Medal "For the liberation of Warsaw." Medals of the Great Patriotic War for the liberation of cities

The medal "For the Liberation of Warsaw" is a special award for participants of military operations in the Polish capital and its environs in January 1945. It is worn on the chest on the left. If there are other USSR awards, it is placed behind the medal "For the Liberation of Belgrade".

Vistula-Oder operation

The operation to expel German parts from the capital of Poland in the official documents of the USSR was called Vislo-Oder. It was carried out by the military units of the Belarusian and Ukrainian fronts.

The offensive of the Soviet army began on January 12. The military units besieged Warsaw on 14 January. Subdivisions under the command of F.I. Perkharovich was surrounded by the capital of Poland from the north, and the army of P.A. Belova - on the south side. In the rear was the tank division of SI. Bogdanova.

On the night of January 17, the offensive of the First Army of the Polish Army began. She managed to cross the Vistula River, and in the morning to enter the city (the first was an infantry regiment under the command of Jan Rothkiewicz). Then Soviet soldiers entered the Polish capital.

The Vistula-Oder operation was one of the most successful for the Red Army in World War II. The troops in just a couple of days managed to break the resistance of the forces of Verkhamat and liberate Warsaw.

Institution of the medal

The medal "For the Liberation of Warsaw" was established on July 9, 1945. Only members of the battles in the Polish capital and its environs in a certain period (January 14-17, 1945) could receive this award. Until 1951, the medal passed to the state after the death of the soldier. On February 5, a decree was issued that allowed the storage of the award along with the certificate in the family of the deceased. According to the latest data, about 710,000 participants in the fighting in Warsaw in January 1945 were awarded the medal.

Development of the project of the medal

April 19, 1945 A. Khrulev (chief of the rear of the Soviet Army) issued a decree prescribing to develop and submit draft awards for the liberation of occupied cities outside the USSR. About 10 sketches were submitted for discussion. The bulk of the projects contained the idea of uniting the fraternal Polish and Soviet peoples.

The sketch, on the basis of which the medal "For the Liberation of Warsaw" was made, belonged to the artist Kuritsyna. Initially, the picture depicted the famous "Katyusha", and behind it - two soldiers (Polish and Soviet). However, later the medal was transformed, leaving only inscriptions.

Appearance of the award

On the obverse of the award are the inscriptions "For liberation" (drawn from above by a semicircle) and "Warsaw" (on the ribbon in the center of the medal). In the lower part of the front side is a five-pointed star and rays. On the reverse of the medal is the date of the liberation of the Polish capital - "January 17, 1945". The inscription is arranged in three rows, and above it is a five-pointed star. A pentagonal shoe is used as the fastening. The ribbon for the medal is made of blue silk with a pattern (in the middle is a red strip, and on the sides there are thin yellow lines).

Other medals

The medal "For the Liberation of Warsaw" is part of the series of awards for the expulsion of the occupation forces from the main European and Soviet cities. They also include Prague, Belgrade. A series of awards for the capture of important European cities was also developed. Among them are Budapest, Koenigsberg, Vienna, Berlin. Of particular interest are medals from the series for the defense of Soviet cities. Among them, Leningrad, Moscow, Sevastopol and Odessa.

Medals for the liberation of cities, their capture and defense were the same size and were made of brass. Most projects of these awards were developed by the famous artist A.I. Kuznetsov.

Next, we will consider individual medals from three series.

The award for the liberation from the German parts of Prague

The medal "For the Liberation of Prague" was established two months after the end of hostilities in Czechoslovakia.

The fighting in Prague is the last operation of the Red Army to drive out the German occupation units from the European capital. On May 5, an uprising of local residents began in the city. As a result of the fighting on May 5-7, the Russian Liberation Army (Vlasovtsam) managed to liberate the western region of Prague. On May 9, the first Soviet military equipment appeared in the city, which led to the flight of German units. On the same day in the evening, Prague was completely liberated. The last bouts took place on 12 May.

April 19, Khrulev gave the order to develop a reward for the liberation of the city. About 120 projects were submitted for consideration. As a sketch for this medal was taken drawing Kuznetsova and Skorzhinskaya.

In general, this award was received by about 400,000 soldiers who participated in military operations in and around Prague, as well as organizers of military operations.

Appearance of the medal

The medal "For the Liberation of Prague" is similar to other awards from this series. On the obverse there are two inscriptions: "For liberation" - in a semicircle above, and below horizontally - "Prague". At the very bottom of the medal is a five-pointed star and two laurel branches on both sides, as well as rays pointing upwards. On the reverse - the date of liberation of the capital of Czechoslovakia, located in three rows.

The award for the liberation of Budapest from the German units

The medal "For the capture of Budapest" was awarded to the participants of the storming of the city. The award was established on July 9, 1945. The medal for the liberation of Budapest from Hitler's troops is worn on the chest on the left.

The forces of the two Ukrainian fronts were surrounded on December 20, 1944 by the German part of the army "South" and group "F" in Budapest. In 9 days the Soviet command sent an ultimatum to the enemy about surrender. However, the cars carrying the requirements were shot. After that, the Red Army began the assault on Budapest. The fighting was lengthy, several times the German units made successful counter-attacks. On January 18, the eastern part of Budapest was taken, and on February 13 - the western part.

The medal for the liberation of Budapest from the German troops has a similar design with other awards from the series "For the capture." As a sketch, the Kuznetsov project was taken. The obverse of the medal in the center contains the inscription "For the capture of Budapest", and under it are two laurel branches, in the center of which are a sickle and a hammer.

Award for the defense of the city of Sevastopol

The medal "For the defense of Sevastopol" was awarded to the heroic defenders of the city.
In early 1941, the German units approached the Crimea. The first attacks on Sevastopol began in late October 1941. By early November, German troops had blocked the city from land. The defense lasted 250 days, after which the smashed remains of the Hitler units were forced to surrender.

In December, by order of the People's Commissar of Defense of the USSR, a medal was established. More than 52 thousand people were awarded for the liberation of Sevastopol and its defense.

The sketch of the medal was designed by Moskaliev. On the obverse of the award are drawn busts of two people - a soldier and a sailor, along the edge of the inscription "For the defense of Sevastopol." The reverse of the medal contains the words "For our Soviet Motherland".