The “For the Liberation of Warsaw” medal is a special award for participants in hostilities in the Polish capital and its environs in January 1945. It is worn on the chest on the left. In the presence of other USSR awards, she is placed behind the medal "For the Liberation of Belgrade."
Wisla Oder operation
The operation to expel German units from the capital of Poland in official documents of the USSR was called the Wisla Oder. It was carried out by military units of the Belarusian and Ukrainian fronts.
The offensive of the Soviet army began on January 12. Military units besieged Warsaw on January 14th. Units under the command of F.I. Perkhorovich 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 S.I. Bogdanova.
On the night of January 17 the offensive of the First Army of the Polish Army began. She managed to force the Vistula River, and in the morning enter the city (the first was an infantry regiment under the command of Jan Rotkevich). 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. In just a couple of days, the troops managed to break the resistance of the forces of Verkhmat and liberate Warsaw.
Institution of the medal
The Medal for the Liberation of Warsaw was established on July 9, 1945. Only participants in the battles in the Polish capital and its environs during a certain period (January 14-17, 1945) could receive this award. Until 1951, the medal after the death of a fighter passed into the ownership of the state. On February 5, a decree was issued that authorized the storage of the award along with the certificate in the family of the deceased. According to the latest data, about 710,000 combatants in Warsaw were awarded the medal in January 1945.
Project Design Medals
On April 19, 1945, A. Khrulev (head of the rear of the Soviet Army) issued a decree ordering the development and submission of 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 famous Katyusha was depicted in the picture, and behind it were two soldiers (Polish and Soviet). However, later the medal was transformed, leaving only the inscription.
Appearance of the award
On the obverse of the award are the inscriptions "For Liberation" (drawn from above in a semicircle) and "Warsaw" (on a ribbon in the center of the medal). In the lower part of the front side there 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 located in three rows, and above it is a five-pointed star. A pentagonal block is used as a mount. The ribbon for the medal is made of blue silk with a pattern (a red stripe in the middle and thin yellow lines on the sides).
Other medals
The “For the Liberation of Warsaw” medal is an integral part of a series of awards for the expulsion of the occupying forces from major European and Soviet cities. They also include Prague, Belgrade. A series of awards for taking important European cities has also been developed. Among them are Budapest, Koenigsberg, Vienna, Berlin. Of particular interest are the medals from the series for the defense of Soviet cities. Among them are 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 of the projects of these awards were developed by the famous artist A.I. Kuznetsov.
Next, individual medals from three series will be considered.
German Freedom Award
The “For the Liberation of Prague” medal was established two months after the end of hostilities in Czechoslovakia.
The fighting in Prague is the last operation of the Red Army to expel the German occupation units from the European capital. On May 5, a revolt of local residents began in the city. As a result of the fighting, on May 5-7, the Russian Liberation Army (Vlasovites) 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 battles took place on May 12.
On April 19, Khrulev ordered the development of an award for the liberation of the city. About 120 projects were submitted for consideration. As a sketch for this medal, a drawing of Kuznetsov and Skorzhinsky was taken.
Altogether, this award was received by about 400,000 soldiers participating in the hostilities in Prague and its environs, as well as the organizers of military operations.
Appearance of the medal
The “For the Liberation of Prague” medal is similar to other awards in this series. On the obverse are two inscriptions: “For Liberation” - in a semicircle on top, and below horizontally - “Prague”. At the very bottom of the coin is a five-pointed star and two laurel branches on both sides, as well as rays directed upwards. On the reverse is the date of the liberation of the capital of Czechoslovakia, located in three rows.
Award for the liberation of Budapest from German units
The medal “For the capture of Budapest” was awarded to participants in the assault on the city. The award was established on July 9, 1945. A medal for the liberation of Budapest from Nazi troops is worn on the chest on the left.
On December 20, 1944, the forces of the two Ukrainian fronts surrounded the German part of the South Army and the F group in Budapest. After 9 days, the Soviet command sent the enemy an ultimatum on surrender. However, cars that carried the requirements were shot. After that, the Red Army launched an assault on Budapest. The fighting was long, several times the German units made successful counterattacks. The eastern part of Budapest was taken on January 18, and the western part on February 13.
The medal for the liberation of Budapest from German troops has a similar design with other awards from the series "For the capture." Kuznetsov’s project was taken as a sketch. On the obverse of the medal in the center there is an inscription “For the capture of Budapest”, and under it are two laurel branches, in the center of which are a sickle and a hammer.
Defense award of the city of Sevastopol
The medal “For the Defense of Sevastopol” was awarded to the heroic defenders of the city.
In early 1941, German units approached the Crimea. The first attacks on Sevastopol began in late October 1941. By early November, German troops blocked the city from land. The defense lasted 250 days, after which the broken remnants of the Nazi 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 developed by Moskalev. On the obverse of the award are busts of two people - a soldier and a sailor, painted on the edge of the inscription "For the defense of Sevastopol." The reverse of the medal contains the words “For our Soviet Motherland”.