WW2 Soviet Medal for Defense of Leningrad Nazi Blockade period to Siege Survivor

Description: Soviet WW2 Medal for the Defense of Leningrad, Variation 1. This is a GUARANTEED ORIGINAL medal made at the Soviet Mint and officially issued by the Soviet authorities during or immediately after WW2. The medallion is in brass, measures 32.0 mm in width and weighs 16.4 g not including the suspension and connecting link. The medal is a Variation 1 characterized by a separate eyelet soldered to the main body of the medallion. This version was made only during the 1940s. The medal is in fair to good condition. Both sides show a moderate wear to the high points, many tiny dings and a few very small, barely noticeable scratches. The raised details of the artwork and lettering however are relatively well-preserved. There is a mild edge bump at approximately 5 o’clock, not too detractive. The brass shows a patina that adds character and some blemishes, mostly on the reverse. On the reverse, there are lightly scratched Cyrillic letters, which appear to be “Blenkov A.A.”, very likely the name of the original recipient. The medal comes on an aluminum suspension device of late Cold War era (Soviet veterans often wore their medals with pride, so both the ribbons and suspensions were frequently replaced as needed.) The ribbon is old, worn and faded but still perfectly sound and very attractive. In our opinion, it adds a lot of character to the medal, but in case the new owner prefers a brand-new ribbon, we’ve included a sufficient length of it at no extra charge (please note, our return policy applies only if the medal is returned in its original condition with the old ribbon mounted.) The connecting link between the medal and suspension appears to be of the period, probably original to the medal.The Germans besieged Leningrad in the early fall of 1941, shortly after their invasion of the Soviet Union. They soon managed to cut off all of Leningrad’s overland links to the Soviet interior and set fire to the Badayevskie Warehouses containing the bulk of the city’s food stores. According to the Hitler’s declared plan, the “city of thieves” was to be not stormed but rather starved out of existence, to wipe out what the Nazis considered the cradle of Soviet communist ideology.The population of Leningrad, well over four million strong prior to the war, was soon starving, with meager food rations getting smaller by day and supplies of fuel quickly dwindling in the face of brutal winter. The blockaded city was also subjected to regular artillery barrages, and air raids. None of this however seemed to break the Leningraders’ will to resist. A Soviet counteroffensive in December brought some respite by gaining back the railway station of Tikhvin, a vital terminus allowing some supplies to be brought in over the frozen Lake Ladoga and some of the most vulnerable of the city’s population to be evacuated. Later, power cables were laid over the bottom of the lake to provide desperately needed electricity. The Soviet Air Force maintained an aerial bridge to the city, its pilots as well as intense anti-aircraft fire taking heavy toll on the marauding Luftwaffe. The Red Army remained active repeatedly trying to open an overland route to the city, and it also kept a bridgehead on the Gulf of Finland connected to the main Leningrad force by the Soviet Navy. Behind the siege lines, partisans remained a constant thorn in the German side making life miserable for the invaders. Despite the odds, Leningrad continued to operate throughout the war with its factories churning out ammunition and weapons (including tanks) and even its philharmonic orchestra regularly performing on the radio.Nazi siege of Leningrad lasted almost three years and proved to be possibly the most horrific in modern human history. The human toll was beyond description: by the end of the ordeal, as many as million and a half of Leningrad’s citizens had perished from hunger, disease, and bombardment. Some had resorted to cannibalism as the only means of survival. However, the fact that the old Russian capital never surrendered to the hated German foe was a matter of great pride, a huge morale booster for the rest of the Soviet population.The Medal for the Defense of Leningrad was among the earliest Soviet WW2 awards. It was established in December 1942, when the siege was still ongoing and its outcome was yet uncertain. The medal was manufactured by the rump Leningrad Mint (the bulk of its machinery and personnel had been evacuated in 1941, just before the city got cut off). Unlike most other Soviet campaign medals of WW2, the Leningrad Medal was awarded not only to military personnel but also to civilians who remained in the city during the blockade and took part in its defense either by working at war factories or manning civil defense posts on the roofs of Leningrad’s buildings. An ORIGINAL, EARLY ISSUE Defense of Leningrad Medal can be a great addition to any collection of WW2 militaria! Because the condition of the example we have here is admittedly far from perfect, we offer it at a super low BARGAIN PRICE! Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE FREE SHIPPING (USPS Ground Advantage Mail) WITHIN USA ONLY! We WILL NOT ship our eBay items outside USA.

Price: 49.99 USD

Location: Tenafly, New Jersey

End Time: 2024-12-14T15:44:09.000Z

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