Medal "For the Victory over Germany in the Great Patriotic War 1941–1945"

Medal For the Victory Over Germany in the Great Patriotic War 1941–1945

The Medal For The Victory Over Germany In The Great Patriotic War 1941–1945 (Russian: Медаль «За Победу над Германией в Великой Отечественной войне 1941—1945 гг.») was one of the most widespread military decorations in the Soviet Union. 14,933,000 people were awarded this medal. It was awarded to all the soldiers, officers and partisans who directly participated in the live combat actions against the European Axis during the German-Soviet War.

History

The official approval of the medal was established on 9th May 1945, which is celebrated in Russia and Eastern Europe as a Victory Day. Work on the medal prototype had already commenced at the end of 1944 in the anticipation of the upcoming victory. Most of the awards were granted right after the end of the war. A proof of participation in the combat military operations was usually required, in order to be eligible for this decoration. After the war, the medal, along with its less widespread sister medal For The Victory Over Japan, was commonly used to distinguish between the actual veterans of World War II and all non-combat participants.

Construction details

The medal is made of brass with three variations and features:

• (obverse): the profile of Stalin with text in Russian above and below, respectively:
  • НАШЕ ДЕЛО ПРАВОЕ (Our cause is just)
  • МЫ ПОБЕДИЛИ (We have won)

• (reverse): "For the Victory Over Germany in the Great Patriotic War 1941–1945".

The ribbon of this medal is the Ribbon of Saint George, three black stripes on orange.

External links

• http://mondvor.narod.ru/MPobGerm.html (Russian)