Red Star #922702 for an award officer

[Egorka]

Hello,

This is an interesting award, I think. One of those small phaleristic peculiarities.
The veteran: Captain of army service corps KALIN Dmitry Aleksandrovich, 1897.
His whole military career in the Navy was as a clerk in service corps.
The order itself is just a long service one and not for an outstanding field action. All his 3 orders are long service ones: Red Star #922702, Red Banner #164245, Lenin order #120941.
Nonetheless, there are a couple of interesting facts about the veteran.

Firstly, it was bestowed upon an "award officer" of the White Sea flotilla officer corps personnel department. I think it is interesting to have an award for a Navy officer responsible for award process for other officers.

Another interesting fact is that according to his service record, he participated in the "Ice Cruise of the Baltic Fleet" in March-April 1918. This was an operation in which Rissian/Soviet Baltic Navy escaped capture by German troops in the ports of Tallinn and Helsinki.

The operation was conducted in the Spring, when the Baltic was still packed with ice, so an ice breaker had to lead the convoys.
KALIN served on the ship "Krechet". It was a special ship - the floating HQ of the Baltic Fleet Commander.
This means KALIN departed from Helsinki on 11 April on the HQ ship "Krechet" together with the Commander of the Baltic Navy Alexey Schastny. Commanders fate was tragic - he was arrested shortly after his arrival to Petrograd (St. Petersburg) and sentenced to death for anti-reolutionary charges.

"Krechet" (ex-"Polaris") was originally UK-built cargo-passenger ship (2280 brt, built in 1899). First was a civil passenger ship in Finland. Later floating HQ of Russian Baltic Navy. After the WWI was moved to Far East as cargo ship. The fate of the ship: it was sunk in December 1941 in the battle for Hong Kong (three other Soviet cargo ships damaged and captured by Japanese).

[Marcel Banziger]

Very nice and interesting piece of history with excellent research!

[Meme32]

Very nice order and booklet, thanks for the story.
Great post !

[McSeam]

Interesting!
He fearlessly processed documents when someone was risking a life among bullets. I thought this devaluation of orders begun after the war.

[HoundsTooth]

The order itself is just a long service one and not for an outstanding field action. All his 3 orders are long service ones.

Interesting!
He fearlessly processed documents when someone was risking a life among bullets. I thought this devaluation of orders begun after the war.

I thought these awards were designed from the start for acts of bravery and also long service? If that is the case then he has justly been awarded them. IMO this is not a devaluation.
Egorka - is this not the case?

Thanks
Nick

[McSeam]

I thought these awards were designed from the start for acts of bravery and also long service?

Not at all. WIKI just told me that it was from 1944 to 1957. I mean the long service. It was impossible before this time, it is a very respectable order.

[HoundsTooth]

Not at all. WIKI just told me that it was from 1944 to 1957. I mean the long service. It was impossible before this time, it is a very respectable order.

I take your point about the Order of Red Star only being for long service from '44. I suppose, due to the serial number he must have been awarded this in '44 for long service. Thus the devaluation started a bit before the end of the war.
Nick

[McSeam]

I take your point about the Order of Red Star only being for long service from '44. I suppose, due to the serial number he must have been awarded this in '44 for long service. Thus the devaluation started a bit before the end of the war.
Nick

This dark yellow paper you can see above is so called Award List. The senior officer writes that Kalin deserved the Red Star for his long service. It was written in September'44. It's interesting that we can see all his military service from 1918 to 1944 there. All the time he served as a clerk! Not even a minute in action.

[Egorka]

Hello,
Right, the Red Star order statute didn't originally include long service option in 1930.
The first long service decree was issued on 03.11.1944. KALIN was awarded this Red Star by this very same decree. His citation mentions him having 18 years of service.
One could say, the long service awards were specifically created for people such as KALIN. Not only, but mainly.
At the end of the day this practice was abandoned for exactly the same reason - devaluation of real combat awards.
Still, an interesting item, I think. It cannot get more long service than this one. Nice document too!

[McSeam]

Hello,
Right, the Red Star order statute didn't originally include long service option in 1930.
The first long service decree was issued on 03.11.1944. KALIN was awarded this Red Star by this very same decree. His citation mentions him having 18 years of service.
One could say, the long service awards were specifically created for people such as KALIN. Not only, but mainly.
At the end of the day this practice was abandoned for exactly the same reason - devaluation of real combat awards.
Still, an interesting item, I think. It cannot get more long service than this one. Nice document too!

Indeed, the Award List is very interesting! Nice illustration of how to get a combat award sitting in an office. Thank you for sharing.