The Medal "For the Liberation of Warsaw" was established by a decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR on June 9, 1945. Its creation was part of a broad awards campaign commemorating the Victory in the Second World War and aimed to recognize the direct participants in the liberation of Poland’s capital, the city of Warsaw, from Nazi occupation.
According to the award statute, the medal was awarded to:
- soldiers of the Red Army,
- the Navy,
- as well as NKVD troops,
- who took part directly in the battles for Warsaw from January 14 to 17, 1945.
As of 1962, about 675,000 people had been awarded the medal, and by January 1, 1995, the number had reached approximately 701,700.
Material: brass
Shape: circular, 32 mm in diameter
Obverse:
- at the top — the inscription "ЗА ОСВОБОЖДЕНИЕ" ("FOR LIBERATION");
- in the center — the inscription "ВАРШАВЫ" ("OF WARSAW") on a ribbon;
- at the bottom — a five-pointed star with rays;
- along the edge — a raised rim.
(All elements are in relief.)
Reverse:
- the date "17 ЯНВАРЯ 1945" ("January 17, 1945");
- above the date — a small five-pointed star.
Ribbon:
- silk moiré, blue in color;
- in the center — a red stripe 8 mm wide;
- at the edges — thin yellow stripes;
- total width of the ribbon — 24 mm.
The medal is attached to a standard five-sided mount via a ring and eyelet.
Work on the medal’s design began in the spring of 1945. On April 19, 1945, the Chief of Rear Services of the Red Army, Army General Khrulyov, tasked the Technical Committee of the Main Quartermaster Directorate with developing a series of medals for the capture and liberation of major cities. The first sketches were presented by April 24, followed by several other projects. In total, more than 10 versions of the Warsaw medal were reviewed. The approved design was created by the artist Kuritsyna. Another participant in the competition was the well-known artist N. Moskalyov.
