For any soldier, regardless of country, combat awards have always been a special pride. After all, they testify not only about courage and courage, but also about participation in historical events for the country. In our country, where the word "war" can only be found in history books, we can see various orders and medals of World War II on the chest of many veterans. These awards indicate that they fought bravely, not sparing themselves for the future of our state.
Among many others, one can single out a series of medals established as a reward for taking cities. Today we will talk about one of them. This is the medal "For the capture of Budapest."
History of the establishment of the award
After the end of the last battles of the Great Patriotic War, the Soviet government raised the question of rewarding the soldiers who participated in the assaults of European capitals. So, in the summer of 1945 a series of medals “For Liberation” or “For Capture” appeared. In this case, different formulations were used for different medals. If the troops stormed the city, which was originally in the power of the Nazis - the medal "For the capture" was issued. In the case of the occupied cities - Prague, Belgrade or Warsaw - were awarded the medal "For Liberation". The date of establishment of all these awards is July 9, 1945.
These military awards of the Great Patriotic War were awarded to everyone who participated in the assault on a city - both the command and officer staff of the army, and ordinary soldiers.
Features of the series "For the capture"
Since these medals were part of the same series, they had some similarities and were performed according to one pattern.
All medals were made of brass and had the same size. All sketches for them were performed by the artist A. I. Kuznetsov. The medals themselves were round, each with a diameter of 32 mm. It is worth mentioning that this series was not distinguished by any pretentiousness or pomp in the design. As the basis of the image, each award included the inscription "For capture" or "For release" and the name of the city. This inscription was placed on the obverse. The reverse, however, carried the date of the capture of a particular city, over which a five-pointed star was placed. All inscriptions or images were made convex.
Medal "For the Capture of Budapest"
The award, like other medals in this series, was approved on June 9, 1945. The decree was issued by the Presidium at the request of the People's Commissariat of Defense of the USSR, while the Presidium approved the description of the award and the corresponding Regulation.
The award was given to everyone who participated in the storming of Budapest, the capital of then-pro-fascist Hungary. This operation has become one of the key to freeing Europe from the invaders.
The storming of the city took place in difficult conditions. The enemy concentrated about 250 thousand soldiers and officers in the war zone. As a result of persistent preparation of the enemy for defense, the city had about 300 nodes of resistance and defense points. The ultimatum on surrender and surrender was rejected by the city command. As a result, Soviet troops began fighting for the possession of Budapest. Stubborn resistance was rendered by the enemy, moreover, several counterattacks were carried out from the outside to release the besieged forces. By January 18, 1945, the eastern part of the capital, Pest, was liberated, and the western part of Buda, on February 13 of the same year. Enemy forces at this moment totaled 188 thousand people.
According to the Decree of the Presidium, this medal was awarded to employees in the Red Army, Navy, NKVD, as well as various government agencies that took part in the heroic assault of Budapest, as well as those who developed and organized the assault and the accompanying military operations.
In the event of the death of a soldier with this award, the medal "For the capture of Budapest" remained in his family's custody as a memory (according to the decree issued on February 5, 1951). Prior to this decree, after death, the award was returned to the state. In total, about 350 thousand medals were awarded.
Award Description
Like other awards in the series, the medal was made of brass in the form of a circle with a diameter of 32 mm. On the obverse of the medal was "For the capture of Budapest", the inscription was carried out in capital letters. On top of the inscription was a five-pointed Soviet star, and below - a sickle and a hammer, crossed against the background of two laurel branches. On the reverse of the coin was a date - February 13, 1945. This date is the capture of the Hungarian capital by the Soviet troops. A five-pointed star was also placed above the inscription.
The medal was attached to a standard pentagonal block using an eyelet and a ring. The block itself was intertwined with an orange ribbon, its width was 24 mm, in the middle of which was a longitudinal blue strip 8 mm wide.
The medal was awarded on behalf of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR to all those who participated in the storming of Budapest and could confirm this with relevant documents. These were issued by the commanders of the units, as well as the heads of the medical units. The medal was issued both to those who completely passed the capture of the city, and to those who dropped out of the fighting for the wound.
Rules for carrying and serving documents
According to the rules of wearing, the medal was supposed to be mounted on the left side of the chest, and if the possessor had other military awards of the USSR, it was prescribed to wear it after the medal "For the victory over Japan."
Also, the medal “For the capture of Budapest” involved the presentation of relevant documents confirming the award. It was a certificate that had several options, depending on the date of issue. The USSR emblem could have either 11 or 15 ribbons, the date of discharge contained printed letters 19 or 194, depending on the time of issue. In addition to the certificate, a military servant was issued a certificate confirming the right to wear a medal.
Summary
Soviet awards have always been evidence that soldiers of the Red Army fought courageously and selflessly. Despite the collapse of the USSR, the military awards of the Great Patriotic War are highly respected today, because they are witnesses of the courage of many soldiers in those harsh years.