The Battle of Stalingrad was a turning point in the history of the Great Patriotic War. It lasted from July 17, 1942 up to February 2, 1943 and was one of the most violent and bloody in the history of mankind. Thanks to the victory of the USSR, the Wehrmacht and its allies were deprived of the opportunity to seize the territories of the Lower Volga region and the Caucasus, as well as the Baku oil fields.
The medal ‘For the Defense of Stalingrad’ was awarded to all participants in the defense of the city: servicemen of the Workers' and Peasants' Red Army, the Navy and the NKVD troops, as well as civilians who helped defend the city.
The medals ‘For the Defense of Leningrad’, ‘For the Defense of Odessa’, ‘For the Defense of Sevastopol’ and ‘For the Defense of Stalingrad’ were the first Soviet awards attached to the pentagonal block. The medal ‘For the Defense of Stalingrad’ is worn on the left side of the chest and, in the presence of other orders, is located after the award ‘For the Defense of Sevastopol’.
The medal ‘For the Defense of Stalingrad’ was made of brass, it being 32 mm in diameter. On the front side, there is a group of soldiers depicted with rifles at the ready. Above them, on the right side, there is a fluttering banner, and on the left one could see the silhouettes of tanks and aircraft flying one after another. At the top of the medal there is a five-pointed star, and along the edge there is an inscription ‘For the defense of Stalingrad’.
The medal is attached, with the help of an eyelet and a ring, to a pentagonal block covered with an olive-colored silk moire ribbon with a longitudinal red stripe in the middle.
The medal displayed in the museum’s exposition belonged to Nikolay Kostyaev, a native of the Vyatka province. Kostyaev fought in the 1st Ukrainian Front, liberating Ukraine, Poland and Czechoslovakia. In one of the battles, he was heavily wounded. In his award list it was stated,
The medal ‘For the Defense of Stalingrad’ was awarded to all participants in the defense of the city: servicemen of the Workers' and Peasants' Red Army, the Navy and the NKVD troops, as well as civilians who helped defend the city.
The medals ‘For the Defense of Leningrad’, ‘For the Defense of Odessa’, ‘For the Defense of Sevastopol’ and ‘For the Defense of Stalingrad’ were the first Soviet awards attached to the pentagonal block. The medal ‘For the Defense of Stalingrad’ is worn on the left side of the chest and, in the presence of other orders, is located after the award ‘For the Defense of Sevastopol’.
The medal ‘For the Defense of Stalingrad’ was made of brass, it being 32 mm in diameter. On the front side, there is a group of soldiers depicted with rifles at the ready. Above them, on the right side, there is a fluttering banner, and on the left one could see the silhouettes of tanks and aircraft flying one after another. At the top of the medal there is a five-pointed star, and along the edge there is an inscription ‘For the defense of Stalingrad’.
The medal is attached, with the help of an eyelet and a ring, to a pentagonal block covered with an olive-colored silk moire ribbon with a longitudinal red stripe in the middle.
The medal displayed in the museum’s exposition belonged to Nikolay Kostyaev, a native of the Vyatka province. Kostyaev fought in the 1st Ukrainian Front, liberating Ukraine, Poland and Czechoslovakia. In one of the battles, he was heavily wounded. In his award list it was stated,
