier and supported Germany. In August 1944 King Michael arrested Antonescu and disarmed his men. On August 23, 1944, Michael declaired war on Germany. King Michael abdicated the throne in December 1947 under pressure from the communists. Decree of August 9, 1945. Michal Rolja-Zymersky, 1890-1992, Marshal of Poland, organized opposition to the Nazi occupation and successfully fought the counter-revolutionary underground movement. Commander-in-Chief of the Polish Army and head of Lyudovaya Guards. Decree of September 9, 1945. Josip Broz Tito, 1892-1980, Marshal of Yugoslavia, 1943-1980, the Supreme Commander of the National Liberation Army of Yugoslavia. Leader of partisan operations against Nazi occupation during WWlI. Other Receipients: Leonid lilich Brezhnev, 1906-1982, President 1960-1964, 1977-1982, First Secretary of the Communist Party 1964-1982. During WWII he was responsible for political work in the field armies. Deputy chief of the Southern Front. 18th Army Political department chief, 4th Ukrainian Front political chief. He took part in the battle for Rostov-on-Don, Tuapse, Kerch, Novorossiysk and the liberation of the Ukraine, Czechoslovakia, Poland and Hungary. Brezhnev’s Order of Victory was authorized by a decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR on February 20, 1978. General Secretary of the Central Committee of the CPSU, Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, Chairman of the Defense of the USSR, Marshall of the Soviet Union Leonid Iliich Brezhnev is awarded the Order Victory for great contributions in the victory of the Soviet people and its Armed Forces in the Great Patriotic War, for outstanding merit in the strengthening the defensive capacity of the country, for development and consistent realization of the foreign peace 28 The Medal Collector VOL. 46 No.lO Politics of the Soviet State, which reliably guarantees the development of the country in peace time. Figure 9 M. A. Suslov attaching the Order of Victory to Brezhnev’s uniform. At the Kremlin Cabinet meeting on the same day (February 20, 1978) Brezhnev received the Order of Victory (Figures 9 and 10). In the first picture the main ideologist of the Communist Party, M. A. Suslov appears to be attaching the order to Brezhnev’s uniform by pinning it on. In the next picture the order has been attached to the uniform. In researching this article, it appears that Brezhnev had three Orders of Victory specially made for his uniforms. Unlike the original orders, these were made with natural rubies from Burma and India. Earlier publications also refer to Brezhnev’s orders as being pin back varieties. The pictures of the award ceremony reprinted in this article seem to show M. A. Suslov pinning an Order of Victory onto Brezhnev’s uniform jacket. Also, in the picture showing Brezhnev wearing the Order of Victory, it appears that the order is fitting loosely on the uniform, suggesting a pin back. Until someone can locate and examine one of the examples of Brezhnev’s Order of Victory, this question will be left unanswered. VOL. 46 No. 10 The Medal Collector 29 Figure 10 Breshnev wearing his Order of Victory following the presentation ceremony. After the death of Brezhnev, in the Fall of 1986, more than 100 of his awards were given to the orders store room of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR for safe keeping. Shortly thereafter, in an event unique in the history of Soviet awards, the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, in a decree dated September 21, 1989, rescinded Brezhnev’s award of the Order of Victory because "it was noncorresponding to the statute of the Order of Victory." EPILOG: During the Brezhnev’s administration some soviet researchers rediscovered the sealed packages of the prototypes of the Order of Victory in the Kremlin’s vaults. Only then were they able to catch sight of these unique examples of Stalin’s imagination (communism’s version ofa Faberge egg). Perhaps these designs reflect how Stalin imagined the post war era of the Soviet Union would be, an age of elegance. The 30 The Medal Collector VOL. 46 No.10 .