The USSR Medal "For Military Merit" became one of the first award regalia of the country. Together with her, another well-known medal was established - "For Courage". The establishment of the medal "For Military Merit" took place on October 19, 1938. Until the mid-thirties, there were still serious fears in the leadership of the party about the counter-revolution. A
from the second half of the decade, another dangerous rival for the country appeared on the map of Europe - Nazi Germany. Heroes during this period were simply necessary for the state, which was going through the most difficult years of its history since the civil war.
Provisions of the Medal for Military Merit
According to the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, the following persons could be awarded this award:
- Those who showed courage while defending state borders.
- Those who showed initiative, courageous and skillful actions in battle, which contributed to the successful completion of the combat mission by the unit or
- Distinguished by particular success during political and combat training, in the development of new military equipment.
military unit.
History of the Military Merit Medal
The first of thosethose who received this award from the hands of high-ranking officials in the pre-war years were participants in the hostilities on Lake Khasan, who distinguished themselves in the defense of these territories from the encroachments of the Japanese military forces. Six months later, Soviet soldiers had to defend the area of the Khalkhin Gol River, located in modern Mongolia, from the same Japanese who had occupied China by that time.
Before the start of World War II, more than 21,000 medals "For Military Merit" were awarded. Of course, during the Great Patriotic War, the list of heroes awarded this award began to multiply dramatically. In the post-war history of the Soviet state, on the contrary, almost no one was awarded a medal until 1991. Until 1958, there was still a procedure for awarding a medal for long service, but this year it was canceled. The only episode of military clashes for which military personnel were awarded this regalia on a more or less massive scale was the suppression of the rebellion in Hungary in 1956. By 1995, the military personnel of the Union, and later the Russian state, were awarded this medal more than five million times. However, there were cases when foreigners who served our state well received the regalia.
Appearance of the award
The medal has the shape of a disk with a diameter of 31-32 mm (different versions existed in different years). On the front side there is a border with a side with a width of 1 millimeter. On the front side of the product is the inscription "USSR" according tocircles in indented letters. Below is an image of a rifle with a bayonet, crossed with a saber, complements the medal "For Military Merit". The item number is engraved on the back. Except for the number, the reverse side of the medal is completely smooth. According to the regulations, the medal should be worn on the left side of the chest and placed immediately behind the Ushakov medal.
