In the history of the Second World War, it is impossible to find a battle that would be more important or larger than the battle of Stalingrad, after which Soviet troops began to advance almost along the entire front line and eventually took Berlin. For participation in such a bright and at the same time tragic event, soldiers could not help but be awarded. Thus, the medal "For the Defense of Stalingrad" was introduced.
Battle of Stalingrad
The medal was awarded to Soviet soldiers who took part in the defense of the city of Stalingrad in 1942-1943 and showed unbending stamina and courage while fighting the enemy. In the summer of 1942, a huge group of Nazi troops approached the city. About 2800 thousand officers and ordinary soldiers, 3.5 thousand mortars, more than 1 thousand aircraft began to storm Stalingrad. The German armies were opposed by 150 thousand Soviet soldiers, who were armed with 400 tanks, 2000 guns and mortars, 730 aircraft.
The first phase of Stalingradbattles (July-November 1942) was more defensive than offensive. The Soviet army held the onslaught of the superior German troops, heroically fulfilling the order of July 28, 1942 "Not a step back!" Indeed, Soviet soldiers held every meter of their native land. During the bloody defensive and street battles, the Germans lost more than 600 thousand people wounded and killed, many tanks and aircraft were also destroyed. In the future, the losses of the Nazi troops only increased. The Germans lost at Stalingrad, in fact, a quarter of the personnel who fought on the entire Soviet-German front (about 1.6 million people). By the beginning of February 1943, the fascist group near Stalingrad was completely exhausted and actually defeated.
Establishment of the medal "For the Defense of Stalingrad"
The flames of battle were still burning in the city on the Volga, and the top leadership of the country was already considering rewarding the heroes. Thus, in December 1942, a decision was made to establish the medal "For the Defense of Stalingrad". The decoration of the award was designed by the artist N. I. Moskalev. It was planned to award the medal not only to the military, but also to civilians, so that all direct participants in the defense of Stalingrad were noted. Moreover, over 15 thousand civilians of the city volunteered for the people's militia, heroically defending their native land.
Regarding the military: the medal was awarded to both officers and ordinary soldiers. The medal "For the Defense of Stalingrad" did not divide the heroes-defenders into naval and ground forces,all types of troops were subject to the award.
Medal making
Initially, the award was planned to be made of stainless steel, but the decree of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of March 30, 1943 approved brass as the material for the medal "For the Defense of Stalingrad". On the reverse side of the award was its serial number, which corresponded to the number of the certificate for the honorary award.
Description
As already mentioned, the award was made of brass in the form of a small circle, the diameter of which was 32 mm. On the obverse of the medal, a detachment of fighters with weapons was depicted; against the background of a red banner, on the left side of them, the outlines of flying aircraft and moving tanks are visible. At the top of the medal is a five-pointed star, on top of which is the inscription "FOR THE DEFENSE OF STALINGRAD". The reverse of the award depicts a hammer and sickle and the inscription "FOR OUR SOVIET MOTHERLAND".
The base of the medal is a pentagonal block. The medal is attached to it with an eyelet and a small ring. The block itself is covered with an olive-colored moire ribbon, in the center of which there is an oblong red stripe. The width of the strip is 2 mm, and the width of the tape itself is 24 mm.
Rewarded for the defense of Stalingrad
There were so many heroes who defended Stalingrad from the fascist invaders that it was not possible not only to award, but also to count all of them. According to general information, 760 thousand people received the medal "For the Defense of Stalingrad." Lists of awardees in alphabetical or some other order, most likelyhave not been compiled. But there is an opportunity to see orders for awards. It is also possible, knowing the name and surname of a WWII participant, to find out what insignia the command awarded him. According to these data, historians will learn more about those awarded for the defense of Stalingrad.
It is known that the medal "For the Defense of Stalingrad" was the first to receive: Commander of the 64th Army M. S. Shumilov, Chairman of the Stalingrad City Council D. M. Pigalev, Chairman of the Stalingrad Executive Committee I. F. Zimenko, Secretary of the Regional Party Committee I. I. Bondar. And in celebration of the 20th anniversary of the Great Victory, Stalingrad was awarded the title of Hero City and awarded the Gold Star medal.
The Battle of Stalingrad went down in the history of the Second World War as a unique example of courage and heroism, in connection with this, the medal "For the Defense of Stalingrad" was created.
