Original Item. Only One Available. This is a very nice original Soviet WWII Medal for Bravery (Медаль «За отвагу»), serial numbered 352647, awarded to Corporal Nikita Vasilyevich Krivets (Никита Васильевич Кривец) of the 194th Tashkent Rifle Regiment, 162nd Rifle Division. Krivets received the decoration for his actions during the 1943 Battle of Kursk, reportedly involving the rescue of his regimental commander. The medal retains the desirable early rectangular suspension with red ribbon and screw-back fastening.

The medal is struck in silver and measures approximately 1 7/16 inches [3.7 cm] in diameter. The obverse displays three Soviet military aircraft above the recessed Cyrillic inscription ЗА ОТВАГУ, meaning "For Bravery." Beneath the inscription is a Soviet multi-turreted tank, with the abbreviation СССР (USSR) along the lower edge. The reverse is plain except for the stamped serial number 352647, which corresponds to Krivets' award record.

The medal is suspended from a short length of red woven ribbon fitted over a rectangular metal mounting bar. The reverse retains its threaded screw-back attachment and circular brass retaining nut, prominently marked МОНЕТНЫЙ ДВОР, meaning "Mint."

Condition is good overall, with considerable wear consistent with age and handling. The silver has developed a dark gray patina, with widespread fine scratches and abrasions across both sides. Much of the original red coloring in the recessed inscriptions has worn away, although traces remain, particularly along the lower lettering. The relief remains well defined, and the serial number is fully legible. The rectangular suspension, ribbon, and screw-back hardware are present, with the ribbon retaining strong red coloration and showing minor edge wear.

Historical Context

The Soviet Medal for Bravery was instituted on October 17, 1938, by the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR. It recognized personal courage demonstrated in combat, during the protection of Soviet borders, and in other military duties involving exceptional danger. During WWII, it became one of the principal Soviet decorations awarded for individual acts of bravery, particularly among enlisted personnel and junior commanders.

The decoration was originally issued with a rectangular ribbon-covered suspension and screw-back fastening. On June 19, 1943, Soviet award regulations introduced a revised mounting system, replacing the rectangular suspension with a pentagonal mount and a gray ribbon bearing narrow blue stripes. Krivets' award order was issued only weeks after this regulation changed, during the transition between the two suspension patterns.

Nikita Vasilyevich Krivets, born in 1917 in the Poltava region of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic, served in the Red Army from 1938 to 1946. During the summer of 1943, he held the rank of Yefreytor, approximately equivalent to corporal, and served as a driver in the 194th Tashkent Rifle Regiment of the 162nd Rifle Division.

The 162nd Rifle Division had been formed during late 1942 as the Central Asian Rifle Division of the NKVD troops. Its formation was part of a broader reorganization that transferred several NKVD military formations into regular Red Army service. In February 1943, the division received its new designation and became part of the 70th Army on the Central Front. Its principal infantry units included the 194th Tashkent, 209th Zaysan, and 224th Pamir Rifle Regiments.

By July 1943, the 70th Army was positioned along the northern sector of the Kursk salient, where Soviet forces had spent months preparing defensive positions against the anticipated German offensive. When Operation Citadel began on July 5, German Ninth Army formations attacked the northern Soviet defenses in an attempt to break through toward Kursk.

Initially positioned behind the main defensive line, the 162nd Rifle Division was subsequently committed to the fighting as German pressure increased. During the opening days of the battle, its units occupied positions in the sector around Molotychi and neighboring settlements, where they participated in the defense against German infantry and armored attacks. The fighting placed considerable demands on transport personnel, who were responsible for moving supplies, maintaining communications, and supporting the movement of personnel under battlefield conditions.

Krivets' first Medal for Bravery was associated with an incident during the Kursk fighting in which he reportedly saved his regimental commander. The 194th Rifle Regiment was commanded at the time by Aleksandr Yakovlevich Zhidenko (Александр Яковлевич Жиденко), who is therefore the likely officer involved in the incident. Krivets' decoration was formally recorded under Order No. 012/n of the 162nd Rifle Division, dated July 31, 1943.

Zhidenko was an experienced Soviet officer whose military career had begun well before WWII. Born on March 12, 1907, in Elisavetgrad, he entered military service in December 1926 and graduated from the Ukrainian Cavalry School named for S. M. Budyonny in 1929. Much of his early career was spent in GPU and NKVD border and cavalry formations in the Transcaucasus, where he held a succession of command and staff appointments.

During August 1941, Zhidenko participated in the Soviet occupation of northern Iran while serving with the 42nd Jabrayil Border Detachment. On November 6, 1942, he was appointed commander of the 194th Red Banner Tashkent Rifle Regiment, then being organized within the Central Asian Rifle Division of the NKVD troops. He remained in command when the formation was transferred to the Red Army and subsequently participated in the Kursk campaign.

Following the Soviet victory in the defensive phase of the Battle of Kursk, the 162nd Rifle Division took part in the Orel offensive. In August 1943, the division transferred to the 65th Army and participated in the Chernigov-Pripyat offensive. Its contribution to the liberation of Novgorod-Seversky earned it the honorary designation Novgorod-Severskaya on September 16, 1943.

On September 28, 1943, Zhidenko was seriously wounded during operations to cross the Sozh River near Gomel. He remained hospitalized until January 1944, after which he returned to duty and received an appointment as deputy commander of the 49th Rifle Division. In March 1945, he assumed command of the 222nd Rifle Division and led the formation during the final fighting in Germany, including the Berlin offensive.

Zhidenko continued his military career after the war, serving as an instructor at the Voroshilov Higher Military Academy. He was promoted to Major General in 1958 and retired from active service in November 1960. He died in Moscow on April 28, 1982. His military decorations included the Order of Lenin, four Orders of the Red Banner, the Orders of Suvorov 2nd and 3rd Class, and two Orders of the Red Star.

Krivets likewise continued to serve after the Battle of Kursk and received further decorations. His recorded awards include an Order of the Red Star, No. 410175, awarded under an order dated October 27, 1943, and a second Medal for Bravery, No. 2881486, recorded under an award order dated June 7, 1945. His military service concluded in 1946.

The present Medal for Bravery, serial number 352647, is associated with Krivets' first recorded award of this decoration and the July 1943 fighting at Kursk. Its connection to the 194th Tashkent Rifle Regiment and the circumstances surrounding the reported rescue of its commander makes it a particularly interesting piece of Soviet wartime military history.