Medal "For the Capture of Königsberg"

The Medal "For the Capture of Königsberg" (Russian: Медаль «За взятие Кёнигсберга») was a World War II campaign medal of the Soviet Union established on June 9, 1945 by decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR[1] to satisfy the petition of the People's Commissariat for Defense of the Soviet Union. It recognizes participation in the battle to capture the city of Königsberg from the armed forces of Nazi Germany. The medal's statute was amended on July 18, 1980 by decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR № 2523-X.[2]

Medal "For the Capture of Königsberg"
Medal "For the Capture of Königsberg" (obverse)
TypeCampaign medal
Awarded forParticipation in the capture of Königsberg
Presented by Soviet Union
EligibilityCitizens of the Soviet Union
StatusNo longer awarded
EstablishedJune 9, 1945
Total~760,000
Ribbon of the Medal
Reverse of the Medal "For the Capture of Königsberg"

Medal statute

The medal was awarded to soldiers of the Red Army, Navy, and troops of the NKVD, direct participants of the assault and capture of Königsberg as well as to the organizers and leaders of combat operations in the capture of this city.[1]

The medal was awarded on behalf of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR on the basis of documents attesting to actual participation in the capture of Königsberg. Serving military personnel received the medal from their unit commander, retirees from military service received the medal from a regional, municipal or district military commissioner in the recipient's community.[1]

The medal was worn on the left side of the chest, immediately after the Medal "For the Capture of Budapest".[2] If worn in the presence of orders or medals of the Russian Federation, the latter have precedence.[3]

Medal description

It is a circular brass medal, 32 mm in diameter. The obverse has a raised rim and shows a small relief five pointed star with divergent rays at the top. Below this is a relief inscription in bold letters on three rows "FOR THE CAPTURE OF KÖNIGSBERG" (Russian: «ЗА ВЗЯТИЕ КЕНИГСБЕРГА»), with a relief image of a horizontal laurel branch below. The reverse bears the relief date in three rows "10 APRIL 1945" (Russian: «10 АПРЕЛЯ 1945») below a relief plain five pointed star.[1]

The medal is secured by a ring through the medal suspension loop to a standard Soviet pentagonal mount covered by a 24mm wide silk moiré ribbon with 2 mm green edge stripes and five 4 mm wide alternating stripes, three black and two green.[1]

Recipients

Up to 1987, about 760,000 awards of the medal were made.[4]

Those awarded the medal include:

See also

References
  1. "Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of June 9, 1945" (in Russian). Legal Library of the USSR. 1945-06-09. Retrieved 2012-03-07.
  2. "Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of July 18, 1980 № 2523-X" (in Russian). Legal Library of the USSR. 1980-07-18. Retrieved 2012-03-07.
  3. "Decree of the President of the Russian Federation of September 7, 2010 No 1099" (in Russian). Russian Gazette. 2010-09-07. Retrieved 2012-03-07.
  4. Kuznetsov, A.A. (1999). Awards: an encyclopedic guide to the history of Russian awards (in Russian). Contemporary publishers, Moscow. p. 385. OCLC 43083118.
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