The Order "For Victory over Germany" (1941-1945)

The Order "For Victory over Germany" was established by I.V. Stalin on May 9, 1945, and was assigned to all those who took part in the battles of World War II - direct or indirect. The question of creating a government award, which could be attributed not only to senior officers but also rank-and-file, was discussed since October 1944. Awarding the order took place under the leadership of the government of the USSR, pilots, commanders-in-chief and rank-and-file were presented to the medal, a list of all categories of persons who received this order is given below.

A bit of history

Mentally transferred to those times ... The final victory over the Nazis is not far off, and on May 5, 1945, General Khrulev gives the task - in a few days, sketches of the award "For victory over Germany" should be prepared. The task was very urgent, and not one artist was involved in the work. Among the creators of sketches, the following surnames can be named: I.A. Ganfa, Kiselev, G.B. Barkhin, but the project won the artists Andrianova and Romanov.

This sketch was an image of I.V. Stalin on the front side in profile, as well as inscriptions commemorating the Great Victory over fascism (they are given in the text below), an orange-black ribbon from the Order of Glory was attached to the medal . It was in this form that the Supreme Council of the Union approved the medal.

Number of medal winners

In May 1945, orders and medals "For the victory over Germany" were given to about 13 million 666 thousand soldiers and officers, and subsequently these awards found their heroes for many years. The greatest number of awards fell on the anniversary of the Fiftieth Anniversary of the Great Victory. The total number of people who received this medal was 14,930,000.

At the same time, those to whom this order was awarded had the right to be rewarded with jubilee medals (for example, in honor of the twentieth anniversary of victory in the war).

Description of the Order

The Order "For Victory over Germany" (1941-1945) has a round shape and in its original is made of brass, and its diameter is 32 millimeters. All images and inscriptions on the medal have a convex shape. The front part contains an image in the profile of Comrade Stalin, in the upper part you can read the inscription: "Our cause is right". The words "We won" are painted below. As for the reverse side of the coin, there are also inscriptions, and the lower part is decorated with a five-pointed star. The medal is connected to the pentagonal kolodochko with the help of a lug and ring, the shoe is covered with a silk moiré with St. George ribbon, the width of which is 24 millimeters. The ribbon pattern represents five equal longitudinal strips of black (3) and orange colors (2) alternating with each other. Orange stripes also border the tape.

Inscriptions

The front part contains an image in the profile of Comrade Stalin in the form of the Marshal of the Soviet Union, at the top of the medal the inscription: "Our work is right", and on the bottom - "We won." As for the reverse side of the coin, there is an inscription "In the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945" in its center, "the lower part is decorated with a five-pointed star." On the reverse side there is an inscription "For victory over Germany".

To whom the reward relied

So, to whom was the Order "For Victory over Germany" relied? They were awarded:

1. Servicemen and members of the full-time staff of the hired labor who participated in the war fronts or by their activities ensured victory in the military districts.
2. All those who served on the fronts (see point 1), but left on the fact of getting injured or on the occasion of illness. The award is also given to those who have been transferred to another job.
3. The medal was relied on by those servicemen who served for at least three months, and those employees of free hiring who served for at least six months in the district military departments, as well as in spare military units, training units and military counterintelligence bodies. The Order "For Victory over Germany" was awarded to those who worked in warehouses, commandant's offices, hospitals, military enterprises and other similar institutions.
4. Medals were also appropriated to the personnel of the NKVD organs, which provided the Great Victory of the Russian people with their work.
5. The order was assigned to the employees of the rear evacuation medical institutions of the Red Army and the Navy, which were transferred to the jurisdiction of the People's Commissar for Health of the USSR and were considered mobilized to serve these hospitals.
6. Finally, the medal was awarded to employees, as well as workers, collective farmers and other civilians from partisan detachments, operating in the enemy's rear.

The delivery was conducted by the unit commanders to those who were in the military units, and the deceased persons were handed in by city and district military commissars at the place of residence of the recipients.

How much is the reward for the victory

The moral component of selling orders makes one think about the human conscience. People who dare to sell their services to the fatherland of their fathers and grandfathers decide this step for a reason. Someone really needs money, someone sells regalia, without thinking, and it's worth pondering. The Order "For Victory over Germany" today can be sold somewhere for 1000 rubles, but remember, at what price they got to our grandfathers and great-grandfathers, do we have the right to trade the memory of the victory gained by blood?

The average market price for a medal ranges from 1,000 to 3,000 rubles, depending on the options for its execution. Collectors have a price higher, today there are special auction sites. Each medal has an identification number, it is possible to find the owner on it if you want to do a good deed and return it to the person to whom it was assigned. In this case, the medal must be attributed to law enforcement. In case there is no room, you can include a medal in the museum. The Order "For Victory over Germany", whose price is today about $ 100, can grow tenfold in ten to twenty years, such things will never depreciate, because the date of victory over fascism can never be erased from Russian history.

Responsibility for trade in orders

If the medal does not belong to the right of its owner, it may have been stolen, but in fact it is wanted, and any attempt to sell it may attract the seller to criminal liability. The Order of Stalin "For the victory over Germany", as well as other awards can now be found on many online auctions, both domestic and foreign.