Original Items: Only One Set Available. This is a lovely ribbon bar set of 5 medals from the Soviet Union during WWII. Awards and decorations of the Soviet Union are decorations from the former Soviet Union that recognised achievements and personal accomplishments, both military and civilian. Some of the awards, decorations, and orders were discontinued after the dissolution of the Soviet Union, while others are still issued by the Russian Federation as of 2021. Many of the awards were simply reworked in the Russian Federation, such as the transition of Hero of the Soviet Union to Hero of the Russian Federation, and Hero of Socialist Labor to Hero of Labor of the Russian Federation. A wide range of Soviet awards and decorations cover the extensive and diverse period of history from 1917 to 1991.

The Medals Featured On This Bar:

- The Medal for the Defense of Stalingrad: The Medal for the Defense of Stalingrad (or Медаль «За оборону Сталинграда», Medal «Za oboronu Stalingrada» in Russian) was established on 22 December 1942 by decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR and awarded to all Soviet military and civilians who participated in the defense of Stalingrad between 12 July and 19 November 1942.

The medal was awarded to soldiers of the Red Army, Navy and troops of the NKVD, as well as persons from the civilian population who took part in the defense of Stalingrad during its siege by German forces. Award of the medal was made on behalf of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR on the basis of documents attesting to actual participation in the defense of Stalingrad issued by the unit commander, the chief of the military medical establishment, or by a relevant provincial or municipal authority.

The medal was 32mm in diameter, circular, and made of brass, with a raised rim on both sides. It was worn on the left side of the chest.

On its obverse, a row of five overlapping fully equipped soldiers with their rifles at the ready marching to the left, above the two rightmost soldiers, the Soviet flag waving; above the others, tanks and combat aircraft also pointing to the left. At the top in the center, a relief five-pointed star, on either side of the star along the upper medal circumference, the relief inscription «ЗА ОБОРОНУ СТАЛИНГРАДА» (“FOR THE DEFENSE OF STALINGRAD”). On the reverse near the top, the relief image of the hammer and sickle, below the image, the relief inscription in three rows «ЗА НАШУ СОВЕТСКУЮ РОДИНУ» (“FOR OUR SOVIET MOTHERLAND”).

The medal was secured by a ring through the medal suspension loop to a standard Soviet pentagonal mount covered by a 24mm wide olive green silk moiré ribbon with a 2mm central red blue stripe.

- The Medal for the Defense of Leningrad (Moscow Ribbon): The Medal for the Defense of Leningrad (or Медаль «За оборону Ленинграда», Medal «Za oboronu Leningrada» in Russian) was established on 22 December 1942 by decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR and awarded to all Soviet military and civilians who participated in the defense of Leningrad between 8 September 1941 and 27 January 1944.

The medal recognizes the valor and hard work of the Soviet civilian and military defenders of Leningrad (soldiers of the Red Army, Navy, and troops of the NKVD, as well as persons from the civilian population) during the 872-day siege of the city by the German armed forces between September 8, 1941, and January 27, 1944.

Award of the medal was made on behalf of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR on the basis of documents attesting to actual participation in the defense of Leningrad issued by the unit commander, the chief of the military medical establishment, or by a relevant provincial or municipal authority.

The medal measures 32mm in diameter and is circular and struck in brass. It has a raised rim.

The obverse features, in the lower half, the relief images of a helmeted Red Army soldier (nearest), a sailor (middle), and a worker (farthest), all three with rifles at the ready. In the background is the relief outline of the Leningrad Admiralty building. Along the upper circumference of the medal, an inscription in prominent letters reads «ЗА ОБОРОНУ ЛЕНИНГРАДА» (“FOR DEFENCE OF LENINGRAD”).

On the reverse near the top, the relief image of the hammer and sickle, below the image, the relief inscription in three rows «ЗА НАШУ СОВЕТСКУЮ РОДИНУ» (“FOR OUR SOVIET MOTHERLAND”).

- The Medal for the Defense of the Caucasus (Leningrad Ribbon): The Medal for the Defense of the Caucasus (or Медаль «За оборону Кавказа», Medal «Za oboronu Kavkaza» in Russian) was established on 1 May 1944 by decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR and awarded to all Soviet military and civilians who participated in the defense of the Caucasus region between July 1942 and 9 October 1943.

The medal was awarded to soldiers of the Red Army, Navy, and troops of the NKVD, as well as persons from the civilian population who took part in the defense of the Caucasus during the battle for the Caucasus. Award of the medal was made on behalf of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR on the basis of documents attesting to actual participation in the defense of the Caucasus issued by the unit commander, the chief of the military medical establishment, or by a relevant provincial or municipal authority of the Stavropol or of the Krasnodar Soviets of People’s Deputies, of the Supreme Soviet of the Georgian SSR, of the Azerbaijan SSR, of the North Ossetian ASSR or of the Kabardin ASSR.

The medal was 32mm in diameter, circular, and made of brass, with a raised rim on both sides. It was worn on the left side of the chest and in the presence of other awards of the USSR.

On the obverse in the center, the relief image of Mount Elbrus, at its foot, oil derricks and a group of three tanks moving to the left; over the mountains, three aircraft flying towards the left. A 3mm wide band covered with relief images of clusters of grapes and flowers went around the entire circumference of the medal, at the very top, a relief five-pointed star, at the bottom, a scroll with the relief inscription «СССР» (“SSSR”) bisected by the image of the hammer and sickle. On the reverse near the top, the relief image of the hammer and sickle, below the image, the relief inscription in three rows «ЗА НАШУ СОВЕТСКУЮ РОДИНУ» (“FOR OUR SOVIET MOTHERLAND”).

- The Medal for the Victory over Germany in the Great Patriotic War: The Medal “For the Victory Over Germany in the Great Patriotic War 1941–1945” was a military decoration of the Soviet Union established on May 9, 1945 to denote military participation in the victory of the Soviet armed forces over NSDAP Germany in the Great Patriotic War.
It was awarded to all military and civilian personnel of the Red Army, of the Navy and of the troops of the NKVD who were directly involved on the different fronts of World War II. Award of the medal was made on behalf of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR.

The medal was 32mm in diameter, circular and made of brass, with a raised rim on both sides. It was worn on the left side of the chest.

On its obverse, the left profile bust of Joseph Stalin in the uniform of a Marshal of the Soviet Union, along the upper circumference of the medal, the relief inscription “OUR CAUSE IS RIGHTEOUS”, along the lower circumference of the medal, the relief inscription “WE ARE VICTORIOUS”. On the reverse, at the bottom, a small five pointed star, along the medal circumference, the relief inscription “FOR VICTORY OVER GERMANY”, in the center, the relief inscription on three rows “IN THE GREAT PATRIOTIC WAR OF 1941–45”.

- The Order of the Red Banner of Labor “Type 2”(Numbered 387943): The Order of the Red Banner of Labor (or Орден Трудового Красного Знамени in Russian) was an order of the Soviet Union established to honor great deeds and services to the Soviet state and society in the fields of production, science, culture, literature, the arts, education, health, social and other spheres of labor activities.

It is the labor counterpart of the military Order of the Red Banner. A few institutions and factories, being the pride of the Soviet Union, also received the order. The Order of the Red Banner of Labor could be awarded multiple times to the same recipient for successive deeds and long time merit.

The “type 1” Order consisted of a 38 mm wide by 43 mm high silver badge in the shape of a cogwheel, at center, a disc bordered along its entire outer diameter by panicles of wheat. Protruding from under the lower half of the central disc, a red enameled triangle pointing downwards. On the central disc in the background, a hydroelectric dam, at center, a gilded hammer and sickle, at the top, a waving red banner bearing the inscription “Пролетарии всех стран, соединяйтесь!”, “Proletarians of the World, unite!”. At the very bottom of the cogwheel, the relief inscription “USSR” (“СССР”) on a stylized horizontal shield bisected by a smaller cogwheel meshing into the larger one.

On the otherwise plain reverse, a recess at center bearing a threaded post, two rivets used to secure the hammer and sickle and the award serial number engraved on the lower portion opposite the “USSR” inscription. The Order was secured to clothing with a threaded screw and nut arrangement. The earlier nuts were 28 mm in diameter, later ones measured 32 mm.

The “type 2” Order also consisted of a silver badge in the shape of a cogwheel, it measured 38 mm wide by 44 mm high. At the center, a disc surrounded by a gilded wreath of oak leaves bearing the relief image of a hydroelectric dam, below the dam, blue enameled water, at the center of the disc, the gilded hammer and sickle, from the inner left side of the disc, a gilded mast bearing a waving red enameled banner protruding from the central disc, covering the upper portion of the cogwheel and protruding past its outer upper edge on which “USSR” (“СССР”) is inscribed in gilded letters.

The medals are offered in excellent condition, the ribbons, however, have degraded from time and wear. There is staining and fraying present on the material, but it does not take away from the beauty of the individual award. Comes ready to display in your WW2 Soviet Union displays!