THE MONGOLIAN ORDER OF COMBAT VALOR

ED HAYNES

From 1921 until 1990, the Mongolia People’s Republic Mongolia against both foreign and domestic enemies. was a close ally of the Soviet Union. Landlocked between the two previously hostile neighbors of China and Russia The order (Figure 1) is a silver 50-ram five-pointed star, and far too close to Japan for comfort, Mongolia, in with five rayed gilt points separated by white enameled securing its independence, opted quite logically for a shorter rays. In the circular center the 1941 Mongolian close fraternal link with the USSR. In phaleristics, as in coat of arms appears in the correct colors of enamel. other aspects of its politico-economic history and policy, Below the arms, in silver there are a crossed saber and Mongolia came to look northward for inspiration and rifle. guidance. While the designs of their post- 1921 awards draw intentionally from the richness of Mongolian The reverses differ substantially among the sub-variations culture and history, almost all Mongolian awards and are detailed below. All of the awards are numbered were manufactured by the Soviet mint. Likewise, the on the reverse until, perhaps, the most recent bestowals. underlying orders system was, in general terms, inspired Other details of the changing design of the order are by the Soviet system, with, for example, the Order of discussed in the detailed typology given below. While all Sukhbaatar equating roughly to the Order of Lenin, the these awards (until the post-1991 awards, obviously) are Order of the Red Banner of Combat Valor to the Soviet believed to have been manufactured in the Soviet Union, Order of the Red Banner, and so on. the Order of Combat Valor specimens are (uniquely for the Mongolian awards made there) not so marked; more needs to be discovered regarding the manufacturing history of this order.

A glimpse of the first set of recipients of this order from 1945 helps to clarify its scope and focus. These initial awards included two members of the Mongolian Ministry of the Interior (the "Mongolian KGB" - Ch. Saaral and D. Tsedev), seven Mongolian border guards (Kh. Gombo, Kh. Darzhaa, Ts. Tuvdendorzh, D. Ochirbat, E. E. Khishigbayar, Kh. Sanzhnavaan, and Sanzhkhuu), and three foreign (Soviet) friends (Colonel B. M. Sangordoski, Colonel I. E. Tamshikov, and Major S. A. Samordoski).

In November 1944, ribbons were introduced for all Mongolian awards, and the Order of Sukhbaatar (created Figure 1: Order of Combat Valor. September 27, 1945) and the Order of Combat Valor On October 17, 1945, the Presidium of the Mongolian would be the only Mongolian orders to have their ribbon bar designs created at the same time as the awards. (The State Lower Assembly created the Baildaani gay ’yaany only order to be created later would be the Order of odon (in transliteration from the Cyrillic Mongolian) most commonly translated into English (and in the standard Mother Heroine, in two classes, established in 1957 and, uniquely in the Mongolian awards system, it would have reference book by Battushig) as the "Order of Combat no ribbon bar.) These early Mongolian ribbons are unique, Valor" (though "Order of Military Merit" might well be not in fact being made of cloth, but rather of enameled a prefened translation, reflecting more accurately the standing and conditions of award for the order). Like all metal, 12 x 28 mm in size. Mongolian awards as of that date it was a single-class order, roughly parallel to the Soviet Order of the Red The ribbon for the Order of Combat Valor (like most of these nine early enameled Mongolian "ribbons") is Star. The order was intended for award to soldiers, unit exceedingly difficult to describe and much easier merely commanders, political officers, military units, and military to depict (Figure 2). In general, if one were forced to do schools of the Mongolian People’s Army for merit in the strengthening of defensive and combatant capabilities of so, the "ribbon" could be described as a green-enameled

14 JOMSA center, flanked by narrow stripes of gold and red (reading outwards) with outside white enameled stripes with an elaborate metallic designs and with narrow gold edges. These early enameled ribbons are rarely encountered in ribbon bar groups. Figure 3 illustrates on ribbon bar with the Order of Combat Valor and two Polar Stars.1

Figure 5: A large cloth ribbon group.

Figure 5 depicts a larger ribbon group: Order of the Red Banner of Combat Valor, Order of Combat Valor, Honorary Medal of Combat, Medal "40 Years of the MPR," Medal "50 Years of the Mongolian People’s Revolution," Medal "60 Years of the Mongolian People’s Revolution," Medal "50 Years of the Victory at Khalkin Gol," Medal "50th Anniversary of the Victory over Militaristic Japan" Medal "50 Years of the Mongolian People’s Army," and Medal "60 Years of the Mongolian People’s Army."

Figure 2: Early enameled ribbon.

Figure 3: Early enameled ribbon bar with the ribbon of the Order of Combat Valor (left) and two ribbons of the Order of the Polar Star. Figure 6: Large ribbon group in domed Lucite. In 1961, these "ribbons" (apparently having been As with Soviet awards of this era, Mongolian ribbon discovered to be both difficult and expensive to bars are often seen (quite unofficially) in domed Lucite manufacture) were replaced by more traditional cloth versions with the ribbons reverse-painted painted onto the ribbons; in this case a small white ribbon with a red center plastic (often with some "artistic license"). For example, stripe, just 25 x 9 mm in size. A single specimen of the the ribbon bar in Figure 6: Order of the Red Banner of ribbon is shown (though badly stained) in Figure 4 Combat Valor, Order of Combat Valor, Order of the Polar Star; Honorary Medal of Combat. Medal "We Won" (for victory over Japan in WWII), Medal "25 Years of the Mongolian People’s Republic," Medal "50 Years of the Mongolian People’s Revolution," Medal "50 Years of the Mongolian People’s Army," Medal "30th Anniversary of the Victory at Khalkin Gol."

From 1947 to 1959, Mongolia adopted a policy- copying a similar, and similarly unfortunate, Soviet policy - to award their senior-most decorations for long service in addition to their normal functions. While long service awards were extended to a range of Mongolian citizens, Figure 4: Single cloth ribbon of the including teachers and medical workers (with special Order of Combat Valor: provision being made for service in the climatically

Vol. 59, No. 4 15 challenging Gobi regions) and in 1957 long service termination or drastic redesign. awards were extended to a range of additional workers, including those in agriculture, engineering, and railway Researching the Order service, the Order of Combat Valor was only employed as a long service award the military (including the interior While Mongolian awards - like their Soviet "cousins" forces and border guards). The full system of military long - are normally numbered and, therefore, present great service awards during this period was as follows: opportunity for potential and often interesting research, this has, to date, not been possible. There are great hopes 30 years - Order of Sukhbaatar that research on Mongolian awards may open up soon, 25 years - Red Banner of Combat Valor but, as yet, little research is possible for awards that do 20 years - Order of Combat Valor not come either as part of a documented group or as a 15 years - Order of the Polar Star documented single. 10 Years - Honorary Medal of Combat Typology of the Order Thus, the Order of Combat Valor came to be awarded for twenty years of service. These long service awards Through the collective efforts of a number of members were not universal awards and were available only to of the Mongolian sub-forum of the Gentleman’s those holding the rank of general, to other officers, and Military Interest Club (http://gmic.co.uk/index. to sergeants, but were not given to those ranking below php?showforum=123), we have been able to thoroughly sergeant. In 1959, all utilization of these previously revise the typology of the Order of Combat Valor prestigious awards for long service was stopped, except presented by Battushig (and the even more rudimentary for the military. It was rightly seen (as had also been coverage by Viktorov-Orlov and Herfurt). As with most learned in the USSR) that using these awards as long projects like this, there is much to be learned, and this service decorations had cheapened their reputations. In must be presented as merely a tentative nomenclature the Mongolian military after 1959, it remained possible to receive the Order of Combat Valor for fifteen years of long and distinguished service and the Honorary Medal of Combat for ten years; the stress in these awards was on the "distinguished" aspects of service rather on simple "long" service. Other orders (the Red Banner of Combat Valor, the Order of Sukhbaatar, and even the Hero of Mongolia "Golden Star" Medal) could be awarded in special and usually high-ranking cases for distinguished service.

The Order of Combat Valor would be the next-to-last order created during the years of the Mongolian People’s Republic (the Order of Mother Heroine would be the Figure 7: Obverse and reverse of the Order of Combat Valor Type 1.1 last in 1957). The order, like the other awards of the Mongolian People’s Republic survived the relaxation Type 1 - Screw-back. of socialist principles and the introduction of a new multi-party democratic constitution in 1992. This is very Type 1.1 (Figure 7): Screw-back (with the standard different from the fate suffered by most of the awards Soviet silver screw-back plate); slightly concave of the former Soviet Union. The Order of Combat Valor flat reverse; five rivets on the reverse (Herfurt M continues to be awarded to this day, although as revisions 11.1). Serial numbers observed: Low = 23, High of the Mongolian awards system are discussed on and off, = 840. To date, documented specimens have this order is one of the most frequently mentioned awards been recorded as follows: #14 July 6, 1946, #391 for likely cancellation. As the Mongolian state faces fewer September 11, 1953, #652 September 8, 1950. and fewer foreign threats, and as the Mongolian armed Tentatively, this variety could be dated 1945- forces are deployed more frequently in UN peacekeeping 1ate 1950s. The example shown below is #80, and other non-traditional deployments (for example, a unfortunately undocumented and, to date, untraced. Mongolian contingent is serving with the United States The example shown weighs 52.9 g (with screw- in Iraq as of the date of writing), there is less apparent plate attached). need for the Order of Combat Valor and it may soon face

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