The medallion is in 23 K gold and enamels; measures 47.9 mm in height (incl. eyelet), 46.1 mm in width; weighs 29.6 g not including the suspension and connecting link.

The order is in excellent condition, which is rare for a Glory 1st cl. made of relatively soft solid gold. Details of the medallion are exceptionally

The medallion is in 23 K gold and enamels; measures 47.9 mm in height (incl. eyelet), 46.1 mm in width; weighs 29.6 g not including the suspension and connecting link.

The order is in excellent condition, which is rare for a Glory 1st cl. made of relatively soft solid gold. Details of the medallion are exceptionally well-preserved and crisp, essentially pristine. Note that all the numerals on the dial of the Kremlin clock are clearly visible - in and of itself a very uncommon case. There are only some minuscule dings to the recessed field of the medallion and arms of the star, all of them nearly or completely unnoticeable to the unaided eye. The enamel on both the star and scroll is perfect, free of even the microscopic contact marks that could be found under a 10x magnification. The reverse is likewise practically pristine, having perfectly preserved stippling and attractive untouched toning to the gold.

Comes on an original suspension device, a post-war two-layer model in steel with an integral catch of the pin. The ribbon shows age but is immaculately clean. The connecting link has been cut but appears to be original or at least of the period.

Ivan Kalmykov was born in 1924 to a family of a sugar factory worker in a village of the Sasovskiy District, Ryazan Region of Russia. After finishing seven grades of school, he worked as a metalworker's apprentice at the same factory as his father. In 1942, he was drafted into the Red Army and probably owing to his relatively high level of education - by the standards of the time - was sent to a seven-month training program rather than straight to the front.

In February 1943, Kalmykov was appointed as a reconnaissance man to the 223rd Cavalry Regiment of the 63rd Cavalry Division, 5th Guards Cavalry Corps (interestingly, in the subsequent award recommendations he was referred to as a "Cossack" rather than "Private" as would have been the case in the infantry or pretty much any other regular army unit.) He earned his first award of the war on 29 August 1943 near the town of Brețcu in Romania located some 50 miles northeast of Focsani, during the 5th Guards Cavalry Corps rampage through Romania following the Soviet success in the Yassi-Kishinev Operation. While on a recon mission, Kalmykov infiltrated enemy positions, reached the trench lines, killed 10 German soldiers with hand grenades, and successfully returned bringing valuable information about the enemy defenses. The reconnaissance data obtained by his recon group allowed his cavalry squadron to attack and capture an important height. For this feat, Kalmykov was awarded with the Order of Glory, 3rd cl. on 16 September 1943.

On 24 October, Kalmykov distinguished himself while on a recon mission near the town of Nagykálló in eastern Hungary. He was the first in his group to discover the enemy, boldly stormed his position deliberately drawing fire upon himself, and thus allowed the other scouts to thoroughly uncover the locations of the enemy weapon emplacements. His self-sacrificial bravery in this engagement earned him the Order of Glory, 2nd cl. awarded on 25 February 1945. Decades later, on 23 September 1969, this actual award would be replaced with a Glory 1st cl. by a special decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR.

On 28 December 1944, during the initial Soviet attempt to capture Budapest, Kalmykov once again showed exceptional bravery in action 30 km northwest of the city of Székesfehérvár. He was among the first Soviet soldiers to reach the outskirts of the village of Pusztavám where he killed four German soldiers with his submachine gun. In this engagement Kalmykov also discovered the precise location of two enemy mortar batteries and two machine gun nests all of which were subsequently neutralized by artillery fire. On 20 February 1945, he was awarded with his second Order of Glory 2nd cl. - which was of course, an error, since according to the Soviet award code any class of the Order of Glory could be bestowed only once. As was often the case, the mistake was corrected only many years later.

Kalmykov earned his final decoration of the war, an Order of the Red Star, in fighting in the Austrian Alps. On 29 April, he was once again highly successful on a reconnaissance mission determining the locations of German weapons and troops. On the following day, while on another mission in the enemy rear, he single-handedly eliminated a German sniper and discovered a hidden machine gun nest. During the return, he spotted a group of German soldiers attempting to intercept and ambush his recon group, whereapon he and his comrades opened fire repelling the enemy and sucsessfully completing their mission. On 6 May 1945, just days before the V-Day, Kalmykov was awarded with the Order of the Red Star by a general order for the 63rd Cavalry Division.

Interestingly, despite his decoratoins, Kalmykov ended the war still having the rank of Private (or "Cossack" according to the award commendations.) He was however given the special honor to march in the 1945 Victory Parade on the Red Square in Moscow. After returning to his unit and receiving additional training as a driver of an armored personnel carrier, Kalmykov was released from active duty in the military in 1947. He eventually returned to his civilian occupation of a metalworker at the same sugar factory where he and his father were employed before the war. He passed away in September 1982.

Research Materials: photocopy of the award recommendations for the three Orders of Glory and the Order of the Red Star; Xerox copy of the articles about Kalmykov in the Russian-language catalog Cavaliers of All Three Classes of the Order of Glory. Additional information about the 63rd Cavalry Division can be found in the Volume V Red Sabers of the Charles Sharp's series Soviet Order of Battle, WW 2.
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