Original Item. Only One Available. This is an original Soviet WWII Order of the Patriotic War 2nd Class (Орден Отечественной войны II степени), serial number 463723, attributed to Alexey Pavlovich Lisenko (Алексей Павлович Лисенко), a Soviet officer who served with the 2nd Army of the Polish Army during the final stages of WWII. Lisenko was a career officer specializing in military transportation and communications, serving in the ranks of lieutenant, captain, and eventually major.

The decoration is of wartime silver construction, with a five-pointed red enamel star over a radiating silver starburst, crossed rifle and saber, and a central hammer-and-sickle emblem. The center is surrounded by a white enamel band bearing the inscription ОТЕЧЕСТВЕННАЯ ВОЙНА, meaning "Patriotic War." The underlying metal retains its darkened wartime finish, with gold-colored details on the central emblem and lettering.

The reverse has the raised Soviet mint marking:

МОНЕТНЫЙ ДВОР
"Mint"

Beneath it is the hand-engraved serial number: 463723

The original-style threaded mounting post remains attached, together with its circular screw plate.

The order remains in good overall condition, showing age and service wear with an attractive, naturally darkened silver patina. Most notably, a section of red enamel is missing from the lower-left arm of the star, exposing the metal beneath. The remaining enamel retains strong coloration, and the central medallion and surrounding details remain well defined. The reverse displays scattered oxidation, discoloration, and surface wear, while the mint marking and serial number are legible.

Historical Context

The Order of the Patriotic War was established by decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet on May 20, 1942, during the German invasion of the Soviet Union. It was the first Soviet military order instituted during what became known in the USSR as the Great Patriotic War. The decoration recognized courage in combat, successful military leadership, and actions that contributed directly to the success of Soviet military operations.

The award was divided into two classes, with the 1st Class representing the higher distinction. Its statutes contained unusually specific qualifications, covering individual acts of bravery as well as the successful employment of artillery, armored vehicles, aircraft, and other military resources. Recognition could also extend to personnel whose work enabled combat formations to operate effectively.

The original 1942 design incorporated a ribbon-covered suspension mount. Regulations introduced in June 1943 established the screw-back configuration worn directly on the uniform. The 2nd Class was manufactured principally from silver, with selected elements receiving gilded finishes. Wartime decorations of this type were individually numbered, providing a means of associating surviving awards with their recipients.

Major Alexey Pavlovich Lisenko

Alexey Pavlovich Lisenko was born on December 26, 1917, in the village of Trusovka, Mglinsky District, in what is now Russia's Bryansk Region. He entered military service on September 1, 1938, before the outbreak of the German-Soviet War in June 1941.

Lisenko's military career centered on transportation and military communications, a specialized field responsible for coordinating the movement of troops and military supplies across Soviet transportation networks. During the war, these responsibilities became particularly important as the Red Army conducted increasingly extensive offensive operations across Eastern and Central Europe.

One of his most interesting appointments was with the 2nd Army of the Polish Army (2 Armia Wojska Polskiego). In October 1945, Lisenko was listed with the rank of captain and the position of Assistant Chief of the Military Communications Department of the 2nd Polish Army. His service history also records the rank of major.

The 2nd Polish Army was organized during 1944 as part of the Polish armed forces established under Soviet sponsorship. Its formations were equipped, trained, and organized according to Soviet military practices, with numerous Soviet officers assigned to command, staff, and specialist positions. These appointments were especially important in technical services, communications, and operational planning, where experienced personnel were required to support the rapidly expanding army.

Under General Karol Świerczewski, the 2nd Polish Army was assigned to Marshal Ivan Konev's 1st Ukrainian Front for the final offensive against Germany. In April 1945, the army participated in the crossing of the Lusatian Neisse and the subsequent advance into Saxony during the Berlin Strategic Offensive Operation.

The fighting soon became exceptionally difficult. During the Battle of Bautzen, fought in the second half of April 1945, German forces launched a counterattack against Soviet and Polish formations in eastern Saxony. The 2nd Polish Army suffered heavy casualties and considerable disruption as its units fought to maintain their positions and lines of communication. Following these operations, Polish forces also took part in the final Soviet advance into Czechoslovakia during the Prague Offensive in May 1945.

Military transportation played an essential role throughout this campaign. The advancing Soviet and Polish armies depended upon extensive railway and road networks to move ammunition, fuel, equipment, reinforcements, and wounded personnel. Railway facilities often required repair or conversion, while the movement of complete formations had to be coordinated with the requirements of several armies operating across a rapidly changing front.

The Soviet Voennye Soobshcheniya (VOSO), or Military Communications Service, administered military transportation and coordinated the use of railways and other transportation resources for the armed forces. Officers assigned to this service worked with military commands and railway administrations to arrange troop movements, allocate transport capacity, and maintain the flow of essential supplies. Lisenko's appointment within the 2nd Polish Army placed him in this specialized administrative and logistical structure during the closing period of the war.

His subsequent service included assignments associated with the 1st Ukrainian Front, military railway organizations, and the Group of Soviet Occupation Forces in Germany. These postings indicate that he continued working within the military transportation system as the Soviet armed forces transitioned from wartime operations to occupation duties in Germany.

Lisenko received several Soviet military decorations over the course of his service. His recorded awards include the Order of the Red Star, the Medal "For Courage", the Medal "For Battle Merit", the Order of the Patriotic War 2nd Class, and the Medal "For Victory over Germany in the Great Patriotic War 1941-1945." His award history reflects service extending through the wartime period and into the immediate postwar years.

The numbered Order of the Patriotic War offered here is associated with this career Soviet officer, whose service included military transportation duties within the Soviet-supported Polish armed forces. Its identification connects the decoration with the complex military organization that supported the Red Army and its Polish allies during the final campaign in Central Europe.